Net-A-This, Net-A-That

First there was Net-A-Porter.com, now there's the sister site:  The Outnet.com.

And there's the female Director behind The Outnet.com:  Stephanie Phair (pictured).

Each month, The Outnet receives over one million unique visitors, less than ten percent of which overlap with the existing Net-a-Porter customer base. The United States, where The Outnet has experienced year on year growth of over 90 percent, now constitutes its biggest market. And, 70 percent of the product on The Outnet does not come from Net-a-Porter, so The Outnet has its own buying teams and relationships with brand partners. All of this seems to be working wonders, leading to an estimated annual turnover of more than $50 million, something that took more than 5 years for Net-a-Porter to achieve.

Visit The Outnet.com

This Is Why You Should Start a Business

Love To Sell, Or Else

If you are contemplating starting a business, you better love to sell, or else.  Or else ... for those who hate to sell, you will have a much more challenging path ahead to achieve business success.

Over at the Entrepreneur blog, creative writer Carol Tice offers eight tips (five from author Julie Steelman and three of her own) on how to overcome a reluctance to sell.

How Entrepreneurs Can Conquer Fear of Selling

Illustration credit here.

Does Your New Business Idea Have Momentum?

Whether you are launching a new career, product or business, one has to look at whether the idea is sustainable, or has momentum.

Jeff DeGraff (pictured), clinical professor of management and organizations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, has created a series for PBS that launches at 8 p.m. Thursday on WTVS-TV (Channel 56). In case you've never heard of DeGraff, he is known as an innovation guru.

Individuals who want to re-create their lives or careers, DeGraff said, need to realize that you sometimes need to think of several ways to innovate.

Once you test something out, he said, you are better able to figure out what has more momentum.

Learn more about DeGraff and his new program here.  It might be just the jolt you need to get your business off the ground.

Before Starting a Business, Discover Your Strengths

What can a single mother of five do to provide a stable future for her kids?  You guessed it.  Start a business.

An expert provides three steps to move forward.  Go here to find out what they are.

Illustration credit:  Ms. CEO

Work For Yourself

Be your own boss.  Why not?

Adults do it. Kids can do it, too. What they ‘do’ is run their own business. If you are interested in becoming a ‘Chief Executive Officer,’ get started with a business plan. There are many excellent resources to get you on your way to your dream.

 Learn more here.