the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Mignionette Fair, founder of Edita Services
Have you ever sat down in front of your computer to write a blog or newsletter and then… your mind goes blank! It’s a terrible feeling to watch that blinking cursor appear and reappear… like it’s taunting you. The good news is, it’s happened to the best of us. The better news is, there are certain principles, tips, and tricks you can apply to make your story shine brightly every time.
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by Julia Pimsleur, author, speaker and coach, and the founder of Little Pim
No matter what size your company is now, growing it in a smart, lean way and recruiting the best people is – or should be – one of your top priorities. Maybe you’ve already started building your team, or you’re just beginning to think about making your first big hire. Either way, establishing your company’s core values helps you make smarter decisions in moving your business forward and creates a foundation for your company’s culture.
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by Aleshia van der Ploeg, founder of VDP Legal Consulting (Pty) Ltd
We enter into contracts every single day, most of the time, not realising we are doing it! When it comes to your business, it is very important to know when you are entering into a contract or an agreement, and what the terms of the contract/agreement are, as this can have an impact on your business.
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by Brigette Mashile, founder and ceo of Roka Roko
Did you have targets for 2017? I remember sitting with my friend, who is an accountant; feeling very silly making goals for 2017. I was wondering how am I going to achieve these crazy numbers? And what is the guarantee that we can have such numbers? Anyway, my friend had more faith in this business and less fear than me. So, we did revenue, expenses, monthly and weekly budgets for 2017.
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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.
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by Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa
It was 12 September 2015, and I had hit rock bottom. I remember the day clearly. I was a visitor at a ladies church conference in Sandton, and with every speaker that took the stage I seemed to feel more and more confronted by my flaws. It was like they were speaking directly to me. These ladies were well rounded, well dressed, confident, and experts in their respective fields. It was their whole demeanour, paired with God’s message that actually gave me a wake-up call!
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by Eldari Visser, Managing Director, Picketfence.Life
Ask any child of Africa what a thunderstorm over the plains smells like. Crisp, clean and the promise of life. Nature itself rejoices when rain is near. It brings joy and deep gratitude to man and beast.
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by Tania Reid, Chief Experience Officer, Ithemba Office Solutions
We recently came up with an idea to create a ‘morning after’ survival kit, to help conference attendees recover from a team-building event the night before. So there were SUPER C sweets (to replenish the vitamins lost) and Orbit chewing gum (to help them stick with the programme) and it got me thinking that if there was an entrepreneur survival kit, what kind of things would I want in it?
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by Leigh Ann Gowland, founder of Employee Driven Change
Entrepreneurs wear a variety of interchangeable hats every day. Business owner, customer service, sales, marketing and finance are only a few. Imagine if while juggling all the hats of an entrepreneur a new hat is introduced; the change agent hat.
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by Lynette Hundermark, managing director of Useful & Beautiful
Never under-estimate just how fiercely personal your mobile device is. It may be hard to believe, but it’s 7 years since the explosion of the smartphone market, and with the increased availability of low cost smartphones there is now a phone in almost everyone’s hands. But…before we can start talking about any trend, as marketers we need to understand that mobile starts with an understanding of how fiercely personal this device is. It has become more of an appendage rather than a device.
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by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman
I am not a great believer in New Year’s resolutions, as they generally tend to be forgotten within a week or so! But what each new year does bring us, is a time of reflection, and from a financial point of view, a desire to perhaps improve ourselves over the next twelve months.
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by Nokubonga Mbanga, founder of Self Insights
Every January magazines (online and hard copies) have an article about the new year it usually reads: “New year, New You/Me”. So, naturally I am thinking about what I think this year should achieve, aka: New Year’s resolutions….
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by Paula Quinsee, Relationship Expert and Author
December can either have a positive (or negative) impact on relationships but what can you do if the holiday season hasn’t gone so well on that front? Relationships are a constant challenge. No matter who you are, or who your partner is, for relationships to work, both parties need to put in some good effort to keep them going, and to keep both partners engaged, interested, and happy.
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Don’t be Decaf. Don’t water yourself down so that you don’t offend others. Don’t act in a way that is out of integrity with who you are, just so that you can “fit in”. People can spot a fake a mile away. And I don’t mean a good Louis Vuitton knock-off bag, here. I mean a fake person.
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by Abigail Klopper, founder of Abigail K Photography
Today I want to share with you 4 signs that your life is not in balance, because if you are not in balance you won’t feel confident. We’re continuing the theme of “Get a balanced life month”, because that’s what January is it about – Getting your life in balance.
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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.
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By Jolene Roelofse, founder of BluDoor Market
As a new mum (yes, after my second child, I still consider myself a new mum), I often battle with finding a balance between my business and my two toddlers. Aged 3 and 1, I feel they still need a lot of my time, especially since their Dad started traveling quite a bit with work again. It seems only fair that one parent remains present for consistency and emotional comfort. But the reality is that my business is also my baby. Also 3 years old and demanding a lot of attention, love and care. But where do you draw the line?
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By Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress
As women, we juggle multiple roles every hour, never mind every day. Here are some tried and tested steps I incorporate into my daily routine to stay positive and make sure I actively choose joy in my life.
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by Julia Pimsleur, author, speaker and coach, and the founder of Little Pim
Many of us do not love selling, and may even avoid getting better at it, even though we also know it’s one of the most important – if not THE most important – keys to growing our companies. Very few businesses making under $1M in revenues can afford a senior sales team so for now anyway, you ARE the rainmaker. Whether you can find and close deals really, really matters.
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By Leigh Ann Gowland, founder of Employee Driven Change
Imagine a sail boat, destined for a beautiful destination, equipped with state of the art navigation equipment, sleek design and immaculate engineering but never opening its sails to harness the energy of the wind. The scenario seems irrational. Why would an experienced Skipper embark on a remarkable journey without utilizing his most valuable resources?
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