Business

Overcoming challenges is part of the success

Published

3 years ago

November 14, 2022

Theresa Forster, a social media influencer and model from Germany, is living out her dream, but she is the first to acknowledge that challenges must be overcome in order to succeed.

Accepting that certain people are too judgmental of those in her profession was one of the obstacles she claimed she had to learn to overcome: “People should stop criticizing every single thing we do and learn to let us live life the way we want,” she said. “We are simply human beings with feelings.” According to Forster, it is often difficult to be constantly examined by the public and to not feel like a target all the time. “Having to constantly defend ourselves is very exhausting.”, she said.

She noticed that she had learnt to move past her regrets regarding her career: “I should have started earlier. I always followed the advice of those around me when I first started out, and they made fun of me. Even my parents did.”, she affirmed. “They just didn’t take me seriously, so it took me a lot of time to get things moving. But from the day I started, I became successful very fast.” Attempting to change people’s perceptions about those in her industry, has been another issue for her. Some people behave this way because they think her work field is easy.
“It is not all about snapping pictures, receiving gifts, and looking pretty. If you want to succeed in this profession, there is much more to do.”, she remarked.

“Generally, clients pay us based on the number of views and reach we generate, so we need to get those figures every day. That is difficult and can put a lot of pressure on you.”, she said that in addition to the daily competition influencers face, it is a constant challenge to add value to the lives of her followers. Otherwise, she warned: “People would get tired of you and soon forget about you. This work therefore comes with a lot of psychological pressure.” Like everyone else, influencers experience periods of excitement and interest in daily life that eventually fade. In other words, great stuff doesn’t necessarily come along every day but however, Forster points out that it is her job to sometimes create something out of nothing.

“It is completely normal to move through life phases and their ups and downs. Sometimes you need some time to rest, and you just feel like lying in bed or sometimes you just don’t feel well, but there cannot be any days off if Instagram is your primary source of income and you take it seriously. You push yourself in order to move forward.”

In her opinion these are the reasons many influencers turn to fake drama and telling lies to produce engaging content. However, she discovered more truthful and creative ways to get her content out there: “For some in this industry, fake publicity is better than no publicity. But not for me. If you want to remain successful in this game, you have to think in the long term. And that doesn ́t mean to cause drama every day but creating content which adds true value to people’s lives” she said.

Business

Scaling Success: Why Smart Habits Beat Growth Hacks in Modern eCommerce

Published

1 month ago

July 26, 2025

Matthew Wiles

There’s a romanticized image of the eCommerce founder: a daring risk-taker chasing the next big idea, fueled by late-night caffeine and last-minute inspiration. But the reality behind scaled, sustainable brands tells a different story. Success in digital commerce doesn’t come from chaos or clever hacks. It comes from habits. Repetitive, structured, often unglamorous habits.

Change, a digital platform created by eCommerce strategist Ryan, builds its entire philosophy around this truth. Through education, mentorship, and infrastructure, Change helps founders shift from scrambling for quick wins to building strong systems that grow with them. The company doesn’t just offer software. It provides the foundation for digital trade, particularly for those in the B2B space.

The Habits That Build Momentum

At the heart of Change’s philosophy are five core habits Ryan considers non-negotiable. These aren’t buzzwords; they’re the foundation of sustainable growth.

First, obsess over data. Successful founders replace guesswork with metrics. They don’t rely on gut feelings. They measure performance and iterate.

Second, know your customer deeply. Not just what they buy, but why they buy. The most resilient brands build emotional loyalty, not just transactional volume.

Third, test fast. Algorithms shift. Consumer behavior changes. High-performing teams don’t resist this; they test weekly, sometimes daily, and adapt.

Fourth, manage time like a CEO. Every decision has a cost. Prioritizing high-impact actions isn’t optional; it’s survival.

Fifth, stay connected to mentorship and learning. The digital market moves quickly. The remaining founders are the ones who keep learning, never assuming they know it all.

Turning Habits into Infrastructure

What begins as personal discipline must eventually evolve into a team structure. Change teaches founders how to scale their systems, not just their sales.

Tools are essential for starting, think Notion for documentation, Asana for project management, Mixpanel or PostHog for analytics, and Loom for async communication. But tools alone don’t create momentum.

Teams need Monday metric check-ins, weekly test cycles, customer insight reviews, just to name a few. Founders set the tone by modeling behavior. It’s the rituals that matter, then, they turn it into company culture.

Ryan puts it simply: “We’re not just building tools; we’re building infrastructure for digital trade.”

Avoiding the Common Traps

Even with structure, the path isn’t always smooth. Some founders over-focus on short-term results, chasing vanity metrics or shiny tactics that feel productive but don’t move the needle.

Others fall into micromanagement, drowning in dashboards instead of building intuition. Discipline should sharpen clarity, not create rigidity. Flexibility is part of the process. Knowing when to pivot is just as important as knowing when to persist.

Scaling Through Self-Replication

In the end, eCommerce scale isn’t just about growing a business. It’s about repeating successful systems at every level. When founders internalize high-performance habits, they turn them into processes, then culture, then legacy.

Growth doesn’t require more motivation. It requires more precision. More consistency. Your calendar, not your to-do list, is your business plan.

In a space dominated by noise and novelty, Change and its founder are quietly reshaping the conversation. They aren’t chasing trends but building resilience, one habit at a time.