The site alibaba.com is a reliable source for business supplies of all kinds. The site seems perfect for an entrepreneur as it connects you with suppliers from around the world. It seems that you can get pretty much any product through alibaba. The site assists buyers and suppliers with any help they may need throughout the buying process. There are forums, safe buying/selling tools and tips, global trade information, an alidictionary, etc. It is really cool how much this site can help a business.
A success story from a company started with the help of alibaba is CitySlips. It was started by two college aged girls who came up with a smart solution for a problem that they regularly had. The company sells slip on ballet flats which come in a tiny carrying case. The idea is that after a long night of wearing your fancy high heals and/or stilettos, you slip on these very portable flats. And then the some carrying case turns into a tote bag for you to put your high heals in. It's a very clever concept. The company was started with the help of alibaba. Very cool!
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The alibaba small biz toolbox is extremely useful for any small business. It has information such as ten tips to starting a business, new businesses and the IRS, free business consulting classes, and more. The alibaba learning center provides buyer basic webinars, lots of information on becoming an importer, how to post buying leads (like classified ads) and how to verify sellers. The best part about the site and the small biz toolbox is that everything is located all in one place. You can learn how to start your own business just from this one site alone.
