Here at Entreprenista, we’re always sharing the best tips and resources to help women founders just get started - and one of our favorite lessons is to build a community of people you trust and love working with. This could be your first intern, your payroll advisor, or your marketing agency. For Angelique Warner, founder of GoGoVie, and Dr. Ronak Mehta, founder of Nerdbugs, they found their sourcing community through Alibaba.com.
Alibaba.com is the world’s leading wholesale global marketplace, where businesses can search and find wholesale suppliers and manufacturers from all over the globe to help bring their products to life. As a business owner, you can find manufacturers, and suppliers from all over the globe that sell products in over 5,900 categories. With search filters and AI-powered translation, the platform takes the stress out of connecting with partners to simplify your supply chain from product creation to warehousing and logistics to product fulfillment and inventory management.
For Dr. Ronak Mehta, when she set out to build Nerdbugs, which are adorable, lovable anatomical plush organs that are on a mission to teach about acceptance and inclusivity while celebrating health and wellness, she turned to Alibaba.com to find suppliers and still works with the same people today.
“I think it’s incredibly important to have good relationships in all aspects of life, and business is no different,” she said. ”We source our packaging and raw materials from Alibaba. Especially from a shipping and logistics standpoint, we’ve been using the same suppliers for the last 5 years.”
-Dr. Ronak Mehta, Founder of Nerdbugs
GoGoVie’s Angelique Warner spent 8 years perfecting a baby carrier that is now USA's only patented 7-position hybrid sling and soft structured carrier, with “no notable sewing or drawing skills, and no design or engineering background.”
“My husband told me about Alibaba. He said that by using Alibaba.com, we could keep costs down by sourcing quality raw materials at affordable prices. I spent time searching the website for drawstring bags, labels and product tags. I was able to communicate online with an Alibaba rep who ensured I would receive the requested products at the quoted price and within the agreed-upon timeframe,” Angelique said.
“[By using Alibaba.com], I felt empowered to have overseas partners who wanted to help me produce a quality product using quality materials.”
Alibaba.com is home to many tools that support business owners like Angelique and Ronak, like:
- RFQs efficiently connect you with multiple suppliers and manufacturers to find the right products to fit your requirements. You can browse order requests and review quotes from warm leads to streamline the procurement process.
- Find your next breakthrough product by simply dropping an inspirational image into the Alibaba.com search bar and find similar products fast.
- Global sourcing is complex and Alibaba.com makes it easier through tools like Trade Assurance with secure ways to pay and offers money-back protection for anything that may go wrong in the process - more info on trade assurance here.
“Alibaba has been instrumental in elevating my entrepreneurial story and the GoGoVie brand. The high level of press from Alibaba has shone a spotlight on GoGoVie as a premium brand which offers truly unique features not available with any other baby carrier brand.”
-Angelique Warner, founder of GoGoVie
When it comes to starting a business, both Angelique and Ronak have some sage advice for our community.
“You will fail but fail forward. You will get tired, but recharge and get back at it. At times, you will be discouraged and feel you’re the only one going through ‘this’, but please know that’s fear speaking and you are not alone,” says Angelique.
For Dr. Ronak, she encourages every woman considering starting a business to “take a chance on yourself.”
“You get this one life to create your vision, you may as well take a chance on yourself and see what happens.”
To learn more about the benefits of Alibaba.com for your product-based business, head here.
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