We always heard about e-commerce entrepreneurs being occupied and busy all the time, is this true? Are online entrepreneurs in front of computers all the time?
We always heard about e-commerce entrepreneurs being occupied and busy all the time, is this true? Are online entrepreneurs in front of computers all the time?
Let's find out from Norasurah Abd Wahab a.k.a Sue, the founder of EDZ.com.my, a million-ringgit Muslimah fashion business which started from a blogshop to 3 physical outlets.
I go to my office with my 9 years old kid. I can do my work in the office while helping my kid on his homework / activity book.
I usually spend the morning doing things that involve thinking and decision making. For example, I have to decide on which designs to proceed with mass production, which designs to launch first. Even though my partner is managing the HR, I am still the one who decide the hiring, as usually I will conduct the second interviews.
I then have lunch with my kid and drive him to school.
I start my role in the afternoon as a creative director. I will direct photo shoots, approve which outfit to go along with our products, and plan how we can execute campaigns for our products.
Then I focus on the production, I work with my fashion designer and fashion buyer on which designs to be produced, how many quantities, plus I decide when the products should be released.
Similar to many online entrepreneurs who wear more than one hat, I too responsible for marketing and business development. On marketing, I decide on what to include in our newsletter, what content to put in our bulk SMS. Yes, I still believe in sending bulk SMS to our existing customers!
I also monitor our web statistics in Google Analytics. I think our ranking now suffer a bit as we focus more on our brick and mortar business last year.
Besides that, I care about our website look and feel, also I look into customers feedback, manage social media channels (with the help of creative team) etc.
On business development, I need to always make sure that the company is on the right path. I hope EDZ will be as successful as Zara within the next 10 years, so our long term goal is to expand internationally. I admire how Zara emerges as an international brand for mass market, and I wish to create EDZ as an international modest fashion brand (quality products at competitive prices). In terms of company culture, I always admire how Zappos did it, which inspires me to make EDZ as a company where people want to work at.
Last year (2014), we have expanded to physical shops just to capture the offline market. This year, our main focus is to build a strong team - by hiring the right talent, provide training and make sure everyone in the company is working towards the same goal.
I pick-up my kid from school, then cook dinner for my family.
From 9.30 to 11pm, I watch TV especially movies on HBO, I cannot skip this! :)
I then resume my work at home until 1.30am, on any unfinished tasks of the day. I usually send emails at night to my team for their upcoming tasks.
I also regularly keep myself updated on local and international fashion industry. Besides that, I like to follow topics and insights like online marketing, how to increase website traffic, how to keep our staffs motivated, how to train our staffs, how to make the company profitable etc.
Some friends are calling me "kaki study". I love to study things. I feel so excited when I discovered something new from my research, followed by the urge to quickly implement it.
I believe work-life balance is a must for everyone. However, stress is something that I could not avoid but it is something that I can control. I try to keep myself healthy by consistently do physical exercise 2 to 3 times a week at home, only with x-box. I will go outing with my family during weekends. Cooking is also something good for me. Sometimes I will find time and ideas to cook something special for my family & my staffs - even though I am not a good cook!
Let's find out from Norasurah Abd Wahab a.k.a Sue, the founder of EDZ.com.my, a million-ringgit Muslimah fashion business which started from a blogshop to 3 physical outlets.
Decision making in the morning
I go to my office with my 9 years old kid. I can do my work in the office while helping my kid on his homework / activity book.
I usually spend the morning doing things that involve thinking and decision making. For example, I have to decide on which designs to proceed with mass production, which designs to launch first. Even though my partner is managing the HR, I am still the one who decide the hiring, as usually I will conduct the second interviews.
I then have lunch with my kid and drive him to school.
Production in the early afternoon
I start my role in the afternoon as a creative director. I will direct photo shoots, approve which outfit to go along with our products, and plan how we can execute campaigns for our products.
Then I focus on the production, I work with my fashion designer and fashion buyer on which designs to be produced, how many quantities, plus I decide when the products should be released.
Business development in the late afternoon
Similar to many online entrepreneurs who wear more than one hat, I too responsible for marketing and business development. On marketing, I decide on what to include in our newsletter, what content to put in our bulk SMS. Yes, I still believe in sending bulk SMS to our existing customers!
I also monitor our web statistics in Google Analytics. I think our ranking now suffer a bit as we focus more on our brick and mortar business last year.
Besides that, I care about our website look and feel, also I look into customers feedback, manage social media channels (with the help of creative team) etc.
On business development, I need to always make sure that the company is on the right path. I hope EDZ will be as successful as Zara within the next 10 years, so our long term goal is to expand internationally. I admire how Zara emerges as an international brand for mass market, and I wish to create EDZ as an international modest fashion brand (quality products at competitive prices). In terms of company culture, I always admire how Zappos did it, which inspires me to make EDZ as a company where people want to work at.
Last year (2014), we have expanded to physical shops just to capture the offline market. This year, our main focus is to build a strong team - by hiring the right talent, provide training and make sure everyone in the company is working towards the same goal.
Chill (and work again) at night
I pick-up my kid from school, then cook dinner for my family.
From 9.30 to 11pm, I watch TV especially movies on HBO, I cannot skip this! :)
I then resume my work at home until 1.30am, on any unfinished tasks of the day. I usually send emails at night to my team for their upcoming tasks.
I also regularly keep myself updated on local and international fashion industry. Besides that, I like to follow topics and insights like online marketing, how to increase website traffic, how to keep our staffs motivated, how to train our staffs, how to make the company profitable etc.
Some friends are calling me "kaki study". I love to study things. I feel so excited when I discovered something new from my research, followed by the urge to quickly implement it.
I believe work-life balance is a must for everyone. However, stress is something that I could not avoid but it is something that I can control. I try to keep myself healthy by consistently do physical exercise 2 to 3 times a week at home, only with x-box. I will go outing with my family during weekends. Cooking is also something good for me. Sometimes I will find time and ideas to cook something special for my family & my staffs - even though I am not a good cook!
Read also: 6 things to learn from ASOS.com
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