Last week we hosted a Twitter chat with HubSpot, moonlighting entrepreneurs, and business owners like you. Here’s a recap.
Last week we hosted a Twitter chat with HubSpot, moonlighting entrepreneurs, and business owners like you. Here’s a recap.

Open bars, drunk uncles and bad dancing to 80s power ballads — who doesn’t love a good wedding? So you’re hitting your early to mid-thirties and you’ve been to more than your fair share of nuptials, but you often find yourself thinking, “I can do this better.” Well our latest theme gives you the ultimate online showroom for your bridal wear and wedding knick-knacks.
You may be thinking, “Why read another post about a new exec at a software company?” Don’t. This post is going to skip most of the usual fluff and get right to the heart of the matter. For context, I recently joined Bigcommerce’s marketing leadership team to help reach more business owners and give them the tools and the knowledge to sell more online.
A growing number of workers are creating a second source of income by starting their own businesses while also working a full or part-time job, a trend known as “moonlighting.”
We sampled nearly 20,000 of our U.S. stores and found that roughly 30-35 percent of all activity took place between 6pm and 8am CT, with a surprisingly large amount occurring after midnight.
Looking at various segments of time throughout a given workday, our data shows that at noon — the peak time for activity on Bigcommerce stores — nearly 80% of online retailers were found to be working on their stores. At midnight, there were still more than 49 percent actively working. At 3pm, nearly half of online retailers were working, with 25 percent still burning the midnight oil at 3am.

Last week, we were honored that Bigcommerce placed sixth on the Austin Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list (up from 13th last year). There are a ton of great companies in this city, and to be singled out is a huge deal for us.
One thing we love about this award is that it’s based on surveys taken by our employees. Our HR team works really hard to build a great workplace, one that makes people actually look forward to coming in every day. We do it because we want to attract the best and the brightest to come work here, but also because we want to enjoy coming in to work every day.
How do we do it? By focusing on our employees and giving them everything they need to focus on our clients.
Today I’m pleased to announce that we’ve added Montreal-based web development shop Sprout Commerce to our list of Premium Partners. We love Sprout Commerce because they’re focused on bringing quality and innovation to clients of all budget sizes. Their unique approach makes it affordable for small businesses to benefit from the latest techniques like responsive design. Sprout team members work directly with each client so there are no middlemen, and they’re always transparent about pricing and what features will provide the most bang for the buck.
Here’s your friendly reminder that Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 16. If this is the first time you’re hearing about it, don’t worry — I’m here to help. Here are some of our favorite Bigcommerce stores that sell gifts your dad will dig.


A local artist putting the finishing touches on the games room in our new Austin office
Introduction
Whether you’re a two person startup still operating in your garage, or a 250 person startup (like us), one thing needs to remain consistent – your focus on hiring superstars.
When Eddie and I started our e-commerce software company (Bigcommerce), we made a pact to personally interview the first 100 people we hired. It was hard, but we stuck to that pact. It took us about 2 years.
By doing that, we created a foundation of amazing talent and set the bar high for new employees and hiring managers who still adhere to our most important rule about recruitment:
Waiting to hire the right person for a role is painful, but will save you time, money and your sanity in the long run. Never hire someone who is “good enough”. Always wait for the best. They are out there and you will find them.
Did you know that Small Business Week is coming up? Unlike National Cheese Month or Hug your Pet Week, this one is all about YOU. Small business owners, unite!
To kick things off, we’re teaming up with our friends at HubSpot to bring you a Twitter Chat chock full of tips from experts and real businesses like you.
Our App Store is full of so many great new apps right now that I’m already back with more to share.