the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
by Elizandra dos Santos
From a busy life to a new way of living with a lot of calm, we are invited daily to embrace the new. This new is so uncertain that it makes us stop to reflect and rethink issues that before were not considered a priority due to the excess of work and the hectic life we led. And now what to do with this excess of time if before we complained about not having it?
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by Thuli Zikalala
Discovering your unique abilities is one of the most liberating experiences. It never feels like hard work and exciting opportunities of making a positive impact in society keep unfolding. Through self-awareness and introspection of who I am as a person first; l am able to apply the same intrinsic truths across every area of my life – including my career.
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by Liz Creates
The majority of the world is sitting at home. No more cubicles. We can’t check in physically with colleagues. Now we are glued to screens in the comfort of our own homes. Our boundaries between work and home have disappeared somewhat. Enter: digital fatigue, a state of dis-ease many of us have experienced over the last year during Covid-19. Is digital fatigue the latest buzz-phrase, or is it a real illness shared by the collective currently?
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by Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho
Most companies that provide professional services typically do one of two things. They think that social media or any form of digital marketing offers no results and therefore do not embrace it; or attempt to, but are extremely inconsistent and in turn see less than optimal results.
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by Kathryn Main
The first time I ever did a value exercise I was 38 years old. It was an interesting experience because I had no idea what I valued in life or in my financial life. My top value at the time was family. What was scary was I was not living up to my core value in any way, shape, or form.
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by Robyn Keet
As a big-hearted Creative, I would run from negotiations. It’s made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable. To avoid this feeling I would take what was offered to me as “fair” instead of facing the throw-down that negotiations can bring. All I want to do was to create and deliver great work. Sound familiar?
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by Kathy Mann
My area of expertise is stress management. However, I don’t focus on the typical lifestyle interventions that many others focus on: deep breathing, exercise and meditation. These certainly work and I incorporate them into my own life as part of my stress management strategies, but this is only part of the picture.
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by Ashika Pillay
Have you ever surfed at the seaside or perhaps watched people surf? One minute an incredible high, and then diving down into a blinding low. The ups and the downs. The high highs and low lows. Living and working in the world right now, feels that way. Riding the waves of uncertainty where we see the glimmer of hope and then plunge back into not knowing and fear. How can we manage these waves? Is it even possible?
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by Nontobeko Mbuyane
As the very observant soul that I am, I have been observing so many things lately, especially the behavioral patterns of most people. I learnt so many lessons from just that this week. Do you know that what you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it? Are you afraid of saying no in your professional life because you think you will miss out on a big opportunity? I have learned that a quick yes can sink a lot of ships. God only knows I have taken on too much at times because I feared I would miss out on something life changing. It is for that reason now that before I say yes to anything I have to consult, and my consultations are with God through prayer and fasting. I never say yes to anything that is life changing until God tells me so, be it business prospects, relationships, job opportunities and so many others.
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by Lori Milner
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.”
- Anatole France
The fuel tank of inspiration and motivation is often directly proportional to the month of the year. In January and February, it’s pretty full because we have a clean slate and a renewed sense of energy. Fast forward a few months and the levels tend to go up and down depending on the season and what is going on for you. Don’t leave your internal fuel tank up to the mercy of external factors. How can you keep a steady gauge despite what the year holds for you?
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by Thuli Zikalala
Why interpreters should embrace change
It’s hard to think of relevance when things are going well in our lives and businesses; we have systems in place and often know what to expect. This is usually the time when people and organisations slow down and take a break because they’ve established predictable processes that satisfy clients and yield financial return – it works. However, this controlled and sometimes relaxed approach has dire consequences for people who don’t see the need to evolve; leaving organisations at risk of becoming professionally obsolete.
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by Linda Zuze (PhD)
Is it just me or does it feel as if we spend an awful lot of our time waiting for things to happen these days? Waiting for lockdowns to be lifted. Waiting for schools to re-open. Waiting for financing to keep our businesses going. Waiting to feel better. Waiting for ‘pandemic pivot’ to be yesterday’s buzzword. Waiting for things to get back to ‘normal’.
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by Kathryn Main
South Africa is a buy-now, pay-later society. The effects on young people’s financial literacy are thus characterized by the same behaviour patterns as parents and society. These are high credit and high consumer behaviour with very little savings, and in turn high social risk behaviour. Money Savvy is working to change this disastrous pattern.
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Grace Stevens
by Grace Stevens
Women like Julia Child, Nigella Lawson, and Martha Stewart are proof that building an empire based on your home baking skills is not only achievable but incredibly fruitful and rewarding. However, there is a big difference between having a delicious side hustle and building a baking empire.
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by Eldari Visser
After a year or two of just waiting, many entrepreneurs are wandering around with a sense of despair and even guilt. Waiting for the world to get back to some normal. Let’s be honest here. During a world full of turmoil many sat staring at a screen hoping for a call to action. Any action and any type of income - whatever the contract entailed, were welcomed. Many also sold their hours for way less than their worth. Others sat in awe as fellow business ladies invented new strategies that made you cry and your mind struck panic buttons often. Red flags and sleepless nights formed part of daily rituals. Your inner voice was the biggest enemy. Where was the surplus budget? Why didn’t I invest more, save more, buy less, and how did the cashflow dry up? A voice of reason wasn’t part of your thought pattern, no, mostly you had a feeling of kicking yourself and being ridiculous by blaming yourself to a point of utter destruction.
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by Elizandra dos Santos
Do you know how to wait? That is the question that I bring to the present moment. It’s worse for the quick fixers who want instant results, quick effects, quick responses, goals achieved in the shortest time and miraculous resolutions. I wish life were like this. Many people, because they don't know how to wait, end up frustrated immersed in anxiety, anger, depression, they become impatient. They are overwhelmed by their own emotions counting the days, hours, minutes, crazy seconds until the time comes to get out of this confinement, go back to traveling or have a supposedly normal life.
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by Nontobeko Mbuyane
It’s such a pity that we are so obsessed with living up to expectations that we can deny ourselves the permission to take chances. So many people are afraid of risk and often are paralyzed by the fear of failure. Sadly, this robs us of our creativity and moments of spontaneity that are often the source of our greatest triumphs. And although some may view failure as the end of the road, it’s far from being an absolute.
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by Robyn Keet
A topic that has been controversial in creative circles for years. When asking this question to any creative doing paid work — “Do you do work for exposure?” - you will likely be met with a flurry of different answers. Some negative and some positive.
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by Laura Camacho
When you don’t say anything at a meeting, the assumption is you have nothing to say. If you seriously want to raise your Leadership Presence quotient, start speaking up at every meeting. Here are three easier ways to speak up, when you feel so nervous your voice may be shaking.
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by Charmel Flemming
Hi, I’m Charmel Flemming, CEO and founder of F Twelve in South Africa. F Twelve is founded on the premise of using innovative cloud-based accounting technologies to provide real-time and relevant information to clients. As an outsourced cloud-based accounting company, we are committed to solving the challenges many small and medium business owners face. This goes beyond just accounting but spans into real business challenges because your business functions as an ecosystem and all the parts work together and rely on each other.
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