The Modern Retail Podcast

Longtime agency veteran Ian Schafer recently announced his exit from the agency business following a midlife crisis that motivated him to try something new. On this week’s Starting Out, Schafer talks about learning to manage a business and pivoting to a new chapter.

Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at Procter & Gamble, made waves in the marketing industry by starting a conversation about unconscious racial bias, a step aligned with the principles that define his leadership -- humility and transparency. On this week’s Starting Out, Pritchard talks about having a role model in his father, his career path from a cafe busboy to an executive position at P&G and why it's important to discuss unconscious bias.

This year, Digiday launched a new podcast called “Starting Out." We invited some of the biggest names in marketing to share the secrets of their leadership and success. Here are the five best pieces of advice that our guests swear by.

Tina Sharkey, co-founder and CEO of Brandless, thought she would follow in her mother's footsteps and run a fashion company. But after graduation, her plans changed -- thanks to her mother. On this week’s Starting Out, Sharkey talks about growing up in a business setting around her mother and an informational interview that changed her career path.

Eric Hippeau, managing partner at Lerer Hippeau Ventures, has invested in many entrepreneurial projects. For him, an important part of deciding whether to say yes to a team is to look for educational or experiential diversity in the founders' backgrounds. On this week’s Starting Out, Hippeau talks about adapting to different cultures while growing up in different countries and how that informs his business decisions today. Below are excerpts in Hippeau's own words, edited for clarity.

Wendy Clark, CEO of DDB North America, has won many awards during her years of leadership in the agency world. For her, it boils down to being a doer -- something that her upbringing and her love for volunteering at nonprofits have fostered. On this week’s Starting Out, Clark talks about growing up as a British-born American working hard and a plan for her second act.

David Sable, Y&R global CEO and chairman of the board, is a pillar of the Madison Avenue set. The former Wunderman executive is known for his love of magic tricks and showmanship -- something that's been ingrained in him from the start. On this week's Starting Out, Sable talks about growing up as a rabbi's son, paleontology as a career choice and how he's climbed the ladder.

On this week's Starting Out, Rei Inamoto details his childhood in Japan, his experience as a twin and his five-year plan.

360i Chairman Bryan Wiener has a pretty simple formula for success: old-fashioned hard work. Wiener, who has had a long career in the ad business and watched the digital ad industry quite literally grow up, joined this week's Starting Out to talk about his first job, his "shitty mentors" and what it's like to put everything on the line for a company you love.

Jaime Robinson is one of the industry's best-known creatives. The former Wieden+Kennedy executive now runs her own shop, Joan, which she co-founded last year with former Refinery29 exec Lisa Clunie. But she sees her job  -- and that of anyone in advertising -- pretty simply: It's about entertaining people. On this week's Starting Out, Robinson talks about her first job, her first advertising job and the importance of finding the right business partner.