Building e-Commerce - Off my to-do list

FINALLY! I finally got my copy of ‘Building e-Commerce Sites with the .NET Framework’ signed by BOTH Jason Bentrum and James Whatley.  

I know! I can now cross this off my list. It’s taken me forever. I feel all of you did this decades ago. Having the signed copy of this book in my grubby little hands just eases the mind. I no longer need to stress over this milestone.

What?  Your copy isn’t signed? You are still working on this project?

Hold on, you don’t even own a copy? You don’t know what I’m talking about?

Let’s back this up. Let’s begin from the beginning.

I work for a very large and famous cosmetic company, Mary Kay. But they are so much more than makeup. Besides providing women an opportunity to start and succeed in a small business, they also manufacture those cosmetics that are sent to close to 40 countries. This allows women in those locations to start small businesses too.

Another important part of what this company does is IT.  Being into IT doesn’t make sense until you realize, no other company does what Mary Kay does. International solutions were not as global as they needed. Mary Kay created a lot of homegrown solutions to allow those women to succeed.

As .NET and internet commerce become the norm and was expected by the public, this cosmetic company created a solution to help millions of women all over the world order, pay, and ship product. At the time, it was bleeding edge.

I started working with this company close to 15 years ago. The Wife had told me a couple of coworkers published a book about eCommerce back in 2002. It was based on their work and the launch of the e-Commerce system being used by May Kay. That always stayed in the back of my mind. Recently, I was in a meeting and this book was mentioned. I asked a few follow up questions and I learned the authors names. I actually knew both of the authors.

I did quick internet search. Since ‘Building e-Commernce Sites…’ is not currently on the best seller list, I couldn’t go to the corner book store for a copy. I needed to purchase a used copy. And yes, I paid more in shipping than the cost of a used copy.  That is the price of my autograph addiction.

Jason has moved on to other opportunities. However, His Wife, was my current manager. I asked for a few minutes of her time and handed over the book. She laughed when she realized what was in my hands. I asked if she could get Jason to sign it for me. She gladly accepted the assignment.

After I got the book back with Jason’s signature, I needed to get the other autograph to make my OCD happy. James still worked at Mary Kay. He is little higher on the food chain than me. We don’t cross paths very often. I set up a short meeting with him. The meeting invite did explain I had a copy of the book.

James signed and he afforded me some time to reminisce. It was a very busy time for Jason and James. They were busy finishing and launching the eCommerce system; over 60 hours a week for months. They worked on the book on the weekends. The publisher changed their representative. The plan for the book promotion changed. They sold more copies overseas than domestically.

Since everyone is busy, we ended the meeting. I thanked him and smiled as I made my way back to my desk.  Another successful addition to my collection.

While my tone is lighthearted, I’m very impressed. Writing a book and getting it published is an incredible accomplishment. I am 'tipping my hat' in respect.

AH