Own your morning. Own your day.

August 12, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

The most important habit I have developed over the years that has given me more time in my day, more ‘me time’ and more energy, it’s this – waking up earlier. This is sacred time when no one else is awake and it’s the only gap I have in my day to truly focus on developing myself. Self-leadership can’t be found in a one day seminar or a book you read a few years ago, it is a daily discipline. Now, no one is going to give you this time. It has to be consciously carved into your day. I know you are thinking ‘It’s easier said than done’ – fair enough. So here are some tips on how to actually get yourself to wake earlier.

How to Boost Your Motivation

August 12, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann, Author & Speaker

It’s not easy to maintain self-control, especially when things are difficult. Personally, I’ve found life very difficult over the past few months with the pandemic, lockdown and load shedding in South Africa. I’ve noticed that many people have abandoned their diets and have had difficulty staying focussed on their business objectives. So how can we keep motivated and working towards our goals?

The business of mask making

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile

Why don’t we make masks for sale? That was the message from my mom recently. I decide to call her to talk to her about my thoughts. Her question is on point, this seems to be the only item anyone with a sewing machine should be doing currently. Ignore all the wedding, graduation, party or any other event outfits you had orders on; if the last time you touched your sewing machine is 10 years ago… now it’s the time to bring it out again. There is an advert flyer I say it said South Africa needs 36 million masks and you can get to make some of them. What a number!

Lessons from Burnout into Lockdown

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann, Author & Speaker

A few years ago, I experienced a burnout. I developed a stress-induced autoimmune disease and suffered from chronic fatigue for three years. It had a significant effect on my life. Lately, with South Africa being in lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I have noticed a few similarities and differences between that period of my life and now.

It makes good business sense to invest in women

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Dr. Linda Zuze, founder and director, Chimango Research

As a researcher, I get to wake up every day and to ask questions for a living. One of the most consistent findings that I’ve encountered over the years is that women’s success benefits a lot of people around them. Children have a better chance of attending school, being fed and living in a safe environment. It is true that there is far greater recognition about the importance of the gender angle when discussing inequality than there has been in the past.

Harness the power of your positive aggression journey

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Mbalenhle Ndaba

A positive aggression journey is to breathe your way into a peaceful state. Aside from spiritual paradigms about peace and harmony, which I am convinced are the only lasting way to sustain peace, there are several things we can do to enter a more relaxed state. In the journey of positive aggression, every individual should know how to master their emotional equilibrium. Winners do not dwell on what is wrong, they work on what is next.

5 tough things to talk about with your future co-founder

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Claire Keet Pollock and Sinal Govender, Co-Founders of pop.law

Like choosing the person you marry or have babies with, choosing a business partner is not a decision to be taken lightly. The romance of any honeymoon period wears off, but none so quickly as the business partnership honeymoon. If you’re a fast moving entrepreneur, then you’ll know that seizing opportunities and getting some skin in the game fast is extremely important. This means that your relationship with your co-founder/s will need to evolve quickly. Moving out of the fun ideation phase of a business into difficult startup territory puts massive pressure on people who are in business together. The foundations of your partnership will become really important and it helps to have at least spoken about some of the following things.

Effective invoicing is critical for your cash flow management

August 8, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Ronel Jooste

Many business owners find the invoicing process quite tedious and this is also a process that many businesses neglect. Invoicing is, however, a critical process for your cash flow management.

What is the Pandemic offering you?

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann, Author & Speaker

In the first week of 2020, I drove from my home in Johannesburg to Durban to spend a week interviewing my grandmother about her life for a book. It was fascinating to hear about how life was as a teenager for my grandmother during the Second World War in England.

Emotional Contagion

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Dr Ashika Pillay

It’s not just the virus that’s contagious…

With the advent of COVID-19, most people have become familiar with concepts related to infectious disease, how viruses are spread and transmitted. However, beneath the real threat of the virus and its impact on our health and wellbeing, lurks another infectious disease. Anxiety and fear are real threats that pose a massive risk to us.

Coronavirus Anxiety

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Julia Ranzani

Every now and then when I check the CORONAVIRUS WORLDOMETER or hear NEWS ABOUT COVID-19. I get this ice cold fear running down my spine. I can’t help it, my mind jumps to horrific images inspired by silly doomsday action movies. So for a moment I’m overwhelmed with CORONAVIRUS ANXIETY.

Ignore the NO, focus on the YES

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile, founder of Roka Roko

Two weeks ago I submitted my writing to an organization that is looking for content writers. I was referred by a friend. After 2 weeks I was about to ask if they had received my work for the opportunity but I received the reply first. And it was a NO. I will admit, I feared that it was a no before I opened the email; I tried to reprimand myself. Why am I expecting the worst? Well I did receive the worst.

Top 10 Keyword Research Tools To Boost Your Organic Traffic

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Wuraola Ademola-Shanu

If people can’t find your site on search results, you are missing out on traffic, leads, and most importantly, sales!

One of the best ways to solve the problem of low traffic is with keyword research tools. Google uses keyword as an important SEO ranking factor. This is because searches only find content that Google thinks is relevant to what they are searching for.

Why is criticism bad for a relationship?

August 1, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Paula Quinsee

You might’ve heard of Maslow’s hierarchy and having to meet our basic needs of food and shelter being key for our survival. Well, as human beings one of our other basic needs is to be loved and accepted for who we are – especially when it comes to our relationships.

Confinement and the mind

July 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Zilia Ximenes

Knowing the difficulties that everyone is going through because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this article is not to speak specifically of the pandemic, but of the effects on the mind of each individual impacted by it.

Opportunities Knock despite Covid-19 Crisis

July 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Ronel Jooste

Despite the financial stress, uncertainty and knock-on impact the covid-19 crisis is causing for the economy, businesses and households, there are also multiple opportunities for people to create wealth for themselves amid the crisis. Looking at history various companies that have grown into massive multi-national companies were in fact born during a time of recession – Microsoft, General Electric, General Motors, Disney, IBM and the Hyatt Hotel Group to mention a few.

Post-Pandemic Growth

July 26, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann, Author and Speaker

I recently wrote the story of my grandparents’ love and their life together that spanned seven decades. I travelled to the coast early January and interviewed my 94-year-old grandmother about her life and how they fell in love. My husband stayed behind to feed the cats and to work, so the week was an opportunity to soak up the female company of my grandmother, mother, aunt and my two little girls. We laughed, we shared and we bonded. There is something special about being in the presence of multiple generations of women.

7 Reasons Why Content Marketing Is Queen

July 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Wuraola Ademola-Shanu

If you run a business in today’s day and age, one simple fact remains - you cannot turn away from digital marketing to survive and thrive. One of the best ways to grow in the online world is Content Marketing.

What entity is best for running my business

July 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Claire Keet Pollock and Sinal Govender, Co-Founders of pop.law

Deciding which entity to use to run your business is a lot like buying a car. There are quite a few options and it can be a bit overwhelming working out if you need the Range Rover or if a good old bakkie will do. There are many things to consider depending on if you run a business on your own or with partners, what your appetite is for personal liability, and what tax implications you may be in for.

In the darkest nights, the stars still shine

July 25, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser

I am sure if anybody writes another article about COVID-19 you will surely swipe on and away. Seriously we’ve had enough constant reminders of a thief amongst us. What if we were so deeply affected that we are still reeling and trying to grasp for air? What if we still don’t have an idea of how our business is going to survive or even where to start again? What if you have lost more than you could ever imagine? What if all you can see right now is the darkness and the stark reality of you can’t “see” where to turn to next?

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