Yassaman Omidbakhsh is the CEO and co-founder of Eyerim, a company that revolutionized how people buy eyewear online. Her journey into e-commerce began by coincidence. An internship sparked her curiosity, and soon she spotted a massive opportunity in a market untouched by digital innovation. What drives her most is the fast pace and constant learning that come with e-commerce. From humble beginnings shipping glasses from their living rooms, Eyerim has grown into a trusted online optician improving customers’ lives across Europe. Yassaman believes that success comes from curiosity, resilience, and deep customer focus. Her advice to newcomers: “Forget the blueprint. Start small, ship fast, listen hard, and stay in the game longer than everyone else.”
How did you get into e-commerce?
I stumbled into it out of curiosity and coincidence. During my studies I stumbled upon and internship opportunity in one of South East Asia’s biggest ecommerce company. I immediately decided to join and from there I continued accepting the opportunities that came my way. Soon, I saw a massive industry—eyewear—that was barely touched by digital transformation, and I thought, why not us? That’s how Eyerim was born.
What do you enjoy most about e-commerce?
The pace. You get instant feedback from the market, from customers, from numbers. It keeps you sharp.
Do you remember your funniest moment in your e-commerce journey?
Too many. But the early days were full of us shipping glasses from our living rooms and pretending we were a “real” company on customer calls. We were doing everything from marketing, to support to design – as it’s the case with most startups anyway. Looking back at the first website that we designed in photoshop ourselves, the first logo and the first pitch deck – it’s hard not to laugh.
What tools or technologies do you use the most in your work?
Data dashboards (Grafana, Powerbi), ton of AI assisting tools.
How long have you been in e-commerce?
Since 2015 – long enough to have made every mistake possible and still want more.
What do you love about e-commerce and what do you hate about it?
I love that it forces you to think in systems and solve for scale. I hate how easily people get caught up in vanity metrics instead of actual value creation. Actually once we transitioned from being mostly fashion e-shop to online optician and see the value we are brining for our customers, it changed my perspective in the industry as a whole that we are impacting our customers’ lives for the best – that brings me joy.
What qualities do you think make a person exceptional in e-commerce?
Curiosity, obsession with customers, resilience, and a love for iteration. You need to be strategic but also unafraid to get your hands dirty.
What is your favorite type of customer?
The one who gives brutally honest feedback and then comes back for more. That’s how we learn.
How do you handle rejection or difficult situations?
I zoom out. Rejection is rarely personal. And difficult moments are usually where the biggest breakthroughs come from – if you’re willing to sit with them.
What is your motto or advice for newbies in e-commerce?
Forget the blueprint. Start small, ship fast, listen hard, and stay in the game longer than everyone else.
