Go be an entrepreneur

I think the most important thing to be an entrepreneur is to get out of theory. A lot of entrepreneurs spend hours at coffee shops and in meetings talking about how they are going to change the world, how amazing things are going to be, and how wonderful they are going to be. Everything they…

Studying entrepreneurship without doing it

...is like studying the appreciation of music without listening to it. The cost of setting up a lemonade stand (or whatever metaphorical equivalent you dream up) is almost 100% internal. Until you confront the fear and discomfort of being in the world and saying, "here, I made this, here I create this, here I started…

Start Something That Matters

Blake at Toms shoes had a very simple idea. What would happen if every time someone bought a pair of shoes I gave exactly the same of pair to someone who doesn’t even own a pair of shoes. This is not the story of how you get shelf space at Egdars, it’s a story of…

All boats leak

There is always a defect, always a small leak somewhere, always a slow drip somewhere. Every plan, every organisation, every venture has a glitch, a tiny hole, a leak somewhere. The question is not, "is this perfect?" The question is, "will this get me there?" Sometimes we make the mistake of ignoring the big leaks,…

But what do people really think?

You know, behind your back... What do they think of your product or your sales pitch or your speech? What do they think of your new shirt or your new friend? Hint: You will not find out by searching for yourself on Twitter or Facebook. You will not find out by eavesdropping in the lounge,…

Urgent, please read asap

That's what gets done, of course. The urgent. Not the article you haven't gotten around to writing, the trip to the gym that will pay off in the long run, the business you have been planning to start, the planning for your upcoming birthday party, dinner with your parents (who would love to see you),…

Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs to Read this Summer

This summer, get away but stay-up-to-date and be ready to move your business forward with you when you get back. Discover the latest insights and lessons that will take you one step closer toward turning the vision of your company into reality. When most people think of summer, imagery of beaches, sunshine, braais (barbeques) typically…

Don’t Expect Applause

What this slogan means is don't expect thanks. This is important. When you open the door and invite all sentient beings as your guests, you also open the windows and the walls even start falling down, you find yourself in the universe with no protection at all. If you think that just by doing that…

Your dent

Are you making a dent in the universe? Hint: lots of random pokes in many different spots are unlikely to leave much of an impact. And hiding out is surely not going to work at all

Don’t Fix It, Change It

It’s clear that the economy has changed. What we want and expect from our best citizens has changed. Not only in what we do when we go to our jobs, but also in the doors that have been opened for people who want to make an impact on our culture. At the very same time,…