Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Christiansen.
Leslie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a Millenial that began my career in e-commerce over 20 years ago. I’ve been involved in many capacities within the online world — and I have a passion for managing teams, products, and content. I spent a large majority of my career at Overstock.com and worked my way through the organization throughout my 15 years there. I held many positions within many different areas of the company; I appreciated all of the opportunities that I had and I stretched myself — I was given many challenging roles and had a lot of fun climbing the ladder. My departure was a positive one and it gave me the “boot” I needed to take a risk and jump into entrepreneurship. Within 2 weeks, I had my company set up and I was acquiring new clients. I always wanted to take the leap into owning my own business, but I also rested in a comfort zone for a long time. I’m very grateful for the time I spent at Overstock.com and the invaluable skills that I gained while working there; I still maintain strong connections there and I’m sure I always will. Now, I run an e-commerce optimization and channel management company. I work with a team of awesome people and we have a passion for helping our clients grow their businesses online. The best parts? I get to balance my work life and my personal life on my own terms, and I get to inspire my family and friends and show them what it is like to follow their dreams.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, entrepreneurship is challenging; if it isn’t challenging — you’re doing it wrong. I firmly believe that if you don’t run into bumps in the road — you aren’t climbing in the right direction. I struggled to get out of my comfort zone while working the 9-5 grind and I was scared to take the leap. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to follow my dream of business ownership and I owe that in part to Overstock.com for letting me go. I chose to take a negative situation (getting laid off) and made it into an opportunity. In my first year, I was a lone wolf. I ran ECSG on my own and I had to put in a lot of effort and time — with little in return. But, soon after that first year, I got into a groove and I was able to show our clients that our services added value. Reputation is a key driver of any business and I focused on building that during our first few years. I am amazed at the business that we have built, a lot of which is based on referrals. Focusing on doing our best has really paid off.
As you know, we’re big fans of eCommerce Specialty Group (ECSG). For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We help companies grow their online sales through beautiful content and channel management. We work within the home categories (furniture, home decor, rugs, outdoor) and we focus on the large online sales channels — think Overstock, Wayfair, Houzz, etc. There are many companies that create and sell products, but many of those companies don’t understand how to sell products online, that’s where ECSG comes in. We take the guesswork out of navigating the online space and manage their business on each of the retailer’s platforms. If they can build products and ship orders to the end consumer, we can take care of everything in between. Many companies don’t think about how complex it is to sell products online: there’s marketing, product builds, content, analytics, optimization — the list goes on and on. I am so happy that we have been able to build this company from the ground up and that we add value to our clients. I like that we provide an additional revenue stream for companies and that we elevate their businesses to another level. I’m very proud that we have never had an unsatisfied client and that we continue to see exponential growth each year. I’m excited to grow our team and I look forward to building our business alongside our clients’ businesses.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most is God. I am a very spiritual person and I know that through him, I am able to accomplish great things. Through all of this — I am able to inspire my children, family, and friends to follow their dreams and that feels good. Secondly, I care about each and every one of our clients. I know that they trust us to do what is best and we strive to always do our best for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ecomstrong.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecomstrong
