Barth wants to live in a world where no eCommerce entrepreneur ever feels alone or has to vehemently defend to friends and family that leaving that corporate job WAS a good idea. As an executive for 20 years at a large cooperative in the flooring industry, he experienced how, joining together, independent retailers leveled the playing field with vendors and armed them with tools for their businesses to thrive. He brings that perspective as President of the Empowery eCommerce Cooperative to make the eCommerce world a better, less lonely place. Barth is an avid outdoorsman, triathlete, woodworker, golfer, beekeeper, arborist and a wannabe farmer. He lives on an old dairy farm 50 mil es from Pittsburgh in idyllic Ligonier, Pennsylvania.   Podcast Highlights Who is Barth Getto? Barth grew up in a vibrant community of manufacturers where they believed that the good times would never end. Barth was able to witness the rise and fall of many established businesses and learned that creative destruction can’t be escaped. Will our great grandchildren remember what Amazon is? The major lesson everyone can learn from history is that everything changes and if you want to stay alive you have to be able to adapt. Entrepreneurs have to be around the right people and the framework and structure to stay ahead of change.   eCommerce Cooperatives Cooperatives usually confuse people but almost everyone has been a part of a cooperative at some point. It basically means that the owners of the cooperative are also the shareholders. The idea of the cooperative actually predates the Declaration of Independence by 24 years. Everyone in eCommerce has to deal with similar issues like third party logistics, inventory financing, and dispute resolution. The Empowery eCommerce Cooperative help eCommerce entrepreneurs negotiate better prices and help them stay on top of what’s going on in the industry. The cooperative levels the playing field for eCommerce entrepreneurs and get economies of scale in place. Individually, entrepreneurs may not be able to sway a giant platform like Amazon but together they can negotiate on an even level. There are lots of eCommerce platforms beyond Amazon including Rakuten, Bonanza, Etsy, Ebay, and Wayfair. Even dominant players will eventually fall from the top of the market. Working with a cooperative like Empowery is like having a safety net and a roof over your head, it allows eCommerce entrepreneurs to freely innovate without having to worry as much. Getting Started With eCommerce Barth wants to see more people successful with eCommerce, if you’re just getting started feel free to reach out. The more programs you use within the cooperative, you get more cash back which can directly offset the membership fee. Because the individuals own the shares, the whole idea of a cooperative just doesn’t seem to get much press. Barth has been explaining the idea of a cooperative the same way for the past 20 years. Barth’s Takeaway   There is a ton of bad information out there, the best way to get started selling online is to connect with Barth. He will point you in the right direction and once you get big enough, you can join Empowery!   Links: empowery.com barth@empowery.com Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show on iTunes!