The Skim - March 2020's Business Inspiration Summary - Skimming pebbles

The Skim – March 2020’s Business Inspiration Summary

2nd March 2020

Another month has passed, which means it’s time for some more exciting and inspiring stories from the world of business.

This month’s topics include brand focus, launching a start-up and customer connections.

Let’s get down to business.

Maria Ross

‘Customers’ needs change and we need to be in lockstep with our customers with an empathetic mindset to what it is they’re going through.’

Maria Ross is the founder of Red Slice, a branding consultancy firm which helps start-ups and established businesses create a strong brand identity, messaging and values which resonate with their audience.

In this insightful episode of the 5 Minute Success podcast, Maria discusses her views on the importance of empathy in business and the ways in which brands can use it to attract customers and supercharge their overall growth.

Listen to Maria’s marvellous musings here

Josh Silverman

‘When you’re successful, what can be really hard is to tell if you’re successful because of some things and in spite of others. In the face of competition, in the face of possible death, you inspect those things very carefully.’

Having served as the CEO of Skype, Shopping.com and Evite, and currently working as the CEO of e-commerce platform Etsy, Josh Silverman is an expert business leader.

In this recent edition of the Masters of Scale podcast, Josh and host Reid Hoffman talk through his incredible career journey, with a particular focus on how his ability to split his focus between the macro and micro elements of business has helped drive his success.

Follow Josh’s entrepreneurial journey here

Melody McCloskey

‘I realised in that moment that I’d be more regretful of someone else doing this business than I would if I did it and I failed.’

Melody McCloskey is the co-founder and CEO of StyleSeat, a multibillion-dollar digital marketplace for people working in the beauty, barbering and wellness industries.

Despite having a clear business idea which enthused her, Melody waited two years before taking the leap and launching StyleSeat. In this interview with fellow entrepreneur Robert Tuchman, Melody explains how she was able to overcome crippling fears, doubts and insecurities in order to start her business and propel it to success.

Listen to Melody’s inspiring story here

Peter Jones

‘The most important part of securing funding really is what you do prior to approaching anybody.’

Serving as a business investor on TV series Dragons Den for the past 15 years, savvy entrepreneur Peter Jones has a deliciously diverse portfolio of businesses under his belt spanning industries such as food, consumer electronics and garden equipment.

In this recent interview with news site Business and Industry, Peter discusses his work with young and aspiring entrepreneurs and dishes out some valuable advice for start-ups looking to secure funding.

Take a look at Peter’s pro tips here

The Skim will be back in April with more exciting entrepreneur chat. Until then, take a peek at these brilliant business blogs: