The internet continues to advance, hence why retail spaces have seen a shift in consumer demands. Read Credibly and find out 6 affordable ways to optimize your small retail space business for continuous growth and put your capital to work. Using non-biodegradable bags are strictly prohibited. Keep calm and say no to plastics. Use your own bag for a better world. East or West, using your own bag is the best. Using your own bag is worth styling. Think big, think your own bag. Become the style perfectionist with your own bag. Use the bag as your next big style icon. Now that most of the year's big trade shows are behind us, we can think back on what we've seen. The September Label Expo Americas show in Chicago offered what we believe is a good lesson—for a print-related trade show to stay vital, labels and packaging are a key source of longevity.

Hope Mwanake “Think big, start small and start now!”

Hope Mwanake was one of the vision speakers of the World Water Week 2015 held in Stockholm. Get to know this inspiring young entrepreneur from Kenya, her experiences from working with her youth led community based organisation, Trace Kenya Group, and her impressions from the World Water Week in Stockholm 2015.

Hope Mwanake is the co-founder of Trace Kenya Group, a vibrant community based organization that works with young people in addressing solid waste management issues in Gilgil, Nakuru County. She has over four years of experience as Project Leader for environment conservation at the grassroots level. She is an EIA/EA expert, member of Eastern Africa Water Association, and has been trained in project management by the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS. She won the Presidential Gold award for young people in 2010, MTV Staying Alive Foundation grant award in 2011, and RSSAF Green grant for environment in 2012. Hope holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from UNESCO-IHE Netherlands and Bachelor of Science (Hons) from Egerton University where she also lectures on a part time basis. Upon completion of the Washington Fellowship, she plans to start a recycling venture making compost from organic waste, glass tiles from glass, and plastic poles from discarded polyethene bags and plastics. She also aims to mobilize many young people into social entrepreneurship as a means of livelihood throughout Kenya.

Watch Hope’s talk as Young Professional vision speaker at the World Water Week in Stockholm 2015: Video SIWI

“Think big, start small and start now!”

This year I was really privileged to be the Young Professional vision speaker at the World Water Week in Stockholm. It was a chance to share my life story of how I rose from an unemployed Science graduate to becoming one of the co-founders of Trace Kenya, an organization whose greatest passion is to promote a clean environment and job creation for young people through the establishment of a viable business opportunity in the recycling of plastic and glass waste into ecologically friendly roofing products. This platform gave me an opportunity to speak about how passion and drive coupled by one’s education experience or expertise in a certain field can create numerous opportunities that young people out there can tap into in order to create something for themselves.

Through the Water Youth Network I was also one of the speakers during the Young Professionals day together with Antonella Vagliente from Argentina and Ahmed Shafa Shovon from Bangladesh. The session was titled “Keys for successful youth engagement in Water for Development” my biggest take away from this session was that young people really need to rise above the challenges they are facing and take up positions in their communities, their projects and in their countries in the water sector. They should speak up and let their voices be heard, it is time that young people are recognized for all their efforts and contributions in the water sector. It’s not an easy task but it’s very possible if we as young people show commitment, demonstrate our expertise in the various water fields and passion for the causes that we believe in. I would like to salute Antonella and Shafa who also shared their experiences. Antonella who at the age of 15 years was already involved in the water sector, the fact that her older colleagues usually saw her as a young volunteer rather than a professional did not put her down but rather fueled her to fight for what she believes in. Shafa clearly encouraged young people to rise above peer pressure; you do not need to be working in a prestigious job in order to make your contributions.

I believe that there are many young people out there who are working to try and make their communities a better place, to try and address challenges that the water sectors in their countries are facing. They should tell their stories to their fellow young people in their communities, countries, because with this we get to inspire each other and give each other the strength to never give up. I would like to extend my gratitude for the Water Youth Network for such an opportunity.

For more information about Trace Kenya Group please visit their website: www.tracekenyagroup.org

Jennifer Chong's boyfriend Roman Khan needed a stylish, functional leather briefcase for work.

His requirements were simple but hard to find: well-made, affordable and no visible logo.

When Khan couldn't find one that met his needs, 28-year-old Chong stepped in to design one instead.

'He and I are very similar as consumers,' said Chong. 'We look for affordable, high quality products that last and don't make us walking billboards for a brand.'

That became the genesis of Linjer, a brand of minimalist leather bags for men and women.

The online business, which launched in October 2014 following a successful Indiegogo campaign, hit $1 million in sales in 14 months. Its bags, which are priced between $330 and $715, comes in four colors and three styles: briefcases, totes and a dufflebag for men.

All are designed by Chong with input from Khan, who quit his job to become her business partner.

'We've had many customers wait four to five months to get their bag,' said Chong, adding the bags have developed a cult following.

The company has also experienced success with its watch collection, born from another crowdfunding effort that raised $965,000.

Chong expects total company sales to reach $3.5 million in its second year.

While this may sound like a near-Cinderella success story, the company has faced major challenges in trying to meet demand.

'We were originally on track to reach $5 million in sales [this year] but our production can't keep up with demand right now,' she said.

Chong and Khan were caught off-guard by it.

'We [needed to find a way for] our supply chain to handle it,' she said. 'The production capacity of factories is pretty inelastic, so wenow have to plan with them more carefully.'

Customer service is another challenge.

'Until recently, we were doing customer service ourselves,' she said. 'But at one point, we realized it wasn't the best use of our time.'

Chong, who graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in economics, had been working as a business consultant, traveling around the world to meet clients. Eventually, she got burned out by the rigorous pace.

Before Linjer, she wanted to start a shoe company. But with no background in fashion or retail, she made mistakes: 'My first sketches were a disaster.'

Ultimately, Chong determined she wanted to take a different path.

'The shoe business is a notoriously difficult category,' she said. 'You have to deal with large inventories and a high return rate. There's a lot of money involved, and I wanted to bootstrap my business.'

Chong cut her losses but gained a solid background in the leather industry and shifted her focus to bags.

Still, the move was risky: The couple invested $20,000 of their own money to get Linjer off the ground.

While leather bags may not be a revolutionary idea, Chong and Khan made Linjer successful because they were able to identify an untapped need among consumers.

'There's a growing wave of shoppers, ourselves included, who don't want to be wasteful human beings,' she said. 'If we're asked to choose between cheap or better quality products that will last a long time, we're picking the latter.'

People don't want to shell out big bucks for expensive brands either.

'Consumers are becoming less focused on image and more focused on individuality -- especially the younger generations,' Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with NPD Group, wrote in a recent report. 'The days of consumers looking to be a part of a designer or brand movement are waning in favor of their desire to find the style and function unique to their personality and lifestyle.'

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After the pair raised $185,000 in 24 hours on Indiegogo, they knew they were on to something.

'This was great market validation for our idea,' said Chong, who said the money covered production costs.

She has since relocated to Italy to work more closely with Linjer's supply chain.

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'We were only a two-person team last October, working out of our living room,' she said. 'Now, we're profitable and hiring because the business has grown so quickly.'

The startup has added three interns to help with its marketing and social media efforts and has big plans to grow even more in the years ahead.

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'We're planning to launch a collection of canvas and leather bags and open pop-up shops, so people can also see our products in person,' she said.