Originally Published on Thrive Global

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jean Gabriel, entrepreneur and Founder of Buying.com. With over a decade of experience developing and launching successful national directories and e-commerce platforms including Plasticsurgeons.com and Giftbasket.com, Jean’s current focus is on creating the first e-commerce solution enabling direct-from-manufacturer wholesale pricing for all consumers. By harnessing the power of distributed ledger technology, Jean is leading Buying.com into the future with revolutionary innovations in bulk pricing, real-time logistics, e-commerce and cryptocurrency.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

It’s my pleasure and thank you for the opportunity! Truthfully, I’ve always considered myself to be an early adopter of technology, and for as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated with finding ways to simplify things. When I first started developing websites, I knew that combining those two traits would lead me on a path to success. My earlier site builds back in 2007 were as much of a learning experience as they were a chance for me to surround myself with a reliable team of experts who could understand my vision and help me create projects I would be proud to stand behind. I still work closely with many of those individuals today.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

There are so many stories it’s hard to pick! I’ve always wanted to be involved with business since I was in my teens, and I’m a notorious researcher. I would even admit to sometimes over-researching something, if that’s possible. Of course, I applied my research strategies extensively before starting my first company, so much so, that I started to wonder if my techniques were more for procrastination than learning. In other words, I began to realize that I may be letting my fear of failure get in the way of becoming a successful entrepreneur. I had to learn to trust my instincts and commit to building those first few sites, and most importantly, I had to learn to leave my self-doubt at the door.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’d like to think that communication is one of my strong points, but when I first started working with other companies around the world, I would forget to include the time zone when setting up teleconferences. This definitely lead to some unexpected phone calls in the middle of the night. I would do my best to cover and make it seem like a 3am phone call was completely intentional, but something tells me that the callers weren’t totally convinced. These days I pay a lot more attention to details like that.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Buying.com is literally disrupting the way e-commerce works, plain and simple. And what sets us apart from other ICOs is proof-of-concept, which is paramount for investors. Buying.com has already built a successful e-commerce version of the decentralized platform on DropShipper.com, a Buying.com service boasting hundreds of suppliers and millions of products. And we’ve partnered with companies like ReferLocal.com to harness the power of their pre-existing technology for geo-targeting our micro-distribution. It’s easy to see that we have the technology, the team, and the experience to create a decentralized solution for all e-commerce sellers, retailers and consumers, ensuring they are on a level playing field with existing e-commerce giants. Buying.com isn’t just an idea. It’s already happening and the world is taking notice.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

The protocol we’re creating will allow you and anyone you know to get wholesale prices, direct from the manufacturer, on products that can be delivered right to your doorstep within two hours of purchase depending on your location. Through the blockchain, consumers and businesses can come together to hit minimum order quantities with manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers to receive the lowest pricing on goods. Nothing like this has ever been done before, which is why there’s so much interest from both investors and consumers.

What advice would you give to other female leaders to help their team to thrive?

People are naturally drawn to self-confidence, and the best advice I can give to other female leaders is that you need to have the confidence to make difficult decisions and to stick by those decisions. Your confidence inspires your team members and your ability to make tough calls when needed gives your team the support they need to do the best job possible.

What advice would you give to other female leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

The most difficult part of managing a large team is making sure everyone remains focused and on the same page. Efficient communication is critical and although technology makes it easier than ever before, a large team has many moving parts. It’s continuously evolving, and communication breakdown is often an unfortunate side effect. Make every effort to keep people up-to-date at all times and tackle issues as they occur to keep your business moving forward.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Part of being a great leader is recognizing the expertise of your team members and trusting that expertise. As I mentioned, I continuously strive to surround myself with the best team possible. I search out experts for whatever needs to be done to ensure we get the best results. There are so many people I’ve counted on over the years to make my companies successful that I don’t think it would be fair to name just one. But without that team, I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I strongly believe in paying-it-forward, and make every attempt to practice that belief each day. Whether it be monetary contributions or small gestures of kindness, any effort I make can have a direct positive impact on other people and inspire them to do the same.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Leadership is inspiration.

Your ability to inspire others to work for you towards a singular goal defines your effectiveness as a leader. In my early years, I viewed leadership as one’s capacity to take on responsibilities. At some point, however, we all hit our maximum capacity, whether we want to believe it or not. I quickly learned that real leadership is the ability to delegate responsibilities to a quality team willing to give you their absolute best.

2. You can learn to be a leader.

Everything I know about leadership I’ve learned from others. I’ve studied successful leaders in a wide variety of areas including business, politics, the military, the arts, education, and social activism both from the U.S. and the world. It’s important to understand that you are not alone, and that one of the most effective ways to become a great leader is by following the leaders who’ve come before you.

3. A leader encourages the growth of others.

Surround yourself with experts and do everything you can to promote their growth and encourage them to further develop their specializations as much as possible. By strengthening your team you strengthen yourself and your organization.

4. Leadership is not the same as popularity.

Don’t mistake being well-liked for being a successful leader. We’re often called upon to make difficult decisions that others may not agree with or support. It’s not your job to appease the masses. It’s your job to make those difficult choices and to help others believe in and work towards a shared goal, whatever it may be.

5. You need to recognize leadership qualities in others.

A true leader (or someone with great potential) can be found anywhere. Regardless of sex, race, age, or origin, you never know where you’ll find the potential for great leadership. Keep your eyes open and cultivate the growing leaders you encounter to strengthen your team, your organization, and the world around you. These people will become one of your greatest assets.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

We’re all constantly bombarded by negativity, whether it be in the news, on television, or in our daily lives. There’s a lot of terrible things going on in this world, and the reason they continue to happen is because individuals feel helpless. They feel like these issues are so much bigger than they are and that nothing they say or do can actually make a difference. What many don’t realize is that power for change is inside each and every one of us. All we need to do is make the decision to act. It’s so easy to complain about these things on social media, but are we actually doing anything about them? Imagine if each person decided to action to make real change in the world. A movement like that would be breathtaking, and I would love to be a part of it.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

I remember reading this particular quote during my early high school years and the impact it had on me during a time when so many adults and peers ask for a definitive answer to the age old question: What are you going to be when you grow up? You start thinking about this as a young child and are often expected to have a singular answer well before your senior year. I realized that who and what I am is constantly in flux and that I continuously have the ability to define what those things are. I know I am who I decide to be. It’s very empowering.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Jean Gabiel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanmarie-gabriel-b34295103/

Buying

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buying-com/

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/buyingcom/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/buyingcom

Twitter: https://twitter.com/buying_com

Medium: https://medium.com/buying-com

Telegram: https://t.me/buyingcom

Thank you, this was very inspirational!

Originally published at medium.com

Akemi Sue Fisher, The Amazon Queen