By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Ask any CEO or senior level executive what his biggest challenge is, and the answer is almost always finding and keeping talented people. The world is in a talent hunt. Companies look for the best and the brightest because they know to compete and make a difference requires finding people who have unique skills. Around the world, we hear companies saying, “our people are our greatest asset”. But do they really mean it, and are they acting accordingly? At too many companies, even the top management leaves the talent hunt to the HR department, […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful,” says Warren Buffet, the world’s richest man. We nod our heads in agreement, but it’s difficult to actually muster the courage to follow his advice. In our economic times, fear has replaced hope. Some people have lost their jobs, and the people who still have jobs are afraid of losing them. Many of us are frozen by fear, and we act as if keeping, or finding, any sort of employment is the only way to stay alive today. Guess what? If […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News In 1985, the first domain name, symbolics.com, was registered in the U.S. In 1994, the Internet became widely known among the general public, and the first third-party services for processing online credit card sales began to appear. In 1995, Amazon.com revolutionized the use of the Internet, doing business on the web with customer oriented online sales. Although Amazon started by selling books online, today it sells pretty much everything that can be sold on the web. Ebay.com, a popular online auction site, grew up alongside Amazon, making it possible for even those with little […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News They are your youngest hires. They were born between 1978 and 1995, and you might think of them as juniors, newbies, kids. But they are the Millenials, and they should be taken seriously, because they are our future business leaders. When the current generations retire, they will be the ones who take over. Most companies struggle to understand these millenials. Managers and human resources professionals are puzzled by this generation, and confused by their different skills and values. They are ambitious, wanting upward mobility in a short period of time. They actively seek mentoring, […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Today’s marketing and communications professionals face a serious challenge. New internet technologies are changing our customers’ communication styles dramatically, and failing to keep up with them is failing to prepare our businesses for the future. It used to be that the higher you went in your career, the fewer details you needed to know. Now, though, you can’t be a knowledgeable decision maker if you don’t have a hands-on understanding of what’s happening online. The best way to do that is to use these new web 2.0 social media tools yourself, so you can […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Some years ago, companies figured out how to build quality products. In almost every sector, and in almost every cost position, you’ll find good design and quality manufacturing. However, what most companies haven’t figured out is how to provide high quality customer service. Now and into the future, service is exactly what will differentiate companies from one another. The concept is simple, but when you are looking from inside a company out, the obstacles might seem complex. Throughout the business world, managers say, “The bigger a company gets, the more complex it becomes”. This […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News In the old days, Turks preferred home-prepared food to eating out in restaurants. Today, professional couples with less time than money log onto yemeksepeti.com to order dinner after an exhausting workday.  Their lifestyle habits don’t resemble those of their parents. How many years did it take for Nike, Starbucks or Mavi to build names for themselves?  Compare their relatively long, slow growth to the meteoric rise of YouTube, the popular video-sharing site.  The company started in 2005 with the “Broadcast Yourself” slogan, and sold a mere two years later for 1.6 billion dollars. Murat, […]

By Fatmanur Erdogan, Hürriyet Daily News Last week, many marketing and communication professionals gathered for the Marka conference at Istanbul’s Çırağan Palace. Marka is a truly inspiring event. Every year, it lifts up my spirit, it unleashes my creativity, and it ignites my passion for entrepreneurship. The conference had many great speakers, two of whom were particularly memorable. The first, Gerald Ratner, a well-known British businessman, saw his life forever changed by a communication crisis, and in rebuilding he rose above challenges that would destroy most others. The second, Ora-Ito, a French designer, changed his name so he could find […]

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 […]