There is no denying that the most practical way for small and medium enterprises to expand or even to start out is to do it online. The capital outlay is much smaller and the potential customer base is much wider. With these advantages, it is no wonder that many start-ups online go off the grid within a few months. This is precisely the subject that author and e-commerce diva Janette Toral tackled at the Philippine SME Business (PhilSME) Expo held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura, Taguig organized by Mediacom Solutions Inc.
Entitled the “Digital Entrepreneur Mindset,” Janette tied it in with her 5th book “Embracing Change and Doing E-Commerce Competitively” which focused not on how to put up an online business but how to achieve the mindset that will make any business more successful.
Toral engages her audience in a variety of media, but most proactively through her webinars and articles where she provides free advice for budding entrepreneurs. She refers to the Porter Gale Funnel Test to determine an entrepreneur’s readiness to engage in an online business.
She explained that in order to build a network in business as well as life, you should tap into your passions. “Look into things you really care about,” she elaborated, referring to choosing a market in which to get into. “I’ve seen a lot of young entrepreneurs trying to put up their business focusing on money and then not really connecting with what they want in life.”
She believes this is a recipe for failure in e-commerce. Toral identified three elements that need to be identified for any business enterprise: passion, tone, and purpose.
As an example, she referred to her passions, her so-called “three circles”: e-commerce, education, and change. Undertone, she identified competition, but instead of focusing on external forces, she explained that the healthiest competitor is ourselves, where we are compelled to strive to do better than the last time.
For the purpose, she put it this way: “I empower individuals with e-commerce wisdom and skill that they can use in sustaining a business, advocacy and achieve a better quality of life.” She further stressed that “When you are clear about your purpose, you will have a better direction in life and business.”
A change will bring opportunities to the fore. It will give the entrepreneur a chance to take the lead and become a change agent as well as a positive influencer.
Hear Toral and more inspiring thought leaders at the ENTREPRENEUR SUCCESS SUMMIT 2014, a comprehensive series of workshops and seminars to help business owners, professionals, franchisors, and franchisees, including aspiring entrepreneurs, in developing and growing their businesses. Discover and invest in the right business at the Philippines’ biggest integrated Expo and Convention, dedicated to empower inspiring entrepreneurs and growing franchise businesses – ENTREPRENEUR AND FRANCHISE EXPO 2014 – “Your Step to Success!”,happening on June 27-29, 2014 at MEGATRADE HALL, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. To take the step to success, visit the Entrepreneur and Franchise Expo website at www.efe.ph or call +632-843-2174 or email entrepreneurandfranchiseexpo@gmail.com.