The Anatomy of a Business Plan

This month we are focusing on the Anatomy of a business plan. This is a much discussed and written about topic in the small business sector, and we hope to clear up some of the myths and issues around this during the next month.

So if you are in the need of a business plan, financial plan or wanting to apply for funding, then this is where you need to be during the next 4 weeks.

Not only will we post articles here on this blog and related social media sites, but also our weekly Master class webinars (here) will take you step by step through all the aspects.

A series of video courses will also be posted on Udemy.com that you can attend and get all the required information.

So there is very little excuse for you now to not know how to map out and compile a kick-ass business plan.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:43+02:00July 1st, 2013|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

The Big “F” of doing business 2

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In this series I have take a number of ‘F’ words and unpacked some lessons we can all learn from how to do business more effectively and efficiently.

The next set of ‘F’ words are Fix Faster. In the first article of this series we spoke about learning to fail fast, this is and always should be backed up by Fix Faster. This means that as fast as you fail, you as a business owner, should be fixing the problems faster. It does not matter who is at fault, or why it went wrong, what is important is how fast it is fixed. If you are so inclined you can do the blame game off line at a later stage, but make sure that whoever was affected, no matter how small the issue, is made right and is notified.

When issues are raised online, a good rule to follow is to acknowledge it online, fix offline and then acknowledge it online again. Never get into trying to argue and fix online. This will lead to some serious arguments and will always bring in hordes of chatter that could destroy your online reputation.

Fix, make good, feedback and acknowledge: the road to maintaining your reputation as a customer centric business. One that will be around next year.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:44+02:00May 14th, 2013|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Registrations open for Boot Camp 2013

If you have a business that needs to be taken to the next level and if you have the ambition and drive to make this happen, then we invite you to apply to be a part of the next Entrepreneur Boot Camp.

This six week programme consists of weekly half day workshops, homework assignments and links to mentors, coaches and resources. This is a fast track business development programme aimed at getting both you and your business refocused and moving in the right direction.

Requirements:

  • You are the business owner in Cape Town
  • Your business has been operational and trading for more than two years
  • You have a plan and ambition to grow your business, even if it is just in your head
  • You have time to attend weekly workshops in the southern suburbs of Cape Town
  • You are willing to put in some effort to get results

Investment: The investment from your side will be R3000, payable in two equal payments of R1500, on registration and then before week 4 of the programme. This is a subsidised amount and is matched by funders and investors.

Dates: The programme will run for 6 weeks starting in the last week of May 2013.

Applications: If you wish to apply to be considered for this programme then please complete the online form on www.ei.co.za/bootcamp

By |2013-05-08T07:30:27+02:00May 8th, 2013|Business Resources, EI Clients|0 Comments

Brain fit = Business Fit

Getting your body fit requires exercise, spinning classes and gym sessions. Also involved is a balanced diet and reduced ‘bad’ foods. Getting your bran fit requires regular exercises, concentration classes and brain gym sessions. It also requires a good diet and reduced ‘bad’ food.

In order to build a successful business your brain should be in peak performance followed by a healthy body. Healthy body, I cant help you out with see Robin Buck for that, but healthy mind is my game.

A number of concentration exercises and focus sessions will soon see your brain learning new skills and making new connections to support those new found skills. Brain gym is as important as body gym, just less sweaty and expensive but a whole lot more fun.

We offer a 90 day Brain Fit programme that you can purchase online and enjoy in the comfort of your office or home. Within the first 2 weeks you will begin to notice your concentration and recall ability improving followed by creative thinking, visualisation and problem solving. We will also teach you about good and healthy brain foods and what to avoid to keep your brain fit.

We are currently recruiting a number of people to proof our newly released programme and will be writing about their experiences here each week. If you want to be a part of this trial email me here or wish to purchase the programme go here for more details.

By |2013-04-05T10:04:29+02:00April 5th, 2013|Business Resources, Leadership|0 Comments

Do you use Twitter to grow your business?

Using social media has become an essential part of running a business in these connected times. It has always been easier to use FaceBook and YouTube to promote our business but Twitter is now making a huge effort to get small businesses on board to promote and sell whist building customer loyalty.

This short video released this week by Twitter will give you some tips and tools to do just that:

By |2016-11-01T10:20:44+02:00April 2nd, 2013|Business Resources, Social Media|0 Comments

The Big “F” of doing business 4

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In this series I have take a number of ‘F’ words and unpacked some lessons we can all learn from how to do business more effectively and efficiently.

The next set of ‘F’ words are Financially Flippant. Far to many business owners do not know what financial management is or entails. I have seen many business owners living out of the till and treating the businesses money as their own. spending it on personal things, food and fuel and never recording these expenses as such. then when it comes time for reconciliation and financial statements they run around wondering why they struggle with cash flow.

Financially flippant business owners are not able to measure cash flow, manage expenses or risks. They also struggle with growth because there is not a solid base to grow from. Business owners need to become wise in their financial management and measure, manage and reward on all aspects of their business.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:44+02:00March 27th, 2013|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Human Rights and Wrongs

This week we celebrate Human Rights day in South Africa. A day when we get to look back at the checked past of our country and celebrate our constitution and the access to human rights as citizens of a free democracy.

Or is it? Jobs and secure employment is still only available to the elite and well connected. Being employed in a stable job is a privilege not a right, as is access to clean water, toilets and housing. The majority of the people in SA are no better off almost 2 decades after the ANC took over. Blame is still placed on Apartheid and the race card is played at every opportunity.

For the majority of people finding income to cover monthly expenses is a constant battle. But yet we see the fat cats of government, corporate and well connected gravy train ride-alongs gleaning huge sums of wealth for themselves and their friends.

Entrepreneurship and self-employment has become a forced way of life for many with little or no support from local government, and no regard to their struggles by central government, SARS or the Labour courts.

The daily grind we see people having to get through in order to survive and trying to make ends meet, whilst trying to cope with the high levels of crime, child abuse and violence against women, is not something we will be celebrating tomorrow.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:44+02:00March 20th, 2013|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

The Big “F” of doing business 3

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In this series I have take a number of ‘F’ words and unpacked some lessons we can all learn from how to do business more effectively and efficiently.

The next set of ‘F’ words are Future Focus. Any business needs to have their sights firmly set on the future in relation to where they are going and how they will get there. Beginning with the end in mind gets one to the end faster. We facilitate a process with our clients whereby they have a constant eye on their futures through good goal setting, planning and mile stone measurement.

It is critical to keep the course of your business set on a single fixed point. I heard a story that a jet liner travelling across the Atlantic is off course 98% of the time. It is only through the hundreds of minor adjustments it make that it is able to get to its destination across the ocean. The same applies to ourselves and our businesses. We need to know the destination, then make daily adjustments to ensure that we remain true to our vision and arrive at our destination.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:44+02:00March 19th, 2013|Business Resources, EI Clients, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments

Getting Around the Spam Filters

Have you ever wondered why your emails never get delivered or opened? Could it be due to the high amount of Spam alerts that they create? Even if you are sending out genuine legitimate emails with real business information, they may still be classified as spam. Here are a few hints to watch out for:

Make sure your email subjects have good call to actions that do not use any of the Spam words listed below.

Start emails to the person’s name. So not use, Hi all or Hello

Use your own name and email as the From address not Undisclosed Recipients

Cut down on the amount of Images in relation to the volume of text

Reduce or eliminate the use of the following Spam words:

Free, Instant access, one time offer, cancel at any time, give away, signup for free, this is not spam, instant cure, click here, compare our prices, earn more here, easy income.

The list goes on and on but you should see the trend here. For a complete list read this article by Hubspot. The more you try to manipulate your customers into buying stuff online without first building up a high level of trust, the more you will be pushed away. Not only by spam filters but by potential clients as well.

Try different email subjects on different days and times. See what best works for your clients and what gets the best open rate. The experts will tell you that an email send out on a Tuesday at 09:30 is the best time, but try it for yourself and your customers and then stick to a schedule that everyone can rely on.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:44+02:00March 18th, 2013|Business Resources, General, Social Media|0 Comments

The Big “F” of doing business 1

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In this series I have take a number of ‘F’ words and unpacked some lessons we can all learn from how to do business more effectively and efficiently.

The first set of ‘F’ words are Fail Fast. The ability for any business to fail is often frowned upon, especially by your accountant and bank manger. Failure is just not why we went into business in the first place so we try to hide it and deny it and ignore the very fact it happened at all.

But a true Entrepreneur has to learn to embrace failure and more importantly to fail fast. Learn to recognise the signs of a failure, embrace it and get it over with as soon as possible. Put it up as school fees fix the cause and resolve any outstanding issues that may require your focus.

Failing fast reduces costs of denial and dragging it out in some blame game with suppliers or customers. People, being customers, will better sympathise with you if you admit up front where you screwed up or went wrong than if you try to hide the truth and then it all comes out later.

Fail Fast, learn and get back on the horse to ride another day.

By |2016-11-01T10:20:45+02:00March 13th, 2013|Business Resources, Entrepreneurship|0 Comments
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