Open For Business

A big part of building a business is hiring and then creating a workplace culture where your team members want to stay and grow with you.Maybe you're a business of one, and you're thinking about making your first few hires. Or maybe you’re a team of 20 trying to double your staff to meet new demand. Whatever your situation, how you hire can impact who you hire and who you hire can impact your company culture in a big way.In this episode of Open for Business recorded before a live audience in Austin:  How to create a company where people want to work and then scale that culture as your company grows.

Every company knows what they sell. What’s harder to define sometimes is why? What motivates you beyond...money?  A great mission captures that reason behind why your business exists today. But it also leaves room for your company to aspire for more in the future. It can guide every single decision you make - whether you’re a business of one or one-thousand. In this episode we hear two very different businesses who have figured out how to present their company to the world and one that’s just starting out.This episode features:Andrew Linderman - founder of The Story SourceDavid Malott  - co-founder of Space FactoryDavid Riedel - co-founder of Space FactoryMichael Bently - co-founder of Space FactoryTanya Moss - owner and founder of Tanya Moss jewelry Stephanie Shore - Chief Marketing Officer of MooFor tools and information about how to start or grow a business on eBay, visit ebay.com/openforbusiness.Thanks so much to Natalya Sverjensky, partner at Within People. Learn more about the SHINE Awards for Small Business and share your story for a chance to win at eBay.com/shineawards.Check out ofblistener.com to take our survey and enter for the chance to win a Gimlet membership.Our SponsorsThis episode is brought to you by BigCommerce — get a free, three-month premium store subscription by visiting bigcommerce.com/openforbusinessThis episode is also brought to you by ShipStation. Try it free for 30 days and get an additional month free by visiting visit ShipStation.com, clicking on the microphone at the top of the homepage and typing in “ebay”.

Recent research indicates that U.S. entrepreneurship is increasingly clustered in just a few metro areas. What can we learn from entrepreneurs outside those hubs? We hear from entrepreneurs in three very different places about how to make the most of wherever your business is located.This episode features:Chris Henry, Owner of Ear Candy MusicMarty Babayov, Founder and Owner of The Suit DepotChanning Moreland, Co-Founder and CEO of EVAMoreMakenzie Stokel, Co-Founder and COO of EVAMoreMarcus Whitney, Founding Partner of JumpStart FoundryThis episode also cites facts and information from the studies and research: Economic Innovation Group: “The New Map of Economic Recovery” The Brookings Institution: “Metro Monitor: An index of inclusive economic growth in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas”  eBay Public Policy Lab: “Platform-Enabled Small Businesses and the Geography of Recovery” For tools and information about how to start or grow a business on eBay, visit ebay.com/openforbusiness.This episode is brought to you by BigCommerce — get a free, three-month premium store subscription by visiting bigcommerce.com/openforbusiness This episode is also brought to you by ShipStation. Try it free for 30 days and get an additional month free by visiting visit ShipStation.com, clicking on the microphone at the top of the homepage and typing in “ebay”. 

What happens if it all falls apart? Learn how to weather the storms of failure from two entrepreneurs who refused to give up, and have survived to tell their stories. Episode Notes:This episode features:Andrea Gönner - Co-founder of GarnweltBo Fishback - Founder and CEO of ZaarlyJamin Jantz - Director of Marketing at ZaarlyJeff Morris - Early Zaarly employee, currently the Director of Project Management - Revenue at TinderFor tools and information about how to start or grow a business on eBay, visit ebay.com/openforbusiness.Thanks so much to Mashable, watch the clip that we featured in the episode here. This episode is brought to you by BigCommerce-- get a free, three-month premium store subscription by visiting bigcommerce.com/openforbusiness This episode is also brought to you by ShipStation. Try it free for 30 days and get an additional month free by visiting visit ShipStation.com, clicking on the microphone at the top of the homepage and typing in “ebay”. 

Less than 1% of companies get seed money from either venture capital or angel investors. So, how do regular people find the money they need to get their businesses off the ground? We bring you stories of how three entrepreneurs did it, complete with all the nitty gritty financial details. 

It’s easy to satisfy your customers when everything’s going well, but how do you handle it when things go wrong? We’ve got stories from small business owners who’ve learned the hard way about how to get customer service right. Episode Notes: This episode features: Laura Raposa, baker/owner of The Foodsmith in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Jim "Griff" Griffith, seller engagement, community, and education at eBayKarida Collins, founder of Neighborhood Fiber Co. in BaltimoreTony Brocato, co-owner of Frederickson’s Tire & Appliance in Sheffield, Alabama.For tools and information about how to start or grow a business on eBay, visit ebay.com/openforbusiness.This episode is brought to you by BigCommerce-- get a free, three-month premium store subscription by visiting bigcommerce.com/openforbusiness This episode is also brought to you by ShipStation. Try it free for 30 days and get an additional month free by visiting visit ShipStation.com, clicking on the microphone at the top of the homepage and typing in “ebay”. 

In this episode, we hear stories and lessons from two entrepreneurs who had to reinvent their companies in order to survive. This episode features:Debbie Marriott Harrison, Global Officer, Marriott Culture and Business CouncilBetsy Helmuth, Founder, Affordable Interior DesignRay Wayman, Founder, JR Boutique.For tools and information about how to start or grow a business on eBay, visit ebay.com/openforbusiness.Thanks so much to CEO and Cofounder of Homepolish, Noa Santos. Thanks also to Kim Shanahan, founder of Book Bouquet and to Paulina Grzechnik, designer at Affordable Interior Design. Read more about the ‘hidden competition curve’ here and the concept of the ‘USP’ here. Sponsors:This episode is brought to you by BigCommerce— get a free, three-month premium store subscription by visiting bigcommerce.com/openforbusiness This episode is also brought to you by ShipStation. Try it free for 30 days and get an additional month free by visiting visit ShipStation.com, clicking on the microphone at the top of the homepage and typing in “ebay”. 

From eBay and Gimlet Creative, we return with season two of Open for Business, a show about building your business from the ground up.  This season, we’re diving even deeper and exploring essential topics from financing to how to kill it at customer service to how to pivot when things don’t go as planned.

We'll be returning in March with Season Two of Open for Business, and we'd love to hear what you want us to cover. Visit ofblistener.com to share your thoughts. 

The gig economy is growing so fast, it might just be the future of entrepreneurship as we know it — but it is also still a work in progress. We explore its past, present, and future with two entrepreneurs who ditched the traditional idea of work to launch their own companies on gig economy platforms.This episode features:Redd Horrocks, voice over artist on FiverrDiane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Director of the Hamilton Project at the Brookings InstitutionCori O'Steen, Founder and CFO of UPakNShipLaura Chambers, Vice President of Consumer Selling at eBay

Immigrants to the United States make up about 13% of the U.S. population. And yet, from Silicon Valley to Main Street America, they make up a disproportionately large number of American business owners. In this episode, we explore why this is.This episode features:Chinedu Echeruo, CEO and founder of GigameetSamuel Lu, Owner of New Green Nutrition

How do you tell your company’s story in a way that resonates with customers? In this episode, we learn marketing lessons from a failed Silicon Valley pioneer and two entrepreneurs who gained major success with minimal marketing budgets.This episode features:Chodi McReynolds, former Vice President of Operations at Osborne Computer CorporationJohn C. Dvorak, author of Hypergrowth: The Rise and Fall of Osborne Computer Corporation and host of No AgendaJohn Lawson, CEO of 3rd Power Outlet and Shoe String King and author of Kick Ass Social Commerce for E-preneursSlava Menn, Co-Founder of Fortified BicycleJonah Berger, Associate Professor of Marketing and author of Contagious and Invisible Influence

Setting your prices is harder than it sounds and making a mistake can be costly. We outline concrete steps to get to the right number, starting with one of the most incredible wins in game show history.This episode features:Terry Kniess, Price Is Right contestant and author of Cause and EffectsZoher Karu, Chief Data Officer at eBayMickey Goodman, Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship at Savannah College of Art and Design and Co-Founder/Partner at e2AdvisorsJonathan Wirt, Head of Marketing at PushdSavio Clemente, beta testerRuth Bolton, Professor of Marketing at the W.P. Carey School of Business

No one hires the wrong person on purpose. In this episode, we hear some hiring horror stories and about how to learn from our mistakes.This episode features:Jordan Insley, Co-founder of QuickShip ElectronicsElana Krieger, Head of HR at BoxedAdam Robinson, CEO of HireologyKatie Christiansen, Director of People Operations at Gimlet MediaBrina Bujkovsky, Co-founder of PopUpsters

What makes a successful entrepreneur? If you are one, were you born that way?**Warning, this episode contains adult language.**This episode features: Corri McFadden, owner and founder of eDrop-Off Nsi Obotetukudo, co-founder Alley NYCScott Shane, author of Born Entrepreneurs, Born Leaders Logan Rockmore, founder of SportsTapShow Notes: This podcast features a clip from the a16z Podcast: Investing in (Business and Career) Change