I started “play store” at a very young age. My Mom got me a box that looked like a cash register drawer, some monopoly paper money and plastic coins. I set up “store” everywhere. While playing with my dolls, in the drive way selling Kool-aid, and in the woods using acorns as coins and leaves as dollar! As I got older the chance to play store continued. Girl Scout cookies, charity greeting card sales, and my first job was at the recently defunct Limited store.
I tell you all of this because commerce has always been an interest and I have no idea where it started. My creative hunger was fed by creating the “store.” Past college and starting my career I started working for a big box store. At the time it was my dream job and was the best place for me to be. I was able to learn about merchandising, seek out challenges, be creative and had a daily report card that let me know exactly how I was doing. After 9 years, the grind of cubicle life started to wear on me and I always knew that I would one day open my own store. Ironically I actually almost stayed in my corporate job and not go out on my own because the company I was working for (in 2011) finally decided that it was time to start an e-commerce site. There was a part of me that wanted to stay where it was safe and learn the e-commerce business from them. But I can confidently say that I am so glad that I took a chance on myself.
My first e-commerce store was aptly named Leap of Faith clothing. I made all the mistakes you can make when building a online store. And quickly building the store became more fun and interesting than running the store! So I sought out opportunities to help others build their stores. I have been so lucky to have had people invest in me by letting me learn the best way to build an online e-commerce business.
But the best way is constantly changing and shifting and it is my job now to stay ahead of those changes. The future of e-commerce is so exciting. It is exciting because it is a challenge. It is exciting because what people can create and sell is mind blowing. It is exciting because we live in the best time. A time where anyone that wants to build a business can do it. And one of the easiest ways to build a business is online.
I see opportunities daily of ways that e-commerce could completely change a business. Could change a process and in turn change a life. All business is commerce of some variety. So why is there still a small percentage of business using the tools available. I want to change the way traditional businesses think of e-commerce. And that means staying at the front, always being educated so I can in turn be the educator. I do not know what the future of commerce will be, I can give you a very educated guess, but I do know that I want to be at the front of the pack creating the best possible solutions.