Meet Shari Smith | eBay Seller and trainer Pure Barre Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shari Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shari, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When my husband, Arlie, and I were married, we bought a house in San Ramon, CA, and for the first time we had a house payment. I got a job as a recruiter at a Fortune 500 company, and I was working 11 hour days. The money was great, but I was completely strung out on stress. There was no work life balance. I didn’t have the time or energy to do the things I loved like baking or working out. Saturdays I would start to unwind from the stress, but by Sunday I’d start stressing out about Monday morning. When Arlie and I started thinking about starting a family, it became clear to me that I couldn’t be the mother I wanted to be with a job that consumed me. I quit that job, and while searching for another one that paid enough to make our Bay Area house payment, I started selling things around the house that we weren’t using. Friends and family started asking me to sell for them on consignment. I thought, ‘if I can make enough to make our house payment, I won’t have to get another job.’ That was February, 2006, and I’ve never had to get another job. What I love about having my own business, is that I make my own hours. My work and home life are intertwined and do not interfere with each other. I walk my dogs in the morning, take my class at Pure Barre, do my eBay shipping, walk the dogs again midday, list items on eBay, and now I teach Barre part time as well.

What should our readers know about your business?
I help others let go of unwanted items cluttering their home and business and turn those items into cash. My customers are individuals who want a better living space free of clutter and who can benefit from the money selling that clutter will bring in. They may not have time to sell those items themselves, and I do it all for them and send them a check. Some of my clients are moving loved ones into assisted living facilities or into their homes and I help them determine what items can be sold to bring in needed income and other solutions for items that are not good candidates for eBay. I also teach others who want to start or grow their own eBay business and mentor them to grow a successful and thriving business. This enables them to be their own boss, impact the community, and support themselves and their families.

One of my favorite parts of my job is the people I work with. I hire teenagers, giving them a flexible work schedule. Most of them are involved in sports or music so I give them the opportunity to work while still doing the activities they enjoy. I have them listing, photographing and shipping those items once they sell. They are intrigued by seeing used items get a new life and how that generates income. I’ve hired over fifty students as they work their way through high school and then college.

I want what is best for my clients and for my employees, and that’s what makes the work so enjoyable.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When my niece and her roommate visited from California, these were some of our favorite places in Denver:

Happy Camper for brunch

Off to shopping as Cherry Creek mall where we shopped at Vuori for a new pair of black joggers and Lush for earth and animal friendly soaps and face masks.

The Grizzly Rose for a country concert, some mechanical bull riding and roping

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to thank my brother, Robert Golter and his beautiful wife, Julie for welcoming me into their home when my husband passed away, introducing me to life in Colorado, helping me buy my own home along the Front Range where I live less than 10 minutes from them and their four precious children, my nieces and nephews who I get to be auntie to.

Website: shari-sells.com

Instagram: shari_luvs_arlie

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharismith/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shari.smith.965

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ginoandjo