Alon's Blog
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It's All About Luxury - Nice to Meet You
I've been a member of E.factor since the beginning and I was very proud to become a coach on this excellent network website. Last week the E.Factor team asked me to start blogging about luxury... Apparently I have an (interesting) opinion about it ;)
Well, that is up for you to decide...
I will try to blog here at least once a month, my aim is to blog weekly about luxury. I am very excited to get started and am curious what your feedback will be... For now I will start with a classic Q&A.
My Q&A with E.factor:
Name: Alon Ben Joseph
Year: 1979
Country: The Netherlands
City: Amsterdam
Q: What is entrepreneurship for you?
A: Fun, adventure, top sport and way of living.
Q: What was your dream job when you were a kid?
A: To become a jeweler :)
Q: Why and how did you start your company?
A: I rolled into the family business. But during my college years, I also co-founded an internet company.
Q: Is this your first business?
A: No, one of several.
Q: If you were to start another business, what might it be?
A: Consultancy.
Q: What were some of the early companies you worked with?
A: Too many to mention.
Q: What is your definition of success and have you achieved it?
A: A quote by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) comes to mind: “The greater danger of most of us lies not in setting our aim to high and falling short, but in setting too low and achieving our mark.” Success is relative…
Q: Who has influenced you the most and has been your greatest inspiration?
A: Very cliché: my parents.
Q: What advice would you give to people who are thinking of becoming an entrepreneur?
A: The grass is always greener on the other side. Yes, it gives you a lot of freedom, but also a total new set of ‘stress’. At the end the sum should be a plus for you! But, as Nike said it: “Just do it!”
Q: Describe/outline to us what your typical day looks like?
A: A lot of fun, A lot of phone calls, Really a lot of e-mails and creating added value every day!
Q: Do you achieve balance in your life?
A: Never, but it is oooh sooo much fun to find your own limits and push them further.
Q: Where you see yourself and your business in 3 years?
A: Number 1 eCommerce player in the jewelry & watch business.
Q: And as a final question: If we could introduce you to anyone, who would it be and why? (you never know who we know!)
A: Good one! This is a true entrepreneurs question (ask and share)! Love it! I would love to meet Lev Leviev. He is a self-made man that turned the complete diamond industry around. Living legend.
I really liked the last question, to get the discussion going, I want to ask you the same question :)
"If we could introduce you to anyone, who would it be and why?"
Edited: Jul 1st, 2009
Comments
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- Jul 1st, 2009
Barbara Barnes
@alon, looking forward to reading your blog. Definately interested in anything related to luxury and am very curious to see what you feel is luxurious... -
- Jul 1st, 2009
christi pemberton
Looking forward to reading your blogs about luxury. Luxury, to me, is much more about having that greater sense of being taken care of....whether it is you taking care of yourself, or someone else. It is you receiving that extra special treatment, or treating yourself. When I see a person who enjoys their career and life, and he/she just looks like they fit very well with their lifestyle, where even their stress does not push them over the limit, then that is luxury. One thing that I like about being an entrepreneur is that the things that would normally stress me out, I see them as a challenge, something that can be so positive for growing my company and growing myself to become a better professional. Who would I like to be introduced to? I guess, Bono, Michael Moore, and Quincy Jones, oh, I would say probably Timothy Ferris (Author of Four Hour Work Week): The reason why: All of them are geniuses in their own way, accomplished things that actually broke down barriers in the arts/culture and business lifestyle world. Theyare leaders in their own field, and at least three of them have done a lot to serve the public and the world. The greatest importance to me, that I see with these guys..I believer, is they just know who they are. That is one thing that I respect, a person who really knows who they are. People like that normally do not have to brag about themselves, because their life success does it for them. All of the people I mentioned, have great talent, great work, and success that speak loudly for them. So, they can just be cool. That's perfect. Christi Pemberton Global Crest Music, LLC
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- Jul 2nd, 2009
Alon Ben Joseph
@Barbara: Nice to meet you. Thank you for your comment! @Christi: Wow, great feedback. Thank you for sharing. Nice to meet you too :) Nice view of luxury. My aim is to write something about (the definition of) luxury for my next post (hopefully within a week from now). I have the following titles in mind for my next blog postings: - What is Luxury? - To eCommerce or not to eCommerce? - Diamonds are forever - Boys with Toys - Can H&M be luxury? - Time is luxury To be continued...