my_alexandra_ispas

This page is about entrepreneurship but if you want more information about my business proposal, please visit **my blog** by clicking here.




 * Palgrave test **

My Entrepreneur test shows the results that I expected so it is not really a surprise but it is interesting to see them clearly:

 I compared my results with other and even if the results are a little bit different according to the people, I think that they well qualify us. But to be a good entrepreneur, I think that it is also important to be a good speaker since you will have to convince people. Moreover, you have to be multitask which means that you have to be good at several disciplines because you will have a lot of things to do by yourself. So it is not sufficient to be a good speaker, you also need knowledge in accounting, marketing, and so on.
 * 1) I have a **need for achievement** (10 out of 12) which is true since I am determined, optimistic and forward looking.
 * 2) I also **evaluate risks** (9 out of 12) and do not act without thinking about the idea. I do not set unreachable goals.
 * 3) I am **imaginative** (7 out of 12) since I have a lot of new ideas and I love to dream about it. I like novelty but I am also a little afraid to be
 * 4) I am quite **determined** (7 out of 12) since I am able to take advantage of opportunity but I am not that confident.
 * 5) Finally, I need to work in a team (3 out of 12) where I can lead and to share ideas with others so I do not need that much **independence**.


 * Websites helpful for an entrepreneur **

I found 4 sites that might be helpful when deciding to become an entrepreneur. The first one is http://www.entrepreneur.com  and is very useful to get all the information that are necessary. Indeed, this website explains how to start a new business, how to make your business grow, and how to manage marketing, HR, online sales, and so on. The second website is  http://www.facebook.com  because I think that it is a great communications medium! You can create a page for your business and people can become fans of it and get some information about your and your project. You can also meet people who could be interested in your business idea and help you in starting your business so it is a very useful plateform. More and more people register on Facebook to find some professional contacts. There is also a website called @http://www.gaebler.com which counts a lot of resources to help entrepreneurs like the first website. I find it also very useful since you can find in addition statistics, advice for a lot of things (buying a business, raising money, becoming a leader, exporting products abroad, meeting angel investors and so on) and many examples. Finally, the last one is @http://www.kipost.com which is a French website that helps entrepreneurs to launch their businesses by giving them money and support.


 * Pictures of entrepreneurship **

I decided to choose this picture because it represents quite good the image that I have of the entrepreneurship. Indeed, someone has a bright idea that he tries to develop. He keeps the idea warm until he finds an investor or the opportunity that will help him developing his idea.

 I then decided to choose this picture because I think that an entrepreneur goes through all kind of situations, he has ups and downs since it is very difficult to differentiate hisself from the other and to find investors. Moreover, even if the entrepreneur manages to launch his new business, it still remains difficult and he has to work a lot (more than everbody else I think) to make it last.

I also took 2 pictures with my personal camera to show what is entrepreneurship according to my point of view: I photographed here my computer screen. I was on a french website where you can register to become an entrepreneur. So it is the first step to become a real entrepreneur and to launch a business. Since the entrepreneur status has been simplified (in France), you can register very quickly by giving some information about you and also about the business you want to launch. I chose to take this picture because I think that it represents quite well entrepreneurship. Indeed, it is very difficult to make the decision to become an entrepreneur but when you are sure and determined,you are very fast for registering. For example here, in the title of the website, it is written: "Become an entrepreneur in 3 clicks".

This second entrepreneur picture is more abstract. I took it because I think that it conveys very well the idea that I have of an entrepreneur. Indeed, the entrepreneur has a lot of ideas and has only one desire: to launch his business and to make it grow. Actually, he is blooming, like these flowers but until he finds some money and/or help and/or time to launch his business idea, he feels a little bit breathless because he cannot do what he wants and realize his dreams.

 **Trend watching** 

I chose the story of **TOMS shoes** which can really be applied to my business proposal. Actually, TOMS shoes donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell online. As of August 2009, TOMS has given over 150,000 pairs of shoes to children in need. TOMS shoes plans to give 1 million shoes by 2012. I think that it would be a great idea for the beginning, to launch my website and to make it famous. Then, I could introduce a new principle: for example, for each piece of clothing sold online, I could give 10% of the price to an association. It could attract customers and make them choose my website rather than another one. On top of that, I think that it is a good initiative and that it combine business with charity.

 **Best practice** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

Now, let's speak about best practice. According to the definition on wikipedia, a **best practice** is a technique or a method/incentive, or reward that is believed to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique when applied to a particular condition. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. Best practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people. Best practices apply to a lot of things such as sales, teaching, health care, and so on. So it fits to my business proposal since it is about selling clothes. So best practices for my idea could be: create a very design and attractive website, improve the supply-chain management to reduce delivery costs and lead time and make an effective communication (blogs, facebook, twitter, youtube and so on). For Naked Pizza, best practices could be: giving healthier products to people and gaining their confidence and loyalty.


 * Competencies needed **

To launch my business and so to be a good entrepreneur, some good competencies are also required. I think that it is important to have a **good knowledge about Internet** (since my business proposal is based on a website) but also to have **creative competencies** since you should be able to create and promote the website, and **leading competencies** since you have to manage a team.

But it is also very important to use sophisticated knowledge about:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**//Multimedia skills//**: knowing how to create a website and how to use internet, softwares, photoshop, and so on.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**//Order processing skills//**: as everything is done on internet, it is important to control perfectly order processing.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**//Accounting skills//**: inevitably, in each job you have to manage your accounting.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**//Communication skills//**: these skills are very important since they enable the website to be known and to attact customers.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**//Marketing skills//**: as the communication skills, they enable to promote the website.

<span style="background-color: #ffff00; color: #800080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Blue Ocean Strategy
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The Blue Ocean strategy consists in creating new market space or "Blue Ocean" rather than competing in an existing industry:
 * The **Cirque du Soleil** for example has managed very well to create its own Blue Ocean strategy (in comparison with the Red Ocean one). Indeed, it reinvented the circus (without animals, more poetic but also more expensive).
 * **Starbucks** reinvented the coffee-break by creating a place between work and home. For most people, it was a completely new thing that they associate with comfort and relaxation and Starbucks have met with a lot of success, even if France which is considered as the country of coffee.
 * **Ikea** is a new means of shopping for home. You can find everything in the same place, at a reasonable price and with a nice design.
 * **Sony** also met with a huge success when the company launched the walkman which was a great innovation and extended a lot the customer value since people could listen to music in the street or in the train for example.
 * **Dell**'s built-to-order computers (mid 1990s) also extended customers value by enabling them to customize their computers.