Lessons from doing a TEDx talk: Part 1

March 23, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress

I am a professional speaker/trainer/teacher who does talks and workshops to a corporate audience for a living. So when the opportunity to do a TEDx Women talk came along, I was thrilled. Firstly, it’s been on my bucket list for over 10 years and secondly, I was sure having this public speaking background would make the process that much easier. Quite the contrary! It was the most amazing 8 weeks for me, I have not been pushed out of my comfort zone and beyond for a long time. It tested me on every level and the process has been my greatest reward.

Fellow travellers and their influence on your wealth

March 23, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser, founder of PicketFence Life

On our journey through life we meet an array of interesting people. Some fascinating and others unique. We learn a great deal about ourselves on how we interact with these personalities. In our financial wealth world we often find that our behavior reflects some typical personality and behavioral patterns.

Creating a marketing strategy that enhances your business

March 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Tatenda Rungisa, Human Resources Practitioner and co-founder of Twin Connect Solutions

For a business to be competitive, what is mainly required is a good strategy, a practical road map, and a sustainable marketing strategy. When trying to penetrate a certain industry sector, it’s essential to make a mark and become sustainable. One way to ensure this is to engage as many clients as possible in the business through effective marketing, by ensuring customer service is top notch, and being able to retain those customers for the long term. So how does one achieve all this? The answer can be found in creating a well defined and aligned marketing strategy.

No balance? Welcome to the tired mommies club!

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Ndlovu

Last week, I attended the Facebook and Lionesses of Africa International Women’s Day event in Johannesburg on 8 March. I started having small conversations with the ladies attending and quickly realized that around five of the ladies I spoke with had new born babies, just like me. We ended up exchanging nanny tips, we talked abut our hectic schedules, and shared how these days we hardly get time to put on lipstick.

Wake up earlier - you’ll never say ‘I don’t have time to’... ever again

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress

Achievers around the world swear by the motto – ‘success is a sunrise away’.

Not everyone can wake up early. Our gadget-filled world has given us enough distractions to keep us awake even when we are in bed. And some of us do that because, after a hectic day, night is the only ‘me-time’ we get. However, there is an increasing awareness of the benefits of rising at 5am. High achievers all over the world find that waking up before the sun has a personal bonus – it gives them an edge in the cut-throat environment that they face as the day sets in.

The Patent Pickle

March 17, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Seno Namwandi

Intellectual Property has various types of rights under its umbrella. Patents tend to be on the far spectrum of strictness and have one of the highest returns on investment for companies through licensing agreements. On the other end of the spectrum are trade secrets, which are governed by contractual agreements, these tend to be more fluid in nature and therefore more difficult to protect, control and manage.

My ABC of Business: We are not in competition…we are the competition! What other women entrepreneurs have taught me

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

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by Lizl Naude, founder of Lily Loompa

In the wide world of entrepreneurship, I am a mere baby still. I have been running my business for just over two years and it has been a great blessing! I have been fortunate to meet a lot of great women along the way, and through our interactions, they all have inspired me.

Learning the art of self management

March 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

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by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

We are the first, in many ways, in this entrepreneurship boom happening currently. Most of us are first amongst our families, friends and generally in all of history. You know what this means…it means we have to find out, teach ourselves, and excel at something we have no history of from a personal perspective. Having a parent who had previously run a business, whether it failed or succeeded, would be just bliss. Someone to ask specific questions to; someone to check in with all the time.

A Persuasion Tool to Get Alignment

March 2, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Laura Camacho

You’ve been told that the most effective speech or presentation is focused on the audience. Here’s a tool to help you do that. The result is that your audience feels alignment with you and is more likely to accept your message. The tool is called Feel Know Do.

Know Your Business

March 2, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Aleshia van der Ploeg, Director, VDP Legal Consulting

Do you know your business? I mean, do you REALLY know your business? Do you know what your finances look like or does your accountant simply handle that? Do you know what money is coming in or going out every month and are you actually making a profit? Do you know what contracts you have entered into, what the actual terms are and how long they are valid for? Are your tax returns up to date or do you assume your accountant is responsible for that too?

The importance of self care in our lives as entrepreneurs

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Dhlamini

Reflecting on this reminded me of the importance of intentionally setting an inclusive framework as I put together the pieces (people, places and projects) that I would like to include in my life in 2019.

Identifying Roles to set effective Goals

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Claire Holden, Empowerment Coach

How many hats do you wear? How many roles do you fill? As an entrepreneur you’re a business owner and likely a finance manager, marketing director, accounts receivable clerk and operations manager too. Many of you will also be a wife, mother, daughter, sibling, team or group member, friend, volunteer…. The list goes on! The risk is that we spread ourselves so thin trying to be all things to all people, that we fail to prioritise the things that are most important to us personally and to our businesses. So, how do we change this? How do we cultivate a life where we clearly articulate our goals and set clear action plans in place for success?

Entrepreneurship and friendship

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Claudia Castellanos, ceo, Black Mamba Chilli

I believe most entrepreneurs agree on the fact that we could have chosen something easier to do in life (in fact I am convinced most of us are masochistic). From the sheer excitement of closing a great deal, to the doom of realizing you don’t have enough cash flow to pay salaries for your employees in a given month, being an entrepreneur is an eternal roller coaster. The levels of stress and anxiety can become intolerable some times. And those are the times when you need to be reminded that everything will be OK and that all your effort and hard work will pay off eventually.

Here are your 3 easy-to-apply sales tips for the week

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Karen Wessels, founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

Sales really does get such a negative reputation sometimes, and I get it - most of us have a bit of a skewed understanding when it comes to sales, so we would rather steer clear than truly harness our sales powers.

Dear client, you’re fired!

February 16, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Clare Appleyard, founder of Katannuta Diamonds

Often, when we start out in business, we try to be everything to everybody. If somebody asks who your ideal client is, “Everybody!” is your enthusiastic response. And then, reality sets in. You realize that not everybody is your ideal client, and that’s okay. No business, be it a large conglomerate or an SME, will be able to serve everybody’s needs and wants.

We fear success more than failure

February 15, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

I have always said that I am more fearful of my success than my failure. I mean what is failure? How many rejections have you been through at this age; try and count and you will fail. In my case, from my first attempt to touch a candle flame, or my mom refusing for me to not make it into the NETBAL EERSTE SPAN in high school, and to the tertiary Dmerits! There have been failures, but yet I am here. So failure to me is just a T-Junction on a road - I went right but I was supposed to go left. But…success… you see success is a new can of worms I have never experienced. It demands another me I have not met before, and definitely feels like growing a new tooth.

Can I Get a Connection? 3 Tips to Overcoming Loneliness in a Digital Age

February 14, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Deborah Hartung, founder of PivotPeople Tech

We live in such exciting times, where technology has truly enabled us to break down the barriers of space and time and to forge new paths and discover new frontiers in business and our personal relationships. But the same technology that has liberated us in so many ways, has enslaved and imprisoned us to the point where we aren’t able to make and maintain true human connections. In our world of DMs and FaceTime and same day delivery or click and collect, we have convenience and near instant gratification at our fingertips. But we are lonelier and feeling more isolated than ever.

Hard work pays off

February 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

The journey of building my own business empire has been many things, including amazing, challenging, surprising and painful. Luckily, God is kind enough not to allow these experiences to happen at the very same time. Instead, they are spread across time. I believe this is the 5th year this year. Halfway to a decade, imagine! I think I should one day sit down and write all the major events that have happened during the building of my business, Roka Roko, and look at them as an audience rather than as the main character involved. Maybe I might cry from the sheer multitude of what small actions eventually add up to on this entrepreneurial journey.

Born to Stand Out: 3 Tips to Remaining Authentic when the Going Gets Tough

February 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

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by Deborah Hartung, founder of Pivot PeopleTech

There’s a saying that has always really resonated with me: “In life, we regret more the things we didn’t do, than the things we did.” I know these words to be true and I am sure that you’ve experienced the very same thing at least once in your life to date. If we are all honest with ourselves, we know that the reason why we don’t actively pursue the things we want. Is because of some or other form of fear. We are afraid of failure. We are afraid of what others may think or say about what we are doing. Worst of all, there’s always a small part of us that is afraid of actual success and of truly owning our greatness.

Managing and Growing Millennials in the Workplace

February 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Kulani Shiluvane, Founder and Chief Consultant at Shiluvah

The general workforce has undergone many significant changes over the years – with the most significant of this generation being the introduction of Millennials into the workforce. So, significant is this introduction that numerous articles have been written on this subject. Therefore, one needs to ask what makes this generation so special that we need to quantify and qualify their entrance into the workspace. And more importantly, what do non-millennials need to know about this generation that will enable them to not only coexist but also thrive in the workplace together.

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