Could you tell us about your background prior to starting ECOBAGS.com?
Sharon Rowe
I was a professional actress in NYC, balancing an acting career with various other positions –
1. Worked at CBS 60 Minutes as Administrative Assistant
2. Senior Account Executive (sales) with MicroVideo, Inc. a start up company that I worked at and helped to build into a multi million dollar business.
How did you spot the opportunity to start ECOBAGS.com?
I don’t know that I spotted the opportunity as much as I started living the opportunity. It all started because I didn’t want to accept single use bags, which led me to find “filet” cotton string bags (like the ones I saw all over Europe). I bought some for my own use and began bringing them with me for shopping. Everyone wanted to know where I got them and where they could get some so, coming from an entrepreneurial family I guess I had an “aha” moment and thought that there might be a business opportunity in there somewhere.
Did you want to have partners or do it solo? Why?
I built the business myself, primarily. My husband delivered the necessary technical expertise for early online software and then more developed web applications. We refer to his position as “wires” beneath my wings.
Tell us about ECOBAGS.com, its mission and products.
Our mission, when we started in 1989 was “Cleaning Up The Planet One Bag At A Time.”™ We’ve grown beyond bags but still incorporate the “one ___ at a time” focus. We believe that grassroots growth builds movements and movements alter our culture.
I read on ECOBAGS.com’s blog that you swam across the Hudson River, in the Hudson River Swim For Life, raising funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma research. What did this experience mean to you?
I love to swim and I love challenges. It’s a lot like starting or running business. You have to set your intention and move into the future. You cannot disregard the past but you have to incorporate lessons learned into your next steps. The Hudson River Swim was a 3-mile mind over matter test for me. I hadn’t been training. I just love to swim and decided to do it – to test my own strength and flexibility and to raise money, awareness and build community around an important cause. We raised a lot of money, too, in a short amount of time.
What are your plans for the future?
Our plans for the future are to continue to build the ECOBAGS® brand and make it a household name, whether it’s through our web store or in-store products. We want to develop and deliver products that replace single-use throwaway items, whether they’re bags, water bottles, lunch bags or sandwich wraps and build the conversation about that.
What advice would you give an aspiring entrepreneur?
My advice would be:
- Go for it
- Talk to everyone you know about your ideas
- Line up $$ support or credit for when you need it
- Don’t over-extend but don’t be risk adverse
- Trust your gut
- Be patient
Are there any other questions you wished I had asked, from which you feel Women and Biz’s readers could learn valuable lessons?
Ask me – what do I read? Where do I get my inspirations and info?
I read a lot and I read diverse publications –
Essential publications
- New York Times (especially Sunday edition with style sections/magazine and business sections)
- NPR Radio
- Harvard Business Journal
- People Magazine
- Oprah Magazine
- E Magazine
- Sierra Club Magazine
Essential for thought processing and inspirations –
- Swimming and hot tub afterward —
- Walks in the woods
- Yoga
- Kayaking in the warmer weather
- Dinner with my family at the dinner table every week night (unless I’m traveling or there’s some special event)
- Leave work everyday after 8 hours and, leave it alone until the next day
- 24 hour off-email/internet period 1x every week
For more information about Sharon Rowe and her business, please visit ECOBAGS.com