Bio Sherri Stout
Online Marketing Guru, Graphic and Web Designer Sherri Stout, founder, and CEO of celebration brand Birthday Direct was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Cajun and Italian heritage parents. Growing up in Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana, Sherri's entrepreneurial talents were exhibited early; she sold everything from Avon to Tupperware.
As a young adult, she attended the University of North Alabama. Sherri worked as a waitress at Red Lobster before getting her start in the party industry. In 1995, Sherri began selling mason jar candles from a mall cart, decorating them with raffia and gingham fabric. They soon flew off the shelves. Encouraged by her early success, Sherri recruited her family members to work with her.
In 1996, Sherri opened a children’s gift shop, Babies, Birthdays, & Balloons, which grew to a chain of 5 stores. Upon a suggestion from Sherri’s sixteen-year-old son, Sherri learned HTML and built her first website. Thus BirthdayDirect.com was born.
As an early online adaptor, Sherri’s company Birthday Direct experienced tremendous growth, becoming one of the leading party retailers, setting celebration trends for the party industry.
In 2007, Sherri expanded her business and launched Party Supply, Inc., an online wholesale distributor of party goods. In 2011, Sherri established eCommerce marketing company Moxzie, Inc., a gathering of talented graphic designers, website gurus, and eCommerce SEO and SEM consultants. Sherri created Dollar Carousel’s online discount brand in 2014 to capitalize on the dollar store trend. Sherri’s combined companies have exceeded over $140 million in revenue.
Sherri has served on the UNA College of Business Executive Business Council, The Board of the North Alabama Better Business Bureau, The Executive Board of the Mane Capital Fund, and the Shoals Chamber of Commerce board. In 2021, She founded Shoals Spur eCommerce Business Campus and Start-up Accelerator.