Be careful who you stand on when you're climbing your way to the top

When it comes to life (and business) relationships rule. Sure, what you know plays a role - but who you know and how you treat them can either bring you success or innumerable headaches.

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm not sure my success would not taste as sweet if I had a trail of dead bodies in my wake. There's ambition and then, there's ruthlessness. Make sure you know which of those you are displaying.

One of the problems is that people guard their feelings/ thoughts like the crown jewels.
If we were able to clearly express our views without either party getting easily offended perhaps there would be less unnecessary bloodshed in business. We need to develop thicker skins!

Unfortunately things go unsaid far too often. We even lie to ourselves. Maybe we're not doing it intentionally but by default. We're so busy rushing around trying to pioneer new ventures, keep cashflow healthy, meet deadlines - that there is very little time for reflection. Take the time to sit quietly, to turn down the volume of your entrepreneur brain and just take stock of where you are. Ask yourself - "Where in my life or my business am I conning myself? What am I feeling? How am I acting toward or communicating with others?"

The relationships you develop in business can be your most valuable resource. By all means, shake the boat, but do it for the right reasons. Don't just piss people off left right and centre because you don't know how to communicate clearly. 

So my question is - where do you draw the line? Is it possible to be tactful, but still communicate the truth openly and get positive results? Let me know what your thoughts are.

Vision and Success

Success starts with vision. Only when you know where you're heading can you chart a course to reach your destination.

How many of us can truly say we know exactly where we're going? Not many. And it shows. We get stuck in the unconscious incompetence phase and through ignorance (sometimes willful) we stay there. If you don't acknowledge your vulnerability, and you project a "I've got all it all together" image to the world - you are sabotaging your progress. 

Life is messy. Now matter how hard we "fake it till we make it" we are not perfect, and the sooner we get real with ourselves about where we stand, the sooner we can do something about getting from where we are to where we want to be. 

What do you want your life to look like in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months... 2 years time? 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that many entrepreneurs operate on autopilot - without thinking about where the plane is headed. We deal with the challenges of the moment...Which warning lights are flashing? Is there enough fuel? Is an engine on fire? Watch out for that mountain! I understand that you need to be aware of present challenges but if all your energy is focused on the now, without maintaining a clear sense of your final destination, you may be headed for a crash landing. 

If planning 2 years ahead scares you, start smaller. Think 12 months. What does success look like to you at the end of that time period? Imagine yourself there. What does it sound like, taste like, smell like? What emotional state are you in? Looking back, what have you achieved to get to that point?

Now go and write it down. It should look something like this (disclaimer - this just a fictional example - not my personal "destination")

It's the first of October 2014, and I am walking in the beach at Fishoek. The waves are splashing over my toes. The water is freezing. A feel free and content. I'm in Cape Town to facilitate and film the Hookup Dinners, which happen on the 1st Thursday of the month. The dinners are wildly successful and I get at least 5 qualified leads for business at each event.

So there you have! Go set some goals Tiger! 

Kiss Kansas Goodbye - The Branson Centre Advanced Course

Wow. 

I'm still trying to process what has happened over the last 3 months. In April I embarked on an adventure called "The Branson Centre Advanced Course". Having attended the Foundation course in October 2012, I thought I had an idea of what to expect. 

I started my business partly out of necessity. There was a little too much month left at the end of my money. I also had a dream, but wasn't entirely sure how to go about executing it effectively. One of the facilitators that made a huge impact on my way of thinking over the last 3 months, John Ballam, reminded us of something called "Unconscious Incompetence". At that stage of your business development journey you don't know what you don't know.

Your business doesn't operate in a vacuum. As an entrepreneur, your business is an extension of you. Your values, personality and aspirations are woven into the fabric of your company. If you want a better business, you need to work on yourself first. 

The Foundations course (which you can get more details on by viewing past posts) opened up the curtains to reveal my unconscious incompetence. The Advanced course set the curtain on fire and left nothing but a smouldering heap of ash - and a stark view of me, wide eyed and painfully, consciously aware of my incompetence.  It was a serious shock to my system.

This is not a comfortable place to be. But comfort is for children. If you want to be an entrepreneur, welcome being uncomfortable - because that's the point that motivates change. 


Here's how the cycle works:

Over my next series of posts, I'm going to attempt to explain what happened during the Advanced course from a business perspective. Slightly more difficult to explain (but for you, I'll try!) is how the last 3 months have impacted me personally. 

As a taste of what you're in for - I'd like to leave you with a quote from the Matrix's shady character, Sypher - "Buckle up Dorothy, because Kansas is going bye bye".

CTV: Refreshed and Reloaded

 In a world where first impressions count, we have one chance to make an impact.  CTV hit the proverbial refresh button this month and will soon reveal its ‘reloaded’ look-and-feel across the board – both on and offline.

We’re excited about the changes. As a vibrant, dynamic, up-to-date team widely recognized as one of South Africa’s premier providers of customised training videos, we wanted to embrace a new look for our brand that communicates this. 

CTV: producing quality, cutting-edge customized training videos for your industry

The changes have been incremental though, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Managing Director Denise Sherman, had this to say:

“Entrepreneurship is a journey of growth, both personally and professionally. Over the last year, particularly as a result of our journey with the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, we have really grown. Who we are, where we are now as a business and where we want to be is a lot clearer. We want our new brand to relect on the outside the transformation that’s already going full steam ahead on the inside.

Rebranding can be a daunting task. We’ve wanted to do it for a few months already, but one of the main mental hurdles we’ve had to get over is “Who do we approach to do the rebrand for us?”. Finding the right person to walk your rebrand road with you is more of a process than picking up a yellow pages and finding a designer. Your “brand architect” needs to have a similar flavour to that of your company. Their vision, values and approach should be in sync with yours.

We have been fortunate enough to engage exactly the right person – Paul Taliadoros from Downtown Design. Paul is one of my fellow Branson Centre Entrepreneurs, and completely sold me when he presented his business to the class. He has a fresh, slightly cheeky, “out-of-the-box” approach – which resonates with us. In short – exciting stuff ahead. Watch this space."