A true story. Unfortunately.

I WASBOREDSO…

For curious builders, accidental business owners, and competent people whose hobbies keep requiring spreadsheets.

Available now on Amazon Kindle · Included with Kindle Unlimited

Crystal Cottrill at a desk with jewelry, packaging, and e-commerce screens

This seemed
like a relaxing
hobby.

BOOK ONE

Apparently a vibe is not a business model Draft is a sacred word Wait. Stop everything. I launched. Please ignore the emergency theme.

I Was Bored So I… · Book One

I wanted a hobby.
Now I have a return policy.

I’m a technology leader. I understand systems, decisions, and the consequences of letting a perfectly reasonable idea acquire its own operating model.

Naturally, I built a store for fun.

I Was Bored So I Built a Store is my honest, funny account of building Dopamine Alley with ChatGPT—from brand decisions and supplier confusion to AI subscriptions, product chaos, and the moment “almost ready” needs an actual checklist.

Sis, knowing better and doing it anyway are apparently compatible skills.

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What’s inside

The chaos is funny.
The lessons are usable.

The real build

The decisions behind the store, including the ones that needed a second attempt.

The AI reality

How to make ChatGPT a working partner without handing it your taste, judgment, money, or permission.

The field guides

Practical prompts, launch checks, supplier questions, and decision rules you can actually reuse.

The promise

This is not passive-income fan fiction.

It’s what happens when a capable person, a strong point of view, and one “small” idea meet a parade of systems wearing a trench coat.

PRO-TECHNOLOGYPRO-HUMAN JUDGMENTSUSPICIOUS OF “QUICK FIXES”

The expandable universe

One questionable decision was never going to be enough.

Book One

I Was Bored So I Built a Store

Available now

…

What comes next?

That depends on what boredom talks me into.

The series continues

Crystal Cottrill, author and technology leader

Meet Crystal

Technology leader.
Accidental retailer.
Deliberate storyteller.

Crystal Cottrill understands systems, operations, and uncertainty. She is pro-technology, pro-human judgment, and suspicious of any task described as a quick fix.

This series documents what happens when professional competence meets curiosity—and curiosity refuses to stay in its lane.

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Building something of your own?

If your idea has acquired seventeen tabs and a supplier problem, we should talk.

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