About
My name is Bill Mirabito. I am The Modest Merchant. I am a retail industry analyst, and founder of the online beach shop, Sunfitters.com.
Prior to this venture, I spent two years as a marketing director for retail technology providers, and four years as an ecommerce executive at an $8 billion retailer. I’ve been building enterprise web sites since 1994.
Companies I’ve worked for in my career include Digitas, ZDNet (now CNET), IONA Technologies, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Akamai Technologies and Demandware. I’ve also been affiliated (via contract) with Monster.com, Youthstream Media (now Alloy) and Emerson College.
The business concept
Sunfitters began as an idea in the spring of 2005. My wife and I are frequent beach travelers, and we’ve always have a hard time finding the items we need for these trips.
We recognized surf shops cater to the young active sports market and local surfers. (Definitely not us.) Need a string bikini? We didn’t, but they’ve got it. Need a beach towel? Little chance. In fact, we couldn’t even find snorkel gear at surf shops. They said, “Find a dive shop.”
We also learned that local department stores and sporting goods merchants don’t carry stuff like beach chairs, beach hats or beach bags except between Memorial Day and Independence Day. That is an ideal time for local beach goers. But it is the worse time for travelers like us who escape to Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean when the climate at home cools down.
So in 2006, we started our beach store — doing business as Duneblossoms. (Well actually, all we really did was more market research and work on the plan.) The name was changed to Sunfitters in the fall of 2006, when we established the small business as a limited liability company and I quit my day job to make the business a reality.
So why this blog?
Well I’m funding this business myself, and I want to share my experience in hopes of helping others live out their dream. On this site, I will chronicle my journey: detailing every fruitful decision, stupid mistake and turn of dumb luck. So tell your friends, and check back often.
