e-commerce | Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global

Archive for the 'e-commerce' Category

Going Global Combined with Creativity Is About Imagining What is Possible

In the video above Julia Knight, founder of Julia Knight Collection, talks about how to make the ordinary extraordinary. In her WEGGinar™, she discusses what led her to start her business and grow it global.

_______________________________________________________

Note: Don’t miss our next WEGGinar™ 5/9/18 on “Building Your Global Brand Through Podcasting” and presented by Kathrin Bussmann, Ph.D., founder and principal, Verbaccino. Register here. Event is free of charge but you must register in advance to attend.
__________________________________________

How a Wicked Road Trip to Minturn, Colorado Inspired a Thriving Global Design Business

Published March 24, 2018 e-commerce , Enlighten Me! , global women entrepreneurs , Inspiration , WEGGinar™ Leave a Comment
Tags: Julia Knight, Julie Knight Collection, thriving global design business, WEGGinar™, wicked road trip to Minturn

There are some who dream of starting a business and others who dare to do it and that’s Julia. In her case, she aspired to be a great hostess but instead created an artful collection — bowls, platters, trays, cake stands, housewares, and serveware — to help every entertainer impress. With pieces that are both classical and romantic and can fit in at the dining room table or on the patio, we’re sure you will find Julia’s WEGGinar™ both inspiring and informative — with the goal of helping anyone, anywhere, start a similar type business and take it global.

Where did Julia get the idea for her thriving global design business?

I’ve been a serial entrepreneur, and I’ve always had a passion for food and entertaining. That’s what I learned from living in Paris and having friends from all over Europe and the Middle East—hospitality is the cornerstone of society, and entertaining is a daily event. I noticed how gracious people were in always making sure things looked beautiful. I collected random serveware when I traveled, and one day I looked down at the table and thought, this is a mess. I wanted something with more of a flow to it.

Lucky you. Julia will share her vast experience with us at our next WEGGinar™ hosted on Wednesday, April 4 at 11:00 a.m. Central time on “How a Wicked Road Trip to Minturn, Colorado Inspired a Thriving Global Design Business.” The event is FREE of charge but you must register to attend: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8918865979114339587. Please bring your cup of tea and join us for our own little private Julia Knight party. We look forward to your participation.

Mary Dillon: Making the World More Beautiful

Published October 23, 2016 Business Development , e-commerce , Leadership Leave a Comment
Tags: beauty retailer, e-commerce, international growth, Mary Dillon, Ulta

screen-shot-2016-10-23-at-4-13-13-pm Mary Dillon (pictured), who runs Ulta Beauty, a place where women can get all their beauty needs met, is bucking a trend. Where many big name retailers are closing locations, the beauty retailer recently opened its 900th location, more than double the number five years ago. The company reached total sales of $3.9 billion in 2015, nearly three times 2008 sales levels.

Will there be room for international growth at Ulta over the next couple of years? That’s the question that begs to be asked. With its rapidly growing e-commerce business, one would think so.

__________________________________________

Note: Don’t miss our next WEGG webinar 11/2 on “Introduction to Value Added Tax (VAT) When Doing Business Overseas,” and presented by Britta Eriksson, co-founder, president and CEO, Euro VAT Refund, Inc. Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6659176058705524994. Event is no charge but you must register in advance to attend.

__________________________________________

Nasty Gal’s Sophia Amoruso Puts Her Big Global Girl Shoes On

Published June 4, 2016 e-commerce , Enlighten Me! , global women entrepreneurs , International business Leave a Comment
Tags: Forbes, Nasty Gal, self-made women, Sophia Amoruso

I wrote about 32-year old Sophia Amoruso (pictured above), founder of Nasty Gal, in my book, “Exporting: The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably.” Back then (2012), Nasty Gal made about $100 million in revenues. She has become a fashion phenom by overseeing a nascent but growing e-commerce site, selling edgy, stylish clothes to a loyal fan base.

Currently, she generates $300 million in revenues, according to Forbes’ estimates.

According to Forbes, “It [Nasty Gal] topped industry bible Internet Retailer’s list of the year’s 500 top e-commerce performers, beating out the likes of Apple and Amazon with a 92.4% five-year compound annual growth rate.”

Is her company global? You bet. Will she take her company public someday? Our guess is yes. We’ll just have to wait patiently and see. Meanwhile, strike a pose. Buy a nasty gal outfit.

__________________________________________

Note: Don’t miss our next WEGG webinar 6/8 on “Avoiding Scams, Fraud & Deceit in Your International Business: How to Conduct Effective Due Diligence,” and presented by expert Louise Kern. Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3785897085114894084. Event is no charge but you must register in advance to attend.

__________________________________________

Invent Something That Can Lift Your Neighbors Out of Poverty

Published January 5, 2014 e-commerce , Exporting , Global trade , global women entrepreneurs , Poverty (tackling it) , Social Entrepreneurship Leave a Comment
Tags: Exporting: The Definitive Guide to Selling Abroad Profitably, Laurel Delaney, lift neighbors out of poverty, Sarah Collins, South Africa, Wonderbag

The Wonderbag

South African Sarah Collins, who grew up under apartheid, was driven to become an entrepreneur so she could invent something that would help lift her neighbors out of poverty.

She tried earthworm farms and co-op vegetable crops, yet never got very far until a countrywide electricity shortage caused rolling blackouts in 2007 and she was forced to figure out a way to keep her dinner warm without power. She remembered her grandmother used to use couch cushions to keep pots of soup warm.

Collins made a prototype called Wonderbag with the help of an African seamstress. Her invention would mean an end to women spending several hours or more a day cooking and hunting for firewood, a backbreaking chore made even more dangerous by rapists who have been known to prey on women who gather cook-fire fuel alone. Wonderbag allows women to work the way they want to. Better yet, for each Wonderbag purchased in the United States, one is donated to a woman in Africa.

Read the entire article here. Check out Wonderbag at Amazon and the Wonderbag home site.

Photo courtesy: Wonderbag

Posted by: Laurel Delaney

Note: For information on how to set up an Amazon store just like Sarah did for Wonderbag, read Chapter 7, “Using e-Commerce and Social Media Sites as Stepping Stones to Export Success,” in my new book: Exporting: The Definitive Guide To Selling Abroad Profitably.

Next Growth Avenue: Shipping Hawaiian Pies to the World

Published November 4, 2012 e-commerce , Exporting , Transportation 1 Comment
Tags: Hawaiian pies, Laurel Delaney, Sandy Poehnelt, The Right Slice, UPS

The Right Slice

Africa’s Untapped Resource: Women

Published September 9, 2012 Country specific , e-commerce , Enlighten Me! , Micro-enterprises , Mobile , Social Entrepreneurship , Sustainability practices Leave a Comment
Tags: African women entrepreneurs, Ella Peinovich, global e-commerce, Laurel Delaney, SasaAfrica, Social Entrepreneurship

Ella Peinovich (pictured lower right) is one of the three founders of Kenyan-based SasaAfrica, a women owned and operated social enterprise — offering an innovative e-commerce platform for female artisans, vendors and entrepreneurs in Africa to create sustainable micro-enterprises using mobile phones.

How We Made It in Africa talks with Ella about social entrepreneurship and Africa’s untapped resource: women.

How did the idea for SasaAfrica come about?

I had been working within the informal settlements around Kenya over the past three years and saw the amazing cultural capital of the goods produced by the artisan community there and the disproportionately low economic value placed on their work. I was determined to create the tools and services that could enable these women to expand their access to consumers in a lasting and sustainable manner.