Curated has opened the doors to an industry that may have previously seemed unattainable to break into for passionate adventurers all over the U.S. For me, it took a lot of exploration to realize I’d only be fulfilled by turning my passion into my career. In 2019, I came across an ad for Curated that offered me a chance to do exactly that. Nearly two years later, I’m writing this article to detail what it takes and what it means to be a Curated Expert in any category. If you’re after the same fulfillment that I’ve found, here’s a handful of reasons why you should join our team and earn the Expert title!

What Is Curated?

If you’ve ever been in the market for a big purchase (skis, snowboards, golf clubs, backpacks, bicycles, you name it!), chances are you’ve spent countless hours browsing inconsistent reviews while simultaneously navigating the uncertainties of sizing, quality, and budget. At Curated, we match Experts with visitors for a personalized online shopping experience that takes the precarious nature of a big purchase out of their hands, all from the comfort of their own home! If you think you have the technical knowledge of your passion and the personability required to deliver our visitors a true white-glove experience, you might’ve just found your dream job!

1. Community & Culture

As an Expert, you’ll hear a lot about our incredible community! Whatever your expertise, imagine being in an “office” surrounded by hundreds of enthusiastic, like-minded individuals. You might just find your sales productivity skyrocketing as your passion for the outdoors is ignited by the encouragement of your co-workers (who will inevitably become your friends). With virtual hangout sessions, achievement celebrations, gear-swapping soirees, and an endless database of field-based knowledge sharing, we disrupt the negative paradigm of being ‘connected’ to your computer in all the right ways! If you live in proximity to other experts, we’ll even cover a happy hour for y’all - drinks on us! Expert meet-ups, product demos, and convention attendance are all things you can look forward to by joining the Curated community.

If you need even more incentive, your literal job is to talk about your passion all day and share your enthusiasm with others. Picture the snowboarder, skier, golfer, cyclist, or angler that you looked up to before you even knew that this sport was your passion. To the youngster ready to explore a new hobby, that inspirational figure may very well be YOU! Plenty of Curated experts have even gone fishing/cycling with their customers!

2. Design Your Own Schedule

Forget the days of accruing paid time off or anxiously awaiting the approval of your annual vacation time. As a Curated Expert, you can work from anywhere, at any time. Every single interaction you have with your customers and fellow experts will be done from wherever you find yourself most at peace. Long lift line? Fire out some messages to your customers! Reel in a monster? Snap a picture to stoke up your teammates!

Admittedly, this does come with some caveats. While there are technically no time requirements, we’ve found that successful experts commit at least 15 hours per week. Additionally, having the ability to spend at least 1 hour checking in with your customers and teammates every day will result in much more success than checking in 3-4x per week.

I’m not a fan of cliche, but “you get out what you put in” is extremely relevant as an Expert. Check out Jake’s profile, where he has 350 5-star reviews after just one season with Curated. If you wanna be like Jake, expect to commit a significant amount of time per week to Expert duties, which as you may recall, means talking about your passion from anywhere, at any time!

3. Monetize Your Passion

Sure, Curated Experts give out free advice - we even offer free virtual fittings. Anything and everything we can do virtually is free to the Curated customer!

What we do sell, on the other hand, are relationships. Your customer won’t just have a regular one-and-done transaction, they’ll have their go-to resource for anything and everything related to their passion. Warranty issue? Looking for an upgrade? Their Expert is a text away! Chances are they’ll tell their friends about their experience, leading to even more relationships and sales!

What does this mean for you? On top of a competitive commission structure, 80% of our customers tip their experts (you earn 100% of tips). Put yourself in the customers’ shoes. Your nervousness just switched into sheer excitement as your Curated Expert made that daunting purchase a relieving and educating experience from your couch. That feeling of relief translates directly into a tip for you, you gear-slingin’ ninja!

On top of commission and tips, our team encourages top-tier Expert behavior with some friendly competition that you might just benefit from!

If you’re already thinking ahead, you may have said to yourself: “This all sounds great, but what am I gonna do in the off-season?” You may very well find yourself continuing to sell through the winter as a Golf Expert, or through the summer as a Ski Expert. If you’re a human multi-tool like me, you can even operate in two polar categories (i.e. Camping & Hiking / Snowboarding)

4. Improve an Array of Skills

With free sales training, brand-hosted clinics, and opportunities for gear reviews and product demos, you’ll sharpen a long list of skills that will boost your business and lay the foundation for any career in the outdoor industry. Just ask Expert Matt Wood, who credits Curated for landing his dream gig with Faction Skis.

On the flip side, if you join us as an absolute rockstar out of the gate, the opportunities for growth within Curated are abundant as well. As a successful expert, you’ll have opportunities for content creation in many forms as well as a chance to join our Hiring Team to help us vet the savviest Experts out there. With enough experience, you can even become a Team Manager to spearhead the Curated culture!

5. Work With a Start-Up

Some of you might’ve just made a certain face. If you’ve worked in a start-up environment before, you likely either hated or loved it. Whatever your perception, here are the facts: Curated was founded in 2017, and so it is definitely new! This means that the Curated community is always learning and evolving. If you’ve got a willingness to learn and improve, and be a part of a new way of engaging with people, you should obviously identify with this. With experience comes growth and with growth comes ambiguity, creativity, and problem-solving. Be prepared for a fast-paced environment packed with opportunities!

Curated is constantly looking to improve and adapt to the evolution of e-commerce. We truly value any and all of your ideas, feedback, and creative contributions! You’ll have a team full of resources to guide you throughout your Expert journey, including support from our HQ staff, your Team Managers, and fellow Experts.

So, Should I Apply?

Having spent two years with Curated as a Snowboard Expert, Content Creator, Onboarding Specialist, and Team Manager, I’ve shared experiences with fellow outdoor enthusiasts that I never could’ve imagined in my previous career. Meanwhile, I’m continuing to sharpen my category knowledge, personability, and sales skills - all while sharing my passion with others!

Again, there are some caveats here. Any prior experience in the industry that provides you with a serious technical knowledge base for your chosen category will boost your potential (think shop experience, coaching, instructing, etc). Curated Experts aren’t just weekend warriors, they’ve spent years developing their expertise and truly live for their passion.

While experience is a plus, it’s worth mentioning that Curated will initially be a very unique experience for both you and the customer. If you were offered free advice by an online service that you’ve never used before, you’d likely have a bit of skepticism! A successful expert can ease this tension by forming a trusting relationship with any consumer through sheer attentiveness and personability. We aren’t just salespeople - we’re human and eager to share our passion with the world! If you have a willingness to learn, work hard, get creative, and go above and beyond for your customers, I encourage you to apply today!

My involvement with Curated isn’t exclusive. We have athletes, guides, professionals, instructors, 9-5er’s, and stay-at-home parents collectively finding success & fulfillment as Experts. If you’re willing to put the work in, what’s stopping you from chasing your dream?!