Establishing a business is really not for the faint-hearted. It requires faith, stamina, and perseverance. In essence...it is more of a mental challenge to overcome than anything else.
Read moreYour money and your mind
A healthy mind is as important as a healthy body. If not more so! October has been declared national mental health awareness month in South Africa, and it is virtually impossible to talk about mental health without talking about money. There is often a very close link between financial stress and poor mental health.
Read moreOutsourcing 102 – The best ways to outsource your admin
The moment you learn to embrace the beauty of outsourcing, is the moment your world will change. And for the better, believe me! You only have so many hours in the day and a myriad of tasks to deal with besides being an example to your team, the strategic hub for growth, the face of the company and the decision maker on all things. So, after reading all of that and being reminded what a super human you are, let’s breathe and really take in how outsourcing your admin makes sound business sense.
Read moreOwn your attitude
Your attitude is the way you view the world. What attitude did you choose to bring with you today? We all have a choice. We can choose an inner dialogue of self-encouragement and self-motivation, or we can choose one of self-defeat and self-pity. It’s a power each of us has. We all go through times of hardship; it can’t always be smooth sailing. The key is to realise it’s not what happens to you that matters; but as we’re sure you’ve heard before, it’s how you choose to respond.
Read moreThe Jar of Awesome - Own your Gratitude
When things don’t go your way, “looking on the bright side” is a real test of your ability to show gratitude. No one is perfect at showing gratitude at first, but here’s an idea that can help that I learned from Tim Ferriss, author of Tools of Titan and The Four Hour Work Week.
Read moreSo where does money fit into the greater scheme of things?
Starting or running a business is hugely taxing and it’s easy to be driven by money, particularly in the early months. You want to focus all your energy on making it a success, but it is easy to fall into the trap of materialism. Money and wealth is equated to success and we all want to be successful. However, it is important to realise that money is only one aspect of our lives – it cannot be our sole driving force. So where does our money fit in?
Read moreOwn your time; show up on time
If you’re chronically late, how do you start showing up on time? Many people have the habit of constantly running late — and they drive themselves, and other people, crazy. Now, I have the opposite problem — I’m pathologically early, and often arrive places too soon. This allows me to arrive relaxed, calm and confident; I also always sure I keep reading material on me like my Kindle so I can feel productive while waiting. I make sure I don’t make it someone else’s problem that I arrive early and wait for the scheduled time before calling them.
Read moreOutsourcing 101 : Outsourcing for beginners – how, when and why
If you are a small business owner, I know that you are wearing different hats. After all, when you’re just starting out cash flow is at a minimum and so are your business resources. But there comes a point where you as the business owner can only do so much and it’s time to look at getting in extra help.
Read moreGet big marketing wins on a shoestring budget
Developing your entire marketing strategy, including your brand, messaging, copy, social media, and PR, can feel overwhelming and prohibitively expensive. In the early days of Little Pim, I know that when faced with the marketing dollars I could spend, I wanted the Italian leather boots and all I could afford were the discounted canvas Keds! But there are ways to ramp up your marketing without ramping up your spend.
Read moreUnexpected Life Lessons from the Gym
I started going to a gym when I was 13; I am now almost 36. I think this gives me my 10,000 hours of mastery according to Malcolm Gladwell. Here are some unexpected lessons I’ve learnt at the gym that can be applied to the real world.
Read moreBuilding an empire - Your network(th)
When I started my business, everyone kept telling me, "Your network is everything! Work on building it up." And to be honest, at the time, I didn't understand it. I'm not a people-person and I am definitely not energised by being around people. In fact, it drains me! Give me a good book, a good cuppa coffee, and leave me alone. I will be the happiest little bookworm in the whole wide world.
Read moreOwn Your Podium: Part 2
There is no question that your ability to communicate confidently and authoritatively is critical to your career success. Presentations are amongst your most important opportunities to make an impression, to stand out and enhance your personal brand. It’s not simply another boring meeting. Get over thinking of presentations as burdens. Just by thinking about them differently, you can shift your level of confidence, and that, as you know, is the first step to improving the overall way you are perceived. Here are some tips from ‘Own Your Space’ to make your presentations more effective.
Read moreHow can you make the most of each day and have a record growth year?
Do you ever feel like you could be making more progress in your business, or like you sometimes get off track and then have trouble remembering the main things you should be focused on as you climb the entrepreneurial mountain? Do you ever wish you had someone with whom you could celebrate the big wins and who would be there to cheer you on when you hit the deep potholes?
Read moreDone is better than perfect
As women, as leaders, professionals, mothers, and wives, in all the roles we play as human beings, we need to finally get it through our heads that there really is no such thing as perfect. ‘Perfect’ is not only a total myth, it’s a deeply destructive and limiting myth.
Read moreHow to Protect Your Greatest Asset
When did you last take a proper one or two-week vacation? One where you didn’t check email and created space to remember who you are as a friend, traveler, lover, wife, mother or whatever other parts of your identity are meaningful to you? I just came back from a two-week vacation with my boys in Europe, and I want you to have one too. It’s good for your health, your family and yes, your business.
Read moreHalf-time anecdotes
Life demands so much of us, we’re constantly performing, pleasing others and busy with stuff. Is it any reason, therefore, that we find ourselves so tired, depleted from doing our long list of to-dos, meetings to attend, deadlines to meet. We are enslaved to the other side, the other person, the competitor, the client, the customer; living in fear to secure acceptance, the deal, the market share, the sale, some semblance of happiness. When we start a business, the ‘busyness’ consumes us creating a constant avalanche of activity and expectation of high performance, and if we don’t take a break, we will start to underperform. Most performances have an interlude, a break, half-time, an interval, an intermission.
Read moreOwn your virtual space
Forget what people say about ‘vanity searching’ or ‘ego surfing’, to google yourself is neither about vanity nor ego. If you’re serious about your professional presence, about owning your space in the virtual world as much as you are about owning it in the physical world, googling yourself is an absolute necessity.
Read moreHow to scale a service business (and get your life back!)
You’ve probably heard the word on the street: investors typically have no interest in service businesses because they don’t scale easily. While scaling a service business comes with its own challenges, it’s not impossible.
Read moreHave you found your business owner identity?
Who are you? What is your identity? These discussions often lead to a reference of one’s roots, where one comes from. As a business-owner you don’t lose your identity, you just show up differently.
Read moreOwn Your Personal Brand
We hear so much about the importance of having a personal brand, but what does that really mean? Put simply, your brand is your reputation, which is the culmination of almost everything you have ever done and said. As Amazon’s Jeff Bezos says, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
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