In 2009, I had a great job managing an appliance, furniture and electronic store for a local independent retailer in Central Florida. Then the housing bubble popped and after 50 years the independent had to close their doors.
Our Story
The early days
I found a niche drop shipping TV wall mounts on eBay. After expanding into furniture I needed my own online store, so reached out to several Magento agencies for help. The quotes ranged from 10k to 100k. I was left feeling confused and overwhelmed.
Hiring Freelancers From Odesk
I hired a freelancer on Odesk (now Upwork) to build my Magento store and help with the Marketplaces. Before long I had a Magento store for a fraction of what I was quoted from agency partners.
I soon hired more freelancers, but there were always problems. They would disappear, log on late, have communication issues due to language/culture barriers, and caught a few milking the clock. In short I spent more time micromanaging freelancers than growing my business. Not to mention daily issues with my Magento store and a super low conversion rate.
My best freelancers were in the Philippines.
The country is heavily influenced by USA culture, English is a national language, they work hard, & I just got along with them better than other nationalities. When an opportunity came up to open an office just outside of Manila I jumped at it. With the help of my then office manager we opened shop with the plan of growing my e-commerce business using the newly hired staff.
Always Open Commerce
The e-commerce business didn’t go as planned, but a contact had similar issues with freelancers and could not afford an agency. We did some work for them and they referred us to another client, which quickly led to another referral.
Before long I realized we were serving a far different niche and made the full transition to Always Open Commerce.
Steve Berke
Founder & Account Manager
A savvy entrepreneur with a hands-on approach to everything he does, AOC founder Steve leads the team with efficiency and dedication. His insights provided direction for our then startup company – despite being thousands of miles away from our team in Manila – which led AOC to become a leading e-com solutions firm. Steve’s love for traveling made his unique vision for AOC even stronger, as he meets new people with different needs while the world becomes more digital than ever.
Recent Blog Posts
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you’ll find answers to the questions we get asked the most about our E-commerce services and solutions.
WHAT IS ALWAYS OPEN COMMERCE?
Always Open Commerce (AOC) is a one-stop e-Commerce solutions company dedicated to helping online businesses achieve growth without growing their payroll through our efficient process, years of experience, and affordable rates.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Our process flow is not complicated. It’s easy to understand, even for individuals who have limited background on e-Commerce or outsourcing services. All you have to do is:
- Fill up our inquiry form.
- Wait for our proposal.
- Approve project and start monitoring tasks.
HOW ABOUT BILLING?
Every month, you’ll receive an invoice via PayPal with a work summary of your project for that month. You are billed based on the number of hours (per staff) our team has worked on your project.
HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE?
Contact our Account Manager or Project Manager or just leave us an email if you have any concerns regarding your project or account. You don’t need to contact every staff working on your project. To get their contact details, submit an inquiry form and we’ll send you our onboarding document.
HOW CAN YOU HELP MY BUSINESS?
We provide solutions to owners, marketing managers, and other key persons who want to grow their e-Commerce business by being a more affordable option versus hiring in-house employees or offshore freelancers.
HOW DO I MONITOR TASKS?
You can monitor tasks through your Hubstaff account. It’ll be your own online office while working with us. Once you’ve submitted an inquiry form and approved our initial proposal, our managers will give you access to your Hubstaff account.
WHAT ABOUT MY STORE’S CONTENT?
While we work with you regarding the overall look of your website, all contents produced by our team are subject to your approval. If you want revisions done, let us know ahead of time by contacting one of our managers. Also, if available, please submit any pre-made materials you already have to our project manager.
For general inquiries, email us at support@alwaysopencommerce.com
Get Started Today
We offer a risk free month trial for qualified new clients. No upfront payment required.
