Epic 34th Birthday

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Cam

Well, it finally happened. I got another year older. I recall my 30th birthday really bothering me but the other 30’s have all been just fine. My family made me this delightful peanut butter cup cake tree and we opened presents together after I got home from work. Even though there’s not much I need, I really enjoyed the thoughtful gifts that my families and close friends gave me.

I would call this year’s celebrations “low key” and that’s fine by me (we had other activities that prevented us from doing additional partying). As I’ve gotten older I do a lot more reflecting and I think that I’m at a good point in my life. And I think my 34th year has some good things in store!

Cam Hughes, April 2, 2012

July Goings Ons… ings.

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Cam

I don’t generally blog about family stuff (it’s on Fran’s blog, remember?) but I did a couple of fun things with the family this month that I thought posterity would be interested in so I have included them.

Fourth of July Weekend

Each year we go to BYU campus and sit and watch the fireworks. We’ve gone to the Stadium of Fire before, but we decided we like watching the free fireworks more than being inside. We have a fun little tradition these days. We actually rent a hotel room (this year we hit Best Western) and go live it up up in the afternoon (relaxing, pool, some TV, whatever). Then we go eat dinner while everyone else scrambles to get inside the stadium. You can eat anywhere, no wait. We went to Saigon Cafe this year- love that place. Around 9:30 we walk over to BYU and find a spot where we can see the fireworks. The show usually starts around 10:15. This year it seemed extra awesome. The kids are old enough that they can almost make it though the show now without crying. Almost.

And then over the next few days we lit off fireworks at home. The kids love the smoke bombs, snakes, crackle balls and snap pops so I loaded up on extra boxes at WalMart (they actually have an okay selection of fireworks). My family came over for a Fourth of July BBQ (hot dogs, hamburgers and lots of chips & dip). Later that night we lit off our own fireworks. It was actually raining, so we sat under our gazebo and lit them on the concrete pad in our backyard. It worked really well and we had a fun time. The kids are all big enough that they they want to take turns lightning thing (well, to clarify – they all want to light everything, but we make them take turns).

Side Note: Aerial fireworks are now legal in Utah. I didn’t get any myself (it is my cheapness? I don’t know), but we got to enjoy them anyway (many neighbors invested). They are awesome.

New Trampoline

Our old trampoline had been mangled, cut, repaired, slashed, and the springs died sometime last year. It served us well for over five years, but it was time for a new one. Luckily, I just happened to have one at my work and luckily I had to remove it because we needed the space.

I brought it home over the Fourth of July weekend and finally got a chance to set it up a few days ago. Our trampoline hole is in pretty bad shape, but we cleaned it out, rearranged the rocks, pounded in some rebar and then put the new trampoline mat, springs and pads on the old frame (there was no way it was coming out and it’s still in good shape). What a difference a new trampoline makes! I played with the kids for a couple of hours and then spent the next few days in serious old man pain.

Side Note: I highly recommend Regal Trampolines. Their trampolines really are top quality and have superior components. The junk you get at places like Toys R Us or Walmart just doesn’t compare.

Herman’s Hermits Concert

Last weekend we went to see Herman’s Hermits at the Sandy Amphitheater. My Dad has a longstanding love for 60’s bands, (i.e. Turtles, Paul Revere and the Raiders, etc) and he graciously extended the invitation to see Herman (who’s real name is Peter Noone) with him. He prepared the kids by having them listed so some of the Hermits greatest hits (Henry the Eighth, There’s a Hush, Mrs. Brown, You’ve got a Lovely Daughter and the like). They were pretty exited to see “Herman.” My Dad scored us some seats in the first section of the lawnchairs. They were right in the center, they were comfortable, and we had a great view.

The show was really good. Peter is 63 this year but he’s energetic and very entertaining. The Hermit’s songs have a timeless quality (I grew up listening to them) and I really enjoyed myself. The crowd consisted of mostly people Peter’s age, but there were a fair number of younger fans as well (I think I can count my kids as “fans” now too). Hopefully we get a chance to see another concert in the near future. Thanks Dad!

Moving Stuff

We’ve also done a fair amount of “terraforming” at our house. Besides my garage project (see it @ utahcorvette), we spent a good deal of time rearranging our basement. We moved the video games out of the rec room* and into the basement family room. Stuffed into a corner by the pool table our rec room gaming center was awkward and very cramped (we had to sit in folding chairs). Our new setup is neat, comfortable (we have a couch to sit on now) and feels spacious. Check out the before & after pics below and click here if you want to see the new set up in more detail. I love moving stuff around!

I keep reading online articles about people who saved thousands of dollars a year by not doing things. “We saved $3,000 this year! We were going to take a vacation, but we didn’t!” or “We saved $1500 this year by not repainting our deck and letting our lawn grow into a jungle.” Some of it comes off as ridiculous. Well, I’m pleased to report that by this logic I saved $1370 on this game room project. I had budgeted $1450: A flat screen TV ($1000), a new entertainment center ($300), and a Blu-Ray player ($150). Instead we used our old TV ($0), I got a wall shelf ($36), some hooks ($4), two framed posters ($40), and we decided to make due with no BluRay player ($0). Wow! By Internet standards we are super frugal.

* We’re turning that into more of a library- still a work in progress, so more on that later.

Pioneer Day

This year we celebrated Pioneer day with the Browns- both sets. The men stood around the grill doing and saying very manly things. Jim & Cindy had to take off early, but Tom & Aimee stuck around for fireworks. We exploded them dangerously close to our home to heighten the sense of pyrotechnic excitement. I think Fran will blog about Pioneer day in more depth.

Oh, and of course the most important part of any get together: the show of bravery, stamina and general lack of common sense. With a aforementioned trampoline now place we had everything we needed. We each took a turn inverting ourselves, playing “back to front” and then “spin to win.” Ultimately we were forced to conclude that we were not as young as we used to be.

10th Anniversary!

On July 28th, 2011 Fran and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! We went to Ruth’s Chris (kind of our anniversary tradition) and spent a quiet evening together. We had planned to go to Hawaii, but with a little one on the way (yes, number four is seven months along) we decided to postpone it. I got Fran an anniversary band with ten diamonds (I got something too, not to worry). I don’t get to buy Fran jewelry very often (her choice) so I think I was as excited as she was. Needless to say, Francoise is my best friend, a wonderful wife and a stellar mom and it’s been a wonderful ten years!

Other notable July events:
Rachel’s Birthday
Jason’s Birthday
Erin’s Birthday (she turned 30!)
The Jorgensens move to Seattle (Andrew needs to blog about this!)

Posted by Cam Hughes, July 30, 2011

Healthcare Reform

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Cam

Originally written Feb 20, 2011:

Ever tried to lose 70 pounds? It’s tough. I’m sure everyone has heard of The Biggest Looser by now. Every week – with a few exceptions – the contestants inspire me. At my worst in 2009, I tipped the scale at right about 300 pounds. In 2010 I worked my way down to 257 but then events in my life overcame my resolve to exercise and I gave up. I slowly worked my way back up to 277.

Enter 2011. Two hundred seventy seven pounds is a long way from where I need to be. So… For the last month I have walked a 5K every day on my treadmill. In addition I have being doing weight training every day. Additionally I have reduced my caloric intake to about 2250 calories a day. The net result: thus far I have lost about three pounds each week. As I write this I currently weigh 265lbs.

Weight loss is about one thing: Using more calories than you consume (“types” of calories is a topic best left for a conversation on health- this post is about intake vs. consumption). Here’s my math. Someone my starting size (277lbs, 6′ 4″) has a resting (basal) metabolic rate of about 2200. And during the course of my day (7 hours sleeping, 17 awake, super light activity) I burn about 1000 additional calories. Therefore, my total daily burn is probably somewhere around 3200 (that’s to maintain my current weight). To lose a pound you need to burn roughly 3500 calories. So, over the course of each day I eat (on average) 2250 calories, burn about 700 (exercise) and I have a deficit of 1650. Over the course of a week my deficit total is somewhere around 11,000 and 11,000/3500 = 3-ish lbs lost each week.

There are obvious cardio benefits too. I timed myself in the beginning of my journey. It took me more than 11 mins to puff my way through a mile. Now I can run a mile in under 9 mins (sans puffing). My 5K time was 39 mins and now I can run it just shy of 32 mins. My goal for my birthday is a sub 8 minute mile and a sub 30 min 5K. The body’s ability to heal itself is fantastic.

Update written March 15, 2011:

By the beginning of March I was down to 257 again. I ran a mile in 8 mins 10 seconds and a 5K in 29 mins. I had high hopes for reaching the 240’s by my birthday (March 22nd).

And then the shin splints came. I’m not exactly certain why they started. Possibly bad running form, the increased workout intensity or the fact that I changed shoes (wore my other pair out!). The pain got so bad I could barely walk, let alone run.

But I was determined not to give up this time. I changed my walking technique to compensate for the pain and I adjusted the treadmill incline to maintain the workout intensity. There were days I simply had to skip. Around the same time work and home life got particularly stressful (sorry, no juicy details) and I compromised my diet at times. While there was no further weight loss, I was able to maintain my progress.

Fast forward two weeks. Today I was finally able to run again without pain. I jogged about six miles while I watched the part of the bachelor finale on Hulu. It felt so good to run again! I don’t have any residual pain after my run, so I’m feeling hopeful. It’s back to my diet and regular workout now.

I’ll post another update sometime in April. My new goal is to hit the 240’s by April 10th, since my original plan hit a snag. Wish me luck!

Disney Land, our First Vacation in Six Years.

Posted on November 7, 2010 by Cam

I swore I wouldn’t do it. But I did. I went on a vacation. As Fran likes to point out, it’s our first “real” vacation in over six years (a “real” vacation is a trip where we’re gone longer than overnight- seems fair). The destination? Disney Land. We felt like the kids were all finally big enough to enjoy it. We went six years ago with my parents. This time my Dad decided to come with us which worked out really well; three kids and three adults.

We decided to drive there this time around (my Dad drove separate do do some sight seeing). We broke the drive up over two days each way. On the first night we swung through Las Vegas and ate at the Rainforest cafe at the MGM Grand Casino. The food was okay and the atmosphere was exceptional. I have to confess that it was a little weird walking though the casino with our kids. Despite their protests I didn’t let them gamble.

The drive went really well and our kids were great (my mom had prepared little game bags which really helped). We rolled into Disney Land Tuesday evening. We had reservations at Disney’s Paradise Pier. We’ve stayed previously at the Grand Californian hotel. Paradise Pier isn’t as luxurious, but it’s definitely more kid friendly and still very nice. The next morning we were off for days of fun and adventure in Disney Land and California Adventure Land.

My Dad has his birthday while were at Disney Land. He wore his “It’s my Birthday” pin most of the time and used his clout to score several pictures with celebrity ducks.

I think it’s fair to say that the six of us had a great time. It was a little harder than I expected with three kids. I was very grateful that my dad had come with us. The kids constantly wanted to be carried, couldn’t agree on rides, argued about who would sit with who on the rides, obsessed over churros and relentlessly overpriced imports but it couldn’t overshadow the magic of the Disney Land park.

We ate in the park. This is astronomically expensive, but if you let cognitive dissonance do it’s job you can escape with the illusion that somehow it was better and/or worth it. Red’s Rocket Port has some great salad and pasta. It was as good as I had remembered.

Old favorites like Space Mountain, Splash Mountainm, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Indiana Jones still delivered all the thrills I remembered from six years ago (our last visit). Since we opted to go during school, the crowds were nearly non-existent. Most of the rides we walked right onto and worst case we waited about 15-20 mins. There were several new attractions, but nothing really stuck out over the classics.

We also ate the the French Market (and here’s a photo of all of us). Fran was disappointed and I’m pretty sure I got food poisoning there (chills, headache and vomiting ensued). Being sick put a damper on the trip, but I recovered quickly enough .

After spending a day in Disney Land we headed over to California Adventure Land. They had pulled out a couple of rides to make room for a new attraction based on Cars (they’re basically building out a Radiator Springs). California Adventure isn’t quite as magical as Disney but it’s still got some fun rides like Screaming, Soaring over California, Tower of Terror and the 3D shows.

There’s my dad with the Ferris Wheel of death behind him. Some of the cars on the Ferris wheel slide along rails. It made my Dad and me really sick. As I get older motion sickness isn’t fun like it used to be. California Adventure is a blast, but with thin crowds there’s not quite a day’s worth of stuff to do and so we headed back to Disney Land. Just to prove how tough we were my Dad and I rode the teacups.

One of the trip highlights was the Wold of Color, in California Adventure. We went to the show on Friday night (and by Friday the crowds had increased exponentially). The show consists of water, lights, projected images, lasers and music. My picture doesn’t do it any kind of justice (you can find the show on You Tube).

And then it was time to head home. We briefly considered hitting Lego Land or the San Diego Zoo, but we were pretty exhausted (I would say the recovery time for me personally, once we got home, was about a week). The only real casualty of our trip was the mini-van. Our kids have a gift for making messes. Here’s the back of the car by the time we got home.

Overall a great trip. Looking back we might have waited one more year to go, and we may have flown. But hopefully we built some good memories and the kids will look back with fondness on our trip. I’ll be ready to go on another vacation in about six years.

Posted November 7th, 2010

The Neverending Story

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Cam

We finally finished moving into our new building and we’re in the process of settling in. I think this move will be a great opportunity for us to grow and I feel like we got a killer deal (owing to the poor economic climate). The move has been very draining, but I think for the most part people have come to be in favor of it. Here’s a quick tour:

Below is part of our storefront. What you see below completely filled our old store from wall to wall.

The current storefront is about three times larger and we have a lot of extra space. It’s a great, but it looks bad… next year we’ll finish it off with counters and more shelving.

This is our warehouse operation. The new warehouse is about five times biggest than the old one which gives plenty of working space and tons of room for new products (most of the warehouse is still empty at this point- I didn’t post a picture of the empty space though).

Our tool area and photo studio areas. Having a dedicated room for pictures is awesome.

This is the office that I share with Fran. I’ve got a picture below of the old office we used to share. It was 8′ x 7′ and we were both crammed in there. I don’t know how we did it. This one is 16′ x 12′ and there’s plenty of room for two (and even a couch… which I desperately want to try sleeping on).

This is Jim’s office. He favors the more executive approach- looks good! And then Jim’s beloved data closet- It’s all he’s ever really wanted.

We got ourselves a conference room with a pompous table and some executive looking chairs (really comfortable chairs though). Our new break room has a sink and a full sized fridge (it has changed my life). We still have the Street Fighter arcade and SNES too. But….

The Ping Pong table has really taken over as the popular break time option. The upstairs lounge has a few couches that spectators can watch from too. I commandeered a little corner space in the warehouse which I plan to make into a garage of sorts (for cleaning, light maintenance, etc).

Below are some pictures of the move. Moving is always emotional for me. Our old store served us well, ultimately it just wasn’t meeting our needs.

It felt really strange to see the store empty again.

This was our old office (remember, Fran was in there too). 7′ x 8′ people! The back wall in the pictures is the 7′ wall. Initially this room had an 8′ ceiling, but we had it raised up to 9′. It really makes us appreciate what we’ve got now.

Despite my agonizingly busy schedule we went up to Idaho for my sister’s wedding. The ceremony was held at a beautiful converted church. Erin Hughes and Doug Atwood were married on June 23, 2009. We couldn’t be happier for them! They currently reside in Idaho. Check out their wedding website HERE!

My busy schedule caused some casualties though. Fran got a Costco Gazebo for our yard at the end of May. It’s still sitting in our yard like you see it below. I’m going to try and get it built for our Anniversary though (end of July). Fran has been busy growing roses and I think they are gorgeous (one time I sprouted a mustard seed which died shortly thereafter- that is the extent of my gardening ability).

I did steal some time to work on another car project that’s been haunting me for several months. I recently got a new car (a newer Corvette) and, aside from the usual tune tweaking, one of my first projects was to put in a new Stereo. I put the head unit and mid speakers from my old car into my new car but I couldn’t move my subwoofers because of car design differences. Justin was on the job- he built my sub box and amp rack and I did the carpet and installation.

I relocated my trunk lights to the center (previously they were on the corners where the sub and amps now go). I think I like them better there.

Instead of two 8″ JL Audio W3 subs I went with one 10″ JL Audio W6 (it’s a beast). I’m running matched Kenwood Excelon amps. Since I only have a single sub this time we tried to balance the visual presentation by putting the amps in the other corner. Overall I think it turned out great.

There’s a ton of other things that happened too, but Fran’s got them covered on Facebook (she posts albums for each month). Some highlights: Fran’s birthday, Gabriel’s Birthday, Father’s Day, Stadium of Fire, and lots more.

Where Does the Lime Go?

Posted on April 11, 2009 by Cam

As always I feel compelled to apologize for my haphazard posting schedule. Who am I apologizing to? Probably myself. It’s been a busy couple of months that’s left me feeling more tired than usual. I’m glad spring is here- hopefully the nice weather won’t be far behind.

Fran recently got back from Reunion Island, where she grew up. She spent about two weeks there visiting her family. She has two sisters who live here in Utah, but her parents and two brothers still live on Reunion. Fran was able to go to the beach, hike, visit with her childhood friend and extended family. She took our kids with here (a bold maneuver considering the trip involves over 20 hours of flying- each way) so I got to kick it by myself for a while. Sadly I’m not as cut out for bachelor life as I had hoped. It’s so nice to have her back. Oh… and the kids too I suppose.

Above is the house where she grew up. It’s in a pretty isolated spot on top of a hill. The view is incredible; That’s based on pictures I’ve seen. I’ve never actually been to Reunion. It’s on my list, but the thought of flying there hurts me. I might be able to do it in first class, but the guilt of knowing my family is crammed in coach would eat at me. A little. Plus Reunion has some bad mosquitoes and I’ve had my share of them for now (I’ve got a post on here about being eaten alive at Utah Lake). One day for sure but I’m not ready yet.

And an exciting announcement: We’ve got a new store! This is actually the same building we were planning on moving to last year, but construction delays pushed it back until now. In some ways it will be sad to say goodbye to our old shop– it served us well. Progress is an emotional mercenary.

The outside (shell) is finished and they should start work on the interior later this month. If we can keep everything on schedule we should be in sometime in July or August! We’re trying to plan a bit for the future so we’re getting over three times the space we had before (over 7500 square feet in the new building). The buildout will be two stories: a storefront and a warehouse on the first floor, and offices on the second floor. This should give us plenty of flex ability no matter what opportunities come along.

March was chalk full of birthdays (I turned 31 on the 22nd), but the highlight was probably Jim’s party (he turned 30). Cindy rented out a room at Noah’s and threw an awesome surprise party (check it out on Cindy’s blog). Pictured above from left to right: Tom, Andrew, Rachel, Cam, & Jim.

The one thing I was able to do while I was a bachelor was start my new car stereo! I’m not an audiophile or anything like that, but I do like to turn my music up pretty loud while I drive. My friend Justin suggested that we add some sub-woofers and a couple of amps. He made some custom speaker boxes for the trunk area of my car (it’s hard to tell from the picture, but the boxes are sunk about 9 inches into the trunk bed). We put two 8″ subs in each box and we’ve got two 250watt amps (one for the subs and one for the mids). All we have left is the wiring (which will be the hard part) and I’ll be ready to blast out my ear drums.

I got to see “Fast & Furious” on opening night last week (thanks Fran!). Anyone who knows me can tell you I’m a fan of the series (and a little nutty about tricked out cars). I hosted a Fast & Furious party the Tuesday before the movie came out. I had hoped to make it through the first and third movie (I don’t care too much for the second), but there was so much action in the first that everyone had adrenaline overload and bailed. I felt like “Fast & Furious” was a nice addition to the franchise- it filled in some gaps in the movie arc and provided a few unexpected twists and turns. Definitely worth a watch.

And I have finally made the jump to Blu-Ray (we actually watched “The Fast & The Furious” on Blu-Ray). I’m thrilled with the picture quality- it’s really a night and day difference between the DVD and Blu-Ray resolutions. My projector is 720p/1080i so I’m not getting the full benefit of the Blu-Ray picture quality, but even so… wow. The sound has been problematic. I’m having a sync issue that I haven’t had time to resolve (a sound lag problem) and the mids (voices in particular) are very difficult to hear. I’m not sure if this is a problem with the Samsung Blu-Ray player I have or the Onkyo receiver I’m using (or both in conjunction). I’ll post my progress.

And that’s about it for now. Long live Power Lime!

I Like to Ride My Bicycle! I like to Ride my Bike.

Posted on June 22, 2008 by Cam

I had a bicycle once- an old black Trek 21 speed that I rode around BYU when I went to school there. Those were happy times. So when my family decided we’d start biking together we headed over to the local Trek Store. Fran’s birthday was coming up so it was easy to justify getting her a new bike. Father’s Day was looming on the horizon so we rationalized my bike without too much trouble. We have a bike trailer that Claire and Gabe can ride in so that just left Mike. Obviously Mike got a bike too.

A boy’s first bike is a proud moment for a Dad. He put his helmet on, climbed on his bike and fell over. But he was right back on it and soon he was peddling around the neighborhood at a pretty good pace. I’ll leave the training wheels on for another few months until he can balance a little better. We got the trailer hooked up to Fran’s bike and went on a family ride together. Many more to come.

I splurged a bit and got a Gary Fisher Superfly. The 29″ over sized wheels really give it a great ride. The fame is all carbon fiber (I’m a carbon fiber nut- really) and the bike is incredibly light. I’ve ridden it to work a few times, but I haven’t been able to go on a serious ride yet. Hopefully next month. Anyone want to go?

A Brief Overview and Welcome

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Cam

This is my first post! It’s actually just the content from the “About Cam” page but I’ve ingeniously used it again here as a blog entry. Allow me to welcome you to my newest blogging venture: Cam on Commerce. I’m your host, Cam. I’ll be talking about- you guessed it (and if you didn’t then you may want to bail here)- Commerce!

I’m using this website as a venue to collect innformation I hope to use in a book one day. At this point the book doesn’t have a name or anything fancy like that. I’ll frequently make references to the “book” so you have to pretend that what you’re reading is printed material (and you you want to print out this blog you have my blessing).

Feel free to send me questions about ecommerce subjects- I’ll do a Q&A section for some posts (and then cleverly work the into my book to create the illusion of substance!). So, without further ado, let the “book” begin.

First things first: I want everyone to know who this book is for. Far too often people pick up a book and they scan page after page desperately hoping the book can help them. They buy the book, they read it, and discover that they are not the book’s intended audience (It turns out “Asymmetric Cellular Division” wasn’t about why AT&T and Cingular sucked).

This book is for anyone who has any interest in ecommerce (specifically geared toward smaller private endeavors- not things like Amazon). You may be curious about what running an ecommerce website entails. It may be your first time setting up a commerce oriented website or it may be your second or third (indicating you need this book). You may already be successfully running an ecommerce website (you still need this book, dammit). You may have a brick and mortar store and be considering and Internet presence. Again, it’s for anyone with any type of entrepreneurial ecommerce itch (not to be confused with a tick bite).

I try to cover anything relevant to small scale ecommerce. I start at the beginning with “the urge” (which is the initial idea that eats at you until you do something about it). We move onto product or service selection and competitive advantage. We work through creating an identity, building a website, creating a fulfillment framework and then cover advertising and website traffic. Finally we talk about what to do if success hits, what to do if success is MIA and touch on growth strategies and exit strategies. If this sounds dull go find yourself a comic with some pictures.

So what makes me qualified to talk about any of this? I have a computer, some spare time and can type pretty darn fast with only two fingers. Also, for the last five years I’ve been involved with the development of ecommerce software and I’ve started several websites (using that software) that are now multimillion dollar companies. I don’t mean to toot my own horn but if my claim to fame was that I’d spent the last five years eating oatmeal in a sensory deprivation chamber to achieve inner peace I might be the wrong guy to listen to. Toot toot.

About Me:

My name is on the front of this book. I’m not so self centered that it needs to be repeated here (after all it’s on the front cover of this book! Just getting myself psyched up- remember I said this was going to be a book). I’ve been programming since I was fourteen. Unfortunately I can’t program any better now. Luckily this book isn’t about programming, it’s about commerce, specifically ecommerce. I’ve been involved in commerce since I was seven years old. How about that?

My grandmother used to operate a health food store. For some reason I thought if I drew pictures of Grimace, the purple McDonald’s character of years past, hiding in the forest people would want to buy them. I put them for sale in the health food store. No takers. Not much later I got a copy of Print Shop for the Apple IIe and tried my hand at designing birthday cards. Nope. So I began printing out signs advertising my willingness to mow lawns for spare change. Nothing. Weeding? No. Babysitting? Nada. It wasn’t until I began hauling my sister’s toys down to the street corner and selling them to kids who were coming back from school that I found my calling. Retail.

EBay was thrilling for me. From the moment I learned of its existence I was an avid user and proponent. This was my first real experience with ecommerce. I sold anything I could get my hands on and became quite obsessed with the whole idea of Internet retailing. I decided at the early age of fifteen that my destiny involved some type of ecommerce retail business. I used eBay for years until one day I read something about webstore technology. How wonderful! I could bypass eBay, the seller fees, the non-paying bidders, the lack of control in my listings. I enlisted the help of a good friend and we created our first website for selling pocket knives (sell what you know).

Our original website was incredibly basic- we could showcase items and people could add them to a cart a checkout. We kept track of orders on a spread sheet and everything was a wonderful mess. We spent a considerable amount of time looking for more powerful ecommerce software but really didn’t have any luck. And then it hit us! We would build our own ecommerce solution and our website could be the perfect testing ground. People who actually used the ecommerce software they designed to run a retail Internet store! What a novel idea.

CamHughes.com

Too cool for a catchy tagline! ™

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