Photo courtesy of Laughlin Elkind on Flickr
You may not know who sisters Sali and Julie Stevanja are, but you should be listening to their business advice.
Why?
Because their e-commerce store Stylerunner, which the siblings started in 2012, has achieved almost 600% year-on-year growth and their social media following is through the roof.
Sydney-based Sali and London-based Julie started the online store to fill the dearth of functional and fashionable gym gear they found online.
The pair recently spoke at the Sydney League of Extraordinary Women breakfast to share some insights with aspiring entrepreneurs.
Below is a summary of their tips.
- Start your business in a lean way so you can easily test your ideas and the market.
- If you are partnering with someone, make sure they have complementary skills and have a partnership agreement.
- Hire people for their attitude. You can always train for skills.
- Make sure you give people recognition when they positively contribute to the growth of your vision.
- Associate with those who are supportive of your entrepreneurial pursuits and add value to your journey and minimise time with those who aren’t/don’t.
- As an entrepreneur you will have to wear three hats: having the vision, having the technical expertise and being able to lead and manage people.
- Always be authentic and engage with your customers
- Retain the right mental attitude and clarity on what you are working towards
- Read helpful books, including: The Lean Start Up, Lady Boss, E-myth and the Nine laws of attracting profit (a downloadable e-book)
- Check out Source Bottle for PR opportunities that can help promote your brand.
- Get up that little bit earlier everyday and take a moment to remind yourself of your key goals and vision.
- Start. There will never be a perfect time or day or scenario, you just have to get started.
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