Business Travel
Travel-minded entrepreneurs with location free businesses are in the perfect position to contribute their skills and experience to developing countries.
Location free skills
Location free or location independent businesses aren’t tied to an office or physical location, which means the people running them can do so from almost anywhere in the world.
The fact that they tend to be web-based companies - providing anything from information services to software applications or communicating and working with clients remotely – also helps; location free businesses are well placed to help support the growing need and development of ICT within developing countries.
The NextWomen Social Entrepreneurship Theme
Cooperative is the latest word in bullsh*t bingo. Especially a “womens’ cooperative”, which is heart-tugging term for either a deep working relationship between ladies in a village who bring each other forward economically and emotionally through a common commercial venture, or the front end of a normal business that’s using buzz words to get attention.
One has to be aware, there are shark entrepreneurs who stand behind some of the so-called cooperatives and it is only by going to some and looking around, can one track a source of either external funding, or hard self labour.
The NextWomen is happy to be able to provide information on doing business in Egypt through knowledge partner HSBC.
Business in Egypt is dominated by men. It's a reminder of how things used to be in the United States or Europe a few decades back. Many of you reading this were possibly not around then and so may not fully appreciate the fact. But it's true nonetheless. In the 1950s and 1960s, women were regarded principally as home makers and raisers of children, much like in Egypt now. However, in today's globally-connected world, business is changing, even in conservatively-Islamic Egypt, and women, both foreign and national, are becoming ever more involved.
Having said all of that, Egypt's business and banking infrastructure is most definitely 21st century in both implementation and outlook. Banks are as focussed on supporting business success as their Western counterparts. For example, payments and cash management services in Egypt, vital in the day-to-day running of any business, are the equal of similar services offered by US or European banks. And that's good news for you, or for anyone else looking to expand their business into the country.
The NextWomen is proud to present an expert for its mobile theme month, founder & CEO of XS2The World, Sander Munsterman.
Before the iPhone changed the smartphone industry, inventiveness with mobile was key to solving practical problems. In 2007, Sander Munsterman and Jan Willem Vaartjes travelled to China where they were confronted with a significant language barrier. To tide them over, they recorded several standard phrases on their Nokia N70s as they carried their phones with them everywhere they went. They could then play these phrases back via the loudspeaker to convey a destination to a taxi driver or place an order in a bar, for example.
The NextWomen September Food & Fashion Theme.
You've practised the pitch a thousand times, but what on earth should you wear on the big day??
After we spoke with Sharon Haver, style expert and Founder of FocusOnStyle.com, earlier this month for this fabulous interview, we asked her to share her style tips on what to wear when pitching for funding, and for other nervewracking scenarios where the female entrepreneur really needs to look her best!
1) Scenario: Pitching for funding
Style Strategy = SUCCESS
Obviously, you want to look as successful as your business. Nothing attracts money more than money. Dress rich. Now's the time to pull out the most well-made garments you own. A go-to knee-length dress for this occasion is a must have. Don't forget the details, like a good pair of shoes. Opt for simple, well-made modern classics (you should have them in your biz wardrobe anyway) with a great cut, preferably ones that are clean and architectural. Stay clear away from anything too short, too revealing, or too busy. Strong neutrals like red, black, or blue or best.
This article, part of our August Editorial Theme of BRIC Countries, is by Faith Brewitt, a regular blogger for The NextWomen, who is based in Bejing.
There are hundreds of books and articles educating business people about how to do business in China.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours reading books that will essentially tell you the same thing, I’ve taken my 18 years’ experience working and living in China and boiled them down into some tips that will help any business that wants to make a good impression with Chinese partners and customers.
As part of this month's Editorial Theme of BRIC Countries, we're publishing this guest piece by Yakov Sadchikov, founder and CEO of visual search engine Quintura.
Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, St. Petersburg emerged as the capital of the Russian empire in the 18th century. Referred to as the "Russian Versailles," Peter the Great's summer residence, the Peterhof Palace (pictured), is a must-see site to visit for anyone who comes to St. Petersburg.
Three hundred years later, Russia's second-largest city is taking on the capital, Moscow, in the struggle to become the country's leading technology hub. The emergence of St. Petersburg as Russia's tech capital is down to the city's practical blend of skilled engineers and low overheads when compared with Moscow. Engineers graduate from top universities such as St. Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO) and St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University. The ITMO students' team won the world championship in programming (ACM Intercollegiate Programming Contest) in Warsaw in May this year, so this is some indication of the caliber of the university's graduates.
Non-stop coffee, obligatory evening drinks, skipped
meals and extended dinner feasts, jet lag and long, intense days in conference
rooms. Where are we? On a business trip, of course.
If you've done any business travel, I'm sure you can relate. I'm always surprised when outsiders think this travelling lifestyle is glamorous. Of course, many of us have some good memories from business travel, but after a few trips it begins to wear you down physically and mentally. The stress of travel, time away from your family and a disrupted routine can leave you exhausted, feeling bloated and sometimes even sick!
BRIC countries have received a lot of attention in the past
decade due to both their economic growth and competitive pricing on exports,
but also for their maturing online users and the vast return potential it has
given to entrepreneurs in their late dotcom boom. Although many BRIC
entrepreneurs have developed their own web ideas and innovative technologies, many
recent big exits have come from reproducing US and European business models, a
practice often referred to as “copycats”.
It does make you wonder whether copycats are as bad as the name sounds, and whether they do not have a sense of innovation in markets that haven’t yet experienced the benefits of certain long-popular-in-the-west web and mobile platforms.
Travelmenu today announced that it has raised $1.6 million in growth capital from Almaz Capital Partners, general partner of the Almaz Capital Russia Fund I (also known as the Almaz Capital/Cisco Russia Fund I) and Runa Capital, two leading venture capital firms in Russia. Travelmenu will use the funds to invest in a direct-to-consumer marketing campaign and build additional sales infrastructure.
Travelmenu was founded by Harvard Business School graduates Nina Pogossova and Katrin Buckenmaier (see photo) as wellas Mikhail Pogossov and Oleg Kopachevts. The team shares a passion for travel and also has relevant industry experience with Expedia and lastminute.com.
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