Once you go lizard, you never go back

SportsLizard.com Wins Honorable Mention in Microsoft Start Something Amazing Awards

The winning essay and photographs, exactly as they were sent to Microsoft

My Sports Collectibles Passion Inspired an Entrepreneurial Venture

It’s pretty easy to figure out where my passion for sports collectibles came from. Most of my earliest childhood memories involve sports – going to my first baseball game with my Dad, playing in my first little league game, and the rush I felt when I opened my first pack of baseball cards. That led to thousands of more cards and eventually paved the way for autographs, plaques, and Starting Lineups (little 5 inch figurines that come with a baseball card).

As a teenager I focused on collecting Starting Lineups from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Collecting figures from my childhood enabled me to feel the excitement of being a child and relive those moments through my collection. By the time I graduated high-school I had hundreds of Starting Lineups proudly displayed in my room.

While in college I became infatuated with the idea of running my own business. I knew that my best chance for success was finding a way to turn my passion for sports collectibles into a business. As a senior in college in 2004 I started SportsLizard.com, a sports collectibles marketplace.

With the help of Microsoft Office products, SportsLizard.com has become much more than just a marketplace. We offer a monthly newsletter (made with Publisher), publish industry related articles (written in Word), and respond to our customers effectively and efficiently (using Outlook). In addition, we use Excel for all of our accounting and operating metrics.

Of all the things that inspired me to become an entrepreneur, I overlooked the most rewarding – the feeling that you get when a satisfied customer takes the time to write you an email thanking you for starting your business. Without Microsoft that would have been impossible. Thank you Microsoft for letting me live my passion every day!