Katie Ragen graduated from Florida State University with her B.S. in Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) in 2017. Originally from Naples, FL Ragen accepted a full time job directly after graduation and moved to Fort Myers Beach to work in the vacation rental industry. After almost a year of working six days a week growing someone else’s business, she decided to take a leap of faith and start her own company using the skills she learned at FSU as well as her own research into the e-commerce industry.
Ragen now resides in Fort Myers, Florida as the owner and operator of her own e-commerce business, Legit Halloween LLC. Legit Halloween offers clients the opportunity to purchase high quality Halloween-themed masks, decorations and accessories with the convenience of online shopping. She now has the freedom of choosing her own hours, working from anywhere, and creating her own policies and procedures which was an important aspect when choosing her career path. “When I was young, I always used to say that I would take over my dad’s family business.” Ragen says, “However, as I got older and realized my unique skill sets, I realized I wanted the satisfaction of creating my own business, not piggybacking off someone else’s.”
Figuring out how to run her own e-commerce business isn’t something that happened overnight. Ragen used her knowledge from her IT classes aswell as her business minor to help her company with details such as legalities and industry standards. “I have always been fascinated by computers and the internet. Learning Photoshop and introductory web design in high school also played a huge role.”
Learn more about Katie Ragen from her Q&A below!
What was the last show you binge-watched?
Maniac (mostly for Emma Stone!)
Best advice you have ever received?
Never compare yourself to anyone else because your journey is unique. If I had to choose just one phrase, it would be the quote “Pathwalker, there is no path…the path is made by walking.”
Who do you admire and why?
I admire individuals who never stop believing in themselves. Individuals that put fear of failure aside and instead focus their energy on chasing their dreams, no matter what kind of odds are against them. One of those individuals is my father, Mark Ragen, who started his own successful business when he was young.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I look for inspiration from other successful entrepreneurs. I listen to what they have to say, and how they think, so that I can absorb their experiential knowledge and apply it to my own life and ventures.
What would you say to someone who doesn’t know what career they’d like to pursue?
I completely understand! I went into college as an Exploratory (undecided) major and remained Exploratory for a large chunk of time in college. So long in fact, that I was moved to “Exploratory II” which loosely translated means “you need to pick a major…NOW!” I didn’t know what I wanted to do. It’s hard to choose when there are limitless opportunities in the world. In hindsight, your major is not quite as important as you think it is in college. Focus more on applicable skills that are in line with your interests, and hone in on them. Don’t fret so much over the title of your future degree or occupation.