http://aliblog.alibaba.com The latest news and information from Alibaba.com Americas Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:00:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/09/25/balancing-money-work-and-lifestyle/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/09/25/balancing-money-work-and-lifestyle/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:12:23 +0000 Tessa Hartnett http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=2175 One of the things that I noticed very early on in my working life was that between working and sleep, lifestyle became a ‘squeeze it in’ option. I understand that in order to afford a lifestyle, one must earn money, so how do we find that balance? For me, it was adjusting and prioritising. My husband and I both knew we wanted to travel and live in different countries, so a normal 9 to 5 was never going to work. That is why we turned to e-commerce, it has the flexibility to be run from any location around the world where there is internet access. However, I also knew from the beginning that many people end up creating a job for themselves, not a business. I wanted to make sure that we still had lifestyle as our focus, I did not want us to create a business that than required our attention 24/7. A few times along the way we lost this focus and, although earning more, it was costing us all our time and energy.  By changing our business model we dramatically reduced our earnings but on the flip, we increased the amount of time we got to spend with each other. This new focus has allowed us to ‘tick off’ many of our dreams such as living abroad. We currently live in Thailand, not because of our business (our business has no links to Thailand) but because it was a place I wanted to live and experience from the first time I visited here. My days are constantly a surprise and I truly do get to pick what and when I want to do something. Living overseas is not everyone’s ideal lifestyle, most want to stay closer to home but almost everyone would love to wake up and know that they do not have to work! Tips on Creating Your Dream Lifestyle: Clearly define what it is that you want as your lifestyle – This will help you to stay focused and motivated when things get tough and you have to make big sacrifices. For me, I sacrificed regular dinners and movies with friends, a big wedding and I lived with my brother in-laws for a year! Set yourself reasonable goals – This will keep you on track. Creating unreasonable goals such as replacing your entire income within a week will only cause you to feel as though you failed and that you were ‘not cut out for it’. For me, I kept my job and university studies until the business was at a point where it required more time than I physically had available. Keep your job – This will keep you satisfied. Initially, starting a business can be slow and keeping your regular job or a part time job will help you to feel as though you are still achieving something. Only give it up when you are being fulfilled by your business. Consider a location change – For us, our dream lifestyle is only available because we changed location. If we lived the life we did in Thailand back home, in Australia, it would cost at least 5.2 (yes I worked it out!) more. Let the business work for you – If a lifestyle is really what you want, then do not create a business that requires hourly input. Create a business that works for you. For me, we set things up in such a way that if we wanted to take a week off to live without electricity on a tropical island and sip cocktails, we can. I read a great saying once that stuck with me – “You can earn and spend money but you can only spend time”… How do you spend most of yours? Is it costing you more than you would rather be paying? Mine sure was.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/09/25/balancing-money-work-and-lifestyle/feed/ 1 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/08/03/an-entrepreneur-at-online-retailer-2012/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/08/03/an-entrepreneur-at-online-retailer-2012/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:31:35 +0000 Tessa Hartnett http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=2211 Another conference down! I had the privilege to speak not once, but twice at the Sydney Online Retailer Conference & E-commerce Expo this month. Although it went by in a blur, below are a few key things I took away. Speaking at conferences may be my new calling; not because I am good at it but because it put me right in the middle of things. We have a huge section of our community that are fighting for their place in Australia’s growing online presence and I was able to meet and chat with some of them. This was both inspiring and an honor. I loved listening to their stories and ideas while helping guide as many people as I could using the tips and lessons I have learnt along the way. As small business owners we need to surround ourselves with a supportive and like-minded community who are there to help and encourage (through blogs, social media and emailing one another). With the ‘doom and gloom’ we constantly are swamped with via the media, it was refreshing to have so much positive energy around me. I felt ready to sink my teeth back into my businesses after meeting everyone. So thank you to all the business owners that came and had a chat at the Alibaba booth. Something I feel I can do in return is to share the tips that I provided this time around. From talking to others, I learnt that most Australian small businesses could do with a little more profit in their margins and global sourcing is the answer, however most of you are not sure how to get started in this area or are concerned about fraudulent suppliers. This is natural and something I had to overcome, in fact, lack of information when I first started out was the driving force for me wanting to become Alibaba’s Ambassador. Here is the process I use when I first start a new line or range: AliExpress is my first stop – AliExpress allows you to buy very small quantities meaning (usually no minimum order quantity), therefore your capital outlay and risk is minimal. It also allows you to pay via a third party so you know your money is safe until you have received and inspected your goods. Then you can release your payment to the supplier. Email at least 10 suppliers with questions – Use this as an interview with a supplier. How quickly do they respond to your questions? How well do they communicate? Did they address your concerns? Purchase 1-2 items from at least 3-5 suppliers – This allows you to learn how long delivery times are among suppliers and how your items are packaged. You can also find the supplier that fits your quality standards the best. Confirm a supplier(s) and create your first range – Now you have a supplier you can create your first range. I advise to keep your quantities per design to a minimum, but expand your product range options. This way you can see what items/colours/sizes your customers love without wasting too much capital on one design. Learn your popular items/ranges – Once you know your key products you can make better decisions for the growth of your brand. Negotiate better prices from your suppliers – If you have a popular product/range you can increase the quantities you order and request a better purchasing price from your supplier. The risk to you being stuck with ‘dead stock’ is now minimised because you are basing it on your customer trends. I really hope that this helps you get started in global sourcing but jump on Alibaba’s Facebook page and let us know if you have any other questions. -          Tessa Hartnett]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/08/03/an-entrepreneur-at-online-retailer-2012/feed/ 0 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/07/25/alibaba-event-going-green-alibaba-com-virtual-event/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/07/25/alibaba-event-going-green-alibaba-com-virtual-event/#comments Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:00:59 +0000 Amy Yang http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=2105 As a tradeshow/event marketing manager at Alibaba.com, I’m always passionate about looking for more efficient and cost effective ways to educate our users. On June 21, 2012, we successfully launched the first virtual event and delivered content to buyers and sellers around the world. Without traveling, paper napkins, and tons of printed brochures, Alibaba.com events went green!What is Alibaba.com Virtual Event? Alibaba.com Virtual Event is an online business gathering that includes webcasts, networking lounge, product lounge, online communities, resource center, surveys and more. It’s a collaborative environment that allows speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and event attendees to speak, connect and engage with one another and share sourcing knowledge online. Now, let’s take a mini tour and check out what Alibaba.com Virtual event has to offer. Enjoy! Stop One – Welcome to the Home of Alibaba.com Virtual Event! This “lobby area” is where you will start and find a variety of accessing point that will take you to various dynamic event environments. Stop Two – Decided to listen to a presentation in the Theater? No problem! You can view live presentations and ask your questions to the speakers directly on the days when we have live events. Otherwise, the on-demand presentation is available 7/24. Stop Three – Liked the presentations but still have more questions? Follow me to the Networking Lounge. During the days with live presentations, attendees can chat with Alibaba.com sourcing experts and get their specific questions answered. Stop Four – After the presentation, you may have additional questions regarding a specific sourcing product. Product Lounge is the place to go. Click each product names and you will enter the product suite to get more information. Stop Five – In each product suite, you will have the opportunity to chat with Alibaba.com product experts on the days when we have live presentations. You can post messages, read useful product information and save them to your “briefcase” at anytime. I heard a lot of great feedback and suggestions from the attendees who attended our first virtual event. Entrepreneur Brandi told me that new businesses need help trying to figure out how to locate suppliers and sourcing on Alibaba can be very overwhelming at times. She wished she had this virtual event months ago when she started… Well, better late than never!I’m so looking forward to the next Alibaba.com virtual event that is scheduled for August 21, 2012. Andre Dettlter from Kanseta – a very talented product designer based in NYC – is expected to join us and speak about his experience using Alibaba.com. Here’s a video of him. If you would like to gain access to Alibaba.com virtual event, you can register for FREE by clicking the following link:http://www.alibaba.com/activities/ibdm/virtual_event_reg.html. Join me next time!]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/07/25/alibaba-event-going-green-alibaba-com-virtual-event/feed/ 1 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/07/10/childs-pose-yoga-mats-for-the-young-set/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/07/10/childs-pose-yoga-mats-for-the-young-set/#comments Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:00:07 +0000 Candice Huang http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=1851 Jensen Wheeler Wolfe had a hunch she would start her own business one day. Her father ran his own company and she grew up in that world. It just took a while to spot a gap in the market and come up with the perfect product to fill it. Jensen was working as a researcher at Glamour magazine in New York when a teacher at her daughter’s pre-school asked her if she could teach yoga to the children. Yoga is a passion for Jensen – she appreciates the physical strength and mental equilibrium it affords her, and she had taught adults for many years– so she was delighted to say yes. But it quickly became apparent that she faced a basic logistical problem: how to teach 20 kids in a space that only held 10 adult yoga mats.She went home after her first lesson and cut up yoga mats with her husband to make mats tailored to children.The kids loved them and teachers remarked on some added benefits: children found their places more easily and were more focused in class. One day, Jensen’s husband told her people were stopping him in the street asking about the small yoga mat he carried with him on the stroller while walking his daughter to school. “I think you’re on to something here,” he said.Jensen realized she had found her niche. “I wanted to start with something that was not on the market,” she says.Jensen took her time developing what became the core product of The Little Yoga Mat company. As a professional researcher, she was used to covering all the angles.She began by looking at materials and settled on a non-toxic, eco-friendly foam-like material called TPE. Jensen had determined from the outset she wanted an environmentally responsible product.She couldn’t find a manufacturer in the U.S. that met her requirements, so turned to Alibaba.com to look further afield. “When I found Alibaba I thought, ‘here’s a place I can consolidate all my needs’,” she says. “It was amazing that I could be sitting at my desk and figure it all out.”She collaborated with a friend, a designer, to come up with designs that related to yoga poses: lotus flowers and the sun. “I didn’t want teddy bears,” she says. Her first line comprises two different colored mats in a size suitable for kids of up to four years old. The mats are biodegradable, recyclable and hypoallergenic.  After communicating with several potential suppliers in Asia, Jensen landed on a manufacturer in Taiwan and spent almost a year talking to them before sending them a deposit. “I had lots of questions,” she says. Jensen felt she needed to be sure she had the right partner before putting in an order. “It’s a leap of faith sending a large amount of money overseas and I wanted to develop a good relationship with someone first.”The supplier was working with respected names in the field, like Nike and Lululemon, which reassured Jensen, but she says there was still a learning curve in terms of communication at a distance and cultural barriers.“I realized at some point that, while this was a risk for me, it was also a gamble for them,” she says. “They needed to know if I was legitimate too.”Six months after taking her first order, Jensen is now working fulltime for The Little Yoga Mat company. She has two part-time staffers, one is her bookkeeper and the other handles online orders, and her mats are sold in around 70 stores nationwide.Next year she hopes to break into overseas markets. She also plans to launch a bigger mat for the 5-10 age range, is considering a “mommy and me” mat set, and is looking at publishing a book to help adults teach yoga to kids.Like many small business owners, she says one of her goals is to keep costs down. “We need money going back in the business and to think more creatively.” And she admits that, while she loves being an entrepreneur, it can be challenging. “It’s ups and downs, never a straight line,” she says. “It’s a great wild ride and I’m hoping it continues that way.”]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/07/10/childs-pose-yoga-mats-for-the-young-set/feed/ 0 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/29/why-we-use-alibaba-com-and-aliexpress-com/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/29/why-we-use-alibaba-com-and-aliexpress-com/#comments Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:47:49 +0000 Tessa Hartnett http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=2237 Finding the right supplier is obviously an important part in any product based business. You need to find a supplier that won’t steal your money, will send you the right product, who actually makes good quality items, and will accept returns if there are any problems. When sourcing overseas, that becomes even more difficult, as you are often dealing with suppliers that may not speak your language very well, and may not have the same expectations of service and quality that you do. And if you really want to protect your business, you will try to have relationships with several manufacturers, so that you aren’t reliant on just one source (this becomes even more important if a supplier ‘disappears’). At the end of the day, every individual supplier that you deal with will be different, and you will have to develop a relationship with each one, there is no getting around that. There are ways that you can mitigate some of the aforementioned issues. Firstly, in my experience, many manufacturers’ websites you find directly through search engines aren’t actually manufacturers at all. They are either outright scams trying to take your money, or they’re middlemen that don’t actually produce anything, they just source it from the manufacturer and then add a premium on top for themselves. We don’t recommend going down this path for obvious reasons. Our system is pretty simple, we use Alibaba.com or AliExpress.com. Here is why: Alibaba has Gold Suppliers that have been verified by Alibaba as real suppliers/manufactures. This helps minimise your risk of being ‘scammed’. AliExpress uses Escrow (a 3rd party payment ‘holding’ facility), which means that AliExpress doesn’t even release the payment to the supplier until you have received the goods and verified their quality. AliExpress allows you to get small quantities, which is another great way of checking quality and expanding your range quickly at lower cost to you. Alibaba and AliExpress have a large variety of manufactures to negotiate with. This means if you are not happy with the service of one supplier, you can move onto another without ‘pausing’ your business. It also protects your business from suppliers that ‘go out of business’ . A feedback system is available on AliExpress, so you can read what other businesses have said and how they rated the product you are about to purchase. Alibaba allows you to ask for quotes from a large number of suppliers quickly and easily. This not only saves you a lot of time, but also puts the power back in your hands, because the suppliers know they are in competition with a lot of other manufacturers.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/29/why-we-use-alibaba-com-and-aliexpress-com/feed/ 0 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/28/taking-advantage-of-chinas-e-commerce-growth/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/28/taking-advantage-of-chinas-e-commerce-growth/#comments Thu, 28 Jun 2012 23:22:22 +0000 Christy Seto http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=1783 The power of the online marketplace is far-reaching and none is gaining momentum right now like the one in China. In terms of users and spending power, the Chinese e-commerce market is posed to overtake the US e-commerce market within the next 3 – 5 years. It’s time for US businesses to look to the east not only for sourcing and manufacturing options but also for sales opportunities. That is, if you are able to overcome the barriers to entry, including getting your business set up with the government, handling shipping and logistics, managing storage and inventory and, of course, transferring payment to and from China – yuan to the dollar or dollar to the yuan. Founded by Frank Lavin, an international trade expert and a former senior official in the US Government, Export Now is designed to be a one-stop, online solution to exporting products to China as a third-party merchant on Tmall.com, one of the largest retail online shopping platforms in China. A sister company to Alibaba.com, Tmall.com hosts online storefronts for international and Chinese-domestic brands, including UNIQLO, L’Oréal, adidas, P&G, Unilever, Gap, Nike, Ray-Ban and Levi’s. In July, Lavin will team up with Janet Wang, director of international business development of Tmall.com and Paul Fu, director of user experience and design of Alibaba.com to visit four cities in the US to share their experience and guidance on how US companies can take advantage of the e-commerce growth in China and sell on the most visited B2C shopping platform in the country. The seminar will delve into how even a small business can achieve national distribution in China with minimal cost as well as how to source from one of the world’s largest B2B online marketplaces. Check out the seminar tour schedule below: Tuesday, July 10 (8 – 10am)Chicago, ILHosted by the Chicagoland Chamber of CommercePlease RSVP on this website Thursday, July 12 (8 – 10am) Detroit, MIHosted by the Detroit Chamber of Commerce Please RSVP on this website Friday, July 13 (8 – 10am)Atlanta, GAHosted by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Please RSVP on this website Monday, July 16 (8 – 10am)Seattle, WAHosted by the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle Please RSVP on this website We look forward to seeing you on the road. If you can’t make the seminars, follow us on Twitter @AlibabaTalk and @Export_Now with the #exportnowtour hashtag to get updates as we go and get your questions answered.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/28/taking-advantage-of-chinas-e-commerce-growth/feed/ 2 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/27/job-hunting-not-for-graduates-who-launched-businesses-while-still-in-college/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/27/job-hunting-not-for-graduates-who-launched-businesses-while-still-in-college/#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:00:15 +0000 Rebecca Lui http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=1693 The joy for many students of graduating college this summer will turn to frustration when they start looking for a job: the lackluster economy means that, statistically, about half of them can expect to be unemployed or underemployed following their departure from school. Some savvy students don’t have to worry about finding a job, however. Why? Because they already have one, having founded their own businesses while still on campus. Student entrepreneurs are taking advantage of ecommerce services such as Alibaba.com to launch and run their companies from their laptops — sourcing suppliers, and getting their products manufactured and shipped – while still in possession of student ID cards. David Baron and Zeshan Muhammedi, both former students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, did just that when, with no business experience and limited capital, but a passion for social enterprise, they launched apparel company, SEA. SEA makes stylish hats that are worn by hip-hop stars such as Mac Miller. Rapper Waka Flocka is collaborating with SEA on his 2012 Anti-Bullying campaign. And fully twenty-five percent of the proceeds of every SEA hat sold goes to a charity. Katie Shea and Susie Levitt founded Functional Footwear from their dorm room at NYU. CitySlips are portable shoes that fold up and fit easily into a purse. The company reached $1M in sales in its first year of business. CitySlips are sold at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillard’s, DSW, Bed Bath & Beyond, ShopNBC, and hundreds of specialty retailers, and the entrepreneurs are now working on extending their product line A.J. Forsythe is the founder of iCracked, an iPhone repair company that is rapidly becoming the largest of its kind in the nation. Forsythe had the idea for the business when he broke his iPhone for the nth time and decided there had to be a better solution than going to the Apple store, waiting in line, paying $200 and rebooting all the data onto a refurbished iPhone. Forsythe launched his first business while still in college in California and that’s when he discovered Alibaba which he uses now to find and deal directly with manufacturers for the many parts he sources for iCracked. The convenience and scope of ecommerce is largely what made it possible for these three entrepreneurs to launch businesses while still full-time students. And all of them have bypassed the grueling hunt for a job, not to mention unemployment.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/27/job-hunting-not-for-graduates-who-launched-businesses-while-still-in-college/feed/ 0 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/21/protect-whats-yours-with-aliprotect/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/21/protect-whats-yours-with-aliprotect/#comments Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:55:22 +0000 David Ho http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=1681 I think we can agree that you don’t want somebody to steal what rightfully belongs to you. Whether it’s your product, or a photo of your product online, it’s your intellectual property and you want to protect it from theft. At Alibaba, we share a mutual interest with our customers in protecting their rights. The main reason is rather pragmatic: disputes and litigations are not good for anyone’s business. There are some simple preventive steps you can take to protect your property: include a watermark on your photos, for example, and applying for registration of your trademarks and patents. If you do suspect somebody is stealing what’s yours, and want to file a complaint, our primary channel for handling intellectual property infringement complaints is the AliProtect system (http://legal.alibaba.com/index.htm). We literally spend millions of dollars to develop and maintain the system, and it is manned by dedicated teams of Trust & Safety staff. If you want to file an intellectual property infringement complaint, you simply set up an Aliprotect account and follow the self-explanatory steps. It will ask you for proof of identity, proof of IP ownership, and links to the alleged infringement listing. All these materials can easily be submitted electronically via Aliprotect. AliProtect offers an efficient, effective and transparent channel for right-holders to submit complaints about infringement, without the need to waste valuable time writing complicated demands or hiring expensive attorneys.Have you tried AliProtect? We’d like to hear about your experience.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/21/protect-whats-yours-with-aliprotect/feed/ 1 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/19/pesa-internet-conference-2012/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/19/pesa-internet-conference-2012/#comments Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:57:52 +0000 Tessa Hartnett http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=2247 I had the most amazing time with the Alibaba team at the PeSA Conference 2012. So how did the conference go? Really good, I was excited with the results. Let me take you through my 3 days….. Day one – I spent the morning with the Alibaba crew who patiently helped me some training.  We put the finishing touches on my presentation and ran over it before heading across to the opening of the Conference. I got to hear Ruslan Kogan (kogan.com) talk which was fantastic, he is a great speaker. Some of the similarities between his start up and Vurge’s were uncanny, but he literally risked it all and put everything on the line. It sure paid off for him and I have huge respect. I am more a calculated risk kinda gal, maybe I need to change that! Day two – today was my presentation day. For those that don’t know me, I freak out easily. The idea of presenting in front of a room of people and telling them about my experiences with ‘Safe Global Sourcing’ made me weak at the knees. I have not spoken in front of a group of people since my Uni days. The introduction to my talk was my slightly embarrassing Alibaba.com Ambassador entry video (link to video). After watching my video with a crowd of strangers I proceeded to give my presentation. A few chuckles, lots of nods and many follow up questions left me secretly high fiving myself.  I missed a few points and strung a really odd sentence together but all in all it was successful. The most important thing to me was to help other people with their business goals and from the feedback I received, I think I achieved it. Here are the 4 tips that I spoke about for Smart Global Sourcing with Alibaba: Write clean and concise emails to your suppliers. Use an email like an interview, the responses that you receive will give you a good indication of what you can expect from a supplier. Were they quick to respond? Easy to deal with? Did they understand and address your concerns and questions? Request samples from multiple suppliers. Don’t rely on just one supplier even if you think you have found the best of the best. Always get a variety of samples so that you can compare quality, shipping times and packaging options. Tag onto another order. If you cannot afford to order the requested MOQ, ask the supplier to notify you when another company places an order and tag onto the end. This way the supplier still meets the MOQ and you do not have to invest a large amount of capital. Ask what stock a supplier has on hand. If you need stock quickly but cannot meet the MOQ, ask if there are any designs the supplier has on hand that they would be happy to sell to you. Day three – greet and meet. I got to relax and just talk to people. I discussed sourcing products through Alibaba.com with small business owners who came to talk to me. I was also asked other questions about sourcing and running a small business. I got to connect with a lot of business owners and offer any tips I could to help them grow. If you have any questions, or want to know more on my experiences with global sourcing please comment below.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/19/pesa-internet-conference-2012/feed/ 0 http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/07/video-taking-the-next-step-cityslips/ http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/07/video-taking-the-next-step-cityslips/#comments Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:26:54 +0000 Candice Huang http://aliblog.alibaba.com/?p=1591 How does a company continue to build momentum after a smashing idea? Check out the story of CitySlips, the portable and foldable ballet flats for women, and see how founders Susie Levitt and Katie Shea found a way to keep growing their customer base and attract big brand retailers by building on the core brand.]]> http://aliblog.alibaba.com/2012/06/07/video-taking-the-next-step-cityslips/feed/ 0