A brand new generation (Gen Z!) and a good bit of swirling social pressure to have Insta-worthy selfies and dorm rooms means the back-to-college shopping season is a perfect storm for a range of retailers.

First, let’s let the math tell the story.

Boston has been good to us this week. The people, energy, lessons, and inspiration at INBOUND 2018 have been nothing short of amazing.

We’ve learned more about content, data, segmentation, growth models, and KPIs than we possibly could have imagined. It’s been exhilarating—and exhausting—and there’s more to come in the weeks ahead about what we learned.

But for now, one presentation from HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah unveiling The Customer Code stands out and, in my opinion, should change the way many of us think about our businesses.

A few months ago, I was up to my eyeballs in a demanding project for a historic retailer. I was pouring myself into it, staying up late, bringing my kids to after-hours meetings, racing to meet weekly deadlines—and honestly, I figured I was failing.