It takes courage to be yourself

October 15, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

I’ve been thinking about how we become so conditioned by other people’s expectations of who we are and who we ought to be. I attended university in Cape Town and I had to wait a year because my father didn’t want me to leave home. I wonder what the cost of that year of earnings equates to, compounded over my career? Anyway, in my wisdom, it was worth the wait and I found a good career path, nice and respectable. I’m learning now that I have other talents that could be used to make a more fulfilling career path for me in future.

17 Essential qualities of great startup founders

October 2, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Farida Yahya

The early days of most startups are full of creativity, passion and sometimes doubt. At this point, most startup founders double as operations managers and business owners. They have the title but barely have enough time to actually do the work required of a founder or chief executive officer, which is, the ability to step away from the daily operations and create a long-term vision and strategy that will sustain their company.

Consistency

October 2, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile

Consistency: acting or done in the same way over time, especially so as to be fair or accurate - Google

Every guru in every speciality will tell you that you can do anything you set your mind to, and you will excel if you are consistent in it. If you have a strategy and you follow it religiously, over time it becomes easier and you start seeing the results of your efforts. The simplest example is gym. A lot of posts on social media on the subject of weight loss talk about being consistent. Even if the exercise is 5 minutes long, as long as you are consistent daily, at some point you start seeing a difference.

Human Connection: The glue that binds your business

October 2, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Filipa Carreira

Our relationships determine the quality of our lives. Deep and meaningful relationships are crucial to our mental and physical health. Studies show that people with deep and meaningful relationships are more resilient to burnout and other mental health issues. Did you know that the feeling of loneliness causes the same amount of stress on our cardiovascular system as smoking 20 cigarettes a day? We are living in an era of unprecedented geographical mobility and social change but have our relationship skills kept up with the times? Does it matter? And how does this have any effect on the workplace?

Let’s trade, shall we? Part 2: Governance in Business

October 2, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Tsitsi Mutendi

This week we continue on our journey with Ms. Olivia Simbajena. Ms. Simbajena is a businesswoman whose business falls under the category of SME and MME. Hers also falls under the category of Family Business. As we have defined before, a Family Business is a business started by an individual for the benefit of his or her family and is then run by the individual to serve the interests of their communities as well as those of their family. A Family Business’s main characteristics are that a family owns the majority shareholding of the business. However, from the characters and their situations, although fictional, we are starting to see that there are dynamic intricacies that affect Family Businesses. Laying down a foundation by introducing our fictional business owners will help to establish context when we go in-depth and unpack more problems and solutions for Family Businesses.

Let’s trade, shall we? Part 1: Women-led family businesses

September 25, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Tsitsi Mutendi

We have been following the journey of Transport Businessman for a few weeks now, and by so doing, we have scraped the surface of the SME, MME, and the Family Business in Africa from one of its players. These characters and their situations, although fictional, are putting in place a bird’s eye view of some of the intricacies that affect Family Businesses. Laying down a foundation by introducing you to these characters will help to establish context when we go in-depth and unpack more problems and solutions for Family Businesses.

Why You Should Journal Your Thoughts and Ideas

September 25, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Phindile Tapula (Ndlovu)

I used to lay awake at night thinking about my business. I would have these ideas about scaling and launching. I would be so excited and eventually sleep would come and as you can imagine, when I woke up, I would have a hazy view of my ideas. I would grow so frustrated trying to remember that million dollar idea, I would even try to pen my idea down, yet I would not manage to remember everything. “Why wasn’t writing my idea down?” would be what I would ask…

The one animal every business needs

September 25, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Eldari Visser

This might sound like an awkward story to you, but it is very relevant for this group of go-getter women. You are all wonderful, fantastic women, wearing your brand every day in this modern society. It is indeed this society that expects from you to be top of your game, to be exotic, different, yet covering their needs. You have to be the forerunners, be excellent, be good, be able to see what the next best thing is. We can name many more requirements that come along. What is needed from you is to survive in this environment.

5 Secrets to inspiring and motivating your dream team to bring their A-Game to work

September 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Farida Yahya

The world we live in today transcends far beyond just hiring people to perform tasks. As a business owner, you need people who can think on their feet, who are creative and are highly motivated. We need people who can deliver beyond expected results.

Does the Human Resources department add value to your organisation?

September 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Sonya Skipp

Sadly, in many discussions, dreadful terms are used to define the HR department and their role in a company. HR Dive recently conducted a survey and found that according to the HR leaders, 58% considered their department to be highly valued while 8% said they were not valued at all. At iFacts, we believe that one of the ways HR can add immense value to the organisation is to ensure that they employ the right person and minimize the insider threat in the business.

Burnout is real, but it doesn’t have to be your reality!

September 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Filipa Carreira

Burnout was first identified in the 70’s and it was a workplace problem. Nowadays we recognize that factors leading to burnout go beyond the professional to include parenting, caring for sick family members, and social activism. In fact, anything that requires you to care and invest your time and energy.

5 Taxes business owners should know about

September 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Ronel Jooste

For many business owners, the concept of tax and complying with tax rules and regulations can be daunting. Tax compliance however plays a vital role in the success and growth of your business. When you apply for funding, banks and funding houses require a tax compliance certificate. Many bigger organisations that you want to do business with, require a tax compliance certificate. Most tender or business proposal processes require a tax compliance certificate. As business owner you limit your opportunities if you are not submitting your returns and paying your taxes when required. Also remember that SARS keeps you as business owner responsible. Arguing ignorance or blaming your accountant will not set you free as far as SARS is concerned.

Where is inspiration?

September 11, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Brigette Mashile

One question you will be asked as a creative is where do you draw inspiration? And I have sensed people want a deep answer, some philosophical long encyclopedia statement. If you have a way with words, give it to them; but if you are like me here is a simple list:

Successful Pitching to the C-Suite (and other scary audiences)

September 11, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Laura Camacho

The first step of any successful pitch is to understand your audience.

While all your audiences need accurate, timely, and curated information, the C-Suite audience has far more responsibility and much less time and brain space than others in the organization. Being highly organized and structured helps them retain and remember your recommendations. Winging it is for amateurs. These questions can help you help THEM!

Why you need to set up an emergency saving fund

September 11, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Kathryn Main

The term “emergency fund” refers to money put away that people can use in times of financial distress. The purpose of the emergency fund is to improve financial security by creating a safety net to help cover unforeseeable, high-cost expenses which, in its absence, could have catastrophic effects on your financial situation.

The most dangerous phrase in business is: “We have always done it this way!”

September 11, 2022 Melanie Hawken

by Jenny Reid

In South Africa, unemployment is sitting at a ridiculously high level. Many may argue that the informal sector is not included in the official unemployment figures. Still, in June 2022, according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate was 63,9% for those aged 15-24 and 42,1% for those aged 25-34 years, while the current official national rate stands at 34,5%.

Viver o momento Presente

September 9, 2022 Melanie Hawken

por Georgina Angélica

Não é de hoje que oiço a expressão viver o momento presente, aliás a primeira vez que despertei para o significado dessas palavras foi através do livro do Eckhart Tolle “O Poder do Agora.”

Abraçar o presente

September 9, 2022 Melanie Hawken

por Edna Reis

Vivemos constantemente presas ao passado ou ao futuro e esquecemo-nos de viver no presente. Mas a questão é seguinte: temos de aprender a largar, temos de libertar as coisas de que já não precisamos, as coisas que nos magoaram, as coisas que já não vamos experienciar. Todas sabemos isto; já todas lemos livros ou deparámos com uma citação sobre o assunto. A psicologia tem vindo a mostrar-nos os factos sobre os perigos de vivermos presas ao passado e ao futuro.

Vivam as mulheres!

September 9, 2022 Melanie Hawken

por Catia Mondlane

Atualmente, a ideia de ser empreendedora tem sido o tema principal. Desde pequenas campanhas comunitárias a grandes plataformas internacionais que não só venderam a ideia de que o empreendedorismo é o caminho para o sucesso e a independência financeira, mas também adotaram recentemente o método inclusivo onde os programas de empoderamento das mulheres têm sido o principal alvo do momento, não só encorajando-as, mas também financiando os seus brilhantes projetos.

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