Know Your Business

March 2, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Aleshia van der Ploeg, Director, VDP Legal Consulting

Do you know your business? I mean, do you REALLY know your business? Do you know what your finances look like or does your accountant simply handle that? Do you know what money is coming in or going out every month and are you actually making a profit? Do you know what contracts you have entered into, what the actual terms are and how long they are valid for? Are your tax returns up to date or do you assume your accountant is responsible for that too?

The importance of self care in our lives as entrepreneurs

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Dhlamini

Reflecting on this reminded me of the importance of intentionally setting an inclusive framework as I put together the pieces (people, places and projects) that I would like to include in my life in 2019.

Identifying Roles to set effective Goals

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Claire Holden, Empowerment Coach

How many hats do you wear? How many roles do you fill? As an entrepreneur you’re a business owner and likely a finance manager, marketing director, accounts receivable clerk and operations manager too. Many of you will also be a wife, mother, daughter, sibling, team or group member, friend, volunteer…. The list goes on! The risk is that we spread ourselves so thin trying to be all things to all people, that we fail to prioritise the things that are most important to us personally and to our businesses. So, how do we change this? How do we cultivate a life where we clearly articulate our goals and set clear action plans in place for success?

Entrepreneurship and friendship

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Claudia Castellanos, ceo, Black Mamba Chilli

I believe most entrepreneurs agree on the fact that we could have chosen something easier to do in life (in fact I am convinced most of us are masochistic). From the sheer excitement of closing a great deal, to the doom of realizing you don’t have enough cash flow to pay salaries for your employees in a given month, being an entrepreneur is an eternal roller coaster. The levels of stress and anxiety can become intolerable some times. And those are the times when you need to be reminded that everything will be OK and that all your effort and hard work will pay off eventually.

Here are your 3 easy-to-apply sales tips for the week

February 22, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Karen Wessels, founder of SnappSales and VA Connect

Sales really does get such a negative reputation sometimes, and I get it - most of us have a bit of a skewed understanding when it comes to sales, so we would rather steer clear than truly harness our sales powers.

Dear client, you’re fired!

February 16, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Clare Appleyard, founder of Katannuta Diamonds

Often, when we start out in business, we try to be everything to everybody. If somebody asks who your ideal client is, “Everybody!” is your enthusiastic response. And then, reality sets in. You realize that not everybody is your ideal client, and that’s okay. No business, be it a large conglomerate or an SME, will be able to serve everybody’s needs and wants.

We fear success more than failure

February 15, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

I have always said that I am more fearful of my success than my failure. I mean what is failure? How many rejections have you been through at this age; try and count and you will fail. In my case, from my first attempt to touch a candle flame, or my mom refusing for me to not make it into the NETBAL EERSTE SPAN in high school, and to the tertiary Dmerits! There have been failures, but yet I am here. So failure to me is just a T-Junction on a road - I went right but I was supposed to go left. But…success… you see success is a new can of worms I have never experienced. It demands another me I have not met before, and definitely feels like growing a new tooth.

Can I Get a Connection? 3 Tips to Overcoming Loneliness in a Digital Age

February 14, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Deborah Hartung, founder of PivotPeople Tech

We live in such exciting times, where technology has truly enabled us to break down the barriers of space and time and to forge new paths and discover new frontiers in business and our personal relationships. But the same technology that has liberated us in so many ways, has enslaved and imprisoned us to the point where we aren’t able to make and maintain true human connections. In our world of DMs and FaceTime and same day delivery or click and collect, we have convenience and near instant gratification at our fingertips. But we are lonelier and feeling more isolated than ever.

Hard work pays off

February 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

The journey of building my own business empire has been many things, including amazing, challenging, surprising and painful. Luckily, God is kind enough not to allow these experiences to happen at the very same time. Instead, they are spread across time. I believe this is the 5th year this year. Halfway to a decade, imagine! I think I should one day sit down and write all the major events that have happened during the building of my business, Roka Roko, and look at them as an audience rather than as the main character involved. Maybe I might cry from the sheer multitude of what small actions eventually add up to on this entrepreneurial journey.

Born to Stand Out: 3 Tips to Remaining Authentic when the Going Gets Tough

February 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

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by Deborah Hartung, founder of Pivot PeopleTech

There’s a saying that has always really resonated with me: “In life, we regret more the things we didn’t do, than the things we did.” I know these words to be true and I am sure that you’ve experienced the very same thing at least once in your life to date. If we are all honest with ourselves, we know that the reason why we don’t actively pursue the things we want. Is because of some or other form of fear. We are afraid of failure. We are afraid of what others may think or say about what we are doing. Worst of all, there’s always a small part of us that is afraid of actual success and of truly owning our greatness.

Managing and Growing Millennials in the Workplace

February 10, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Kulani Shiluvane, Founder and Chief Consultant at Shiluvah

The general workforce has undergone many significant changes over the years – with the most significant of this generation being the introduction of Millennials into the workforce. So, significant is this introduction that numerous articles have been written on this subject. Therefore, one needs to ask what makes this generation so special that we need to quantify and qualify their entrance into the workspace. And more importantly, what do non-millennials need to know about this generation that will enable them to not only coexist but also thrive in the workplace together.

Surprise and Delight Your Audience

February 1, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Laura Camacho

Few activities help an entrepreneur get precious visibility more than public speaking. The only thing it costs you is time. Yet who is busier than a woman entrepreneur? How can you leverage that public speaking opportunity when you have so little time to prepare? As someone who’s been helping women become more effective speakers for almost twenty years, there’s one area you can laser focus on to knock the talk out of the ballpark.

Creating and maintaining opportunities in business

February 1, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Tatenda Rungisa, Human Resources Practitioner and co-founder of Twin Connect Solutions

When a new year commences, there are many goals, resolutions and strategies that are planned by individuals as well as organizations. The respective person/s has the duty to ensure that the set goals and targets are achieved. However, it is vital to note that there are opportunities that may arise within the year that we would not have planned for. On a more interesting note, as individuals or organizations, we are also able to create our own opportunities and use them to the fullest.

Why you should care about IP

February 1, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Seno Namwandi

The business economy revolves around what one knows, knowledge is now a commodity and therefore to trade it as a commodity, one has to be able to quantify it. Intellectual Property enables quantification of knowledge expressed in various forms. Intellectual property (IP) is the legal right granted by a government entity to creations that result from one’s intellect and/or creativity. IP enables ownership of these creations and the legalizing element of ownership therefore enables an aspect of trading.

Fitness and the life of an entrepreneur

January 27, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

I have cancelled my gym membership. I can hear a wave of horror and disbelief riveting through my people. I mean how dare I in this age of green healthy bodies. What am I doing? Honestly, it feels like freedom and something I have been trying to do for a long time. I have been signed up to some or other gym for the longest time all because someone said I must be part of a gym. They are right, but I do think there are other ways of achieving fitness? Other than being committed to a contract, I have failed over and over to honour.

We are on track for our next amazing journey!

January 27, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser, founder of PicketFence Life

A big, big thank you! As part of a pack of courageous women in Africa I can honestly start off this year with a brand new zeal! A new destination and focus. A new road in mind. Why? Because of who and what we are. How we carry each other, the sharing of ideas, the tips, the topics of discussions, how we have enriched and supported one another and how we never leave a lioness when she is down.

And here we are... 2019

January 27, 2019 Melanie Hawken

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

During the holiday season, I saw a post on social media asking the question ‘What moisturizes your soul’? I really loved the idea of an exfoliation followed by an intensive moisture mask for the soul. So I want to pose that question - what moisturizes your soul? What activities bring you back to yourself and reignite that spark in you - that make you remember what you are passionate about?

No envy, no anxiety - just walking the journey!

January 18, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Ndlovu, founder and director of Bhekizenzo Foundation

This year I started with a bang and did an interview with one of the leading news channels. I thought this was going to put me on the map. Well, it did for the first two days. Afterwards, I was old news. People were on to the next trend, posting pictures of the #10yearchallenge.

DONT in 2019

January 18, 2019 Melanie Hawken

by Sylvia Walker, author of SmartWoman

New year, new ideas, new goals, blah blah blah! There is always so much hype around each new year and how this year things will be different. It’s interesting, though, that a calendar year is man-made – there is no difference between 31 December and 1 January, except perhaps that it’s a milestone. And this I think is key – for many of us it’s a way of measuring ourselves and the progress we have made in life – a way of benchmarking our situation and comparing where we were and how far we have come.