Little Independent Two-Year Anniversary: Founder Reflections

by Lesley Tweedie
May 23, 2013

Little Independent’s two-year anniversary is coming up on June 1.  Anniversaries are a perfect time for reflection- where we’ve been and where we’re going.  The goal of the site is to be an advocate for independent retailers while helping savvy shoppers to find great independent stores and sale merchandise online.  Essentially we’re a small business directory with an e-commerce component.

I’m not sure what the future of the site will be.  I fear we’re still too small to fulfill our mission effectively.  I’m working on collaborations to keep this labor of love moving forward.  There are many possibilities but possibilities sometimes remain just that.

Being an entrepreneur is always uncertain and regardless of what happens next, I am so glad I took the leap. I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much.  Here are a few personal highlights:

1.  95 shopkeepers in 22 states added their stores to our site including 2 this week.

2.  I have met so many great people in the local and independent community. Presenting at the American Independent Business Alliance Go Local, Grow Local national conference was a huge honor.

3.  We’ve had some great press since we launched including the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and Next Web.  I’m so proud that people took notice of this project and that I was able to talk about the importance of supporting small businesses on a national platform.

4.  Here are my 3 favorite blog posts of the last year:

  1.  

    "Buy It Where You Try It" in the New York Times

We were interviewing someone for a job at my shop and we asked a question about goals and accomplishment.  She said, that she would only consider something a failure if she didn’t learn anything.  Fortunately I have learned so much I didn’t know when I began working on this in 2010.  Even if I decide to close the marketplace – temporarily or permanently – I would still consider it a success.

Thanks for reading.  If you’d like more information on Little Independent, please contact me at Lesley @ littleindependent.com.

The original version of this post appears on http://blog.littleindependent.com/. 

 

 

Chicago startup guides

LOCAL GUIDE
Best Companies to Work for in Chicago
LOCAL GUIDE
Coolest Offices in Chicago Tech
LOCAL GUIDE
Best Perks at Chicago Tech Companies
LOCAL GUIDE
Women in Chicago Tech