Mobile First: What Consumers Want in 2018

February 2, 2018 Melanie Hawken

by Lynette Hundermark, managing director of Useful & Beautiful

Never under-estimate just how fiercely personal your mobile device is. It may be hard to believe, but it’s 7 years since the explosion of the smartphone market, and with the increased availability of low cost smartphones there is now a phone in almost everyone’s hands. But…before we can start talking about any trend, as marketers we need to understand that mobile starts with an understanding of how fiercely personal this device is. It has become more of an appendage rather than a device.

Kickstart your financial freedom in 2018!

February 2, 2018 Melanie Hawken

by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman

I am not a great believer in New Year’s resolutions, as they generally tend to be forgotten within a week or so! But what each new year does bring us, is a time of reflection, and from a financial point of view, a desire to perhaps improve ourselves over the next twelve months.

We are always Becoming….

January 28, 2018 Melanie Hawken

by Nokubonga Mbanga, founder of Self Insights

Every January magazines (online and hard copies) have an article about the new year it usually reads: “New year, New You/Me”. So, naturally I am thinking about what I think this year should achieve, aka: New Year’s resolutions….

The holiday season has come and gone, it sucked and now what?

January 28, 2018 Melanie Hawken

by Paula Quinsee, Relationship Expert and Author

December can either have a positive (or negative) impact on relationships but what can you do if the holiday season hasn’t gone so well on that front? Relationships are a constant challenge. No matter who you are, or who your partner is, for relationships to work, both parties need to put in some good effort to keep them going, and to keep both partners engaged, interested, and happy.

DON’T BE DECAF! 5 Steps to living your colourful truth in a grey cardboard cut-out world

January 27, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Don’t be Decaf. Don’t water yourself down so that you don’t offend others. Don’t act in a way that is out of integrity with who you are, just so that you can “fit in”. People can spot a fake a mile away. And I don’t mean a good Louis Vuitton knock-off bag, here. I mean a fake person.

4 Signs that you don’t have work-life balance

January 25, 2018 Melanie Hawken

by Abigail Klopper, founder of Abigail K Photography

Today I want to share with you 4 signs that your life is not in balance, because if you are not in balance you won’t feel confident. We’re continuing the theme of “Get a balanced life month”, because that’s what January is it about – Getting your life in balance.

4 Easy ways to motivate non-selling staff to sell for you

January 21, 2018 Melanie Hawken

By Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

Have you ever considered that your entire team is actually a salesforce? I’m speaking of everyone from the receptionist through to admin and support staff, and team members in between these divisions.

Setting the tone for the New Year

January 18, 2018 Melanie Hawken

By Jolene Roelofse, founder of BluDoor Market

As a new mum (yes, after my second child, I still consider myself a new mum), I often battle with finding a balance between my business and my two toddlers. Aged 3 and 1, I feel they still need a lot of my time, especially since their Dad started traveling quite a bit with work again. It seems only fair that one parent remains present for consistency and emotional comfort. But the reality is that my business is also my baby. Also 3 years old and demanding a lot of attention, love and care. But where do you draw the line?

How to stay positive and choose joy every day

January 18, 2018 Melanie Hawken

By Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress

As women, we juggle multiple roles every hour, never mind every day. Here are some tried and tested steps I incorporate into my daily routine to stay positive and make sure I actively choose joy in my life.

5 Top Tips for Selling More – Even If You Suck at Sales Right Now

January 13, 2018 Melanie Hawken

by Julia Pimsleur, author, speaker and coach, and the founder of Little Pim

Many of us do not love selling, and may even avoid getting better at it, even though we also know it’s one of the most important – if not THE most important – keys to growing our companies. Very few businesses making under $1M in revenues can afford a senior sales team so for now anyway, you ARE the rainmaker. Whether you can find and close deals really, really matters.

Change management is everyone’s business

January 13, 2018 Melanie Hawken

By Leigh Ann Gowland, founder of Employee Driven Change

Imagine a sail boat, destined for a beautiful destination, equipped with state of the art navigation equipment, sleek design and immaculate engineering but never opening its sails to harness the energy of the wind. The scenario seems irrational. Why would an experienced Skipper embark on a remarkable journey without utilizing his most valuable resources?

Here's Your Successful Sales Action Plan For The New Year

January 4, 2018 Melanie Hawken

By Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

What do you want to achieve in business in 2018? I know that typically when we start the New Year we think of New Year’s resolutions and more than likely these resolutions fizzle out by the 10th of January. So just how effective are these New Year’s resolutions really?

Crash diets and good habits

January 4, 2018 Melanie Hawken

By Lori Milner: author, entrepreneur, thought leader and founder of Beyond the Dress

If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you will notice I have a huge passion for reading and knowledge about how to become the best version of ourselves. One of my muses is Seth Godin, best-selling author of Purple Cow and Linchpin. I wanted to share one of his blogs as he so brilliantly demonstrates again the power of habit and how it shapes our lives.

Did your 2017 go according to plan?

December 14, 2017 Melanie Hawken

by Karen Wessels, co-founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

It’s that time of the year again to review what transpired this past year, to make sense of the madness, learn from our mistakes and look forward to a great year ahead.

Being festive without breaking the budget!

December 14, 2017 Melanie Hawken

by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman

The festive season is upon us. For many people, the pace slows down, and we may take some time off work, spend quality time with family and friends, and perhaps even go away on holiday. Whatever shape your festive season takes, it’s an extra expensive time of the year – apart from the obvious giving of presents, we also tend to eat more, socialize more and generally spend more.

Own your Finances

December 9, 2017 Melanie Hawken

In ‘Own your Space; The Toolkit for the Working Woman’, my co-author Nadia Bilchik and I found it imperative to include a chapter on owning your finances. We reached out to author and speaker, Sylvia Walker, to share her insights and guidance. This is a snippet of what she had to say about how to own your finances.

Dear Entrepreneur Wannabe - Don't try be what you are not

December 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

by Benji Coetzee, founder of EmptyTrips

I've witnessed animals outcasting one of their own, and today, I can appreciate being outright rejected too, a lone wolf. I am broke, skinny, pale, sleep deprived, fighting with loved ones, neglected and maybe delusional.

Entrepreneurship rocks! Why you should consider becoming one!

December 2, 2017 Melanie Hawken

By Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa

Entrepreneurship rocks! Well it does most of the time! I am not going to tell you this is the easiest journey, but it is truly rewarding! In my case starting out, I was one of those “go with the flow” people. I never had a plan of what I was going to be. I didn’t have it all planned and I was definitely not goal driven! Now, years later and after many learning trials, I can honestly say today that by the grace of God and my entrepreneurial journey, I am a different person. Better I would say!

Credit: know your score and keep tabs on it!

November 21, 2017 Melanie Hawken

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by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman

Most of us will all need to apply for credit at some time in our lives, and as an entrepreneur, this is almost a certainty. By taking ownership and being pro-active in managing your credit, you can avoid any unpleasant surprises and make sure that financial support will be there when you need it most.

Top 7 Lessons to Help You for Maximize the App-ortunity in South Africa - What brands can learn from the country’s most successful apps

November 21, 2017 Melanie Hawken

We love mobile and have been fortunate enough to work on the initial versions of many of South Africa’s leading apps over the last 7 years. In some cases, we have continued working with these brands throughout the course of their app journeys and these are some of the fundamental (as well as subtler) learnings anyone looking to make a dent in the space can take from this experience.

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