Small to medium sized businesses that want to scale in the next 12 to 24 months are making mobile a key part of their business strategy, that’s according to the 2017 SMB Insights Survey just published by The Business Journals in the US. Over 65% of the 1300 SMEs employing between 5 and 499 employees are already driving their businesses through their websites, and 72% of those have designed their websites to be mobile ready to take advantage of the cloud. 84% of all those SMEs surveyed believe that cloud computing and cloud based service offerings are the way forward for their businesses, particularly as they are beginning to source their sales revenues from further afield, moving from local sourcing to national or international sales markets. Making mobile a key future driver of business means that looking to these new market sources becomes much more of a reality. So if scaling your business is on the agenda in the next two years, take a look at your business growth strategy and make sure mobile is the key word underpinning your thought process.

Are you constantly on the look out for new and innovative ways to be more productive as an entrepreneur? Don’t worry, you are not alone. But if you really want to get into a new productive mode, then it all starts with how you start the day. If you are one of those energetic people who leap out of bed first thing in the morning, put on your jogging kit and start running, then this article is not for you. If not, and your morning routine takes on a much more leisurely approach, then read on. Some of the most successful people on the planet wake up surprisingly early and have a set routine that pumps them up for the rest of the day, meaning they are highly productive and get the required work/life balance we all crave. So, if you want to take a leaf out of their books, try these 5 sure-fire ways of getting rid of your morning fuzziness and boosting your brain and body for a high impact day ahead. Firstly, take a look at yourself in the mirror and smile, a big broad teeth-baring smile. It’s been proven that smiling has a positive effect on your hormone levels and get’s those feel-good endorphins going. Secondly, get moving. Just half an hour of exercise, of any kind, will kickstart your body and clear your mind. Thirdly, drink plenty of water and stay hydrated throughout the day for maximum feel-good. Fourthly, head to the shower and if you are brave enough turn on the cold tap for a stimulating, refreshing and immunity boosting start to your morning proper. Fifthly, have a healthy breakfast and while you’re eating, catch up on the news. By this time, your mind is clear, your body is refreshed and ready for a busy day ahead, and you can hit the ground running.

For entrepreneurs there is often no such thing as perfect, it’s a journey as we know! But if we are to continually improve the way we do business, the way we lead our teams, and the way we develop as individuals and those around us, then we need to also encourage self evaluation too. If everyone in the business is to improve, then they need to be inspired and helped to evaluate how they are doing along the way. Telling someone what they need to improve can be helpful, but asking the right questions and encouraging them to self evaluate can be even more impactful. Here are three easy steps to encouraging self improvement in the business. Firstly, stop focusing on perfection and instead focus on incremental improvements for every individual, and celebrate each improvement - that way, everyone remains committed to achieving the end goal. Secondly, acknowledge increased effort as your team members aim to improve - the results may not immediately be felt, but the greater effort is all important in getting there. Thirdly, keep focused on the positive instead of constantly reminding everyone about the negatives, the mistakes made, etc. By focusing on the positive, it encourages more positive thinking and behaviour, which can only be good for the business. Self improvement is a journey that takes work and effort, but it can reap huge rewards in the long run.

Have you ever looked at other hugely successful entrepreneurs and wondered how they manage to achieve that success whilst apparently doing so many things at the same time, including finding precious time for leisure activity? Well the truth is that some people are just naturally good at juggling multiple tasks and squeezing the maximum out of every minute, hour and day. For the rest of us, it’s all about building the right habits over time that eventually create a solid foundation for success. Here are 5 key habits practiced by many successful entrepreneurs that could help you gain momentum on your business and life journey. Firstly, start waking up a little earlier each morning - an extra 30 minutes added to your day when you are freshest in the morning can make all the difference to your productivity and attitude. Secondly, manage your time better during your day and put in place a proper time management system to help you get things done on the work and personal front. Thirdly, set specific goals for yourself to achieve each day. Fourthly, make a daily action plan and put checklists in place to keep you on track. Finally, stop procrastinating and make completing your daily action plan a must-do, rather than a nice-to-do. If you practice these 5 daily habits and genuinely build them into your daily routine and thought process, you are putting in place a foundation for success. In the words of John Maxwell, leadership guru and author, “If your habits don’t line up with your dream, then you need to either change your habits or change your dream.” 

There’s no doubt about it, for today’s startups technology is the big game-changer, particularly when it comes to building teams of specialists who can deliver a wide range of services and solutions. No longer is it necessary to incur big overhead expenses with high-cost offices filled with lots of people. Instead the trend is towards the shared economy, with remote working and virtual teams providing startups with access to specialist expertise from like-minded, entrepreneurially thinking people, without the need to be in one location. So how do you make virtual team building work for you? It’s all about encouraging connectivity, productivity, and a sense of ownership in the company. As a business owner, you need to open up effective communication channels with your virtual team members, making them feel a genuine part of the business. To ensure productivity is maximized and managed effectively at all times, choose one of the great project management apps available in the marketplace - it means you are on top of everyone’s workflow. Schedule regular but quick virtual update meetings, to ensure you have some good team face-time and a check-in on deliverables. And finally, make sure your systems and processes are in place to help your virtual team members structure their deliverables. Happy virtual team building!

When you first start out on your entrepreneurial journey, there is so much that is unknown. You have a germ of an idea that you think could make for a great business; you have endless passion and enthusiasm for what you are planning to do; and you have determination to make it work. But the fact is, there are so many unknowns, and for many young startups this can be a little daunting and pretty scary. So it’s good to get some perspective when things seem a bit overwhelming. Remember that the unknown is not something to fear, instead simply look at it as an opportunity to experience things that are new to you. There will be plenty of challenges, but also opportunities to be seized with an open mind. There will be stumbling blocks and you will make mistakes along the way, but you will learn from each and every one of them, and the experiences will make you stronger and wiser. You will meet so many new people along the way, some will be your greatest supporters, others will not, but you will be enriched as a result of each of those encounters. Your journey to building a business is one long learning curve, and yes there will be lots of unknowns along the way - but instead of seeing them as something to fear, instead see them as steps to be climbed as you write your own entrepreneurial future. As the well-known motivational speaker and author, Steve Rizzo, said: “If you let fear of the unknown stop you from taking chances, you will stifle your true potential.” Something to think about this morning!

Have you noticed what happens when you put enough women entrepreneurs together in a room and ask them to connect with each other to make a difference? Positive, life affirming moments take place. This was certainly the case yesterday when Lionesses of Africa held one of its Lioness Lean In Breakfast events in Durban, South Africa. We heard the inspirational startup stories of women who had overcome some of the biggest personal challenges on their journeys to building their businesses - and their fellow women entrepreneurs in the audience were there to celebrate and applaud their success. We heard emotional stories of heartbreak and resilience, of bravery and tenacity, and women were there with tissues and a shoulder to lean on, not to mention practical solutions to challenges being faced right now. Probably the biggest learning outcome from the morning was that if we are there as a support system as women entrepreneurs and reach out to help one another when the going gets tough, as it inevitably will at some stage, we are always stronger together. 

As entrepreneurs we all know the importance of connecting with customers on a regular basis, and for many of us, that means harnessing the power of social media. Yet it appears that there are still lots of small businesses out there completely underestimating what social media can do for their business and brands. The US research company, Clutch, has just published its 2017 Small Business Social Media Survey, aimed at providing data-driven findings and tips to help small to medium-sized businesses increase their social media prowess. It came up with some interesting findings. The survey’s respondents included 40% of companies with 10 or fewer employees, 27% with 11-50 employees, 25% with 51-250 employees, and 8% with 251-500 employees. What was astonishing from the findings is that 24% of small businesses don’t use social media at all, and some small to medium sized businesses are extremely lax when it comes to keeping their social media platforms updated. All of which points to small businesses missing out on the opportunity to grow their businesses through continual customer engagement in the social media space. Other findings were that less than half of those small businesses surveyed were actively updating their social media presence on a daily basis, meaning that customers quickly lose interest if there is no new information to keep them connected and engaged. Based on this data, of the companies with a social presence, about one-third of them aren’t using social media enough, and as a result, they’re allowing their customers to wait too long by only visiting weekly, at best. So the take out from this latest survey is that it’s great to have social media as part of your marketing and brand strategy, but it’s only as good as the work you put in to keep the content fresh and engaging for your customers. Like anything, it takes consistent effort and hard work.

This month saw the release of the Global Startup Ecosystem Report and Ranking 2017, produced by Startup Genome in collaboration with the Global Entrepreneurship Network. Its findings, based on conversations with entrepreneurs and data on startups, made for interesting reading. No single African country made the top 20 ranking on the list, but Lagos, Cape Town and Johannesburg warranted mention in the report. Lagos has the most valuable startup ecosystem in Africa, with the local entrepreneurship scene worth around US$2 billion. The Lagos ecosystem has the ninth highest rate of founders with an undergraduate degree at 59 per cent, while 93 per cent of them have a technical background, the third highest rate in the world. However, Lagos startups have one of the lowest rates of foreign customers, suggesting challenges exist for those 11% of companies looking to go global. Cape Town is the largest startup ecosystem on the African continent, with between 700 and 1,200 active tech startups in the city. The whole ecosystem, however, is valued at US$172 million, well below both Lagos and Johannesburg. One-third of Cape Town startup founders have gained at least two years of prior experience in a fast-growing startup, making them five per cent more experienced than the global average. The ecosystem with the highest global connectedness was Johannesburg, which also has an ecosystem value of US$1.36 billion. The city has the third highest percentage of startups globally that experienced positive corporate interest and involvement, at 67 per cent. The global average is at 51 per cent.

The chances are as entrepreneurs we have all been in the position where as ourbusinesses start to grow we have to bring new people on board to expand our teams and bring in new specialist areas of expertise. Although growth is a good thing, it brings with it a new set of challenges. As business owners, we are responsible for overseeing all aspects of the day to day operations, but there are only so many hours in the day and it’s a case of prioritizing where our time is best spent. It’s not possible to manage everything and everyone at the same time, so the trick is to quickly learn the art of delegation - not always easy when you have moved from startup solopreneur to growing business owner. Here are 5 steps to take that will help you to delegate so you can focus on the things that you do best and that make the biggest contribution to the continuing growth of the business. Firstly, take a deep breath and let go of the controls for your people management to a dedicated, trusted person in your team. Secondly, develop a really effective framework for project and people management. Thirdly, become a better communicator, ensuring that everyone is informed, engaged and onboard. Fourthly, ensure everyone in the business knows and understands who is responsible for what in terms of roles and responsibilities. Finally, breathe easier knowing that essential tasks are getting done more efficiently without you micromanaging all the time. 

Do you remember the days when businesses would typically set their long term goals at 5 and 10 year intervals? These days, the business environment is changing so fast and so dynamically that long-term goals are being measured in months, not years, in order to stay fresh, relevant and on trend. And who knows how your business might look in 5 or 10 years’ time - probably very different from the vision you have for it today. So a different approach is needed to setting your business vantage points, to keep you moving in the right direction and letting you stay agile enough to adapt along the way. It’s still okay to have a big sweeping vision of where you would like to see the business in 10 years’ time, but your long term goals are likely to be around 24 to 26 months in reality. And your immediate goals determining your day to day game plan will have a vantage point of just three months. At the end of every business quarter it means you can review your progress, reset your focus if necessary, and adapt to meet new challenges and take advantage of opportunities. So, just how close are your business vantage points?

Have you noticed how much time is spent by big corporates talking about innovation and how to disrupt existing marketplaces with new products and new ways of doing things? And how often do you see those same big companies collaborating with lean, edgy startups who have game-changing new ideas or who challenge existing ways of thinking and doing? Well, look out for a new revolution, one that is being led by social entrepreneurs who are looking to make big changes happen for society as a whole by collaborating with the world’s big corporates. Over the past few years, a new generation of impact driven social entrepreneurs have demonstrated that the innovative solutions to some of the biggest socio-economic challenges facing the world today won’t come from individual big companies or organizations. They will be found through smart collaboration, with social entrepreneurs challenging big companies to look differently at how they make a big societal impact, going beyond corporate social responsibility or philanthropy and instead creating win-win partnerships that make a difference and make good business sense. 

If you are a tennis fan, you may have been watching the amazing turn of events at Indian Wells this week as Roger Federer, the veteran of the game, claimed a record-tying fifth title at the tournament, lifting the trophy to the astonishment of players and commentators alike. This latest win continued his career resurgence following a six months break for knee surgery last year. Hereturned from that surgery to win his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. With this latest triumph, Federer became only the second man to win five Indian Wells titles, and at 35 years old, Federer is the oldest ATP player to win one of the elite Masters titles. So what’s the secret? Persistence - he has the ability keep going because he loves the game, to keep going no matter what the challenges, physical or mental, until he achieves that important end goal. A lack of persistence or “giving up too soon” is one of the most common reasons for failure in any endeavor - in sport or in business. Things will inevitably get tough, it’s part of the journey, but keeping going, persisting in the face of adversity, is what gets you to the finish line - just ask another tennis legend, Bjorn Borg. He said: “My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”

Talk to highly successful entrepreneurs about what has brought them success in business and in life and the chances are they will tell you it was less about luck and more about sheer hard work and determination. Developing a strong work ethic is key. As Thomas Jefferson once said: “I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” So if you want to develop a strong work ethic that can really reap rewards on your business journey, then there are a few things you can do to put the right foundations in place. Firstly, be present in the business - you need to be in touch with everything that is happening and lead by example; secondly be professional at all times, in the way you conduct yourself and your business; thirdly set your goals and action plans for each day, and deliver; fourthly, dedicate yourself to getting the job done right, put the hours in until it’s done; fifthly, be tenacious and keep reaching for those goals and opportunities and track your progress constantly; and finally, take personal responsibility for the actions and outcomes in the business. As Oprah Winfrey says: “The big secret in life is that there is no secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work hard.”

Many entrepreneurs set out with aspirations to build a big business or brand, one that can make its presence felt in a particular market or get the world talking. And many would also like to see things happen quickly. But look at all those companies that today have achieved that sort of status and the chances are good that it took time first and foremost, patience and a good dose of self belief. So how do you give yourself and your company the best chance of building a business that can go the distance, one that can grow and become a force to be reckoned with in the future? Firstly, grow at an organic rate, at a pace that is manageable and allows you the time to get your products and services fine tuned. Secondly, put the necessary business foundations and people in place that can grow with you. Thirdly, keep asking yourself the question, are you solving a problem by doing things differently, by offering intrinsic value? Fourthly, leverage your strengths, stay authentic and don’t try and copy what others are doing. Finally, remember that there are no hard and fast rules, you need to take your time, be patient, work hard and get the basics right - the rest will follow.

Over the past few years, there’s been an emerging trend across the African continent which has seen the rise of exciting new digitally-native, vertical brands - otherwise known as vertical commerce. It’s helping to reshape the retail landscape on the continent. Vertical commerce brands are companies that are innovative from the beginning. They are born online, created by entrepreneurs who are taking a completely different look at the way products and services are sold, and turning their existing and traditional retail models on their heads. They are creating new ways of selling everyday items to customers and making the whole consumer experience trendy and ultimately cool. They’re developing powerful digital, direct-to-consumer relationships which are not only good for the customer because it keeps prices low, but it also improves retail margins. Not only that, but these digitally-native, vertical brands are capturing the imagination and the investment of the traditional big players. A great example of this is Dollar Shave Club, a wildly successful vertical commerce brand that was acquired recently by Unilver for one billion dollars. So who will be driving Africa’s next big digitally-native, vertical brand?

An interesting debate took place this past weekend in London at the annual Women of the World Festival on the subject of how tech can address gender equality challenges. One of the key voices at the event was Senegalese techpreneur Marieme Jamme, creator of ImatheCODE, the organization on a mission to teach one million women to code by 2030. She firmly believes that the way to gender equality lies in tech, saying: “It is a global problem, not just an African problem. In fact, Africa is soon going to be leading the way. Africa is resolving its own issues...I see women in Senegal coding e-commerce sites. Our girls are making apps, we can’t keep up with them in science and literacy.” Tom Ilube, founder of the African Science Academy in Ghana for talented young women across Africa and another panelist speaking alongside Marieme Jamme had an interesting take on the challenge to empower young women on the continent, saying: “There are 250 million women under the age of 15 on the African continent. Statistically, this means there’s an estimated 10,000 young women in Africa with Einstein levels of intelligence who are not currently being given the opportunities to showcase their talent. We’re trying to find them. We want to help them on their way to the next stage.” The take-out from this discussion is that Africa has talented young women waiting to fulfill their potential, and with the right access to opportunity, education and training, they can be the next entrepreneurial tech game changers who can change the economic future of the continent.

Are you one of those solopreneurs who can literally work anywhere - a true digital nomad? Is your perfect work environment dictated by the interesting people around you, or the best free wifi connection, or perhaps by the quality of the coffee? The fact is that more and more startup entrepreneurs are working in a truly mobile environment, not stuck in an office from 9 to 5 - in fact, that very thought would probably strike a note of dread in the heart of most solopreneurs. Yet to be at our most productive, it’s important to create the right environment that inspires us, helps us to focus, and makes us feel good. And that interpretation is different for everyone. There is the home office, which has its pros and cons - on the pro side, it’s cheaper than rented office space, you have hot and cold running food on tap, and you could work in your PJs if you wanted to. The cons - it can be lonely, you can easily blur the lines between homelife and worklife, and you can end up working 24/7 without breaks. There’s the co-work space option - they can be vibrant places to work and to meet fellow entrepreneurs, but can be distracting if you are not used to working surrounded by noise and lots of people. Then, there’s the coffee shop entrepreneurial culture - free wifi, great cappuccinos on tap and lots of people to meet, but the downside of perhaps too many distractions and excuses to socialize more than working. Whatever your choice of working environment as a solopreneur, the trick is to find what works for you.

Often, big challenges need innovative solutions, and that is certainly the case with the business funding landscape for women entrepreneurs in Africa. So, it was interesting to read of a highly innovative approach to solving this challenge in Ethiopia, where the country has seen a dramatic transformation of the funding environment for women entrepreneurs in the country. Drawing on International Development Association (IDA) funding and expertise since 2012, Ethiopia has loaned over $2 million to growth-oriented women entrepreneurs per month, and supporting over 10,000 women with loans and business training to date. In tandem, several hundred women participate in the project’s cutting-edge entrepreneurship training program each month, which draws lessons from modern cognitive psychology and equips participants not only with business skills in the traditional sense, but also with the ability to ‘think like an entrepreneur.’ In addition, a partnership between the World Bank Group’s Finance & Markets Global Practice and the Gender Innovation Lab, The Women Entrepreneurship Development Project (WEDP) is introducing innovative credit technologies to lenders, such as psychometric tests which can predict the ability of a borrower to repay a loan and reduce the need for collateral. This technology allows entrepreneurs who do not have collateral, a common challenge for many women entrepreneurs in Africa, to take an interactive test on a tablet computer which predicts their likelihood to repay. If they score highly, they can borrow without traditional collateral. The current rate of repayment of loans by women entrepreneurs going through this approach stands at 99.4%. So it seems that taking an innovative approach to providing finance for Africa’s women entrepreneurs is paying off.

In a new report, the 2016 Mastercard Index of Women’s Entrepreneurship (MIWE), released by MasterCard this week, it was reported that 34.8 percent of businesses in Uganda are owned by women, making the East African nation the top performing country in Africa in terms of women entrepreneurship. Uganda also has the highest percentage (90.5%) of female entrepreneurs in the world borrowing and saving money to start a business, which is significantly higher than the 52.4 percent average of other low-to-lower-middle-income countries. The report suggests that women in Uganda are as likely as men to start a business activity, showing the cultural and social acceptance of women as entrepreneurs is a key factor in the country’s high women business ownership representation. What is most inspiring is that the average entrepreneur in the country is a millennial, between 18 and 34 years old, with at least secondary education and operating predominantly in the customer service sector. Although support for entrepreneurs in the country as a whole is poor, organizations such as UWEAL (Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Ltd) have been highly supportive to women owned businesses. The MasterCard Index of Women’s Entrepreneurship (MIWE) is aimed at helping governments and other relevant bodies better understand and identify ways of bridging the gender gap among business owners in different economies. The American financial services corporation examined 54 countries around the globe, including Botswana, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Uganda.