Working for two women with a fresh, inspiring outlook on ecommerce has reenergized my interest in writing and has served as an exemplary introduction to the corporate world. It all started while I was frantically working the cash register at a small home décor store. I was approached by two plucky women who plunked a cartful of stuff onto my station. We started to make small talk as the three of us wildly stashed everything into bags. One of the women, who I would later come to know as Chelle, asked me about my hobbies and, oddly enough, if I knew how to write. As a department manager who worked primarily in a stockroom, my journalism degree was slowly becoming covered in cobwebs. Sure, in my spare time I was freelancing and writing crudely-drawn comics, but how could they have possibly picked up on that? Were these two unsuspecting women secretly super heroes with extrasensory powers? Even better, they wanted to offer me a real job and set up a date for an interview. I was soon hired by Chelle and Alissa, two incredibly intuitive, perceptive and creative women who own and manage an ecommerce website selling custom window treatments. I knew nothing about the product, but they saw my potential, my quickness and eagerness to learn.
The rest is history. The company is called Blindsgalore. Shutters, shades, blinds – we’ve got it all. It may not be the most exciting job on paper. We can save that title for the skydiving pizza testers of the world, but somehow showing up for work every day isn’t your usual spirit-crumbling chore. What makes it so great? Blindsgalore is a shining example of women in business that is led by two fearless female entrepreneurs. Chelle Walters, CEO, and Alissa Walters, President, are a mother/daughter duo who have been working side-by-side since Alissa was twelve years old, creating marketing brochures together for a former family owned restaurant and gourmet food emporium. Now, years later, they have built a successful e-commerce company and an office I’m happy to show up to each day. Taking on the male-dominated window covering industry, the Walters have covered well over two million windows, maintained an exceptional relationship with their customers, and have ensured that their own employees have a positive, enjoyable environment to work in.
Blindsgalore feels more like a family than a workplace. Not in sense that we all know who to avoid at the Holiday party (we do), but in the sense that we’re all used to working closely together. Chelle and Alissa are supporters of team-building exercises and have created office activities that help take away from the day-to-day. Whether it’s a guest speaker, a happy hour, or the “BG Lunch Table”, where a team of employees cooks a seasonal-themed meal for the rest of the office, the Walters are always pushing to make Blindsgalore a friendly and engaging place to be. Getting the opportunity to hang out with my coworkers inside and outside of the office has brought us all closer. These friendships strengthen us as a team and probably help keep us civil as stressful deadlines approach. Blindsgalore takes pride in encouraging future generations of female entrepreneurs by partnering with the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) to present the annual Blindsgalore National Scholarship.
Chelle and Alissa are among the many corporate women mixing up the way the world does business. The growing wealth of female entrepreneurs is an unending source of inspiration, and, sometimes, pie recipes. Out of Chelle’s many favorite frequented websites, The Pioneer Woman, stands on top of her list. She can’t get enough of the blog’s unique, punchy voice and has virtually covered her fridge with tips and tricks from the author, Ree Drummond. Both of them share Midwestern roots which informs their comfortable way of creating a warm and happy home. Chelle resonates with Ree’s easygoing personality, showing how simple it can be to whip up a cheesy casserole or a gooey chocolate mousse cake which mirrors Chelle’s mission at Blindsgalore. Anyone can be a designer and styling a special blind or shade is not rocket science. With a few handy tips and a smooth selection process, presto, you can get yourself the perfect window treatment. Ree and Chelle both think life is too short to worry about the details; let the experts stand by your side all the way.
The Pioneer Woman, along with many other femme-focused online publications, is part of the BlogHer network. BlogHer is dedicated to creating a welcoming environment where women can share their personal stories, thoughts and ideas with each other. It’s not just a safe space for blogging, but also a community. Lisa Stone, current CCO of SheKnows, co-founder of BlogHer and one of Chelle’s biggest inspirations, left a journalism position at CNN behind her in order to pursue a less conventional “blogging” career. After working with Women.com, Stone and two fellow female writers started BlogHer in 2005. Today, BlogHer reaches an audience of over 100 million and has helped make the dream of blogging professionally a reality for hundreds of women.
One of Alissa’s biggest inspirations is another notorious female blogger, Kathryn Minshew – CEO of TheMuse.com. Named one of Forbes 30 Under 30, Minshew helped start a women’s networking group, Pretty Young Professionals, before co-founding a popular job discovery website, The Muse. Kathryn was determined to change the way business entrepreneurs find prospective employees, and has helped find careers for over 3 million professionals worldwide. Alissa frequently turns to the advice in The Daily Muse, the website’s newsletter, focusing on executive and career advice. Alissa frequently turns to them to help shape her ever-evolving management style. Currently, I’m working on getting in contact with Minshew and encouraging her to write an article convincing business owners to give their copywriters Fridays off. I am still waiting for an answer to my request!
Women have made it their business to get recognized and respected in business, and all the hard work has endured. I’m happy to work for two fearless females who aren’t afraid to make working at a window coverings company a whole lot of fun. That’s right – they’ve officially made window blinds and ecommerce intriguing and fun. Kudos to Chelle and Alissa for being dynamic women who are constantly staying on top of this ever changing, competitive marketplace and making Blindsgalore a happy and challenging workplace. They’re two, of the many, exceptional female entrepreneurs who made the decision to do things their way.
