Today we’d like to introduce you to Bess Welch.
Hi, Bess; we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My e-commerce journey started as an intern in college. I interned for a lifestyle brand and was exposed to many parts of the business. This is where I truly started to learn what I enjoyed and had a passion for. My boss and I were on the marketing and e-commerce team, so this is where the trial by fire started. She was amazing and invited me to so many meetings to sit and take it all in first. I learned about packaging design, buying, merchandising, licensing, PR, event planning, and e-commerce design. I traveled to NY a few times for PR events with bloggers and attended the annual licensing meetings. I was hired after college and eventually started approving packaging designs, buying products from multiple categories, and helping with e-commerce tasks. It was the best first job. After a couple of years, I wanted to specialize in buying and merchandising, so I started looking for jobs and found one at another lifestyle brand. I love working with products. Seeing it as sketches, determining how much we would buy, creating the marketing plan, and then pushing live to customers were my favorite parts of my job. It’s exciting to see how customers react and pull data to make future decisions and take a chance sometimes because there is no data to inform you.
Along the way, I learned more about the ins and outs of e-commerce, getting into the more technical aspects. This was also exciting. I had an amazing team around me that helped make the job fun. We celebrated our wins together and grew significantly together. After six years, it was time for me to leave. E-commerce is exciting but can also be exhausting. I needed a break, so I moved to a local company, focusing more on B2B sales. This was a completely different change of pace and very welcomed for me. I was planning on staying here for as long as they would have me, but I was approached by a friend to chat with a company that was thinking about expanding its e-commerce presence. I met with them and walked away, knowing I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. It brought me back to the product but added the exciting aspect of starting a new business. So, after 9 months, I moved back into e-commerce with a brand new concept. Within the first 6 months, we built and launched our brand, Six & Main. It’s been an enjoyable journey!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a windy road. I never could have found myself, but I am thankful for the journey it has taken me on. I’m very aware that the experiences I’ve had, the exposure to senior-level management, and the upward path I’ve been given are not common. I’ve been very fortunate to learn from some amazing leaders. It’s been a trial-by-fire experience in some areas, but I’ve discovered that I learn and perform better under pressure. Our site was hacked, and we had to build a new one in 6 months with no Director. There have been lofty goals with minimal help to get there. Our company had a product go overboard one season, so we lost a whole release and had to scrap marketing campaigns. Sometimes, there is no data to help you decide; you must go with your gut. I’m thankful for these situations and all that they taught me. I appreciate a classroom, but it’s in the field where I’ve learned the most. My biggest personal struggle has been finding harmony between work and life. I want to give my all but know when to call it a day. I didn’t take care of myself for a while and became sick. It got to the point where I had spots all over my arms and legs. Unfortunately, it took this extreme measure to make me slow down. To figure out what harmony looks like. I now have that with help from my family and friends and a great work environment. My current company is very accommodating and cares about its employees.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently have the pleasure of working with small businesses and artists from around the country to help tell their stories and support their efforts to grow their businesses. The company I work for didn’t start with an e-commerce store. 6 AM City is focused on activating communities through daily email newsletters that aggregate the most positive, impactful local news + events. We wanted to bring that into a more tangible way by launching the e-commerce store, Six & Main. It’s only a year and a half old, and I’m excited about where it’s headed. Along with the day-to-day e-commerce tasks, I get the pleasure of finding and partnering with local brands and artists from our 26 cities. They are the most amazing group of talented, driven, and creative individuals. Hearing their energy and passion for what they’re creating is exciting. Most found a solution to a problem they continually ran into. The majority also find a way to give back to their community. They’re making a difference for causes like animal shelters, mental health, community food banks, ocean conservation, and more. I’m honored to get to know them and be trusted to help tell their story and sell their products. I’m thankful for my previous jobs and all they taught me to reach this point. Without all the experiences, I wouldn’t know how to support and grow our site. This job is my favorite because of the direct effect we can have on someone’s livelihood. I would love to sit with everyone to tell them about our partners and show off their amazing products.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The easier question would be, where is it not going? E-commerce is constantly evolving. AI will continue to grow, and companies will figure out how it can help them be more efficient. That may mean chatbots or machine learning algorithms to help analyze data and provide more personalization for customers. Social media will become a significant sales channel. Just look at how TikTok shop is evolving already. Augmented reality is fascinating to me. The way it creates an immersive experience can be helpful depending on your product assortment. I’m excited about sustainability becoming more consumer-driven. I believe more consumers are paying attention to eco-friendly packaging, asking if the product is sustainable and if the company is trying to reduce its carbon emissions from shipping.
Contact Info:
- Website: shopsixandmain.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sixandmain/
Image Credits
Six and Main Clifford Pate
