2. Naomi Simson

Topic : Entrepreneurship, retail
Website : Read Naomi Simson’s posts on her website.

RedBalloon founding director and Shark Tank investor Naomi Simson has generated a huge following on social media networks like LinkedIn, due to her regular observations on retail, business growth, investment and entrepreneurship in Australia.

Simson will already be a familiar face to many Australian business owners, who will have followed her journey from starting RedBalloon from her home, to becoming an investor in a growing number of new ventures.

She’s also a passionate advocate for small business owners through her personal website and LinkedIn. In the past year, she has spoken up over the past year about how small businesses should face Amazon head-on, as well as reflecting on the creation of company cultures and why it’s important for entrepreneurs to know themselves, as well as their businesses.

Simson also spends time engaging with big changes in the retail world, but it’s her belief that businesses need to adapt, rather than complain, that’s of the most use to fellow entrepreneurs. In a blog post this morning, for example, she discusses the four customer expectations that will define retail this year, observing that the world is changing and entrepreneurs “have to get used to it”.