Today I Turn 50: Keep Your Head Down And Don't Sweat Your Journey

Consulting
Written By Rick Watson

How you start your journey is definitely not how you finish. Don't sweat where you are, just try to make the best NEXT decision you can in your life, career, personal life etc.

I live in New York City today, but I didn't always. I grew up in New Orleans for which I will be forever grateful. Along the way I lived in Tennessee, and North Carolina. Also great places to live.

I grew up a software developer, but it's not where I am now. Still, the structured thinking and ability to dive to the deepest levels of any technology help separate me in a room full of business decision-makers.

A lot of people follow me on LinkedIn today, but didn't always. I thought it was an online resume site until about 5 years ago and had no more than 2,000 connections total.

3 years ago, I never really thought about having my own podcast, until people started asking me about it. In fact, people asked me about it for an entire year before I knew how I wanted to do it.

I finished my Master's in Electrical Engineering, but I'll be damned if I can remember how to solve a differential equation, calculate anything more complex than Ohm's law, or build a neural network from scratch in C++ anymore, even if you forced me to.

I was a CEO before but I didn't found that company. At Merchantry, I was there at the right time to help the investors through yet another big set of mistakes under my own watch! I'm fortunate to have all those mistakes.

I got laid off after three years leading Product Management for Pitney Bowes Cross-Border eCommerce. If you are in this business long enough, it will happen to you. However, in that journey, I learned supply chain and met some tremendous new friends that I still collaborate with today.

I find that the older I get, the less I worry about my mistakes and the more I am just thankful for my blessings.

Thank you again for being a part of this journey. What I'm building at RMW Commerce would not be the same without all of you contributing so much.

Rick Watson

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after spending 20+ years as a technology entrepreneur and operator exclusively in the eCommerce industry with companies like ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes.

Watson’s work today is centered on supporting investors and management teams incubating and growing direct-to-consumer businesses. Most recently, in partnership with WHP Global, Rick was a critical resource in architecting the WHP+ platform, a new turnkey direct to consumer digital e-commerce platform that powers AnneKlein.com and JosephAbboud.com.

Watson also hosts a weekly podcast, Watson Weekly, where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest players.

In the past year alone, Rick has spoken at many in-person and virtual events as well as podcasts on topics ranging from retail/ecom to supply chain/logistics and even digital grocery including CommerceNext IRL, ASCM Connect, and Retail Innovation Conference.

https://www.rmwcommerce.com/
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