How Acenda founder brought a family business online – with Gavin Mandelbaum

Gavin Mandelbaum, Acenda, Bootstrapping, eCommerce, SaaS (software as a service), Web 1.0

For about $6,000 in 1995 Gavin Mandelbaum turned his family’s infant product store into its own web-based business, called Internet Baby.

Three years later he sold the business to iVillage.

Today Gavin is running Acenda, a content management tool that is really good at e-commerce. It allows you to sell on your site AND  Amazon,  eBay and Wal-Mart. Places where nobody can really sell.

You’ll hear the clever way they’re doing that in this interview.

Gavin Mandelbaum

Acenda

Today Gavin is running Acenda, a content management tool that is really good at e-commerce. It allows you to sell on your site, Amazon, eBay and Wal-Mart.

Andrew: Hey there Freedom Fighters. You know me, I’m Andrew Warner, the Founder of Mixergy.com. It is home of the ambitious upstart. Hey, before I do the official intro for today’s guest, Gavin, I’ve just got to ask you about this article that I read five minutes before this interview started.

Tell me if you remember this, it’s from June 27th, 1999. It says “It cost Gavin Mandelbaum about $6,000 in 1995 to start his own web-based business, an infant product store called Internet Baby . Three years later the San Diego entrepreneur sold his online business to New York-based iVillage in a stock and cash deal. The terms were not disclosed, but Gavin’s dad says it’s safe to report that his son is now a millionaire.” You remember that article?

Gavin: I do. Was that…

Andrew: Why were you cringing as I just read it?

Gavin: I’m sorry.

Andrew: Why did you cringe at the end of that...

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