Courtesy Glen Tang, Photics LLC Paul Saunders left a job in management with a Fortune 1000 company to launch an online business selling luxury linens. His recipe for success is fairly simple: Treat others as you'd like to be treated.

When it comes to e-commerce, Evansville native's startup has success covered

By Pam Cassady, Contributing Writer, Is A Former Journalist Who Now Works In Education.

When Paul Saunders quit his job in management with a local Fortune 1000 company to sell luxury linens online, many thought he was crazy.

"People said: 'I can't believe you gave that up' or 'What happens if … ?' " Saunders said. "But I was worried that if I didn't do it, I'd say, 'What if?' "

Years earlier, Saunders had realized the potential in e-commerce while living in south Texas and serving in the military. He knew of a local golf pro shop that had high-end equipment the owner was having trouble selling.

"I said, 'Let me sell this for you for a cut,' " Saunders recalled, and the man agreed. Saunders began listing the items on eBay and sold the man's inventory in less than six weeks.

"There was a specific day," Saunders recalled, "that I checked my phone in the morning and had sold thousands of dollars in merchandise overnight. That's when I realized the power of the Internet."

An Evansville native, Saunders moved all around the world while in the military, but when it was time to settle down, he choose his hometown. Saunders' wife, Emily, also is from Evansville, and they both wanted to be near family.

When he first moved back to Evansville, Saunders worked for Whirlpool, then for Mead Johnson, where he was in management. In 2010, while working full time at Mead Johnson, Saunders started ExceptionalSheets.com, an Internet company devoted to selling luxury linens.

"I was just trying to take an idea and implement it," he said. "I've never been great at coming up with the best idea ever. Just take any idea and do it very well. I think that what's important to me and to this business is that it's a niche market."

Although he was launching an Internet-based business, Saunders said he didn't know anything about websites, domains or programming languages, but that didn't stop him. He and his partner, Scott Schreiber, focused on the business and business model and let others handle the details. When they needed pictures of the product, they hired a local photography company. When they needed a website, they hired a local company to create one.

"My advice would be, first and foremost, don't hesitate to ask for help," said Saunders, who talked to many successful business people and asked many questions along the way.

Soon, Saunders was sending off to customers around the country and even the world. Before long, sales exceeded $250,000, and with the support of his wife, Saunders quit his job to focus on ExceptionalSheets.com full time. He's now looking to hire his first employees and knows he'll soon outgrow his current warehouse accommodations.

Saunders' recipe for success is fairly simple: Treat others as you'd like to be treated.

Although his business currently is run out of a garage, Saunders said you'd never know that by the service.

"Customer service has got to be genuine," he said. He writes "Thank you for your order" on every invoice he sends out, and for large orders, he'll send a small gift to say thanks.

As he looks to expand Exceptional Sheets.com, Saunders is excited about the potential in e-commerce, not just for his own company but for others as well.

"A mom-and-pop shop in Evansville, Ind., can be represented on the Internet and perform like a multimillion-dollar company," Saunders said. "They can reach thousands more customers."

"I think e-commerce can be good for Evansville," he added. "This is one way Evansville can reinvent itself and thrive in the future."