I never planned on being a retail leadership expert. I started in aerospace engineering at Penn State, and then pivoted to marketing. I was still looking for direction when my cousin helped me land an internship at a small department store in Central Pennsylvania.
I expected a summer job. What I found was the start of everything. I fell in love with the rhythm of retail. The dynamic mix of urgency, decision-making, and unpredictability pulled me in. I was drawn to how people moved, how organizations worked, and how systems could be built to make things better.
My time in engineering instilled in me the curiosity and practicality that would serve me well throughout my career. But the internship made one thing clear. Retail success doesn’t come from flashy ideas or perfect products. It comes from consistent execution, day after day.
I doubled down on retail. I took every class I could to prepare. Upon graduation, I landed a spot in the executive training program at Bamberger’s, the New Jersey division of Macy’s. It was one of the top programs in the industry. There, I learned retail fundamentals: buying, merchandising, and analysis. I even created a new merchandise distribution model with a pencil, graph paper, and a calculator. And it worked.
But the real turning point didn’t come from math. It came a few years later, in a struggling sporting goods store. I had already established success in fixing troubled stores. My success had come from sheer force: working long hours and doing it all myself. Until that one store didn’t turn around. No matter how hard I worked, it didn’t change. And then something happened.
A team member named Regina, a supervisor I had underestimated, surprised me. I had been frustrated with my supervisors because they had been missing tasks. I decided one week to increase the frequency of my follow-up, switching from end-of-week inspections to daily check-ins. Monday, no one had done their tasks. Tuesday, same thing.
Then came Wednesday. It was the same story, except for Regina. She had completed every single task I had laid out, perfectly. Why? Because she knew I was coming back to check. That was it.
That moment changed everything for me. I realized that the keys to effective management aren’t charisma and brute force. They are clarity, structure, and follow-up. That’s when AIM (Action Item Management) was born.
Once I realized what works best in the retail world, I made it my mission to provide education for managers. I offered my expertise as part of the creative team that designed an online retail management course for Capella and CareerBuilder, and I am currently the professor of Retail Marketing at Seton Hall University. And I have written five books in which I share the lessons I’ve learned and teach how to apply them to readers’ management practices.
I have developed AIM into a complete system, and I have used it everywhere from Gap to Bank of America, from Travelex to Edison Properties. Now, through my books, consulting work, and workshops, I share AIM with others.
My mission is simple: to show retail leaders how to create a culture of clarity, follow-through, and accountability so they can achieve long-term, sustainable success.
It’s a simple truth: if you want radically reliable results, you need relentlessly consistent execution. And through AIM, I give teams the blueprint.
A must read for anyone in retail.
Well written and organized. Easy to read. Great ideas and tips. Very user friendly. A must read for anyone in retail.
Many Great Ideas!
I really enjoyed Jon Dario's organization and prioritization of his management concepts. I was a retail manager for a number of years and wished I had this book when I first started out. He takes 'learning from hard knocks' out of many of the trials and tribulations that retail managers go through. The easy to read and logical organization of this book make it a great resource for any manager, or anyone who wants to become a manager.
Fantastic Book
I hope this book finds its way to many other retail managers. It truly is a guide to effective management. No unnecessary fluff.
Great results aren’t born from one big idea; they’re built through disciplined, repeatable action. I believe in doing the right things the right way, day after day.
I don’t rely on hope, I rely on follow-up. Clear expectations and personal ownership create a culture where people know what’s expected and deliver on it.
Ambiguity kills execution. I make sure teams know exactly what matters, why it matters, and how to move forward. So there’s no room for confusion.
Trendy tactics fade. The basics win. I help organizations master the simple, essential routines that drive real, lasting performance.
I’ve lived it, tested it, and refined it. My guidance is grounded in experience and applicable in the real world.
