Embark, Educate, Empower: Inspiration of Entrepreneurship
Embark, Educate, Empower: Inspiration of Entrepreneurship
A Q&a with with Baris Elalmis, the young talent of Vivense, which brings a new perspective to the Home & Living sector in Europe.
Vivense aims to breathe new life into homes with its furniture and services, making a strong entry into the UK. In addition to their online website, they have showrooms in Richmond and near Borough station.
He tells us about his entrepreneurial adventures, journey to the UK, and advice for those embarking on an entrepreneurial journey.
Baris’s journey with Vivense began in 2020, and with the processes he initiated for the UK and EU in 2021, he achieved great success. In 2022, he moved to the UK.
He expresses having had an entrepreneurial mindset throughout his life, with one of his biggest dreams being to start his own business since childhood. Starting with university projects, this adventure gained momentum due to his contributions to the companies he worked for in the corporate world.
How did such rapid success happen?
For me, initiating a process from scratch was quite an enjoyable journey. Of course, behind it lies a lot of hard work and creativity. The secret to this is fearlessly diving into the work from the start. If you start, progress will always follow. This year, we broke records with over 100,000 product sales and over 3 million sessions in the UK and EU.
With new tactics we applied to the European market for Vivense, we also directed our focus to the Turkish market.
What advice do you have for new entrepreneurs?
The most important factor for new entrepreneurs is self-confidence and determination. Working smartly and learning from mistakes are also crucial here.
“Today, success requires flexibility and willingness to constantly reassess, innovate, improve, and reinvent.”
Lessons for the bright entrepreneurs of the future Baris emphasizes that building something from scratch, along with the growth and learning experienced by entrepreneurs, offers invaluable experiences in almost every business field. Experience in developing a project from start to finish often helps individuals rise to higher positions rather than immediately transitioning to full-time corporate roles.
How can entrepreneur candidates best utilize their time and efforts while creating something?
Baris shares some of the lessons he believes will have the greatest impact:
Get Started Now!
- “If you have a belief in your idea, take the first courageous step and roll up your sleeves to start working immediately. Once you start here, you’ll witness how things will evolve.”
Discover Your Passions!
- Discovering your passions and strengths is key to success in entrepreneurship. According to Baris, this requires understanding what you enjoy. He suggests considering what they enjoy professionally and industrially as a starting point for those embarking on entrepreneurship. This thought process can help determine your future path. By recognizing your interests and strengths, you learn to identify the areas where you can be most effective in any job. Additionally, making conscious decisions about where to focus your time and energy can be key to quickly developing your expertise.
Follow Innovation and Learn the Basics of Digital Technology!
- Digital technology is ubiquitous in our lives. An entrepreneur independent of digital technology is unthinkable. Therefore, it is important to always stay updated with the new trends in technology. “Regardless of what kind of venture you create as an entrepreneur, you will encounter technology. Understanding the basic principles of technology, even if you don’t learn to code entirely, is quite important.”
Learn from Your Mistakes!
- Learning from the mistakes you will encounter in your first venture will bring you success in your next attempts. Additionally, solving problems that arise in the early stages of a major venture will prevent much larger problems in later stages.
Organize ‘Product Managing’ Your Life
- Baris handles heavy workloads by using tools like Jira and Notion, integrating AI to smartly manage his personal database.One of the primary reasons Baris advocates for this organizational approach is the benefits it provides to mental health and time management. “Sometimes I find myself communicating with many different departments and people while at home, but adopting this method has helped reduce stress and contribute to a more productive work environment.”
Automation, alongside other processes, is pivotal for task reprioritization in Jira by considering deadlines and subtask volumes. Future planning includes meticulous forecasts and emergency scenarios, reflecting a disciplined commitment to personal development for meaningful progress.
Baris explains, “I aim to organize every important aspect of my personal and professional life according to Marty Cagan’s ‘Inspired’ book while applying a product management approach that requires working in 2-week sprints.” He adds, “I recommend reading the ‘Inspired’ book and learning about the approach, and I strongly recommend starting with Andy Grunwald’s article.”
