Career
Dina Yuen, Founder, Asian-Fusion.com shares the five entrepreneurial lessons her father couldn't teach her, and which she learned the hard way.
I grew up in a family of three girl siblings, no brothers, and that’s exactly the way my Asian parents wanted it.
Defying millennia of beliefs and thought processes, my parents were and are a fascinating balance of modern progressives and traditionalists. They strongly believe in the nuclear family, providing a profound sense of love, commitment and closeness that in today’s generation may seem foreign or stifling. To me, my parents are the greatest blessing in my life. They gave openly of their love and constantly reinforced that we girls could and should achieve greatness and to never be intimidated by men.
Without my father’s encouragement to shadow his every step at his office during my pre-teen years, I may never have brought to fruition the innate entrepreneur in me.
The very idea that I could create something of value, that I could be my own boss, that I could build a huge company-these were instilled early on.
Emma Agese, Founder of Agese Oils counts down her top five tips for staying motivated against corporate giants.
5. Stay Diligent
Diligence can be defined as “giving the degree of care required for a specific task”. This however should not be mistaken for hard, laborious work. (The two are not the same). In basic words it is smart, persistent work.
For instance, a tree surgeon embarking on felling a large tree can go about it two ways. In one hand he has an axe and in a few hours of arduous and sweaty labour he might have succeeded in bringing it down. However in the other hand he has a chainsaw and, in a matter of minutes and maybe a few sweat drops, he could have the same tree crashing to the earth with far less force exerted from him and much greater precision and efficiency. This in my eyes is diligence.
Like a lot of entrepreneurs, are you constantly and frantically busy, running on coffee during the day and a few glasses of wine in the evenings, at networking events or to try relax at home after a hectic day? Alisa Burke looks at some small lifestyle changes which will make a real difference to your wellbeing.
What is the cost to you and your business of compromising your wellbeing? What can you do about it?
Years ago I remember pondering why, despite being successful, I just didn’t feel as happy as I assessed other people seemed to be. Years later I heard another coach speak of ‘self sacrificing overachievers’ - what a great description, and yep, that used to be me!
The question I would like to ask is is it you? Are you so focused on your career goals and balancing your work and outside of work life that you feel you are running on ‘vapour’ perhaps relying on caffeine as an ‘upper’ and wine to unwind? This may be allowing you to achieve (for now); but what are the are costs in the long term to your health, happiness and business sustainability?
The NextWomen Technology Theme
Yifan Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of GymPact, looks at some alternatives to finding a developer for your startup idea.
We absolutely love Elizabeth's comprehensive series on funding! Click here to view Part 3: Incubators & Acccelerators.
Not sure incubators and accelerators are the best way to fund your company?
I'm happy to report that you can gain some of the same experience and exposure through business plan competitions.
Prize money is growing exponentially for the hundreds of business plan competitions held every year. And the number of competitions is growing, too. The public and private sectors have now joined in what was once mostly the domain of universities, making for a dizzying array of options.
The NextWomen Fashion & Retail Theme.
Looking back on how I started my online boutique www.heatherandgrace.com, I never expected it to develop the way it is. Times evolve, fashions and styles change, and your business has to keep up in order to remain interesting and attractive to customers new and old.
8 months ago Heather & Grace was a dream of mine, never fulfilled but always there. When my eldest daughter started school my situation changed and I could no longer work full time as I had been doing for the previous year. However, I’m a woman, with a brain, and I need to work to keep myself busy and motivated. Starting up my own business was the best way for me to be there for my children but also keep my independence and earn my own keep.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a
form of marketing through which a company’s website, or piece of content on a
website, reaches a higher ranking on search engines to maximize visibility to
consumers thereby creating a higher probability of traffic, which can later
translate to sales and/or interaction depending on your business goals.
This is accomplished through creation of “do follow” links within a number of different arenas. While there’s more to making a web-based company successful than just good SEO, it is a very important part of getting clicks and page views.
This is a review of the book How to write a
business plan by Brian Finch (KoganPage Creating Success Series), 4th Edition,
2013.
If you want to start your own business, you should not only have a clear picture of where you want to take it, but also of how to get there exactly. This is one of the first rules that Brian Finch explains in his book How to Write a Business Plan:
The vision is not enough (p.2).
And there is another important rule: Nobody can write your business plan for you. As a founder, you are the one who needs to know the company by heart, to win over investors, employees and customers alike, by convincing them with your knowledge, preparedness and business logic.
The NextWomen Fashion & Retail Theme.
Do you remember in the last start-up diaries I mentioned that setting up a website was another story in itself? Yes/No?
Well I am back to share with you a few more experiences, so if you’re settled in, I will begin.
Where do you start - what’s in a name?
The name of your online fashion boutique, is it going to be your own, or is it going to be a theme, perhaps something that can be an acronym, or initials to be quick and snappy. Is this name memorable, there is a lot to be said for a name that is simple and to the point, your strap-line (what you say about this name) is the opportunity to express more of who you are, and what you do.
What
is the reason that many businesses start-up? Generally because the
founder has noticed a gap in the market for a product or service, and
believe they can provide something better. It was this situation
that drove Linda Bennett, founder of international shoe and clothing
retailer, L
K Bennett to
start up her business in 1990 because she was frustrated by the poor
manufacturing quality of women’s footwear in the UK.
Linda believed there was a gap in the market for shoes that were feminine and elegant, yet quirky and fun, and would appeal to a broad spectrum of different women. At that time having an exit plan was not at the forefront of her mind. It was to be 17 years later that Linda sold a 70% stake in the business to Phoenix Equity Partners and Sirius Equity, and became a non-executive Director in LK Bennett.
Whilst many entrepreneurs don’t start with the end in mind, it is beneficial to think ahead even at an early stage, in order to structure the business appropriately, both from a financial and organisational perspective.
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27 Jun 2013 - 08:00 - 28 Jun 2013 - 17:00London, UK
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