Every entrepreneur, small business or startup must navigate hundreds of tough choices and questions when launching and growing a business. How do you bring a new product or service to market? How do you hire the right people? How do you stand out against the competition? And, what’s the best way to finance the whole pursuit?
At eBay, we live and breathe entrepreneurship. For over 20 years our marketplace has empowered millions of entrepreneurs around the world to pursue their passions. Every day we strive to provide our sellers with the tools and resources they need to grow their business. We believe real-world business advice can be an invaluable resource and one of the most important factors in determining success. It’s for this reason that eBay and Gimlet Creative partnered to create the Open for Business podcast.
Created for anyone interested in or already building a business from the ground up, the podcast brings together eBay sellers, notable business leaders and a diverse cast of characters across the entrepreneurship community. Each episode features candid conversations, stories of triumph and failure, and the valuable lessons learned along the way.
After the success of season 1, which included a stint as the No. 1 business podcast on iTunes, and the positive conversations it generated, we are pleased to announce season 2 of Open for Business.
Season 2 will take the same entertaining and behind-the-scenes approach to shed light on the issues no one tells you about, the situations you wish you knew how to handle, and the information you should know when starting or growing a business. Host John Henry, an entrepreneur himself, returns to ask new and seasoned business owners about a variety of issues that are top of mind in today’s competitive business landscape. We also dig into what can be tough conversation topics for any business owner, like how to recover from failure and how to evolve your business to stay on top.
The first of six episodes – How to Reinvent Your Business – will be available on Thursday, March 16 and will explore the stories of small business owners who have had to rethink and pivot their entire strategy due to challenges such as increased competition, loss of customers and other unforeseen obstacles.
You can subscribe and download the episodes on iTunes, Google Play or stream directly from our Open for Business page, where we’ll also be posting behind-the-scenes details and other interesting tips specific to selling on eBay.
This year we’re also excited to take Open for Business on the road, creating opportunities for listeners to give their entrepreneurial IQs a workout and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. The first event will take place in Austin on March 13 during SXSW Interactive. Designed as an entrepreneurship bootcamp, the event will give attendees a chance to roll up their sleeves and tackle important business challenges – from marketing, to financing to culture and brand building – alongside founders, seasoned entrepreneurs and small business experts. We will also be live recording a fireside chat on workplace culture, which you can catch as a bonus episode later this season. If you’re in town, be sure to stop by. If not, we hope to be in a city near you soon.