How Gen Z builds brands, with CharCharms' Charlotte Trecartin

This week on the Modern Retail Podcast, co-hosts Gabriela Barkho and Melissa Daniels dive into all the brand moments Barkho saw on a recent trip to BravoCon in Las Vegas. The event had a record number of shoppable activations, ranging from Wayfair studios to special-edition Reebok sneakers. Then they analyze the latest earnings from TJX, which showed net sales of $15.1 billion. That marked a 7% increase from a year ago, boosted by more foot traffic and value-driven shoppers. Then, in this week's featured segment, Daniels sits down with CharCharms founder and CEO Charlotte Trecartin to discuss the art of publicly building brands as a Gen-Z entrepreneur. While founders have been "building brands in public" for years, the strategy is becoming paramount for digital-native business owners who are sharing their wins and fails on TikTok, Instagram and Substack. Their discussion gets into: Why virality can help drive sales but doesn't indicate long-term viability Understanding what to share and what not to share when building your business Future-proofing ideas and concepts with legal and intellectual property safeguards