Greetings, my name is Ronald Kasprick, and I am the founder and CEO of Shoplistics. I have been given the opportunity to write a blog this week, and I thought it would be a great chance to share my story and the inspiration behind starting this business.
As a child, my father worked as a construction worker and although he was an older parent, he always had a passion for keeping up with the latest technology. I remember one day he came home with a computer and encouraged me to create a business using it. Being a young and rebellious kid, I didn’t pay much attention to his advice. I went through a troublesome phase in my life, and when I reached a point where I wanted to drop out of school, my dad presented me with a choice – either go to school or find work. I chose the latter and started earning money by working with him in construction.
However, there was a condition – I had to give my dad half of my paycheck. So, every two weeks, I would earn $800 and give $400 to my dad, keeping the remaining $400 for myself. As a 16-year-old, I would splurge on nice clothes and spend my weekends partying with friends, only to find myself broke by Monday. My dad would always make sure I had lunch and cigarettes for work (yes, I was a heavy smoker back then), and it took me 15 years before I finally quit smoking.
As I continued this naive partying lifestyle, I began to notice how my friends were changing. They weren’t working but rather searching for ways to sustain their partying habits. After about three months of this, I realized that I needed to change my surroundings. It was during this time that a guy I looked up to in my old neighborhood reached out to me, looking for a job. We grew close, and he taught me the value of making money. He even bought me my first car. I started dating his younger sister, who already had a son, and together we had our first child – a baby girl. It was at this moment that I realized I needed to build a stable home for my family, just like my dad did for me. Over the years, we had another child.
I gradually became an integral part of my company, starting as a laborer and eventually working my way up to running equipment and becoming a foreman. I made a good income and was treated well, for the most part. Unfortunately, my father passed away before he could witness my accomplishments or meet my other children. He was an amazing grandparent during the time he was with us.
After being a foreman for approximately eight years, I desired to move up to the next position. I expressed my aspirations to the people above me, who I deeply admired, and who I believed were supportive of my goals. They encouraged me to go back to school, but when I approached the owner about it, he gave me an ultimatum – if I wanted to attend school, I could no longer work there. I was devastated. The very people I trusted and who seemed to have my back had turned against me, claiming that I had changed. I couldn’t believe that those I looked up to would say such hurtful things. It felt as if the company I had dedicated my life to was pushing me away. So, I made the difficult decision to leave.
That’s when I remembered my dad’s advice from my childhood – to build something with the computer he had given me. Despite not having any formal education or a clear direction, I started brainstorming ideas. One day, while watching shows like Shark Tank and Dragons Den, I was inspired by the entrepreneurs pursuing their dreams. It struck me that many of the products they were selling were unfamiliar to me. This sparked an idea – I wanted to create a platform that would drive traffic to people’s websites through my website, like a virtual mall. Visitors could browse different shops and products, and with the rise of online shopping, they could have their purchases delivered to their doorsteps within 24 hours.
Around the same time, the impact of Covid-19 started to be felt, and I learned about the struggles faced by local stores in selling their products online. While platforms like Amazon were thriving, our local shops were suffering. This motivated me to establish an online shopping mall, where we could bring together all these stores in one place. Customers could easily explore and purchase products from the comfort of their homes, supporting local businesses and helping them recover. I began reaching out to friends, asking if they knew anyone who could help me bring this vision to life. Fortunately, the first person I asked said yes, and I gathered a team to develop the Shoplistics website.
At first, we encountered challenges as we had no prior experience in building such a complex project. However, we persevered, and now we’re here.
