Episode Summary
This week Holly welcomes Shannon Flanagan to the podcast! Shannon has been retailing it since college. She’s worked in-stores and as a merchant, consultant, sales leader, and general manager. Today, Shannon has taken the entrepreneurial leap and gone out on her own, creating the advisory firm, Retail Connected. Shannon shares her journey from Corporate America to her own boss and why every step in her journey put her where she is today.
In addition to her advisory firm, Shannon is the founder of Retail Women in Tech. Her goal for this group is to help create the conditions for people to thrive and love what they do everyday. Shannon is a passionate mental health advocate and wanted to create a community that brings women in tech and IT together to grow and support each other in their shared industries.
In this episode you’ll learn:
1:00 Miss 'Summer Fridays'?! Find out how to get your Fridays back HERE!
1:30 Shannon is introduced and joins the pod
3:11 Shannon shares what her first job was and how she saw the entrepreneurial spirit from a young age
5:10 How she started her career and how the various positions and companies she worked at influenced what she wanted, and didn't want, out of her next job
10:30 Holly and Shannon both share their experiences working at large predominantly-male led companies, and the typical shortcomings they've experienced in those environments
17:05 Shannon shares staggering statistics on the sexism and discrimination that women experience in today's workplace, read the entire Women @ Work 2024 report by Deloitte here!
20:05 The webinar topic that pushed Shannon to finally follow her entrepreneurial spirit and start her advising firm
24:00 Shannon shares how she landed her first consulting client while still working her full time Corporate America job
30:50 How Shannon defined her advisory firm business and the services she would provide
34:24 Where Retail Connect is today and the ongoing success with their initial client
36:50 Shannon reminds us that your 'job' may not be forever, but your skills and accomplishments are, you can always go back to Corporate America!
40:20 Shannon shares how and why she started Retail Women in Tech, a networking community for women in the retail and AI industries
49:22 Why she did not initially form a board of directors, and instead met with 150+ people, one-on-one, to build the best community she could
55:10 Reminder to color outside the lines and find your own non-negotiables for your work life
58:10 Why women MUST be part of the AI revolution and the true cost to our world if they are not
1:05:10 Finally, Shannon shares with listeners to remember the value of your career looking like a "spider web" instead of just a straight line. Lean in and embrace your passions!
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