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So far Bruce Wade has created 106 blog entries.

Budget Speech 2018

This week we got our first glimpse of the new government’s vision for our future with the budget speech 2018. I am excited about not only the aspects of the speech but the enthusiasm that it has brought to the confidence of our economy. We are all still waiting for the new Cabinet, expected shortly, and the new direction that will bring.

But, I am not alone, when I feel a new wave of economic energy and growth in our small business sector. We at EM Solutions are gearing up for this new season of innovation and business development. Come climb on the bus and ride with us.

For those who are still confused or missed the budget speech, here is a copy of the PWC budget summary that highlights the entire things in just a few pages: much easier than trying to analyse it from long documents and drawn out commentaries.  2018-budget-pwc-highlights

For another view: read the Fin 24 article here: https://www.fin24.com/Budget/budget-in-a-nutshell-new-hope-amid-vat-and-other-tax-hikes-20180221

We will be assisting our clients with the VAT increase and other related issues in the coming weeks, so if you have any questions concerning these or other financial management issues, drop us an email.

By |2018-02-23T11:30:02+02:00February 23rd, 2018|Financial Management|0 Comments

Innovation Eco-System Map of Cape Town

The Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry through its Innovation Initiative is embarking on mapping the Innovation Eco-system in the greater Cape Town region. This eco-system is defined through the Innovation Initiative mission of being an assistant to the Innovation Entrepreneur in their business and product development.

Cape Town has become the hub of innovation activity across many different sectors in recent years. We have a thriving ICT sector with numerous businesses making world headlines all supported by local organisations and programmes. We also have a well-established academic and private support programmes and Tech Transfer Offices within the main universities who support both students and other SMME in their innovative product development. The selection of Incubators and Accelerators who span across both the private and public sectors offer a full range of services and products.  And the list goes on.

Through the Innovation Initiative, we aim to identify and map out as many of the role-players and stakeholders within the innovation eco-system in order to create a seamless process roadmap for new ideas and products.

We have identified 13 different sectors within the eco-system and will over the next few weeks, using email, Monkey Survey and in-person interviews begin to build and populate the map.

All identified organisations will be pinned to an open source Google-based map application detailing each sector, offerings and details. This map will become a part of the Innovation Initiative toolkit offered through the Cape Chamber to the entrepreneurs in Cape Town.

We call all interested parties, people and organisations who wish to become a part of this process to please email us on InnovationCapeTown@gmail.com for more information or to gain access to the questionnaire.

By |2018-02-06T10:18:42+02:00February 6th, 2018|Entrepreneurship, Innovation|0 Comments

Entrepreneurial events this week

This week we have two exciting events for you to enhance your marketing and financial skills.

Cash Flow 101

If you have not yet heard of or played Cash Flow 101, then this is your chance to join us on Wednesday evening for a fun edutainment event. Robert Kiyosaki’s game has empowered countless of people to realise the basics of wealth management in the rat race. Come play, learn and go home more money wiser than before. We play at our offices in Woodstock (directions)

To book: call Amanda on 021 8739 2281

Weekly Wednesday Webinar @ One

This week we chat about customer profiling using various paper and online tools. We will begin to explore FaceBook’s new Customer segmentation tool that they recently released.

If you are in marketing or sales, DO NOT miss this one.

Join us at 13:00 on Wednesday online here: https://zoom.us/j/9071494212

By |2018-02-05T12:29:31+02:00February 5th, 2018|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Mapping the Innovation Landscape of Cape Town

In association with the Cape Chamber’s Innovation Initiative, we have begun a process of mapping out the Innovation Ecosystem in Cape Town. This mammoth task is required to understand the different role players and offerings to innovative entrepreneurs across all sectors and how to best leverage their idea to market.

We have been joined by Ricardo Padrón, originally from Venezuela on a three-month internship program to assist in this project. Ricardo was a project manager for New Ventures, a platform to catalyst social entrepreneurs in Latin America. He earned a Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing and a Master’s degree in Administration and Development of Sustainable Enterprises. (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center – Costa Rica). Prior to coming to Cape Town, Ricardo was responsible for implementing SMEs and actions linked to the socioeconomic integration of refugees in Panama, Colombia and Venezuela for international humanitarian organizations.

Ricardo will spend the next few months interviewing and visiting people and organisations across the greater Cape Town region to understand the different offerings and opportunities each has to offer.

If you have a contribution to the innovation sector, then please email us or contact us at our offices, so we can include your information on the new innovation map.

The future is here.

By |2018-02-01T12:41:59+02:00February 1st, 2018|Entrepreneurship, Innovation|0 Comments

Become a Game Changer for your industry

Become a Game Changer for your industry. Become extraordinary and a positive influence on those around you. Take your business to new heights

A Game Changer changes the way that something is done, thought about or made for the better. This could be you.

Managing a business through all the phases of development calls for creativity, bravery and many different facets of skills: not all these can be found in books or online.  The Game Changers program offers those who are in the early stages of business development to come together to hone their skills and grow their businesses.

Signup for the next Game Changer program starting in February and join others on a journey over 6 months that will develop both you and your business.

First session:  Thursday 22nd February 09:00 – 13:00

Investment: R500 per month for 6 months: includes a file, notes and worksheets

Reserve your Game Changer place: call Amanda on 021 839 2281

By |2018-01-30T15:54:15+02:00January 31st, 2018|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Tax Season Scams – don’t get caught      

As we near the end of January we are busy completing a number of our client’s online tax submissions on eFiling before the 31st deadline on Wednesday. This is not a complicated process as the new ever-improving eFiling system is user-friendly and fast.

All one needs is the right information, documents and a little know-how in order to do the online submissions. The system gives you an instant review and an online calculator will give you an estimate on your result of a pay-in or pay-out.

After completing a number of these in our offices and then doing one at home for my wife, we have noticed a few issues that people just need to take note of in order to avoid being duped by scammers and phishing sites.

Firstly the banks and SARS will never ask you to do anything via an SMS. This includes validation of accounts, ID number or tax information.  Any queries that they may have will be sent to you via email and be detailed on the eFiling website.

Any refunds due will be deposited directly into the bank account you have submitted on your tax return. You will not have to do any further work, including verification of your details.

My wife got an SMS just a few days after her return was filed asking her to please click on a link and complete the bank details in order to facilitate the refund process. Firstly this is wrong and an obvious scam, but very interesting that it only took the scammers a few days to get her information from the SARS site and then set up this scam. A little scary to how insecure our information is in the SARS process.

Please be careful: if in doubt, contact us for any information about your tax returns or check directly on the eFiling site for any additional documentation or information they may require in order to complete your return.

Oh, and remember that the deadline for income tax returns for all provisional taxpayers is Wednesday this week.

By |2018-01-29T11:52:49+02:00January 29th, 2018|Business Resources, Financial Management|0 Comments

Stimulation through Simulation

Learning for life requires not only a bunch of theory exercises, but the application and implementation need to be included to complete the cycle of understanding.

When this comes to financial issues, we fail time and time again. There is always a bunch of ways to learn the theory of finances: we listen to talks, our financial advisor speaks to us and we read stuff. But we do not get time to practice through simulation. We put our real money into real investments and then often have to wait more than 5 years to see if we got it right. This invest, look and repeat process is a little too long to make mistakes and then try to rectify the situation when we are now bordering on the fearful investment period in our lives.

But what if we could stimulate our investment and money brains through simulation in a fun learning environment?

That is just what we will be offering you during our monthly Financial Games evenings. We have a number of financial games or “outcome-based fun activities” as the professional put it. These we will set up and facilitate with a group of participants each month as we have fun and learn all about money and money matters.

Join us this month on Wednesday 17th as we ‘play’ Rich Dad Poor Dad’s Cash Flow 101. This simple yet effective board game teaches us to understand and manage our finances within the rat race of monthly income and expenses and find ways to escape into financial freedom.

To book your place call 021 839 2281 or email marketing@em-solutions.co.za. R100 gets you a seat and an opportunity for a fantastic financial future.

By |2018-01-10T09:04:43+02:00January 10th, 2018|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Innovation Information Session

The Cape Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Initiative Forum invites all Innovators and Inventors to our first monthly Innovation Information Session. If you have a new project or idea and need help to get it to market, then join us and other like-minded innovators and inventors as we unpack the challenges of product and business development.

  • Planned activities for 2018 will be presented
  • Feedback on issues and desired topics of future talks and workshops will be discussed

Speaker profile:
Bruce Wade, following 15 years in corporate life, has run his own business since 1998, giving him a wide range of experience in developing ideas into sustainable companies. He is an author, speaker, trainer and the inventor of The Sphere of Mankind and the Business Arrow.
Bruce is a qualified Merchant Naval Officer, Fire Fighter, Ships Medic, Radio Operator, Ski boat Skipper, Advanced Scuba Diver, Computer Programmer, Business Analyst, Project Manager, Retail Analyst, Trainer, Counsellor and Business Coach.

REGISTER NOW:
•  Register now
021 402 4300
Linda Roopen

By |2018-01-09T11:29:36+02:00January 9th, 2018|Innovation|0 Comments

The Entrepreneurial Alphabet

Towards the end of 2017, we did a series of Facebook Live videos that covered the letters of the alphabet with a slant to Entrepreneurship. With each letter, we looked at a different aspect of what it takes to become a successful business owner.

We have listed each video below for your viewing. Take time to watch each one and comment on the Facebook Page. For more information on what we have to offer or for new items on our programme this year, please consult our website: www.em-solutions.co.za

A: Attitude – attitude is important for business (watch video)

B: Balance – Balance is critical in finding time to invest in work, self and family time (watch video)

C: Collaboration – team and being able to work together is one key to success.  (watch video)

D: Do + Don’t Do – every successful entrepreneur should know what they are good and do nothing else (watch video)

E: Engage – participate or become involved in. ( watch video)

F: Facts – We need to know the facts about business, your business and others to be a better leader (watch video)

G: Goals – Setting goals needs to be one of the most productive tools any entrepreneur uses in order to drive the business forward.  (watch video)

H: Health – being healthy mentally and physically, leads to a healthy business (watch video)

I: Integrity – not a value, but the way values are applied (watch video)

J: Jail – Don’t be caught in your emotional jail. (watch video)

K: Kick Ass –be extremely good or impressive, excellent. (watch video)

L: Love – love what you do and do nothing else (watch video)

M: Money is one of the purposes of your business (watch video)

N: No – No, the positive answer (watch video)

O: Opportunity – always be on the lookout for new opportunities (watch video)

P: Problem – Defining a problem is the beginning of a successful business  (watch video)

Q: Quality – not just for a good wine, quality needs to be a part of your values (watch video)

R: Rest – Take time to rest, relax and rejuvenate on a regular cycle to be ready for any new opportunities (watch video)

S: Strategy – every successful business has a working strategy developed by management.  (watch video)

T: Team – team is about us and what we can do for the whole together (watch video)

U: Understand – seek first to understand before trying to be understood: stop and listen (watch video)

V: Validate – check, check and recheck everything: we call it validation (watch video)

W: Win-Win – always strive for a win-win or no deal scenario in business. It is an investment attitude (watch video)

Y: Yolo – You only live once – lit it with confidence and courage(watch video)

Z: Zero – is where we end up after all our lives plans and activities – but what type of legacy are you building to leave behind (watch video)

 

By |2018-01-08T12:53:31+02:00January 8th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Formula for success in 2018

With the start of a new year we have started with a new burst of energy and focus for the coming 12 months. We have also developed a new formula for success that will see our clients engaging with to ensure a solid strategic plan to give them the unfair advantage in the market space.

The formula focuses on and unpacks three critical areas of business. This used together with our Business Strategy planner that each client will get in January will no doubt become the focus of all future discussions and strategy into the future.

The formula 2018 Success = RI2 gives us the three critical areas of focus:

  1. Relationships
  2. Innovation
  3. Information

Each of these is broken down into a further three points to establish our mission and plan.

We have derived this formula through input from different sources, talks and books. We believe that the future is going to become more automated and processed driven through AI and AR. This leaves us to focus on the one pillar of business that can never be replaced by computers: Relationships. This is going to separate the successes from the failures in the future: those who can keep real relationships with their customers, staff and suppliers by offering one-on-one consultations and taking time to hear, no actually listen and understand people will gain loyalty and trust. This amounts to long-term relationships and business longevity.

Added to this is the requirement for information flowing into a business. The new book Outside Insights by Meltwater’s Jorn Lyseggen has been of huge inspiration in this area. He unpacks the difference between having information and being able to use this information to drive business expansion and market domination. A book worth getting and reading, twice.

The final focus area of the formula is Innovation. Innovation is and will continue to be a survivalist essential tool in business today. We love to play a little ahead of the curve and learn and lead our clients. Through the Cape Chamber’s Innovation Initiative we will be taking big steps in mapping out the Innovation Ecosystem in the greater Cape Town areas over the next few months.

Welcome to the future. It is going to be a great ride. Please join us at one of the following upcoming events:

Innovation Information session – 24 January

Game Changers Business Workshop – 22 February

 

 

 

By |2018-01-02T10:38:44+02:00January 3rd, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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