Welcome to the brand-new Gooten.com, home of the most interesting company in e-commerce. There’s a lot that’s new here with a lot more, and — if I’m being honest — a lot that is gone. I’d say it’s “missing”, except it’s not missing… it’s gone. We got rid of it.
Gooten had a fantastic 2019, and that’s not just because they hired me in February. We had a great year because in a lot of ways, we finally figured out what makes for a successful Gooten partner, and what those businesses want from us that we can really do well. That’s incredibly exciting, but it’s also clarifying for us, because now we know exactly what we want to focus on, and our new site reflects (and will increasingly) reflect that.
Moving into 2020, Gooten is about a couple of key things. I’m not talking about vague, company values like “stick-to-it-tiveness” or anything like that, either. I’m talking about the actual things we’re focused on delivering for partners.
We give people options; to connect a lot of stores, set up a lot of products, and build crazy new things with an amazingly flexible API.
We allow businesses to grow; whether they are up and coming on-demand based stores running into the production limitations of a single manufacturer, or an established brand looking to automate processes and handle volumes better.
Retail is hard, and can be stressful. It has spikes, and valleys, and opportunities that you can’t afford to miss. Our technology and our people, to a person, all get that and are here to help you through it.
From our software, to our manufacturing network, Gooten is laser-focused on continually making things better for partners. Holiday 2020 will go smoother than Holiday 2019, which was much better than Holiday 2018, and so forth. When we find great new manufacturers, we’re going to add them, and pass the benefits on to you.
These are all great things, and it feels genuinely thrilling to know that these are the things. But focus isn’t just about adding things. It’s about admitting that some things aren’t your priorities anymore. Gooten can’t be all things to all people, and as a partnership business where we literally cannot survive unless our partners succeed, that means we need to be clear about who we’re best able to help… and who we’re not.
While we strive to make Gooten as accessible as possible, we’re simply not the right partner for people who are just getting started with e-commerce. We can teach you a lot on print on demand, order management, and dynamic routing. But we can’t help you go to market, or build an audience. You’ll see on this site, and this blog, that instead, we’re focused on the problems that face established businesses… even small ones.
We’re happy to do a one-off run of product for your fundraiser, or your company event through the Gooten Network. But to be clear, we’re not focused on optimizing that experience, or being the best place for do it. It’s like going to a movie theater to grab dinner. Yeah, you can do it. But it might not be what you’re looking for
On-demand manufacturing is amazing. We’re obsessed with it — it opens up new doors, it’s constantly advancing, and it’s becoming relevant to every kind of business. But we still encounter plenty of people who expect the process of ordering a single, hand-made item from a manufacturer to work in the exact same way as a mass-produced item shipped from a warehouse… except cost a lot less. While we’re excited about improving the on-demand experience for our partners, we’re not magicians (and neither is anyone else, no matter what they tell you).
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with any of these kinds of businesses, stores, or entrepreneurs. Some of them will eventually become awesome Gooten partners who we’ll be proud and excited to serve. But we’re not going to pretend that we’re the right partner for starting a new side hustle when that’s simply not what we’re focused on, or what we’re investing in.
Instead, we want businesses of all shapes and sizes who are already out there battling the challenges of daily fulfillment to know that yes, there’s a better way, and that we’re completely and totally focused on bringing it to you in 2020.
So enjoy the ride, and keep an eye on this space as we document the journey.
