Please Read the article and answer the questions:

Briefly answer the questions shown below

1. List two of Linda Hipps strengths as an entrepreneur:

2. List two of Linda Hipps possible weaknesses as an entrepreneur:

3. Why do you think this entrepreneur was advised to avoid the American market?

4. What did the entrepreneur do to ensure success in the American market?

5. Given the companys eventual success in the US, what are some of the advantages of continuing to expand into other countries?

Page 145 CASE Finding a Niche in the Golf Apparel Business Like lots of golf enthusiasts, Linda Hipp loves to golf and played as much as she could. The more she played, though, the less she liked traditional women's golf apparel. Hipp notes that the clothes were mostly baggy shirts and shorts and the colours were bland. Hipp was certain that she could mesh the colours and styles from fashion runways into her own line of golf clothing. She started to do some research on the idea and discovered that a market was emerging for stylish golf clothing. After doing research, I found that there was a huge upswing in younger women taking up the game and I thought there would be a demand for more fashionable apparel, says Hipp. Based on this market research, Hipp started manufacturing clothing under the brand name Hyp Golf. Shortly after starting her firm, Hipp started to realize that she was right; there was in fact a significant market for fashionable women's golf clothing. Retailers were signing up to sell her clothes, and that year Pearl Sinn became the first of many women on the LPGA tour to embrace the brand. Our customers are women who are fit. They care about what they look like and they care about their health and well-being. They want to look good no matter what they're doing, whether taking kids to school, or out on a golf course, or out to dinner. Hipp, now armed with positive consumer reaction in Canada, started to look south of the border to the U.S. for expansion opportunities. She says, We started off in Canada. We made sure that, one, we could sell the product, and second, that we could manufacture and provide the goods completely and on time to customers. Hipp admits that she was hesitant to expand into the U.S., as many people advised her against the idea. I had a lot of people tell me that we shouldn't [enter the U.S. market], that a Canadian company can never make it into the U.S. But Hipp could see the huge potential for her products, especially in the Southern states where golf is played 12 months a year. Rather than rush into the market, Hipp opted to spend considerable time conducting research and planning on the right market-entry strategy. To mitigate the risk, we spent a lot of time researching and finding the right people, and finding the right two or three markets that had the most potential. Hipp also designed a unique marketing program to help her break into new territories using a three-step approach. Rather than rush into the market, Hipp opted to spend considerable time conducting research and planning on the right market-entry strategy. To mitigate the risk, we spent a lot of time researching and finding the right people, and finding the right two or three markets that had the most potential. Hipp also designed a unique marketing program to help her break into new territories using a three-step approach. The first step is to identify market influencers in the geographical area, such as golf pros, and provide them with free clothes to create awareness for the brand. The second stage involves securing media coverage by targeting newspapers, radio, television, and Internet companies, providing them with free product and encouraging them to write about the company. The final step involves a manager from head office contacting three to five key accounts, establishing a relationship with them, and securing an initial order. Only once a relationship is established with key retailers, along with appropriate demand for the product, does the company find a sales representative to serve the area. Hyp Golf's entry into the U.S. market has been a huge success, and today the market accounts for more than 75 percent of the company's sales. Hipp has since rebranded her business and product line under the brand LIJA and expanded into yoga, tennis, running, and studio apparel.86 LIJA has continued to expand globally and has launched its brand into Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and the United Kingdom