Tag: featured

Do you need to go to University for entrepreneurship?

As we all understand- there is no direct path to success. If there was, we would all be successful. Wanna be a doctor? Go to Med School. Wanna be a lawyer? Go to Law School. But, what about if you wanna be an Entrepreneur? Is there an Entrepreneur School, per se? Is there some kind of academy where they teach you how to be great Entrepreneurs? Well, there aren’t. Yes, there is college and they provide majors in Entrepreneurship but with the significant cost of tuition fees and an even enormous student debt- Is it really worth it?

Unfortunately, there isn’t any correct answer. Its all based on a personal level. College provides lifelong learning and skills which you might not have access to had you not attended any university. It helps you grow personally and professionally. I think it has more to do with what exactly fascinates you- what is it that you love? Maybe you’re into painting.. perhaps you could open up your own art studio. No matter what type of business you dream of starting someday, there are some skills you NEED to have as an Entrepreneur. You need to be able to market yourself, you need to have a little more than basic accounting and technical skills.

I do think before you decide to start your own company, you should work for someone else. It is the best kind of learning. It teaches you numerous things about how a business operates and gives you the kind of experience college never would. You will come across various opportunities and challenges and it will teach you how to overcome them. Working for someone else will also give you some financial flexibility and stability. You need to have enough capital of your own in the beginning so that you don’t drown in debts.

Going to college and starting your own business right after- I would say it’s quite burdensome. It would be quite difficult to continue investing in your company and making profits when you have a 6 figure college debt hanging over you. Perhaps online courses would be a good idea? Community college for some courses? Maybe that would be a cheaper option.

Whatever you decide to choose, make sure you know what you’re doing. There isn’t any correct answer- it depends on you, your personality, how you like to get things done. Many successful businessmen did not go to college or dropped out of college- and while that may be encouraging to hear- it shouldn’t affect your decision.

眾所周知，成功沒有捷徑。

普遍社會認為的是：想成為醫生嗎？去考醫學院。想成為律師嗎？去考法學院。但是，如果您想創業呢？有企業家學校嗎？是否有某種學院教我們如何成為優秀的企業家？我們或許會想起各大學的商學院，他們提供創業課程，但是我們卻要支付高昂的學費和學生債務-真的值得嗎？

這並沒有正確的答案。大學提供終身學習和技能，它可以幫助您個人和專業成長。這與您喜歡的知識有關-您喜歡什麼？如果你喜歡藝術，也許你可以開設自己的藝術工作室。無論你夢想有一天開始什麼類型的業務，作為企業家都需要具備一些技能。您需要能夠進行自我營銷，還需要具備基本的會計和硬知識。

另外，在決定創辦自己的公司之前，為別人工作是最好的學習方式。它會教你許多有關業務運作方式的知識，並為您提供了大學不能學到的的實際經驗。您一人田日遇到各種機遇和挑戰，而它將教您如何克服挑戰。為他人工作也會為您帶來財務上的靈活性和穩定性。開始時，您需要擁有足夠的自有資本，為之後舖路。

上大學後馬上開始自己的生意不是不可能。如果你不需也許在線課程是一個好主意？社區大學的一些課程？也許那將是一個更便宜的選擇。

無論您決定選擇什麼，請確保您知道自己在做什麼。沒有正確的答案-這取決於您，您的個性以及完成工作的方式。許多成功的商人沒有上過大學或輟學了，儘管這可能會令人鼓舞，但它不會影響您的決定。

Offline Business Ideas

These days it seems more and more new businesses pop up online every day. And e-commerce is, indeed, a growing field. From the previous year, e-commerce grew by 18% in 2019 and it is expected to double by 2023. Consequently, it feels that attention has shifted away from offline businesses to growing and establishing online businesses in recent years.

No matter how much e-commerce may develop though, some businesses are still much better suited to in-person interaction or simply require an offline platform. For example, childcare, elderlycare, and healthcare are rooted in personal interaction. They are reliant on a practitioner being able to physically look after a client and attend to their needs. Construction, renovation, and handyman services do work that most people lack the knowledge and skills to do themselves, and cleaning businesses provide services most people are unwilling to do themselves. And while other businesses can be adapted to online formats, the experiences aren’t quite the same. Food can be ordered through delivery apps, but eating at home doesn’t have the same atmosphere as a restaurant meal. Live shows can be livestreamed, but watching a small computer screen isn’t the same as sitting in a concert hall or theater. Shopping can be done on Amazon or other online retail websites, but nothing can replace being able to view and handle a product yourself before purchasing. And classes, whether they are for math, cooking, or dance, can be held over Zoom, but it’s always easiest to follow instruction when the teacher is right in front of you to help.

However, this doesn’t mean that offline businesses can’t benefit from having an online presence or front.

Online and offline businesses both have their merits. With offline businesses, customers feel a greater sense of trust as they are able to personally view products, a physical store reflects greater financial stability, and offline businesses have more chance, walk-in customers. On the other hand, online businesses have great visibility due to the broad reach of the internet, they are far cheaper, and they can be open 24/7. In combining offline and online together though, offline businesses can solidify their brands and find the best of both worlds by adopting aspects of an online store.

  1. Doing so allows offline businesses to match competition, whether it be solely online businesses or other offline businesses that already have an online platform.
  2. An online presence can also increase the number of customers a business has as people stumble upon their website while researching and browsing online. The internet can even help businesses grow from local audiences to global ones.
  3. In addition to increasing brand awareness, websites allow for greater customer interaction. Customers far away can see what is sold in store (encouraging them to later visit in-person or to order online) and easily communicate any question they may have.
  4. Digital sales save both time and labor as they don’t require any customer interaction.
  5. Conducting sales through an online platform allows business owners to track marketing and business analytics. If this information is utilized properly, it can promote even greater future growth.

As valuable as developing an online front can be, many small offline businesses still haven’t caught onto the trend. As of January 2019, less than ⅔ of small businesses had a website (the main reason cited being that their owners think their operations are too small for one) and 1 in 5 don’t use digital marketing. Not taking advantage of the internet, however, puts a business at a disadvantage. 37% of people use the internet to find a store at least once a month, and 91% of customers have visited a store in-person due to an online experience. And according to data from Google in 2016, 68% of customers go to a store within a day of doing a local search and close to half make a purchase that same day. Continuing to grow online presence continues to pay off too. Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than those without, and the more frequently and consistently they post, the greater the reward.

Making a website though, is not something to be taken lightly. Considering it is the focal point of a businesses internet front, it has to be crafted carefully and attractively. First, it has to be well-made. If a website takes longer than three seconds to load, 53% of mobile visits are abandoned, and for each second delay in load time, conversions fall by 12%. Once on a website, a person’s first impression is dependent primarily on the design-related elements of the site. This first impression weighs heavily on how credibly they will view a business.

In the end, our commerce industry cannot survive with just online or offline businesses. The ideal is a balance somewhere in the middle, tailored to boths the strengths and needs of each individual business.

儘管發展網上業務非常有價值，但許多小型企業仍未趕上潮流。截至2019年1月，只有不到1/3的小型企業擁有網站（主要原因是其所有者認為他們的經營規模太小），而且五分之一的企業沒有使用數碼營銷。

但是，不利用互聯網會使企業處於不利地位。 37％的人每月至少一次使用互聯網查找商店，而91％的顧客由於在線體驗而親自去過商店。根據Google在2016年的數據，有68％的客戶在進行本地搜索的一天之內去了一家網店，而近一半的客戶在同一天購物。繼續發展在線業務也將獲得回報。與沒有博客的小型企業相比，擁有博客的小型企業的潛在客戶增長率高出126％，並且發布頻率越高，持續性越高，回報就越高。

3 Elon Musk facts you might find interesting

Elon Musk- CEO of SpaceX and Tesla can be easily called the real life Tony Stark! Striving for greatness and challenging all sorts of technologies, he has become one of the most renowned entrepreneurs.

#1 In 1983, at the age of 12, Musk sold a simple game called “Blastar” to a computer magazine for $500. Musk described it as “a trivial game … but better than Flappy Bird.”

#2 While studying at the University of Pennsylvania, Musk and a classmate rented out a 10-bedroom frat house and turned it into a nightclub. The move, which Musk undertook with Adeo Ressi, was one of his first entrepreneurial experiments.

#3 After graduation, Musk traveled to Stanford University to study for his PhD — but he barely started the program before leaving it. He deferred his admission after only two days in California, deciding to test his luck in the dot-com boom that was just getting underway. He never returned to finish his studies at Stanford.

Reference:

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-elon-musk-2016-7#musk-next-started-xcom-an-online-banking-company-he-launched-the-company-in-1999-using-10-million-of-the-money-he-got-from-the-zip2-sale-about-a-year-later-xcom-merged-with-confinity-a-financial-startup-cofounded-by-peter-thiel-to-form-paypal-12

How to digitalise your business

The idea of starting your own business can be very exciting. As an entrepreneur, you are your own boss, work more flexible hours, and have greater ability to dictate the direction of your future. Moreover, you can follow your passions and feel a sense of pride in your business’s growth and accomplishments. And for many people, online business poses a very attractive alternative to traditional offline business. Without costs like rent or utilities, online businesses are often much cheaper, and they can be open 24/7 for greater customer flow. Over the past few years, online commerce has become a very profitable market as well as more and more people turn to the internet to shop for both products and services. Moreover, there are many avenues you can take when deciding what kind of online business you want to start so you’ll be sure to find one that suits your interest and skills.

Entertainment

One option you can choose to take is the entertainment route. With the global connections the internet has established, it’s never been easier to reach such a large audience.

Blogs are one such option to consider. You may think they seem out-of-date or that the market is already saturated, but if you believe you have valuable information and love writing, blogs may be a fantastic business for you. Just look at your passions and hobbies and think about what you can share with others. All you need to start is a website, and this renders the start-up cost close to, if not, nothing. Blogs, however, aren’t an easy way to make money quickly. You have to be consistent in posting, post quality information, and interact with your readers. If you succeed in building up a sizeable following though, you can make quite a living through ad space, product sales, sponsored posts, etc. Vlogs provide a slightly more modern update to blogs, and you can similarly monetize your videos.

Alternatively, podcasts have also become a popular form of entertainment in recent years. As with blogging, start-up costs are low and allow you to focus your business around your interests, but growing your business enough to reap a sizable profit can require substantial time and effort.

寫部落格是不是過時了呢？

在2020的大家每天接觸大量社媒資訊，部落格好像和我們愈來愈遠。但部落格真的『過時』了嗎？還是它們換了個方式存在呢？讓Gobuddiers跟大家看一看吧！

部落格的吸引力⋯⋯？

互聯網有很多資訊，以文字、聲音、影片存在。部落格算是以文字為主、影音為輔的形式。它能讓讀者和作家有更深的認識和共感，增加長期影響力和互動。

有名的部落客們

他們都有個共通點—-部落格並不是他們唯一的媒體！他們把內容以不同形式放到網上，吸引不同類型的粉絲。所以如果你希望經營自媒體、或在社交媒體上宣傳你的品牌，不妨試試在不同媒介放上你的內容，找出最適合你的媒介！

或許部落格只是更多以不同形式存在，並不是完全過時呢。畢竟大家也是喜歡看真心的分享，也許文字是適合你的形式！

Products

If you’d rather stick with a more traditional form of business however, you may prefer to stick with selling a product.

One possibility is to run an e-commerce store store. Much like a physical store, simply sell products of your choice but just do so over the internet. Admittedly there is a large amount of competition for ecommerce and customers may be more comfortable buying from a large, established business like Amazon. However, you can do a few things to increase your odds of success. First, look for profitable markets where there is still room for growth. And second, make sure to consider all the costs associated with your product (like manufacturing and distribution costs) to make sure the revenue will be enough to offset them.

Another option is to try your hand at dropshipping. If you’re wary of the costs associated with creating and selling your own product, this business idea may suit you better. With dropshipping, you act as the middleman sending customer purchase orders to a third-party seller, taking a commission from each sale or setting the price on your site slightly higher than that of the third-party seller. Entry costs are lower than for e-commerce as you don’t have to pay to produce your own product, and you don’t have to worry about losing money if the product doesn’t sell.

如果您希望採用更傳統的業務形式，銷售產品可以是一種形式。

一種可能性是經營一家“電子商務商店”。就像實體商店一樣，只需出售您選擇的產品，而只需有互聯網即可。當然，電子商務存在大量競爭，客戶可能更願意從像Amazon這樣的老牌大型企業購買商品。但是，您可以用一些策略來增加成功的機會。

首先，尋找仍有增長空間的市場。

其次，確保考慮與產品相關的所有成本（例如製造和分銷成本），以確保收入足以抵消這些成本。（可以參考我們之前的創業成本帖文）

另一種選擇是嘗試“經銷”。如果您對與創建和銷售自己的產品沒有興趣，則此商業模式可能會更適合您。通過直接托運，您可以充當中間人，將客戶購買訂單發送給第三方賣方，從每次銷售中收取佣金，或者將您網站上的價格設置為略高於第三方賣方的價格。入門成本比電子商務要低，因為你不必為生產自己的產品而付費，並且不必擔心如果產品不賣就賠錢。

Services

Lastly, perhaps the most diverse category of online businesses is those centered around a service.

Digital courses are a booming market. Online classes give you the opportunity to monetize your knowledge and skills. There are already courses for a large range of both academic and nonacademic subjects, and during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, people have only become more creative in finding ways to teach new subjects and activities online as customers seek new ways to learn from home. In addition, you can also sell prepared materials or downloadable content that compliments the course.

Consulting is another way for you to turn your expertise and experience into profit. If you have a deep understanding of a subject and manage to build up a reputable name, people may be willing to pay a pretty penny for your advice. In fact, it can be one of the most profitable online businesses. From finance to business to social media consulting, the options are plentiful and you’ll be sure to find your niche.

Another popular online business option is marketing. Within marketing itself you have a few options, two of which are affiliate and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing. With affiliate marketing, you promote someone else’s product for a commission with each purchase. Using advertising, social media, blogging, or other methods, affiliate marketers aim to draw customers to the producer’s store. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing is a sought after service, however it does require a greater skill set than some other marketing types. SEO refers to the process of working a website so it appears higher up on search engine result pages. As the ease of finding a website can greatly impact an store’s success, other online businesses are eager to utilize these services and to pay handsomely for them. One thing to keep in mind though is that Google’s search algorithms are constantly changing so you will have to make sure to continually educate yourself on these changes and understand how they will affect SEO.

Web design and development are two more options for your online business. If you have the creative inclination and program knowledge and access to do so, web design simply consists of putting together an attractive and engaging website that will draw in readers. Web development has a slightly higher barrier to entry as you do need the coding knowledge of how to build a website from the ground up. But if you put in the time and make the effort to learn, the payoff can be well worth the cost, and the demand for such work is fairly consistent.

Yet another service your online business can provide is virtual assistantship. Such a service typically consists of completing basic administrative tasks like answering phone calls, responding to emails, and making travel plans, as well as others like entering data or conducting research. As you need only organizational and task management skills, the startup requirements are low.

Last on this list is SaaS (Software as a Service). With SaaS, you develop and sell a software on a subscription basis. Of the business ideas on this list, it is perhaps among those with the most potential for profit. It’s all digital so input costs are low, and as long customers find the software worth the price and keep their subscriptions, you have a steady source of revenue.

While this article already ecompasses several potential online business models, it is nowhere close to an entirely comprehensive list. The options for online business are nearly limitless, so make sure to thoroughly consider and think through your options before choosing the one that suits you best!

Copy blogger https://copyblogger.com/blog/

Gary Vaynerchuk

https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/

Tim Ferris

https://tim.blog/

HK Start-up fund resources

【初創公司可以拿到甚麽資助？4個政府資助計劃大整合！】 Start-up fund resources for your business in 2020!

香港政府和各大機構每年也有不少創業支援基金，現在就讓我們來看看它們可以如何幫助你吧！

Are you thinking of starting your own business? Are you already an owner of a start-up and are looking for funds? Well, lucky for you, you’re at the right place! The Hong Kong Government is very committed to support existing or newly startups!

SME Export Marketing Fund 中小企業市場推廣基金

工業貿易署

  • 中小企業市場推廣基金」旨在向中小企業提供資助，以鼓勵中小企業參與出口推廣活動，藉此協助其擴展香港境外市場。2020年1月20日起，每家合資格企業的累計資助上限已由40萬元提高至80萬元！ The SME provides financial support to small and medium sized businesses and encourage them to expand their markets outside Hong Kong. They provide up to $800,000 on expenditure related to export promotion activity.

Cyberport Accelerator Support Programme

  • 「數碼港加速器支援計劃」為準備開拓海外巿場及投資的數碼港培育公司或已畢業的培育公司，提供最高達30萬港元的資助額，申請者必須成功獲得認可的加速器計劃成功取錄。

Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD) – ASEAN FTA Programme 發展品牌、升級轉型及拓展內銷市場的專項基金 （BUD專項基金）- 東盟及自貿協定計劃

香港生產力促進局 HK productivity council

為協助中小企業，包括初創企業，把握經濟機遇和提升競爭力，2018-19年度《財政預算案》提出把「BUD專項基金」的資助地域範圍擴大至東盟市場，並推出「東盟計劃」。立法會財務委員會已於2018年6月通過此項建議並注資15億元。

資助金額

資助按對等原則提供，即政府最多資助個別項目總核准開支的50%，而企業須以現金形式承擔不少於該項目總核准開支的50%。在基金的申請期內，每家企業最多可在「東盟計劃及自貿協定」獲資助十個核准項目及200萬元。

簡介

資助個別香港企業推行有關發展品牌、升級轉型和拓展營銷的項目，從而提升他們在東盟及自貿協定市場的競爭力，促進他們在東盟及自貿協定市場的發展。

資格

所有按照《商業登記條例》(第310章)在香港登記，並在香港有實質業務運作的非上市企業，均符合資格申請資助。不論是從事製造或服務行業，或是否已在中國內地及東盟有業務運作，均符合資格申請資助。

  • This programme provides a fund of HK$2,000,000 on a matching basis for maximum 10 projects and targets ASEAN/FTA markets. The HK SAR Government set up a “Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales.” They provide a reimbursement of 50% of total approved cost.

Researcher Programme 研究人才庫

https://www.itf.gov.hk/en/funding-programmes/nurturing-talent/research-talent-hub/research-talent-hub-for-itf-projects-rth-itf-/index.html The Researcher Programme subsidises 2 researchers for 36 months each- max monthly allowance of $21,000. This programme encourages university graduates to pursue a career in Innovation & Technology.

「研究人才庫」於2020年7月推出，旨在提供資助予獲「創新及科技基金」(基金)資助進行研究及發展(研發)項目 的機構／公司，以聘用研究人才進行研發工作。「研究人才庫」整合了較早前推出適用於基金資助研發項目的機構／公司的「研究員計劃」和「博士專才庫」。

計劃特點：

每個基金項目可同時聘用研究人才最多四名

每名研究人才的聘用期一般最長為36個月。

每名持有本地大學學士學位研究人才的每月最高津貼額為18,000港元；持有本地大學碩士學位研究人才的每月最高津貼額為21,000港元；至於持有博士學位研究人才的每月最高津貼額則為32,000港元。

Each ITF project can engage  at any one time up to 4 research talent

The maximum engagement period for each research talent is 36 months in general.

The maximum monthly allowance is HK$18,000 for research talents with a bachelor degree, HK$21,000 for those with a master degree, and HK$32,000 for those with a doctoral degree.

3 University Students Start Up Competitions you must not miss

#1 Jumpstarter Alibaba IdeaPOP!

JUMPSTARTER IdeaPOP! 是為本港大學生而設的創業比賽，以啟發及培育年輕人具備創業家精神。參加學生將參與一系列創業工作坊，從中學習開展一項商業方案，其間有機會結識行業領袖，並與其他年輕企業家溝通與交流。活動由阿里巴巴創業者基金、香港大專商學生聯會（HKFBS）以及香港社會創投基金(SVhk)攜手舉辦。

JUMPSTARTER IdeaPOP! is a pitching competition for all university students in Hong Kong. We aim to nurture the next generation with an entrepreneurial mindset. Participants will undergo pitch training to learn the best practices for jump-starting a business plan, network with industry leaders, and interact with other young entrepreneurs. It is a startup experience programme organized by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, together with Hong Kong Federation of Business Students (HKFBS) and Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk).

https://www.jumpstarter.hk/tc/student

#2 香港大學生創新及創業大賽

「挑戰盃」被譽為中國青年創新科技的奧林匹克，自1989年舉辦以來，貫徹堅持「崇尚科學、追求真知、勤奮學習、銳意創新、迎接挑戰」的宗旨，至今每屆已吸引2000多所來自不同省市的高校參與，計有200多萬大學生參與其中，在促進青年創新人才成長方面發揮了積極作用，競賽獲獎者中已經產生了科技公司董事、中國十大傑出青年、6位國家重點實驗室負責人及20多位教授和博士生導師。

「挑戰盃」全國賽香港區選拔賽將成為香港各大專院校學生在創新科技及創業方面的重要交流及分享平臺，也是連接產學研究以及發掘科技創新及創業人才的重要平臺。首屆(2015年)香港賽區的賽事只設科技創新項目，2016年起為更全面與全國賽銜接，於香港舉行創新及創業兩個項目並存的賽事，期望能同時發掘兩方面的人才。

The “Challenge Cup” is hailed as the Olympic of Chinese Youth Innovation and Technology. Since 1989, it has adhered to the tenet of “advocating science, pursuing true knowledge, diligent learning, keen innovation, and meeting challenges.”

Colleges and universities from different provinces and cities have participated, and more than 2 million college students joined. They played an active role in promoting the growth of young innovative talents. Among the winners of the competition, directors of technology companies, China’s top ten outstanding youths, and 6 national key experiments have been discovered.

#3 HKUST-SINO ONE MILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION 2020

Witnessing the growth of entrepreneurial activities in our region, the Competition aims to provide a platform for HKUST and surrounding community members an integrative learning experience to create and evaluate new business and to prepare students to start their future career in entrepreneurship. Winners of the Competition can use the cash prize as seed money to build their own company or to further the commercialization of their inventions.

HKUST 1M 創業大賽是科大創業中心舉辦的大型創業比賽，但即便不是科大生也可以參加，只要團隊成員中有科大生而且符合資格, 就可以了！

https://onemilliondollar.ust.hk/

Airbnb是由氣墊床開始的！

創辦人Brian Chesky 和 Joe Gebbie最初開始創業的原因是想要賺取額外收入。當他們意識到由於三藩市舉行工業設計大會而酒店幾乎沒有空缺給來自世界各地的遊客時，他們想到讓人們租出家裏的地方放氣墊床這個辦法。他們的首批顧客是一個30歲的印度男人，一個來自波士頓的35歲女人和一個來自猶他州的45歲的四口之父。他們沒有投資者或外部收入來源來資助他們的創業公司-於是他們開始出售cereal！更有趣的是，他們賣掉了奧巴馬（Obama O’s）和卡普恩（Cap’n McCains）的包裝設計賺了3萬美元！

Like how many businesses begin their journey- with some struggle and inspiration; the journey of Airbnb still remains one of the most inspirational stories in recent times. They started out with selling boxes of cereals to become a company worth 25 billion dollars. It’s unreal how two people, back in 2007, were unable to make ends meet and they ended up building their own empire.

Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbie, the founders of Airbnb, had moved from New York to San Francisco. Unfortunately, the both of them were unemployed and were looking for ways to make some extra cash when they realised that there were barely any vacancies in hotels due to the Industrial Design Conference that took place in SF and visitors from all over the world had come to visit.

#1 They seized the opportunity and bought AIRBEDS!!! I think it was a super smart idea. This way, they could help visitors by offering them a place to sleep for the night and provide breakfast to them in the morning.

#2 Their first guests were: a 30 year old indian man, a 35 year old woman from Boston and a 45 year old father of four from Utah.

#3 They had no investors or external source of income to fund their startup- they started selling cereals!! As if that wasn’t interesting enough, they made $30,000 selling Obama O’s and Cap’n McCains!!!-

Different Types of Entrepreneurs

We all understand who entrepreneurs are and what they do. Surprisingly, even though most of them share similar traits, they are not all the same. In this blog, we will talk about the different types of entrepreneurs who run businesses.

  • Innovative Entrepreneurs

As the word “innovative” suggests- this group of entrepreneurs love coming up with and introducing new ideas and creations into the business world. They love to take risks and are great at anticipating people’s needs and turning them into wants!

Clear Light Bulb Placed on Chalkboard
  • Imitating Entrepreneurs

Imitate? Wait.. does that mean they copy others? Well, you guessed it right! This group of entrepreneurs love copying other people’s ideas and replicating them.

  • Fabian Entrepreneurs

This group of entrepreneurs love to play it safe! In order to incorporate a new technique or design or innovation, they wait for it to be tested by others and if it ends up having a positive response, they include it in their own companies too!

  • Drone Entrepreneurs

These entrepreneurs are reluctant to change. And.. why wouldn’t they? No one likes change. We all prefer our comfort zones and like things the way they are. However, this quality ends up becoming a barrier in their business since they are not willing to adopt to new techniques even if they are burdened with losses.

創新型

就像“創新”一詞，這群企業家喜歡提出並將新的想法和創意引入商業領域。他們喜歡冒險，擅長預測人們的需要並將其轉變為商機！

複製型

複製？等等..這是否意味著他們會抄襲他人？ 好吧，你猜對了⋯⋯ 這群企業家喜歡複製他人的想法並加以復制。不過複製而加以改善，未嘗不是好事呢。

安穩型

這群企業家喜歡按數據安全行事！為了整合新技術，他們等待其他人對進行測試。如果最終得到積極的回應，才會行動。

守舊型

Everything you need to know about business’s Start up costs

如果您正在閱讀此篇文章，您應該對創業有一定的興趣。在此，我們將簡單說明一下你建立自己的公司時需要承擔的各種大小費用。作為企業家，您需要做好準備。因為即使在您打開公司大門之前，您也要支付一大筆賬單。

If you’re reading this blog, it probably means you already have started your business recently, you’re planning to or you’re just interested. In this blog, we will talk about the different types of start-up costs you will need to incur when you set up your own company. As an entrepreneur, you need to be prepared because even before you open the doors to your company, you will have a pile of bills to pay.

為什麼要精準計算您的啟動成本呢？因為它可以幫助您吸引投資者，獲得貸款並估算利潤。以下是每家公司面臨的常見啟動成本清單：

Now, why is calculating your start-up costs earlier on important? Well, because it helps you to attract investors, secure loans and estimate profit.Following is the list of common start-up costs every company faces:

  • Office Space 辦公室位置
  • Office Equipment 辦公室裝備
  • Inventory 庫存
  • Employee/Worker Salaries 員工薪金
  • Market Research 市場調查資金
  • Advertising 廣告資金
  • Utilities 各種用具
  • Website 網站開發成本
  • Licence 商業登記

計算啟動成本有助於投資者做出明智的決定，因為他們能夠將其與預期收入進行比較，並確定您的公司從長遠來看可以實現多少利潤。

Calculating start-up costs aids investors in making an informed decision as they are able to compare that to expected revenue and determine how much profit your company can make in the long run.

9 THINGS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT RAMADAN MUBARAK 關於穆斯林齋戒月 – 九件你不得不知的事

This year Ramadan begins on Thursday, April 23 and ends on Saturday, May 23. They will celebrate Eid Al-Fitr after that.
今年的穆斯林齋戒月（Ramadan）從4月23日開始，將持續30天，直到5月23日為止，然後就舉行開齋節（Eid Al-Fitr).

Ramadan is an annual event for Muslim believers. There are 1.6 billion Muslim believers in the world, and it is one of the three major religions in the world. This means that there is one Muslim out of 5 people.
齋戒月是穆斯林信眾年度盛事，全球有16億穆斯林信眾，為世界三大宗教之一，這意味著5個人之中就有一個穆斯林。

The following 9 things about Ramadan that you should know:
以下關於齋戒月9件小知識報你知：

1. What are being practiced? 這個月穆斯林會做什麼？

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. During this time, Muslims do not let any food or drink pass their lips during daylight hours.
齋戒月（Ramadan）是伊斯蘭曆法第9個月，在這個月裡穆斯林信眾從日出到日落之間不可進食.

2. Who do not have to fast? 什麼人不需要守齋？

Pregnant women, travellers, elderly people, patients, breastfeeding mothers, menstrual women and young children do not have to fast.
孕婦、旅人、老人、病人、餵母乳的母親、月經期女性及幼童可以不用守齋。

3. What cannot be done during this period? 這段時間不能夠做什麼？

During the month of Ramadan, believers are not allowed to smoke, drink alcohol, lie, fast, abstain from intimate behavior, and prohibit all disputes and wars.
齋戒月裡白天信眾不可抽煙、禁飲酒、禁說謊、禁食，戒親密行為，也禁止一切紛爭與戰爭。

4. Any special circumstance / exception? 是否有任何特殊狀況？

If you are unable to fast for special reasons during Ramadan, you can come back every other day. You must finish it within one month after the end of Ramadan.
若齋戒月裡因特殊原因無法禁食，可以隔日重來，最晚必須齋月結束後一個月內完成。

5. Why Fasting? 為什麼要有齋月？

“Fasting” is one of the “five merits” in Islamic teachings, including recitation, rites, fasting, lessons, and dynasties. They are chanting the mantra, praying 5 times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, fasting from sunrise to sunset, charitable donations and praying to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
「齋戒」是伊斯蘭教義裡「五功」之一，包含唸、禮、齋、課、朝。分別是念清真言、一日祈禱5次、在齋戒月，從日出到日落間禁食、慈善捐贈及一生至少到麥加朝拜一次。

Those who have completed the five functions in their lifetime can be identified with the name “Ha only” in front of their names, meaning “pilgrimage”
而有生之年裡完成五功者，可在其名前冠以「哈只」表明身份，意為「朝覲者」

6. What if it’s not being practiced? 不遵守會如何？

In some Muslim countries, eating in public during the fasting month may result in penalties.
在一些穆斯林國家，齋戒月裡白天在公共場合進食可能導致處罰。

7. What are the meanings of Ramadan? 開齋月的意義在哪裡？

The purpose of Ramadan is to reflect, rebirth, and return to purity. Through Ramadan, we rethink the relationship between the individual and God, sympathize with the poor and those in need, volunteer to do good, and read the Quran.
齋戒月的用意在於反省、重生並回歸純淨，透過齋戒月重新省思個人與神之間的關係，對需要幫助的窮人與有需要的人感到同情，自願行善，並多讀古蘭經。

8. Can they work during fasting? 禁食期間可以工作嗎？

Believers still work as usual during fasting, and will not eat until the evening prayer is finished.
禁食期間信徒仍然照常工作，直到日落行完晚禱才會進食。

9. What happens after Ramadan? 封齋結束後有慶祝嗎？

Eid al-Fitr is the celebration of the end of the fasting month. This festival day marks the first day of the next month called Shawwal. Eid al-Fitr is marked with a big feast, the exchanging of gifts and celebrations and is also known as the Festival of Breaking Fast.
在30天的封齋結束後隔天便是「開齋節（Eid al-Fitr）」，連續進行三天，信徒與朋友家人聚集一起吃大餐。

The importance of Eid al-Fitr is equivalent to the Chinese New Year. If you meet Muslim friends, do n’t forget to wish them a “Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid Mubarak!)” During Eid al-Fitr.
開齋節受重視的程度相當於華人的過年。如果你遇到了穆斯林的朋友，在開齋節這幾日，別忘了祝福他們一聲「Eid Mubarak（開齋節愉快！）」​

Reference:
1. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1272942/eid-2020-when-is-eid-al-fitr-this-year-eid-greeting-happy-eid-Mubarak

2. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/ch/news/3431049

About the Author 關於作者
Isaac Kow is the Founder and CEO of GoBuddy, a cloud-software company incubated by Cyberport Hong Kong. Born and raised in Malaysia, he has been immersed in diversified culture and experience Ramadan during his school time (in particular) with his teachers and classmates.