Brains & Beauty.
Kristin Bentz, The Talented Blonde, is the epitome of this lethal combination and has earned a reputation for being able to predict consumer trends ahead of Wall Street. Basically, when she talks, you better listen.
This Arizona State graduate has moved back to the desert after receiving her master’s degree from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business Administration, and working for Lehman Brothers on Wall Street. Consistently recognized for her knowledge of consumer trends and how to invest in them, Kristin appears regularly on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and has appeared on Bloomberg, CNN and CNBC. Not to mention, she has been featured in The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, and the Wall Street Journal. She was also recognized by PR Week magazine as one of 2008’s “New Media Faces to Watch.”
After hearing this impressive resume, I absolutely had to learn more.
CitS: You got your start as an ASU Sun Devil. What was your favorite part about your time at Arizona State and how did it prepare you for your career?
TTB: I self-financed my undergrad education at ASU, so I think I had like 4 jobs simultaneously, while tutoring PhD candidates on their dissertations. Ironically, this is where I learned about time management, deadlines, juggling, and hard work.
Because of my work schedule, sometimes I’d have to re arrange an exam, or submit a paper a few days after the deadline.This is where I learned the art of communicating and negotiating with my professors, and taking an active role in financing my education—while getting the most out of what ASU had to offer. Everything is negotiable if you execute properly. Later as an Equity Analyst at Lehman Brothers, all these skills would serve me well as I navigated the world of Wall Street—in 4 inch heels.
CitS: You worked with some of the biggest names in finance. How did you establish yourself as authority in such a competitive environment?
TTB: Working at Lehman Brothers was like drinking from a fire hose daily. The amount of information and data I would take in was simply mind boggling. Everyone I worked with was brilliant, and had the work ethic to match. I came in early. I stayed late. I showed up. I found mentors and mirrored their habits.
As a woman on Wall Street during they hey day at Lehman, you had to work twice as hard as your male colleagues. I managed to create a daily column for all of my analysts and traders (Bentz Bytes) that broke down everything they needed to know about the consumer sector that day in a concise yet humorous way. I edited down all the “noise” so they had everything in their inbox by 6 am.
I quickly earned the reputation of recognizing trends in the consumer space even before The Street did. I also had conviction. My sector specialty is all things consumer, so when other clients or traders would ask my opinion or challenge it, I was relentless and unapologetic about what I knew. Never waver. As women, so often we are chided or mocked for having strong opinions. I never backed down, and therefore I earned the respect of my colleagues and clients as being a straight-shooter.
CitS: You have a knack for predicting market trends way ahead of the curve. How did you develop your secret sauce?
TTB: I started working in retail when I was 15 years old. That’s how I worked my way through high school, undergrad, and graduate school. Since I come out of the fashion industry, my horizon is 6 months to a year ahead of what other traditional Wall Street analysts or Portfolio Managers might see. Therefore I usually see trends before The Street does.
I made my mark as an analyst when I interviewed a bunch of teen girls about their favorite brands and stores. Then I took them all to the mall and watched where they spent their money. It was entirely different from what they SAID they liked. At the time no one was really doing primary research on the teen space, so that was interesting to a lot of folks on the Street. I also study consumer behavior. You have to really be in the middle of things —I literally watch people, how they spend, how they live, how they shop. I ask questions. I immerse myself in pop culture. I talk to designers, merchants, models, kids, moms, teens, Millennials. I monitor Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, the sharing economy. The consumer space is inherently Darwinian, constantly volatile, that’s why I find it so fascinating to cover.
CitS: What can we expect to see from consumers in 2016? Is there anything business owners need to prepare themselves for?
TTB: Consumers —at least in the U.S. are doing better. So retailers should ease up a little on all the sales and promos and quit discounting so much. To that end, consumers are more and more savvy and use Big Data to their advantage. Retailers need to harness the power of Big Data to really learn about their customers and better serve them.
Consumers—especially at the Millennial level- crave authenticity and customization. Savvy retailers will stay nimble using technology to constantly improve the supply chain and reach out to and communicate with their consumers.
What did I tell you? When Kristin Bentz talks, you better listen. To hear more from the Talented Blonde, be sure to follow her on Twitter @TalentedBlonde.
Thanks Krisitin for all your insight. I will definitely look to you when making investment and business decisions!
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