By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Starting an online business in Turkey might seem like a tough challenge. It’s tough anywhere, but especially in Turkey. Imagine telling your non-geek family and friends that you are starting a new business, and the business will not have a physical store in Nişantaşı. You think they will shower you with encouragement? More likely, they will wonder what kind of crazy scheme you are wrapped up in this time. Once you get past that reaction, you will face the daunting task of finding the resources, money, and expertise to turn your dream into a […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News “Innovate or die!” We hear that expression every day.  Today, business success depends on how innovative a company is and how quickly it can launch products. However, in difficult times, companies tend to become more conservative, focusing on protecting their assets. Even when the natural impulse is to become defensive, though, companies need to innovate.  One way to foster that creativity is to encourage intrapreneurship.  Gifford Pinchot, credited with coining the term, defines intrapreneurs as “in-house entrepreneurs,” those “dreamers who … can increase the speed and cost-effectiveness of technology transfer from R&D to the […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News I am often surprised by how many courses companies make their employees take, so they can learn their jobs better.  However, most talented people don’t lack technical skills, they lack the ability to persuade others to adopt new business practices.  Changing others’ minds is difficult, and often ends in disappointment.  How do you overcome that resistance? An experiment by Goethals and Reckman shows that persuasion sometimes happens when people least expect it.  Often, even the people whose minds changed are unaware of the change.  Since you don’t know when a person might be open […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News We like to think of ourselves as gifted individuals who can conquer the business world with good education, elaborate plans and fine strategies. Academics and experts confidently tell us everyday what works and what doesn’t. We listen to their convincing theories, and we presume that business success is predictable, just a matter of careful application of these known business principles. This approach to success causes many businesses to experience desperation at one point or another. “What more can I do to make my product sell?” cries the owner. But after countless debates and trials, […]