In the last 6 months, I have been broken by the passing of two dear entrepreneurs and the critical hospitalisation of one. If a distinction is not made on the importance of self-nurture, the body and mind take the biggest knock and who will run the business when that happens? The things that matter need minding and it is time the entrepreneur pauses that business button and presses the mind me button.
Read moreOwn your Time
I’m sure we’ve all had conversations about how quickly the year is going. When we are heading towards the end of the year, we start getting ready to put the old behind us and start preparing for the new. It’s a time of shifting away from old and unhealthy patterns and creating space for newer, healthier practices.
Read moreWhat is holding us back as women entrepreneurs?
I’ve coached and worked with hundreds of women entrepreneurs making between $75k and $750k in revenues, and in my book Million Dollar Women I profiled women who successfully built multi-million dollar companies. When only 3% of women entrepreneurs are reaching $1M in revenues, we know that the women who make it “big” are more the exception than the rule. So exactly what is getting in our way of catching up with men in turning our business ideas into ones that make bank?
Read moreSea, Salt and Sand
There’s something breathtaking in the shimmering beauty of a moving blanket of water and foam that seems woven together by microscopic gems of different hues. Spread across a vast expanse of space the body of water moving rhythmically swaying gently to its own tune, to its own invisible authority. The breadth, depth and width of the sea inspires supernatural possibility in our measured humanness, thinking beyond the immediate on what we can envision, what is possible, what can be. This great expanse that kisses the edge of the horizon unearths desires for equaled greatness lying within us. Picture the scene of designs that can be visualized, dreams that can be realized, and concepts that can be materialized. There’s something freeing and foreboding about the sea all at once.
Read moreOn the journey to wealth, consider this important step first!
On your journey to wealth, you have decided to take the jump or the first step and that is already gutsy. It takes a certain kind of mindset to decide that you want a better life for yourself or family, and all that is necessary now is to get going! But wait....there are many things to consider.
Read moreOwn your Positive Headspace
The world of an entrepreneur is a daily emotional roller coaster ride. When we don’t get the deal we wanted or wished we had said something different in a meeting, we tend to focus on the negative and ‘should have’s’. Here are some tried and tested steps I incorporate into my daily routine to stay focused on the positive.
Read moreIn the footsteps of the Caesars
Every year in July I travel, but this time I won’t be, so allow me to do so vicariously through nostalgia of a past sojourn’s images etched colourfully in my mind. Though I traversed the breadth of Italy, it is Rome’s smells and spirited tales that beckon to be revealed and re-explored and I find myself willingly teleported to strange yet familiar sounds from my history books and daily business Latin phrases.
Read moreBecome a master asker!
In general, people like to mind their own business…excuse the pun. But I will tell you something about small town people…they love to help! We live in a society where we are trained to be self-sufficient and independent. Although it has merits, is it all that healthy?
Read moreWhy not be the first?
I watched the movie Hidden Figures recently and there is a scene in the movie where the character goes to court to fight to be able to attend a school she cannot go to. When asked why she was doing it, she told the judge that because it had never been done, she would have to be the first.
Read moreHow becoming a new parent has taught me important business lessons
In May this year I became a mommy! What an honour and privilege it is to take care of this precious little one. And what an amazing journey it has been thus far. I went on maternity leave for 4 weeks and started easing myself back into work in the 5th week. This of course got me thinking, of how your time and priorities change, and what it’s truly like to be a working mom.
Read moreThe Dos and Don'ts of Building Your Personal Brand
As you would have read in my previous blog on why you can’t just have a business brand, personal branding encompasses the ongoing process of establishing a positive extension of who you are and what you stand for in the minds of others. In this online era, authenticity is key and can only be achieved if you create a personal brand that defines its own unique characteristics, that genuinely adds value to people’s lives.
Read moreThe Bird Chronicles
Birding (or birdwatching for those not in the know), may seem to be a fruitless pastime amidst the many challenges of life. However, when I conjure it up in my mind and envision the experience of birders, it presents itself as a welcome reprieve and distraction from the harsh ugly reality of clipped wings, the stationary, the dull, the silenced, the wingless. I ponder on Maya Angelou’s “I know why the caged bird sings” and picture the contemplative constraining space of life’s trappings and the freedom and opportunity in roaming outside of confinement but only within the boundaries of your natural capability and inclinations.
Read moreNo more excuses, make a plan!
We all know that life happens and challenges are inevitable. Some of the challenges you will have control over and others you won’t. The ultimate test to life's challenges is how you react.
Read moreMy past life resurrected
In my past life, as I like to call it, I was a project management consultant, mostly for banks. There’s a lot I miss about that life. For a while after I started my business, I did not want to miss it too much, in case I got sucked back in. I’m over it now.
Read moreHow I survived the first 3 years as a startup in the tech industry
It has definitely been among the three most difficult years of my life, but certainly the most fulfilling. A few weeks ago I reached the second milestone in my company’s career – the 3 year anniversary (the first milestone was reaching 1000 days in business). Like any major milestone in one’s life, such as a relationship anniversary or child’s birthday, this felt no different – in some ways it felt like it was literally yesterday that I clicked submit on the company registration CIPC’s site, and at other times it feels as if I’ve been running a company for at least five times as long.
Read moreSetting the record straight: You can’t just have a business brand
A business brand without a personal brand is like an empty vessel drifting at sea, without a captain to give it purpose.
Read moreUnderstanding the power of preparation
I have a confession to make… The truth is...nothing in my life has just happened. Every opportunity, job interview, meeting or connection has happened because of preparation. I have a true story to share with you that demonstrates this.
Read morePlaying small in your business doesn’t benefit anyone
After taking the courageous leap of faith to walk away from stability and a guaranteed monthly salary to become an entrepreneur, why would you play small?
Read moreUsing content to gain customers
If you’re a lioness, content isn’t new to you… You read the daily newsletters, right? And all the articles in them. You visit the Lionesses of Africa website every once in a while and you follow Lionesses on social media platforms too.
Read moreHere I thought I was Mrs Optimism…
Turns out, I’m actually a pessimist as an entrepreneur. I was reminded of my pessimistic thoughts last night as my husband proudly spoke of my company’s successes in the last few weeks.
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