The Next Women - Business Magazine

Bank targets Women Entrepreneurs with special SME Loans

Simone Brummelhuis — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:11:05 +0000

In the Philipinnes, The Rizal Commercial and Banking Co. (RCBC), one of the largest commercial banks in the Philippines, has introduced an SME business loan program which gives women the opportunity to increase their financial capacity and meet the growing demands of their business, follows from reporting at Philstar.

Anna Akbari, Serial Entrepreneur, on Tech, Fashion, Karaoke and Rollerskating!

Bethpitts — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:09:49 +0000

Anna Akbari is a serial entrepreneur, as well as a sociologist and professor in the department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University.

She is the founder and CEO of Splice, an enterprise software recommendation engine; and the founder of Closet Catharsis, her fashion and image consulting company, which takes a holistic approach to individual empowerment and identity construction through personal styling and image management.

Anna serves on the advisory boards for Dapprly, a men’s social fashion app, and Stone Creek Entertainment mobile gaming company. Her academic research focuses on visual and virtual self-presentation, mediated / digital identity, group and individual identity construction, visual culture, and digital happiness. She is also a frequent guest lecturer and writer, most recently for TEDxSiliconAlley, The Atlantic, The Financial Times, and she has a regular column in Stylecaster.

3 Steps To Charging What You Are Truly Worth As A Self Employed Professional

Griselda Kumordzie Togobo — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:05:45 +0000

It is common knowledge that most professionals undercharge for the great service they provide. They have little confidence in the value they provide their clients, so are reluctant to charge more.

Others incorrectly assume that their clients cannot afford to pay more, never increasing prices due to fear of losing clients.

However, charging the lowest price in your industry could do your reputation more harm than good and could potentially damage your credibility. A price that is significantly below market value sends out a message that is not always a good one.

Increasing your prices periodically is a great strategy for growing any business. A 1% increase in price is a 1% increase to your bottom-line.

Contrary to popular belief, the price of professional services has very little to do with the cost of delivering the service and should have everything to do with the value that is being delivered to the client.*

I’m a great supporter of the renowned consultant Alan Weiss’ work for this reason.

New: UK Guide to Finance for Startups (Free download)

Simone Brummelhuis — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:28:05 +0000

Women’s businesses would grow more in case knowledge about business funding is improved. (It's one of the reasons The Next Women is organizing Pitch Events.) And now there is also a new free guide launched by women in business organisation, Prowess 2.0, that aims to help women and their advisers to make the most of the funding options available. We are very happy with this funding guide.

Experiment: Can LinkedIn finance my (and John Malkovich's) film?

Simone Brummelhuis — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:41:13 +0000

Coco Scriber is an award winning film maker and entrepreneur. At a time that many crowdfunding initiatives are sprunging up across the globe, she has found a new take on that, by using her indirect contacts on Linkedin. I was intrigued by a mail I received from a friend. Coco needs money for her new film that she is planning to make with John Malkovich. This is what triggered me:

New BBC TV Programme Seeks UK Business Owners With 20+ Staff and/or £1m Turnover

Bethpitts — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:51:20 +0000

The BBC is looking for UK companies with 20+ employees and/or turnovers of over £1m who are perhaps encountering challenges in the current economic climate, to appear in a new television programme.

The BBC are hoping the new series will replicate the success of its Dragon's Den programme, one of its flagship business shows, which regularly draws in 4m viewers. And your business could be starring in it!

BethAnn Lederer: CEO Working Wonders, Top Ten Sustainable CEO

Bethpitts — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:46:55 +0000

BethAnn Lederer has built Working Wonders into one of the leading resources for green interior design material and products for the home and workplace.

In 2010 she was named one of the Top Ten Sustainable CEOs alongside big names such as John Mackay of Whole Foods and Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia.

BethAnn spent over 18 years in the healthcare sector working as an educator, marketer, and advocate for both childbirth and geriatric care services. She started two non-profit organisations for promoting the wellness approach to maternal-child and integrative healthcare. She carries a deeply rooted passion for sustainable design, and is a USGBC LEED AP, championing green products that protect indoor air quality.

We spoke to BethAnn about her tips for balancing motherhood with a career; the Afghan startup she'd like to champion; and the tough choice facing every entrepreneur.

Starting and Running an E-commerce Business in India

85Broads — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:01:57 +0000

85 Broads commenced its programme in Delhi last week with a discussion on starting and running an e-commerce business in India, led by the charming CEO of Crazeal.com, (Groupon India) Ankur Warikoo.

You may be surprised that we had chosen a man to kick-start our Delhi programme, as indeed were the educated professional women in our audience. Ankur is of course a fantastic speaker, with a sense of humour combined with experience and insight – any organisation would be lucky to have him as a presenter. Yet, a women’s network, aiming to promote women’s achievements, being introduced to Delhi by a man?

The fact is, while there are indeed inspiring and successful women in India, Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi and global beauty entrepreneur Shahnaz Hussain being just two examples, this country has a long way to go in promoting the success of people with two X chromosomes. With this is mind, we had asked an accomplished entrepreneur to teach us how to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and here are some of the things he shared:

Do You Live Your Brand?

Paul Writer — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:59:07 +0000

The death of Steve Jobs of Apple lead to an outpouring of grief on the internet. Many who used his devices felt it as a personal loss. Others referred to the movies, such as Toy Story, created by Pixar, as having babysat their kids.

And yet, in the midst of this praise, there were a few dissenting voices. Had he paid child support for his first child? Was he sometimes rude to employees? Did he contribute to charity? What’s that got to do with the product? Nothing, but it is part of our overall perception of the brand. It is a testimony to his superb orchestration of both Apple and his personal brand, that the naysayers were a very small minority.

Cecile Reinaud: Founder, Séraphine Maternity Wear: Dressing the Bumps of Angelina Jolie & Halle Berry

Bethpitts — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:06:11 +0000

Entrepreneur and designer Cecile Reinaud is the founder of international maternity fashion label Séraphine and co-founder of patented shoe brand, ShoeTherapy.

Cecile has always had a passion for creating clothes and founded Séraphine in 2002 after several pregnant friends approached her to tailor clothes to suit their bumps. Spotting a business opportunity, Cecile's first creation for Séraphine was a pioneering pair of maternity jeans, the first of their kind, which she made simply by adding a jersey panel along the waistband. The now award-winning range of comfortable and versatile denim was an immediate success and soon had a two month waiting list.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Cecile and her team have ensured that Séraphine has grown from an independent maternity boutique based in London to one of the leading online specialist maternity fashion brands, with a range of over 200 styles including wardrobe basics, underwear, tailored work and party wear and accessories.