Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Leinbach Hoffman
Hi Nicole, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was only a young girl when I fell in love with the business of retail. I’d spend many weekends with my mom and sisters at the local mall – then living outside of Chicago in a town called Libertyville – while also enjoying our local Main Street, which truly stole my heart. I knew then that as I grew older, I wanted to work within the business of retail, but not on the front lines within the stores. Instead, I grew passionate about all the behind the scenes opportunities that bring retail stores to life. From sourcing inventory to marketing brands to identifying logistics and parcel to ship one thing somewhere else to connecting merchants with distributors, the opportunities seemed endless.
With so much to learn, I targeted my immediate goals outside of high school on a college that seemed dedicated to also embracing the vast range of opportunities in retail – and this was Columbia College in Chicago. Since this, I am proud to say I am apart of their alumni Board of Directors, as well as having been an Adjunct Faculty Professor for over 17 years for them within their retail marketing and fashion departments.
Immediately following college, I gained a merchandising analyst role at Sears Roebuck Corporation. It felt like going to college all over again, and I am truly grateful for the time I spent there. Quickly, however, I knew a traditional office setting was not for me, and that’s when I shifted gears to the wholesale side of the retail industry. I landed at Franco Sarto Footwear and for the next four or so years, was grateful to enjoy incredible retail marketing, merchandising, sales and PR experiences. I became their National Marketing Director at only 24 years old, relocating to Boston from Chicago along the way. Splitting my time between NYC and Boston were some of the most vibrant, rewarding years of my career, and it still feels like home whenever I get to either of those cities.
I worked for Adidas America as a Marketing Director after choosing to relocate back to Chicago for personal reasons, and enjoyed gaining new experiences for a such a widely respected, global company. It only took a few more years for me to realize, however, I was ready to become an entrepreneur. At that time, content was minimal for most brands and blogs were just beginning to take off. I began RetailMinded.com to launch my independent career, and have somehow stayed busy ever since.
My work has led me to clients that range from IBM to Salesforce to national trade shows such as MAGIC, NY NOW and ASD to supporting all categories of retail that have ranged from fashion to furniture to flooring and more. I’ve held columns with Forbes and Inc. magazines along the way, and wrote the book “Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Business” for McGraw Hill, as well. My passion for Main Street and communities held strong over the years, and I was even the Spokesperson for Small Business Saturday from American Express up until Covid. I have also been fortunate to speak all over the world – including Australia, Canada and Amsterdam – about the business of retail, and still actively speak across all categories of retail.
In the years that followed Covid, I saw what I felt was an untapped category of retail – which was sexual wellness – and have since launched the nation’s only sexual wellness trade show and conference called STIMULATE. We produce this annually in Nashville, and also hold a variety of other year-round activations and experiences supporting STIMULATE. Our attendees include retailers such as CVS and Lion’s Den, but also many medical focused companies such as HerMD and Prime Institute. It’s both a rewarding and challenging experience, and I am so thrilled always to wake up and do something I truly love.
While work has kept me busy always, I am also a proud mom to 4 and have an amazing husband and three dogs.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life for me has not always been the easiest, but I have never felt it should be any other way. I work long days and often give up personal experiences to make professional goals take life, yet that’s a choice I choose and I don’t consider a struggle. Business – as I see it – for most professionals will not be a straight path, but instead a wavy road of unexpected turns and collisions. It’s those that keep driving ahead despite these detours that bring amazing things to life.
On a more personal note, I have had a lot of loss with the passings of loved ones, so that has been an emotional hurdle I have had to manage. At the end of each day, however, I am constantly grateful for the time, the ability and the choice to wake up healthy and do whatever it is I want or need to – even when personal or professional struggles are thrown into that equation.
As you know, we’re big fans of STIMULATE: A B2B Sexual Wellness Trade Show + Conference . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
STIMULATE supports HEAD to TOE, YOUNG to MATURE, PURPOSE to PLEASURE when it comes to sexual wellness – and is a lot more than what people may expect. When I founded STIMULATE, I did so because I genuinely saw an opportunity to support a community of retail leaders within a space that historically has carried a lot of stigma. We work with medical leaders, founders, science-backed brands, legacy companies and more, and I am so proud of the work we do to help change the professional community of sexual wellness.
With a core focus on enhancing business success while also supporting expert-led education for sexual wellness, STIMULATE delivers an annual trade show + conference experience in Nashville, TN, as well as select other events throughout the year. Through a collaborative approach, STIMULATE provides an opportunity for industry leaders, retail buyers and curious professionals to gain quality, interactive experiences that support the growing sexual wellness market.
In only it’s ‘virgin’ year of 2023, STIMULATE was recognized as one of the best trade shows in the category of “Created or Maintained Community” by Trade Show Network News. And in September of 2023, I shockingly stood in Times Square with my face on a billboard as a champion of change in retail from American Eagle and WWD due to my work with sexual wellness. This is only the beginning for us, however, and I am excited to reveal more support to this amazing community in the weeks, months and years ahead.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Covid literally detoured my historical career path and shifted me into an entirely new lane of business opportunities. The lesson this taught me is that no matter what you may plan for, expect the unexpected. We’ve all heard that saying in the past, but I think both expecting it and embracing it is truly the key.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stimulatetheshow.com
- Instagram: @StimulateTheShow and @RetailMindedWorld
- Twitter: @RetailMinded
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@STIMULATETheShow
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Retail Minded
