Ever sense I left school in …, well long ago, I have had a sense of regret for what I was dealt. I do believe, now more than ever, that I was never given the education I required. This together with the Apartheid flavour of my schooling, we were brought up as white South Africans to work in corporations as managers with lots of Black people reporting to us. That is what we were told, over and over again. We even had ‘Veld-Skool’ or what I would now call Apartheid Boot Camp where we were further indoctrinated into the governments ways of thinking. This all followed by two years in the army where further brain washing was done, no wonder it took me a further 20 years to figure out what I was really meant to do with my life.

This week we see a different scenario in education. OBE has failed us again, or is it the educators or Ministers or just the lazy children. How can four schools in KZN get a 0% pass rate? This just does not comprehend in my mind. Help me understand this.

Each day I get to meet with people who are desperate to find some sort of work that will fulfill their passions and talents. They are so entrenched in the cubicle nation way of thinking and have never been taught to think outside the box or even contemplate risk let alone break any of the rules to get there.

Being an entrepreneur is something that needs to be fed and switched on. It is that inner desire to be different, to solve problems that may not yet exist. Entrepreneurs are not paper pushers or rules followers, we are free thinkers and rules breakers, how else can one be creative.

Here is to all those who have found their inner passion and have found the true self and have been bold and brave enough to leap into their future with confidence. Cheers!

With the Matric results due on Thursday and tension building for not only learners but also departments of education and Ministers alike. A lot of work has gone into this year’s matrics and the results should be positive. But what of the future for the class of 2009?

For those fortunate enough to go on to further education,  2 out of every 3 first year students will drop out and not return to complete their degree. Those who take the gap year will reduce the chances of further education by up to 40% and those who do neither only 19% will be able to find employment within the next 12 months.

Pretty grim statistics: The way the economy is leaning these statistics point directly to the huge opportunity of entrepreneurship and small business ownership. The success rate of small businesses within an incubator system is as high as 80%, those in an active coaching and mentoring programme can increase this even more.

So if you are one of those looking bleakly at your future not knowing what to do or how to get it done, we invite you to join in our Entrepreneurship for school leavers programme kicking off this month. Register here to secure your seat for the future and lets start building a financial platform that will create sustainable income for you, even while you are studying or deciding what to do.

We are securing sponsorships from various businesses who will be offering prizes and support to those who achieve on our programme that could accelerate your business to years beyond your initial estimates. Registration can be done here. Look forward to your future with confidence.

As our Matrics of 2009 are almost half way through their exams, we begin to ponder on what the future holds for many of them. In my day it was easy; Army or further education. This was before the whole ‘gap year’ thing was invented.

Today it is a different story; we have been warned of low Matric results and the expectancy of 71% of Matrics facing unemployment next year.

Options are limited and often rest on the individual to make their own futures.

To make it a bit easier we are offering school leavers of 2009 and previous years an exclusive four day workshop to those who may have an interest in beginning a small business for themselves.

If this is you or you know someone who needs to attend this then go here to register. We have a limited amount of seats so first clicks get preference.

We are also offering movie and meal vouchers to every 10th registration.

If you are graduating or have recently graduated from high school and want to assist us in compiling some information on what is happening to school leavers then please give us 20 seconds of your time to complete this survey.

Click here to answer just 7 questions. Thanks

If you are or know of any person leaving school this year or in the past few years who would benefit from an injection of enthusiasm and information about opening their own business then please check this not to be missed course.

Entrepreneurship for Matrics is a series of four half-day workshops that will help develop the understanding of what it takes to be an entrepreneur and explore the criteria to start a business.

The workshop runs for 4 days, from 09:00 – 12:00 each day.

Topics covered will include:

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship
• Building a business on your strengths
• How feasible is your idea
• Small business marketing
• Using social Media to leverage an advantage
• Building block to success
• Making it happen

Click here to get your name on our list and we will contact you with dates and venues.