The CFDA’s Executive Vice President Lisa Smilor recently had the opportunity to check in with Juan Manuel Gonzalez, Founder & CEO of G & Co – a retail consulting firm focusing on the fashion, apparel, luxury and consumer goods industry. A proud Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and certified member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), G & Co helps brands innovate and improve customer experience and digital transformation through data benchmarking, industry research, and competitive intelligence analysis to enable insight driven strategy.

Juan was a guest speaker at the CFDA’s Bi-Annual Membership Meeting in February 2022, where he discussed “retail’s renaissance.”

Thank You for joining us in the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Juan. We are most appreciative to have the opportunity to speak with you again, and happy to introduce you and your work to a larger audience.

Where are you from? What is your family background?

I’m originally from Houston, Texas, where I was born and raised. Both my parents are immigrants from Mexico, and I grew up speaking Spanish as my first language.

For you, what does it mean to be Hispanic?

I’m proud of my heritage and my background, and I am a huge fan of seeing more people from diverse communities making a name for themselves. To me, being Hispanic means celebrating the admirable traits that I see and respect in my friends, family, and colleagues: strength, resilience, and a tenacity that powers our ability to see things through. I hope to see more people making their mark in this space and show that it’s possible for others….that nothing is out of reach.

Where did you go to school, and what did you study?

I attended the University of Houston, where I studied business administration and devoted my time to my business full-time right after.

Past professional experience before G & Co.?

I’ve been a straight entrepreneur my whole life. Even as early as high school, I would try to make a professional name for myself – by being a video production guy, driving up to local businesses in Houston, pitching ad videos that I could shoot for them, or being of help to their social media presence. I consider myself a lifelong student of the School of Hard Knocks, and I credit a lot of my experience to just jumping into something and learning along the way.

What prompted you to start your business?

I always wanted to work for myself, and I’d say a big part of that stemmed from seeing all of the effort my Dad put into making his own business. Although his line of work and mine couldn’t be further apart, his drive and grit always made a big impression on me.

What changes have you seen within the industry since Q2-2020?

Digital tools have become so much more widely accepted. It’s been incredible to see so much more accessibility, and receptiveness by people and brands. Whether transacting business, meeting new folks, or fomenting new ideas, there is a lot to be grateful for when recognizing how much things have changed in the past two and a half years. Definitely the biggest change I can see is that brands are looking to build up their competitive offerings now that the dust has settled, and we’re all looking for ways to connect with customers and provide value beyond superficial offerings.

How should brands look to approach 2023 and beyond?

There’s no “handbook” approach to being innovative. There wasn’t one before and there certainly isn’t one now. What’s most important is to keep a close eye on what consumers are demanding from brands and over-deliver on their expectations. Being fixated on customer experience will inspire new ways to innovate, which hardly anyone thinks about if they try moving forward by conventional means. Listen to people–namely your demographic, your customers–and you’ll know where you need to be headed.