14 Lessons from Australia E-Business Entrepreneurs

Emily Ross and Angus Holland puts the spotlight on 14 Australia e-business entrepreneurs in their book 50 Great E-Businesses and the Minds Behind Them. Truly inspiring as the authors gave a view on the realities of running an e-commerce endeavor through the personal sharing experience of various owners. The book also has e-business stories of those based in the US.

Here are some of the insights I gained from the various Aussie entrepreneurs featured.

1. Challenge why and how you are doing something. How can you make things smarter? Every little thing is an improvement. (Graeme Wood of Wotif.com)

2. Offer equity to main clients and as a result, they'll also bring more business to the company. (Greg Roebuck of CarSales.com.au)

3. Never underestimate work required to keep a company afloat. (Karl Sabljak and Marty Howell of RealEstate.com.au)

4. Look for every possible way to reach critical mass. (Andrew and Paul Bassat of Seek.com.au)

5. Do something that doesn't that doesn't look or act like everything else out there. (Garth Franklin of DarkHorizons.com)

6, Use as many channels online to market the brand. There's no shame in seeking attention for the brand. (Sean Ashby of AussieBum.com.au)

7. Invest in the functionality of the site. (Brett Clark of ePharmacy.com.au)

8. More listings means more sales. (Philip Leahy of EntertainmentHouse.net)

9. Focus on the people who will deliver inventory to the site. (Rob and Audrey Hunt, Chris Sharkey of Stayz.com.au)

10. Take criticism on the chin (Fiona Boyd and David Eedle of Artshub.com.au)

11. Inspire members to tell their friends about the site. (Kylie Little and Deirdre Walker of EssentialBaby.com.au)

12. If you feel you can't do something, take it down to manageable bits and get it done one by one. (David Clarke of Webjet.com.au)

13. Constantly invest new ways of to generate income from the site where customers will not feel ripped off. (Stephen Mulcahy of RSVP.com.au)

14. Be open to take on new leaders who can take the company to the next level. (observation on Stephen Mayne of Crikey.com.au story)

If you need an inspiration to your e-commerce business, this book is worth investing in.