S2E2- Building the Foundation for Retail Innovation - The Hierarchy of IT Needs

In Season Two, Episode Three of Blade to Greatness, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden welcome Andy Laudato, COO of The Vitamin Shoppe and author of Fostering Innovation. Andy introduces his hierarchy of IT needs, modeled after Maslow’s pyramid, showing how retail leaders must first build a strong foundation before pursuing retail innovation. From keeping the lights on to creating value, Andy explains how CIOs can earn credibility, manage risk, and ultimately drive retail transformation.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why IT stability is the foundation for retail innovation
• How CIOs can balance operational excellence with retail transformation goals
• The importance of prioritization and clarity in project management
• Practical strategies for creating value before innovating
• Why data accuracy is critical for AI and analytics success

This discussion is perfect for retail executives, CIOs, IT leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators seeking practical strategies to build credibility and drive sustainable retail transformation and retail innovation!

👉 Stay Sharp. Lead Boldly. Stay Human.

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Guest Spotlight:

Andy Laudato, COO, The Vitamin Shoppe

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlaudato/

Author, “Fostering Innovation,” available at Amazon: https://a.co/d/d7JxrfJ

Chapters:

00:00 Preview

00:49 Show Intro

02:40 Welcome Andy Laudato - Building the Foundation for Innovation

04:05 Hierarchy of IT Needs

06:29 Creating Value and Innovation

12:27 Balancing Operational Stability and Innovation

16:12 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

16:38 Show Close

Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Swag, Tag and Brag from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.