World-changing Entrepreneurs, Competing With Amazon, and The Entrepreneurship Lifestyle
Give thanks for entrepreneurs who are seriously changing the world
This holiday season, let’s take time to recognize the social entrepreneurs who are making a big impact around the world.
First let’s remember the life of Alex Scott, who started her lemonade stand at the age of four to help other kids with cancer. Before she died at age 8, she had raised $1 million. Her nonprofit has gone on to raise over $150 million for childhood cancer research and treatment.
Then there’s Scot Chisholm, the co-founder of Classy, which is raising money for nonprofits at a rate of about half a billion each year (and growing).
James Mayfield, at age 83, continues his fight to end extreme poverty globally. Thirty years ago, he launched a nonprofit with global reach. Now he is specifically focused on Nepal, where he hopes to eliminate extreme poverty nationwide before his 90th birthday — or die trying.
These three are just a few examples of everyday superheroes. The world is full of philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists who are focused on making the world a better place.
This year, please join us in thanking them for their important work.
How your small business can compete with Amazon
As Amazon continues to expand its already impressive reach, many small business owners are afraid they won’t be able to compete. Some worry customers won’t bother to leave home to shop when they can have nearly anything delivered to their home with the click of a button.
Fortunately, there are ways for small businesses to attract customers who might otherwise shop with Amazon. Here are some of the top ways to compete:
Offer highly personalized service
Amazon thrives by offering the largest selections and lowest prices. If you try to meet or beat their prices, you’ll probably end up losing money.
Instead, focus on providing customers with an amazing experience they won’t be able to duplicate online. Exceptional, in-person customer service is no match for chatbots or support tickets.
Create a dedicated mobile app for your business
More and more shoppers are using their smartphones to shop online, but browsing large sites like Amazon can be overwhelming. While you may not be able to offer as wide a selection, you can offer a more focused and personalized online shopping experience.
Text message marketing is another powerful tool for fostering customer engagement. Once you obtain permission to send your customers text messages, you can offer coupons and promo codes via text (texts also have a significantly higher open rate than emails).
Become a visible member of your community
As a small business owner, it’s important to devote time to building your local presence. Offer to speak at local events, participate in fundraising for charities, and take part in block parties and other community events.
There are social, economic and environmental reasons that make it more appealing to patronize local businesses over huge global corporations. As Amazon continues to grow, there’s a bit of a backlash in favor of shopping locally. Make the most of this phenomenon by actively participating in your community.
Do you have what it takes to make it as a lifestyle entrepreneur?
If you’ve ever stopped to ask yourself What kind of life do I want? (rather than the more conventional What kind of job do I want?), lifestyle entrepreneurship may be for you.
These days, anyone with access to the Internet has the ability to strike out on their own and leverage the power of the web to run an online business from anywhere in the world. Here’s how to get started:
Leverage your personal interests
In the beginning, you want to make things easy for yourself — don’t chase down obscure ideas that will require a lot of extra learning. Take advantage of what you already know and choose something you genuinely enjoy.
Start slowly and test the market. Try a few ads on social media and see what kind of response you get.
Don’t be afraid to test different strategies and stay curious — seek out resources and experts for feedback and guidance.
Find the right tools
This is a big one. Using the right tools can connect you with the entire global population of Internet shoppers (and generate millions in revenue).
Choose a powerful platform that offers cloud-based global supply chain and logistics tools. This will allow you to scale well beyond the hours in a typical business day.
Use analytics to optimize your marketing efforts
Modern analytics tools can provide precise information regarding your client base so you can see who is buying your products and when they’re buying them. Use this information to refine your target market and drive your advertising efforts.