In the book “Pippi Longstocking” there is a scene where Pippi tells her friend Tommy that she wants to buy a piano. “But, Pippi,” Tommy laughs, “you can’t play the piano!” To which Pippi replies, “How should I know when I’ve never tried?”
Pippi’s attitude is one that founder and Shopware user Cathelijne Lania shares. This post looks at her inspiring story, her online store, and how she managed to set up a company that is not only generating revenue but also helping make the world a better place.
Founder - A beautiful story - Cathelijne Lania
After finishing university, Cathelijne was keen to do something a little out of the ordinary and ended up going to Nepal for six months to help set up a computer center and teach computing and internet skills. She didn’t know Nepal, but she soon fell in love with the country, its people, and Nepalese culture. She also noticed something very special – while most of the population weren’t wealthy in material terms, Cathelijne discovered there was a different kind of wealth in the way they macedonia telegram screening lived together and took care of each other. People there had practically nothing but were always willing to share what little they had with their fellow human beings.
One of the places she visited often during her stay was a small, local silver factory with 12 employees. She bought gifts for friends and family there and built a rapport with the employees, whom she came to know and hold dear.
All good things must come to an end
After six months, she returned to the Netherlands and found a job in marketing. It was there that she learned how to run ad campaigns and developed her expertise in branding and sales. She oversaw budgets worth millions of euros and was brilliant at her job, but one day she took a call that would change everything.
“Hi Cathelijne,” her mother said, “I’m just back from Nepal. Do you remember the little silver factory where you bought jewelry for us? They’ve just lost their biggest customer – the employees are about to lose their jobs.