You know that sacred time and space between deep sleep and fully awake? The place where everything is possible and all ideas are flawless. This is the space I enjoy most about my day. It does not happen often that the time is long enough to enjoy, usually interrupted by “Mommy, I need to wee” from the kids room or a truck rumbling by on the main road but when it all happens like nature intended, this time can produce some amazing quantum leaps.

Two ideas came to mind this week: First Lithium Nitrate and then 44357. Ok, if you are now lost, let me explain before you click away and find a more friendly blog to read. Lithium Nitrate (LINO₃) is that red explosive stuff that they use in fireworks, the stuff that always produces that ‘wow’ and ‘Ahaaa’ sounds from the onlookers. It burns with a deep red fire glow that seems to linger in the brain for days to come. I want my business to be like Lithium Nitrate. We need to penetrate the dark and bring hope and ‘Ahaaa’ to our members and business owners. This I am working on.

As for 44357, this can be transposed to 4HELP on a keypad. A brilliant idea for a business. Just enter in your keywords and sms to 4Help to receive instructions. From changing a car tire to making pancakes. Never be stuck again. Hey! maybe we can do a 4-Help for Business owners with marketing and financial ideas?

See if we share the ideas we have in that ‘anything can work’ stage maybe, just maybe we will bring a spark to some one else’s idea that turns into a LINO₃ idea.

The global Entrepreneurship Week is almost upon us with events being held in both Jozi and Cape Town.

If you have not yet read all about it then go here for Fred’s article. If you are at all interested in growing your business or knowing what is happening in the entrepreneurial world then get going and book a seat. I have reserved a place at the Cape Town Biznetwork talk for Wednesday 18th November. This is an FNB sponsored event so you need to be a member of their network to get a free seat. so go here to sign up and go here to reserve your seat and get to the President Hotel to mingle with me and other mover and shakers in the E world. See you there.

Here are ten different categories of business ideas that you can safely bet on for the future.

1.     Environmental. Any business with a positive affect on the Environment. Solar energy, recycle, alternate power etc.

2.     Debt Advice. With the ever growing awareness of people in debt, any sort of financial counselling, education or debt regulation will do very well over the next 5 years. Just make sure you can still get paid for this, as most of your clients will be broke.

3.     Convenience. Any product or service that adds a form of convenience to the lives of the hard working and lazy has a huge developing market. Services such as ready made home cooked suppers, laundry services, garden services, walk the dog, pay your bills, wash your car. You get the drift.

4.     Services for the Aged. There is a huge sector of the population that is getting older and not dieing. Any services that are focused at looking after these people will blossom. Again look at costs and service ability. These could be a simple bus service to the shops. Outings to places of interest. Entertainment activities. Sporting packages. Skydiving – only kidding.

5.     Cellular Communication. Any add-on product or service that moves with the times of the huge cellular market will do well. We have seen many new products come out recently that adds convenience and ease of use. Moneyless transaction, online chat, booking services, status enquiries etc.

6.     Home Entertainment. We are spending more time at home in the evening, give us things to do. Wii, movies, Pizza, dress up, dress down…

7.     Online Shopping. I think that SA is on the brink of the online shopping revolution that other countries have come to see. As confidence grows with online banking transactions the 2.4 million users in SA will begin to shop.

8.     Beauty and Body Care. Lipstick, gym, personal training, loose fat, look good, feel sexy. Any product that does that for me, I’m buying.

9.     African Development. The doors are opening into Africa. (Except Zim.) A lot of our large retailers have paved the road up north. Small business needs to follow and claim the markets.

10. Low Life Expectancy. The flip side to #4. We are also seeing a huge death rate due to HIV, TB and maybe next year N1H4. Any services linked to death will be booming. Undertakes, coffin makers, funeral policies and related services.

Today marks the end of a 6-month journey with our Louis Group Business Academy final presentation to a panel of business authorities. Our original team of 8, now only 4 has worked hard to develop a new business plan that aims to resolve a major issue in health care in South Africa. We were very brave and ambitious to take on such a huge monster but we are confident that what we have developed is not only feasible but life changing and life saving.

The team will present our business plan in a short but focused presentation tonight and then await the final appraisal before discussion the next stage of the project, if we will take it further than just an academic exercise.

My thanks for all those who have played a huge roll in this project and hope that we do it justice in our presentation.

The Entrepreneur Incubator has extended their offering to small businesses who are finding it more difficult to make it in these tough economic times.

 Even with an interest cut on the near horizon many small businesses are beginning to feel the real pinch of the slowing economy, this is a time when businesses need to buckle down and think more strategically about what and how we do business.

 Business owners are often too close to their own business and market to analysis it unemotionally. The incubator is now offering EI-Mentor a monthly mentoring workshop with groups of entrepreneurs and business owners at various locations in and around Cape Town. Each session will be 3 to 4 hour long and will focus on strategy, planning and business development using proven tools and techniques.

 If you find your business in a state of stuckness and pending doom, then consider the option of meeting with a business mentor and others in the similar state to plan and work together to once again find that financial freedom and growth within your business. For as little as R850 per month you get to attend the workshop followed up with notes and worksheets as well as access to a coach for any follow up issues. Additional one-on-one sessions are available at a reduced price for those on the EI-Mentor programme.

 Give us a click or call for more information