Did you know there are approximately 30.7 million small businesses in the US alone? They account for 99.9% of all US businesses. That means millions of ideas and countless hours spent perfecting a product to make the lives of consumers that much easier.

There's a misconception that running a business offers more freedom and is simpler than holding a 9-5 job, but the entrepreneurial journey is in no way effortless or straightforward. Rather than choosing the safe road — getting hired as an employee, working regular business hours, receiving an agreed upon salary — entrepreneurs work day in and day out to achieve their mission of bringing an idea to life. Even then, there's no promise of success. Entrepreneurship requires resiliency, passion, and determination.

Alibaba.com is a platform where entrepreneurs come to grow their businesses. There are numerous entrepreneurs who find success on Alibaba.com. This week, we want to highlight three of these resilient business owners.

Necia Boston, Owner of B.A.A.B.S. Beauty

Necia was born into a family of entrepreneurs and business owners. She saw firsthand how starting a business takes grit, resilience, and resourcefulness. Necia always had a passion for cosmetics, but when she developed serious chemical sensitivities in college, she struggled to find clean beauty products that did not trigger unpleasant reactions. Many products that marketed themselves as clean still had harmful ingredients, such as parabens, in small enough quantities that they were not legally required to be listed.

The entrepreneurial spirit in Necia led her to start her own company, Blessed and Anointed Beauty Services (B.A.A.B.S.) Beauty, in 2012 to address needs of other women like herself and solve this industry problem. B.A.A.B.S. Beauty has evolved from lip products into a full offering of cosmetics, selling only allergen-free products with clearly listed ingredients. Necia turned to Alibaba.com to source bulk packaging and branded items, including makeup bags and shipping supplies.

When COVID-19 closed B.A.A.B.S. Beauty's brick and mortar store, Necia pivoted to focus on her ecommerce website. She is further diversifying her business with The Beauty Business Lab where she helps other entrepreneurs start their own makeup and beauty product lines. Necia's hard work and determination resulted in not only sustaining her business, but growing her sales in these uncertain times. Since starting B.A.A.B.S. Beauty, Necia has proudly been able to call herself a successful entrepreneur.

Casey Heim, Owner of WAKE 10

Casey comes from a small farming town in Kansas where his family runs the local Case IH farm equipment dealership. This gave Casey the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of business operation from a young age. After buying a boat in 2017, Casey became interested in wakesurfing. But the expensive wakesurf products on the market deterred Casey from making a purchase.

WAKE 10 was born when he decided to build his own device that creates a surfable wave when attached to a boat. Casey contacted a local plastics company in Kansas City to manufacture the main component of his product, and worked with a supplier on Alibaba.com to create the suction cups.

He now has a supply chain set up through Alibaba.com Freight that allows a more hands-off approach to grow WAKE 10. Casey expects to expand the product line this summer with four new innovative pieces. The WAKE 10 products are already sold in 30 different countries, but Casey hopes to continue growing the business.

Ed Twine, Owner of Charles Twine

Ed made the decision to pursue his passion for fashion and leave his commercial banking job behind. He moved from Florida to New York where he started his custom clothier company, Charles Twine, in 2010 with a focus on ties. After partnering with a major US retailer and mastering sourcing and manufacturing, Ed saw an opportunity to expand his product line to include shirts and suits. He worked with manufacturers from Thailand on Alibaba.com to create shirts and suits that met his high standards for quality.

Charles Twine relaunched as a fully digital, direct-to-consumer business in the summer of 2019 so Ed could stop storing inventory in his living room. Because of this transition, Ed again turned to the suppliers on Alibaba.com to help with labeling, shipping, and even designing watermarks on the Charles Twine sample books. He now sources 80% of Charles Twine products through Alibaba.com.

Despite slowdowns in the retail sector since early 2020, Ed has had to hire three field staff to host virtual consultations. "During COVID-19, I experienced supply chain issues and certain fabrics coming out of the United Kingdom were delayed," Ed said. "Using Alibaba.com, I was able to pivot to different sources for fabrics so I didn't have to delay shipping times."

Embarking on an entrepreneurial journey is tough, but with a little dedication, resilience, and passion, you can make your ideas come to life. Are you ready to start growing your business? Speak with an Alibaba.com expert to help you get set up on Alibaba.com.

Going digital is a key factor for businesses to remain relevant post-COVID-19. Watch our virtual fireside chat to hear from Organic Valley’s Global Sales Manager Findle Zhao on how the company digitized their operations to adapt to the “new normal.” You can view our other virtual fireside chats here.

Create a business plan that clearly defines your skills, what you offer, what your goals are, and how these goals can be attained when starting your own business