Imposter syndrome. Self doubt. The urge to give up. You’ve likely experienced these feelings at some point. If you’re lucky, you’re surrounded by people who affirm your talents at work. But what if you’re a company of one? 

Natalie Gill started her fresh flower business from her apartment, relying on savings to bridge the gap after quitting her full-time job. She survived on little sleep and, at times, an $11 per week food budget. But she persevered through the toughest points of her journey to build Native Poppy, a successful multi-location retail business. 

There’s no question that Natalie is an entrepreneur today, but maybe she’s always merited that title. Entrepreneurial mindset is achievable even before you launch your own business. And it’s the first step on the way to success.

What makes a person an entrepreneur? Ahead, explore the meaning of entrepreneurship, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, and how you can leverage your unique strengths to establish your own path to being a boss.

What is an entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur is, by conventional definition, someone who starts and runs a business, maybe taking on financial or personal risk in the process. But this description of an entrepreneur ignores the more nuanced aspects—the passion, the grit, the desire to bring ideas to life, the drive to solve a problem.

Over time, the creator economy and the gig economy have helped to broaden the scope of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Maybe you’re assembling furniture, designing merch for a local band in your studio apartment, or monetizing your massive TikTok audience. Whatever the approach, you’re working for yourself and taking your future into your own hands. 

The future of entrepreneurship

Small businesses struggled in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 3.3 million entrepreneurs in the US shutting their doors between February and April 2020. Yet entrepreneurship also offered a path for those looking to supplement loss of work, combat isolation or boredom, or react to opportunities created by changing consumer trends.

While business as a whole shrunk during this time, entrepreneurial spirit surged. And our definition of “entrepreneur” changed forever. 

6 reasons to become an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is viewed by many as a preferable option to working for another company. While it often requires hard work, a certain amount of risk, and forgoing a steady paycheck, many find success in pursuing a passion or a world-changing idea.

1. Develop your skills

Entrepreneurs often start solo, meaning they manage every aspect of their business. Starting a business is a crash course in marketing, product development, customer service, web design, and more. The experiences in the first few months and years of running a business are priceless—and portable.

2. Build a business around a desired lifestyle

Business coach Nora Rahimian reminds her clients to build entrepreneurship around the life they want, rather than the other way around. One of the main benefits to starting a business is the flexibility it offers around working hours. “I can work at four in the morning. I take my dog to the park in the middle of the day. I can be responsive to what my brain needs from me,” she says.

Love to travel? Start a seasonal business that lets you take months off at a time. Have a family? Set your work hours around your kids’ baseball games and spring break.

3. Generate a sustainable income

The early stages of running a business may result in mixed success, but pushing through is a great way to build sustainable and a self-reliant income source long term. This is especially true for those slowly building a business on the side as they transition out of full-time work. Diversifying income is a central pillar of the FIRE movement, a popular saving and investing strategy for financial independence. 

4. Be your own boss

Getting a seat at the table can be tough in a corporate environment, but as your own boss, you call the shots. Those with leadership skills and strong opinions thrive as heads of their own companies. Entrepreneurship gives you the freedom to build the company, products, and team culture you want. 

5. Positively impact your community 

Entrepreneurship drives job creation and economic growth in communities, and the success of one business can have a ripple effect to others in the area. Studies show that for every $100 spent at small retail businesses, $63 is circulated back into the local economy (versus $14 for multinational chains). Promoting economic development through running a successful business helps others achieve the same.

6. Promote social change

As consumer trends skew more and more toward support for sustainable business practices, small businesses are in a better position to get on the right side of history. Startups are nimble enough to make ethical and sustainable choices from the get-go. History shows that entrepreneurs create change because they are seen as leaders in their communities.

What are the personality traits of an entrepreneur?

While there are certain traits that are common to many successful entrepreneurs, no two are created equal. Every personality type demonstrates strength in specific areas, each with a unique superpower that defines how they run and think about their businesses.

Entrepreneur mindset is a combination of beliefs, knowledge, and a way of thinking that allows you to approach challenges, act on ideas, and balance risk. It can be achieved regardless of your innate strengths. Personal growth exercises and trial and error will help build your entrepreneur muscle. 

🏆 Top entrepreneur traits include:

• Risk tolerance
• Passion
• Vision
• Discipline
• Self reliance

Other helpful traits for entrepreneurs include perseverance, versatility, ambition, critical thinking, and attention to detail. Chances are you possess some of these qualities. Lean into the ones that make you unique. 

Maybe you’re risk averse but have excellent discipline and attention to detail—your strength will lie in building a steady business with a solid safety net. Or maybe you’re not overly disciplined or focused on detail but you’re bursting with passion and vision—you’d make a great leader, bringing on skilled partners attracted to your ideas and enthusiasm.

How do you become an entrepreneur?

Simple: just start. There’s no test to become an entrepreneur. No required degree or years of work experience. Many entrepreneurs forgo formal education, learning managerial skills and other essentials by trial and error. Focus on your best entrepreneur trait and take your business idea to the streets.

First steps to starting a business 

1. Find—and validate—an idea
2. Narrow in on your target audience
3. Build a memorable brand
4. Launch your business
5. Drive traffic and sales through marketing

Best case scenario? You build a life on your terms. If you fail, you’ll dust yourself off and, armed with experience and thicker skin, try again.

Entrepreneurship ideas for aspiring founders

Many entrepreneurs get their start by transforming a hobby or interest into their own business. Others stumble upon new ideas. And some are just born with it—an entrepreneurial mindset that drives them to solve the particular challenges of business ownership.

Would-be entrepreneurs can approach small business ownership in a number of ways. Ahead are a few ideas to get started. 

Jump at the opportunity to invent something new

Opportunities are everywhere. Many new businesses are born from an idea sprung from the chance to do something completely new or put a creative spin on a classic. Look for opportunities in your daily life. How can you solve a common problem? Can you develop a product to simplify a task? Is there an underserved audience in a particular market? 

Monetize your craft or passion

One of the most common inroads for aspiring entrepreneurs is focusing on what you do best, and building it slowly. You already understand the craft and the community that surrounds it—now turn it into a successful business venture. Consider how you might improve processes and scale handmade production. Think about the needs of your community and the problems you can solve.

Build an audience first, then become an entrepreneur

If you thrive in the company of people, start there. Use your natural people skills to build a following around your personal brand, grow an audience, and then monetize it. The growing creator economy has opportunities for charismatic young entrepreneurs to find niche audiences for content creation. Start a YouTube channel for craft tutorials, launch a comedy account on TikTok, or do beauty unboxings and reviews on Instagram. Monetize by selling merch or paid content to your loyal fans.

Build a business around a cause

If anything is going to tip you into the entrepreneurial pool, it’s your passion. Are there social or environmental causes that inspire you? There may be government programs or grants for a new business owner pursuing social entrepreneurship or launching sustainability initiatives. 

Ready to start your own business?

What is an entrepreneur? It’s someone who makes the leap, takes a chance on a dream, and connects an innovative idea with a hungry audience. Could that someone be you? Successful entrepreneurs everywhere have started small businesses from a room in an apartment or with no startup money. Start small, think big. This is the first step in your entrepreneurial journey.

Wrapping up:

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

This article partly refers to: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/za/resources/funding/south-african-female-entrepreneurs/

Look at any high-performing business and you’re likely to notice some patterns. More often than not, a successful business has a good product, provides great service and even has an incredible team.

But while there are many factors that influence the success of a business, success often comes down to a particular mindset and approach to business and life.

Having an entrepreneurial mindset can often be the difference between long-term success and struggling to turn your idea into reality.

In this guide, we’ll show you the keys to developing an entrepreneurial mindset, and more importantly, an entrepreneurial spirit, to increase your chances of success by learning from some of the best entrepreneurs.

What is the entrepreneurial mindset?

An entrepreneurial mindset is an attitude that allows you to think long term and to push through all the obstacles and challenges that come with starting a business. It means being open-minded, critical and resilient when times get tough. It means looking for solutions rather than problems. Best of all, you don’t need to go to Harvard Business School to develop it.

Starting a business is incredibly hard. Many businesses fail. Entrepreneurs need to be comfortable with failure and be able to overcome self-doubt. Not all the bold plans we make will turn out to be million-dollar ideas.

Why do people become entrepreneurs?

What type of entrepreneur are you? Every entrepreneur has a different starting story. But there are three common reasons why people leave a salaried job to start their own business.

Freedom and flexibility

What type of entrepreneur are you? Every entrepreneur has a different starting story. But there are three common reasons why people leave a salaried job to start their own business.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs see creating a business as freedom: their gateway to working their own hours, saying no to an annoying boss, and having the flexibility to work on projects they enjoy. You don’t always get that in a full-time job.

Goals and ambitions

Look at successful entrepreneurs and you’ll see they have a fire in their belly. Each person has goals and ambitions they want to achieve—anything from earning six figures a year to changing the world. Their business is often the vehicle that helps them get there. 

It’s this personal satisfaction (or lack thereof) that nudges people into entrepreneurship. Ash Read, founder of Living Cozy, says he became an entrepreneur “to prove to myself I could build something from zero. After working for established brands, I needed to show I could do it on my own.” Self education matters.

Welljourn’s founder Becky Brown says, “For years, I was completely fine working full-time and earning a steady paycheck, but eventually, I realized that I had to strive for more in order to achieve personal happiness and inner satisfaction. 

Inventions

Not all entrepreneurs respond with “I want to own a business!” when asked what they’d like to do in the future. In fact, some people think of themselves as the complete opposite—yet still end up creating successful businesses (or appearing on Shark Tank).

Take Kirby Kendall, the founder of SafetyChew, who kept an inventor’s notebook filled with crazy things as a child: “My goal was to invent something and have a company license it, and I just sit back and cash the checks.”

Nature vs. nurture: are we born entrepreneurs?

Not all business owners consider themselves to be entrepreneurs. Maybe they fell into it, creating something they wanted the world to see and a business was the only way to do that.

But some small business owners believe they’re born with entrepreneurial thinking, like Jodie Kieliszewski, founder of Bee Lovely Botanicals. Her family has a history of entrepreneurship, with both Jodie’s parents, grandparents, and sister starting businesses: “I believe that the entrepreneurial mindset is more the type of thing that someone is born with, but obviously it is a skill that can be sharpened or dulled with use.

“We were raised to spot opportunities and resources to make things better. For me, I feel like it’s just something in my DNA, but in order to be successful, I need to practice and sharpen it as a skill.”

Anyone can learn the art and skill of sales, marketing, and promotion—all of which are crucial to a business. Not everyone can succeed as an entrepreneur. People either have or do not have that innate desire to succeed and the mindset to sacrifice, be uncomfortable, and make tough decisions on a daily basis. The likelihood of success depends on the character and makeup of an individual versus someone who simply has skills but lacks intrinsic fire in their belly.Magda Khalifa, founder of Triangle Fragrance

Whether you’re on either side of the nature versus nurture debate, not everyone has an equal start in the entrepreneurship race. Many of us are given the upper hand by the circumstances we’re born into. People find it easier to become an entrepreneur if they have the background, upbringing, formal education, opportunities, and financial freedom to do so. 

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor also found certain elements “directly [influence] the existence of entrepreneurial opportunities.” The biggest driver? Cultural and social norms, indicating those who’ve grown up in a circle of other entrepreneurs are likely to become one themselves.

All of this isn’t to say you can’t develop an entrepreneurial mindset if you’re not coming from a background of privilege. It definitely is possible—it just takes a little more work.

I think you definitely have to have a certain type of personality to be a good entrepreneur. You have to be highly self-motivated, driven, persistent, and a bit of an overachiever. However, there are several skills that you can develop that will help you, including learning the ins and outs of how to build a business, understanding opportunity costs, developing relationships, and keeping up with industry trends.Ashley Cummings, freelance writer

How to develop an entrepreneurial mindset?

Not everyone is born with the natural drive to run a business, but anyone can become a business owner with the right mindset.

Here’s how to develop the most important entrepreneurial skills.

Build resilience.

Not all business ideas will end up succeeding. Business failure is part of any entrepreneur’s life. There are tons of elements in both marketing and business plans that determine whether an idea becomes a successful venture. 

That’s why keeping the will and determination to make your new business venture a success is crucial. Resilience—the ability to recover from less-than-ideal situations—is the difference between people who have an entrepreneurial mindset and those who don’t. 

“Entrepreneurs see losing as not only a part of the process, but essential to it,” says Yuvi Alpert, founder and creative director at Noémie. “For them, the only way to streamline a business to make it as productive as possible is by understanding where the problems are, which requires experiencing loss.

“By having this mindset, a successful entrepreneur can get past the fear that holds many aspiring business people back, and opens their minds up to all possibilities.”

An entrepreneurial mindset is having the ability to make the most out of opportunities that come your way. You know how to overcome and learn from setbacks, as well as how to excel in a variety of settings.Jean Gregoire, CEO of Lovebox

Building resilience and adaptability as an entrepreneur is something you can only do with practice. Roll your sleeves up and follow your business plan. Produce the best version of a product. Do everything you can to spread the word. But know that plans aren’t foolproof; even the most watertight business plans can go wrong. That’s where your problem-solving skills are sharpened. 

Where others see problems and challenges and then complain, entrepreneurs see opportunities and think of solutions.Aaron Powell, founder and CEO of Bunch Bikes

​​Question everything.

People with an entrepreneurial mindset are curious. They don’t take things at face value; they question why things happen so they can set themselves up for entrepreneurial success.

“The entrepreneurial mindset is all about questioning the world around you and working creatively to improve that world,” says Ethan Goldstein, CEO of Curist. “Constantly asking questions about why things are done the way they are and then positing and executing on new ways to accomplish a goal.”

Ethan recommends developing this mindset by questioning the world around you:

• Weigh the pros versus the cons. Say you’re looking for help to manufacture your new curling iron. Instead of getting quotes from one manufacturer, weigh the pros and cons of local versus international vendors. US manufacturers might be able to ship your product quicker than a European manufacturer, for example—but you’ll pay for that with higher production costs.
• Know when to be aggressive versus restrained. This is especially true with marketing and advertising. The world is your oyster; social media platforms are ready to take your money in exchange for lending their audience. “Does our audience use this platform?” and “Could we get this advertising slot cheaper elsewhere?” are just two of the questions running through the brain of someone with an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Learn when to go with your gut versus examining data. Business executives are more likely to rely on their intuition than the general public. Entrepreneurs who had a gut feeling that TikTok would become popular, for example, are winning today because they started using the platform early.

“I think some of the important internal skills include how to emotionally and mentally run a startup,” Ethan says. Most importantly, that includes “how to manage and plan for the constant uncertainty of running a startup and the potential for anxiety therein, balancing ongoing failure and success.”

Get out of your comfort zone.

Great things rarely happen in your comfort zone. When starting a new venture, it’s this drive to try new things that helps people to turn shower thoughts into successful brands. They have the confidence to try things others haven’t.

Take Rick Elmore, founder and CEO of Simply Noted, who started his career as a football player: “Throughout my sports and entrepreneurial career, I have always pushed myself outside of my comfort zone in order to become better at what I do. This includes learning about and building from scratch the technology that is the basis of my business.

“It can be an uncomfortable process,” Rick says, “but in the end, this strategy results in finding new perspectives, discovering new solutions, and meeting new people who can bring new opportunities.” 

No matter how uncomfortable it may feel, develop an entrepreneurial mindset by trying new things. A new social media platform on the market? Spend a few hours each week to see how things pan out. A hunch that your product could be made cheaper by using different materials? Have a small production run and see if quality suffers. 

The beauty of a comfort zone is that the more you push it, the wider it gets. Entrepreneurs often look back at big decisions that felt scary at the time, only to recognize they’re now doing things they could only dream of. Their comfort zone expanded as their business did.

Entrepreneurs are creators, problem solvers, and innovators. They see possibilities where others see limitations. To be an entrepreneur, you must be willing to take risks and do what it takes to make your vision a reality.Darren Litt, co-founder of Hiya Health

Take responsibility for mistakes.

Unfortunately, not all of the business decisions you make will pay off. That won’t always be your fault. Vendors can fall through on their promises, shipping carriers lose parcels in transit, you name it. 

Alongside resilience and the drive to solve problems, taking responsibility for those mistakes is what sets entrepreneurs apart. 

“To me, the factor that truly defines an entrepreneurial mindset is the refusal to make or accept excuses,” says Mitchell H. Stern, founder of Side Hustle Tips. “Taking ultimate responsibility for everything that happens under the roof of a business is what separates real entrepreneurs from the amateurs, because it’s not an easy thing to do. It’s much easier to blame and castigate others when things go wrong, but it’s also a recipe for disaster.”

Mitchell says, “When I came to the realization that everything was my fault, I developed a new sense of empowerment that enabled me to apply a more proactive approach to all of my business operations. The results were immediate and lasting, and it’s a lesson I continue to preach to this day.”

Individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset are able to adjust quickly and adapt when circumstances change, are highly intuitive, and rarely shy away from following their gut instincts. They are also decisive, and hold themselves accountable for the outcomes of their actions.Patrick Crane, CEO of Love Sew

Strive for constant improvement.

Gymshark, Harper Wilde, Allbirds—they’re three huge businesses that got their success within the past decade. They have one thing in common: the desire to create the best quality products in their industry.

Take Gymshark, for example. Part of its success comes from its commitment to always produce the best quality apparel. One of its core values is progression: “To remain at the forefront of both, we need to be fearlessly progressive and consistently future-conscious.”

“Having an entrepreneurial mindset means that you have a natural [affinity] to learn and make your trade better,” says Marie Jones, the founder of Organic Aromas. 

“You can have many skills and lack the all-consuming passion to break the barriers. Today, the company makes seven figures worldwide, and I believe it’s because of the relentless mindset that always seeks to do more and to do better.”

Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs.

Earlier, we mentioned that research shows people are more likely to become entrepreneurs if they’re surrounded by them. It’s easier to spot business opportunities when you’ve been raised by other people who do. 

Put this into practice by surrounding yourself with other people with the entrepreneurial mindset. This doesn’t have to be your circle of friends. You can make friends with other business owners through:

• Local business events. The US Chamber of Commerce hosts regular networking events for small business owners. You’ll also find independent events on sites like Meetup and Eventbrite.
• Conferences. Scan the Conference Index to find events and tradeshows happening in your industry. Make an effort to network with people while you’re there.
• Online forums. Connect with global entrepreneurs through Slack communities, Facebook groups, and Reddit’s /r/entrepreneur forum.

Not found your million-dollar idea yet but want to get first-hand experience? Find an entrepreneur you admire and ask to shadow them. Having them as your mentor will help you understand their mindset and thought processes. When inspiration does strike, you’ll have the new skills to turn it into a successful business.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is a motto many entrepreneurs credit their success to. Not only will the entrepreneurial mindset of others rub off onto you, but you’ll have a network of friends willing to help you out when things get tough.

Aligning with like-minded peers allows you to share tricks, tips, and even leads. If that’s not enough, leveraging the influence of other reputable businesses will boost your clout and can help position you as an expert.Sigute Zitikyte, Personal Branding Coach, and former Senior Partnerships Manager at Shopify

The first step to developing the right mindset is deciding to become an entrepreneur.

Some people find the foray into entrepreneurship easier than others. Privilege, your upbringing, and being surrounded by entrepreneurs from a young age all influence your likelihood of business success.

Don’t use that as an excuse to wipe “Become an entrepreneur” off your bucket list. You can develop the same entrepreneurial mindset some people say they’re born with by second-guessing everything, getting out of your comfort zone, and always striving for improvement. 

“The entrepreneurial mindset is first and foremost about self-belief and confidence,” ViscoSoft’s CEO Gabriel Dungan summarizes. “No matter what industry your business falls under, having confidence in both yourself and your company is integral to success and overall longevity.”

Don’t let your excuses and fears stop you from giving entrepreneurship a try.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

This article partly refers to:  https://www.shopify.com/uk/blog/entrepreneurial-mindset

We’re sure that you’ve made decisions regarding your personal New Year’s resolutions, but have you taken the time to contemplate what resolutions are best suited for your business in 2023?

The new year is settling in and with a new year comes new goals. We’re sure that you’ve made decisions regarding your personal New Year’s resolutions, but have you taken the time to contemplate what resolutions are best suited for your business in 2023? The last few years have been a whirlwind, especially for businesses that felt the pressure to turn to digital due to the pandemic. Those that set business resolutions for the last few years are likely to have shifted their views and altered their goals along the way to meet the demands of the 2022 online consumer. In 2023, it’s time for businesses to intensify this online strategy by setting themselves up for success with carefully constructed New Year’s resolutions. Not sure where to start? Lucky for you, we’ve got a few pointers that will help you out.

1. Set realistic goals

As a general foundation for your New Year’s resolutions, your business needs to set realistic goals. There is no harm in setting a few ambitious goals because this is a great way to motivate employees; however, sometimes it’s effective to be a bit more realistic. Instead of setting ridiculously over-the-top goals, try to find a middle ground – something that pushes your team to perform but is still manageable and achievable. If you are struggling to think of goals, ask yourself what you can and hope to accomplish in the year that follows, and develop goals around that. These reasonable achievements can also be spread out over each quarter to ensure continuous progress while also making goal tracking easier. The purpose of these goals is to give your business direction and, to ensure that you are on track, it is essential to monitor them. This brings us to point number 2 …

2. Improve organisational processes

We’re not just talking about general improvements, we’re talking about the appropriate use of automation to enhance your internal processes. Taking the recent global digital changes into account; in 2023, it’s important for business owners to consider cyber solutions when mulling over their resolutions. Reduce the risks of manual errors with digital solutions by removing the need for paper-based procedures. Technology simplifies business operations by providing an automated means of managing inventory, monitoring targets, and even conducting secure onboarding. Implementing software such as Identity Verification Services (IVS) and Bank Account Verification Services (AVS) will provide businesses with a secure and efficient approach to client relations. These two digital solutions offer a quick way for businesses to authenticate client identities and banking details, ensuring that the business remains KYC compliant while also reducing its risk of fraud exposure.

3. Boost your fraud defences

The growth of your business in the next year relies on the achievement of the goals that you set for yourself now. When you create this room for growth, you also expose your business to a higher risk of fraud. This means that you need to set an additional New Year’s resolution to strengthen your fraud defences. As we indicated above, introducing digital solutions like IVS and AVS into your business is a fantastic preventative measure against acts of fraud. Not only does this software provide an instant and effective way to verify the personal details of your customers, but it also reduces the opportunity for fraudsters to slip through the cracks and make their way into your business system. Using this software, you can confidently onboard the right customers.

4. Onboard the right customers

Onboarding customers and onboarding the right customers are two very different actions. It’s easy to allow a customer to sign a contract or purchase an item on credit, but it’s not as easy to ensure that your customer is reliable – unless you have safeguarded your business with effective security measures. If onboarding the right customers is your goal, then seeking out services such as credit checks and bank statement services is a must. These digital solutions give businesses the opportunity to look into their clients’ payment patterns to identify whether or not they are likely to make payments each month. Implementing digital bank statement services will allow your business to receive statements directly from the bank in an instant. This direct service reduces the risk of document fraud and improves the customer vetting process while allowing businesses to remain POPI compliant. Credit Score services can also be used to vet customers and ensure that they maintain good accounts with your business. Using bureau data, these services give businesses the resources to effectively manage their fraud risks by assessing customer credentials and deterring fraudsters.

5. Stop doing what’s not working, and move on!

Finally, we want you to have a look at all of your past resolutions and general business activities, specifically paying attention to everything that didn’t work. Maybe it was your manual processes, or maybe your digital processes weren’t as sophisticated as they could have been. Either way, you need to take a look at those downfalls and think of a way to improve on them. As an example, if you have successfully onboarded customers, but are struggling with successful debit order collections, it’s time to move on from your regular debit order process and implement Strike Date Optimisation (SDO). This unique service provides businesses with the three dates that clients are most likely to have funds in their accounts. This minimises the risk of failed collections and improves regular debiting processes in just a few simple steps.

While some may not see the value of a New Year’s resolution, choosing the right one can make all the difference. Slowly execute your resolutions over the course of this year to refine your business operations by improving customer experiences and enhancing your security.

Are digital solutions a part of your New Year’s resolution?

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

This article partly refers to: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/836/234955.html

TED is a series of conferences that present “Ideas Worth Spreading” that has garnered recognition around the world. 

A large number of Nobel Prize winners have presented at TED, including Elon Musk, Jane Goodall, and Larry Page. Many of the presentations, known as TED Talks, present ideas that are particularly valuable to entrepreneurs. 

Need a bit of inspiration? Discover 14 TED Talks for becoming a successful entrepreneur. 

14 Most Inspiring TED Talks for Entrepreneurs

1. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Simon Sinek is an author, motivational speaker, and strategic communications professor at Columbia University. Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership that starts with his famous “golden circle of motivation” and the question “Why?” 

If you like Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, you should also check out his popular blog, Re:Focus, which is regularly updated with fascinating articles that will help entrepreneurs build businesses. Also check out his book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.

2. Elizabeth Gilbert: Success, failure and the drive to keep creating

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love. In her TED Talk, she explains that both great success and failure are seen as the same in our minds and vault us into an area of discomfort. However, she then tells us the solution is to find your home.

“Your home is that thing to which you can dedicate your energies to such singular devotion that the ultimate results become inconsequential.”

Meaning, success, and failure will all throw you for a loop. But if you focus on what you love, you won’t lose your way. What that means for small business owners and business leaders is that you can weather the storms of success and failure by getting back to the thing you love—the reason you started your business in the first place—and find your home.

3. Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread

Be remarkable. Safe is risky. Being very good is one of the worst things you can do. Everyone has heard the expression “The best thing since sliced bread,” but did you know that for 15 years after sliced bread was invented, it wasn’t popular? The success of sliced bread, like the success of anything, was less about the product and more about whether or not you could get your idea to spread.

Marketing expert and author Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones. Godin has published almost a dozen bestselling books, some of the most popular being: 

• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
• All Marketers Are Liars
• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
• Poke the Box

4. Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability

Dr. Brené Brown is a professor, lecturer, author, researcher, and podcast host. In her TEDx Talk, she explains that in her years of research, she has found the courage to be vulnerable and knowing that you are enough are the keys to happiness and being successful.

Vulnerability is seen as a weakness in the business world, but Brown explains that vulnerability is the “birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love.” If you want to check out more of what Dr. Brown has to say about how vulnerability can make you successful, you can read her book, Daring Greatly.

5. Bill Gross: The single biggest reason why start-ups succeed

Bill Gross is the founder of Idealab, a well-known incubator of new inventions, ideas, and businesses. According to Gross, the single factor that has the most effect on whether a startup succeeds is timing. It accounted for a 42% difference between success and failure in the startups Idealab helped get off the ground. 

Gross cites a great example of this when he mentions a video streaming company Idealab supported, called Z.com. It was a great idea, and had excellent funding and a great business model, but in 1999, the time the company launched, it was still too hard to watch videos online. Z.com went out of business in 2003. In 2005, after Adobe Flash allowed the world to watch videos online more easily, YouTube appeared. 

6. Amy Cuddy: Your body language may shape who you are

Fake it until you become it. That’s the lesson social psychologist Amy Cuddy imparts to the audience of her TED Talk. Through lab experiments and her own life experience, Cuddy explains how power posing can physiologically change your mind, your behavior, and your life. 

Cuddy says that body language doesn’t just change the way that others see you—it also changes how you see yourself. Her research shows that if you use a power pose for two minutes before a stressful job interview or presentation, it can change the testosterone and cortisol levels in your brain and make you perform better. 

If you’d like to learn more about how your body language can change your life, you can read her book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges.

7. Bel Pesce: 5 ways to kill your dreams 

Link: https://embed.ted.com/talks/lang/en/bel_pesce_5_ways_to_kill_your_dreams

Bel Pesce is a Brazilian entrepreneur, author, and lecturer. After graduating from MIT and a successful run in Silicon Valley, Pesce returned to Brazil so she could help people become better entrepreneurs. In her TED Talk, she goes over the five things that successful people do not think or do. 

She explains things like the idea of overnight success—“Your overnight success story is always a result of everything you’ve done in your life through that moment.”—and that the journey to your dream is as important as the dream itself: “Achieving a dream is a momentary sensation, and your life is not. The only way to really achieve all of your dreams is to fully enjoy every step of your journey.” 

8. David S. Rose: How to pitch to a VC

David S. Rose is a serial entrepreneur and investor, so he’s been on both sides of the table during pitch meetings. His TED Talk is about how you can create effective VC pitch packages to venture capitalists so you can get funding for your own businesses. 

Rose gets straight to the point and goes through practical and logistical details that should be included in every VC pitch package. He covers:

• How many seconds you have to catch an investor’s attention
• The 10 characteristics you need to showcase in your pitch
• How long your pitch should be
• How you should structure your pitch
• The tools you should get for your presentation (i.e., what software should you use, remotes, etc.)

If you’d like to learn more about how you can be a more effective presenter in investment meetings, you can pick up his book, Angel Investing.

9. Regina Hartley: Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume 

The perfect résumé doesn’t mean that a candidate is perfect for the job. Regina Hartley expresses this point by presenting the résumé of a candidate who was given up for adoption, had dyslexia, never finished college, job hopped for a while, and then went to live in India for a year. Who was the candidate? Steve Jobs. 

Hartley is a human resources expert and presents her ideas of the silver spoon candidate and the scrapper in her TED Talk. Through her research and experience, she highlights the idea of post-traumatic growth and how it makes scrappers put forth better work. And that in the end, whatever is on their résumé, if you give them the opportunity, people with passion and grit will amaze you.

10. Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work

In this TED Talk, Shawn Achor humorously explains that you can train your brain to be more positive. He shares the importance of positive thinking to your success and happiness. Citing various research, he shows your brain, when positive, is 31% more productive than when it is not. 

Achor is a psychologist and CEO of Good Think Inc. If you want to learn more about the power of positive thinking and how you can train your brain, check out his books Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being,and The Happiness Advantage.

11. Julissa Prado: 3 rules to help you build a successful business

Julisa Prado quit her corporate job and founded Rizos Curls—one of the first Latina-owned hair care brands aimed at celebrating natural hair. In this TED Talk, she goes over her three rules for building a successful business.

Her strategies center around using your small business stature as a strength, knowing who you are, and trusting yourself. Prado uses a great anecdote about how Rizos Curls entered a major retailer for the first time. 

As a self-owned, self-funded small business, she decided to break some rules when marketing the launch. Instead of using traditional business wisdom and investing a huge amount of marketing dollars, she hired a mariachi band, rode to the store on a horse, and put the whole thing on TikTok for less than $1,000.

12. Tracy Young: How vulnerability makes you a better leader

In this TED Talk, Tracy Young shares how her inability to be her full self stunted her own personal growth, as well as the growth of her company. She openly shares her experiences as a woman CEO and how she felt pressure to hide her womanhood. Young even recounts how she had a miscarriage at the office and simply went back to work right after, pretending that nothing happened, because she didn’t want to be seen as weak or vulnerable.

Then, Young explains how when she dared to be her full self and asked her team for help, it changed everything. The entire team pulled together and they were able to increase their revenue growth and get them from a startup to a medium-sized business. And it also changed the culture of the company for the better. 

13. Leticia Gasca: Don’t fail fast—fail mindfully

“In premodern Italy, failed business owners with outstanding debts were taken totally naked to the public square, where they had to bang their butts against a special stone while a crowd jeered at them.” This is the visual Leticia Gasca gives at the beginning of her TED Talk. She uses it to explain that excessive punishment for failures stifles innovation and business creation. 

Gasca is the co-founder of the movement Fuckup Nights and the Executive Director of Failure Institute. Her premise is that the business mantra should change from “fail fast” to “fail mindfully.” 

She explains that:

• You shouldn’t be ashamed of your failures. Failure is essential to growth. 
• You should be aware of the impact and consequences of the failure of your business. Remember you have employees that are now out of a job, and suppliers and investors who may have been depending on you.
• You should learn from your failures. 
• You should know that you are responsible for sharing these lessons with the world. 

14. Sangu Delle: There’s no shame in taking care of your mental health

Sangu Delle is an entrepreneur and clean water activist from Ghana. The message of his TED Talk is simple: take care of your mental health. Delle talks through his journey of dealing with his own bias that men shouldn’t worry about their mental health. He discusses how he learned to deal with anxiety in a world that doesn’t value emotions. 

What is TED Talks FAQ

What is the purpose of TED talks?

The purpose of TED talks is to spread ideas. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and the talks seek to promote and share knowledge and inspire action on a wide variety of topics. TED talks are usually informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring.

What are TED talks mainly about?

TED talks mainly focus on ideas worth spreading in the areas of technology, entertainment, and design (TED). They cover a wide range of topics, from science to business to global issues. TED talks are meant to inform, inspire, and motivate audiences with powerful stories and innovative thinking.

What does TED stand for?

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design.

What is a TED and how does it work?

TED is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. It is a nonprofit organization that has become famous for its conference series, TED Talks. TED Talks are short, powerful talks of 18 minutes or less, which are given by leading experts in the fields of technology, entertainment, and design. The talks are shared online and are available to anyone, free of charge. TED Talks are designed to inspire and inform, and have become a popular source of knowledge and motivation for people around the world.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

This article partly refers to: https://www.shopify.com/blog/6553665-12-must-watch-ted-talks-for-entrepreneurs

The last few years have seen a sustained growth in the adoption of e-commerce. This has brought about a lot of changes in the industry – and there are many more to come.

Frederik Zietsman, chief executive officer, of Takealot.com.

Heightened consumer expectations – on all fronts

People don’t distinguish between different digital experiences, which means they expect the same experience no matter where they are spending their hard-earned rands. As more players enter the digital economy, e-commerce providers must step up to meet expectations that have undergone seismic changes. Across all touchpoints and digital channels, customers expect proactive service, personalised interactions, and seamless, seamless experiences.

This will extend to shipping too. With the maturation of e-commerce, customers will expect better, cheaper, faster and more transparent delivery, something we already see playing out. They seek a rapid response, especially considering that next-day delivery has now been expedited to next-hour delivery in some cases – think grocery delivery providers. This greater demand is positive for industry players who can meet expectations as it will drive innovation and ultimately, higher adoption.

People also expect to discover products more easily, and this is where hyper-personalisation innovation comes into play.

Shoppers want to feel special, personally catered to, seen and heard, and recognised and rewarded. Personalisation has elevated the shopping experience – and the customer expectation.

While the South African market is still finding its niche in creating custom and targeted experiences through the use of data, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation, heightened customer experience is a pivotal trend going forward and simply cannot be ignored.

Broader product categories

When e-commerce first entered the country, the market predominantly sold consumer electronics and books. But over time, as businesses have matured, consumers are looking for a far broader range of categories including appliances, consumable categories, lifestyle products, and clothing, among others.

It is estimated that 86% of shoppers say product selection/variety is important to them when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from. Since the market is so crowded with other retailers, it is crucial that those who want to stay ahead of the curve carry an assortment of products that broaden categories so that they’re optimised to compete with other businesses.

As for the popularity of certain product categories, it is also important to monitor what buying trends are emerging as a result of lifestyle influences. Take for example load shedding. As uncertainty around capacity and stages increase, so are more people shopping for items to combat that uncertainty. Consumers are flocking to purchase backup batteries, inverters, UPS devices and generators, with one retailer reporting a 27% jump in sales over the 2022 period.

Retailers must increasingly broaden their categories to cater to the demands of a market looking for on-point variety in 2023.

Recession proof?

As macroeconomic pressure continues into next year, together with low consumer confidence and less discretionary income, people will be looking for value across categories. For retailers, this will see a trend of customers buying down into second or third-tier brands in an attempt to stretch their spend without having to make large lifestyle changes. If they can get the same product from a different brand at a lower price, they will.

Globally, e-commerce has been viewed as a recession-proof channel, as the majority of growth comes from consumers switching channels. And while I think this is true to an extent, we will continue to see the effects of more frugal spending. This means affordability will be one of the most important factors that consumers consider when deciding which products to buy, and which brands to stay loyal to.

Buy now pay later arrangements as well as other alternative payment mechanisms will also likely become more prominent in response to consumer needs.

Rather than see this as a threat to business, e-commerce should see this trend as an invitation to remain relevant. We should be asking ourselves: how do we continue to add value to our customers and retain their business?

Enabling smaller businesses

Something that is fundamental to the continued existence of e-commerce is that we continue to play our part as enablers of small businesses. This is a strong global trend and reflects one of the greatest strengths of e-commerce: democratising access to markets. This enablement will only grow over time and become something society expects from the market as consumers become more conscious of the impact of their purchasing decisions.

In a South African context, this trend is not one to simply watch.

Enabling small business enables our economy, which directly impacts our country’s growth potential.

Responsible retailers must jump firmly onto this bandwagon to continue to strengthen our economy in 2023.

Growth of ecosystem

South African e-commerce and its support structures are still in their infancy and remain underdeveloped. I believe this is set to change with the accelerated development of these ecosystems. By that, I’m referring to practical things such as delivery capability, with more platforms emerging that aggregate this service to expedite delivery.

We’ll also see more ‘super-apps’ starting to emerge. This will see banking apps take on more retail functions and vice versa as the division between verticals blur and fragment. Whether these app functions will be able to scale and allow for a good customer experience remains to be seen.

Social commerce, and live shopping, is also set to grow in prominence, in line with international trends. This is set to become an exponential growth channel as more people tune into live streams to learn more about products and take advantage of specials.

Growing a customer-centric ecosystem that is innovative, consistent, blended, and offers compelling experiences across multiple channels and touchpoints is no easy task given the extraordinary complexity of the retail space. But with that said, it is a must-do for 2023. Customers demand nothing less, and will happily move on to those who lead it.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses! If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com. If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

This article partly refers to: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/731/234774.html