Entrepreneur Kellee James never really pictured herself in the startup world.
“I actually used to ride horses professionally, but then I got injured in a riding accident and had to figure out what else to do with my life,” says the resident of Washington, D.C.
Then she started working in agricultural markets, and realized that was what she was passionate about. She went on to cofound Mercaris, an online trading platform for organic and non-genetically modified foods.
“I was enthralled,” says the WeWork member. “I felt I had found my calling.”
Aoife Geary talked with James about launching her company, discovering her passion, and winning one of the top prizes at WeWork’s Creator Awards. A longer version of this interview is available at Jobbio.
How did Mercaris come about?
I cofounded Mercaris about four years ago, and the idea was really simple: we would provide market information and a trading platform for commodities that were organic or non-GMO. We decided that no one else was covering these markets in a rigorous way and we should be the first to do it.
How exactly does it work?
Our customers range from small family farms to large food companies. Let’s say that they’re a mill that needs some wheat because they supply flour for a bakery. Instead of picking up the phone and calling around to see who has wheat for sale, which is what they did previously, they can actually list an order online—kind of like an eBay for grain.
What attracted you to the startup scene?
The first startup I worked at was the Chicago Climate Exchange. I wasn’t necessarily seeking out startups, I was seeking out that type of experience in my career. As it happened it was a startup, and once I got there I really grew to love the startup mentality.
If you had to pick out a particularly proud moment, what would it be?Winning at the WeWork Creator Awards and getting $180,000 all at once was amazing! So for instant gratification that was obviously a real highlight.
Another would be getting our very first paying customer, because at that point to have a paying customer saying ‘this is something we can see is valuable to our business’ is a real thrill.
What difficulties have you incurred along the way?
The real difficulty is keeping this going day after day, year after year. At a startup, if you don’t show up with your A game then you don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. If you don’t think of it, it doesn’t get thought of. So there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that and that’s the thing that’s really challenging.
What does your team look like? Do you have a good support network?We have an amazing team, but we are a small team, under 10 people. They are all very mission driven and really smart folks, they work in three different offices. Here in the D.C. area we have five people, in Chicago we have two people, and in Minneapolis we have another two people.
Did you find it difficult to build out your team in the early stages, to find those key people?
Hiring has been very, very difficult for us. What we found is that the people who are great on paper might not be a good fit for the organization.
Culturally?
Well, culturally is such a loaded term because I think that not being a cultural fit has often meant people who are straining against diversity, so it’s not necessarily the culture of whether you go out and have drinks with the teammates or not. It’s something different.
A good example would be when we recruited someone early on. This person had the right skill set, and even though we talked through the differences between a startup and a large, established organization, once the reality of working at a startup set in, it still wasn’t what they expected. We talked through the differences on paper, but I guess it’s like the difference between reading about a bike and riding one.
Diversity has been a challenge, too. I’m African American. I’m always looking for minority candidates, which can be hard to come by.
How do you strike the balance between hiring diverse candidates and finding that organizational fit?
Well we haven’t really had to make that call. Maybe when we’re larger and more well known. At this stage, the challenge has been sourcing people at all. In theory, I think it’s a false choice because I think you can find both.
Do you have any advice for people considering starting their own venture or not-for-profit?
Do the research and make sure you have the grit and determination! Lots of people have good ideas and vision, but it’s the day-to-day that makes an organization successful. It’s having the ability to follow through day after day after day that’s the key skill set.
