From Dumpster-Diving to Reselling Success: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Erica Chierchio

In the business world, success stories often revolve around those who come from privileged backgrounds. Still, every once in a while, a story about an individual achieving success by building a business from scratch emerges, challenging the narrative that greatness is reserved for those born with silver spoons in their mouths.

Erica Chierchio, an international businesswoman, is a prime example of someone who fought tooth and nail to turn her visions into reality, despite the challenges she faced from early childhood.

“I grew up in Brooklyn, near the Bensonhurst section. My father passed away when I was a kid, so my mom had to work hard to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table,” Chierchio recalls.

Her journey toward success started with a weight far beyond her years. While her peers were focused on their studies and future, fifteen-year-old Erica juggled multiple jobs, uncertain if she dared to dream, let alone hope to achieve something significant.

“It was a challenging time. I was a child, but this huge responsibility was on my shoulders,” Chierchio shares. “Luckily, my mom taught me how to be resourceful and make the best out of every opportunity, so deep down, I felt that one day I might be able to do something more with my life.”

A great opportunity presented itself when Chierchio was in her 20s: making homemade, organic jam. She thought of picking the fruits from her backyard and making them into organic jam for sale.“It was called Brooklyn Homemade, and I included many different flavors,” Chierchio says. “Business was great from the start. I used to sell around 120 jars per day.”

However, business slowed down once winter came, and Chierchio found herself in a pickle. She had to find a way to provide for her growing family, and as jam production was unsustainable in the colder months, Chierchio saw no other choice but to start dumpster diving.

“You can find anything in New York, especially in the recycling bins. So, I’d go out looking for things I could use, and week after week, I’d find many valuables I could sell. That’s how I ended up in the reselling business.”

With an eye for value, Chierchio sold the items online, primarily through eBay. Driven by her newfound entrepreneurial spirit, she realized that her knack for reselling “second-hand” items could pave the way for something greater.

“I was fascinated with giving new life to pre-loved items and offering them to others. I also loved the thrill of hunting for treasures and curating collections that appealed to different tastes and styles,” Chierchio explains. “It all started with eBay, but as I naturally progressed, I wanted to share my unique finds with wider audiences, so I joined Poshmark.”

Reselling became more than just business for Chierchio. She saw it as a means to earn a living and also a way to connect and share her passions with like-minded individuals. As her business grew, Chierchio not only formed meaningful friendships with her clientele and other resellers but also leveraged her expertise to add new value to her business and the platforms she and other business owners used.

“Most resellers use multiple platforms to do business,” Chierchio explains. “That gets quite hectic because you have to create listings of the same product on different platforms. I’ve personally lost so much time doing this, so I wanted to find a way to make the work process easier.”

With her husband, Michael, Chierchio came up with Crosslisting, an app that cross-lists products on different platforms. The idea was meant to ease the process of her own business but became an invaluable tool for sellers worldwide.

“The second app started from Poshmark,” Chierchio continues. “Whether you’re sharing or posting descriptions of your products to sell, it takes a lot of time to come up with something that grabs your attention.” Crosslisting was a great success, and Erica started thinking about how to make an even more significant impact.

“That’s when I came up with Magicscriptor. It’s an app that relies on AI to write SEO-friendly product descriptions, and it’s made a huge difference for many people,” she adds.

While every entrepreneurial journey is unique, Chierchio’s story, in particular, can serve as a compass to steer any individual hoping to embark on their success journey in the right direction. With her perseverance and the ability to seize any opportunity and help it grow tenfold, Chierchio has proven that success is a path anyone can take as long as they’re willing to keep looking ahead.

“I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and the community that supports me,” Chierchio says. “To anyone out there, who’s waiting for their time to shine, I can say if you stay focused and keep looking ahead, success is the only direction you can take.”

Written in partnership with Nick Kasmik.