When you have a new business idea, or perhaps a new way of doing things in your existing business, how many times do you find yourself spending precious time and effort thinking about all the things that could go wrong before you actually do something about it? Do you convince yourself that you need to do more research, meet more people, get access to more specialist types of information? Are you actually afraid to start or to launch because you fear failure, or because your idea won’t be perfect at that stage? Are you in reality just becoming paralyzed to the point where you don’t actually take your idea any further than just that - an idea? If that rings a bell in your ear, then you are not alone. But the fact is that as soon as you make a conscious decision to take that idea and run with it, your mind switches into action mode. No longer do you overthink things, you simply do! As US marketing guru, Guy Kawasaki says: “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” So, what are you waiting for? Take that idea and make it a reality.

Have you noticed how smiling is contagious? It’s a natural phenomenon, if you smile at someone it’s almost impossible for them not to smile back, and it changes the atmosphere immediately. Try speaking to a room full of people and starting with a smile - the room smiles back at you - and it’s a wonderful life affirming feeling for everyone. But have you thought about how powerful a tool it is in business? As entrepreneurs we interact with people every day, from customers and employees, to suppliers and service providers, and everyone in between. It is so important that those touch points are positive and leave the right impression. So it’s interesting to learn that scientific studies (check out the Penn State University study on smiling) have proved that smiling makes people come across as more likeable, approachable, well mannered and even more competent. Importantly it also gives people another reason to want to potentially do business with you. Need a reason to smile? Then look no further than this famous quote by Marilyn Monroe who said: “Keep smiling because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”

Can you believe it? We are now at the start of May, and the year is almost half over already - where does the time go and why so fast? It makes it the perfect time to pause, take a step back, review where we are in our businesses and our lives in relation to where we hoped to be by now, and take action accordingly. It might be that we need to revise our strategy if original goals are not being achieved; or perhaps take a more aggressive approach to our sales and marketing plans if those precious revenue streams are not coming in fast enough; or maybe hire more staff if workloads are proving to be too much to deal with for our existing teams. It might also be that as entrepreneurs, we simply need to focus more and squeeze every bit of productivity out of each day, making the most of every opportunity that presents itself. So it might be a case of looking at the rest of the year and reminding ourselves that there is still more than half a year left to achieve our goals - it’s all about how we use that time. As Yale Professor Charles Richards said: “Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.”

You love what you do as an entrepreneur; you love what you are creating; it excites you every day and gets you talking about your business with passion. That’s natural, it’s your baby and you are watching it grow and thrive. But human nature says that not everyone is going to share your passion in equal quantities, and there may also be detractors along the way, critics who just want to say something negative about your approach, your business model, or your products. It’s important to develop a filter that let’s constructive criticism in for the purposes of learning and growing, and let’s the just plain spiteful criticism out. Remember, it’s worth remembering that often such criticism is not always personal, it’s just someone else venting their frustrations in your direction. So acknowledge that you can’t always please everyone, and not everyone will love what you do all the time. Take criticism on the chin, learn from it and move on. 

It’s great to have ambition, and lots of it as entrepreneurs, but perhaps more important than ambition is knowing your why! What do I mean by that? Well, it’s that big vision or goal that set you off on your entrepreneurial venture in the first place. It’s the ‘big picture’ that motivates you to work harder and encourages you to devote all your energies to making it a reality instead of just a dream. It’s important to remember that in this increasingly consumer conscious society, people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it, and therefore being able to communicate your why is essential. There is a desire and a need on the part of consumers to connect on a deeper level with the entrepreneurs who are creating the products and services - to know their stories, to understand their whys. In the words of Mark Twain: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you know why.” So, this morning, take some time out to think about your own why, and use it as your means of keeping focused on the end goal.

Think about it - how many times a day do you check your phone, to see how many notifications are demanding your attention, how many social media likes or invites you have just waiting for a response, or how many messages are screaming at you to answer them? Chances are that you would be absolutely shocked if you actually counted the number of times your concentration, your tasks, and your life are interrupted by this deluge of information and 24/7 connectivity. The point is we are obsessed by our social media channels, our permanently connected lives, and we are scared of missing something critical if we decide to disconnect, for however short a period of time. As business owners, we know how powerful this connected marketplace is for our messages, brand positioning, products and services. But the challenge is to breakthrough the noise and connect with our customers and audiences by engaging with them on things that are important and of interest, instead of bombarding them endlessly and randomly. Consumer attention spans are getting shorter, but their time connected to their smartphones and other devices is getting longer. The trick for entrepreneurs is to engage in more meaningful, impactful and targetted engagement, actually connecting on a human level, and making consumers feel valued as they welcome you into their social media space.

Reading an interview with Sheryl Sandberg today, talking about how life experience has taught her many things on her entrepreneurial journey, one of which is “Done is better than perfect,” I was reminded again about just how right she is on this point. It’s all too easy to have lots of great ideas for new businesses, new products, new ways of doing things - but they remain just that - ideas, until they are put into action. It’s far better to stop focusing on making things absolutely perfect, and instead getting them out into the market. For many customers, they want their products and services now, not in six months’ or a year’s time once they have been perfected, and they will often be far more forgiving than you think. By focusing too much on this search for perfection, business opportunities will potentially be lost as competitors beat you to the post; customers may look elsewhere for their products and services; and your brand will not be viewed as an innovator. So, if you are currently sitting on that great new idea but hesitating because you don’t think it’s perfect to launch to the market, just take a step back and remember Sheryl Sandberg’s words and just get it done.

With any new startup business, one of the key challenges facing the founder(s) is that of getting customers. After all, you can create the most wonderful products and offer a great range of services, but at the end of the day, if you don’t have customers they remain the best kept secrets. The best way to really prepare your business to attract customers to your offerings is to start building your audience from day 1 when you officially turn your idea into reality. If you have done your research properly, you will have a pretty good idea of exactly who those potential customers are and what your audience looks like, what it wants, what appeals to it in terms of function, form and aesthetics. So the trick is to start connecting with your potential customers each day as part of your startup approach to building your business. How do you do this? It starts with having a conversation - try writing a daily blog which will interest your customers; or maybe create a vlog or a podcast where you can share your creative ideas and insights with them; or perhaps organize some networking events where you can potentially get to know them better. Taking this proactive audience-first approach means that by the time you are ready to launch your business, products and services in earnest, you will already have an engaged audience to convert into a buying customer base. 

I read a great article this weekend on Elon Musk, the South African born now US based, mega successful serial entrepreneur behind such groundbreaking business ventures as SpaceX and Tesla Motors. The writer Michael Simmons in his article ‘How Elon Musk Learns Faster And Better Than Everyone Else' was trying to analyze the secret to his success. Some suggest that it’s down to his incredible work ethic (he is reported to regularly work 85 hour weeks), or his sheer resilience in business, or perhaps his unique visionary ability to imagine and realize innovative new ways of doing things in the future. Yet what is really interesting and what sets him apart from others is that he appears to break all the rules of success in business with his approach to building expertise in lots of highly disparate fields of expertise. Instead of focusing on just one idea, he has the ability to simultaneously explore and venture into several business and industry sectors, all to a large degree successfully. Not everyone is hardwired in such a unique way, but what we can learn from Elon Musk’s example is his sheer work ethic, and his openness to constantly learning new things and applying them to the business. Maybe in that way, we can all take on board a little of his entrepreneurial superpower.

Flicking through a copy of the book, The Art of Work by author Jeff Goins, the premise of which is that we have to take ownership of our own success, I was struck by the thought that for many entrepreneurs, this remains a challenge. Often it seems like other people just seem to get lucky in business and in life, often with far less innovative ideas or product/service offerings. But as he argues, we have more control over our success than we think, and the people who succeed — in life and business — are those who understand how the system works, what the hidden rules are, and how to win. Research suggests there are some predictable patterns to how individuals go to the next level and it starts with something simple - taking ourselves really seriously so that others will. If we want to achieve success we have to boost our self confidence, believe in ourselves, believe in the businesses we are building and the products and services we are creating. We have to recognize that we can’t wait for the perfect opportunity to come along, we have to make it happen ourselves and take action. As Jeff Goins says in his book: “It’s not the smartest people who necessarily succeed. It’s the people who use what they have — how much or little — to create the biggest impact.” 

Entrepreneurs tend to have a different way of seeing the world - with an opportunistic lens. For example, where your average consumer might complain about the lack of a particular product or service that they need in their country or city, or something that needs dramatically improving, an entrepreneur would see those needs as potential businesses in the making. Just look at someone like Richard Branson whose entrepreneurial ventures into the world of aviation, banking, exercise and leisure, were all stimulated by his seizing on an opportunity to do things differently, better and more creatively. Similarly, social entrepreneurs are driven by a need to find solutions to key social and environmental challenges through viable business models that allow them to make money and make a difference, once again turning those challenges into real opportunities. As Richard Branson says, “By turning challenges into opportunities you will find success you never realized you were capable of achieving.” Something to think about!

Entrepreneurs tend to have a different way of seeing the world - with an opportunistic lens. For example, where your average consumer might complain about the lack of a particular product or service that they need in their country or city, or something that needs dramatically improving, an entrepreneur would see those needs as potential businesses in the making. Just look at someone like Richard Branson whose entrepreneurial ventures into the world of aviation, banking, exercise and leisure, were all stimulated by his seizing on an opportunity to do things differently, better and more creatively. Similarly, social entrepreneurs are driven by a need to find solutions to key social and environmental challenges through viable business models that allow them to make money and make a difference, once again turning those challenges into real opportunities. As Richard Branson says, “By turning challenges into opportunities you will find success you never realized you were capable of achieving.” Something to think about!

Switch on your tv news, read a newspaper or check out the latest business news online, and much of the talk is about the impact, good and bad, of various global economic and political events. As one marketplace goes up, another comes down, constantly shifting opportunities and risks for the entrepreneur to think about. As a result, it makes sense to spread the risk and diversify our marketing and sales strategies to proactively counter the market movements that we have no control over. It’s the perfect time to revisit existing business strategies, to look critically at where our current active markets are and what the future conditions look like for business. Spread the risk by looking at new markets, perhaps doing some market testing for your products and services, attending one or two events in a new country to really get a feel for the opportunities that might exist there for your business. It’s all about diversification, ensuring that, as the saying goes, not all our eggs are in one basket. 

As entrepreneurs, how many times a day do we wish we could stretch the number of hours we have at our disposal to get things done, both in our business and our personal lives? Probably more than we think, as it’s a continual challenge. Yet, it doesn’t have to be like that, all it takes is a change of mindset. The trick is to know how to value our personal time, how to categorize low and high value tasks, and then how to delegate all those low value tasks to other people, freeing us to focus on what really matters. Sounds simple doesn’t it? So why is it that so many entrepreneurs still battle this concept when it comes to putting it into practice. The thing to remember is that all the time we are spending focusing on the low value tasks is sapping our creative energy and not actually contributing to building our businesses or enhancing our lives. It’s all about optimizing our time, making sure that the hours given to the business are high value hours, with maximum outputs. Success comes from knowing when and how to delegate to others, ensuring that efforts to realize the big vision for the business are what we personally need to focus our quality and precious time on.

We’ve all been there! Those moments when we know we have to get a particular job done, but we find every reason and excuse to put it off, doing anything else rather than actually getting started. But for entrepreneurs, procrastination can suck the life out of you and your business if you let it become a habit. When you are building a business it’s hard and there will be lots of tedious, routine tasks that will need to be done, particularly early on in the startup years. So instead of dreading them and putting them off until the very last minute and deadline, take a different, more proactive approach. It’s all a matter of getting your mind and habits trained to get things done today instead of thinking that tomorrow will be acceptable. Make a list each morning of all the tasks you have to complete that day that are non-negotiable, and then allocate a specific time slot in your day to focus solely on getting that task done. Build in review time during the day to look at each task remaining and keep yourself on track. Ensure you allocate specific time slots in your daily routine to eat healthily, get some exercise and clear your mind - it all helps to get your body and mind in the best shape mentally and physically to get things done. And at the end of the day, when you look at how much you have achieved, your business will thank you for your new approach to removing procrastination from your life and getting more focused on productivity.

 The annual Cartier Awards, the initiative to recognize and support women entrepreneurs leading creative, for-profit companies that are socially impactful, took place last evening in Singapore. The winner for sub-Saharan Africa was Salma Abdulai of Ghana, founder of Unique Quality Product, a company that processes and markets fonio, a nutritious and climate resistant indigenous cereal. Congratulations go to her and the other two finalists from Sub-Saharan Africa: Kathy Ku, founder of Spouts of Water in Uganda, and Nneka Mobisson, founder of Mdoc Healthcare in Nigeria. Over the past decade, the Cartier Awards has become synonymous with supporting creative excellence from around the world, as more than 160 entrepreneurs from 45 countries have experienced first-hand. This year’s event attracted nearly 1900 applicants from over 120 countries, with 18 finalists selected, all of whom distinguished themselves by the impact they are making in ensuring food security for the future; leveraging technology to connect communities and empower individuals; enhancing the healthcare and social care systems; optimizing the use of resources towards sustainability. This international competition continues to contribute to the global economy by seeking out audacious female entrepreneurs who are finding effective and affordable solutions to key challenges for future generations. 

If you are one of those people who constantly battle the challenge of not having enough hours in the day and keep extending the number of hours you are working just to keep up, then it’s time for a rethink! Research suggests that the key to getting more done isn’t simply a case of working longer hours, but instead working smarter with the time you have. Remember Parkinson’s Law, the theory that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Think about it, if you have a deadline, you’ll almost always meet it,  because Parkinson’s Law forces you to bring more energy, motivation and focus to your work within a set period of time. Whereas if you don’t have a deadline, the same task will take much longer and you will constantly be distracted by other things. So, the trick to productivity is to limit not extend your working day, meaning it forces you to focus on completing tasks within a very specific period of time. Also, numerous research studies support the fact that people working longer hours each day and week don’t actually produce a greater number of outputs in the long term as fatigue sets in and productivity drops anyway. The bottom line is focus on working smarter and on the most important things, and within a set timeframe each day. You will achieve more, hit deadlines more often, and feel more refreshed each day. 

April is a month for getting things done and moving forward in our businesses, and that means making sure we are getting our brands, products and services out there where customers can see and connect with them. It means networking with potential customers, business partners and influencers who can help us on our entrepreneurial journeys. And, it also means continually improving the way we do business and run our companies, making sure we are ready to take them to the next level. Lionesses of Africa is there to help you on your way - so here are three things you can do today to help move your business forward this month:

Firstly, share your startup story on Lionesses of Africa and get your brand and business out there - we have over 300,000 women entrepreneurs in our network in 49 African countries and in the Diaspora - that is a lot of eyes potentially reading your story. It’s simple to do, just click http://www.lionessesofafrica.com/startup-story-submission and fill in your detailed responses to each question. Send us some great images and we do the rest.

Secondly, attend one of our Lioness Lean In Breakfast Events - they take place each month in different locations across the African continent - they are free to women entrepreneurs and are a great way to network. Keep an eye out on our events page for more details http://www.lionessesofafrica.com/lioness-lean-in-breakfast-events/

Thirdly, if you are a Johannesburg based, woman owned business, then apply to attend our Lionesses of Africa Accelerator 12 Week Programme Cohort 2 - its fully funded but places are limited to 30 selected women entrepreneurs who are chosen through an independent adjudication process. Click http://www.lionessesofafrica.com/accelerator/ to apply. 

Let’s get moving our businesses forward this morning!

Have you noticed just how much longer it seems to take us to travel from our homes to our workplaces each day, or to client meetings and back? The roads are getting busier, trains and buses more jam packed with people, and city centre apartment and house rentals are increasing meaning we are more likely to live further away than ever from the places we work. So if longer commute times are now an everyday reality, then why not look for the positive and use that time travelling in a moreconstructive way. Here are some ideas to help you to make the most of this travel time in your daily schedule. Firstly, put your earbuds in and listen to an interesting podcast show on a topic that will help your business. Secondly, if relaxation is more your commuting cup of tea, then why not listen to an audiobook from your favourite author. Thirdly, make action lists and to-do notes for yourself using your smartphone on hands-free mode of course, and dictating your audio notes as your travel ready for action when you land at your destination. Fourthly, if you travel a lot for business, then why not learn a new language through your earbuds - download a great audio language course and put your travel time to good use. There’s no excuse now to let your daily commute get you down. Your time is precious so don’t waste a moment of it, plus your journey to work will become a whole lot more enjoyable.

How often do you hear your fellow women entrepreneurs talk about how difficult it is finding time to network as they try and balance their pressurized working lives with their personal and family commitments? But the truth is that networking is key to business success - you have to get out there and meet people, introduce your business, talk about your specialist products and services with potential clients, strategic partners and connectors. However, today it’s never been easier to find different ways of networking and it doesn’t always mean travelling to someone’s office or going to a formal networking event. Now it’s all about making networking work for you and your business lifestyle. So here are some suggestions on how to build networking into your daily morning routine without really thinking. If you are a morning exercise person, why not arrange an early jogging or walking session with a fellow entrepreneur, mentor or business partner - you can network as you exercise. If enjoying a cappuccino or espresso is part of your morning must-do routine, then share one with a client or a future customer prospect in a local cafe. Back at your laptop and ready to start your working day, why not do some early morning networking on LinkedIn - make it a target to open up 10 new contacts each day and start those conversations going. During your mid morning tea break, arrange a FaceTime or Skype call with someone in your network. Take this approach to networking and before you know it, by lunchtime you will have networked with 13 people, without actually going to any formal type of networking event. It’s all about how you look at networking - make it work for you and your lifestyle.