Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Edwin Ortiz, Co-Founder and CEO of Rejoicy, a platform designed to help local shoppers support small businesses through digital storefronts. Rejoicy makes local goods available everywhere and to everyone by facilitating sellers and shoppers through an easy-to-use online marketplace. With over fourteen years of experience, Edwin is also the founder of Luncher, a company dedicated to delivering food from your favorite restaurants to your workplace. Throughout the episode, James and Edwin discuss Bentonville’s entrepreneurial resources for founders and how Rejoicy helps businesses go from brick and mortar to click and order.

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‍Show Notes
(0:53) Introduction to Edwin
(1:33) About Edwin
(4:00) About Luncher
(10:38) Pivots in the Startup World
(12:19) About Rejoicy
(16:39) Rejoicy’s Recent Work
(20:00) Edwin’s Experience with Techstars
(23:01) Advantages of Being Located in Bentonville
(26:53) Local Resources for Entrepreneurs
(31:44) Why Founders Should Have a Presence in Bentonville
(37:06) Bentonville Favorites
(42:07) Bentonville’s Contributions
(44:53) Closing Questions
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‍Links
JAMES BELL‍‍
‍BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT‍‍‍
EDWIN ORTIZ
REJOICY
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Quotes
“When you look at what we’re doing with Rejoicy, it’s ‘What would people do if we make it easy to pursue their passion?’ The reality is that’s its core. The goal is to help people do what they love.” – Edwin Ortiz, (8:53)

“We make it super easy for them to get started. They can start their store in one minute, and they can be selling in less than ten minutes. That is the core of what we want to do.” – Edwin Ortiz, (13:34)

“There’s this feeling, this energy happening in Northwest Arkansas. It almost feels like the Renaissance. You have big companies, but you also have this growing number of startups.” – Edwin Ortiz, (23:51)

“I think for people who are interested in ecommerce, retail, products, the future of work, medtech (and more). Northwest Arkansas is the right place. Northwest Arkansas is the place that will attract all those things because it has the right ingredients to help those businesses succeed.” – Edwin Ortiz, (32:01)

Helping Local Business Flourish with Edwin Ortiz of Rejoicy
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Edwin Ortiz, Co-Founder and CEO of Rejoicy, a platform designed to help local shoppers support small businesses through digital storefronts. Rejoicy makes local goods available everywhere and to everyone by facilitating sellers and shoppers through an easy-to-use online marketplace. With over fourteen years of experience, Edwin is also the founder of Luncher, a company dedicated to delivering food from your favorite restaurants to your workplace. Throughout the episode, James and Edwin discuss Bentonville’s entrepreneurial resources for founders and how Rejoicy helps businesses go from brick and mortar to click and order.‍‍‍
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Turning Passions into Careers
Rejoicy was created to empower the passions of makers, bakers, movers and shakers, making it easy for them to create online shops. With Rejoicy, it takes sellers about one minute to create an online store, and once they do, they will have access to a variety of business management tools. These tools help them manage their orders, fulfillment and inventory, as well as allow them to complete transactions within the platform.
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“We make it super easy for them to get started. They can start their store in one minute, and they can be selling in less than ten minutes. That is the core of what we want to do.” – Edwin Ortiz, (13:34)

What Rejoicy offers that larger platforms like Shopify, Wix and Squarespace don’t is a space where local businesses can thrive. These larger platforms are more geared toward direct-to-consumer brands, not individuals who start small, local businesses. Because of this, Rejoicy operates under the mentality that you shouldn’t have to choose between pursuing your passion and making a living.
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Bentonville’s Advantages and Opportunities
One of the biggest advantages of being established in Bentonville is having the ability to tap into the local talent pool. With over fifteen hundred consumer packaged goods suppliers in the region, the number of skilled individuals is exponential. Plus, these companies having such an impactful presence in the community makes meeting with high-caliber professionals much more accessible.
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However, even with these large corporations being located in the region, there’s undoubtedly a growing startup scene. This ecosystem of global brands supporting small businesses is a benefit of Bentonville that cannot be easily replicated. The mindset behind Bentonville’s culture is “you might not be my customer, but you’re somebody else’s, and I’m going to treat you amazing either way.” Being the best version of oneself is woven into Bentonville’s DNA, and it’s showcased every time a startup is effortlessly assimilated into the community.
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“There’s this feeling, this energy happening in Northwest Arkansas. It almost feels like the Renaissance. You have big companies, but you also have this growing number of startups.” – Edwin Ortiz, (23:51)
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Get Connected!
‍Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!