Fulfilling A Passion

Former Cents of Style COO takes their infrastructure, experience and workforce to help turn
people’s ideas into businesses.

By Ashley Smart

Becoming an entrepreneur is more popular now than ever, and although it may be easy to come
up with a product or service, the ‘turning it into a business’ part is quite the opposite. “..., we
realized that so many of our friends in our social space had great ideas and great audiences but
needed help with their operations,” says John Brown, founder of Be Fulfilled.

While working on a new focus for former company Cents of Style, John recognized that as a
‘digitally native brand’ they were equipped with everything needed to help those wanting to
share their product. With that in mind, Brown got set to create a new company that would
provide the services that make it possible for you to develop, source, manage and ship your
product to your audience. That company became Be Fulfilled.

“My entrepreneurial drive was pushing me to do something new,” says Brown. “I knew I wanted
to find a way to expand on the vision for cents of Style, to Empower Women. I wanted to find a
new and innovative way to help provide tools and share what I have learned.”

Now most people may not realize all the work that goes on behind the scenes before a business is
able to sell or provide their product or service. Rather than struggle on your own to get through
that long process, Be Fulfilled will complete the ‘dirty work’ for you. They will develop
products, help with customer service, source products that fit your budget, manage and build a
website and ship your products to your customers. They let you focus on what you do best, and
they’ll do the rest.

Along with a lot of work put into creating a business, there is an abundance of time put in. With
the help of Be Fulfilled and their knowledge and experience of creating a business, they can help
cut down that time, or at least make sure it is spread out and spent focused on the right things. “It
can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months to get the right product. I try to really find the
values and timelines my client is looking for and find a way to align their expectations with
reality.” By working closely with each client John is more able to bring their ideas to fruition.

With that being said, more time spent working with clients means less time at home or with
family. Surely John and Courtney, who are both business owners, have found the secret to a
work/life balance right? Actually it’s just the reverse, “We don’t (establish a work/life balance).
We do our best. We try to always be aware of each other. It’s working well, but it’s not always
easy,” says Brown. This is not the only way that life for the Brown family has been affected. “I
work more now, I’m also happier when I’m challenged and creative. I’m a better person,” shared
John. Sounds like there are many more positive experiences in store for them.

Different kinds of careers need different kinds of mindsets. Just like engineering requires a
focused mindset, fulfillment processing requires a creative mindset. “I love to create. Create
products, create business, create something from nothing. That’s what gets me excited,”
mentioned John. Although it seems his creativity comes naturally, John has found a process that
helps him stay in the constant creative mindset that is needed. “My daily mantra is to add value
first to my clients. Trying to first focus on my clients success always lets me start from a great
place.”

Thinking of their value and putting clients first seems to not only be important to the creative
process, but is also what John attributes his success to.

With successes comes failures, and when running a business there are bound to be many highs
and lows. Everyone finds the best way for themselves to get through those hard times so that
they can celebrate the good ones. Sometimes the lows may make one feel that it is time to back
down or leave the business behind. When asked about this. Brown said, “about once a week I
think I feel this way. I’ve been a part of several startups, but this one feels different. It has my
whole heart and soul in it.” Now that sounds like a pretty good reason to keep working towards
your dream and to celebrate those good times.

For those looking to start a business of their own, John has some fantastic advice. “Do it. Do
your market research, ask friends, ask potential customers, get feedback. Then always remember
that product development is a journey not a destination, enjoy the process.”

Ultimately what Brown is looking to create is a community resource. “One that is a fully
vertically integrated solution for brands. One that offers retail, pick-up, same day delivery and
full domestic and international ecommerce,” he adds.

So overall it looks like there are changes on the horizon that will transform Be Fulfilled from
what we know now, so “...stay tuned.”