Questions for a new entrepreneur: Alignment

Is your client portfolio aligned to the size of your business? Do you look after your small clients like you do big clients? Small businesses always aspire to get one or two big clients. Getting big clients means we get more revenue. There is nothing wrong with aiming high. Startup entrepreneurs always aspire to get…

4th Year Anniversary of Blogging

Today marks the 4th year anniversary of me vandalizing my blog wall thoughts with so-called ideas. In 4 years I have blogged 1465 blog thoughts, which basically translates into one blog post a day for the past 4 years. It was author Seth Godin that motivated me to begin this journey.  He said: “Don’t wait…

Questions for a new entrepreneur: Cash Flow

A few things came up over coffee the other day. His idea is good, his funding is solid, there are many choices. Some of the questions that don't usually get asked: Are you aware of your cash flow? Often entrepreneurs are obsessed with getting that million rands deal. On the outset there is nothing with…

Familiarity breeds contempt

When you drive after getting your license, you push your seat closer to the steering wheel, you hold the steering wheel with both hands, you make a complete stop at the stop sign, you use your indicators when you turn, you drive cautiously, and you keep a safe following distance. When you bake a cake…

You are not your job

By the time you were probably in your standard three [grade five], you were asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In our society, job titles have come to define who a person is. By defining yourself by what you do rather than by who are you can put…

Speak before the decision

.... not complain afterwards. This plane is headed to Cape Town. If Cape Town is not your destination, this would be a great time to deplane. Often we sit in meetings, in relationships, silently not raising or registering about views about certain issues, and then the situation goes bad, we then have the guts to…

The voice in your head…

That voice in your head is describing what you are about to do after a different part of your brain has already initiated that action. Your body decides, the voice in your brain narrates. Be careful how you talk to yourself because you are listening.

How They Blew It: Mixing business and politics

Building your business on tenders because you have good relationships with politicians is a dangerous cocktail. Politicians comes and goes, you may be able to build your empire for 5 years when your favorite politician is in power, but you risk losing everything when that politician loses power to his rival. When political climate changes,…