Which Global Business Do You Like Best for the eBay Shine Awards?
Last week we looked at the nominees for the eBay Shine Awards for women-owned business. Today I want to take a look at the global businesses that are nominated.
Jalmar Araujo
- flexibrace
First off is Jalmar Araujo of "flexibrace." Flexibrace is an ankle support that Brazilian soccer players use, and that thanks to Araujo, are now becoming popular in the US. When Araujo moved from Brazil to the US, "he went to buy the ankle supports he needed, however, he couldn’t find them anywhere," according to eBay. So he ordered ten pairs from Brazil, kept two for himself, and sold the rest on eBay. "Sixteen years later, Jalmar has turned that original $300 into a $2.5 million business, importing a vast array of support wear products and then selling them to eBay buyers around the world. Today, international sales make up more than 40% of Jalmar’s business."
Araujo's business is a great example of filling a need...these kinds of ankle supports were only in Brazil, and by simply buying them from Brazil and reselling in the US, he was able to build a business.
Neha Gajwani
- smack-tom
Gwani wanted to start her own business after graduating from college, but "she just wasn’t sure where or how." She decided to try selling on eBay, and soon "she was sourcing electronics accessories overseas and selling them through her own site and on eBay." She has opened offices in Miami, India, and "most recently in China," according to eBay.
I wasn't sure exactly what kind of electronics accessories Gajwani sold, so I took a look at her eBay Store, which is at http://stores.ebay.com/smack-tom. Among the things she sells are smartphone accessories, such as phone cases, as well as Macbook, tablet, iPod, mp3, gaming and other accessories.
Gajwani idenitified a very hot market, consumer electronics, such as the near-uniquitous smartphone, and chose that to run her business, which soon became global.
Schad Vanleeuwen
- speedaddictcycles
A fun fact about Vanleeuwen is that his grandfather had been a national racing champion, and "Schad grew up lending a hand in the family parts and accessories business," according to eBay. He listed some of their old inventory on eBay, and soon it led to him running his own company, "Speed Addicts," out of his freshman dorm room in Santa Barbara, CA. He started with motorcycle exhaust systems. Now Speed Addicts has multiple offices and $2.4 million in annual gross revenue on eBay, more than a third of which is global sales, according to eBay. Schad’s got a 99.7% positive rating from more than 33,000 buyers.
I liked Vanleeuwen's advice for other sellers: "Whether it is customer service policies or product selection, your customers will tell you everything you need to know." In other words, customers can guide you to the right products and new products to sell.
In general, lessons learned from these global sellers are to find a need or vacuum, or an existing popular niche, as well as to sell what you know, and products people are passionate about, like mortorcycle parts.
Which one of these three global business people would you vote for for the Shine Awards? What type of product among the three is your favorite? Post a comment here!