Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneur’
How Entrepreneurs Make Money Selling Global Brands On and Off-line
Did you know that thousands of companies from all over the world are looking for enthusiastic individuals to represent their products overseas? That person can be you. From Chinese toys to Brazilian bikinis people are making money reselling all kinds of products for a profit.
Don’t fret if you’re new to the Internet! Thousands of “ordinary people” leverage the Internet to sell global brands on and off-line. I say ordinary people as a reference to the rest of us, those who log online simply to read email, check the latest headlines, and to look something up on Google. Does this describe you? If so, you can literally start earning money representing firms from all over the world who are eager to establish contact with motivated entrepreneurs.
Having lived and worked in three continents, I can assure you that there are thousands of great companies with awesome products or services anxious to promote their goods overseas. Don’t be intimidated if you think you don’t fit their professional profile. You probably do and proof of that is my remarkable experience with successful representatives reselling Brazilian Bikinis.
–Case Study–
I often receive phone calls and emails from men and women all over the world wanting to know more about importing and reselling Brazilian bikinis. We get requests from students, single moms, shop owners, and entrepreneurs who work full-time but would like to make some extra money on the side.
–Getting Started: From Concept to Execution.–
Selling international brands is easier than you think! To help you better understand the process we’ve compiled a list of commonly asked questions that have empowered representatives to take the plunge and become successful international sales representatives. We list 10 questions you should ask your potential supplier but this shouldn’t prevent you from requesting more information.
–10 Questions to ask your Supplier–
1. Can I trust doing business with you in Brazil or a country I can’t even pronounce?
2. I’m worried about buying online. How do I pay for the goods?
3. Okay, now that I’m convinced that you’re a reputable supplier of premium brands, what’s the next step?
4. Which samples should I order? How do I pay for them and how much does it cost?
5. I find your prices higher than others.
6. What about import duty?
7. How much should I price your product in the market?
8. The samples arrived and they are absolutely gorgeous! What next?
9. The reaction has been positive. Friends and others want to buy. What next?
10. Are you flexible with payment terms?
Note: Answers to these and other questions can be found on our site.
Armed with answers to these and other questions you’re now well on your way to making money selling global brands on and off-line. Remember, the Internet serves as a powerful tool, as a means to reach your objectives. It should be used in conjunction with offline sales efforts in your respective markets. If ordinary people with little online experience can do it you can also.
Thales Panagides has an MBA in Entrepreneurship. Thales has 12 years of international sales experience having represented firms in Europe, the United States, and South America. He’s the founder of http://www.brazilian-bikinis.net/, a website that encourages individuals to embark on the entrepreneurial route by representing Brazilian brands, such as bikinis and lingerie, on and off-line.
How Entrepreneurs Make Money Selling Global Brands On and Off-line
Did you know that thousands of companies from all over the world are looking for enthusiastic individuals to represent their products overseas? That person can be you. From Chinese toys to Brazilian bikinis people are making money reselling all kinds of products for a profit.
Don’t fret if you’re new to the Internet! Thousands of “ordinary people” leverage the Internet to sell global brands on and off-line. I say ordinary people as a reference to the rest of us, those who log online simply to read email, check the latest headlines, and to look something up on Google. Does this describe you? If so, you can literally start earning money representing firms from all over the world who are eager to establish contact with motivated entrepreneurs.
Having lived and worked in three continents, I can assure you that there are thousands of great companies with awesome products or services anxious to promote their goods overseas. Don’t be intimidated if you think you don’t fit their professional profile. You probably do and proof of that is my remarkable experience with successful representatives reselling Brazilian Bikinis.
–Case Study–
I often receive phone calls and emails from men and women all over the world wanting to know more about importing and reselling Brazilian bikinis. We get requests from students, single moms, shop owners, and entrepreneurs who work full-time but would like to make some extra money on the side.
–Getting Started: From Concept to Execution.–
Selling international brands is easier than you think! To help you better understand the process we’ve compiled a list of commonly asked questions that have empowered representatives to take the plunge and become successful international sales representatives. We list 10 questions you should ask your potential supplier but this shouldn’t prevent you from requesting more information.
–10 Questions to ask your Supplier–
1. Can I trust doing business with you in Brazil or a country I can’t even pronounce?
2. I’m worried about buying online. How do I pay for the goods?
3. Okay, now that I’m convinced that you’re a reputable supplier of premium brands, what’s the next step?
4. Which samples should I order? How do I pay for them and how much does it cost?
5. I find your prices higher than others.
6. What about import duty?
7. How much should I price your product in the market?
8. The samples arrived and they are absolutely gorgeous! What next?
9. The reaction has been positive. Friends and others want to buy. What next?
10. Are you flexible with payment terms?
Note: Answers to these and other questions can be found on our site.
Armed with answers to these and other questions you’re now well on your way to making money selling global brands on and off-line. Remember, the Internet serves as a powerful tool, as a means to reach your objectives. It should be used in conjunction with offline sales efforts in your respective markets. If ordinary people with little online experience can do it you can also.
Thales Panagides has an MBA in Entrepreneurship. Thales has 12 years of international sales experience having represented firms in Europe, the United States, and South America. He’s the founder of http://www.brazilian-bikinis.net/, a website that encourages individuals to embark on the entrepreneurial route by representing Brazilian brands, such as bikinis and lingerie, on and off-line.
Taking Charge and Getting Results: The Choice is Yours
As one of the most successful direct sales entrepreneurs in the industry, I have found there are two kinds of people in the world, those who would like success and those who are serious about success. There really is no in between. Think about it. Everyone wants success in their life; they want to make more money, have more time, have less stress and really make their mark in the world. The people who actually do it are the people who will not accept any alternatives.
For most people, it is easier to blame circumstance, adversity, their childhood, lack of status, job, boss, family, spouse, etc. etc. for their results. For some, the source of blame is luck. “If only I were luckier”, they cry again and again, always playing victim to some unseen force. Those who have massive success, however, have decided to take full control over their lives and to be personally responsible for their results. Yes, I said, personally responsible – for the good and the bad. They recognize their errors and mistakes and revel in the glory of their wins and accomplishments.
You see, it can not be one or the other. The key to taking control of your destiny and your results is to become a person of responsibility. Meaning, you recognize in your life that you are responsible, and have always been responsible, for the outcome. In doing so, there is a tremendous amount of freedom and peace. Not only do you realize that in being responsible are you in control, but you are no longer victim to circumstance, other people or chance. You have the opportunity to create your results. Win or lose, it is completely up to you.
Napolean Hill, author of Thank and Grow Rich, ingeniously stated, “Every adversity, every failure and every headache carries with it the Seed of an equivalent or a greater Benefit.” Accepting full responsibility for our results allows us to become creative, dynamic and focused on exactly what we want, not what we don’t want. We recognize success in our failures, learn from our mistakes and move proactively on. The person who is personally responsible is solution-focused and empowered.
Consider this example. Two people both start restaurants in the same town (Owner A & Owner B). They specialize in the same type of cuisine, have equally beneficial locations and the same amount of business/restaurant experience.
After 6 months of business, Owner A & Owner B both find themselves at a crossroads. Business has not been as successful as they had hoped and both are facing dire financial situations. As a professional business consultant to meet with both owners and you have the following experience:
Owner A spends most of the meeting complaining about the stingy customers, the lack of traffic, the vendors he uses, the quality of his staff. You here is openly criticize one of his waitstaff. You can feel the stress in the air and the staff seem frustrated and nervous. Owner A goes on and on about the tradegy of his business and tells you he plans to file for bankrupcy in two months if you don’t help him. You ask Owner A for his proposed solution and he puts it on you, asking if you can save his business.
Owner B spends most of his time praising his staff and customers. The waitstaff is friendly and smiling and everyone is eager to be at the establishment. The owner tells you he recognized that, while he has a great establishment, he will require improvement to grow. He tells you he should have hired a marketing consultant in the beginning but thought he could do it on his own. He recognizes that to grow his business, he will have to bring more customers into the door and have their experience be so great they will want to come back as repeat customers. He shares his ideas with you and asks for your input, letting you know that he is committed to creating a great dining experience and a flourishing business.
After 12 months, who do you believe would still be in business and who would you be eager to assist? Obviously Owner B. Owner B realizes he has made some mistakes and he has taken full responsibility for them. By doing so, he has recognized where he can improve and has asked for your assistance for guidance and direction, rather than seeing you as the lifesaver that will keep him from drowning.
Taking control of our results is a direct result of accepting responsibility. There is power in knowing what we achieve, or don’t achieve, is a direct result of the actions we take. In this is there is freedom and the reality that we can truly achieve whatever it is we focus on. As Napolean Hill said in Think and Grow Rich, “Anything the mind of a man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.” The choice is yours.
To your success!
Shannon Lavenia
Shannon Lavenia rose from being a high school Biology teacher to being a million dollar earner in the diret sales industry in less than 2 years. She now teaches people how to be successful in home-based direct sales by following the simple system she teaches. For more information, e-mail her at unlimitedfreedom@earthlink.net or vist her site at http://www.trueprosperitynow.com
Delivery Companies Make the Grade
In the United States we have the most efficient delivery service companies in the world. This is because the free market competitive system has pushed entrepreneurs to become more efficient to make more profit and to keep costs down. More and more products are now delivered right to your door. Businesses have found efficient ways to do this and consumers are loving it.
These products come by delivery services, smart and innovative leading edge companies or those who specialize in getting it there Absolutely Positively Overnight such as FedEx Home Delivery, UPS, Emery, Airborne or regional expeditor of which you would not believe how many there are in the larger cities.
Now products can either be picked up by transporting yourself via the family mini van or SUV or by having them transported to you. There are many theories of methods which can be used to transport products to your home; some are good and some are merely wishful thinking; such as Santa Clause utilizing chimneys and roof tops. Then there are services; you might transport yourself to get a hair cut, Karate Lessons, consulting assistance, etc. using a bicycle, moped, skateboard, passenger car, taxi, bus, motorcycle, a new Segway Scooter or your feet and tennis shoes. Or you might hire a service to come wash your car; put a coating on your Deck; Clean you windows, since you don’t do windows; or have your pool cleaned, dog groomed or some much needed home repair. If a crisis emerges; God forbid you might be in need of essential or emergency services from professionals such as paramedics, firemen, animal control team, refuse collector, AAA Tow Services or police.
The efficiencies of each of these product or service delivery systems are the best in the world, thanks to the free enterprise, innovation and the entrepreneur. So, what would you like delivered today? Think about it.
“Lance Winslow” – If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
What is Entrepreneurship?
In discussing entrepreneurship and writing articles on the subject, I have found that it aids understanding when we begin by agreeing on exactly what the word means to us.
Entrepreneurship is the process of creating or seizing an opportunity, and pursuing it regardless of the resources currently controlled. The American Heritage Dictionary defines an entrepreneur to be “a person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for business ventures.”
These are rather abstract concepts for a person just beginning to consider whether they ought to start a business rather than take a job, or leave a secure job for a chance at greater self-fulfillment. Let us try to refine our understanding of entrepreneurship by asking some more specific questions.
Is everyone who runs a business an entrepreneur? Many would not consider the newspaper carrier, shoeshine person, and grass cutter entrepreneurs, though these are often the youthful pursuits of those with an entrepreneurial bent.
Does it matter whether the business is merely part-time? Whereas some part-time activities are basically hobbies, or undertaken to supplement income, some entrepreneurial ventures can be tested in the marketplace on a part-time basis.
The path to an entrepreneurial venture might begin by earning a salary in the business one expects to enter, while learning more about it, and waiting for the opportune time to go out on one’s own. This time can be used to develop a support network, professional and personal, and generating ideas to “bounce off” people whose opinion one respects.
At what scope does self-employment become a venture? The primary objective of many self-employed people is merely to employ themselves (and others if necessary) at a moderate to good salary; some are even willing to eke out a living to do what they enjoy. This approach is often referred to as a “lifestyle” business, and is generally accompanied by little, if any, plan for growth.
These questions are intended, not to develop a precise definition of entrepreneurship, but to help us understand our attitude toward its many forms of expression. We may each answer these questions differently, yet all answer appropriately within our own frame of reference.
Entrepreneurship is more an attitude than a skill or a profession. Some of us may prefer a corporate or public service career path, but many would choose an entrepreneurial opportunity that “feels right.”
Would you consider a person who inherits a business an entrepreneur? From the point of inheritance on, it is their own money and financial security at risk. They could possibly sell the business, invest the proceeds in blue-chip stocks, and live off dividends. Some might consider managing a personal stock portfolio for a living as an entrepreneurial venture.
Would a person who inherited a small or marginal business, then took it to new dimensions be considered an entrepreneur? The inheritor could have tried merely to keep it going, or even to pace the business’ decline to just carry them to retirement. In a family-held business, long-term success is often a central goal.
Are franchise owners entrepreneurs? Many feel that, for those who have access to the large up-front investment, franchises are sure things. For many, operating a franchise is similar to investing in “blue chips,” a relatively sure thing with generally unexciting returns.
John B. Vinturella, Ph.D. has almost 40 years experience as a management and strategic consultant, entrepreneur, author, and college professor. For 20 of those years, Dr. Vinturella was owner/president of a distribution company that he founded. He is a principal in business opportunity sites jbv.com and muddledconcept.com, and maintains business and political blogs.
Who is an Entrepreneur?
If you are still mystified what an entrepreneur does in his daily life, so you can continue to read. Some people say that entrepreneur is those who have great thought. Their daily life will reflect this, which they often spend time for thinking about: what the other else they can offer to the world?
The common thing, an entrepreneur is business people and at the same time they also are deal makers and idea thinkers. They have the ability to unveil new idea and change it to a good deal.
Generally, the entrepreneur doesnt focus on one business only. He will try another kind of business as his main purpose is earning profit as much as possible.
Usually some entrepreneurs’ business ideas are found in archives. That is because they keep it for future reference in the right timing. The ideas with higher market feasibility will be investigated further and he can decide to realize it and making money.
Feasibility studies are something vital for business venture. Starting from an idea, the entrepreneur can think of a product and formulates questions. Then he conducts surveys to potential customers and records all responses. The documentations can be used once he gets the capital from financial backers.
Getting Started in ECommerce ? Part Two
In Part One we talked a little bit about what Ecommerce is, getting a domain name and setting up a merchant account. Ecommerce is more than that, much more. To have a really good online presence that gets people to stop and shop you need a strategy for success. Your strategy must include your USP or Unique Selling Position in the marketplace. What makes you stand out from all the other online entrepreneurs looking for the same type of customers as you? Can you stand out from the competition based on quality, price or benefits? Once you know your USP, you can begin the monumental task of telling the world about your site. A really unique selling position will give you an advantage over all the competition ? well that and a lot of planning and investing of your time and money.
FOCUS
Emphasize the benefits and the results the customer will get from purchasing from you and using your product or service. You can discover the benefits by listing all the features and then converting them to benefits. List everything your product or service offers. For each feature list a relative advantage from the customer’s perspective. You can discover the customer’s perspectives when they buy. Simply ask them, ” Why did you place an order today or use our service?” BE very specific when creating your benefit statements. An example of this is, “You will save $100.00 sells better than “you will save money.” “You will loose 20 pounds in 10 days” sounds better than “you will loose weight.” Rank your benefits in order of importance to the customer. If you have enough of them, use bullet points for emphasis.
Emotion sells. People make most buying decisions with their heart and not their head. Paint a picture of the results the customer will get when they purchase from you. ” You will look 20 years younger.” “You will be $100 richer.”
Make sure you include a call to action. Want them to make a buying decision today? Give them a reason to do so. Offer a bribe (discount, bonus, something for nothing).
Your website must load quickly and function easily. If your site loads slowly people will get impatient and go elsewhere. Do all your links work? Have you tested your order page by running sample orders? Have you tested load time using different connection speeds? You can get a fr*ee analysis by visiting Submitplus.com.
Make your website easy to look at and read. I find dark background tend to be more difficult to read than do pale backgrounds. The overall look of your site should be clean and professional. When we were first creating the Women’s ECommerce Association, International we did everything in-house. Not being truly adept at HTML coding we thought we could just use a simple program to create a professional site. It was okay, but the one we now have is so much better. Why? Because we hired a professional. You can create a website with a good template program. We are using ECommerce Templates to create our new look for WUN Publications. It is simple to use and relatively inexpensive.
When it comes to graphics, be conservative. Sites that are laden with graphics and flash tend to take longer to load. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to do so, you will loose many visitors and potential buyers. If you must use graphics, make sure the files sizes used have been reduced as much as your image editing/compression software will allow.
View your site using as many different browsers as possible. In addition to Internet Explorer and Netscape, there is Opera, Mozilla, Lynx and those are just the ones that run on Microsoft Windows. WebMonkey has a chart of those supported by Macintosh, Unix/Linux and others. Also, many people will surf with their browser’s graphics switched off. Make sure you know what your site looks like without the graphics and that it is still easy for visitors to surf.
One last thought Make sure all your important information is above the fold. If you know that visitors are looking for something specific and you make them scroll down to find it, chances are they won’t.
Excerpted from The PMS Principles – Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business © 2005 – Heidi Richards
Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is the owner of Eden Florist & Gift Baskets and the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association, International http://www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kī) ? an Internet organization that “Helps Women Do Business on the WEB.” BASIC Membership is Free. She can be reached at http://www.HeidiRichards.com or heidi@wecai.org. You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
Book Summary: The E-Myth Revisited
Ever wonder why most small businesses– no matter how huge effort they put in their endeavor–still fail? Micheal Gerber reveals the answers in this book. Accordingly, the future of small businesses revolve in only three philosophies: the e-myth (entrepreneurial myth), the turn-key revolution, and the business development process.
The E-myth
The e-myth, or the entrepreneurial myth, evolved from one very fatal assumption– that the success of every business is simply achieved by summing up the following: an entrepreneur’s desire to own a business plus the certain amount of capital he puts in plus the knowing the amount of targeted profit.
Little did the entrepreneurs know that this assumption spell DISASTER rather than SUCCESS. Entrepreneurs need to learn to focus more on the business-the people involved in it and the phases it normally undergoes. Knowledge on these can save small businesses from experiencing entrepreneurial seizure-a stage wherein an entrepreneur goes through feeling of exhilaration, exhaustion, and despair.
Small businesses basically consist of three main characters namely: the technician (the doer and builder), the manager (the planner), and the entrepreneur (the dreamer, visionary). Moreover, small businesses have different life phases. These are: infancy (the technician’s phase); adolescence (getting some help phase); beyond the comfort zone; and, maturity and the entrepreneurial perspective.
The Turn-key Revolution
As implied by the term itself, Turn-key Revolution speaks of the distinct transformations on the way businesses are managed and should be managed. One very prominent example is the introduction of McDonalds the idea of business format franchise to the business world.
The business format franchise has set dramatic turn around on the future of small businesses. Here, the franchisor entitles the franchisee to owning rights to his entire business system. This format is anchored on the belief that the real product of a business is its sales technique rather than what it sells.
The Business Development Process
The business development process is the response to the unending dynamism of the business world. It equips the entrepreneur with the necessary tools to preempt the continuous changes happening around. The process is comprised of three elemental stages: innovation, quantification and orchestration.
The business development program requires the following aspects to be defined:
Your Primary Aim. The owner’s primary aim should center on what he really wishes, needs and wants for his life. Defining this will push the owner to pursue his defined entrepreneurial dreams.
Your Strategic Objectives. This contains standards that help the owner achieve his goals for his business. This should answer the question: What purpose will this serve my primary aim?
Your Organizational Strategy. Business owners should learn how to appreciate the value of organizational structures. Some points to consider are organizing around personalities, organizing your company, and position contract.
Your Management Strategy. As the owner you should recognize the truth that the successful implementation of a management strategy is not dependent on the people who could implement it but on the system instead.
Your People Strategy. This refers to the approach you take towards your people and their work. To make people appreciate the work they do, you should make them understand the idea behind each of their task assignments.
Your Marketing Strategy. Here is the stage where all attention suddenly shifts from owner to the customer. You set aside your personal goals first and start focusing on the customer’s needs.
Your Systems Strategy. There are three kinds of systems in a business: the hard systems, the soft systems and the information systems. The hard systems refer to all those in your business that are inanimate and has no life. The soft systems refer to all those that could be living or inanimate. The information systems are everything else in the business that provides you with data relating to how the two earlier systems interact.
About The Author
Summary By: Regine P. Azurin http://www.bizsum.com
“A Lot Of Great Books….Too Little Time To Read”
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From Cleaning Lady to Entrepreneur: How Your Cleaning Business can Benefit from the Images
Many people never consider entering the cleaning business because of the images it has.
“Be a janitor (or cleaning lady or maid)? Me? That’s too demeaning!” is a common reaction.
In the past, these jobs had very low status. Nobody with a college degree would be caught dead doing them. These ideas are slowing changing, but since the business of cleaning only has about 6% self-employed entrepreneurs, it’s still true that a lot of the jobs where you work for other people are dead-end and low-paying.
If you are thinking of starting a cleaning business, you may have felt a little uncertain about how you would explain your new activity to family and friends. What would your sometimes-too-blunt friends say? How much teasing would you have to endure?
It’s been said that every negative has the seeds of a positive in it, and that’s certainly true here. Fear of what other people will think means that a lot of people never will never consider the opportunities here… and you can laugh all the way to the bank!
Today’s self-employed cleaning business owners are entrepreneurs. That’s just a fancy way of saying that they have a lot of freedom to create a business that makes an excellent profit, working hours they set. They can choose their clients.
Rosana Hart offers business and other information at her site http://www.infoandhelp.com
