Before you explode, check your default settings

People are going to do things that piss you off. 

Friends, family, suppliers and clients have their own agenda and despite your best efforts to control the world around you things are going to happen that make your blood pressure rise. While you have virtually zero control of what happens to you, you do have the power to choose your response.

I'm a sensible, analytical person and in theory I've known for a long time that I have the power to choose my reaction to a situation. The problem is that this knowledge was purely academic. It really clicked into place in my overstressed brain when I took some time over December 2013 to step back from my frantic rat race lifestyle to recharge.

Sitting in a hammock, sipping coffee I read Austrian Psychologist and Neuroscientist Viktor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning". Frankl's main message in the book is that between stimulus (what happens to us) and response (how we choose to react) we have the power to choose. What gives his message weight? He is a survivor of the Holocaust who spent a large chunk of his life in Nazi death camps. If this man could do it, despite his circumstances - what is our excuse?

Doing things the way we've always done them is easy. Effortless. Just slip into that groove that you've carved out by repeating the same behaviour over and over. Breaking old habits and doing the things you know you should be doing to move forward is not easy. Sometimes we don't even understand our true drivers or motivators. Why do we do what we do? Romans 7:15 sums this dilemma up well:

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."

Slipping into old patterns is easy. Getting out of them...hmmm...not so much.

The first step on the road to change is being realistic about where you are right now, and how you got there - be it your personal or professional life. Don't get stuck in excessive introspection though. The "looking in" part is only effective its coupled with "looking out". What circumstances do you find yourself in, and how can you make an impact for the benefit of others in those circumstances?

Essentially its about relationships. About making a difference where you are. About being the best you that you can be. Be brutally honest with yourself about what needs to change in your mindset today and start consciously exercising your power to choose.

Go and make a difference this week!

Take that red bull by the horns in 2014!

We've hit the first official South African working week with a bang. Well in my case it was the shrieking of my phone alarm. Getting up at 6am is a shock to the system when you're been chilling under the covers till 8am for 3 weeks solid. 

Now before you "hard working", "seize the day", "early bird catches the worm" types judge me for being a lazy bum - hear me out. When you run your own business, taking time off from it is essential to its sustainability. 

I've been running my business for while and my mindset has definitely shifted since the early days. In the past, when I heard the words "I can't take time off, my business needs me." I used to think"Wow. That's dedication and discipline. 
Now I think, "Damn. That's a surefire recipe for burnout." How do I know? Because I've pushed myself to the brink of burnout (and beyond) too many times. 

I'm not saying don't be passionate. I'm also not saying you shouldn't push the boundaries and challenge yourself. I'm saying make sure that you are replenishing what you are giving out. You can only expend a certain amount of energy before you run out completely and come to a grinding halt. 

I recently started reading Steven Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". Not as a cry for help/ my life is a mess new years resolution though. If you take a look at the crowd size in gyms (which will steadily start thinning out between now and March) you'll quickly deduce - making a glib new years resolution is bullshit. It doesn't last. You need to really "count the cost before you build the tower." There's a big difference between making a resolution and setting a goal. If you haven't read 7 Habits yet I suggest you get a copy. It's a gem. I've started putting the concepts into practice and they've already yielded some very satisfying results in my personal life and my business. Here's a link to the book summary

One of the concepts that is helping me get a bit more balance as an entrepreneur is breaking my life up into all the different roles I have personally (Believer, Individual, Wife, Mother, Friend, Writer etc) and professionally (Strategy Manager, Sales Manager, Social Media Manager, Editor etc). After identifying the roles, step 2 is setting goals for each role (long, medium and short term) and planning your week according to those goals.

If you read any management books, attended seminars or trawled the internet you'll have come across the concept of "SMART" goal setting.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound

Don't push yourself to burnout this year. Set goals. Find the balance. Work hard. Work smart. Keep focus on what is important across your personal life and your business. Chug back the occasional Redbull if you need to, but make sure you're generating most of your energy from getting enough rest, relaxation and a balanced diet.

Now go out there and rock your week!

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."

A better business starts with a better you

The Branson Centre regularly blows my mind. Whether its the people in my class, the passionate staff or the knowledgeable course facilitators - every interaction I've had has filled my brain almost to bursting point. If you like being comfortable, living a safe and predictable life - stay away from the Branson Centre.

I started with the Centre in October 2012, and its been an adventure so far. I've met people that inspire and challenge me on a daily basis. It's not comfortable at all. But that's fine by me. Comfortable does not yield results. Comfortable does not shake the planet. Comfortable does not bring about change and challenge.

I've had challenge in bucket loads since starting the Foundations of Entrepreneurship course. So much challenge that sometimes I wish I could press the pause button while my body catches up to where my brain is. One of the things that I so appreciate about being in this environment is the infectious positive attitude of my fellow Entrepreneurs. It's a hard road when you're running your own business, but its also very satisfying. Interacting with people who are taking risks, following their dreams and persisting despite problems inspires me.

So where am I in my journey at the moment? I'm in the third week of a 12 week advanced course. I've been manically busy since completing the foundations course, and my business has gone through a radical transformation. Our turnover has increased dramatically, and we've gone from a team of 2 to a team of 5 (and possibly employing our 6th person by the end month). I've made some great connections, gained clients and entered into joint ventures with some of my fellow tenacious and driven Branson Centre Entrepreneurs. My favorite venture that we're involved with at the moment is The Hookup Dinner (see https://www.facebook.com/TheHookupDinner ) If you're in Johannesburg, South Africa you should definitely check it out.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the connections I make, and the knowledge I gain during the Advanced Course will affect my life and my business.

So there you have it, the scene is set - let's jump straight in to what's happened so far

Session: 1 Personal Effectiveness, Thursday Class
Presenter: Deshun Deysel

I couldn't help but be inspired by this session. Deshun is a prime example of what can be achieved when you set goals and exercise persistence. In her case the exercise part is quite literal. Deshun is an avid mountaineer, most notably - the first black South African woman to climb the mighty Everest. Running a business is (or should be) about more than making money. Primarily it's about living your passion and achieving the goals you've set. Ou have to really know what you want and what it's going to cost or take to get what you want.

Some of the things that stood out from Deshun's presentation for me:

Personal growth is the catalyst for business growth. If you want a sustainable business that makes an impact, you have to start with you. A better you results in a better business.

You need to be deliberate about your development. Start by assessing where you are, and determine where you want to be. Then track your progress. Monitor your growth and development an a monthly basis.

You need competence in the boring stuff (accounting, legal compliance etc.) - challenge yourself!
Your business may be started on you your passion but you need to fill in the gaps

Deshun's session was focused on personal development, using a model she's developed called the Peak Performance Toolkit. It details 5 areas of effectiveness for personal success

1. Aspiration - vision, mission, values, purpose, (clear direction) live in your flow
2. Self mastery - locus of control/ area of control, resilience, accountability, motivation
3. Competence - talent, skills, knowledge and experience
4. Environment - policies and procedures, culture, systems, diversity (its up to you create the environment in your company. How does your presence add to or draw from it?
5. Opportunity - Luck, (opportunist is not negative, recognizing and taking advantage of opportunity), preparation, success and failure.

We're all developing in each of these areas. Some areas are more developed than others.To be truly effective, there needs to be a balance.

During the session we completed an assessment, and charted where we were in each of the areas. That part was relatively easy. Gauging we were. What I (and many people in my class) struggled with was setting goals in each of those areas in the short term (0-5 years), medium term (6 - 15 years) and long term (15 years plus).

We'll be doing the same assessment again in the second and third months of the course, and tracking our progress. My two big areas that I'd like to make progress in are Aspiration and Competence.

Watch this space!

I'm in! Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship Advanced Course - April 2013

I officially got may acceptance email today for 

the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship Advanced course! 

I'm excited about how things are going to change with each new session I'll be exposed to. I've already seen a remarkable change in our business since doing the Foundations of Entrepreneurship course. Our monthly revenue has more than doubled since October 2012, and our third staff member started today. It feels a bit like we're moving at warp speed! 

I'm predicting that sleep is going to be even more scarce, but as a mom to 3 toddlers I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation... so BRING IT ON!

Here's an excerpt from the email to give you an idea of what I'm in for over the next 12 weeks:

The Advanced Course is run over 12 weeks, 1½ days a week.  The full day (08h30 to 17h00) is on a Thursday and the half-day (08h30 to 13h00) is on a Saturday.

The course is designed around the concept of entrepreneurship as value creation, and each of the 11 topics falls into one of four value 'tiers' - (1) Creating Value - topics 1 to 3, (2) Communicating Value - topics 4 to 6, (3) Delivering Value - topics 7 to 9, and (4) The Value Creator: the Entrepreneur - topics 10 & 11.  Outside experts will be brought in to facilitate the course, and the topics are as follows:

1. Developing a Strategy
2. Innovation
3. Finance
4. Marketing
5. Sales and Customer Relations
6. Communication
7. Human Resource Management
8. Operations Management
9. Governance and Ethics
10. Leadership
11. Habits of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs

During the final session, Session 12, the entrepreneurs will deliver a 15 minute presentation on their businesses.  From these presentations, entrepreneurs will be selected to present in front a group of Virgin MDs, potential investors and other industry experts at a 'Screw It Let's Do It' Day.

The course starts on the 18th of April, and will be blogging about my experiences as I go. Every now and then I'll feature a few short video interviews with course facilitators, and pearls of wisdom from my fellow classmates.

So buckle up and join me for the ride as I blog about this crazy, tiring, eventful and rewarding journey called entrepreneurship.

P.S: If you live in Gauteng and are interested in applying to the Branson Centre follow this link http://www.bransoncentre.org/SouthAfrica/applications.html 

After completing your application, you may be called in for a series of interviews. If you get accepted as a Branson Centre Entrepreneur - its a 2 year partnership, consisting of training, mentoring, access to facilities, networking opportunities - all funded by Virgin Unite and Enterprise Development contributions from Corporate South Africa. As an entrepreneur the only cost to you is your time! What are you waiting for?

Branson Centre Foundations - Writing a Business Plan

Branson Centre Foundations of Entrepreneurship - Session 6, Part 2:
Writing a Business Plan

TO VIEW SESSION 1 CLICK HERE

TO VIEW SESSION 2 CLICK HERE

TO VIEW SESSION 3 CLICK HERE

TO VIEW SESSION 4 CLICK HERETO VIEW SESSION 5 CLICK HERE

So this is it. The moment we've been working up to over the last five and a half lessons.
*cue dramatic, suspenseful drum roll*

The BUSINESS PLAN!

*boom, crash, thunder, gasp, wide eyes all around*

Those of us who have been paying attention in class (ok... the compliance session doesn't count!) and doing the homework are ready. I feel a little like I'm about to skydive for the first time. I've gone through the training and the parachute is strapped to my back... And I'm clinging onto the plane, white knuckles and all. I can do this!

Starting and running a business without planning properly is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. If you do survive - it will probably be very painful, and take a long time to fully recover.

A business plan is not just a stack of paper with copy and paste information on it, that will gather dust in some forgotten filing cabinet. It's a working document, and it should change as your business changes. It's also an essential planning tool that forces you to think through your all aspects of your business so that you are fully aware of and able to mitigate the risks.

In South Africa, many small businesses are born out of necessity. With the rate of unemployment and the need to put food on the table, most small business owners are focused on the short term, day-to-day needs. The problem with this approach is that it's not sustainable. If you want your business to survive, you need to be able to think and see beyond your immediate needs. We will always have needs. However, if we fail to plan we will be stuck in a reactive cycle, where our circumstances dictate our life choices. Rather stand back and take stock. Think about where you want your business to be. See it. Plan for it. Aim for it, and then do it.

Now, after that lengthy intro - let me get into the meat of the last session of the Branson Centre Foundations Course:

• First off, keep it simple, formal and professional. Don't include irrelevant information. Nobody is interested in the fact that you won a spelling bee in grade 2. A long business plan does not necessarily mean a good business plan.
• Use spell check! Proof read your plan. Get your grammar nazi friend to proof read your plan. Nothing says "careless" like a business plan with spelling or grammatical errors.
• Make your plan stand out. Don't misunderstand me here. It's possible to go over the top. Remember that the focus is on the written content, and make sure any graphic elements are relevant to your business. For heavens sake, don't use screen bean clipart or the Comic Sans font.
• If you have used reference material as part of your research, by all means, include it - but make sure that you credit the source properly.

A business plan should have the following components:

• Cover page
• An Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• Business Description
• The Market
• Development and Production
• Sales and Marketing
• Management
• Financials

If you're looking fo a template to get you started - check out www.southafrica.smetoolkit.org 

Branson Centre Foundations of Entrepreneurship - Session 6

Branson Centre Session 6 - Part 1: Compliance is EXCITING! (...right?)

To view Session 1 click here

To view Session 2 click here

To view Session 3 click here

To view Session 4 click here
To view Session 5 click here

I thought I would fall asleep in the accounting session, but I didn't. I thought I would fall asleep in the session on business compliance... and I nearly did. Not because the Branson Centre Foundations course manual makes it seem boring. Unfortunately business, like life, is not always fun. There's some serious slog work involved, like having to deal with topics that could cure even the most extreme case of insomnia.

Welcome to the real world of being an entrepreneur in South Africa. If you want to build a business that can not only survive, but thrive in a tough economy - you need to have all your ducks in a row. Claiming ignorance is not going to cut it. This is not high school where you can get away with anything by giving a teacher the "puppy dog eyes" look. 

Not complying can have a number of negative consequences - some more scary than others. You might be able to hide away from someone coming to check your TV licence - but SARS has eyes everywhere. If your company is not compliant, you could face some very serious legal and financial consequences. You could lose your business because of willful ignorance. I know for most of us, the word "legislation" may as well be an expletive, but you can't get away from it. Face it head on. Find out what you need to do to be compliant, and get it over and done with. Rip that bandaid off. Its painful for a moment, but you'll be glad you did it later. 

Are you ready? Make sure you have match-sticks handy so you can keep your eyelids open during the next paragraph.

Different forms of business have different compliance requirements when it comes to things like:
- The CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission)
- Accounting records and financial statements
- Audits
- Solvency and Liquidity
- Directors and prescribed officers

You'll also need to investigate what your compliance requirements are in terms of:

Company Tax
VAT
PAYE
UIF
SDL
COID

and WTF. For those of you who aren't familiar with WTF, your social media strategy needs some attention. If clients are using this term when it comes to your product or service, you have some pressing customer service issues to deal with.

If you're really battling to sleep, you may want to read through the following Acts:

The Companies Act, No 71 of 2008
The Income Tax Act No 58 of 1962
The Unemployment Insurance Act No 63 of 2001
The Skills Development Act no 97 of 1998
The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act no 130 of 1993 as amended

The bottom line is, know and make sure you comply with the requirements for your form of business. And make sure that your business is compliant in terms of the above legislation.

Branson Centre Foundations - Session 5

To view Session 1 click here

To view Session 2 click here

To view Session 3 click here

To view Session 4 click here

The F word

Before Friday's session on accounting, finance was just another F word to me.

I nearly ventured into the murky waters of accounting in my first year of high school, but when I went to collect my textbooks - the French one looked far more interesting.

In the last 5 weeks I've enjoyed every one of the sessions but somehow my aversion to accounting made me wish I had some plausible excuse for missing this session.

In the first 5 minutes of the session I was glad I'd made the effort to drag myself out of bed. I have 3 children, all under 5 years old, so staying in bed was never a real option anyway... but a girl can dream can't she?

Hats off to Adam Franklin, who, in the space of 8 hours managed to demystify accounting for a room full of wide eyed entrepreneurs. If the Accounting Comes Alive - Color Accounting system had been around way back in my school days I would have skipped French. I think. Ok I can manage accounting for a day, but I'm not a masochist. French would probably still have won.



Before we got started Adam asked us to introduce ourselves, state what we knew or thought of accounting, and say what our favorite drinks were. I learnt two things during this exercise. First, most of us are either confused by, petrified of or downright hated accounting. Second a lot of people lied about their favorite drinks! In a class of 20 people (some of whom I have already seen knock back beers) there were an unbelievable number (no really, I don't believe it at all) of health nuts - with water being their favorite drink. Psssh. I think we all need to learn a bit more about being more real instead of adjusting who we are to suit the audience. Its part of being consistent with your values and principles. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with liking water, but if it isn't your favorite drink - and you actually like Black Label then stick your neck out there and take a risk! Be comfortable enough with who you are to be willing to stand out.

Back to finance... The Color Accounting system is a stroke of sheer genius. As a creative, my brain thinks in pictures and descriptive language - not technical jargon.

                                     Understanding The Balance Sheet, Income Statement and transactions made easy

The system helps you take baby steps toward understanding some complicated concepts in a fun way.

The first thing we learnt was that most of us had some sort of baggage when it came to accounting. Misconceptions and misinformation we had picked up along the way. All of our baggage had to be left at the door.

Over the course of the day we absorbed so much information that we thought our heads would burst. There were a lot of confused faces at first, but as the day progressed there were more and more "aha" moments, and less worried frowns.

I can now say with confidence that I understand the basics of how to prepare, read and interpret balance sheets and income statements.

My biggest learning from the day is that as a business owner you need to have a good understanding of the language of finance. It's not good enough to leave it up to your bookkeeper to prepare, read and interpret those statements. He or she doesn't understand the business as well as you do, and may not spot problem areas before its too late. If you know how to read your company's financials it empowers you to act swiftly when correction is needed. It also has influence on determining the strategy your company needs to implement.

The next step for me is to prepare my company's balance sheet and income statement. I'm still feeling a little daunted, but overall I feel that the knowledge gained during this intensive 1 day course has empowered me to take on a task that seemed impossible before.

Branson Centre Foundations of Entrepreneurship - Session 4: Communicating with your Customer

Royalty and strip-poker

To view Session 1 click here
To view Session 2 click here
To view Session 3 click here



We've all heard the cliched catchphrase "customer is king". While just reading the phrase makes me want to gag - there's a truth hidden in there somewhere.

Think about the royalty you know. The first thing I think of is some poor ginger being hunted by the paparazzi (while playing an innocent card game) in the privacy of his Las Vegas hotel room. There are two points I want to make here. First - royals misbehave, or shall I say, they behave in a way we think they shouldn't. Second - hotels should have curtains, or tinted windows... oh wait a minute... no, that wasn't my second point.

My real second point is that royals, kings, customers - are people. They do what they like. They have opinions and weird habits (some weirder than others!). The most pertinent point
is that their behavior is seldom governed by what we think they should do.

As a business owner, you're in a dangerous place when you assume that what is important to you is important to your customer. When your marketing efforts are focussed on communicating information that is important only to your business, your customer's "what's in it for me?" question goes unanswered.

"Ultimately, marketing is not about the strategies you put together
or the brilliant advertising or branding you design;
its about how your customer experiences your business."

- Branson Centre, Foundations of Entrepreneurship

In Session 4 of the Branson Centre Foundations of Entrepreneurship course, we were challenged to think beyond "me, myself and I". We evaluated a number of different products/ services from a customers perspective. We tried to identify what their top priorities and expectations were. It was quite a challenge because most of us are so used to trying to promote our own products and services. Its difficult to be objective. You actually have to switch roles and look at your business from a customer's perspective before you can effectively communicate that your offering meets their needs.

If you don't go through the process of correctly identify customer needs, its far too easy to get distracted or focus on things that are irrelevant to the customer. Its a bit like peddling on a stationary bike. You work up a sweat. You puff and you pant. You're exhausted when you get off the bike - but in reality you haven't moved forward. And now you are wet and smelly too.

Back from the tangent I just went on... Once your focus is on your customer, you are in the right mental space to develop an effective Marketing plan. Essentially developing this plan boils down to answering 3 questions:
1. How do you make potential customers aware that you exist?
2. How do you get them interested in doing business with you?
3. How do you put your product or service in their hands?

From there we went on to learn about the various components of the Marketing cycle, which starts with researching and understanding  your market environment. Once you have a good understanding of this, you can develop and implement pointed and effective marketing, promotional and sales strategies. All of these activities are rounded off by a thoughtful and deliberate customer service approach - which encourages repeat business.

A new concept to me is touch points. I think the concept may have been floating around somewhere in my overtaxed grey matter, but now I have a neat little name for it.
Every business has a brand. That brand is a set of beliefs that customers associate with either the business, the product, or the service. Your brand is essentially a promise to your customers of what they can expect when they deal with they interact with your business.

Touch points are contact points that customers, or prospective customers have with your organisation. Each of these interactions provide an opportunity for the brand to either uphold or break its promise. Websites, sales staff, receptionists, product performance, payment mechanism or even delivery and installation are all touch points.

Lastly, we came to grips with the different stages of the sales process. This is a summarized version of what it looks like:

1. Generate leads
2. Qualify opportunities 
3. Develop and submit a proposal
4. Negotiate and close the sale

There's so much content in those 4 points, I think it best to split them into future topics on their own instead of trying to tackle them all here. One thing I'd like to highlight is that there needs to be a fair mix of prospects in different stages of the sales process. Its no good having a million prospects, but few have been qualified, negotiated or closed. 

Similarly, if you've closed a number of deals, but your new prospects are looking dry - you're going to suffer down the line! Keep it flowing! A large percentage of every day needs to be focussed on activities that are sales oriented. 

A final though, and something I'm going to try and put into practice following this session - systematize your sales process. Devise a system that works for your company that standardises customer contact methods and frequency. Once you've made the system, put it into practice. 

In my next post, I'll cover how I've implemented the knowledge gained in this session to my own business - so keep an eye out for that. 

Until then - be sure to close the curtains when you play strip poker. You never know where those sneaky photographers are lurking!

Ready, aim, fire

Reflections on Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship - Session 3

To view Session 1 click here
To view Session 2 click here
To view Session 3 click here


One of the "aha" moments that I had during the "Strategise it, Plan it, Do it" session was that as an entrepreneur  there is no room for living by default. Well, technically there is - if your goal is to fail, then living by default is a great way for you to achieve that goal.

This session has prompted me to examine myself carefully and ask some tough questions.  It wasn't fun admitting that there was disparity between my principles and their practical application in my daily activities, both personal and professional.  Eek! I've determined though, that I'm not going to shy away from making change where its evidently needed. In my personal life, and my business - my plan is to live with purpose, not by default.

The practical exercises have helped me to pinpoint what is really important to me - as a person, and how that affect the business I run. I've evaluated how I currently do business, including how I deal with customers, suppliers and managing finances. I've identified a number of areas where things need to change. Goals have been set, and action steps have been identified.

A big realisation that came through facilitator feedback on my homework (thanks Bushera Bashir!) is that goal setting as a business is broader than just financial. Its easy to focus on wanting to make more money when you are currently cash strapped. Its not a bad thing to want to make money, but it should be as the positive knock-on effect of really understanding your market, planning well, working smart and addressing areas that have been identified as weakness in your SWOT analysis.

The bottom line is do your homework, get yourself ready (SWOT, systems and research) set your goals, aim - and then FIRE!

Strategy, focus, action... and juggling

Branson Centre Foundations of Entrepreneurship - Session 3

To view Session 1, click here

To view Session 2, click here

There's nothing graceful about learning to juggle. You may feel like a total klutz, madly waving your arms in every direction while every ball crashes down at once.  Here's a little secret... Unless you are one of the few exceptionally coordinated - you DO look as bad as you feel. 

Here's another secret. Possibly one that every entrepreneur will want to shout from the nearest rooftop. It's ok to admit that you have no idea how to juggle.

If you want to learn how to stay open for business though, you need to keep many different balls in the air at once and be focused enough to know which one to catch when.

Let's move on from the cleverly crafted metaphor I am silently patting myself on the back for and on to my thoughts of Branson Centre Foundations of Entrepreneurship Session 3.

Session 3 was entitled "Strategise it, Plan it and then Just DO IT!"
We started off by identifying the principles and values we ascribe to. As an entrepreneur, your personal values carry through strongly into your business. They influence how the business operates.

In his book "Lose the business plan",  Allon Raiz (founder of Raiscorp) says

"Have you ever steered a small boat? The key to going forward is to make sure that the rudder, the mechanism that controls the boat is aligned with the bow, or front, of the boat. If the rudder is not pointed in the same direction, the boat will go around in circles. It is the same with a business. The rudder is the values of the business owner; the boat is the values of the business."
(Raiz, 2010:53)

After identifying what was important to us as individuals and writing a personal vision statements, we were better equipped to write vision and mission statements for our businesses. Not the kind that get framed, hung on a wall and then forgotten. The kind that you can refer back to and know, unequivocally, what is important to the business, why  and how it does what it does and for whom.

We also took a look at the standard strategy acronyms that everybody has heard of but few actually use as often (or effectively) as they should. You guessed it SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable  Realistic and Time-bound) goal setting.

Having clearly identified our target markets in a previous session, as well as checking out what our competition was up to, made doing the SWOT analysis easier.

We were asked to set 3 goals for our business over the next 3 years. I honestly had to think very hard on this one. It's easy to be flippant or thumb suck a goal, but it had to be both achievable and realistic. In the early days as a business owner, when you're living from day to day, trying to pay bills - you (and by that I mean I) hope things will work out - but you're so caught up in the now that proper planning seems like too time intensive an exercise. 

Long term planning is essential. If you don't have a destination in mind for your business, then you will land up in a place you don't want to be in - by default. Or you may go around in circles indefinitely.

Once you know where you want your business to go, and your long term goals are set - you can work on the "How do we get from here to there?" question. This is where monthly, weekly and daily planning comes in. 

It's also where the next essential component fits. Putting the right systems in place.
I love the way its stated in the Branson Centre Foundations manual:

"S.Y.S.T.E.M - Save. Yourself. Time. Energy and Money."

We were encouraged to take a critical look at how our businesses operate as well as the systems we currently had in place. Part of our (growing pile of) homework was identifying the systems that needed to be implemented in our companies. 

If you want to become a successful juggler... I mean entrepreneur - then you need to start by strategising, planning and doing.

Trying to please all results in pleasing none

Reflections on Branson Centre Foundations Course - Session 2


To view Foundations of Entreprenuership Session 1, click here
To view Foundations of Entreprenuership Session 2, click here


One aspect of being an entrepreneur that can be both a blessing and a curse is that you are your own boss. Nobody is breathing down your neck, reminding you of deadlines, wielding the big stick of disapproval if you don't complete a task on time.

You're in a position of power. On the flip side as Peter Parker's grandpa tells him "With great power comes great responsibility."

If you've set a deadline or committed to a task - then you're the one that has to make sure it's done. When you're in the early days of your business, it's tempting to try and take on as much as you can. You'll do just about anything to hook a sale, sometimes skipping steps like assessing your ability and the capacity of your business to take on the job.  While this approach may work in the short term, it's a sure fire way to set yourself up for burnout.



So there - now you've read my disclaimer for why this blog is being published 5 days late! I wanted it out on Thursday, but the week/ end ran away with me! Unfortunately it is too often the case with those of us in a creative industry. We're great at the creative stuff - but we suck at administration. I could have just left it, but I'm working on developing the habit of doing the things I've committed to as promptly as possible. Better late than never. 

So lets go!

Words I read recently (wish I could remember where though to I could reference it properly!)
"When you try to please everybody - you please nobody."

One of the things that stood out for me in Session 2 of Branson Centre Foundations of Entreprenuership is that you need to be very clear about your market and your product. The more defined your different market segments are, the easier it will be for you to decide on the approach you need to take to identify and ultimately meet the needs of that segment. One size seldom fits all, and if your product or service offering is trying to cover a broad market, your client may well find another supplier that caters to their unique needs.

As part of answering the questions "What am I selling?" and "Who am I selling to?" we were given the task of finding out what our immediate competitors were up to. Sure, as an entrepreneur you're "academically" aware that there are others selling the same product/ service - but you're so busy trying to keep your head above the water that proper competitive research somehow slips to the bottom of the priority list. I got some good ideas from how I can tweak the service our company offers by critically evaluating where our competitors were doing things better (or worse) than we currently are.

I don't have a tertiary qualification, but I'm pretty sure that I'm benefiting a lot more from the Branson Centre business training than I would have from any business degree. Why? Because it I'm already running my own business, and I get to plug what I learn straight into a real enterprise - where there is a really possibility of both failure and success.