Here’s a rundown of our top ten innovative Retail ideas over the last year.

1. Jeans store uses QR codes to make shopping easier for men

Shopping can be a trial for some, and it’s a widely held belief that many men can find it more of a chore than women. Aiming to improve the experience for men, Hointer added QR codes to their jeans so that customers could simply scan the code in order to get their desired size delivered to a changing room ready for them to try on. This streamlined process saves customers from having to wade through piles of clothing to find their size, ultimately speeding up a shopping trip for those who would rather be elsewhere.

Read more about Hointer »

2. Facebook app lets runners pay with kilometers completed

We’ve seen apps that reward their users with motivational phrases when they exercise. However, Nike Mexico took this a step further with their Facebook auction, Subasta de Kilometros, which allowed runners to accrue points for every kilometre run and then use these points to bid on Nike-branded running gear in the auction. Through this app Nike Mexico cannily provided an extra incentive for runners to keep fit, at the same time as promoting their products.

Read more about the Subasta de Kilometros »

3. In China, virtual reality stores turn open spaces into a supermarket

With the aim of providing a more interactive shopping experience, Yihaodian in China developed augmented reality stores that can only be accessed in certain public locations. When customers point their smartphone in the right direction at locations such as public squares, a virtual store is displayed where items sit on shelves or hang from the walls. This app provides a simulation of a physical retail store so shoppers can feel more immersed in their online shopping trip.

Read more about Yihaodian »

4. In Denmark, supermarket crowdsources suggestions for local products

As concerns grow over food air miles, and more consumers want to buy local, SuperBrugsen in Denmark has come up with a novel way of ensuring that the produce they stock will appeal to eco-minded consumers. Through their website, customers can suggest particular local items they would like the store to stock, after which managers will taste-test the items to ensure their quality. A clever way to use customer crowdsourcing to ensure that the store only stocks items that will sell. The crowds have also been put to good effect in the Netherlands through the Avoid The Shopping Crowds app that analyzes social media feeds to tell the user how busy a shop is before they enter it. Both businesses use crowdsourced data to improve real life experience.

Read more about SuperBrugsen »

5. Mobile app lets retail store shoppers skip the checkout lines

The convenience of popping to the shops for a few grocery items can be hampered by long queues. This was something the brains behind QThru recognized when they developed their app, which allows shoppers to browse, scan and buy products all through their phone. Skipping the queues is an appealing prospect for many, and with that in mind we also saw SoPost, which uses customer’s email addresses to deliver purchases, rather than the traditional home or work address. An interesting idea that reflects the increasingly mobile lives many lead.

Read more about QThru »

6. Brazilian fashion retailer displays Facebook ‘likes’ for items in its real-world stores

We’ve seen those involved in retail adjust impressively to the increasingly online world we live in. C&A provided a good example of how the real world and the online can converge to create a modern shopping experience. By displaying Facebook ‘likes’ on small screens embedded in articles’ hangers, the retailers showed the increasing tally of ‘likes’ different items of clothing were receiving from web users. The hope was that approval from the online community would encourage shoppers to purchase an item of clothing.

Read more about C&A »

7. Machine accepts cards for tips

Increasingly, cash is being passed up in favor of card payments. This makes for a lighter purse, but can also mean that cash rituals such as tipping can be left by the way side. DipJar aims to remedy this by offering an easy way for cardholders to tip, in the form of a machine placed near the till that customers need only place their card into quickly for a USD 1 tip to be taken. If they wish to give more they can just place the card the desired amount of times. A simple innovation for the retail industry that encourages generosity in a world where plastic is paramount.

Read more about DipJar »

8. Calming UK store campaign includes quiet shopping areas and debranded products

Facing the shops can be a fraught experience, particularly at busy times such as seasonal sales or the lead-up to Christmas. Nowhere are the staff more aware of the stress involved in shopping than at Selfridges, a huge UK department store, and they decided to lessen the burden for customers by introducing the No Noise campaign. Specifically, when customers entered designated silent areas they had to remove their shoes and hand over their phones. All products in these zones were de-branded. Concern for customers will rarely go unappreciated, and Selfridges may well have earned themselves a few life-long customers with this campaign.

Read more about the No Noise campaign »

9. In New York, bedroom furniture store lets customers nap for free

Making customers feel comfortable can only increase the likelihood that they will make both a purchase and a return visit. COCO-MAT took this truism quite literally, and offered a try-before-you-buy approach for their beds. Visitors to the store were allowed to nap in the beds for a couple of hours and received a free glass of orange juice, but were not obliged to buy after trying. The idea behind the campaign was to spread word of the bed store and consequently increase footfall.

Read more about COCO-MAT »

10. At Brazilian retailer, RFID tracks merchandise from manufacturer to customer

Shop assistants must dread the words “Have you got any more of…?” seeing as it often prompts a trawl through the back room to see if an item is available in a particular size. But Brazilian Memove’s RFID stock tracking technology could consign such headaches to the past thanks to tags stitched into the clothing that monitor all items from manufacturing to the moment the customer walks out of the shop with the purchased product. Keeping track of the stock supply chain can be made much simpler through the use of technology, and Memove provides a fine example.

Read more about Memove »

The following article is written by Springwise and brought to you in partnership with Nissan UAE

It is often said that the second most expensive purchase made is one’s car. The proliferation of dealerships and second-hand merchants, and the relentless barrage of advertising for the newest models can make this a daunting and stressful experience. The challenge for the industry is to find innovative ways to cut through this information overload.

We’ve seen several car companies offering convenient and customer-friendly solutions over the past year. Nissan teamed up with house-hunting site Dubizzle to offer members of the public relocating to the United Arab Emirates the opportunity to test drive their range of vehicles. By considering the type of house the customer was looking at Nissan was able to provide cars suited to the prospective buyer. Combining the dual difficulties of purchasing a house and a car made this an elegant consumer solution for the company and the buyer.

Other examples of strategies aimed at reducing the stress inherent in the buying process include a Brazilian-based dealership teaming up with a local tow company to offer stranded potential buyers a test drive to take them to their destination, and a rental company in Texas removing the stress of choice by providing a single make and model of car.

In eliminating the most stressful aspects of their customer experience, these companies established a consumer friendly approach designed to encourage brand loyalty and customer buy-in. Essentially, by focusing on the negative aspects of their business, these companies were able to create an innovative solution to lend them the edge in a competitive market place. Inspiration here for anyone who wants to turn a negative into an asset.

The following article is written by Springwise and brought to you by HSBC Egypt.

Responding in part to the online activism surrounding the Egyptian revolution at the beginning of 2012, Egyptians and Egyptian businesses have become increasingly aware of the power of the internet. Egyptians are going online at twice the average rate of other nationalities in the region. They account for almost 20 percent of internet users in Africa, and have twice as many Facebook users as South Africa.

Speaking at a 28 November AmCham breakfast meeting at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, David Dean – senior partner at Boston Consultancy Group — discussed four trends he anticipates in Egypt’s online future:

– A sudden increase in data volume
– New internet users turning to social media as their primary gateway to information
– Mobile broadband as a key driver of internet usage
– Internet users in the developing world doubling in the next four years

E-commerce has followed this rise in internet usage closely and, while the lack of online banking services and credit card users in Egypt does pose a threat to the success of online businesses, success in these industries simply depends on an available, secure payment method. The increase in reliable business banking services such as those offered by HSBC and many of the large multinational banks investing heavily in the area should clear the way for rapid growth in internet usage and online businesses.

E-commerce should flourish as a result of increasing demand, as consumers become more aware of the Internet and put more faith in online business on the back of increased regulation. Online entrepreneurs are well placed to exploit this growth, given the egalitarian nature of the internet in allowing SMEs and microcompanies to compete with big business.

One startup with a major reliance on online finance services is Offerna, a discount consumer site seeking to emulate the success of services such as Groupon. Smartly targeting the internet-savvy consumers, Offerna tailored their service for high-end, high-spend customers offering their favourite products and services at group-buy prices.

Another is Shoghlanah, introducing a novel business model to Egyptian internet users. Describing itself as an “offline and online marketplace,” Shoghlanah connects customers lacking the time or skills to get a task done with people offering to complete tasks for money. We’ve seen a similar approach with Milk, Please! which uses crowdsourcing to find helpers for time-strapped users.

Egyptian growth of e-commerce almost certainly depends on entrepreneurship and innovation among the young online population. In kind, this is dependent on government and infrastructure to provide an environment conducive to growth, as seen with Dubai’s Internet City and Australia’s government-backed incubators. It is vitally important that the support is there for companies at the early stages. In Egypt, initiatives like the Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC) are following that direction and could be instrumental in the development of e-commerce.

We hope that you’ll find these concepts as inspiring as we do, and that they spark even more innovation in the year to come!

1. Brazilian fashion retailer displays Facebook ‘likes’ for items in its real-world stores

One of the problems brick-and-mortar retailers have with Facebook likes is that – by their very nature – they’re visible online, rather than in stores. In order to bring them into the real world, Brazilian fashion outlet C&A installed displays on their coathangers to inform shoppers of the popularity of each item. This blurring of the boundaries between online and offline customer interaction is something that may set successful brands apart as the web integrates further into our daily lives.

Read more about Fashion Like »

2. Cardboard bicycle can be built for less than $15

Bicycles are probably the most eco-friendly form of urban transport around, but how can they be made even more green? That was the question Israeli entrepreneur Izhar Gafni asked himself before coming up with his working cardboard bike, a lightweight device costing between USD 9 and USD 12 to create. Despite its primary material being recycled cardboard, the bike can hold around 300 pounds. Gafni has proved that even when an idea works well, there is always room for improvement.

Read more about the Cardboard bike »

3. Battery-free lamp for developing nations is powered by gravity

Many of us may take electric lights for granted, but there is a considerable portion of the world — around 1.5 billion people — who live in poor, remote areas and have to rely on dangerous kerosene alternatives. Currently being funded through an Indiegogo campaign, the GravityLight hopes to change that by offering a cheap lamp that runs on an entirely renewable resource. The device is attached to a weight, which when lifted for a few seconds harnesses enough energy to power the light for 30 minutes. Operating without batteries, the GravityLight contains no deteriorating parts and means owners don’t have to spend money to keep it running. Hoping to make a big difference in developing countries, the idea has already raised over 500 percent of its initial funding target.

Read more about GravityLight »

4. In the UAE, coffee chain’s cup sleeve is printed with the hour’s top headline

Another innovation looking to integrate the web into the offline world this year was Y&R Dubai’s marketing campaign for the UAE-based Gulf News. Y&R adapted coffee cup sleeves that it prints for its client Tim Hortons to include headlines tweeted by the newspaper in the previous hour. The company recognized that drinking coffee and reading the newspaper go hand in hand and also included QR codes to enable customers to read the rest of the day’s news on their smartphone. According to figures released by Y&R traffic on the Gulf News website grew by 41 percent.

Read more about Y&R Dubai »

5. Digital wallet combines users’ credit cards and selects the best one

Many credit card companies offer a variety of deals on their products in order to entice customers, meaning that many end up with more than one account in order to make the most of different offers. Rather than making card holders keep track of which card would be best for each purchase, Wallaby enables them to upload all of their cards’ details, which are accessed via the single Wallaby Card. Depending on what is being bought, at what time and how expensive it is, the Wallaby Card selects the best account and charges it. Freeing up wallet space and allowing customers to easily take advantage of the best deals available to them, Wallaby is carving its own space in the growing world of smart credit cards.

Read more about Wallaby »

6. Cardboard packaging includes directions for turning it into something new

Packaging that is discarded once a product has reached its destination still causes environmental headaches for brands and Netherlands-based company Joolz set out to do something about it. Considering cardboard is a sturdy enough material to be turned into a bike, the company attached instructions to its baby stroller packaging to enable parents to create homely items such as chairs, lamps and birdhouses. In October, we also saw Australian brand DIY Living go down a similar route with its packaging, perhaps indicating that this kind of eco-thinking could yet solve the problem of waste in the manufacturing industries.

Read more about Joolz »

7. Airline lets passengers choose seat partners based on social media profiles

Indicating how much social media is becoming a major part of many businesses’ strategies, Dutch airline KLM this year rolled out its Meet and Seat program, enabling travelers to choose their seats based on the online profiles of those sharing their flight. Customers can make a match by offering their Facebook or LinkedIn data, depending on whether they’re looking for a potential personal or business relationship. The use of social media is surely set to grow ever more prominent in the future – and we could see this kind of model applied in many other industries in 2013.

Read more about Meet and Seat »

8. Trackers embedded in athlete’s apparel provide live in-game data for coaches

Another trend which has grown over the past 12 months is the idea of the quantified self – learning about ourselves through data analysis. We’ve seen many new products which help to catch information about sports, one of the most comprehensive being adidas’ miCoach, a suite of products to help sports professionals and trainers work out exactly how to improve performance. Using trackers placed onto players’ kits, the miCoach delivers metrics on speed, pace, heart rate and more in real-time. The system can also monitor entire teams at the same time, giving coaches the ability to make smart decisions during play. Given the emergence of products such as Babolat’s Play & Connect tennis racquet, it may not be long before devices like these become a necessity in professional sports.

Read more about miCoach »

9. App enables musician to control concert lighting and sound through crowd’s smartphones

While new technology has often been the bane of major record companies over the past decade, artists seem to have readily embraced it’s possibilities. One such musician is Dan Deacon, who teamed up with Wham City Apps to create a way to take over the smartphones of live audiences. Those attending a Dan Deacon show in support of his album America could download the app, which enabled their phone to respond to sonic prompts, changing the color of the screen or playing sounds in addition to those coming from the stage. The app allows for a greater deal of interactivity between the musician and the crowd, making for a more engaging experience.

Read more about Dan Deacon »

10. In Berlin, stand-alone hotel room comes with local guided experiences

Connecting each other in new and novel ways seems to have been a theme for businesses in the last 12 months, perhaps most appropriately in the hospitality industry. Operating out of Germany, Plus One Berlin now offers tourists not only an apartment to stay in, but also a knowledgeable local resident who can show them around the city. Travelers can see profiles of each of the 28 locals on hand in order to choose which one they’d like to accompany them. The idea makes city exploration a more unique experience, as travelers increasingly look for more than generic package holidays.

Read more about Plus One Berlin »

This is the last of five articles written by Springwise and brought to you by UPS.

Despite the modest beginnings the majority of startup founders find themselves in, most would be lying if they didn’t admit that the ultimate goal is for their business to have a wide-ranging reach. Alongside worries about finances there is also the hope and ambition that a company will grow into a successful global operation. However, such business growth requires effective logistical processes to ensure everything from supply chains to everyday working routines are managed carefully.

When devising these processes one vital ingredient is confidence. Confidence in the initial idea, the execution, and the skills required to turn the seed of an idea into a successful operation. Aaron Priest, co-founder of Raygun – a service that saves students money on costly textbooks – believes in the strength of conviction: ‘Sometimes the best approach you can take in stormy weather is to stay the course. If you planned effectively and strategized properly, then you need to trust yourself. At times, we allowed ourselves to veer from our gameplan and it cost us in resources – both time and financial.’ This is an important point – tight organization can be cost-effective and save on time in the long run, allowing a small business to grow more rapidly as a result.

Alongside faith in an idea comes willingness to take risks. Brian Davis, founder of Stay Green Oil which recycles unwanted oil, is clear that time is of the essence when starting out: ‘When you come up with a great idea – move on it and don’t be afraid to fail. Have passion in what you do and develop a go-to market strategy that assumes some level of risk. If you sit around and wait, you will miss the boat.’ Some of the biggest businesses grew rapidly because they spotted a gap in the market and quickly made sure their operation filled it. As an entrepreneur it is important to keep an eye on the surrounding market, the competition and the available opportunities.

The ability to multi-task in order to expand a business’ remit also cannot be discounted. Wesley LaPorte runs the mobile phone sanitisation company, PhoneSoap, and is very aware of the importance of developing talents across the board: ‘As a brand new brand, company and product, I currently wear many hats. Many hours are spent communicating directly with customers, preparing marketing strategies, meeting with investors, consulting with smart people who have done what we are trying to do: build a consumer brand and company.’

However, while it is important to have structures in place to help progress a business plan, an openness to change is also crucial. Joris Bryon and Hannelore Dewaele, who founded charity video company Timbooktwo, have found that remaining open-minded has kept their business developing in the direction they hoped. ‘Businesses have to be flexible enough to make small and big tweaks on the go, and to see and seize short and long term opportunities that cross their path.’ With fliexibility comes opportunity, and any growing business must be open to promising openings. This might seem contradictory to the need to have confidence in a single idea and ‘stay the course’, but judging when to fully back an idea, and when to adjust and alter a business plan, is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must have.

A clear vision and confidence in a business is essential if the operation is to flourish. Business growth also relies upon logical and tightly organized processes in order to save time and money in the long run – putting the time in at the beginning of a startup’s life to ensure that working practices are firmly established can reduce stumbling blocks further down the line.

We’ve picked out our top ten Fashion & Beauty articles from the last 12 months on Springwise. We hope that the ideas listed below provide entrepreneurs with plenty of inspiration and spark even more innovative efforts in the future!

1. Online retailer focuses on stylish but modest fashions

We always like discovering businesses that go against the grain, and Mode-sty caught our attention because of its refusal to accept the status quo in the fashion world. While many high street chains focus on the younger and more liberal market to shape their collections, Mode-sty prides itself on stocking conservative items for women who are uncomfortable with revealing garments.

Read more about Mode-sty »

2. Anti-aging products personalized with customers’ stem cells

Many brands have been adding twists to their products that enable consumers to add personalized touches in recent years. However, U Autologous took this one step further with their advanced technology that uses the stem cells of customers to create a tailor-made anti-aging product. The company collects these cells from the customer at a young age and then stores them for use in later years.

Read more about U Autologous »

3. New DIY appliance enables consumers to make their cosmetics at home

A DIY approach is favored by many in a world where transparency and customization are major selling points. Naturalis may well be welcomed by resourceful types then, as it encourages users to make their own cosmetic products at home. The thinking behind this device is that users can customize products as they see fit, and avoid using scents or ingredients that they dislike or are allergic to. Empowering the consumer is an appealing business approach, and one that may prove popular in this increasingly saturated market.

Read more about Naturalis »

4. Fabric ink can change the design of a garment on demand

Children often marvel at the “magic” behind Etch A Sketches, where their drawings can vanish with one push of a plastic wiper. Perhaps an adult equivalent is this fabric ink from Refinity, which can be washed away by a special detergent – leaving the garment unadorned and ready for a new pattern or color. For those keen to experiment with their clothing, this could be a useful way of avoiding shelling out for new items on a regular basis. It also means that the ink can be easily removed from a garment before it is recycled, making the sorting of fabrics by color during the recycling process much easier.The company is currently developing an in-house service for printing and removal.

Read more about Refinity »

5. Brazilian fashion retailer displays Facebook ‘likes’ for items in its real-world stores

Linking the online and offline worlds is an aim that many businesses dedicate a considerable chunk of their time to. C&A achieved this by displaying Facebook ‘likes’ on the hangers of their clothing. Small screens embedded in the hangers show the increasing tally of ‘likes’ different items of clothing are receiving from the online community. An interesting retail tactic to encourage online engagement while tapping into people’s desire for others’ approval.

Read more about C&A »

6. Reloadable fabric administers medicine via the skin

While the majority of the innovations we see in fashion are focused on aesthetics, iLoad took a unique medicinal approach to their new material. Their reloadable fabric can administer medicine via the skin – potentially perfect for busy people who may well forget to take regular doses throughout the day. Any innovation that has efficiency at its core is sure to be greeted with interest by time-strapped consumers.

Read more about iLoad »

7. Modular outfits created and customized with concealed zippers

BLESSUS created a line of clothes that can be modified through zippers in the clothing. Many professional women can find themselves carrying several outfits in their bag to accommodate a clothing change for a night out, so adaptable clothes that can be adjusted to fit with different occasions could be a useful alternative to lugging a number of items around all day. A lightweight innovative approach to fashion fans fond of wardrobe changes.

Read more about BLESSUS »

8. For every online shopper, a clothing size profile via webcam

Online clothes shopping is an increasingly popular way of purchasing new items without taking a trip to the shops. However, the lack of a chance to try before buying can be a huge downside to this mail order model. Berlin-based UPcload seems to have provided a solution though through its sizing service, which can obtain the specific measurements of its users and then suggest sizes accordingly. If this saves online customers having to return items through the post it can only be a welcome innovation in the fashion world.

Read more about UPcload »

9. Jeans connect to social networks

Most consumers today now expect easy access to the web, particularly their social networks, at all times. Denim retailer Replay recognized this demand and responded with their Social Denim range, a line of jeans that includes a small pocket for a bluetooth transmitter so that wearers can link up their smartphones and update their mood on their social networks through the click of a button.

Read more about Replay »

10. Fashion brand offers discounts based on a shopper’s social influence

In a similar vein to the C&A campaign that makes use of Facebook ‘likes’ to encourage customer purchases, Volga Verdi in Italy encourages their customers to make full use of their social networks in order to receive discounts on items. The more contacts a person has, the higher the discount they can receive. This provides an easy way for retailers to tap into the wider networks of their customers to promote their brand, and encourages customers to spread the word far and wide by increasing their pool of contacts with the reward of discounts.

Read more about Volga Verdi »

This is the fourth of five articles written by Springwise and brought to you by UPS.

The word “stock” can cause alarm bells to ring for any entrepreneur who is just starting out and looking at keeping their costs down. As a result, many new business founders prefer to start operations that offer an online-only service, avoiding the issues that stock can create altogether.

Stock availability is a major issue for any startup that is selling a product, particularly if there is a complex production process in the making of the product. The two students behind Jerry the Bear – a toy that helps children manage their diabetes – are now accepting pre-orders for the teddy bear and will have 500 made available for retail. Because their product is a teddy bear that can make sounds and emit light, the technology that goes into the making of the toy is quite specific.

As a result, it would currently be an expensive and lengthy process if the founders were to make a large batch of bears, and there is no guarantee they will make their money back, leaving them to pick up the production costs. Providing a limited number of bears helps the founders to minimize risk, but it also helps to create a sense of exclusivity, and pre-orders generate a buzz as customers look forward to the day when they can receive the product. Sometimes the amount of man hours required to make a product can limit its availability, but this can be used as a sales advantage. Dustin McBride, founder of bamboo bicycle startup – Zambikes, supports this idea. ‘Currently, we can only hand-craft up to 25-30 bikes per month so the price reflects the uniqueness and exclusivity of the specialty bike frame.’ However, it is wise to ensure that the product on offer is suitably unique to justify this delay otherwise customers will go elsewhere to receive the same product in a shorter space of time.

Another potentially thorny issue is production costs. Vertical plant pot creators, Jared Aller and Beau Oyler, who founded Urbio, quickly learnt that costs can mount up when manufacturing a product. ‘One of the challenges was trying to put a price to the product. You can get initial quotes for things, but that only gives you a rough idea. It wasn’t until much later that we found out the most expensive part of our project (the magnets) were going to cost us A LOT more than the original quotes we had received.’ Despite conducting research into production pricing, there can still be a nasty shock when a product hits the factory lines. However, if these costs are factored into the retail price then it is possible to minimize the financial blow. Zambikes founder Dustin McBride has done just this. ‘We’ve priced the bamboo bikes with extra margin for our dealers and retailers, not to mention shipping from Zambia is a massive expense.’

The two Urbio founders also touch upon another issue when sourcing the necessary equipment to make a product – the issue of inflation. ‘If there was one thing we’d do differently, it would have been to order our magnets earlier. The prices of magnets have quadrupled in the past 8 months – ouch!’ With the recent economic troubles, costs are rising, and it can be wise to bear this in mind and buy sooner rather than later to try to keep costs to a minimum.

Isabel Rutland runs a startup – Discover & Deliver – that sources high-end items from around the world. As a result she can sometimes struggle to keep costs down when mailing the items. ‘Packaging can be tricky — and expensive — for high value items. There are some pretty amazing solutions out there now though including foam injection packaging for vases/fragile items. Packing is important to us from an aesthetics perspective as well as we want to make the occasion of receipt very special. We wrap things up nicely.’ This is an important point – most products will eventually end up on a customer’s doormat, so it is important to consider the presentation of the item, as well as how safely it is packaged to avoid damage in transit.

When bringing a product to market there are many factors to consider, and we have tried to cover some of the most important ones here. Exclusivity of the product can create an appealing buzz around a startup, as well as keeping costs to a minimum by manufacturing to meet demand – in this instance, less is more. Also, production costs can mount up, and accounting for this in the product’s retail pricing is necessary in order to keep a company afloat. Forward planning and up-to-date research into production costs cannot be underestimated, and avoids any nasty shocks further down the line.

This is the third of five articles written by Springwise and brought to you by UPS.

For new business founders beginning to find their feet communication is an essential tool to equip themselves with. This encompasses everything from good working relationships with co-founders and employees, to engaging in regular conversation with customers.

1. Communicating with your user base is important, of course, but business founders should be avoid simply bombarding users with information. A high number of social network followers does not automatically translate into loyal customers. David Hillier, founder of Donate Your Desktop found this when building up his company’s online social profile. ‘I think the biggest mistake we’ve made so far was to expect that social media exposure alone would build a giant user base. Facebook and Twitter are amazing connectors but people’s attention can be quite fleeting when they’re using them. For instance, we had 1500 likes on the site at the same time as we had 200 users.’ It is important to start a conversation with users, rather than just a loudspeaker type model, where messages are sent out into the online world with no means of gauging how they are being received by the user.

2. A willingness to learn from others can also be invaluable in informing your business model. There are likely to be many people out there who have either gone down the road you’re taking, or who are currently embarking on the same journey. These people can offer advice and tips, or give you a chance to share ideas with them. Max Marty, founder of the boat-based entrepreneurial community Blueseed, relies heavily on his communication skills to bounce his ideas off others who are in a similar stuation. ‘Whether it’s connecting with other entrepreneurs and exchanging ideas, finding new people to work with, or finding investors, connecting with like-minded helpful hard working intelligent people is key.’

Seeking help from others around you should never be shunned. It can be tempting to rush into getting a business off the ground but taking a step back, consuliting with others who are in a similar position or who have relevant expertise, can be invaluable. Ben Greene, founder of the Farmery, agrees: ‘I think if I had taken the time to speak with more experts and pursued mentors then things would have gone much more smoothly. I’ve learned that experience is priceless and any chance to gain wisdom from someone else should always be sought after.’

3. Communication can also be key in keeping you motivated. Running a start-up can be a lonely task if you don’t have a co-founder and you can start to doubt your judgment without any feedback. Conversations with your user base can inform your future decisions, as well as spur you on to keep improving and developing your brand. Founder of women’s fashion site, Mode-sty, Zahra Aljabri says that her main motivation comes from ‘the emails I get daily from women thanking me for starting Mode-sty. They, like myself, are fed up and frustrated by how difficult it is to find a fashionable and conservative outfit without the couture price-tag. I am always encouraged and grateful that thousands of women know that I have them in mind.’

This positive feedback is especially crucial when you are trying to convince a certain industry to change the accepted way of thinking, or of doing things. Zahra’s feedback from her customers has given her the confidence to pursue her aim despite feeling that it contradicts the majority opinion in the fashion industry. ‘Fashion is one of the oldest industries and it can be hard to convince people to change their ways even if the alternative you are proposing is better. So it has been a long trust-building phase where we try to show respect to the industry while trying to gently question the status quo.’

Perhaps the clearest explanation of why communication is key in business life comes from Jonas Gam, co-founder of the playground technology game Son-X Octavia. ‘Be kind and sincere and you will find help from many people, all the people you need to succeed. And understand when you succeed it was a team effort that got you there, not you alone.’ Without a good network of supportive or knowledgeable people it is easy to fall at the first hurdle. No man is an island, and this rings particularly true for entrepreneurs embarking on a risky and exciting career journey.

This is the second of five articles written by Springwise and brought to you by UPS.

We often speak to startup founders who tell us that one of the most difficult aspects of starting a business is finding the time to do all the wide-ranging tasks that are required when getting a project off the ground. Founding a business often requires dexterous multi-tasking skills and the slimline nature of most new businesses means that is often the responsibility of one person to work on myriad aspects of a business – a jack of all trades approach.

Time management is crucial in a working day where a to-do list can cover everything from finances to networking. Fred Caballero, founder of Startup Stay – a service that connects travelling entrepreneurs with like-minded hosts – has experienced the difficulty of working on several tasks at once. “It’s never easy. I wouldn’t say that “managing” is the difficult part but prioritising is what makes you stand out. In other words, not only understanding what and why goes first but also being OK with dumping tasks that won’t get done. Usually the problem is that you want to tackle everything and that’s already not possible. Hitting the wall is the only way (most of the time) to become better at juggling/dumping tasks.”

It can also be tempting to focus on tasks that are easy to complete or quick, in order to get them out of the way. However, interviews with numerous successful startup founders suggests that it is preferable to prioritize tasks based on urgency. Robert Barmore, founder of ThermaHexx, says: “Prioritize the most critical items that will lead to sales and revenue, primarily, getting the word out so you get the orders in. You must work to re-focus as you get distracted by a million other things during the day.”

There can also be a flipside to a business that is doing well. As much as every founder dreams of success with their business, it can also make it harder to prioritize tasks as there are always new targets to meet. Fred Caballero feels that founders needs to be ruthless when deciding which tasks are worthy of their full attention. “I’m still getting better at it [prioritizing work] and I’m far from being an expert but basically, anything that becomes a priority is something that helps us move forward towards the current goals. Anything else should be delegated or sent to the bin. Every level becomes more difficult because, besides whatever new goals you have, you must keep alive what you’ve built so far and that takes time too.”

Running a business requires numerous skills in order to effectively address the many different tasks required in to day-to-day operations. It can be hard to foresee the breadth of jobs that a founder will be required to master in order to run a successful startup. As a result, time management can be one of the most important facets of a smoothly operating business. Allowing enough time to focus on trickier or less familiar jobs will mean that nothing falls by the wayside and free up time for focusing on future targets – surely the ideal way to structure your working day.

This is the first of five articles written by Springwise and brought to you by UPS.

At Springwise we have interviewed a wide variety of entrepreneurs over the years, each with their own logistical hurdles to overcome when taking the first steps in their new business ventures. Time and again the issue of how to achieve an effective distribution work flow comes up – whether it involves getting stock out of the warehouse and on to peoples’ doormats, or delegating work outside of the organisation in the production process. Here, we want to share some of their key learnings with you.

No matter the type of business, the common consensus seems to be that by keeping as much of the supply chain as possible in-house, a business can minimize complications and delays. Founder of music platform Pikup, Daniel Noonan, learnt early on in his entrepreneurial career that it was best not to rely on freelancers. ‘I know many people use freelancers a lot but I’m not sure I will ever again. Time is very important at the start of a business and the freelancers I used missed deadlines on a number of occasions. If you are deciding between using freelancers or learning how to do it yourself then do it yourself. You will learn something new and it will probably be quicker than the time the freelancers would have taken.’ Of course, Daniel’s negative experience isn’t necessarily applicable across the board and many entrepreneurs rely heavily on freelancers to deliver particular skilled aspects of their work. However, it is worth business owners bearing in mind the timescale they wish to work to when factoring in the work of freelancers. Allowing some leeway for delays might be a good idea to avoid working under pressure when coming to the end of the production or distribution process.

Efficiency in the distribution process can rely heavily on the type of business in question. Philip Wilkinson, founder of coffee mail subscription service Kopi, was keen to keep the majority of his business’ logistics online in order to minimize paperwork and unnecessary time delays. He looked at a number of more traditional industries and tried to learn from their weaker areas – specifically the slow transportation of physical stock. He said: ‘When you start speaking to box manufacturers, injection moulding companies, publishing houses, and commodity brokers – you realize how far the digital sector has really come in terms of speed and innovation.’

Philip also shared an anecdote from the early days of Kopi, to demonstrate how important it can be to have an effective distribution process in place: ‘In the first month, we hadn’t got our head around how the post office system worked for businesses (believe me it’s a minefield) and I had to go down to the post office, weigh one of the boxes, and ask for 300 custom stamps to be printed. The owner very kindly agreed but I had to come back in four hours while he fed each one through the stamping machine individually.’

While there are many advantages to a DIY attitude, if an entrepreneur decides to keep as much of the production process as possible under their premises’ one roof then space can become an issue. This is when business minds can get creative, and one particular founder we came across has recognized and confronted this problem. Nicolas Leschke, the founder of Efficient City Farming, which offers rooftop farms to individuals and businesses, said: ‘Considering that by 2050 over nine billion people will live on this planet and most of them in cities, transportation routes will increase tremendously and so will all the negative side effects like increased CO2 emissions. We have to start looking creatively at the space available and that is why we choose to set up farms on rooftops.’

Production and distribution aren’t the most exciting aspects to consider when setting up a new business, but they can prove crucial in determining a startup’s success or failure. Men’s outfitting mail subscription service, Trunk Club, provides a good example of how effective a good distribution network can prove to be. The company was originally floundering, with a strong business model but no practical plan for implementation. It was only after a new CEO took over, Rob Chesney, who had experience in overseeing the successful growth of eBay Motors from a small operation into a global business that they worked out their distribution process and saw their profits increase markedly. Working out a clear and efficient supply chain from the outset can save delays and anxiety further down the line, freeing up time for focusing on the more creative and fun aspects of the business. A key lesson to learn at an early stage.