Apparel Advisory Board Member Spotlight: Daniel Black
Six questions answered by our featured Apparel Advisory Board Member of the Month, Daniel Black.
#1 Briefly summarize your career path and your current position.
I attended a liberal arts college where I double-majored in Economics and Government and completed the Leadership Studies Sequence. During my college years, I started several on-campus businesses ranging from a textbook exchange, fast food delivery service and custom collegiate glassware. My senior year, I was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by my alma mater, Claremont McKenna College. Following graduation, I quickly transitioned into the field of marketing and held several roles where I gained valuable experience in lead generation, search engine optimization, blogging, social media marketing, big data and e-commerce. I caught the entrepreneurial bug early on in life and founded Glass-Media, Inc. several years after graduating; I’ve been the Chief Executive Officer for almost 6-years now.
#2 What are the “primary” responsibilities of your current position?
Like any startup founder, I tend to wear a number of hats. As the Chief Executive Officer of Glass-Media, Inc., my primary responsibilities are:
Fundraising and Investor Relations
Overseeing our Advisory Board and Board of Directors
Product Development Roadmap
Sales & Business Development
Building and Strengthening Deep Supplier Relationships
Creating and Maintaining Company Culture
#3 What are the major challenges of your current position?
Revenue enablement drives business growth. One of the major challenges I frequently face is how to balance the wants and needs of our clients with the internal business processes we’ve put in place. Aligning customer experience with customer expectations is crucial. You may have heard the saying: “time, cost and quality - pick two.” At Glass-Media, we pride ourselves on designing, developing and delivering quality solutions; we don’t take shortcuts.
I’m a cost-conscious, resourceful startup founder always searching for new ways to do more with less. I believe in the notion of organic growth, but also understand that it generally takes money to make money; fundraising is often a crucial part of running a startup. The process of fundraising is arduous, time consuming and energy draining. In the years since founding Glass-Media, Inc., I’ve raised millions of dollars from angel investors, family offices and venture capitalists, and we continue to raise investment capital to accelerate growth.
#4 What competencies are necessary for success in your current position?
Stress Management
I cannot overestimate the importance of stress management. No matter what career path you take, life is a roller coaster; it’s not easy nor fair, and you need to mentaly and physically prepare yourself for the journey ahead. You often hear the phrase work-life balance, learn to appreciate life outside of work, nurture your passions and invest in your hobbies- it’s easy to get burned out. I often say that entrepreneurs must be irrationally positive people; the odds are always against you. At the end of the day, it’s about the way you look at things. If you do your best to look at the glass as being half-full, you’re an optimist and that outlook on life will pay dividends.
People Skills
No matter your role within an organization, empathy and respect in the workplace will not go unnoticed. When you’re in a position of power, all eyes are on you, so never forget that your temperament and body language have very real consequences. Become an active listener and go out of your way to take an interest in other people's lives because they will appreciate it. People tend to surround themselves with positive, happy people, and the right attitude goes a long way. When able, be sure to spread positivity and good vibes and don’t be afraid to celebrate the small wins.
Self-Esteem and Self-Respect
Most people, by and large, tend to ignore the very real relationship between body image and psychological well being. Being in a position of leadership, I’ve familiarized myself with the importance of prioritizing diet, sleep and exercise. There is a clear correlation between body image, self-esteem, and mental health, but it can take years or decades before a person is able to truly appreciate the mind-body relationship.
#5 What advice would you offer a student interested in a career in this industry?
Don’t be afraid to network, it will open doors and continue to pay dividends far into the future. Keep close tabs on industry trends, get on pertinent email lists, follow relevant blogs and always be in the know. My biggest piece of advice is to embrace the intersection of design and technology. Those who ignore advancements in technology will surely fall behind while those who invest in it will be the innovators and disruptors of tomorrow. Seek out companies, individuals and opportunities that push the boundaries of the status quo. Theoretical knowledge is one thing, but practical experience really makes the difference; get your hands dirty.
#6 What current trends or issues have the greatest impact on this job/business?
The economic fallout from COVID-19 was largely unexpected and unprecedented. It is no secret that the global retail sector has suffered across the board. At the onset retailers almost exclusively focused their efforts on streamlining and expanding their e-commerce operations. Today, retailers are beginning to shift their focus towards restoring their offline retail presence as re-hiring, re-training and re-merchandising stores is quickly becoming a top priority.
The demand for touchless and frictionless engagement is exploding. In recent months, we’ve been approached by a number of clients who have tasked us with designing, developing and delivering visual solutions that eliminate the need for a consumer to physically interact with a product or service. Additionally, with store consolidations occurring across the board, we found that the majority of retailers are not interested in signing long-term engagements. Consequently, this past summer, we announced a Digital Activation as a Service (DAaaS), providing retailers the ability to rent visual solutions as opposed to buying them.
Image contributed by Daniel Black
