How I Mastered the Art of Selling (And How You Can Too)

This episode will transform how you think about style, aspiration, and the art of knowing what people want before they know it themselves. From working in department stores to advising Steve Jobs on Apple’s retail strategy when it didn’t have retail at all, Drexler’s career traces the evolution of American retail itself: from local shops to mall dominance, from catalog to digital, from mass market to personalization. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a retail enthusiast, or someone looking to build a brand that stands the test of time, Mickey shares invaluable insights on what separates truly successful brands from the rest. Mickey Drexler is the chairman of Alex Mill. Before that, he was the CEO of J. Crew and sat on the Board of Directors of Apple. He founded Old Navy and Madewell, and served as the CEO of Gap from 1983–2002. (00:00) Intro (01:01) How Mickey Drexler became Mickey Drexler (05:49) Lessons from redefining Gap (11:32) Merchant, defined (14:02) How Drexler evaluates stores (18:05) Lessons from running Gap (20:04) On Old Navy (26:11) On Steve Jobs and Working with Apple (31:45) Re-making J. Crew (35:45) Drexler's superpower (42:25) Current-day retailers who are great (43:55) How Drexler got "Madewell" (46:00) What makes something a classic look? (49:05) On success -- OUR FREE NEWSLETTER: https://fs.blog/newsletter/ 📈  OUR MOST POPULAR INTERVIEWS 🎬  The Full Story of Naval Ravikant: https://youtu.be/mGY2To_HW98 🎬  Bill Ackman - Getting Back Up: https://youtu.be/mIS3LYxgVWc 🎬  Secrets to Healthy Relationships with Esther Perel: https://youtu.be/atXKntdX2UY 🎙 Listen to the show  iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-knowledge-project-with-shane-parrish/id990149481 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1VyK52NSZHaDKeMJzT4TSM?si=abde3cc6a48d43ef GET IN TOUCH 🌍 Our website - www.fs.blog JOIN OUR COMMUNITY https://fs.blog/membership/ ABOUT THE KNOWLEDGE PROJECT Like the mentor you’ve always dreamed of having, The Knowledge Project shares timely yet timeless lessons for work and life. Past guests include Naval Ravikant, Daniel Kahneman, Jim Collins, Angela Duckworth, Seth Godin, Melanie Mitchell, & Esther Perel.