Prior to launching online marketplace Verishop in 2019, co-founders Imran and Cate Khan defined a white space with strong potential: an e-commerce site catering to influencers-turned-brand founders.  “If you were an independent brand creator, and you were building a brand with a point of view and a story to tell, there was no platform [for you],” Imran Khan said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Brands in the ‘makers' economy’ don't want to be on every platform; they want to be on a platform where they can distinctively tell their stories. They were distributing through social media. Our thesis was that social media would become more crowded, making it difficult for these brands to acquire customers.” Of course, that’s proven true. In step, Verishop has evolved its business model to provide creator brands with marketing solutions, on top of serving as an aggregator. It’s been successful: Today, Verishop sells 5,000 brands from 3,000 merchants. Its monthly merchant retention rate is over 99%, and its merchant count grew 120% year-over-year in the third quarter. Its marketing solutions business grew 6X in the same period.  “We're seeing incredible product-market fit,” he said. 

Pete Nordstrom, a fourth-generation member of the Nordstrom family, currently serves as the retailer's president and chief brand officer.  Nordstrom got in his start at the company working in the shoe department and worked his way up from there. According to hIm, the experience he gained from directly working with customers still helps him succeed in his role today. "[Working in the shoe department] is a very high-touch proposition that requires a level of commitment and service," he said on the latest Glossy Podcast. "The humility you learn from that is also helpful."  Aside from his executive responsibilities, Nordstrom also hosts The Nordy Pod, a podcast launched in February that gives Nordstrom fans an insider's perspective on all things Nordstrom, retail and fashion.  This week, Nordstrom sat down with Glossy editor-in-chief Jill Manoff to discuss how Nordstrom prepared for the holiday season, and how the company takes a unique approach to customer service, innovation and operations.