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.

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. 

I saw an interesting post on Instagram today. A survey asking entrepreneurs what is the one thing they want to accomplish today and the most common point out of the 4 given was, you guessed it, getting new clients. It seems like as entrepreneurs we really understand how to build a business, what product or service the market needs, how to use social media and to speak passionately about our business. Yet there seems to be a lack of focus when it comes to sales.

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.

We’ve all experienced this as entrepreneurs - that moment when everything feels like it’s falling apart, nothing seems to be going right, almost as if the world is conspiring against you. But do not fear, ask any seasoned entrepreneur and they’ll admit that they too have been through turmoil in their business and earned their t-shirt.

The importance of building relationships in business cannot be stated enough, because people buy from people. You need to be authentic in sales, you need to be yourself. Your prospect will come to trust you and that link that you’ve built is called relationship building.

Starting any new business can be daunting, as the time and money it takes to start your venture can be a challenge at the best of times. The hardest part though, is to entice and keep clients for the longevity of your business.  For entrepreneurs, building and maintaining relationships with your clients is the most important aspect when it comes to offering the best service in your field.

Being consistent in life both personally and professionally is an aspect that everyone needs to aspire to in order to be successful. Being consistent at work and at home creates room to rectify mistakes and work at your best. 

A new year is upon us and like most entrepreneurs I’m really excited for what it has in store for us. A new start, a fresh beginning for many startups. Let’s be resolved to make this the best entrepreneurial year yet! What are your New Year’s Sales resolutions? Have you spent time working out a strategy, putting an action plan in motion, formulating ideas on how you’re going to grow your business this year?

We can all acknowledge that 2016 has been a phenomenal year, a year graced with fundamental business lessons, sprouting with opportunities and great networking sessions. So what does 2017 have in store for us? Do you have a marketing strategy in place for the New Year? 

“Don’t forget: What you are obsessed with will become a reality.” - Grant Cardone --- Do you wake up in the morning, thrilled to start the day, excited to tackle new challenges and take the day head on? Or do you start the day wishing you could have slept in a bit longer, or that you didn’t have to go to a certain meeting?

Being an entrepreneur automatically means that you keep learning. You keep developing your skills-sets, understanding new ways of doing business and applying new methods to make your business better. The same principles are applied to sales. If you want to be a better salesperson, with the understanding that all entrepreneurs are salespeople, then you need to keep honing your skills and developing your mindset to have a winning attitude in sales.

Sales should always be the hot topic of discussion in your business. Whether you’re having strategy meetings with shareholders or internal staff meetings, the word sales should always certainly come up. Sales is the single most important activity within any business.

I was privileged enough to attend the very first #LionessMentoring session at the Standard Bank Incubator in Rosebank, Johannesburg this week. One of the things that really struck me, besides the passion and resilience each women entrepreneur displayed, was the complete lack of confidence in themselves and their sales abilities.

This past week I was in Cape Town where I was invited to join other entrepreneurs watch a few hand selected startups pitch their business ideas. The startups varied from post revenue all the way to MVP (minimal viable product), meaning they don’t currently have customers, however they do have a working product. As a group of entrepreneurs who have travelled the path, got the proverbial t-shirt and faced our fair share of challenges, a few things really struck me. The reason why we were there was to identify the best matching mentors for each startup. And isn’t this something that is seriously lacking in our startup community - the power and importance of having a great mentor on your team, who can take their life experiences and help you on your journey.

What a scary thought – not only starting a business, but to start off with no capital -  yikes! If you read any article related to entrepreneurs, from Silicon Valley to the African continent, the very first thing you read is that they’ve got funding. But is funding the be-all and end-all? What if you don’t have access to immediate funding, but you have an amazing business idea that will change the world? Well, the alternative is to bootstrap it, to become really innovative to start this amazing business idea of yours.

For a startup venture, setbacks may be the name of the game, especially in the beginning phases. You’re still learning the ropes, understanding your market, finding the right team and wrapping your mind around building an empire. As a startup, in order to focus and enjoy positive results and to move forward, it’s all about how you, as the Founder of your business, need to manage these setbacks. Do you take them in your stride? Or are you riddled with fear and anguish for days because things didn’t work out?

Sometimes we tend to be so focused on the next big business thing, or on how to make our business better, or when to take our product to market, that we completely forget to pause and appreciate the little things in life that really matter. These could be the things that we have, that we’ve experienced, what we’ve learned, and what we’ve achieved along the way. We forget to show gratitude and to show thanks for all that is and to reflect on how good life has been to us so far.

The success of your business is defined by how you make decisions - and naturally, success also lies in how quickly these decisions are made.