Entrepreneur and Personal Shopper Chrissy Liu is currently in the process of a private launch of her on-demand personal shopping business for men, which promises “Clothes delivered to you only when you need them”.
Interview Q&A:
1. What is your business/Business Name? What does your business do?
2Maven is a web based personal shopping service for men. This is how it works:
Log onto our website, fill out a profile, and give some info on style, fit, info, and when he needs clothes, then he fills out an order for what he needs (event, or general shopping). He can be sure what he orders will look good, because we get to know him better and better and can predict what he will like.
2. Why did you get into this field? What opportunities did you see?
I always had a passion for the retail fashion world, and always loved it. In college I majored in finance, then in corporate finance. But my real passion is combining both fashion and business, based on a customer’s needs.
I got my MBA at Virginia – What is the intersection of fashion and business. I did an internship over the summer at a fashion conglomerate. Then I did a lot of research on the fashion technology industry. I discovered that there are very few that cater to men — because men just don’t like to shop. Most shopping is catered to women, and browsing, and just having fun shopping.
3. What have been your biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge has been encompassing a lot of areas of entrepreneurship – navigating the ambiguity, building a team. There are no right answers, and there is so much ambiguity. Taking the time to step back and do that self-reflection, and not being afraid to ask questions.
4. What has been your greatest reward?
Finding and working with my current team — they are people I work with on a daily basis, and they are people who have a full time job too. Everyone is on the same page and coming together as a team… and making customers happy.
5. If you could change something, what would it be?
Changing something would imply that there is an element of regret. Yes, we do make mistakes. But we have who we have in terms of people and resources, and we do the best we can with what we have.
6. If you could give a new entrepreneur advice, what would it be?
Just do it. You get caught up in your own thoughts. And think ‘what if?’ Every step along the way, the more I see, the more I learn about how I’m viewing life, and I’m giving it my all. How many people in their lifetimes can really say that? You have to have the right pieces and stepping stones, but you also just have to do it.
7. Social Media. Yay or Nay?
Absolutely. Because we are a web based business, we use social media to build brand, attract customers, etc. Facebook, Instagram, and maybe Twitter.
8. How do you market your products?
We are IN process of a private launch right now. We want to take a focused, careful approach to attracting clientele — all based on word of mouth. We want to figure out what’s working and what’s not.
9. Is your business a service or a product? If you are a product, how do you handle production?
Our business is a service selling products — working with brands and retailers to get product.
10. What is unique about your business?
If we think about the world of consumerism – there are waves going on. In the beginning, people went online to do research. Then there were discounting websites, some for luxury goods, some for others. Now, online, there is a lot of online consumerism and customization.
What can we do that will contribute to the next wave? Really making the person’s life much easier. Most men see shopping as a chore and a hassle, and they don’t like shopping online, and there are too many choices. This website will take care of that aspect of their life for them by looking at what he orders, exchanges, or tells them. He’ll never have to worry whether the clothes will look good on him ever again.
11. Sell me your service.
Since we know that men don’t like to shop, we want to take care of this chore for the end user. That way, they don’t have to shop. We pay attention to details, like fit of shirts, and more, so that he never has to worry about shopping for clothes again.
12. How can people get in touch with you? What’s your website/contact information?
- Direct email: Chrissy@2maven.com
Currently we are in a private launch, and taking a select number of individuals. If someone is interested in being a client of the private launch, then send me an email. If you sign up now, you’ll be first ones notified when our national rollout comes around.
