The Startup Story

Dave Bolotsky, founder of Uncommon Goods

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About this episode

Uncommon Goods is an online marketplace that connects makers and their creations with shoppers looking for genuinely unique goods. It's the online marketplace place to go to when looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for that special someone in your life (hint: like moms, Mother's Day is right around the corner!).

In addition to the incredible items sold directly from the makers, Uncommon Goods key sales strategy is to leverage catalog mailers. My kids love looking through the Uncommon Goods catalog! In today's episode, you'll hear from the company's founder, Dave Bolotsky, on why he decided to use a catalog mailer for marketing his e-commerce company.

Dave joins me to share his entrepreneurial origin story. He journeys us through the birth of the internet and e-commerce, to the .com bubble, and the events of 9/11. This is Dave Bolotsky’s startup story.

In this episode, you'll hear.
  • Dave details his early entrepreneurial tendencies, first as a young child creating mini-catalogs for baseball cards, and later as a teen when he started a lawn-mowing service.
  • Dave shares how he had aspirations to start a record label upon graduating high school and his eventual disconnection from this dream
  • His career as a financial analyst first in retail and later working at Goldman Sachs for twelve years
  • His discovery of the internet in 1995 and how he began to write out internet retailing while at Goldman Sachs and his ultimate decision to leave Goldman Sachs in 1999 to pursue e-commerce
  • Dave's e-commerce idea and how close it is to the Uncommon Goods we know today
  • Some of the early steps taken to launch in the early days of the internet.
  • How Dave navigated through the .com bubble burst
  • How and why he decided to create a mailer to promote the products he was selling online.
  • Dave launched his business in a very challenging season of our economy and globally, during the 9/11 era. He describes what it was like working and leading his company during that time.
  • Dave shares when he knew he had a sustainable business.
  • Where he sees Uncommon Goods in five years and beyond

    • “Whatever decision you make, you need to stop driving while staring in the rearview mirror.” -Dave Bolotsky

    Resources from this episode

    Uncommon Goods: https://www.uncommongoods.com/

    Uncommon Goods on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncommongoods/
    Dave Bolotsky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-bolotsky-3b6256/
    The Startup Story LIVE - Virtual Conference: http://startupstorylive.com
    The Startup Story on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestartupstory
    The Startup Story is now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jamesmckinney
    The Startup Story on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestartupstory

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    EPISODE CREDITS

    If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

    He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

    Contact him today at https://emeraldcitypro.com/startupstory

    Special Guest: Dave Bolotsky.

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    The Startup StoryBy James McKinney