# data[].attributes.headline
Dick’s Sporting Goods took a stand on gun sales — and made a big statement

# data[].attributes.subject
Dick’s Sporting Goods took a stand on gun sales — and made a big statement

# data[].attributes.body
with all the shootings lately in America it is a good thing that someone with a big influence in this world is trying to do something about it.

-Pauline Bults

# data[].attributes.headline
Path McGrath on what inspires her (Shadayne Sarimin)

# data[].attributes.subject
Path McGrath on what inspires her (Shadayne Sarimin)

# data[].attributes.body
In this article you can find the way Path McGrath came in the beauty business world and started her own business.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"There's something coming." That's the tagline Vogue Beauty Director Celia Ellenberg felt best encapsulated Pat McGrath Labs, the legendary makeup artist's line of one-off beauty products. "That's the whole thing that I love about Labs, the secrecy," McGrath explained in her recent sit-down with Ellenberg for the latest episode of the Vogue podcast. "There's always something coming soon- maybe." By all accounts, the tenor of this phrase seems to epitomize not only the brand, but the woman, whose footprint in the fashion and beauty industries is marked by out-of-the-box aesthetics and a departure from convention. On the heels of her CFDA honor and at the helm of beauty innovation, McGrath is not trying to play by anyone else's rules. "I've always wanted to have my own business," she shares, "But not in the traditional sense . . . I always found that quite off-putting. I just wanted to be different." Along with longtime collaborators like fashion photographer Steven Meisel and designer John Galliano, McGrath's rejection of industry expectations-or, drawing on a personality trait she attributes to being a Gemini, anything being standardized-is unwaveringly inspiring to her compatriot creatives, too. McGrath's own references stem from these contemporaries, as well as rooms of collected makeup and films, although she confesses that she gathers inspiration from "really everywhere." She recounts a department store spotting of an elderly woman wearing magnificent orange lipstick amid trending beige lips, and childhood memories of her mother's obsession with securing pigmented beauty products. Her advice for aspiring makeup artists and fashion designers? "It's not going to be easy," she states squarely. "Keep going." To get the full story, tune in to the podcast here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pat McGrath on What Inspires Her Most, and Her Advice for Breaking Into the Industry

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"There's something coming." That's the tagline Vogue Beauty Director Celia Ellenberg felt best encapsulated Pat McGrath Labs, the legendary makeup artist's line of one-off beauty products. "That's the whole thing that I love about Labs, the secrecy," McGrath explained in her recent sit-down with Ellenberg for the latest episode of the Vogue podcast.

# data[].attributes.headline
Gender should play no role in success!    Kathy Marlin

# data[].attributes.subject
Gender should play no role in success!    Kathy Marlin

# data[].attributes.body
This article tells you about diversity in today's world. Not only diversity in gender, but also in disability and sexuality.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Gender inequality is the tip of the inclusivity iceberg.

Last Updated: 20 hours ago

We all know the unpleasant statistics around gender diversity: the 9.1% pay gap, the fact that women comprise only 28.1% of FTSE 100 board members and 7% of CEOs.

But did you know that 50% of disabled people are unemployed? Or that men with mental health problems have a 40% pay gap?

It's not a competition, of course - this group is harder done by than that. But the very fact that the gender statistics are better known says something about how businesses treat diversity and inclusion.

Diversity as an HR tickbox

Diversity and inclusion too often are seen as a PR opportunity or an HR tick box - and gender is the easiest box to tick.

It was summed up last year by Steve Anderson, founder of social enterprise Prime Candidate. He told MT about his efforts to get larger firms to commit to tackling ageism in their recruitment process. 'When I went to larger organisations, almost without exception, they said it is not part of our strategy right now. It's in our policy but we're looking at gender balance, BAME OR LGBT. I think it's because there's been a lot of promotion, and, for want of a better work, marketing about those other issues in recent times.'

Businesses have to prioritise their objectives, so it's no surprise that gender gets the most attention. It's arguably the biggest problem, and the there is a case that gender can be the Trojan Horse of diversity - if women get equal treatment, the same will follow for other underrepresented groups.

But breaking diversity down into different categories - for example gender, disability, sexuality - unintentionally promotes the idea that they can be tackled as individual problems.

This is not the case. You can't promote diversity without living inclusion. And if you're inclusive, you'll be inclusive of all people. Indeed the very fact that many firms are uninterested in the less obvious areas of diversity is evidence that they are not inclusive, but are instead chasing targets, however well meant.

So while we should applaud progress on gender equality, as far as there has been progress, we won't see real inclusion until it's for everyone, not just the relatively 'easy' wins (which disability is not - there is a lot more progress to be made there).
Image: Shutterstock
Find this article useful?

Get more great articles like this in your inbox every lunchtime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Diversity is about more than just gender

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gender inequality is the tip of the inclusivity iceberg. Last Updated: 20 hours ago We all know the unpleasant statistics around gender diversity: the 9.1% pay gap, the fact that women comprise only 28.1% of FTSE 100 board members and 7% of CEOs. But did you know that 50% of disabled people are unemployed?

# data[].attributes.headline
Beijing has become the billionaire capital of the world. Why?

# data[].attributes.subject
Beijing has become the billionaire capital of the world. Why?

# data[].attributes.body
Jack-Ryan Rozeboom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Beijing has become the billionaire capital of the world. Last year 32 new billionaires lived in Beijing, which overtook New York as the city with the most billionaires.

According to a report published by a Shanghai-based company, Beijing has 100 billionaires, compared with 95 in New York. Moscow comes in third with only 66 billionaires living in the city. Two more Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Shanghai belong to the top ten list of the world's wealthiest cities.

In a ranking of nations, China is also in the top spot as a country with the most billionaires, a total of 568 compared with the 535 in the United States. China's billionaires have a combined fortune of $1.4 trillion. However, 7 of the world's wealthiest people are still American. China's richest citizen is Wang Jianlin, a real estate tycoon, who is 21st in a global ranking.

The study shows that business in China is still expanding, despite a slower growth rate of the economy and unsteady stock markets. Much of the money billionaires make comes from technology, manufacturing and real estate.

Beijing - the world's billionaire capital - Image: ahenobarbus

Related Topics

Words

according to = as said by ...

billionaire = person who has over 1,000,000,000 dollars , euros or any other money form

citizen = a person who lives in a country and has rights there

combined = together

compare with = to look at how two or more things are different

despite = even though

economy = system of trade and industry in a country

expand = grow, become larger

fortune = all the money you have made over a certain period of time

global = worldwide

however = but

manufacturing = the business of producing goods in large numbers

overtake = to have more than ...

publish = here: to release a document to the public or the media

ranking = a list of the best

real estate = what belongs to you in the form of land, houses and buildings

stock market = place where shares of companies are bought and sold

top spot = leading, number one

trillion = 1,000,000,000,000

tycoon = very rich and successful businessman

unsteady = with ups and downs

wealthiest = richest

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Beijing is Billionaire Capital of the World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Beijing has become the billionaire capital of the world. Last year 32 new billionaires lived in Beijing, which overtook New York as the city with the most billionaires. According to a report published by a Shanghai-based company, Beijing has 100 billionaires, compared with 95 in New York.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to start a small business in 10 steps! : Louisa Voorn

# data[].attributes.subject
How to start a small business in 10 steps! : Louisa Voorn

# data[].attributes.body
This article can help you to start your own business very easily in just 10 steps. In general it gives you good information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There are more than 28 million small businesses in the United States, making up a whopping 99.7 percent of all U.S. businesses, according to the Small Business Administration. When you consider some of the most popular reasons to start a business, including having a unique business idea, designing a career that has the flexibility to grow with you, working toward financial independence, and investing in yourself - it's no wonder that small businesses are everywhere.

But not every small business is positioned for success. In fact, only about two-thirds of businesses with employees survive at least two years, and about half survive five years. So you may be in for a real challenge when you decide to take the plunge, ditch your day job, and become a business owner. The stage is often set in the beginning, so making sure you follow all of the necessary steps when starting your business can set the foundation for success.

Here are 10 steps that are required to start a business successfully. Take one step at a time, and you'll be on your way to successful small business ownership.

Step 1: Do Your Research

Most likely you have already identified a business idea, so now it's time to balance it with a little reality. Does your idea have the potential to succeed? You will need to run your business idea through a validation process before you go any further.

In order for a small business to be successful, it must solve a problem, fulfill a need or offer something the market wants.

There are a number of ways you can identify this need, including research, focus groups, and even trial and error. As you explore the market, some of the questions you should answer include:

Is there a need for your anticipated products/services?

Who needs it?

Are there other companies offering similar products/services now?

What is the competition like?

How will your business fit into the market?

Don't forget to ask yourself some questions, too, about starting a business before you take the plunge.

Step 2: Make a Plan

You need a plan in order to make your business idea a reality. A business plan is a blueprint that will guide your business from the start-up phase through establishment and eventually business growth, and it is a must-have for all new businesses.

The good news is that there are different types of business plans for different types of businesses.

If you intend to seek financial support from an investor or financial institution, a traditional business plan is a must. This type of business plan is generally long and thorough and has a common set of sections that investors and banks look for when they are validating your idea.

If you don't anticipate seeking financial support, a simple one-page business plan can give you clarity about what you hope to achieve and how you plan to do it. In fact, you can even create a working business plan on the back of a napkin, and improve it over time. Some kind of plan in writing is always better than nothing.

Step 3: Plan Your Finances

Starting a small business doesn't have to require a lot of money, but it will involve some initial investment as well as the ability to cover ongoing expenses before you are turning a profit. Put together a spreadsheet that estimates the one-time startup costs for your business (licenses and permits, equipment, legal fees, insurance, branding, market research, inventory, trademarking, grand opening events, property leases, etc.), as well as what you anticipate you will need to keep your business running for at least 12 months (rent, utilities, marketing and advertising, production, supplies, travel expenses, employee salaries, your own salary, etc.).

Those numbers combined is the initial investment you will need.

Now that you have a rough number in mind, there are a number of ways you can fund your small business, including:

You can also attempt to get your business off the ground by bootstrapping, using as little capital as necessary to start your business. You may find that a combination of the paths listed above work best. The goal here, though, is to work through the options and create a plan for setting up the capital you need to get your business off the ground.

Step 4: Choose a Business Structure

Your small business can be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation. The business entity you choose will impact many factors from your business name, to your liability, to how you file your taxes.

You may choose an initial business structure, and then reevaluate and change your structure as your business grows and needs change.

Depending on the complexity of your business, it may be worth investing in a consultation from an attorney or CPA to ensure you are making the right structure choice for your business.

Step 5: Pick and Register Your Business Name

Your business name plays a role in almost every aspect of your business, so you want it to be a good one. Make sure you think through all of the potential implications as you explore your options and choose your business name.

Once you have chosen a name for your business, you will need to check if it's trademarked or currently in use. Then, you will need to register it. A sole proprietor must register their business name with either their state or county clerk. Corporations, LLCs, or limited partnerships typically register their business name when the formation paperwork is filed.

Don't forget to register your domain name once you have selected your business name. Try these options if your ideal domain name is taken.

Step 6: Get Licenses and Permits

Paperwork is a part of the process when you start your own business.

There are a variety of small business licenses and permits that may apply to your situation, depending on the type of business you are starting and where you are located. You will need to research what licenses and permits apply to your business during the start-up process.

Step 7: Choose Your Accounting System

Small businesses run most effectively when there are systems in place. One of the most important systems for a small business is an accounting system.

Your accounting system is necessary in order to create and manage your budget, set your rates and prices, conduct business with others, and file your taxes. You can set up your accounting system yourself, or hire an accountant to take away some of the guesswork. If you decide to get started on your own, make sure you consider these questions that are vital when choosing accounting software.

Step 8: Set Up Your Business Location

Setting up your place of business is important for the operation of your business, whether you will have a home office, a shared or private office space, or a retail location.

You will need to think about your location, equipment, and overall setup, and make sure your business location works for the type of business you will be doing. You will also need to consider if it makes more sense to buy or lease your commercial space.

Step 9: Get Your Team Ready

If you will be hiring employees, now is the time to start the process. Make sure you take the time to outline the positions you need to fill, and the job responsibilities that are part of each position. The Small Business Administration has an excellent guide to hiring your first employee that is useful for new small business owners.

If you are not hiring employees, but instead outsourcing work to independent contractors, now is the time to work with an attorney to get your independent contractor agreement in place and start your search.

Lastly, if you are a true solopreneur hitting the small business road alone, you may not need employees or contractors, but you will still need your own support team. This team can be comprised of a mentor, small business coach, or even your family, and serves as your go-to resource for advice, motivation and reassurance when the road gets bumpy.

Step 10: Promote Your Small Business

Once your business is up and running, you need to start attracting clients and customers. You'll want to start with the basics by writing a unique selling proposition (USP) and creating a marketing plan. Then, explore as many small business marketing ideas as possible so you can decide how to promote your business most effectively.

Once you have completed these business start-up activities, you will have all of the most important bases covered. Keep in mind that success doesn't happen overnight. But use the plan you've created to consistently work on your business, and you will increase your chances of success.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are more than 28 million small businesses in the United States, making up a whopping 99.7 percent of all U.S. businesses, according to the Small Business Administration.

# data[].attributes.headline
Men still earn more than women at some firms

# data[].attributes.subject
Men still earn more than women at some firms

# data[].attributes.body
I think it is important that this has to change, because it is unfair that men get more paid just because of their gender, it should be about productivity. This is really important for women in our field
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43129339

# data[].attributes.headline
Trump tariffs: President says EU makes business 'impossible'

# data[].attributes.subject
Trump tariffs: President says EU makes business 'impossible'

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43307796

This Article is very interesting. It gives a lot of information on the subject. There are a lot of people who give their opinion. The only critic I have is that one of the main group (the EU) Have not responded on the text yet.
Hajar Benabbass

# data[].attributes.headline
how to start an import and export business.  Jessy van Hees

# data[].attributes.subject
how to start an import and export business.  Jessy van Hees

# data[].attributes.body
This article gives some really good information that can help you with developing your own business in import and export.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Editor's note: This article was excerpted from our Import/Export Business start-up guide, available from the Entrepreneur Bookstore.

International trade is one of the hot industries of the new millennium. But it's not new. Think Marco Polo. Think the great caravans of the biblical age with their cargoes of silks and spices. Think even further back to prehistoric man trading shells and salt with distant tribes. Trade exists because one group or country has a supply of some commodity or merchandise that is in demand by another. And as the world becomes more and more technologically advanced, as we shift in subtle and not so subtle ways toward one-world modes of thought, international trade becomes more and more rewarding, both in terms of profit and personal satisfaction.

Importing is not just for those lone footloose adventurer types who survive by their wits and the skin of their teeth. It's big business these days--to the tune of an annual $1.2 trillion in goods, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Exporting is just as big. In one year alone, American companies exported $772 billion in merchandise to more than 150 foreign countries. Everything from beverages to commodes--and a staggering list of other products you might never imagine as global merchandise--are fair game for the savvy trader. And these products are bought, sold, represented and distributed somewhere in the world on a daily basis.

But the import/export field is not the sole purview of the conglomerate corporate trader, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the big guys make up only about 4 percent of all exporters. Which means that the other 96 percent of exporters--the lion's share are small outfits like yours wil be--when you're new, at least.
Related: The 15 Most Popular Online Payment Solutions
Champagne and Caviar

Why are imports such big business in the United States and around the world? There are lots of reasons, but the three main ones boil down to:

Availability: There are some things you just can't grow or make in your home country. Bananas in Alaska, for example, mahogany lumber in Maine, or Ball Park franks in France.

Cachet: A lot of things, like caviar and champagne, pack more cachet, more of an "image," if they're imported rather than home-grown. Think Scandinavian furniture, German beer, French perfume, Egyptian cotton. Even when you can make it at home, it all seems classier when it comes from distant shores.

Price: Some products are cheaper when brought in from out of the country. Korean toys, Taiwanese electronics and Mexican clothing, to rattle off a few, can often be manufactured or assembled in foreign factories for far less money than if they were made on the domestic front.

Aside from cachet items, countries typically export goods and services that they can produce inexpensively and import those that are produced more efficiently somewhere else. What makes one product less expensive for a nation to manufacture than another? Two factors: resources and technology. A country with extensive oil resources and the technology of a refinery, for example, will export oil but may need to import clothing.
Related: The 15 Most Popular Online Payment Solutions
Types of Import/Export Businesses

First off, let's take a look at the players. While you've got your importers and your exporters, there are many variations on the main theme:

Export management company (EMC): An EMC handles export operations for a domestic company that wants to sell its product overseas but doesn't know how (and perhaps doesn't want to know how). The EMC does it all -- hiring dealers, invoicing customers, distributors and representatives; handling advertising, marketing and promotions; overseeing marking and packaging; arranging shipping; and sometimes arranging financing or contracting out for a developing a credit card app. In some cases, the EMC even takes title to the goods, in essence becoming its own distributor. EMCs usually specialize by product, foreign market or both, and--unless they've taken title--are paid by commission, salary or retainer plus commission.

Export trading company (ETC): While an EMC has merchandise to sell and is using its energies to seek out buyers, an ETC attacks the other side of the trading coin. It identifies what foreign buyers want to spend their money on and then hunts down domestic sources willing to export. An ETC sometimes takes title to the goods and sometimes works on a commission basis.

Import/export merchant: This international entrepreneur is a sort of free agent. He has no specific client base, and he doesn't specialize in any one industry or line of products. Instead, he purchases goods directly from a domestic or foreign manufacturer and then packs, ships and resells the goods on his own. This means, of course, that unlike the EMC, he assumes all the risks (as well as all the profits).

Swimming the Trade Channel

Now that you're familiar with the players, you'll need to take a swim in the trade channel, the means by which the merchandise travels from manufacturer to end user. A manufacturer who uses a middleman who resells to the consumer is paddling around in a three-level channel of distribution. The middleman can be a merchant who purchases the goods and then resells them, or he can be an agent who acts as a broker but doesn't take title to the stuff.

Who your fellow swimmers are will depend on how you configure your trade channel, but they could include any of the following:

Manufacturer's representative: a salesperson who specializes in a type of product or line of complementary products; for example, home electronics: televisions, radios, CD players and sound systems. He often provides additional product assistance, such as warehousing and technical service.

Distributor or wholesale distributor: a company that buys the product you've imported and sells it to a retailer or other agent for further distribution until it gets to the end user

Representative: a savvy salesperson who pitches your product to wholesale or retail buyers, then passes the sale on to you; differs from a manufacturer's representative in that he doesn't necessarily specialize in a particular product or group of products

Retailer: the tail end of the trade channel where the merchandise smacks into the consumer; as yet another variation on a theme, if the end user is not Joan Q. Public but an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), then you don't need to worry about the retailer because the OEM becomes your end of the line. (Think Dell Computer purchasing a software program to pass along to its personal computer buyer as part of the goodie package.)

The Right Stuff

Not everybody is cut out to be an international trader. This is not, for example, a career for the sales-phobic. If you're one of those people who would rather work on a chain gang than sell Girl Scout cookies, or if you blanch at the thought of making a sales pitch, then you don't want to be in import/export. This is also not a career for the organizationally challenged. If you're one of those let-the-devil-handle-the-details types whose idea of follow-up is waiting to see what happens next, you should think twice about international trading.

If, on the other hand, you're an enthusiastic salesperson, a dynamo at tracking things like invoices and shipping receipts, and your idea of heaven is seeing where new ideas and new products will take you, and if, to top it off, you love the excitement of dealing with people from different cultures, then this is the career for you.

It also helps if you already have a background in import/export. Most of the traders we talked with were well-versed in the industry before launching their own businesses. Peter P., who founded a Russian trading company, segued directly from his college major in international business to an operations position with an international frozen-meat trading company in Atlanta, which landed him in the right place at the right time.

"I speak both Russian and Ukrainian fluently," Peter says. "I'm of Ukrainian descent. I took Russian as a minor in college, initially as an easy grade. Little did I know when I graduated back in '89 that Russia would open up to the West shortly thereafter."

The Trade Hit Parade

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the top 10 countries with which America trades (in order of largest import and export dollars to smallest) are:

You needn't, of course, confine yourself to trade deals with importers and exporters in these countries--there are scads of other intriguing possibilities available, including the member countries of the Caribbean Basin and Andean pacts and the new kids on the Eastern Bloc, the former Soviet Union countries. But as a newbie on the international scene, you should familiarize yourself with our biggest trading partners and see what they have to offer. Then take your best shot, with them or with another country.

Target Market

Every business needs consumers for its products and services to, as the Vulcans so eloquently put it, live long and prosper. Now that you know what running an import/export business entails, you need to plan, or target, your market, and determine who your potential clients will be, which geographic areas you'll draw from, and what specific products or services you'll offer to draw them in.

This is a very important phase in the mega-trader building project. The proper market research can help boost your trading company into a true profit center, and the more research you do, the better prepared you are before you officially open your doors, the less floundering you're likely to do.

Who Are Your Customers?

Any manufacturer, supplier, crafter, artisan, importer, exporter or retailer is fair game. You can go after companies that deal in heavy construction equipment or delicate jewelry, gourmet goodies or pet food, telecommunications or toys. The only essential requirement is that they want to sell their merchandise or buy someone else's.

This doesn't mean, however, that your best technique is standing at manufacturers' gates, tripping them as they walk to their cars after work each evening. Targeting by definition means homing in on a specific group.

If you have previous experience in a particular field, for example, you should seriously consider targeting that market first. You'll feel comfortable with the jargon and procedures so your sales pitch--and your initial sales--will go smoother and easier. As an added bonus, you may already have contacts in the field who can either become your first clients or steer you to colleagues in that area.

Dan S. targeted the field of technology--specifically, software solutions for commercial use and computer cables--simply because he's worked in that area for more than 10 years. He knows the field and feels comfortable in it.

Wahib W., too, began in a field he knew well, runway and navigational lights, then went on to other international construction projects, importing railroad and telephone pole materials and construction services, as well as other heavy-equipment materials.

What's My Niche?

OK. You've narrowed the list of products you'll target. Now you'll want to find your niche, the unique angle that will set your business apart from--and above--the competition. This is where you can really let your creativity shine through.

You may decide to start as an export management company (EMC, remember?), seeking out buyers for domestic manufacturing firms, or as an export trading company (ETC), finding domestic sources willing to export. Or you might want to stick with the original Trader Sam formula, importing and exporting on your own as an import/export merchant.

In Florida, Lloyd D. has positioned his company as both an EMC and ETC, depending on his clients' needs. "[As an EMC, we] work directly for a manufacturer, or his exclusive distributor/manager for international sales, as a marketing and screening provider," Lloyd explains, "and will search for and locate overseas buyers-for-resale and/or qualified distributors/sales representatives. [Our] objective is to function as an extension of [our] principal's in-house export sales efforts."

Under its ETC hat, Lloyd says, "[my company] performs in a fashion similar to that previously described, except for a diminished principal relationship, and business is typically conducted on a case-by-case or ad-hoc basis. It is more a sourcing function for the buyer and the seller."

In Germany, Michael R. describes his company's role this way: "[We are] a worldwide consultancy to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) that wish to increase their sales and profits by using the available world markets more successfully."

Market Research

Here's a rapid-fire overview of your market research tasks. You'll want to do some in-depth investigation into each of these areas:

The product or service you'll sell

The end user you'll aim for (mass-market consumer, heavy industry, light industry, medical or hospital use, government, business or professional)

The country or countries you'll export to or import from

The trade channel you'll use (direct sales, representative, distributor or commission representative)

Startup Costs

One of the catch-22s of being in business for yourself is that you need money to make money--in other words, you need startup funds. These costs range from less than $5,000 to more than $25,000 for the import/export business. You can start out homebased, which means you won't need to worry about leasing office space. You don't need to purchase a lot of inventory, and you probably won't need employees.

Your basic necessities will be a computer, printer, fax machine and modem. If you already have these items, then you're off and running. Several of the traders we talked with started from ground zero. "We started from nothing," says Wahib W., but once they got a large project, that was all it took."

Peter P.'s company started from a similar financial position. "We had very little money in the bank," he says. What they did have was a carefully built relationship with suppliers, and this valuable asset the company was able to get up and running.

One of the many nifty things about an import/export business is that its startup costs are comparatively low. You have the advantage of homebased-ability, which cuts office lease expenses down to nothing. Unless you're starting as a distributor, you can get away with purchasing no inventory, which means no outlay of funds for pretty doodads to grace display spaces (you have no display spaces!). Your major financial outlay will go toward office equipment and market research expenses--and if you're like many moderns, you already have the most expensive piece of office equipment: a computer system.

But let's take it from the top. The following is a breakdown of everything--from heavy investment pieces to flyweight items--you'll need to get up and running:

Computer system with modem and printer

Fax machine

Internet/e-mail service

Software

Market research and/or trade leads

Phone

Voice mail or answering machine

Stationery and office supplies

Postage

Travel expenses for conducting market research on foreign turf

You can add all kinds of goodies of varying degrees of necessity to this list. For example, a copier is a plus. It's also nice to have bona fide office furniture: a tweedy upholstered chair with lumbar support that swivels and rolls, gleaming file cabinets that really lock, real oak bookshelves.

But let's consider that you're starting from scratch. You can always set up your computer on your kitchen table or on a card table in a corner of the bedroom. You can stash files in cardboard boxes. It's not glamorous, but it'll suffice until you get your business steaming ahead.

Income & Billing

What can you expect to make as an international trader? The amount's entirely up to you, depending only on how serious you are and how willing you are to expand. Annual gross revenues for the industry range from $30,000 to $200,000 and beyond, with an average of about $75,000. Some traders work from home, supplementing 9-to-5 incomes with their trading expertise. Others have launched thriving full-time businesses that demand constant care and feeding. Wahib W.'s export company has a staff of five that oversees multimillion-dollar contracts.

"There are tons and tons of opportunities for [export] trade," says Wahib W. "U.S. manufacturers are at least 10 years behind the clock in exporting." So the potential for growth is entirely up to you--as long as you're willing to put in the time.

Pricing Yourself

As an international trader, you're an intermediary in the buying and selling, or importing and exporting, transaction. Therefore, you have to determine not just the price of the product, but the price of your services as well. These two figures are separate yet interactive. Because you're a swimmer in the trade channel, the price of your services has to be added on to the product price, and that can affect its competitiveness in the marketplace.

Since the fee for your services will impact the success of the product, you may ultimately decide to change your pricing structure. You don't want to undercharge your client so that you can't cover your expenses and make a profit, but you don't want to overcharge and reduce the competitiveness of your company and the merchandise you represent.

Import/export management companies use two basic methods to price their services: commission and retainer. Normally, you choose one method or the other based on how salable you feel the product is. If you think it's an easy sell, you'll want to work on the commission method. If you feel it's going to be an upstream swim, difficult to sell and require a lot of market research, you'll ask for a retainer.

A third method is to purchase the product outright and sell it abroad. This is a common scenario when you're dealing with manufacturers who would rather use you as a distributor than as a representative. You'll still market the product under the manufacturer's name, but your income will come from the profit generated by sales rather than by commission.

The Commish

Import/export management companies usually operate on a commission basis of about 10 percent. These fees are based on the product cost from the manufacturer.

Let's say you're working with English lawn chairs, which cost you $110 each. Here's what you do: First, take the price the manufacturer is charging for the product: $110. Now multiply $110 by 10 percent, which gives you a commission of $11 per chair.

So your product price at this point is $121 per chair ($110 + $11). To come up with the final price, you'll need to add other costs to this figure: any special marking or packaging, shipping, insurance and any representative or distributor commissions that you'll pay to others in the trade channel, which we'll go over a little later. Once you've arrived at a final price, you'll check it against your competitors' prices (you did do your market research, right?). If your product's price is comparatively low, you can bump up your commission percentage.

For now, however, you can see that for every chair you or your trade channelers sell, you'll get $11. If you sell a thousand chairs, that's $11,000 for you!

Biting the Retainer

If the manufacturer can't discount her price sufficiently or if you feel that the product will be a tough sell, you'll want to ask for a flat retainer (the monetary kind, not the dental appliance kind). You'll pass all the costs of market research along to the manufacturer. By taking a retainer, you guarantee yourself a set income rather than one tied by commission to a "problem" product.

To determine what your retainer should be, you'll need to consider three variables associated with the performance of your services:

Labor and materials or supplies: This usually includes your salary or estimated salary on an hourly basis plus the wages and benefits you pay any employees involved in the performance of the job. To determine labor costs, estimate the amount of time it will take to finish a job and multiply it by the hourly rate of your salary and that of any employees you might use. You can compute materials as a percentage of labor, but until you have past records to use as a guide, you should use 2 to 6 percent.

Overhead: This variable comprises all the nonlabor, indirect expenses required to operate your business. To determine your overhead rate, add up all your expenses for one year, except for labor and materials. Divide this figure by your total cost of labor and materials to determine your overhead rate. Or use a rate of 35 percent to 42 percent of your labor and materials.

Profit: And the end result is: After all labor, materials and overhead expenses are deducted, profit can be determined by applying a percentage profit factor to the combined costs of labor and materials and overhead.

Operations

What you will be doing during your peak hours and beyond will depend upon how you've structured your services. Some traders act only as sales representatives, finding buyers and taking commissions, but steer clear of the shipping, documentation and financing aspects of the deal. Others are happier offering a full line of services, buying directly from the manufacturer and taking on all the responsibilities of transactions from shipping to marketing. These traders often specialize in either import or export and stick to the merchandise industry they know best.

No matter how exotic you want to get, your most basic tasks will be obtaining merchandise, selling it, transporting it and getting paid for it.

The Export Path

OK, exporter--you've found a buyer for your merchandise. You're a player. You're ready to roll. So now what do you do? Follow the export path:

1. Generate the pro forma invoice--give the importer a quote on your merchandise; negotiate if necessary.

2. Receive the letter of credit from your bank.

3. Fulfill terms of the letter of credit: Have the merchandise manufactured if necessary; make shipping and insurance arrangements; pack the merchandise; and have the merchandise transported.

4. Collect shipping documents.

5. Present shipping documents to your bank.

The Import Path

OK, importer. You've found the merchandise you want to buy and then resell. You're a player. You're ready to roll. So now what do you do? Follow the import path:

1. Receive the pro forma invoice, the exporter's quote on the merchandise; negotiate if necessary.

2. Open a letter of credit at your bank.

3. Verify that the merchandise has been shipped.

4. Receive documents from the exporter.

5. See merchandise through customs.

6. Collect your merchandise.

A Day in the Life

What does a trader's day really look like? What does he do in between preparing pro forma invoices, requests for letters of credit and shipping documents? Here's a behind-the-scenes peek, courtesy of Michael R., the international trade consultant in Germany:

1. First hour: Read statistics printed overnight by the computer to see if each representative/agent has fulfilled his plans, and initiate changes if necessary.

2. Work on the internet for one to two hours to see what inquiries have come in, then answer them personally or forward them to past or present clients who may be interested.

3. Have short meeting with colleagues to see if assistance is needed, then support them or trouble-shoot.

4. Look at the day's newspapers to see whether there's any movement within my industry where I should act fast.

5. Take a coffee break.

6. Look at the mail and handle or forward items.

7. After lunch, take time to reflect on what has and what should have happened.

8. Discuss problems and/or chances for the future with prospects and/or business partners.

9. Look again at e-mail and the Web for news and new opportunities.

10. At the end of the day, there should be about an hour to discuss again with colleagues how the day went and/or problems that came up.

11. One or two evenings a week, attend business events or meetings with partners for discussion.

On the Road

A trader isn't always at home behind his desk. What does he do when he's out on the road? Here's another behind-the-scenes peek, courtesy of Jan H., a Belgian tire trader:

Note that Jan's day, in typical European fashion, evolves through a 24-hour clock, or what we think of as military time.

Day in Belgium:
07.00 - 09.00 Office work, e-mail, fax offers, mail, etc.
09.00 - 12.00 Drive to airport, meet customer from Finland; back to warehouse, customer chooses products
12.00 - 13.00 Lunch with customer, general discussions
13.00 - 18.00 Visit with a customer from Nigeria; long discussion, haggling over prices, payment terms, etc.; supervise loading of containers bound for the United States; phone calls, fax, e-mail; arrival of a customer from France, discussions
18.00 Quick trip home to change and shower
19.00 - ?? Pick up French customer at hotel, have cocktails and dinner, more negotiations

Day on the road in Germany:
05.00 Leave home for 400 km drive
08.00 Arrive at first supplier; discussions and purchase of goods
10.00 Leave for next supplier
11.00 Next supplier; discussions without any result
12.00 Visit customer; make a sale
13.30 Visit another supplier; more discussions
15.00 Leave for another 300-odd km drive
18.00 Arrive at hotel; check e-mail on laptop, phone calls
19.30 Sauna and swim at hotel pool
20.30 Dinner with supplier, then to bed!

Marketing

As an international trader, your mission is sales--in two different but overlapping arenas: a) selling yourself and your company to clients as an import/export manager for their products, and b) selling the products themselves to representatives and distributors. Success in one of these arenas will contribute to your success in another. Once you've established a favorable sales record with one client's goods, you'll have a track record with which to entice other clients. And, of course, each success will contribute to your own self-confidence, which will, in turn, lend that air of confidence to your negotiations with new prospects.

Hunting for Exports

A surprisingly small percentage of domestic producers export their wares. So your marketing goal is to convince the huge remainder that they can increase profits by exporting--with your guidance--to specific target countries. You can accomplish this with direct mail and cold calls. If you're starting with imports, don't ignore this section--you'll work in basically the same manner.

Before you initiate contact with any manufacturer, you'll need to do some basic market research:

What products are hot sellers in the domestic marketplace? Focus your attention on products that you know well or use yourself, or that are bestsellers in their market niches.

Are these products hot sellers in your target countries?

If not, are there situations or markets that would put these products in great demand if the products were available?

Who manufactures these products?

What is the selling price of each product--and of competing products or brands--domestically and in your target countries?

Direct-Mail Dazzle

Now you're ready to begin your direct-mail campaign. Choose one manufacturer of one of the products you've researched. Then call the company and ask for the name of the person to whom you'll want to write. If the company is small, you'll probably want the president or owner. If it's a larger concern, you might want to direct your letter to the vice president in charge of sales, the sales manager or the president or owner.

Armed with a name and title, write your letter, taking care to address the following points.

Introduce yourself and your company.

Briefly outline the potential of the overseas market.

Outline the product's potential within that market.

If possible, explain why and how your company, out of all others, will be able to position the product best. For example, if you have experience with like products, be sure to say so.

If you already have contacts with foreign distributors, explain that you have foreign representatives for overseas sales.

Ask for a personal meeting to further discuss the possibilities.

Once your first letter is in the mail, sit down and write another to a potential client in another product line. And then another, until you've exhausted your first set of preliminary market research products.

Now wait a week or 10 days. If you haven't heard from your first target manufacturer, give him a call. Ask to set up a meeting in his office to discuss your plan. Then call the next manufacturer and the next. If you're not familiar with sales, you may find this portion of the program a white-knuckler. Don't be nervous! You're offering these people a terrific opportunity. Not everyone is going to bite (not everyone can recognize a great deal when it jumps up and grabs them), but not everyone is going to turn you down, either. A no thank you now and then is part of the game.

(Cold)-Calling All Clients

Cold-calling, so-called because you call a potential client "cold" without any warming up by prior contact, is an alternative to the direct-mail approach. The good news is that, if you're calling locally, it's usually cheaper than direct mail. The bad news is that it requires much more perseverance to be effective. The other good news, however, is that, done properly, a cold call can be much more effective than direct mail.

Before you make your first call, be sure you know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Some experts recommend writing out a sort of "script" that you can follow during the course of your call. This is a good starting-off exercise to help plan your spiel, but be aware of the fact that following a script has its drawbacks. The main one is that the person you're calling doesn't know he's supposed to be following the script, too, and when he gets off track, so do you.

Desperately Seeking Imports

How do you go about finding goods to bring stateside? You have several options:

Travel abroad on an import search mission.

Wait for foreign manufacturers to contact you.

Attend trade shows.

Contact foreign embassies' trade development offices.

Contact the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Association.

Track down leads on the Internet and in trade publications.

Selling Yourself

You've located foreign manufacturers or suppliers whose products have U.S. sales potential. Now you have to sell them on the idea of entering the U.S. marketplace and convince them that you're the person to usher them in. How do you do this? Basically, the same way you'll pitch domestic manufacturers, with a direct-mail campaign. Only in this case, you'll do better to think of it as a direct fax letter. Although many traders rely on international mail, unless you're sending to regions or countries with highly developed infrastructures, such as Canada or Western Europe, you'll be much more assured of your missive reaching its destination if you send it by fax.

In your letter, outline the various opportunities available in the United States for the product and highlight that you'll handle all import logistics with little cost to the manufacturer. It's very similar to the export letter, with two exceptions:

You should address the letter recipient. For example, use Monsieur (abbreviated M.) instead of "Mr." if the recipient is French. Even though your letter is in English, this little touch shows that you do know something about the French language and that you've taken the care and courtesy to address the recipient in his own tongue.

Check to make sure you've eliminated any slang that may be confusing to non-natives.

International Call

Follow up in a few days with another fax. Think of the follow-up as a firm but gentle nudge, an opportunity to strengthen your position and demonstrate real interest in importing the merchandise. Remember that part of your task is to convince the potential client that your company is the best one for the job, so you have to supply a reason for this. If you can't claim that you're experienced in interior design (or mulch or whatever) sales in the United States and Europe (or wherever), then come up with something else. Maybe you're only experienced in the United States so far. That's fine! That's where you'll be selling. Maybe you're not experienced yet, but you've done a great deal of research. Fill that in instead. Use your creativity!

Marketing Plan

Whether you're planning on exporting or importing, be prepared to present your prospective client with a marketing plan. If the manufacturer is close to home, you'll naturally present it in person. If she's overseas, you may still have to (make that get to) arrange a personal visit to close the deal. If you feel strongly enough about the product's U.S. potential, the trip will be worth the time and expense.

To prepare your marketing plan, you'll need the information you've already asked for: pricing, product brochures or literature, and samples. If your prospect balks at supplying these materials, tell her that you'll need them to further explore the market potential and develop a presentation for her, outlining the market strategy you plan to pursue.

Once you have the materials in your office, sit down and figure out every possible expense you'll have so you can arrive at your sales price. Then, if you've already been in contact with distributors or representatives, find out if this price will sell in their market. If you don't have any representatives yet, you'll need to locate one and determine if he can work with that price. Assuming the answer is yes, you've got a viable product.

Now write out your marketing plan, which should include the following elements:

Target: Which country or countries will you or your representatives sell in? Why are these markets viable? Include positive market research information and be sure to assemble it in a clear, concise, easy-to-digest format. This is where your desktop publishing programs will shine--you can make charts, graphs and tables interspersed with facts, figures and text.

Sales: Explain at what price you'll sell the product, give your annual sales forecast, your fee structure and the profits the manufacturer can expect.

Marketing: Briefly touch on any special marketing or promotions for the product; for example, foreign or domestic trade shows or any local advertising your reps will do.

Resources
Associations Books Helpful Government Agencies Magazines and Publications

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Editor's note: This article was excerpted from our Import/Export Business start-up guide, available from the Entrepreneur Bookstore. International trade is one of the hot industries of the new millennium. But it's not new. Think Marco Polo.

# data[].attributes.body
the article is all about cryptocurrency. It`s usefull to know the risks about cryptocurrency. it`s fun to make money on it :)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
De nieuwste rage op gebaseerd op cryptomunten biedt enorme kansen, je kunt er binnen aan half jaar tienduizenden procenten rendement ook mee maken, maar ook je inleg in één klap verliezen. Het is ook een radicale financieringsvorm die het investeringslandschap radicaal verandert. Hoe pik je de goede ico's er uit?

Deze maand vind je in Quote een verhaal van tien pagina's dat je alles vertelt over Initial Coin Offerings, beter bekend als ICO's. Wie de naam voor het eerst hoort denkt misschien dat het een slechte grap is. Het is een Engelstalige variatie op de beursgang: Initial Public Offering of IPO. In dit geval draait het echter om tokens of cryptomunten die onder de kopers worden uitgezet.

Toch is het grappige is er intussen wel vanaf, want sinds de allereerste in 2013 plaatsvond hebben we vele, vele honderden ico's voorbij zien komen. Vooral buiten onze landsgrenzen, maar inmiddels hebben ook enkele Nederlandse startups er hun bedrijf mee gefinancierd. Want dat is uiteindelijk een van de belangrijkste doelen van een ico: het is eigenlijk een soort crowdfunding voor startups. Maar dan eentje waarbij de investeerders een 'munt' krijgen in plaats van de aandelen die bij een reguliere ipo worden uitgegegeven.

Bij een ico worden die munten in de vorm van digitale 'tokens' uitgegeven tegen betaling in cryptocurrencies zoals Bitcoin of Ether, of soms in ruil voor harde euro's of dollars. Aan tokens zijn vaak bepaalde rechten verbonden, zo kun je als tokenhouder een aandeel in het kapitaal van de onderneming krijgen die de ico uitgeeft, of geeft deze je het recht op de diensten of producten die de startup zegt te ontwikkelen. Zegt. Want daar begint de lol van de ico
16930% rendement in een half jaar
De belangrijkste reden voor de populariteit van ICO's zijn de gigantische rendementen die je er op betrekkelijk korte termijn mee kunt maken. Hieronder zie je de koersgrafiek van de Populous-token, gekoppeld aan het gelijknamige factuurfinancieringsplatform. Dat loopt de laatste maanden blijkbaar heel goed. Bij de introductie in juli vorig jaar kostte het token €2,30 per stuk, als je op het juiste moment was uitgestapt dan was dat €38. Had je dus een luttele tienduizend euro ingelegd bij de ico, dan bezat je nu €165.217. Zelfs als enkele andere ICO's in je portefeuille zouden hebben geleid tot een totaalverlies zou je nog steeds een enorme winst hebben gemaakt. Daarom.

Maar ook hier zie je de plaag die cryptoland al sinds zijn begin geselt: de extreem volatilitiet. Want Populous is vandaag 5 maart 2018 nog maar €20 waard. Check Icostats voor een fraai overzicht.

Enfin, er is een hoop gedoe rond ICO's geweest en de investering erin is doorgaan alleen aan te raden als je beschikt over een zeer sterke maag. Maar hoe vind je de goede ICO's eigenlijk? Hoe steekt zo'n emissie en de daaraan gekoppelde smart contracts in elkaar? Wat zijn de gevaren, en waar selecteer je je investeringen eigenlijk? We hebben vele experts en investeerders geïnterviewd, ze vertellen je hun geheimen in het hele verhaal.

Dat lees je natuurlijk zijn geheel in ons nieuwe nummer (zie de app voor iOS, of Android) of lees het stuk op Blendle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Zin in een avontuur? Zó stap je in een ICO, over de kansen en de risico's

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
De nieuwste rage op gebaseerd op cryptomunten biedt enorme kansen, je kunt er binnen aan half jaar tienduizenden procenten rendement ook mee maken, maar ook je inleg in één klap verliezen. Het is ook een radicale financieringsvorm die het investeringslandschap radicaal verandert. Hoe pik je de goede ico's er uit?

# data[].attributes.headline
Inspiring text about a successful​ business women (Floor) 

# data[].attributes.subject
Inspiring text about a successful​ business women (Floor) 

# data[].attributes.body
This text inspires me because she explains why she left her successful life behind and chooses herself first despite her success. She explains how she got to the point of leaving everything behind to find herself again. And when she gets back she is rebuilding her brand from the start.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Michelle Phan is gearing up to launch Em Cosmetics, and if you think you've seen that name before, it's because you have. In 2013, Michelle teamed up with L'Oréal to create her first-ever makeup line, Em. Michelle's makeup debut didn't skyrocket successfully like her other projects (a wildly popular YouTube channel that's considered one of Beauty's first, a collaboration with makeup mainstay Lancôme, and a beauty subscription service called Ipsy). After dealing head-on with the fall of Em, Michelle decided she needed a full digital detox. She boldly left her brand and her life in search of soul-seeking. Now, Em is about to relaunch, Michelle's way. Streamlined with liquid liners and gorgeous cream lipsticks, Em's arrival is a rebirth and the perfect introduction to Michelle's next chapter. Here, she explains why she had to disappear and how she plans on coming back, bigger than ever.
When I was in my early teens, makeup was my way of feeling more beautiful. I wore eyeliner because I wanted my eyes to look bigger. Then going into my 20s, my perspective changed. I saw makeup in a different way. Makeup was a form of self-expression. It was my form of art. My face was a canvas. It was my way of exploring the different facets of my personality. I could be a dark goth girl, or I could be this bubbly princess. That was my form of self-discovery. And now that I'm entering my 30s, I feel like my perspective on beauty has changed. It's more refined. I know exactly the types of products I want for me, that look best for me. I'm now more into the tooling of products instead, so I used all these recent life experiences to help create my brand re-launch.

Last year I took a hiatus. During a year off, I was able to travel to places in Europe and Africa. I went to Egypt because I love Egypt so much. I cut off social media cold turkey. It is really scary, because you can become irrelevant. If you don't upload a video or stay updated, within a month you're irrelevant. People forget about you because there's so much happening online.

This year it will be 10 years since I started doing this. I felt like it was time for me to just relax and enjoy life because since my first video in 2007 I didn't stop. I was hustling nonstop. It wasn't like today when there's an infrastructure, and it's easier to plug yourself in. Back then, it was a lot of work for me. I turned 29 last year, and I just wanted to enjoy my 20s for at least one year. I don't have kids, I'm not married. I wanted to enjoy that freedom of not having to worry about anything. I achieved the goals I wanted to with my company. We raised 100 million. We're good. I thought, financially, I'm okay. My family is okay. Why do I feel like I need more? Sometimes I feel like our society tells us, "No, you need more! You need more money. You need to be a multi-billionaire." But why?

I'm a very simple person. I came from a very simple background and I didn't need to continue growing and being number one in order to feel validated. I actually wasn't happy last year. I was really sad and depressed. I self-diagnosed myself, and I think I had depression. That was when I decided to had an intervention with myself and to remove myself from the environment that was causing all that anxiety, which was L.A. I needed to listen to my head and my heart. And how could I do that when all the noise was in my environment, like in LA with all the honking. How could I hear myself?

I was going almost borderline crazy. So I packed a suitcase - my whole life - in one piece of luggage, and I just left. I didn't even tell anyone. My business partners, board members, everyone was freaking out, like, "Did Michelle just quit? We need her!" I thought, "Dude, if you want me to make this brand great, I need myself to think great. I need to feel great, and I don't feel great right now." So that's why I left.

I flew to Switzerland, and I went to a city called Zermatt. It's interesting, because no one can drive cars in the city within a five mile radius. So, you park far away and take a little shuttle that's electric. There are little golf carts everywhere. I can't even begin to tell you how quiet it was. It was so quiet that I could hear my thoughts at night. It's so scary. I couldn't even hear animals. I would go outside and sit and stare at the stars. All my worries and struggles all of a sudden felt like nothing, because I saw an endless sea of stars. And I thought, "There's probably someone else like me that's worrying about themselves too and we're all in this...." I didn't feel alone anymore.

It was a digital detox. I reconnected myself back to nature. Nature healed me. Nature reminded me that everything we've built around our world that we have today doesn't really matter. When I went to see the pyramids, I thought, "Wow, these were built for pharaohs, where are they now?" These civilizations come and go. So all these problems that we put into ourselves - the anxiety and stress - are really influenced by outsides sources. But we have the power to choose whether we want them to influence us. That was something that I had to recognize. And I had to recognize that by reflecting - and how can you reflect when you're always stressed. You can't.

It was interesting coming back to L.A. It felt like nothing changed, which is weird because digital changed a lot, but the scene...nothing really changed. But I didn't come back the same. I came back changed and different. I saw things differently. I have more clarity. I know now how to speak to youth. I feel like at a certain point, I was lost, too. I had to reorient myself. And now I know where I need to go...who I need to speak to...what industries I'm interested in disrupting...what other industries need to be disrupted and how can I find talented people who have the ability to make that change. And I think we're just at the beginning of a lot of change that's going to happen.

Now I have a second chance for this makeup brand. So, I'm excited about just launching it and showing people how I've changed. Em is going to be an introduction of my evolution. Because I've been evolving since I was that 15-year-old on Xanga. I'm changing, and I want to show people that it's okay to change and to grow. So many people want to stay the same forever. The only constant in life is change. We need to embrace it. Most importantly, I wanted to make this brand for my viewers. They've been supporting me for over 10 years. This is really for them. That's why the price point is affordable. The eyeliner is $15. We made sure that everything is made according to the standard of art pens. Everything is just easy, effortless, affordable and intuitive.

Everybody needs to be in a good place if you want to create something beautiful. I wasn't. When Em Cosmetics, launched with L'Oréal, flopped, I was trolled so hard online. I had Reddit forums dedicated to hating on it. I was bullied. I hate using that word because everyone is bullied, but I was digitally bullied. And I never argued with anyone, even if they said something that was not right - like people were saying that my previous formulations were really cheap. I could have said a lot of things, but the thing about the internet is that you cannot have a legitimate arguement with someone online and win.

A lot of them are people who choose to misunderstand you. So if they choose to misunderstand you, you already lost and there's no use trying to convince them otherwise. I tried a few times, but instead of focusing my attention on the negative people, I'd rather just focus on the positive people who have something positive to say. You can distinguish the difference between someone who is being emotional and reactive and someone who just wants to be heard - they're willing to have an intellectual conversation with you. That's what I want to tell people - don't even waste your time trying to convince negative people - they're not going to be convinced. The best way to convince anyone is to show them through actions. Pretty words can say so much, but it's really action that silences everyone.

When I was younger, I was really naive. I came from a small town. I didn't know anything about the business world. I went to art school and I was studying medicine. You can't trust everyone you meet right off the bat. Even if they seem genuine, like they want to help you. You have to have a strong sense of discernment. You have to listen to and use your intuition. Just listen to that gut. If you feel like your gut is telling you this person seems a little off or this deal seems kinda sketchy, listen to that intuition and lawyer up. Always lawyer up. Before even getting a manager, get a lawyer.

But I made it out. I am not gone, guys. I'm stronger than ever. We all go through this. It's like the hero's journey. It's like The Lion King - Simba went through this, I went through this. You rise, you fall, and then you rise even higher. I grew up watching Sailor Moon, so I wanted to be that hero. I realize I'm not a hero, I'm just a girl. I'm just a girl who wants the best for the world - just like everyone else.
As told to Teen Vogue.
Related: Want To Be the Next YouTube Star? Michelle Phan Shares Her Best Advice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The REAL Reason Michelle Phan Disappeared from Social Media for a Year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Michelle Phan is gearing up to launch Em Cosmetics, and if you think you've seen that name before, it's because you have. In 2013, Michelle teamed up with L'Oréal to create her first-ever makeup line, Em.

# data[].attributes.headline
THE SKILL GARY VAYNERCHUK THANKS FOR HIS FORTUNE (Akram Bahou)

# data[].attributes.subject
THE SKILL GARY VAYNERCHUK THANKS FOR HIS FORTUNE (Akram Bahou)

# data[].attributes.body
The article talks about how gary vaynerchuk, while building a multi million dollar business stayed humble, grounded and kept investing in his business more than in his own possessions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this edited excerpt from Crushing It!, How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence--and How You Can, Too, a follow-up to his best-selling Crush It!, serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk takes a fresh look at startup strategies in a rapidly changing digital world and what you have to do today to build a business and an enduring personal brand. Crushing It! (Harper Business/HarperCollins Publishers, available on Amazon) also tells the stories of some of the amazing entrepreneurs, such as Alex "Nemo" Hanse, who have taken the Vaynerchuk rules and run with them, adding their own individual twists.

The power of patience

Passion and patience go hand in hand. Living in line with your passion will probably require that you go slower than you might want to. It will definitely mean that you say no more than you say yes. Bide your time; you cheapen yourself when you make deals while holding your nose. Remember, you're crushing it only if you're living entirely on your own terms.

It's not impossible to make bank when you build a business with the sole goal of getting rich, but very often entrepreneurs who get rich quickly sacrifice their chances for wealth for the long term. When I was just starting to grow my family business, my friends who graduated college at the same time that I did also went to work. They started making money and spending it on trips to Vegas and hot girls and nice watches.

Me? I was making money, too. In the first five or six years, I grew that business to $45 million, and not many years later, it was a $60 million wine empire. When a normal 26-year-old dude builds a $60 million business, he leverages it for 25-year-old-dude things. Yet I lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Springfield, New Jersey. I drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I had no watches, no suits, and no flash. I could have paid myself hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, but the most I took was $60K.

I kept my head down like an ox with a plow, putting almost every dime I earned back into the business and focusing all my energy on building a personal brand around unparalleled customer service, both in the store and online. When not talking to customers, I was the most boring human being on the planet. Today, I not only have everything I ever wanted (except the New York Jets), but also I'm having the time of my life.

You have no reason to start acting like something special until you actually have something special to show for it. Even then, don't act special; the moment you do, you'll start moving in the opposite direction. Take my advice: Eat shit for as long as you have to.

That means be a bigger man or woman than everyone around you. That means the customer is always right. That means you put your employees ahead of you. That means you don't take many vacations, maybe for years, and your only time off is to mark important holidays and to be there for your family (or your friends who are like family).

Be patient. Be methodical. Pay off your debts. Unless your brand is glamorous, live simply, and even then be practical and calculated. Put yourself last. Once you've reached your brand and business goals, then you can start living it up--without putting yourself into debt, because that's insane.

Case study: How Nemo learned to crush it

The day after Alex "Nemo" Hanse turned 30, he was in New Orleans to try to meet a few women.

Not just any women. Specifically, some of the stars listed on his T-shirt, like Taraji P. Henson and Ava DuVernay, who were in town to attend the Essence Festival, a four-day mega celebration of black culture in general and black women in particular. It's the T-shirt that put his clothing brand, Foolies Limited Clothing Company, on the map.

But what's really interesting about his presence at the gathering is how he got there.

His fans and customers gave him birthday money to pay for it. They literally sent him the money to buy himself a plane ticket so he could attend and connect with people who could help him grow his brand.

That's some pretty spectacular customer love and loyalty.

Alex has always had a strong entrepreneurial spirit. His mother died when he was in the fifth grade, and since he didn't have a father figure, he was taken in by a family friend (who had 12 kids of her own). He was grateful to have a roof, but at school he got tired of getting picked on for his raggedy clothes and shoes, so he'd carry around a big duffel bag stuffed with chips, candy bars, and Capri Suns that he could sell to earn a little money. He also worked after school at a car wash, where he got paid under the table because he was underage. "I was just trying to survive," he says.

In 2005, when he was a student at the University of Florida, Alex was a rapper. "Dropping bars and spitting hot lines of fire ... at least, in my mind I was." While Googling "How to create a brand for a rapper," he found an article that said a rapper needed to create an identity for his fans. So he and his "brother of another color," Billy, a big supporter of his music, worked to come up with some kind of catchphrase. "And we're sitting around saying, 'Man, this idea sounds so foolish. This is so foolish of us.' We kept repeating it and playing around, and we started saying,

'Yeah, we're Foolies.' And it was like, 'What's a Foolie?' And I said, 'I guess somebody who's dumb enough to try something and figure it out in the end.'"

After graduating in 2009 with a degree in sports medicine, Alex couldn't find a job in that field, so he kept concentrating on his music while working at an AT&T store. Then he and Billy decided that rappers needed a clothing line. They had no money, so they ironed the word FOOLIES on a dirty white T-shirt.

They did what Alex calls the Daymond John effect: "Put it on one person, take a picture, you take it off. Put it on another person, take a picture, take it off. Because you don't have money so you can't give shirts to everyone, but if you can post pictures on Facebook and Twitter and make it seem like everyone has a shirt, maybe other people will want it, too. And that's what started happening for us, slowly."

The shirts were created to bring attention to Alex's music, but they soon became his main output. He came up with clever ways to deliver an extra special experience to his customers. When he had a special sale, he'd send customers who bought a shirt a custom link to a YouTube video of himself singing a song with their name in it, or some other personal message. He shipped the shirts inside miniature paint cans, the idea being that when you opened the can you'd be releasing your dreams. And he'd send a handwritten letter to every customer, along with a dream journal, "because that's the biggest thing that people don't do: They don't write their goals down, so they can never manifest and come to life."

As soon as customers received their order, they'd post a picture to social media. Except, interestingly, sometimes they didn't post the shirt--they posted the letter, the can, or the dream journal. They'd thank Alex, saying it had been years since anyone had written them a letter, and some attached the letters to their refrigerators or bathroom walls.

The company eked out an existence, barely, while Alex kept working a day job, tutored, mentored at Boys and Girls Clubs, and couch-surfed. It was hard going, but he kept at it. Reading Crush It! in 2015 "was a confirmation that I wasn't crazy. I'd go to pitch competitions and these fake investors would chew me out: 'How is that scalable? Why are you writing letters to every customer?' I started reading the book and thought, 'Man, somebody finally gets me.' It was like finding a long-lost friend or meeting your twin after being separated and you didn't even know you had one."

He realized his problem was that he wasn't creating enough content. "I went all-out motivational, plastering Facebook with posts."

In September 2015, he watched on television as Viola Davis won her first Emmy. That same night, Regina King won her first Emmy, too. "I was bawling. My brand has never deliberately focused on black women, but they've always supported me. So I was like, 'Man, we need to make something motivational based off of this dopeness that these black girls are doing.' That's when we listed all the phrases, like a regular graphic."

The graphic was a list of ways in which people could emulate the black female powerhouses of our era: WRITE LIKE SHONDA. SPEAK LIKE VIOLA. WALK LIKE KERRY [WASHINGTON]. BE FIERCE LIKE TARAJI. BE STRONG LIKE REGINA. LEAD LIKE AVA. "I posted the graphic right before work at about 8:30 in the morning, and around maybe 10:15, my phone started buzzing. So I go to my Facebook page and I see 40-plus shares. I had gotten shares before, but this was a weird number, and it kept increasing. What was going on?"

The reason Alex's phone was buzzing incessantly was because best-selling author, speaker, and digital strategist Luvvie Ajayi, aka Awesomely Luvvie, had posted the graphic to her page. She messaged him and told him he needed to put those names on a shirt. "She didn't even know I had a T-shirt company. She just thought I was a random guy, which is crazy how God works and how everything just lines up."

Then Ava DuVernay reposted the graphic on Twitter.

"It started freaking going everywhere." Alex quickly added a few more names to the graphic--LUPITA [NYONG'O], UZO [ADUBA], ANGELA [BASSETT], and QUEEN [LATIFAH]--and turned it into a T-shirt with the Foolies logo on the back.

That detail, the logo placement, is important to what happened next.

A few months later, on a Wednesday, Alex got an e-mail from Essence asking for shirts for a youth choir to use at an event called Black Women in Hollywood. They needed them by Sunday in time to tape the show later in the week. "It was a hail mary mission." It usually took weeks to get T-shirts printed, and on top of that, he had just switched printing companies because the previous one kept blowing him off. The new company managed to give him a quick turnaround time, and he shipped the shirts in time for the event.

There was no footage when the event itself happened, but soon afterward he got an Instagram alert. It was a picture of the girls wearing his T-shirt, and standing there with her arms around them was Oprah Winfrey. He'd had no idea the event was sponsored by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

He and his COO, Kim, started plastering the shirt everywhere. When the show aired on OWN, the T-shirts looked fantastic, but Alex realized that maybe putting the logo on the back instead of the front hadn't been such a good idea. "We had wanted the shirt to be about the graphic, not about us, and we wanted to make sure that our customers knew that we always had their backs. Real smart, genius."

That night, Shonda Rhimes tweeted out a picture of the shirt, tagged to Foolies, and posted it to Instagram, too. "I've never gotten so many notifications in my life," says Alex. Since then, any money Alex has earned has gone back into the business or into free shirts for influencers. There are a few new versions of the shirt, listing different actors. He tries to attend as many conferences as he can where he will meet other influencers, volunteering to work there because he usually can't afford the ticket price. He recently received a comped ticket to the BlogHer conference from someone who heard him speak about Foolies at another event several months earlier and wanted to make sure he could go.

He's committed to motivating people to reach their goals with more than just a T-shirt. "I don't want to just sell you T-shirts. What happens if you don't buy one? Is it now over for you to be motivated? Why not serve just to serve?" To that end, he launched a podcast called Dream Without Limits Radio, where he collects stories of dreamers, game changers, and people living out their purpose.

"I get to bring on people of color and women, who don't get highlighted enough. You'll see all these dope women on there. I love guys, but I know where my market is, and my niche. People tell me, 'Oh, you need to expand and talk to all these people,' and I'm like, "Gary gets it."

Alex mentored a lot of students at the University of Florida and continues to visit middle and high schools to talk about entrepreneurship and getting out of the 'hood. When his brand started to take off, a number of his former mentees told him that it made perfect sense that this would be his calling. This has always been what you've been doing, they told him. Now it's just in the form of a clothing company.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
This Entrepreneur Built a $45 Million Business in 5 Years--and He Has This 1 Skill to Thank

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this edited excerpt from Crushing It!, How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence--and How You Can, Too , a follow-up to his best-selling Crush It!, serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk takes a fresh look at startup strategies in a rapidly changing digital world and what you have to do today to build a business and an enduring personal brand.

# data[].attributes.headline
FA wants to start futsal schools. esam hamed 

# data[].attributes.subject
FA wants to start futsal schools. esam hamed 

# data[].attributes.body
The article is good because it's good to set up those school's for the youth so that they can develop their skills and to create the Future Neymars and Messi's.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FA kickstarts futsal revolution in bid to create England players of the future | Jamie Fahey

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thousands of youngsters will be able to develop their talent indoors this winter playing the game that honed the skills of Neymar and Lionel Messi

# data[].attributes.headline
Upcoming young entrepreneurs in Africa! (Bahar)

# data[].attributes.subject
Upcoming young entrepreneurs in Africa! (Bahar)

# data[].attributes.body
This article is about young people in Africa, growing in their entrepeneurship. A whole new world is opening for the entrepreneurs that incredibly impact on the business in Africa!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I chronicle Africa's success stories and track its richest people Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

There's a rising tide of entrepreneurship sweeping across Africa, and the youngsters are riding it vigorously. A growing number of young Africans are not just content waiting around for a proper career bump up the establishment ladder. No. Their ambitions are much more profound; They are setting out to write their own destinies - establishing remarkable enterprises that will transform Africa and reignite its economies.

Every year since 2013, I have assembled a list of 30 incredible young entrepreneurs, all under the age of 35, who are making the most dramatic impact in business in Africa. This year's call for nominations attracted more than 250 entries from 23 African countries. I enlisted a small group of accomplished African entrepreneurs, Business Journalists, thinkers and thought leaders to select 30 of the most exceptional young entrepreneurs from the lot. This year's entrepreneurs cut across manufacturing, media, tech, agriculture and fashion. They are impatient to change Africa and together, they represent the entrepreneurial, innovative and intellectual best of their generation.

In no particular order, meet the 2017 class of the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa - today's upstarts, tomorrow's moguls.

Fahad Awadh, Tanzanian
Founder, YYTZ Agro-Processing
Fahad Awadh, a 29-year old entrepreneur from Tanzania, has set up a cashew processing facility in Tanzania in an effort to bring international standards and traceability to the cashew nuts. He is the founder of YYTZ Agro-Processing, a cashew processing company that is adding value locally while creating jobs and boosting the income of farmers and the community as a whole. The company's flagship processing facility in Zanzibar has an installed capacity of 2,500 Tons per annum. YYTZ Agro-Processing recently raised a $500,000 investment from the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund to establish another processing facility in Mtwara, southeastern Tanzania.

Page 1 / 12 Continue

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa 2017

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I chronicle Africa's success stories and track its richest people Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. There's a rising tide of entrepreneurship sweeping across Africa, and the youngsters are riding it vigorously. A growing number of young Africans are not just content waiting around for a proper career bump up the establishment ladder.