Another business to join Bling, Charming Charlie at Greenwich Place

There’s another new business coming to the retail center in front of Designer Shoe Warehouse at Greenwich Place, the 106-acre development at K-96 and Greenwich where the Wichita Sports Forum and numerous new stores are.

Have You Heard? already had reported that Charming Charlie and Bling are opening at the building, which is under construction.

Charming Charlie

Tracy Nguyen also is opening Advanced Nails in 1,100 square feet there.
She expects to be open by the end of August or early September.

Christian Ablah of Classic Real Estate handled the deal.

There’s 4,000 square feet left to lease at the building.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/carrie-rengers/article148505829.html#storylink=cpy

Charmed to meet you - Charlie Chanaratsopon

He is the founder and CEO of the accessory store Charming Charlie, which Forbes magazine said made $550 million in sales in 2015. Mr. Chanaratsopon was included in Forbes’s list of “America’s Richest Entrepreneurs under 40” that year.

He was born in the USA after his family migrated there from Thailand in 1974. The family went on to found a sterling silver jewelry business. “I grew up in a business-oriented family. I love business. Period.”

The former real estate analyst was not really planning to be a fashion mogul. “I have more of a finance background. So I built a shopping center and the idea is to put more stores in it,” he said.

His first accessory shop, with pink doors, mirrored shelves, and gilded interiors, opened in Houston, Texas in 2014, and was meant simply to fill up space in the shopping mall he was building.

“Charming Charlie became popular really fast. So we flipped. We focused on it, and said, ‘Okay, let’s be the best fashion jewelry store we can be.’ In 2007, I stopped building malls.”

Now there are more than 370 Charming Charlie stores in the US, and branches in Canada, the Middle East, and the Philippines where a store has opened at Central Square in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. This year, a second branch will open at Glorietta 2 in Makati.

“The overall thesis was, here’s an idea that can make a lot of money. At that time, I saw a few local players doing well in warehousing fashion jewelry,” he added.

“It was spontaneous, and so, here we are.”

He remembered one of his first problems was christening the store with a catchy name. “I was torn among many suggestions but three names stuck with me the most because they were pretty bad,” he said while laughing -- “Accessory City,” “Accessory Buffet,” and “Funky Monkey.” The a-ha moment came when someone said “Charming Charlie.”

The accessory brand projects itself as a “candy store for women -- except they are fashion items,” he said.

Charming Charlie sets itself apart from similar stores by arranging its broad assortment of products -- fashion jewelry, handbags, scarves, etc. -- by color, 26 to be exact. There are the basic colors and there are other shades like “French roast,” “light sea foam,” “adobe,” and “pool blue.” The Philippine store offers more basic color choices in black, white, gold, and rose gold. But there are also a few bags and bangles, watches and wallets in red, yellow, and blue. The price range is competitive: starting at P250, nothing costs more than P2,500.

ACCESSORIES OVER APPAREL
 
But if given a chance to fill up the shopping mall empire he was originally building, would he stick with an accessory shop or choose another business venture?

“I do not like apparel,” he said bluntly.

Clothing items, he said, are hard to market because competition is tough. There are established fast fashion brands he would have to compete against like Zara, Mango, Forever 21, and H&M. The business of clothes, he said, is also deflating.

“In the last 20 years, it has deflated. The cost has gone down one or two percent a year, while everything, meanwhile, has inflated.”

“But I like accessories,” said Mr. Chanaratsopon, who was wearing a white button-down polo shirt and blue houndstooth blazer. An oversized watch was peeking from under his sleeve.

He said he likes accessories in a sense that they do not come in sizes, which makes the business easier to manage. Also, they have “better margins and fewer competition.” Plus, his experience with the family business in jewelry also helped him navigate the ins and outs of fashion accessories.

LESSONS LEARNED
 
Like any other startups, Charming Charlie started at the bottom, relying on word of the mouth. “There was no Facebook yet,” he said. But there were cellular phones.

“I’d sit at the stores and see how women shop,” he said. He noticed that whenever women saw something they fancied, they would immediately get on their phones to call their girl friends to herald the good news: “I saw a watch I am totally crushing on.” Or, “I found a necklace that would upgrade my look.”

Through customer analytics, he learned women want to shop by colors, so he arranged the stores by color. And since then, Charming Charlie has been known as the “color store.”

If there are things Mr. Chanaratsopon has learned as a businessman, he said listening is always important. “Be customer-centric,” he said. He also added that it pays to think out of the box and always be inquisitive and ready.

“There are challenges every day. When we started in the US, we didn’t have direct competition. The first few years [were spent] learning the playbook, meaning, make the big mistakes early when there’s fewer stores. If there are big things coming down the road, I tell the senior staff -- whom I call the ‘binoculars’ -- ‘Hey, you got to see the big bumps coming.’ When you’re smaller, you can turn quickly when there’s a big bump, but when you have so many stores, the bumps hit you a lot harder. So we wanted to get the big bumps out [of the way] during the first three years before we grew. Then we opened very fast after that.”

In 2010, Ernst and Young named him the Entrepreneur of the Year in the retail category. In 2013, Forbes magazine featured him as among the ones to watch for. While his business was still at its infancy, he decided to pursue an MBA at the Columbia Business School which he finished in 2007. But the businessman is not content to rest on his laurels. “Every day is a learning process,” he said.

After 12 years, he has no plans of slowing down. He said he’s opening a store in Mexico next year. He also said that Asia is an important market. He is eyeing expansion in China and Hong Kong soon. What about Thailand, BusinessWorld asked. Eventually, he said, smiling.

As brands get bigger and the competition gets tougher, businesses should learn how to heed the signs of the times by tapping into the powers of technology.

“Now we cannot rely on the word of mouth alone. The brand has to be aggressive,” he said.

Charming Charlie, and the rest of today’s brands, he said, are tapping “online influencers” because: “bloggers have millions of followers, they are relevant, and authentic. Their posts go viral very fast.

Original Posted http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Arts&Leisure&title=charmed-to-meet-you&id=130523

Charming Charlie: A Jewel of a Chain

Chanaratsopon, who at age 33 leads one of the fastest-growing specialty retailers in the country, simultaneously earned his MBA from Columbia University in New York and started Houston-based Charming Charlie. The chain has grown to 178 stores in 33 states in just seven years, essentially doubling its store count each year.

Charlie Chanaratsopon would often bounce ideas off his professors to get tips for the company, which was founded in 2004 and employs more than 5,000 people across the country, including more than 600 locally.
"I really used it as a sounding board for the business," he said.

Chanaratsopon, who has a background in finance and real estate, got the idea for the jewelry and accessories retail chain after "walking the malls" to get ideas about what shoppers wanted.

Using excess inventory from his family's jewelry manufacturing business, he started Charming Charlie with a store on Harwin Drive.

"I knew I didn't want to be in the apparel business because it was so competitive," Chanaratsopon said. "With accessories and jewelry, there was so much unmet demand."

And although growth came fast, he said he was never afraid to tweak the concept based on customer feedback.

Setting it apart

It was only after opening store No. 7 that Charming Charlie adopted the format that now defines it in the industry - grouping the merchandise by color, rather than by category.

Richard Jaffe, a retail analyst with StifelNicolaus Research, said Charming Charlie's color groupings have helped set it apart in the ultra-competitive retail market.

"Their merchandise is laid out in a very straightforward, easy-to-understand format that tells color stories," Jaffe said. "They are almost like vignettes that are driven by color."

But both Jaffe and Charming Charlie customer Lara Bell said the primary attractions are the affordable prices, especially in an economy where shoppers are looking for bargains.

'The biggest draw'

Charming Charlie's merchandise is typically priced from $4.97 to $49.97, with many of its earrings and watches ringing up at $14.97.

"For me, the price is the biggest draw," said Bell, who visits the Bunker Hill store - one of 10 in the Houston area - at least three times a week and never leaves without purchasing something.

"I don't want to drop $40 on a pair of earrings that I might only wear once or twice. They have their pulse on what shoppers want."

Indeed, Jaffe said one of the main things that shoppers want is to be able to affordably accessorize clothing they already own.

"The consumer is interested in dressing from her own closet right now. Not in buying clothes, but in buying accessories that don't cost as much but can refresh a whole outfit," he said. "The demand is out there, and retailers like Francesca's and Charming Charlie are capitalizing on that."

Jaffe's firm also follows Houston-based Francesca's Holdings Corp., which operates accessories and jewelry boutiques across the country and recently undertook a successful IPO.

Charming Charlie is profitable, Chanaratsopon said, though he won't disclose revenue figures. He did say he expects another shot in the arm from the company's website, launched two weeks ago.

And while Chanaratsopon credits his well-planned business "playbook" for a portion of the company's growth, he admits to a little bit of luck and timing.

Prime spots

When the company started in 2004, bank loans and credit for expansion were easy to come by. As the recession took hold and the real estate market took a hit, Charming Charlie was able to ramp up expansion since prime retail spots were easier to find and cheaper to secure.

"We were in a position to take a lot of those spots that the national guys didn't take at the time because not a lot of them were growing," he said.

There has been chatter about an IPO for Charming Charlie, but Charlie Chanaratsopon would only say that it could be a possibility.

"Our focus is on growing the business, and as we look at different ways of accessing capital, we could look at the stock market," he said. "If it's a great thing at the time, then we'll do it."

Original Posted http://www.chron.com/business/article/Charming-Charlie-a-jewel-of-a-chain-2341504.php

Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary of Charming Charlie

Launched just 10 years ago, fashion jewelry and accessories retailer Charming Charlie is on the move. With nearly $500M in sales and over 330 domestic stores across 42 states, today the company announced several new strategic initiatives to drive continuous growth.

Charming Charlie will be opening another 55 stores next year, including its first New York City store in April 2015. At 16,000 square feet, the three-level flagship is set to be the largest of the brand's stores worldwide. Situated at 445 Fifth Avenue at 39^th Street, the Charming Charlie flagship will be a showcase for the retailer's new store concept. Designed in partnership with Callison architects, key elements will include a two-story, 30 foot tall glass facade with an LED illuminated exterior that adds vivid color and movement to the storefront, 20 foot tall double doors in the brand's signature vibrant pink lacquer, and a classic residential-style interior that mixes feminine, mid-century accents with luxe materials and whimsical details.

Known for offering a wide array of affordable fashion accessories merchandised by color, the New York City store will carry the full range of product including fashion jewelry, handbags, small leather goods, scarves, watches, sunglasses, select footwear and apparel, a special occasion collection, and more. 

Delivering on the company's mission to provide high style and unrivaled value, retail prices range from $5 to $150 for select limited edition items. The new flagship will also house the brand's PR office and showroom.

"We are thrilled to announce our move into New York City," said Charlie Chanaratsopon, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Charming Charlie. "It is especially fitting that this announcement comes as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary."

Charming Charlie also announced news today regarding its global expansion. The retailer opened its first stores outside of the U.S. last week, both in Canada's Ontario province (Brampton and Vaughn). Two additional Canadian stores are scheduled to open imminently in British Columbia (Victoria and Surrey). The company has also signed its first international licensing agreement to open stores outside of North America in a partnership deal with Apparel Group UAE. The agreement will result in Charming Charlie stores opening throughout the Middle East in 2015, within the countries of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Apparel Group UAE is a leading fashion conglomerate headquartered in Dubai that operates over 950 retail stores and employs over 9,000 people across four continents. This partnership marks an important step in Charming Charlie's international strategy and signals the beginning of a significant transformation to come as the company evolves from a U.S. retailer into a global brand with a worldwide audience.

To fuel the company's growth, Mr. Charlie Chanaratsopon has put a strong leadership team in place. In addition to Steve Lovell, who joined the company as President in 2006 and who has been an instrumental force in its rapid growth and success, Chanaratsopon has made several new additions to the company's leadership team, including retail veterans Tom Fitzgerald, Toni Robinson, Britton Russell, Kristen Dykstra and most recently, Jody Austin. Rounding out the executive team are Melissa Whitehead who joined in 2012 as Senior Vice President of Stores after serving in various leadership roles at Ulta, Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret, and John Hnanicek who also joined in 2012 as Chief Information Officer.

"We are delighted to welcome these strong leaders to the Charming Charlie team," said Chanaratsopon.  "We are certain that their combined expertise will be invaluable during this next phase of growth and expansion."

Tom Fitzgerald, named Chief Financial Officer & Chief Administrative Officer, brings over 30 years of experience in executive leadership, operations and finance. Before joining Charming Charlie, Fitzgerald was Chief Administrative Officer at Sears Canada, a $4 billion multi-channel, multi-format retailer. In earlier leadership roles, he was Chief Executive Officer at Lucky Brand Jeans, Chief Operating Officer of Direct Brands at Liz Claiborne, and Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer at Bath & Body Works. Fitzgerald also held various leadership roles at PepsiCo, Inc., where he served for over a decade.

Toni Robinson was appointed Senior Vice President of Planning and Allocation. Prior to joining Charming Charlie, Robinson served as Senior Vice President of Planning and Allocation at Chico's FAS, and as Vice President of Planning and Allocation at Bath & Body Works.  

Britton Russell recently joined the company as Chief Supply Chain Officer, overseeing Sourcing, Logistics, Distribution, and Customer Service. Prior to joining Charming Charlie, Russell most recently served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Michael Kors where he led the expansion of Distribution in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to Kors, he was VP of Supply Chain at Mexx, led the global sourcing organization at The Home Depot, and served for ten years as Partner at Kurt Salmon Associates. Russell began his career at Nike.

Kristen Dykstra joins the team as Chief Marketing Officer. Most recently, Dykstra was Chief Marketing Officer at Halston. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Ann Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at Kenneth Cole Productions, and Senior Vice President of Marketing & PR at BCBG Max Azria Group where she served for over a decade and played an instrumental role in building the company from a $200 million retailer into a multi-billion dollar portfolio of brands.

As the newest addition to the team, Jody Austin joins the company this week as Chief Merchandising Officer. Bringing 30 years of industry expertise, Austin was previously Executive Vice President GMM, Merchandising at Victoria's Secret Direct and Vice President GMM, Merchandising at Liz Claiborne Inc. She also served as SVP Product Design & Development at Banana Republic where she contributed to tripling the business over her seven years with the company.

These key executive hires reflect the company's focus on transforming Charming Charlie from "the best kept secret" into a global brand through a heightened focus on product and value, store experience, and building brand awareness through elevated creative campaigns and marketing.

In other news, in October the company celebrated its one year anniversary of its online store at www.charmingcharlie.com. The current website reflects the company's initial foray into ecommerce, and its quick success has made it a focal point for growth and an elevated experience in 2015.

Original Post: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/charming-charlie-celebrates-10-year-anniversary-with-new-strategic-growth-initiatives-300001093.html

Charming Charlie Opens Manhattan Flagship

Situated at 445 Fifth Avenue at 39^th Street, the new Charming Charlie flagship is a showcase for the brand’s new store concept, and was designed in partnership with Callison Architects.  At 16,000 square feet, the three-level flagship in Midtown East is the largest of the brand’s stores worldwide. Key design elements include a two-story, 30-foot tall glass facade, 20-foot tall double doors in the brand’s signature vibrant pink lacquer and a classic residential-style interior that mixes feminine, mid-century accents with luxe materials.

Walnut flooring laid in a Herringbone pattern and a locally sourced marble staircase are contrasted with custom furniture such as pink Tibetan lambskin chairs and a curved blue velvet sofa, unique artwork curated specifically for this location and multiple suspended Tom Dixon brass shades hanging over the grand staircase. The store also features seven themed changing rooms and will be the home to the brand’s private press relations office and showroom.

In the Edit

Founder/CEO Charlie Chanaratsopon was joined for the opening occasion by a variety of top editors such as Glamour’s Cindi Leive, Sasha Iglehart and Gretchen Gunlocke Fenton, Allure‘s Siobhan Bonnouvrier, InStyle‘s Meggan Crum, The New York Observer‘s Jasmine Lobe and Jenny Capitain from O – The Oprah Magazine. The event was held in partnership with Glamour and Step Up, with a portion of the night’s proceeds benefiting Step Up’s mentorship programs.

Charming Charlie opens NYC Flagship on Fifth Avenue. (PRNewsFoto/Charming Charlie)

“We are thrilled to finally have a flagship in New York City,” said Charlie Chanaratsopon. “Opening this store has been a true labor of love for us, and we look forward to offering chic, effortless style and incredible value to the women in this great city…As we think about areas in New York where we could have gone–and we’re still looking at areas of New York–this store hits everything decently well. We will have more locations in the future. This is the best first store.”

“Most of our stores are 5,000 square feet in size–this flagship is almost three times that, 16,000 square feet. We’ve added some elements that are exclusively to the flagship: dressing rooms, brand wall, investment in our brand. We have dressing rooms in all the stores but a lot more here.

Charlie Chanaratsopon added that the flagship’s location near shopping landmarks such as Lord & Taylor and H&M has spurred his staff to think more “about our edit point. We’re going to be much tighter in our edit, but we love that women come in as a daughter and mother. This location hits all our objectives. There’s a lot of foot traffic, an international presence and for growing the brand it really works. Brands aren’t held to international boundaries.”

Launched just over ten years ago, Charming Charlie has grown to over $500 million in sales and nearly 350 stores across North America. In late 2014, Charming Charlie made its foray into the global marketplace opening its first four stores in Canada. Simultaneously, the company signed its first international licensing agreement to open stores outside of North America and will be expanding into the Middle East in 2015. The company subsequently signed its second international partnership agreement with SSI Group (Stores Specialists, Inc.) for distribution in the Philippines. The first Charming Charlie stores are scheduled to open in the Philippines in late 2015.  www.charmingcharlie.com.

Read Full Original Article https://www.accessoriesmagazine.com/120459/charming-charlie-opens-manhattan-flagship

Charming Charlie opens another store

Charming Charlie, the rapidly growing women’s contemporary jewellery and accessory retailer, celebrated the launch of its latest store at Mall of Qatar, recently.

The store was officially inaugurated by Charlie Chanaratsopon, Founder & Chief Executive of Charming Charlie. The store is operated by Apparel Group, Charming Charlie’s international licensing partner, which has further growth planned for the brand in the Middle East.

Known for carrying a wide array of accessible fashion accessories merchandised by colour, the Charming Charlie store in Mall of Qatar offers its customers a full range of products including fashion jewellery, handbags, apparel, small leather goods, scarves, watches, sunglasses, a special occasion collection, and more. Charming Charlie offers unrivalled value through high quality style and an accessible price.

The Peninsula had the chance to gain more insight into the world of Charming Charlie, from the man who started it all, Charlie Chanaratsopon.

After successfully launching the first Charming Charlie store in Qatar last year, you’ve expanded into another location, Mall of Qatar. Why was it important for Charming Charlie to be present in that specific location?

We were very fortunate to have launched our first store in Ezdan Mall in 2016. It was successful in introducing the chain to our customers here in Qatar, and has allowed us to build a relationship with them, and reach a wider segment of women who are fans of Charming Charlie. That success allowed us to expand to another location this year, and I am here today to celebrate the Launch of our biggest store yet in Mall of Qatar.

Mall of Qatar is the biggest Mall here yet and among the most prominent, and it is always in our best interest to expand our reach, and to offer our services to a wider range of clients. Doha is an essential market for our expanding footprint in the Middle East. It’s exciting to bring Charming Charlie’s colourful palette of accessories and playful shopping experience to more women throughout Qatar.

The Qatari market’s demands are ever evolving. What strategies do you implement to make sure these demands are met?

Having launched our first store here in Qatar last year, we’ve come to learn a lot about the Qatari market and its demands. Women of Qatar are like no other in terms of taste and what they appreciate. They are trendy and incredibly fashion-forward, so that forced us to always present them with impeccable products that compliments their taste. Last year was quite the learning experience for us, we’ve grown aware of what works and what doesn’t, so we decided to eliminate the products that the market doesn’t respond well to, and to supply our customers with what they demand. Having our ears to the ground, we now have the ability to expect what the market demands next, and deliver it in a timely fashion.

In celebration of the launch of Charming Charlie’s second store in Qatar, how do you plan on personalising the shopping experience for the Qatari customer?

We have been discussing how to personalise the shopping experience for the Qatari customer, as we know that women of Qatar are all about individuality and what sets them apart, and so we might put out merchandise that is representative of the Qatari identity in the future.

In the midst of this overtly saturated market, how do you plan on staying ahead of the curve, and how do you plan on maintaining a loyal relationship with your large-ranging customer base?

Our team works diligently to always to ensure that our clients get to experience a positive shopping experience at all times, and to provide them with the utmost service, so that they can think fondly of their experience at Charming Charlie. The quality of our products and the speed at which they become available in our stores is our strength. Yes, we do have a large-ranging customer base, but we work hard on pleasing every single demographic target. Shopping and consumer trends have evolved so fast and we’re always trying to be ahead of the trend and to supply the demand of the market, before the market demands it. We have built a strong presence on social media, as it is currently the strongest frontier in connecting with your audience, and we always try to accommodate the market’s ever evolving needs, and trends, without compromising the quality of our products.

Original Post https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/19/02/2017/Charming-Charlie-opens-another-store

On a Winner’s Mindset

Paradigm Shifters is a series of interviews with a select group of women and men from eclectic walks of life. It will highlight unspoken, real-life insights on how they have been able to turn weakness into strength. A naked soul point of view of how their breakdowns were really a preparation for breakthroughs. They are your quintessential paradigm shifters; internal shifts converted into genuine change.

Everything I have ever done has been focused on this underlying theme of shifting the paradigm because, “What we think determines what we feel and what we feel determines what we do.” Hence, why Empowered by You takes lingerie, which has traditionally been seen merely as a tool of seduction and redirected that energy as a tool of empowerment.

I hope from these stories you will look at your own situations, struggles and accomplishments through a different lens. At the very least you will be more equipped with real life tools to change your own paradigm. At the end of the day, we are our own Alchemist turning the silver we were born with into the gold we are destined to become.

How has coming from an immigrant family and the tenacity that you’ve had to endure as a child been parlayed into your business?

I’m a first generation citizen in the US, coming from Thailand. In 1984, my parents started their own business here from the ground up and worked tirelessly every day. I remember seeing their passion, drive and commitment as a great example for me to follow. I think of that often. I believe this is an amazing country that gives opportunities to those that pursue their dreams. I’m grateful to have been born in the United States. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have had the same opportunities today.

How do you see yourself staying ahead of the curve, connecting with your large-ranging audience and advancing with the future of retail?

In 2016, we have to stay ahead and run beside the customer. Shopping and consumer trends have evolved so fast and so much that we can’t win just following the customer. We’re either moving forward or we’re moving backward. That’s the nature of the game these days. A summary of all touch points and interactions our customers have with our brand is what defines it. Today, on average, 50 percent of our customers use mobile phones while they’re in a Charming Charlie store. That’s a significant change from five years ago. We believe the mobile experience is part of the entire customer service experience. It’s another way of interacting and being a part of her day-to-day life. Are we there yet? No, though we’re working toward this and investing to make sure we do it and do it well. Read more : http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/237335/candy-store-for-grownup-women-charlie-chanaratsopon/
 

Do you see yourself as a lifestyle brand?

A lifestyle brand means different things to different people. What are we? We aim, as a brand, to make women happier, more self-confident, and try to add a lot of color to their already colorful lives. We are the most colorful fashion jewelry and accessories brand in the world with the most selection by multiples. Our customers often describe us as the candy store for women, and we love that.

You have so many different female customers providing feedback. A woman from Dallas is going to be totally different from a woman in New York. What is it that you want to learn from her or know about her?

We want to give her what she wants. It’s a never-ending journey learning about our customers. Consumer preferences and profiles evolve quickly. In 2007, iPhones and iPads didn’t exist, so that’s completely changed the backdrop of how people shop and experience brands. The amount of information available to us about our customers has grown exponentially. We look at everything from conversations happening on social media channels to focus groups to shopalongs and customer surveys. We take the summary of all our insights, which helps us reinforce our brand strategy. I think now more than ever agility is an important attribute for brand success. For example, we know that artisan and boho-chic is a more sought after product on the west coast than in the south. The south prefers bold, statement aesthetic compared to the rest of the country. We have multiple ranges of product aesthetics in the stores for every woman. The quantities and varieties are tailored to the specific preferences of the region.

Some of our biggest breakthroughs come from our biggest breakdowns. Have you experienced a breakdown moment in your life as an entrepreneur that eventually ended up being a big breakthrough?

In December 2006, we had three locations, which we merchandised similar to small department stores, not by color. Our stores didn’t have their own DNA at the time. I remember watching this customer shop and she said, “You know what, this would be a lot easier if you put all this jewelry together by color, by table!” I said, “Well, why?” and she said, simply, “Well, don’t you see that it’s easier to shop that way?” Since we only had three stores, we could do things quickly, so we pulled the products and built a color table. We noticed that customers started liking it at the test store, so we brought the color concept to two other locations. As customers responded to it even more, we converted all our stores to merchandise by color. So if you asked 99 out of 100 of our customers, they would tell you we’re the store that has everything laid out by color. That’s our equity, that’s our DNA.

When your eulogy is given, nobody talks about how much your company made, they talk about the type of person you were. What do you want your legacy to be?

I want to be known as the type of person who took a lot of risks, committed to following my bliss, and poured myself into everything. That I loved what I did and my passion for my family, friends and work was unrivaled. That’s what I hope for now. But as I think about this pertaining to business, in one word, it’s leadership. My definition is pretty simple. It’s about making others better as a result of your presence and having it last with your absence.

If your life were a book, what would each of the titles be for 2015 and 2016?

For 2015, “Win or Learn.” The reason I say that is most people say you win or you lose. In my eleven years, since the inception of Charming Charlie, I have had hundreds of lessons under my belt, at least. I’ve learned more from the mistakes than I have from the wins. For 2016, the title would be “Play to Win.” What I mean by that is when you look at successful, growing companies, they mostly, play to win. They’re playing offense. Some people have a different mindset and I call that playing not to lose. These are subtle adjustments, but they’re very different in mindset. As we continue to learn, I hold myself accountable to thinking about that slight difference, always playing to win.

At the intersection of tenacity and passion is Charlie Chanaratsopon. His colorful path has created unparalleled synergy that doesn’t just show, but rather gleams! This story is a testament to how simply listening to your consumer can create an entire innovative business model. Charlie is a quintessential Paradigm Shifter whose minor shift in mind and in product assortment has had a transformative impact. 

Original Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/renata-m-black/charlie-chanaratsopon--on_b_9355498.html