#200 How To Sky-Rocket Your Company To The Top | Michael O’Reilly | Manuj Aggarwal | Bootstrapping Your Dreams Show

<p><br></p><p><strong>Welcome to the 'Bootstrapping Your Dreams show' Podcast. I'm Manuj Aggarwal, and today I'll be having a fascinating conversation with Michael O’Reilly.</strong></p><br><p>Michael is an ex-Vice President-Global Customer Experience at Eventbrite. He is currently on the board of MacPherson Art Supplies, which happens to be the largest art supplies distributor in North America.</p><br><p>He led the successful integration of Athleta into Gap Inc. Completed integration within budget and with 98% employee retention. Led the evolution of Athleta from catalog-centric to omnichannel business while tripling direct-to-consumer revenues in seven-years. He created and led the B2B industry for Choice Hotels, which exceeded the original business plan each of the first three years.</p><br><p>Michael specializes in General Management, Business Strategy, Social/Digital Marketing, Media Optimization, Data Analytics, Omni-Channel Customer Acquisition and Retention, CRM Strategy Development and Execution, Change Management, People Leadership, and Development.</p><br><p><strong>In this episode, Michael talks about:</strong></p><br><p><strong>(1:51) </strong>He tells about his journey and how he got started.</p><br><p><strong>(4:21) </strong>Talks about his transition from accounting to digital.</p><br><p><strong>(6:14) </strong>Digital transformation &amp; leveraging internet for business.</p><br><p><strong>(9:58) </strong>Importance of understanding others and how to deal with people.</p><br><p><strong>(12:01) </strong>How humility, empathy, and respect drive success.</p><br><p><strong>(14:57) </strong>How companies struggle with understanding their customers.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>(17:20) </strong>Practical tips to get to know your customer better.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>(19:28) </strong>Advice your young and aspiring entrepreneurs.</p><br><p><strong>(22:05) </strong>The impact of COVID in terms of consumer behavior and their expectations.</p><br><p><strong>(24:43) </strong>The long-term outlook for live even