Hidden Gems: Meet Jeanel Alvarado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanel Alvarado.

Hi Jeanel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My first start was blogging when I was finishing up high school, this was fresh after being a part of a summer camp where we learnt how to make our own websites from scratch and save them onto a floppy disk. It’s surreal to see how far the internet has come today when it feels like just yesterday I was restarting the computer modem every time the screen would freeze. It was in my senior year of high school when I started blogging, under the name RETAILBOSS, on topics related to fashion and beauty, with a focus on the business side of retail. I think most high school kids, at least growing up as a millennial like myself, spent a lot of time or “Killed” time at shopping malls. I started to find it interesting how different stores would promote their products, either with celebrity campaigns on the windows, to bogo deals and flash sales. In my blog, I would write about brands and retailers who are doing their marketing right and which ones were just a mess. I actually got my first consulting job from someone who had read one of my blog posts on visual merchandising, does and don’ts for fashion retailers. I was asked to come into their store and give honest feedback and advice and I was paid for it.

After that, I was pretty much set on the idea of not only continuing to learn more about retail marketing and merchandising but also at that point, I realized people are willing to pay for my services. I continued onto University, where I completely by Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing, with a certificate in Commercial Real Estate, from one of the top 5 business schools in Canada and also completed a diploma in Fashion Buying from one of the top fashion schools in Montreal. During my studies, I managed to work at three jobs, one in fashion, one in beauty and both in shopping centres; later to drop them both to work as a Senior consultant at my undergraduate university. After graduation, I was promoted to the role of Senior Managing Director of The School of Retailing at the University of Alberta, School of Business. My duties included overseeing and directing retail consulting projects, applied research, and liaise between industry partners and stakeholders such as Retail Council of Canada, Cushman & Wakefield, Oxford Properties, Ivanhoé Cambridge, West Edmonton Mall (Triple Five Worldwide), Tiffany & Co., LUSH Cosmetics, LoyaltyOne and more. I have since been a regular keynote speaker, host and/or award presenter at industry conferences such as White Label Expo, Private Label Expo, COSMECON, Fashion Career Con, Retail Supply Chain & Logistics Expo, Smart Retail Tech Expo, and more. She has been featured in a variety of media publications and television broadcasts including CTV, CBC Radio, CVM, The Gleaner, SHEEN Magazine, Seaside Retailer, Retail Insider, California Apparel News and Industry Rules.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a smooth ride, to be honest, I was very fortunate that the school I was attending not only had a business degree I could take but that it also had a School of Retailing centre, I believe their are only a few in Canada and even fewer in the world that have curriculum for retailing at the business level. Most of the students who we would work with through the centre were all majoring in accounting, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, supply chain or other related business sectors. I was very lucky that my path was smoother than most, and I immediately got to see what opportunities are available in the corporate side of retail operations. The program is more geared towards working at the corporate offices of Amazon, Macy’s, Target, Ulta, Best Buy, Neiman Marcus and more. Graduates often to right into corporate-level positions and work in the head offices, and for those who work in a storefront, they are often fast-tracked to store managers or regional store managers. There are also many opportunities on the leasing side of things as well, as retail includes fashion, beauty, food, restaurants and more all looking to expand their retail footprints all around the world.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about RETAILBOSS?
Jeanel Alvarado is the founder of RETAILBOSS®, the largest platform connecting the retail industry for brands, retailers and service providers. Born in Canada, with Latin and Caribbean heritage, Jeanel is a recognized retail expert, speaker and educator. From retail news and trend insights to start-up resources and trade show events, Jeanel helps connect businesses with opportunities, service providers and industry experts to launch, grow and scale.

Since 2019, she has been a member of For(bes) The Culture by Forbes, a hub of elite leaders creating equitable pathways for Black and Brown professionals. Jeanel has since developed long-lasting relationships with organizations across the retail industry, from traveling abroad for business across North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
The best childhood memory I have would be when I didn’t want to go on a ride at an amusement park, but then my mom said she would give me $10 dollars if I did, so I did it. I screamed when the ride stopped, and I think I never forget because I was so scared but I was willing to do it to get my promised money in the end. I think it helped me in business too, I’d say I am not the most confident to speak on a stage, but when I am paid to do it, or I know there will be a positive outcome at the end of it, I am more than willing to face my fears, for temporary discomfort.

Pricing:

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Contact Info:

• Website: https://retailboss.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retailboss/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retailboss/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/retailboss/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/retailboss/
• Other: https://retailboss.co/newsletter/

Image Credits
Instagram (@jeanelalvarado)