BIGTeam Spotlight: Why MJ Buendia Calls Herself a “Trendy Stuff Aficionado”

Maria Jose Buendia, better known as MJ, is the manager for the BigCommerce customer success team and currently leads two teams of 10 Customer Success Managers (CSMs) in North America and three located in Latin America. 

As a manager, she specializes in growing and developing team members and creating strategies which drive incremental improvement and operational excellence that continually results in increasing the value delivered to our merchants. 

BIGTeam Spotlight: Maria Jose Buendia

When it comes to online shopping, MJ Buendia is a seasoned pro and, thanks to her role at BigCommerce, she understands the advantages of having a beautifully curated yet useful website. 

Learn how she divides her time between scouring the Internet to make her next purchase and leading a team that’s creating big results. 

How did you get into the ecommerce industry?

Marie Jose Buendia: “Shopping online has always been my thing. During the beginning of the pandemic and because of my interest in social media and design, I began doing some freelancing on the side. 

“For a little over a year, I helped a beauty and cosmetics ecommerce brand. Initially, I was helping the owner with their business strategy, but eventually handled all of their digital marketing, including creating content, managing all of their social media accounts, writing blogs and newsletters and building a brand community. 

“This led me to learn a lot about the ecommerce industry as well as all the great strategies and advanced technologies out there to help scale your online business.”

What makes BigCommerce a great place to work?

MJB: “When I think of BigCommerce I think of the word collaboration. This truly is a company that collaborates and works together to achieve our two most important goals: our employees’ and merchants’ success.”

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your role?

MJB: “I really enjoy being a coach and a mentor to my team. As a people manager, I’m keen on empowering and motivating my team members by providing value and direction, allocating resources well and being open to diverse perspectives. 

“As a leader, helping my team with their own career development gives me the greatest satisfaction; their success is my success.”

It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month right now. What does your heritage mean to you?

MJB: “My heritage means everything to me. It’s a beautiful reminder of where I came from, my culture and beliefs and how fortunate I am to be who I am today because of it. One of the most fascinating things about life is that we’re an ever–evolving, constantly changing species; knowing that, while remembering my roots, is something I will always take pride in.”

What are your passions outside of work?

MJB: “Work–life balance matters to me, so outside of work you’ll most likely find me creating something, learning something new (anything really!) and exercising. Reading self–improvement and mystery books is also one of my guilty pleasures in life.“

What do you shop for most online?

MJB: “Huge online shopper right here, but you can definitely find me scrolling through all things skincare and makeup.” 

If you had an online store, what would you sell?

MJB: “I’m a trendy stuff aficionado. I would love to sell home decor items such as monogrammed paper and cloth napkins, monogrammed towels and decor books. My focus would be to fill all the little corners of my customer’s homes with one-of-a-kind features…but trendier.”

What’s your favorite BigCommerce store?

MJB: “Creativity and originality are two main things that always catch my attention when looking at online stores. With that being said, I believe both Skullcandy and Blissworld are extremely aesthetically pleasing, making them my favorite BigCommerce stores.” 

What do you find most fascinating about ecommerce?

MJB: “The most fascinating thing about ecommerce is that it’s always evolving. Internally, working for an ecommerce platform, and even externally as a merchant, it’s interesting to see how you think you’ve got it all worked out and you’ve become a subject matter expert, but new advancements in technology continue to happen in the blink of an eye.

“So just as we do in life, we jump right in, learn about it and evaluate when to apply it.” 

Where do you see the future of ecommerce?

MJB: “It has now become easier than ever to buy and sell online, and with all the advancements in technology and growth, I believe the ecommerce industry will continue to grow exponentially. This global trend toward digitalization will continue to surge ahead making it easier for merchants to reach diverse markets and be globally accessible.”