Sometimes we tend to be so focused on the next big business thing, or on how to make our business better, or when to take our product to market, that we completely forget to pause and appreciate the little things in life that really matter. These could be the things that we have, that we’ve experienced, what we’ve learned, and what we’ve achieved along the way. We forget to show gratitude and to show thanks for all that is and to reflect on how good life has been to us so far.
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: Get Real!
I’m consulting in the winelands. The estate has ambitious plans to create a virtual online community with all sorts of measures of engagement. I’m not sure this is a good idea…
Read more5 Steps to making effective business decisions quicker
The success of your business is defined by how you make decisions - and naturally, success also lies in how quickly these decisions are made.
Read moreFinding the best market for your product: Niche, niche, niche…
In this blog we’re going to look at finding the best market for your product. “But everyone is the market for my product”, is what many startups tell me. And, “our market is 50 million people, and if we can capture just 1% of the market…”. Wrong approach! Trying to mass-market your offering from the beginning is doomed to failure.
Read moreHow to be a powerful woman leader of the future
If there’s one thing you could ask your future self, what would it be? Perhaps you would ask for advice on how to be a better person or seize well-presented opportunities without hesitation. Would you ask your future self what you could have done to be a better leader? The wisdom of hindsight is infinite - and yet you’re still living in the here and now. Begin by visualising how and where you would like to see your future self.
Read moreHow to remain motivated when the going gets tough
Business can be tough – maybe you’re having a rough day, things aren’t going your way, a client is giving you a hard time, a staff member didn’t pitch for work again, deadlines are looming and projects aren’t being signed off.
Read moreWhy having the right mind-set is key to running a successful business
Success at times can seem quite elusive. You’re running your own business, running a household, and you’re a wife, partner, parent to boot. So how do others do it? They make it look so easy. Does it have to do with them being better at time management? Or, is it that they have a different mind-set to you?
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: Position your product
Imagine the confusion that the platypus caused for scientists - a mammal that lays eggs, has the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver and otter feet. How to classify it? The same confusion cripples many startup products.
Read moreIs Ankara the new black?
Photo Credit: www.myinnerfashionista.com
On a recent Saturday morning in Brooklyn, New York, women and a few men jostled to select from rows of racks of brightly coloured clothes designed in African print. There was barely any elbow room as people squeezed past each other; and the shop assistants could barely keep the racks stocked fast enough. The long lines at the checkout registers were evidence people were spending lots of money. This was the scene at a recent pop-up store hosted by online store Zuvaa.com, which brands itself as ‘A Global Marketplace for African Design’.
Read moreCraft your future for a life you deserve and want
Are you living the life you want? Are you where you want to be? We are all good at planning, whether it’s our children’s birthday parties, an overseas vacation, a trip to the dentist. Yet when it comes to your life, things change a bit. You don’t search for the perfect life, you craft it.
Read more4 Steps to successfully setting your goals at the beginning of a New Year
I am sure we are all for setting goals at the beginning of each year, even unreasonable goals that are often far-fetched. Sometimes, setting these goals is a well intended exercise, but it will end up being meaningless if not taken seriously. When setting goals, take time to think the process through, and keep in mind that tomorrow is a new day, one where no mistakes have been made yet. So, here are 4 steps to successfully setting your goals at the beginning of each year....
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: Play Three Games
To succeed a new venture needs to play at least two and maybe three very different games at the same time… a short game; a mid game; and a long game. Neil uses real-life case studies to provide insights to help you play all three games well in your own startup.
Read moreBe your authentic self in business
According to Janet L. Stephenson “Authenticity requires a certain measure of vulnerability, transparency, and integrity.” But, what does it mean to be your authentic self? And, why is this so important in the business world?
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: Don't be Shoemakers' Children!
“I must have made a mistake”, I thought, “this company has been written up in the Wall Street Journal as one of the most exciting startups in audio technology. This cannot be their website”. But it was their site. A site that looked like one created in the 1990’s. Doing damage to their image every day.
Read moreCreativity can jumpstart inspiration for your business
How painting Mandalas can give business perspective. If you’re an arts and crafts kind of person, you’ll know how therapeutic Mandala painting is. And if you’re a recreational hobbyist, you should get stuck into adult colouring in. That’s right, a colouring book just for you!
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: Memorandums, Contracts, and then and only then, Champagne!
The issue with Law is that any document is really only worth as much as you are willing to throw at defending it in court. So at this stage think David vs Goliath - it’s the detail you put into your agreements that could be the difference between you having a slingshot or not. Often it’s only the detail that stops a larger party from walking into Court….
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: Systems are your Building Blocks
I’m sitting with a startup team helping them prepare for a critical sales presentation. Errol is not present, so we don’t have his correspondence with the client. And no one can find the phone number of the consultant coordinating the evaluation for the client. It’s a mess!
Read moreThe best ways to give back this festive season
Haley Joel Osment stole our hearts in the beautiful movie drama Pay It Forward. Young Trevor McKinney (played by Osment) is assigned the task by his social studies teacher of coming up with an idea to make the world a better place. The actions put in motion by McKinney’s idea has a positive ripple effect on his immediate family and community – their lives improve by paying it forward.
Read moreEntrepreneurs Smarts: Legal Documents and why thinking like Tammy Wynette (D-I-V-O-R-C-E) is good for your health
Law - learn to love it, always respect it. In the latest of a series of guest blogs that look at issues around financial management for women entrepreneurs, this week our focus is on legal documents.
Read moreEntrepreneur Smarts: More fun ratios!
In the latest of a series of guest blogs that look at issues around financial management for women entrepreneurs, this week our focus is on getting a better understanding of ratios.
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