Before your train of thought even goes there, yes I am fully cognisant that 2020 was a shit year for everyone, however, it was a weird one for me. Compared to a very large segment of the world, my year was fantastic: my business grew, my family was safe, and I was shielding since the first lockdown, enabling my lifelong
We’ve all wondered if a business plan actually makes sense. I didn’t do a thorough business plan for my first serious startup and it flopped, in ways I was not expecting it to. My justification for not taking the time to do it, was that it was all in my head and we didn’t need it because we were all
For most, starting a business is about making money. I mean, that's the crux of it, but should it be your main focus? We've seen time and time again, especially on a local scale, how businesses with a money-only focus either fizzle out or end up perceived as corrupt or greedy, and the consumers are the ones who suffer in
As a startup, and even as an existing business, it's becoming seemingly harder to get clients to commit to business for a set duration. However, for some businesses, it might mean the difference between sinking, floating and sailing. Committing clients to a five year contract for a simple service in this economy is ludicrous. Six-month and twelve-month contracts with three
I've been seeing many entrepreneurs and business owners burning the midnight oil, night after night. I'm awake at some crazy hours (and my Twitter TL is flooded with you owls), but I somehow manage to get a solid eight hours of sleep (or sometimes a little more!) Not getting enough sleep for an extended period isn't something to be proud
How much do you value your time? Do you have a dollar figure per hour? Every business has tasks that no one wants to do, but someone has to do it, right? And if no one else can do it, then you have to do it, right? Wrong. When you, as a specifically-skilled individual, have to do a million things
How are you adding value to the world? With every word that you say, every action that you make, how are you adding value? With this blog, adding value is key to its success, but also adding an element of speed, is key. Shorter blog posts packed with sometimes just two lines of the value bomb. Longer isn't better, I've
Have you ever had an idea that you wanted to discuss but you were SO afraid of someone stealing it that you said nothing, and nothing ever came of that idea? We have ALL had ideas like those. And the bullet to the chest is when you see someone else, totally unrelated to you, execute your idea... better. Unfortunately, what
It’s a really nice impression to have a posh, shiny office, but not all start ups are created equal. When you’re doing your business plan, especially a start up, this is a major question for many – should you start up at home, or include that shiny, polished office in the start up funding? If you’re a start up, do
We’ve all been in that place, that dark dank place, thinking, when should I start this project? Well I’ll answer that for you; the time is NOW. So many of us wait for the “right time” to start something: maybe when work gets less stressful, maybe at the start of the new year, maybe when I’m finished school. You see,
If you’re only adding members from your organisation, you probably don’t know what I’m about to talk about; but if you’re like me, and love to network via social media portals, then you’ll know exactly what I mean. The biggest turn off on LinkedIn is SPAM; and there is a great deal of it. As a professional, I hate to
Sacrifice is not a topic which can be covered in a 700 word article, it spans way out past the horizon. To be an entrepreneur means sacrifice of all kinds in several parts of your life, yeah that part too. I would know, I’ve been living this for a while. You sacrifice spending time with friends and family, you lose
I have spent months (and quite possibly years) thinking of the perfect name for a business which really encompasses all that I do, with no such luck, simply because I do so much in different industries. But then it dawned on me… why am I trying to create a brand that defines me? Why do I want another name to
