By Howard Packowitz
NORMAL – The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well at Illinois State University where representatives from Amazon are filming an educational video aimed at inspiring people to start their own small businesses and sell their products on Amazon.
A local woman is one of the entrepreneurs featured in the video, which will be completed later this year.
Kristin Rae is a mother of two who graduated ISU in 2007 with a degree in fashion design.
She’s one of Amazon’s sellers, running a global luggage and apparel business from her laptop while caring for her children in Bloomington-Normal.
“In an area like this that doesn’t typically have large buying teams from these large retailers. You don’t have to live in New York or LA to get exposure. You really can do it just like this in a community just like this,” said Rae.
She sells luggage, apparel, and other products and services for a company she calls Inspire International.
Rae is also an advocate to help other entrepreneurs, and she runs a firm called Valor in which she bids on Department of Defense contracts to provide clothing for military personnel.
The Amazon film crew is spending two days in town.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
