Own your mind-set

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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

I regularly go to gym on a Saturday morning at 8am, I have been doing it for years. My weekly gift to myself is my trainer who is mainly there to be my motivation when I start convincing myself why I should stay in bed. As it happens, my daughter was sick on the Friday night and I was up with her most of the night. She still decides to wake me at 6am despite the disturbed sleep. I contemplated cancelling my work out for a good thirty minutes and then decided I wasn’t about to let a few hours of sleep break my habit and let down someone who is also getting up early for me.

5 Ways to make your story shine brightly

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.

When was the last time you flexed your company’s core (value) muscles?

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.

A crash course on the law of contract

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.

Samantha Rice, a South African creative media expert with a passion for helping her clients to realize their business visions

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Samantha Rice, founder of Creative Compass (South Africa) — **Samantha Rice**, founder of Creative Compass (South Africa)

For many successful businesses, it’s all about ensuring they stay on message and have a strong brand identity and digital presence to support that goal. For entrepreneur Samantha Rice, founder of Creative Compass, that’s where her specialist expertise and insights can make the difference.

Did you make your 2017 targets?

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.

Quote of the Day by Lindiwe Mafavuneh

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

"I ensure I celebrate the small wins along the way to keep the momentum.”

- Lindiwe Mafavuneh, founder of LCM Capital (Botswana)

Entrepreneur Advice from Jess Binns: Keep moving forward

February 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Jess Binns, founder of Hector & Bailey (South Africa) — **Jess Binns**, founder of Hector & Bailey (South Africa)

Keep moving forward…

“There will be good days and there will be bad days. Try and stay in the moment, accept each day and keep moving towards your goal.”

- Jess Binns is the founder of Hector & Bailey in South Africa, a niche Interior & Exterior Design business. She established Hector & Bailey back in 2009 in the UK before moving over to Durban, South Africa where the company has continued to expand. Jess is currently breaking ground with other African countries, such as Mozambique, designing interior spaces that connect with those who use them, and beautiful exterior spaces for those that view them.Read Jess’s startup story.

Entrepreneur Advice from Kristi Kyle: Find a mentor in your industry

February 6, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Kristi Kyle, founder of Love Long Length Clothing (South Africa) — **Kristi Kyle**, founder of Love Long Length Clothing (South Africa)

Find a mentor in your industry…

“Find yourself a great business mentor in the same type of industry – this will save you from making unnecessary mistakes. Schedule a meeting, grab a notebook and take as many pointers as you possibly can in whatever time they can give you!”

- Kristi Kyle is the founder of Love Long Length Clothing, a clothing brand producing a range of clothing for tall women in South Africa. Kristi has established the first business in South Africa to exclusively cater to tall women, manufacturing locally and supporting local women machinists. The quality of her garments is comparable to any high end brand in the market.

Janine Starkey, a South African entrepreneur on a mission to make others look and feel good

February 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Janine Starkey, founder of House of Janine (South Africa) — **Janine Starkey**, founder of House of Janine (South Africa)

As many successful entrepreneurs will tell you, achieving that success is often down to confidence, and lots of it, but for many women entrepreneurs, confidence doesn’t always come naturally. But South African entrepreneur, Janine Starkey, founder of image consultancy House of Janine, is about to change all that.

How To Make Networking One Of Your Top Skills This Year

February 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.

The day I had a PEP talk with myself

February 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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!

How nature can steer you towards success

February 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.

Quote of the Day by Mariana Agness Francisco Eria

February 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

"Our product is made with nothing but passion, love and dedication."

- Mariana Agness Francisco Eria, founder of House Of Agness (Mozambique)

Entrepreneur Advice from Claudia Castellanos Roques: Believe you can do it

February 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Claudia Castellanos Roques, co-founder Black Mamba (Swaziland) — **Claudia Castellanos Roques**, co-founder Black Mamba (Swaziland)

Believe you can do it…

“Be tenacious, resilient, and persevere. Prepare yourself, thoroughly. Study as much as you can - as a woman, I believe you must be twice as prepared and knowledgeable as a man. And preparation gives you confidence, and you must believe you can do it and you will do it. As an entrepreneur you will face so many people who will try to deter you and tell you that you won't make it, but believing in yourself and being knowledgeable about what you do will help you overcome the many obstacles in the way.”

- Claudia Castellanos Roques is the co-founder of Black Mamba, a fair trade brand of gourmet chilli products from the Kingdom of Swaziland made with organically grown ingredients and no artificial flavours or preservatives. The range includes chilli sauces, pestos, and chutneys. Black Mamba partners with a local NGO called Guba that trains small farmers in organic farming. Black Mamba then buys at negotiated prices all the organic produce grown by these farmers to manufacture their products. Products are currently exported to South Africa, the UK, Germany and Australia.

Create your inner entrepreneur survival kit

February 4, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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?

Build Your Dream Network by J Kelly Hoey

February 3, 2018 Melanie Hawken

In Build Your Dream Network, acclaimed business columnist and networking expert J. Kelly Hoey offers a fresh new approach to mastering the timeworn skill of networking in a world where everyone is posting, liking, and friending fast and furiously, but many are failing to leverage their connections successfully.

Phindi Msomi, a South African entrepreneur with a passion for helping employees to become more effective at work

February 3, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Phindi Msomi, founder of Olwazini Consulting Services (South Africa) — **Phindi Msomi,** founder of Olwazini Consulting Services (South Africa)

Creating a working environment where employees can thrive and excel is a challenge for many companies and organisations. For South African company, Olwazini Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, founded by Phindi Msomi, this represented a key business opportunity.

The fabulous hat of a change agent

February 2, 2018 Melanie Hawken

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.