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I’m Stephen, Juni’s Ecommerce Store Manager. You know when you see black ops teams on American TV shows? I feel a bit like that right now, although I've yet to see a black ops team blog about what they're up to.
The reason I’m getting that covert vibe is that while everyone else at Juni is busy working on our platform, I have the opportunity to use it. I get to add Juni to a host of other ecommerce tech as I build my business.
In other words, I’m you… but in-house. I’ll be show casing the different ecommerce tools I’m using, sharing how-to guides on various aspects of ecommerce logistics, and writing about the different tactics I’m using to grow my store. Whether these things work out or not, you’ll always learn something you can use to take your store to the next level.
One of the things I love about Juni, and something that struck me when I was going through the hiring process, is that it’s a company that’s spun out from the community it serves. Our founders previously worked in ecommerce. They created something they needed — and couldn’t find — for their businesses.
I like to see myself as an extension of that ethos. As you know, ecommerce moves very quickly so it’s important Juni continues to have a total understanding of the challenges our customers face. Our founders keep their fingers on the pulse when it comes to all things ecommerce. We all do here at Juni. That comes with the territory.
But we also have to be realistic and accept that sooner or later the difficulties they encountered, the technology they relied on, and the economic conditions they operated in will have changed. We see incredible value in that real-world experience and we don’t want it to fade over time.
That’s where I come in.
As you might have guessed from the black ops reference, it sort of feels like I’ve gone undercover, working within Juni but on my own stuff. But I swear I’ve got approval for this. Besides, any sense of being covert is about to go out of the window because I’m going to share everything with you.
The process. The grind. The frustration. The tears. The laughter. The wins (I hope). They’re all going to be here for you to see and learn from.
I’m sure sometimes you’ll be pulling your hair out at my latest mistakes. Perhaps sometimes you’ll be glad I made them before you did. You might find yourself nodding along in agreement. Maybe you’ll even have insights to offer me to get me out of a tricky situation. I know starting an ecommerce business can be lonely from time to time, so I definitely want this blog to be a collaborative space with a real sense of community.
Share my successes. Learn my lessons. Laugh at my fails. Come along for the ride.
I’ll start by digging into the process of registering a UK company, incorporating my new business, and starting to build a business from within Juni.
Follow along on my journey as I source, sell and manage an inventory of products from the UK and EU. Any products I sell must share Juni’s sustainability values. I’ll then oversee the design, build, and marketing of the store (or more likely stores) that will sell my new products.
You’ll be a part of my journey at every stage. I’ll essentially be creating an ecommerce case study in real-time. You’ll get behind-the-scenes insights from my growing store. Learn from my mistakes so you can avoid them. See what works and utilise it for your own store.
I’ve got the flexibility to explore any opportunities that arise, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. The only parameters put in place by Juni are:
You’re joining me at the very start of this journey, so you’re going to see every stage of the process. You’ll see me:
Initially, I’m going to be exploring all the logistics and planning that are needed to get an store up and running… and then we’ll see where we end up. I’ll be keeping up with new ecommerce trends and sharing those with you. Or perhaps you can share them with me if you spot them first.
If you’re a fan of ecommerce blogs, founder stories, digital marketing how-to guides or the sense of an impending car crash, you’re going to absolutely love this.
As I mentioned, I also get the opportunity to use Juni. It’s the financial platform for ecommerce, so it’s only right that I should road test it on my journey.
I’ll share everything I’m doing with you, and that extends to my use of Juni. There’s going to be nowhere to hide, so we’ll soon see if my business benefits from using Juni.
My next post will be an update on my progress. There’ll probably be too much going on to focus on a single part of the process, so I think I’ll put together a reflective journal entry covering everything I get up to between now and then.
I’ll be sharing a new update on my journey every Friday, so be sure to checkback in. I’d love to hear where you're up to on your ecommerce journey. Let me know what you’re planning in the next few months by sending me an email to community@juni.co.
Stephen has over 4 years of experience running businesses and assisting entrepreneurs with Shopify stores. When he's not setting up shop, Stephen enjoys a good board game with his husband and friends. He's known for trying adventurous vegan cuisines.
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