Name: Sarah Paiji
Age: 29
Job Title and Description: Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Snapette
College/Major: Harvard College/Economics
Website: snapette.com
Twitter Handle: @spaiji
Name: Jinhee Ahn Kim
Age: Your mom’s age
Job Title and Description: Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Snapette
College/Major: Harvard College/Economics
Website: snapette.com
Twitter Handle: @ijinhee
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Sarah Paiji: My days vary tremendously so there really is no typical day, which I love! As a co-founder, and given our relatively small team size (nine people), I am heavily involved in all aspects of Snapette: product development, marketing, PR, business development, accounting, legal, etc. I spend a lot of time meeting with new fashion brands and retailers we want to bring onto Snapette or meeting with our existing retail partners to plan campaigns to drive more shoppers into their stores. I also spend a lot of time with our engineers, designing and testing new features. Some days are certainly more “glamorous”: doing an interview on TV about fashion trends we’re seeing, meeting with CEOs of top tech companies, and going to fashion shows. But I’ve spent many long nights doing our monthly accounting, proofing legal contracts, and putting together investor pitch decks.
Jinhee Ahn Kim: As the Chief Creative Officer, I oversee all product and branding initiatives at Snapette. My typical day starts with a Skype call with our engineers in Europe to check in on what they they’ve been working on during the day. From there, the rest of the day is never predictable. From working on new product designs, to strategy, to graphics for promotions, the day goes by too quickly. My day usually ends after 11pm, depending on which time zone I’m in.
What is the best part of your job?
JAK: I love the creative process—good thing my title encompasses that great word. We’re a small, tight group that gets to see our ideas and thoughts become a product that millions of users enjoy.
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
JAK: My first real job after college was as a management consultant at Bain & Co. While there, I began to explore careers in the fashion industry by calling on alumni who worked in beauty and fashion in New York City. Each one was so kind and giving with their time, advice, and introductions to other people to speak with. One of the women I was introduced to was a senior VP at Liz Claiborne. As we talked about her job and her career, she asked me on the spot if I wanted to come work with her. So I began my career in fashion as a merchandiser at Liz Claiborne.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
SP: I encourage other female entrepreneurs to focus on the advantages of being female. The unfortunate lack of females in tech at the moment creates opportunities for women to stand out in the industry. Even simply looking different has made us more memorable. At most tech and startup events, we are one of the very few females, which has helped us connect more easily with both men [and] women. People do not know what to expect and are more interested in hearing our story. There are also many great groups that are dedicated to supporting female founders and leaders in tech, providing [both] a community and advice. We’ve been the beneficiary of countless intros and meetings in the spirit of women and men helping women and myself have a particular soft spot for budding female entrepreneurs.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
JAK: My co-founder is the yang to my yin, or the left brain to my right brain. Our personalities and skill sets really complement each other and make a whole.
SP: Agreed! I feel so lucky to have met Jinhee. We make a great team and three years in, we’re still going strong. I can’t imagine having gone through this startup journey with anybody else.
The technology industry is a very dynamic field—there’s always new gadgets and software to adapt to. Do you have any advice for staying on top of all the technological breakthroughs?
JAK: One of my secret assets as an older tech entrepreneur is having kids in their early twenties and teens. We share information on the latest things we’ve read or heard about. I used to read tech blogs, but [I] honestly find it too time consuming to filter through. Because so many of my Faceboook friends are in the tech industry, I find out the latest and greatest just by checking in on my [newsfeed] a few times a day for posts and comments on new announcements or articles on popular tech sites.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
JAK: “No matter where you go, there you are.” – Buckaroo Banzai (an classic 80’s movie). I take it to mean be happy with yourself.
SP: “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” – Liberia’s female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I’ve grown so much by being outside of my comfort zone. Everyone should challenge themselves with dreams that exceed [his or her] current capacity to achieve them.
Where do you see Snapette in five years?
SP: We were recently acquired by PriceGrabber (a leading e-commerce site), [so] it’s a very exciting time for us. To date, Snapette has been very focused on helping our users find great products nearby, whereas PriceGrabber has been focused on connecting shoppers to products available online. Snapette has also been much more focused on mobile, and PriceGrabber has been historically more focused on web. The combination is very complementary; we think there is a huge opportunity to help shoppers search and discover the best fashion products at the best price [at] both online and local stores. We are building the go-to destination for fashion shopping, whether you are looking for something in particular or want to browse the best fashion finds.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
SP: We [are] looking for all-around “athletes” with a good attitude. Startups are hard and we want [people who are] excited about the challenge and, given the small team size and limited resources, willing to do both the interesting work as well as tedious tasks. We look for people who thrive in a quickly changing environment and are comfortable with wearing many different hats [as well as] taking on roles that may evolve over time as the company scales.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
SP: Definitely take advantage of your summers to do internships. Especially if you’re in New York City, there are a lot of startups and fashion brands that would love to take on interns. Be proactive and reach out to companies that you think are doing interesting things. Many startups are so busy with so many different activities that they may not think to reach out to look for interns. We received inbound emails [from] some very proactive young women who had heard about us, and we were so impressed by the enthusiasm expressed in their cover letter that we brought them on board for the summer.