Posted by Bruce Wade on Friday, October 29, 2010,
In :
Marketing
Last night I attended the Heavy Chef Session and got to listen to Seth Rotherham and Rich Mulholland. The
place was packed to capacity and then some more. We got to hear how Blogging
was far from dead and still had a huge role to play in the future of social
media and small business marketing. Yipeee, I can keep my day job.
The one factor that stood out for me was
that here were two so called successful people who had made some serious money
and were respected by the community as bloggers of...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Wednesday, October 27, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
This is a question I get to hear often.
People of ages between 16 and 60 have come to me to assist them to find some
sort of direction for their careers. Now I am not a career guidance counselor
and I do not do any sort of psychometric tests to establish your best suited
job. What I can do for people is ask some very simple questions that will often
reveal the answers you are looking for.
Let’s break it down a bit. If you knew how
you were made and what you were equipped for this will give...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Monday, October 25, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
Learning to do an effective Elevator pitch is the key to marketing your business. Learn the basics, write your own and practice well before going out on the road.
Posted by Bruce Wade on Monday, October 25, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
In the spotlight this week: You. The
typical South African Entrepreneur, not much different from one found anywhere
else in the world yet unique in their natural ability to be innovative and work
through a project to the end. Found at airports, coffee shops, beach cafes or alone
late at night constructing, writing or doing research for future world
domination.
The characteristics of our normal
Entrepreneur is not as important as their ability to fully understand who, what
and why they are. T...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Thursday, October 21, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
Pete Carruthers has been writing about how
to crash proof your business for many years now. He has a huge following on his
Pete’s Weekly newsletter and a subscription of Business Warriors. Pete and I
have a few things in common; we dislike people who derail small businesses.
Pete is very verbal about banks, Cipro and red tape; even though he now lives
outside SA he still offers his advice to mostly South Africans running small to
medium businesses.
Posted by Bruce Wade on Wednesday, October 20, 2010,
In :
Leadership
Today we run our Conflict and Communication
workshop and thought it may be good to share some of the wisdom we have on
offer. We chat about the two ways in which we accept appreciation and also
resolve conflict. These can be boiled down to our 5 Love languages and our 5
Apology Languages.
From the list below choose what top 3 ways
you naturally like to receive appreciation and love from someone else.
Posted by Bruce Wade on Tuesday, October 19, 2010,
In :
Techno Tuesday
A lot of new systems I come across seem to
be so complicated to use at first. What I need is some sort of easy to
understand video or demo to get me through the first few steps of what I need
to do. Then at a later stage a few more hints and tips on how to access the
features and functions that will get me on to the next level.
Some businesses run regular Webinars and
workshops but not only are these way outside my normal time zone but also long
and drawn out. The best way to deliver good co...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Sunday, October 17, 2010,
In :
EI Clients
Each week we focus
our spotlight on one of our members, this week we chat to Marc Nortje. Marc is also
one of the Young Entrepreneur Programme winners for 2010.
Who are you?
My name is Marc
Nortje. I live and dream in Cape Town. I currently run a show reel production company
Reel Me Digital and in the process of starting Office Dynamix.
What do you do?
Reel Me Digital
produces show reels for local talent, brands and organizations in South Africa.
Some of our clients include Toyota SA, Wr...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Saturday, October 16, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
Creating a name for any new business has to
be one of the hardest issues Entrepreneurs have to deal with. a recent article
on OnStartUps.com highlighted some interesting points to remember when engaged
in this difficult frustrating stage of your business. Here is a list of their
points to remember:
Posted by Bruce Wade on Friday, October 15, 2010,
In :
EI Clients
Fail to plan and you will always plan to fail. One of the most critical strategies of any business has to be the basic business plan, but not just any old plan downloaded from the web or bought from a 3rd party supplier. Your business plan needs to be written by yourself and has to cover all the bases and ask and answer all the right questions. In conjunction with the Coaching Connection we are giving away access to our award winning business plan and 60 minutes with me to assist you understan... Continue reading ...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Friday, October 15, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
Two issues identified by some of our
members as priorities in their daily activities as business owners are how to handle
conflict and negotiation and then also time management. Been able to run your
business is not always about financial cash flow and marketing but also
includes the soft skills that every Entrepreneur needs to address in both
themselves as well as their managers.
We are currently filling up spaces on our
workshops for the following topics:
Posted by Bruce Wade on Thursday, October 14, 2010,
In :
Social Media
When you run your own business and offer a
service to others you move yourself into a space that is open for public
scrutiny. This is no more evident than on the various social media platforms.
People do business with people; most do not see you as a logo or an advert seen
on TV. People to People business is what we have become accustomed to and often
demand, this allows to have a name and a face to put together with the product
or service.
How then do you need to change your social media
a...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Tuesday, October 12, 2010,
In :
Leadership
Every business every day will be faced with
a situation where the values of the organization will be tested. A shady deal,
discounts, cash payments to avoid VAT, backhands, employments and awarding
contract all amounts to having to measure yourself against what you say in your
mission and values statements. But who holds us accountable; who if anyone,
will keep an eye out for what we do? Some I have chatted to hold to the
position that you are only guilty if you get caught and others only if ...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Monday, October 11, 2010,
In :
Techno Tuesday
One of the most frustrating things about
Social Media is the amount of different platforms, passwords and logins you
need just to be able to move around and still be recognized as you. I want to
share a few ideas on how to make this a bit simpler for you and allow you to
enjoy your time online involved in conversations.
Firstly, allow your browser (Google Chrome
is best for this) to save your passwords and login details for you, this will
allow you to just click open your platform and it wil...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Sunday, October 10, 2010,
In :
EI Clients
Each week we focus
our spotlight on one of our members, this week we find Amanda Foster from
Coaching Connection. Amanda is also running a Pay It Forward Competition on her
blog. Read, Learn and
Win prizes to develop and improve your business.
Who are you? I am a woman, a
friend, a listener, a supporter, a teacher, a student of life, a singer, a
quilter, a lover of the arts, theatre and music and an avid reader. I am on a
journey to be more aware, to be more present, to be more centred and ...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Saturday, October 9, 2010,
In :
Social Media
When putting all your online strategies
together it is important to always remember your ultimate goal: To start and
continue profitable conversations. But this is never as easy as it may seem, so
lets break it down into 5 simple steps, what I call the 5 C’s of online success.
Capture – You need to capture the
information of those who have visited your site or online platform. At least their
first name and some form of communication, either their email address of cell
number.
Posted by Bruce Wade on Friday, October 8, 2010,
In :
National Pride
The Cape Town Entrepreneurship Week runs
from 15 – 21 November. This now an annual event plans to put Cape Town on the
map as far as entrepreneurship, innovation, collaboration and small business
development. During the week there will be a host of small workshops, seminars,
open days, displays and meetings. These all peak into three main flagship
events at the CTICC, UWC and Khayalitsha. The Entrepreneur Incubator has put together
a series of Panel workshops that will be presented througho...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Wednesday, October 6, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
Its that time of the year again and business plan entries to the 2010 Entrepreneurship competition has been flooding in to Banwidth Barn, a Cape Town based business incubator who are the organisers for this years event. Entrepreneurs with exciting business plans has been urged to present them at the competition with attractive prizes on offer. Recently announced by Cape Town Business news the opportunity for fast-tracked access to funding, mentorship and global exposure has opened up for Cape...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Wednesday, October 6, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
SA’s biggest and most exciting
entrepreneur competition is now open for applications! This year, you can
win your share of almost R 2 million worth of exciting prizes, which include:
A
Corporate identity makeover
Laptops
Software
Business
development
Access
to funding
Networking
and business exposure
Many
more!
This competition is for you if:
Your
business is in an expansion phase
You
have a business idea that needs to be evaluated or funde...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Tuesday, October 5, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
The recent article on Fin24 by Marc Ashton about the rough times that Entrepreneurs go through has given many a sigh of relief to know that even the best have had times in the dark corners. My contribution was a collection of stories from various sources, including some of our very own EI members. Go read through the list and see if you can identify with any of them. All names were withheld to protect the integrity of businesses and personal egos.
Posted by Bruce Wade on Tuesday, October 5, 2010,
In :
Techno Tuesday
I am constantly searching for new cool tows
for our Techno Tuesday slot and recently I came across Xtranormal this very fun, easy to use
tool that allows you to develop videos with no editing or camera required. All
you need to do is to write a script and then add some Directors info and Presto
you have an awesome video. First mentions on this blog here and then I made my
own here and since then we have made a bunch for my children and plan to do a couple
more for various aspects of education...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Sunday, October 3, 2010,
In :
EI Clients
Each week we focus our spotlight on one of our members, this week we chat to Francis and Martin from Diletto. Who are you? Capetonians and Entrepreneurs Francis and Martin are the founders of Diletto the online Deli.
What do you do? Diletto is an
online deli, specializing in premium food and wine delicacies and gifts. iletto was
officially launched to the online shopping world in August 2008. Born out of
the passion and interest for fine food and wine, Diletto provides virtual...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Saturday, October 2, 2010,
In :
Entrepreneurship
The results of a recent survey done
on entrepreneurship in South Africa were released a few weeks ago.
This article from The Fin24/Entrepreneurship site:
One in six adults in
SA is a small business owner, according to FinScope SA's Small Business Survey
for 2010.
Released on Friday, the survey also indicated that two-thirds of these
businesses did not employ anyone other than the business owners, and 79% were
involved in product sales.
"Woman are more likely to be small business owners, altho...
Posted by Bruce Wade on Friday, October 1, 2010,
In :
Social Media
For those of you do not yet have a Facebook
Fan page for your business – get with the programme and get one today. Now!
For those who have one and do not yet have
a customized landing page for new visitors, check out what can be easily done
with a few clicks and calls. A simple and easy welcome page will direct readers
to like you and give them some meaningful information about what you do and how
it is done. See our one here
or Frenske’s Photography here
The Entrepreneur Incubator and Academy is a registered company in South Africa with a focus on developing Business Coaches in the Western Cape around Cape Town, but able to assist, coach, mentor and education entrepreneurs the world over
Subscribe here and we will email You our Blog articles
The characteristics of our normal
Entrepreneur is not as important as their ability to fully understand who, what
and why they are. T...
Every business every day will be faced with
a situation where the values of the organization will be tested. A shady deal,
discounts, cash payments to avoid VAT, backhands, employments and awarding
contract all amounts to having to measure yourself against what you say in your
mission and values statements. But who holds us accountable; who if anyone,
will keep an eye out for what we do? Some I have chatted to hold to the
position that you are only guilty if you get caught and others only if ...
The recent article on Fin24 by Marc Ashton about the rough times that Entrepreneurs go through has given many a sigh of relief to know that even the best have had times in the dark corners. My contribution was a collection of stories from various sources, including some of our very own EI members. Go read through the list and see if you can identify with any of them. All names were withheld to protect the integrity of businesses and personal egos. 
