Partner Spotlight: Mike Doherty – Understanding eCommerce
Mike founded Understanding eCommerce, a firm focused on Content development, SEO, and Web Accessibility.
The team at Understanding eCommerce has the collective experience, contacts, and vision to put emerging companies on track. Its competencies help young and maturing companies succeed in the emerging technology and consumer sectors.
Melinda told us why she likes to partner with Doherty and his team. “Mike is an amazing combination – he has deep expertise & skills from his background in Venture Capital. He understands business and how to build it based on solid fundamentals. However, Mike also has a razor-sharp mind and is very direct and to the point. Melinda likes to tease him that he is the “Dr. Phil” of business – he will tell you as he sees it, whether it’s easy to hear or not!”
Mike Doherty, Understanding eCommerce
What do you appreciate most about working with Zumifi?
I may be Dr. Phil, but Melinda is Peter Drucker incarnated – “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.“
The numbers tell a story, and we can continue to improve our businesses through that story. Outputs become inputs as we cycle, leading to even greater improvement. Zumifi excels at conveying the financial information buried in your data and guiding you in its strategic application.
How do you work with Zumifi?
I have worked with Zumifi and the team for almost 20 years, you know, back in our teens. They are my go-to person when it comes to financing. She is one of the few who genuinely gets numbers and can convey or validate strategies.
When working with Zumifi, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We can accomplish more together than we could achieve separately. We each have our strengths, but when you combine those strengths, they produce something greater than we could produce alone.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Lots of coffee. In all honesty, it’s the fantastic people I get to meet, whether it’s Matthias from enpact, who is bringing entrepreneurship to the MENA region, or helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams by offering solutions like Shopify for their eCommerce fulfillment.
What was the worst job you have ever had?
After college, I sold insurance. It was a multi-level marketing scheme to sell premium insurance to folks who didn’t need it. I never believed in the product, so I couldn’t sell it. If I did make a sale, I felt terrible. My insurance career only lasted a few weeks. But I learned a lot in those few weeks. I learned how to overcome objections. I learned to believe in success. And most importantly, I learned when to walk away when I no longer believe in what I do.
What are the best perks that you have ever had at a job?
As an entrepreneur, I face the same challenges as my clients: not having enough time and worrying about the next deal. But the perks, well, they just don’t get better than this. My schedule is flexible, so I can attend the ballet with my daughter on Wednesdays or hang around to take pictures on her first day at the Grundschule.
How cool is that?
Follow us on LinkedIn – Zumifi.
Zumifi is how I manage my company efficiently, easily, and effortlessly (on my part, almost as if it were magic!”
– Gary Levenberg, KID Group, San Francisco, CA