Entrepreneurship is about growth. This article explores how we use our anxiety to direct us to a place of growth.
Buyer Persona
What is a buyer persona? A buyer persona is a fictional person that represents an ideal customer. It is a model that best describes your typical customer. The importance of creating a persona is to help you get a clearer idea of the individual that you aim to market to. In order for your marketing message to be successful, you …
Cash flow management
What is cash flow? Cash flow talks about the movement of money through your account. It refers to the actual cash that you have on hand. It does not include the money that has not yet been paid. Cash flow can fall into three categories: Operating Cash Flow. This is known as working capital. It is the money spent on …
Anti-Corruption in Enterprise and Supplier Development programmes.
Anti-Corruption – does a small business really need it? When most people think about Anti-Corruption they picture auditors, lawyers and risk managers walking around with thick files and a red pen. Is there not enough risk in just surviving the South African business landscape. Does a small business really need Anti-Corruption? Many assume that anti-corruption practices only apply to large …
Client Relationship Management
A business will be more successful if it can manage the relationships it has with its clients. Client relationship management is an effective way to maintain and create relationships with your clients. It is about creating a bond with your customer in order to your business to new levels. Why is Client Relationship Management important? Creating a bond and forming …
Master your elevator pitch
First of all, what is an elevator pitch? This is a summary of your company. The name is derived from the time taken to ride an elevator. What would you say to someone if you were traveling in an elevator with them and they asked you about your business? Your pitch is a speech about who you are and what …
Fail fast and fail forward for success
Entrepreneurs seem to carry a deep shame associated with failure. The only way a company can truly innovate is by facing the possibility of failure. The most valuable lesson that can be learnt from failure, is to get up and try again. People that are terrified of failure, don’t try new things. They don’t innovate, they don’t move forward, and …
The mastery of time management
Time management is deemed a soft skill. A soft skill is a personal attribute needed for success on the job or within business. Time management is a key skill that any entrepreneur or business owner needs to master. It is the key to juggling the many crucial tasks that come your way on a daily basis. Doing a lot, but …
How to stay motivated
The road is long When you are just starting out on your entrepreneurial journey it can be really tough to find the motivation to set goals and stick to them. Staying motivated is easier said than done. Start with why you wanted to become an entrepreneur in the first place. Remind yourself of this daily. Put it on a sticky …
What’s the buzz over Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) was launched in 2014. Following this, Google released Google Website Builder in 2017. It almost seemed that this was all hush hush and seems to be found only by chance when stumbling across it. However, Google My Business is a free and easy to use tool for all business owners and organisations. GMB helps to manage your …
Are women capable entrepreneurs?
Statistics released by the MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs revealed that just 18,8% of small business owners in South Africa are women. All entrepreneurs face obstacles and barriers when starting out, for women however there are some additional barriers. Many of these barriers are external barriers, like access to funding. Some barriers however are self-inflicted. Female entrepreneurs often downplay their …
How to plan effectively for the year ahead
As a small business owner, it is key to plan effectively for the year ahead. Planning will ensure the that you retain control of your business. It will take time to put an effective plan in place, but it is time well spent. A good plan will change the way you allocate resources and ensure that your stakeholders are kept …
How to be productive in December
As the year draws to an end, it becomes more and more difficult to stay focused and be productive. Here are some tips on being productive for the last push of 2018. Use time blocks It takes seven minutes to get back on track after just one minute of distraction. Prioritise your time according to activities scheduled throughout the day. …
Featured Entrepreneur: Claire Reid
This week we are talking to Claire Reid from Reel Gardening. Reel Gardening is a bio-degradable seed tape planted straight into the ground. The innovative tape takes the guess work and confusion out of starting a vegetable garden. The tape contains high-quality non-chemically treated seed. This simple solution takes all the hassle, worry and fuss out gardening. Who is Claire Reid? …
How to create an epic blog
As is well documented, in order to increase organic traffic to your website, you need to produce great, nay epic content. This is content that’ll knock your readers socks off. And there’s actually a really easy way to do so. First of all, what is epic content? There is general consensus regarding what epic content is: Epic content demands attention. …