by Karen Wessels, founder of VA Connect and SnappSales

Life loves throwing us curveballs at the best of times. It’s going to happen and it will continue happening. So, the question is, how do we best manage this? As entrepreneurs we are solution-based thinkers. This means that we are continuously seeking solutions as opposed to looking straight into the problem. It could take years of figuring out, adapting, changing, making sure that your process and flow work for you. 

by Karen Wessels, founder of VA Connect and SnappSales

I remember like it was yesterday, starting out in business and taking on clients and suppliers that in your gut just didn’t feel right. We’ve all been guilty of this. We feel that when we are a start-up or new to the entrepreneurial world that we should take on any client to gain the much needed experience and exposure. And who is going to say no to that additional income, right?

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect and co-founder of SnappSales

When you wake up on a Monday morning thinking its Saturday, I reckon that’s a great start to the week! Although some of you probably wouldn’t agree with this because more than likely you’ll feel disappointed to realize its Monday. I love Mondays! To me it’s symbolic of a fresh start to the week, an opportunity to start on a clean slate and do even better than what we did last week.

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect and co-founder of SnappSales

Are you one of those people that absolutely loves social media or completely hates it? I have the privilege of mentoring a few start-ups and one of the most common blockers we talk about is how to find new clients. Now it’s going to be quite a challenge if you despise social media in light of what follows. However, if you’re a newbie business owner, you’re just starting out with a rather shall we say “tight” marketing budget, then social media is your friend.

by Karen Wessels, cofounder of VA Connect and cofounder of SnappSales

In a mentoring session today with my top mentor, he made an interesting observation. He said that one of the things he has observed is my ‘can do’ attitude. This got me thinking about our general attitude towards business amongst women entrepreneurs.

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect and co-founder of SnappSales

The launch of a new business is always exciting! You’ve probably left your corporate job, told your friends and family about your new venture, and you’re putting the finishing touches on your ideation before going public.

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect and co-founder SnappSales

I had the good fortune of attending the Lioness Lean In event last week in Johannesburg. Very inspirational to be in a room of business women who are buzzing with excitement with new product launches and celebrating business growth! As you can imagine, when surrounded by this calibre of women, you instinctively think, “Wow, these women can do it all” and yes more than likely they can. But should they?

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

In the old days, if we were looking for a shoe repairman or a new fridge, the first place we would turn to would be the classifieds or the yellow pages. Remember those times? Nowadays you bring the world to you by means of your mobile phone. Isn’t great how we can search for a curry restaurant, a new stove, a boating holiday, and a friend’s contact details all in one place, on one device?

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

There’s an age old expression that goes “Laughter is the best medicine”. You’ve probably heard this expression a hundred times, if not more, in your lifetime. I enjoy a mischievous sense of humour and I get a great kick out of laughing. If you know me or have been in my company for more than 5 minutes, you’ll experience exactly what I mean.

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

The year was 2013, I had quit my day job and I was trying my hand at this thing called “entrepreneurship” full-time. I had started a side-line business a few years ago and decided that this was the year to give it my all.

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

I have a love-hate relationship with networking. Sometimes it makes absolute sense to me and at other times I feel no benefit at all from networking. Reflecting on why I experienced these two extremes on an activity that really should be fun and beneficial, I was able to determine where I, and most people, go wrong with networking and how we can make it one of our top skills going forward.

By Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

Have you ever considered that your entire team is actually a salesforce? I’m speaking of everyone from the receptionist through to admin and support staff, and team members in between these divisions.

By Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

What do you want to achieve in business in 2018? I know that typically when we start the New Year we think of New Year’s resolutions and more than likely these resolutions fizzle out by the 10th of January. So just how effective are these New Year’s resolutions really?

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

It’s that time of the year again to review what transpired this past year, to make sense of the madness, learn from our mistakes and look forward to a great year ahead.

By Karen Wessels, co-founder of VA Connect & co-founder of SnappSales

Didn’t think it was possible to outsource your accounting? Not only is it completely feasible, but if accounting is not your forte you’ll be eternally grateful you did.

In my last post we spoke of the importance of outsourcing your marketing function. You can find the article here to refresh your memory. I have a tendency to lump marketing and sales together. And yes, I do understand how very different the two are! However, for me, the one cannot work without the other. In order to have great sales deals you need to have a converting marketing campaign, therefore sales and marketing go hand-in-hand.

Ever wondered what your day would look like if you could focus only on the things you love doing and what you’re really good at? If you have quite a structured day then most probably you fit in about 2 hours of marketing each day. This is to help build the business brand, increase your social media footprint and to navigate potential clients through the first part of your sales funnel.