Page - 282 - in Digital Entrepreneurship - Impact on Business and Society

4. Rise of TechDevices: Dr. Diala pointed out an opportunity in the digital industry, being the rise in the number of tech-device (smartphones, computers, etc.) users. Students are being educatedon theuseof technology, and it is observable that theyoungergenerations avidly use their smart devices. 5. Syndicate and Lack of HumanCapital as Challenges: Dr. Diala discusses the role of syndicates by suggesting that syndicates are not as necessary for freelance jobs such as digital entrepreneurship as it is for otherfields. She says, “for digital entrepreneurship, syndicates wouldmainly be used to share risk, or to provide funds for digital entrepreneurs, and for security or insurance.” Another challengemight be the lack of competent, digitally skilled, and experi- enced labor capital.According toDr.Diala, employees shouldhaveaset of specific digital skills, competencies and knowledge, such as skills in SEM (search engine marketing), content marketing, social media marketing, and social selling. As Dr. Diala says,“ifyoudon’thave theseskills,youmaynotbe the rightperson togo into digital entrepreneurship.”For recruitment, it is preferable to recruit technologically competent people, rather than only entrepreneurially competent or “business-minded”people.Thus, education is crucial for thismatter.Thesourcesof education couldbe the information and skills acquiredduringhigher degree educa- tion,suchascoursesondataanalysis,artificial intelligence(AI),e-computing,digital entrepreneurship, or throughpaying for online learning, tutorials, and software. 3.2 Case Studies 3.2.1 LebMall Start-up Weinterviewed the founderofa start-upcalledLebMall.com,John (thenameof the company and the interviewee has been changed to ensure anonymity). LebMall.- com is an e-commerce,multi-vendorWeb site that offers brands a platform to sell their items and make commission off of sales. LebMall company has twelve employees that can support up to 1000 orders per day. In addition, LebMall.com offers shipping of its products. In the founder’s terms, it’s like the “mini-Amazon” ofLebanon. LebMall.commanagement is currently focusing on the growth of two departments, which are those of electronics and apparel. 1. John’s Vision: The main driver behind starting this digital enterprise was the founder’s and his family’s search to start a new project that would satisfy the market demands and gaps in the market. John says, “it all started when I witnessed the crisis of brick-and-mortar clothing stores in Jounieh,” the citywhere Johnwas raised,where shopswere shuttingdown. “It is true that there is aneconomiccrisis inLebanon, in real estate and inbigcompanies, but this crisis can’t be appliedonclothes since the Challenges andOpportunities for Digital Entrepreneurship… 291