Business Builders Show guest host, J. Kelly Hoey is joined by Melissa Gonzalez in this episode of the show. Before retail strategist Melissa Gonzalez founded her award-winning firm, The Lion’esque Group, she was working on Wall Street in institutional sales. A desire to do something more creative with her career plus a little good timing, resulted in Melissa stepping off the trading floor and into working with coveted (as well as emerging brands) including Marc Jacobs, Penguin Random House, Brandless, Food52 and more. Melissa is a self-published author. Her book The Pop-Up Paradigm: Building Human Connections In A Digital Age, is the go-to resource for any brand considering experiential retail (plus, as she shares in her interview, self-publishing was a really wise business development investment for her). Beyond brands and transforming unused physical spaces into imaginative retail experiences, Melissa is involved with a smart-city initiative in Loudoun, Virginia (plus a really cool project she has promised to come back to talk with us about).
