A few weeks ago we experienced a very unpleasant cold front – out came the boots, beanies and coats. Heaters were dusted, stews and dumplings warmed our bellies and talk of an impending colder winter this year, trended. I love the warm things of winter. We’ve figured it all out: central heating, warm, fluffy sweaters, winter sheets, cup-a-soups and trips to warmer locations are easy to arrange. Animals do the same, they migrate, hibernate or adapt – we could learn a thing or two from them and apply this knowledge to business.
Read moreThe Business Tango - Embracing Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship by Anna Shilina
Anna Shilina
In The Business Tango, author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur, Anna Shilina, provides the insights, tips and advice on how to become the best entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial version of yourself, in life and business.
Read moreUnhappy customers are the greatest source of learning
Customers are a key element to the existence of a business. Every entrepreneur, business owner and sales person knows what a battle it can be to find the right customers. When you have those customers, it is how you treat them that will make them come back or refer others to you.
Read moreThe art of marketing your brand successfully
Wow! How fast 2017 is flying! I’ve been quiet for a while, busy in my SummerTime happy place planning and crafting a great year ahead. Now that the plan is in place, let’s get back to the business of branding and sharing some insights around how to do it well. In my previous blog posts, we covered the topics of establishing and creating your brand. Now let’s move into how to make the most of the brand you’ve created.
Read moreRose Sibisi, a Zambian woman entrepreneur taking her lifestyle brand to her audience through her highly entertaining TV talkshow
Rose Sibisi
Personality-led brands and businesses connect with audiences because of precisely that - they are created by women entrepreneurs who are big on passion and personality. Rose Sibisi is an entrepreneur who has both of these traits in huge quantities, and her passion for what she does is infectious. Her popular Talk Show, StylewithRoseS, is must-watch television.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Joanne Mwangi: So you've achieved success. Now what?
Joanne Mwangi, founder of Professional Marketing Services Group, East Africa
You need a game plan to handle success and money....
“I don’t think there is anything more difficult to handle than success. I think success is harder to handle than failure. In failure you wallow, you just cry and life goes on. Success has to be sustained and it is harder to sustain than to get it. So when you get your money, what is your game plan?”
– Joanne Mwangi founded Professional Marketing Services Group in Kenya in 1996. Today her company has five subsidiaries and a presence across East Africa. Joanne has steered the PMS Group from a small agency to a leading full service marketing and communications group. In 2010, PMS was voted number one in the Top 100 SME competition in Kenya. Joanne also won the Lady Entrepreneur of the Year award at the same competition sponsored by the Nation Media Group and KPMG. She is also the chairperson of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations (FEWA), an organisation that seeks to create an enabling business environment for women.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Edith Venter
Edith Venter, founder of Edith Unlimited (South Africa)
"Keep things simple. That way, they work!"
- Edith Venter is the doyenne of event management in South Africa. She is the founder of Edith Unlimited, taking the world of prestigious and glamorous event management to a whole new level, in keeping with the style and elegance she is well known for. Today, she is also a highly sought after motivational speaker, a role model to millions of South African women, and a tireless campaigner and fundraiser for the causes she is passionate about.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Brenda Wilkinson: Never fail on your vision
Brenda Wilkinson
Never fail on your vision....
"Look beyond your competition and never fail on the vision you aspire to for your brand and yourself! Eventually someone will believe in you….and your product!"
- Brenda Wilkinson is the co-owner and Marketing Manager of Rio Largo Olive Estate, a multi-award winning estate, situated in the Scherpenheuwel valley between Worcester and Robertson in South Africa. The Estate comprises olive orchards, vines, an olive specific nursery and a state of the art OLIOMIO olive processing and bottling plant. Brenda is a never say no, serial entrepreneur and marketing specialist who has previously created Leisure Seekers Guide to Hotels and Lodges in Zambia, run her own school, and produced wicker and wrought iron furniture in Malawi. A natural collaborator, Brenda is also currently working with Sarah Taylor and Zikhona Tefu, two women entrepreneurs who are using olive oil to build their own beauty and skincare brands.
Read moreQuote of the Day from Tabitha Karanja
Tabitha Karanja, founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries
“Morocco is at the top of Africa. Until I reach Morocco with Summit (one of Keroche’s beer brands) and go all the way down to South Africa, I am not stopping. I will never say I am tired because there is still more ahead.”
- Tabitha Karanja is founder and CEO of Keroche Breweries. She is one of Kenya's leading entrepreneurs, a remarkable trailblazer and an example of a woman made good against all the odds. Tabitha chose to venture where none before her had dared. She took on an 87-year-old business monopoly and entered an industry with a deeply entrenched male gender stereotype. Tabitha broke the mould to become Kenya’s first home-grown beer and alcoholic drink manufacturer. Today, her company's state-of-the-art production facility is targeting 20% of the Kenyan market.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Banke Kuku
Banke Kuku, founder of Banke Kuke Textiles
“Women are the corner stone of African economic development and are currently under represented. I think it’s time for a balance in the business arena throughout the continent. Women hold dynamic and valuable characteristics which are an asset to the business terrain.”
– Banke Kuku is founder and CEO of Banke Kuku Textiles, a company she started in 2011. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Banke moved to the United Kingdom at age eight giving her the innate ability to cross-pollinate traditional African and Western culture to create unique, luxurious fabrics for the interior and fashion industries. Anointed by leading commentators as the ‘Queen of Colour’, Banke promotes African tradition and culture through her exquisite textiles sold in the major capitals of the world and supports and promotes local textile mills in Nigeria. Her interiors range can be been found in major retailers like Selfridges London, and her fashion fabric designs have graced the catwalks of London, Paris and New York.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Narcissi Madisha: Passion will carry you through
Passion will carry you through....
"If you plan to go into business, choose something that you are absolutely passionate about. The passion will carry you through when the going gets tough. I still get joy from sitting behind the machine and making a special piece as I do designing the special pieces."
- Narcissi Madisha is the founder of Kameo Kids in South Africa, a company that manufactures and sells girls wear, from ages 2-12 years. All of Narcissi's clothing items are produced locally in South Africa. Inspired by her own daughter, Narcissi is passionate about creating stylish, comfortable and unique children's fashion. She has a strong business and retail background with 13 years’ experience in Retail Buying in both Fashion and FMCG with some of the biggest retailers in the country.
Read moreThe Success Solution: Break Through Limiting Beliefs for Business Success by Loren Fogelman
Loren Fogelman
A Success mindset = success outcomes in business, that’s according to Loren Fogelman, author of The Success Solution. She believes that focusing on what’s do-able helps you succeed. She asserts that anyone can be a success — high performance isn’t the trademark of talented entrepreneurs alone. She says thatmindset colors everything you do, in and on your business. Mastering your thoughts and harnessing your energy for high performance is critical to success in every area of your life. Strategically tap into your highest potential and soar to the top.
Read moreOn point, en pointe
Like in ballet, let’s assume 3 positions to sum up what compels and sustains the entrepreneur. First position, the power of a well-developed idea and executed plan gives you the opportunity to audition. Second position gives you access to contracts which provides further opportunity to prove your ability and credibility to deliver. As your offering is selected and you deliver to high standards, a time may come to expand which gives you the third position.
Read moreUnderstanding Performance Appraisals for Small Businesses
I have followed the subject of Performance Appraisals closely for the past few years. Many people feel that the standard appraisal is a thing of the past, but even with the changes in the industry it has been said that employee engagement levels have not improved over the last ten years. So what can be done about this situation, particularly for small businesses.
Read moreLionesses and the Law - Contractual terms explained
When you sign an agreement, the general rule is that you are bound by what you sign – this is why it is very important that you read your contracts before entering into them and, whenever possible, appoint an attorney to assist you.
Read moreUnderstanding the Basics of Key Financial Ratios for Entrepreneurs - Part 2
As far as the accounting of your business is concerned, there are a few key reports that share vital information about your business with relevant stakeholders, these statements can also be used by the entrepreneur as an indicator of the financial health of their business. One of these reports being the statement of cash flows.
Read moreNarcissi Madisha, a South African fashionpreneur creating stylish and on-trend clothes for young girls
Narcissi Madisha, founder of Kameo Kids (South Africa)
Moms and daughters alike know what fun fashion and shopping for great clothes can be, and Narcissi Madisha, founder of Kameo Kids, has just the brand for them. She is creating fashionable yet comfortable clothes for young girls who want to express their own individual style from a young age.
Read moreColleen Deetlefs, a South African ecopreneur turning old tyres into beautiful and practical new products for people to love and use
Colleen Deetlefs, founder of Innovative Waste Design (IWD) (South Africa)
The ability to see possibility in what others see as simply waste is a real talent, and that is something that Innovative Waste Design (IWD) founder, Colleen Deetlefs has in large quantities. She has a creative eye, combined with the business acumen to turn waste into beautiful and practical new products that have a great back story and a positive environmental footprint.
Read moreQuote of the Day by Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana
Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana, founders of Gahaya Links (Rwanda)
"Something small can create an impact, .... You don’t have to have a lot of money to start a business. You can start small, but you must have a passion for what you’re doing."
- Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana, co-founded Gahaya Links Cooperatives shortly after the Rwandan genocide ended in 1994. These inspiring sisters had a vision to turn ancient basket weaving skills into a source of livelihood for thousands of rural women. Many of the women, like Janet and Joy themselves, were returning refugees or survivors of the genocide. The women started weaving baskets in exchange for food. Initially bringing together about twenty women, the sisters taught them how to weave and how to enhance their weaving skills with new design techniques. Today Gahaya Links has grown to include over 5,000 women weavers in 52 different cooperatives across Rwanda, providing much needed income and stability. The sisters have successfully opened the business to international markets, partnering with the likes of Macy’s, Walmart, Oprah Magazine, and Kate Spade. Today, Gahaya Links "Peace Baskets” are sold and admired the world over.
Read moreEntrepreneur Advice from Clare Appleyard: Just do it now!
Clare Appleyard, founder of Katannuta Diamonds (South Africa)
Just do it now!...
"My sensible side says: start your business on the side, then, when you've replaced at least part of your fixed salary, go full-time. My irresponsible side says: sod safety, just do it now!"
- Clare Appleyard is the founder of Katannuta Diamonds in South Africa, a company specializing in the manufacture of bespoke diamond and precious gemstone jewellery, with a strong emphasis on consumer education and empowerment. Clare pursued a Masters Degree in Geology from the University of Cape Town following she spent time working as a geologist for De Beers and Anglo American. In 2007, Clare co-founded Katannuta Diamonds, developing a reputation within the industry for exceptional workmanship, competitive prices and outstanding service in the engagement ring and wedding ring market.
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