Ecommerce & Startups with Select Blinds Founder Rick Steele

Rick Steele is the founder and chief marketing officer of Select Blinds, an online retailer specializing in the very best in window fashion. His company was one of the very first blinds retailers to go totally cordless in their designs, and within 10 years of launching they were able to grow revenue to over $65 million. Rick is also an expert on Internet traffic and conversion rates and believes that it’s essential to face adversity if you want true personal and professional growth.

In this episode, Rick discusses how he went from selling Beanie Babies to selling blinds, elaborates on his decision to take a risk and invest in cordless blinds, and explains why he believes nothing good ever comes from being comfortable.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

What are some elements of ecommerce that we take for granted today that were much harder to pull off when Rick was starting out?
The reason Rick chose to specialize in blinds rather than other retail products.
Why Rick decided to sell his products and only his products through his website early on.
The series of events that led to Rick appearing on Extreme Home Makeovers.
The vital reason Select Blinds invested so much time and effort into creating cordless products and why Rick is okay with the growth it cost them.
How Select Blinds got creative when it came down to competing with Amazon.
Rick relates Select Blinds’ misadventures in outsourcing and what lessons he took away from that experience.
Why Rick has an entire series of marathons lined up for the coming year.