Sign In

Thomas Skopek

Full-stack Developer at Lane

Thomas Skopek is an accomplished professional with a diverse educational background and rich work experience in various organizations.

He pursued his secondary education at the University of Toronto Schools, specializing in OSSD.

Thomas later furthered his education by studying Mathematics with a Statistics Major at the University of Waterloo, where he obtained a BMath degree.

In addition to his mathematical expertise, he diversified his skill set by completing a BBA in Business Administration with a Marketing Major at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Throughout his career, Thomas has held significant roles in different organizations, showcasing his versatility and adaptability.

Currently, he serves as a Full-stack Developer at Lane, where he contributes his expertise to software development and programming.

Prior to his current role, Thomas gained valuable experience as a Consultant Developer at ZappiStore, demonstrating his proficiency in developing innovative solutions.

His analytical skills were honed during his tenure as an Analyst at both InfraRed Capital Partners Ltd and Capital Investment Advisors (CapInvest), where he provided strategic insights and financial analysis.

Thomas also contributed to data-driven decision-making as a Business Intelligence Analyst at CIBC, demonstrating his ability to derive valuable insights from complex datasets.

His research acumen was further evidenced during his time as a Methodologist at Statistics Canada, where he was involved in designing and implementing statistical methodologies.

Additionally, he gained experience in client servicing and account management as an Account Coordinator at Young and Rubicam, showcasing his versatility in both technical and client-facing roles.

Thomas Skopek's academic background in Mathematics and Business Administration, coupled with his diverse work experience in software development, analytics, and business intelligence, makes him a well-rounded professional with a broad skill set.

Highlights

Jun 25 · linkedin

I'm closing Daily Water this week. As my first side hustle, it was a fun journey with no regrets. Here’s the backstory:

💡 5 years ago, I realized I was super dehydrated at work. It was noon and I had 2 coffees but hadn't drank any water. I looked around and realized no one else in my office was drinking any water either. I ran a survey and 80% of my colleagues were dehydrated.

I couldn't stop thinking about this. After iterating on some ideas, like a slackbot with reminders (annoying) and an app (useless), I came up with a low tech solution - a jug with time markings down the side. Believe it or not, this was before those water bottles with time markings were a thing...

🔧 The first version had a camelbak style tube. I built a prototype out of a plastic jug. It was pretty effective!

I made an Alibaba account and contacted a few glassware factories in China to make a custom jug. After some back and forth, three factories seemed legit, so I paid for samples. After testing the samples with some friends, everyone found the camelbak style too dorky, and they all preferred the regular jug style.

I created a landing page and ran some Facebook ads to it, registering "add to cart" clicks. I got a couple bites, enough to convince me there was something here. Now I actually had to buy some inventory!

For my first order the factory required a minimum order quantity of 2000. I was able to negotiate it down to 50. The cost per unit at that order size was unsustainably high, but this was still an experiment.

🤑 I started a store with Shopify and ran some ads. My first sale! A random internet stranger wanted something I invented! What a rush!

Pretty soon I sold out. I ordered 200 the next time. When that sold out, 400. Then 1000. With each order I renegotiated the price per unit, improved the product and packaging, and figured out how to organize my own freight across the ocean.

🕊️ So why am I shutting it down? After iOS 14 released, my ads stopped performing abruptly due to Apple's privacy changes (which I'm completely in favour of, btw). We tried a couple different angles, but sales really slowed down, and I didn't adapt. We've had sales trickle in from SEO, but they aren't meaningful, and I'm trying to simplify my life.

Looking back, this was my first foray into entrepreneurship, and I'm proud that I took a silly idea and made it a reality. That aspect of creation is what I love most about programming, and why I love my job.

I hope you found the story entertaining and that this post inspires you in a small way to act on your crazy ideas. 😄

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their support, and especially my wife Julia Skopek (Chelaru) for tolerating our warehouse in the basement! 📦❤️

💧 Today is the last day to buy a jug. Visit https://lnkd.in/grWQzTn7

T
Add to my network

Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada