Time for another interview!

Another entrepreneur with a great idea who got up and pursued it.

This is Sami Bay of SomethingStore.com.  His site offers people something different then their average shopping experience online.  When someone visits the site, rather than browsing and looking for something to buy, they just simply press “Get Yours”.  They then pay a flat $10 and get a random “something.” Their something can be anything. A cool gadget, rare book, table game, handmade necklace, or reverse clock.  It’s like it is your birthday in the mail.  You may not always get what you want and other times more then you expected.

Now let’s get to what everyone is excited about, Sami Bay himself.

Tell us about SomethingStore.com Sami and what gave you the idea to do it?

SomethingStore.com was born out of necessity and my own gift-choosing frustration. I was shopping for a friend’s upcoming birthday present on the web, after going through countless websites, I couldn’t decide what to purchase. That’s when I thought, what if someone else decided for me and send something random selected from, preferably, an inventory of cool stuff. After sharing my idea with my friends, and despite their resistance, I wanted to give it a shot and that’s how I came to launching SomethingStore.

Now why $10? Is shipping included? Most importantly, what can buyers really get with this?

Yes, shipping and handling is included in the $10 price. When there are no market value for an item you’re selling it’s tough to decide on a price point. Since buying the unknown may be risky for many people, I wanted to find a price that’s both low enough for a lot of people to give it a try and, at the same time, high enough for us to profitably sell our products. After some market research, I have found that by going through liquidators and some though negotiations, I can acquire desirable goods at a price where we can make the business model work. So far, we have been able to satisfy most of our customers with the quality of merchandise they receive.

What can buyers really get with this?

Good question That’s whole point, actually; they will need to order to see what they can really get. We try to give them an idea about what they may receive in our SomethingTracker page by showing recently sent items. Other than that, I will need to be mum on the subject .

What about you personally, can you tell us some of your background, life before SomethingStore.com?

Before SomethingStore I was working as an online marketing manager for a gift/catalog retailer here in New York, which was my first job after college. I also worked (still do) on my other websites, which are in the online shopping field. When the SomethingStore idea gained enough traction, I resigned from my job and focused more on the new business.

I am 32 years old and currently living in beautiful Long Island, New York.

How has your life changed since SomethingStore.com?

This was first real business venture for me so I had to learn more about running a business, improve my administrative skills and manage day-to-day aspects of a business. Mostly, it made me manage my time more efficiently, which is a good thing. When there are a lot of big and small things you have to do, do them now, you learn prioritize and just overall manage your time better.

What do you see in the future of SomethingStore.com? Do you have any other ideas? Possible expansion of the site?

We’re planning several significant improvements for SomethingStore, including computerized item selection (currently our staff do that). We are also receicing great amount of feedback from customers as to what they would like to see SomethingStore offer such as gender and aged-based ordering, gift certificates. We will be implementing those ideas in spring.

And your life after SomethingStore.com?

Right now, SomethingStore is formally about 8 months old, so it is still a baby in my eyes. There are many things I need to improve it and turn into a viable and scalable business. Once I do that, I’ll be more able to plan for life after SomethingStore.

Would you consider yourself a person who likes getting random things, like the concept of your site?

Absolutely! If someone else had opened the SomethingStore, I’d buy a something as soon as I could.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of your entrepreneurial life?

I enjoy both watching and playing soccer and I am a big fan of European soccer. I like skiing and kayaking. I am also an amateur photographer.

Any advice you can give young entrepreneurs?

I’m a big fan of the internet as it gives access to an incredible amount of resources to a large section of the population. This enables more people to do what they want to achieve. So, my advice for young entrepreneurs would be to realize this potential and take advantage of it by learning, networking and finally executing their business ideas.

Thanks for the interview Sami! We all enjoyed it.