Notes from the Journey of the Radio 702 / Cape Talk Money Show R1000 ($100) Business Startup Challenge
How I made a Profit in just 6 Weeks and How You Can Too
Tips for Micro-business Entrepreneurs

Monday, December 31, 2012

Write Your Goals.

Taken directly from "Morning Motivation" which I receive daily from Mike Murdock. His website is a great resource of wisdom for business people..
Take time to write down carefully what you want to accomplish with your life. Writing down your goals makes you more decisive. The 15 minutes you invest in making a Daily Schedule will be multiplied 100 fold before the end of the month. Visualization of a goal builds remarkable confidence. Planners can predict their success. The secret of Uncommon Achievers is linking tasks to their Calendar. “Then the LORD answered me and said, "Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.” Habakkuk 2:2.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Leaving a Wonderful Legacy

Today I was sparked and inspired by a lovely sermon by one of our Pastors, Mason Naidoo. On Leaving a Legacy. One of the points in his sermon was about perseverance which I've focused on over the past week in Blog posts here.

"By Perseverance the Snail Eventually Reached the Ark" Charles Spurgeon.

One of the Legacies we can leave is the Legacy of "Refusing to Quit". We may be aware of a great destiny or purpose or calling that we need to fulfil with our lives. But what is the point of that if we quit? Many times, people give up hope, some even reach such a point of desperation they may be tempted to commit suicide (sadly some already did). But what if, with all the years of trying, and failing, what if they'd persisted and found their breakthrough just the next week? We should never give up. (Winston Churchill's famous words ring in my ears: "Never, never, never give up".)

Are you willing to let go of past disappointments, failures, pains, hopelessness? Isn't it time to re-write your Legacy in Life? Don't give up. Refusing to quit might be one of the greatest acts of Spiritual Warfare you have ever done.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

5 Things Every Happy Person Does

Although you don't need to be happy to run a successful business I believe it certainly helps! Here are 5 Tips to help you get there if you think you might have lost a bit of your usual "joy de vivre":

  1. Find your Golden Self. Work towards Excellence, based on your unique talents and skills, continually taking on new challenges and fulfilling your Purpose in life.
  2. Design your Life to Bring Joy. Spend time daily, doing those things that bring you the most joy! Maybe it's a run. Playing with the dog. Or your child. Reading a book. Sketching. Writing. It's been proven that watching TV does the opposite, so don't count time spent watching TV.. Action your Design/Plan. Make Deliberate Changes where necessary.
  3. Avoid "if only" fantasies. Keep your life full of novelty. Do something differently. Choose a different dish at your "usual" restaurant.
  4. Put your Best Friends First. Social engagement is one of the most important things to maintaining Happiness. Spend time with friends. Not in heavy discussions. Just "hang out" with them.
  5. Allow yourself to Be Happy. Have fun without feeling guilty over it!



Friday, December 28, 2012

Persistence

Persistence is a State of Mind, it can be cultivated. Like all states of mind, persistence is based upon definite causes, including:
1. Definitiveness of Purpose. Knowing what you want is the most important step.
2. Desire. Persistence is easy to acquire and maintain in pursuing the object of intense desire.
3. Self-reliance. Belief in your ability to carry out a plan encourages you to follow-through.
4. Definitiveness of Plans. Organised plans encourage persistence.
5. Accurate knowledge. Knowing that your plans are sound, based on knowledge or experience, encourages persistence.
6. Co-operation. Sympathy, understanding and harmonious co-operation with others tends to develop persistence.
7. Willpower. The habit of concentrating your thoughts on building plans for the achievement of a definite purpose leads to persistence.
8. Habit. Persistence is the direct result of habit. The mind absorbs, and becomes part of the daily experiences upon which it feeds. Fear, the worst of all enemies, can be effectively cured by forced repetition of acts of courage.
Taken directly from Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich”.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Symptoms of Lack of Persistence

1. Failure to recognise and clearly define exactly what you want.
2. Procrastination, with or without cause (usually backed up with a formidable array of alibis and excuses)
3. Lack of interest in acquiring specialized knowledge.
4. Indecision, the habit of “passing the buck” on all occasions, instead of facing issues squarely (also backed by alibis).
5. The habit of relying upon alibis instead of creating definite plans for the solution of problems
6. Self-satisfaction. There is but little remedy for this affliction and no hope for those who suffer from it.
7. Indifference, usually reflected in your readiness to compromise on all occasions, rather than meet opposition and fight it.
8. The habit of blaming others for your mistakes, and accepting unfavourable circumstances as being unavoidable.
9. Weakness of desire due to neglect in the choice of motives that impel action.
10. Willingness, even eagerness, to quit at the first sign of defeat (based upon one or more of the six basic fears).
11. Lack of organized plans, placed in writing where they may be analysed.
12. The habit of neglecting to move on ideas, or to grasp opportunity when it presents itself.
13. Wishing instead of willing.
14. The habit of compromising with poverty instead of aiming at riches – a general absence of ambition to be, to do, and to own.
15. Searching for all the short-cuts to riches, trying to get without giving a fair equivalent, usually reflected in the habit of gambling or endeavouring to drive “sharp” bargains.
16. Fear of criticism, failure to create plans and to put them into action because of what other people will think, do or say.
Taken directly from “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. Tomorrow’s Blog post will deal with Persistence!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Be Ready to Speak


I believe every business person should be ready at any time to give an “impromptu” speech. Toastmasters International is a great organization, and if you are in business but think you’re a shocking public speaker I’d recommend you join them for at least a year and get involved. I am a Charter Member of Midrand Toasters (for those who don’t know the term, it means I helped “found” the Club). Although I already was quite good at public speaking (most schools help you with this by the time you leave), by the time I finished with Toastmasters I held the title of “Competent Toastmaster” and I feel comfortable speaking in any forum. It’s a useful skill to have. Donald Trump gives a few tips for public speaking in his book “How to Get Rich”. 
• Think about your audience fist
• Get your audience involved
• Be prepared
• Be a good storyteller
• Be aware of the common denominator
• Be an entertainer
• Be able to laugh at yourself
• Think on your feet
• Listen
• Have a good time

He ends by suggesting you study Regis Philburn (American public speaking expert).

Monday, December 24, 2012

Mobile Shoppers Beat the Rush

More South African shoppers are avoiding the rush at stores by turning to their mobile phones to do their Christmas shopping.

"Based on the astounding uptake in our mobi services, Santa's biggest little helper this Christmas will be mobile shopping platforms," Gary Novitzkas, CEO of South African online retailer kalahari.com, said in a statement last week. When kalahari.com launched its mobile platform in March this year, it recorded growth of 37% within a month of its launch and over 200% in the period to September 2011.

Mobile cannot be ignored

Over 70% of South Africa's population own a mobile phone, and mobile internet access is fast surpassing PC internet access, making mobile a commercial channel that cannot be ignored. A recent Mobile Shopping Survey conducted by kalahari.com not only shows that 51% of connected South Africans access the mobile internet every day, but that they also have intent to transact, with 26% of respondents having already made a purchase and a further 53% considering it.

"Mobile shopping is still a small base of overall transaction volume and we are aware that consumers need to be comfortable with retrieving information and content before they become at ease with making transactions on mobile devices," said Novitzkas.

The usual favourites

Kalahari anticipates similar favourites similar to those from its website to be purchased on its mobile site this festive season. "Top selling categories on our mobi site to date have been books, then DVDs, then games followed by technology, and we can expect much of the same for this festive season.

"As shoppers become more comfortable with mobi we will see bigger purchases taking place and technology to shift higher up the ranks," said Novitzkas. He said that shopping on the move allowed shoppers to compare prices, research gift ideas, redeem electronic vouchers and watch for special deals, while also saving time and money.

"Our aim is to alleviate the stress of Christmas shopping by making it as convenient as possible, as well as offering great value and an extensive range of 'must have' items." 

SAinfo reporter

Read more: Trends

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Tips to Avoid Burnout in your Startup

On Friday I met someone who said their Doctor had diagnosed them as suffering from Burnout. In September this person had an extended bout of ‘flu and somehow just never regained their energy since then. Burnout is one of the dangers one may face when starting up any new business. Here are a few things you can do that would help avoid this problem. If one doesn’t take this seriously it could affect your income drastically later on should it develop into something like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

1. Schedule regular social activities
It doesn’t have to be something hectic like river rafting on the Orange River. A monthly breakfast at a coffee shop with people you don’t see every day would do the trick. The main objective being to pull yourself out of a rut.

2. Keep up a fitness plan
The best way to deal with stress and avoid burnout. This is an excellent New Year’s Resolution. The best way I find to force myself into the discipline is to enter a Race for 3 months time that is a bit of a “stretch” for me (like a 21km). Then work my training around getting fit for that. If that is too much for you, work on a strenuous walk in daily.

3. Get involved with a hobby
Best to have this in a completely different field from what you do daily. For me this is painting: It uses completely different skills sets to what I use daily, and makes me feel completely relaxed a few hours into it.

4. Volunteer
If you’re feeling run down or “low” the best way to get out of it is to get involved with a local community project like an orphanage, a soup kitchen or something like that. At one stage I got involved knitting teddy bears for a project for a few local orphanages. It was very fulfilling (although some of my friends still cannot believe I can actually knit!)

5. Write out your Goals
Take a bit of time out to put things into perspective and work out what your plans, goals, dreams are for the next year.

6. Ask for help
Not easy to do, but sometimes it’s better to ask for help to get back on track. Other people sometimes can see the wood for the trees and help us to focus on what matters.

7. Watch a comedy
There is a good reason for the saying “laughter is the best medicine”. It really works to lift one’s senses.

8. Start the day with a morning ritual
Slow your life down. Instead of waking up and rushing out the door, set your alarm a few minutes earlier than usual and spend the “extra” time sitting in a sunny spot in your living room or garden with a cup of coffee and some quiet time just with yourself and the birds.

10. Stop making excuses
Face the problems that plague you “head on”. Each problem has a solution within it. Do what works. 

Avoiding burnout is something one needs to be vigilant over. There are probably plenty more things one can do, if you have any ideas, add them in the comments below..

Saturday, December 22, 2012

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a list of some of the Questions most often asked by Customers (or potential customers) visiting the Beautiful Bracelets website:

Q: How do I know if the Beautiful Bracelets will fit me (or the person I am giving them to as a gift)?

A: These are stretch Bracelets, so generally they are made as a “one size fits all”. So far, we have not had a problem with any customer order. However, we have occasionally received orders for a child under 10, in which case it would be best to mention this in the order (there is a place for additional notes from the customer when placing the order) as the Beautiful Bracelet can be tailored to fit a younger child. One Dad ordered the same shade of Beautiful Bracelet (baby pink) in 3 sizes: for his wife, his 9 year old daughter and his 2 year old daughter). Each Bracelet had to be sized very slightly differently. I wouldn’t advise ordered Beautiful Bracelets for a toddler since it might only last a few days in a child’s hands, depending on how active they are! They are elasticized therefore could be fragile with rough handling by a child.

Q: What if I am not happy with my order?
A: We have a full replacement/refund policy on all products provided we are informed within 7 days of receipt of delivery. So far, we have not had a customer who expressed lack of satisfaction, to the contrary, each customer has been overjoyed with the product and the level of service.

Q: When will the book be published:“1000 Beautiful Bracelets: How I made a profit from R1000 ($120) in just 6 weeks and how you can too”?


A: The publisher, Modjaji Books has stated that the book should be published in April 2013.

Q: How can I order a copy of the book and how much will it be?


A: You can order online via the Beautiful Bracelets website www.beautifulbracelets.co.za. The book will be priced around R140, although we are not receipting monies yet for the book. The book will be available at retailers in South Africa and online via our website or  www.kalahari.com


If you have any other questions, let us know in the Comments section below this post and we will answer every question.

Friday, December 21, 2012

SA Blog Awards

We entered "1000 Beautiful Bracelets" into the 2012 SA Blog Awards with a little trepidation, since the 1000 Beautiful Bracelets Blog was only launched at the beginning if October this year as a result of the Radio 702 Cape Talk Money Show Challenge. As it turns out, the two categories we entered into, being "Business" and "Arts and Crafts" are both new categories as of this year, previously "Business" and "Politics" Blogs were combined. As it turns out, the Winner of the Business/Political category for 2011, hayibo.com have announced they will be closing down soon due to lack of finances. Sad. "Best Arts and Crafts" Blog is also a new category into which we are entered. All the voting is done online only and closes on 29 December 2012. Each person is allowed 2 votes, which means you can vote for "1000 Beautiful Bracelets" Blog twice, once for each category in which we"re entered. If you're reading this and haven't already voted, please click on the Rosette at the top right of this page and give us your vote? Thank you!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Plans for 2013

A discussion between Pavlo Phitidis and Bruce Whitfield on the Radio 702 /Cape Talk Money Show this evening touched on making goals for 2013. This is something I always try to do ahead of time for each New Year. Not Resolutions that will be thrown out by February: Specific Goals... I have found that when I set specific, measurable goals with time limits on each one, I tend to have an 80% success rate in achieving whatever goals are on the list. This does indicate that the goals were achievable, but I do try to “stretch” myself each time. Just a little. Although perhaps some of the 20% not achieved fall into the unrealistic type of goal. It’s still worth it to me. Sometimes those unreached goals just need a little more time to reach fruition.
So I decided to put some of my goals “out there” I haven’t sat down yet and written the specific plan, but I already know what some of them are likely to be. Some of these goals are an extension of certain things that I already know will be happening in 2013.
So one of my goals will relate to publicity. I am aware that there will be an article appearing in the January 2013 edition of EntrepreneurSA Magazine. This article will be on the Money Show Challenge which ran for 6 Weeks from 1 October to 12 November 2012. So this triggers a goal which will stretch me a little but won’t be impossible relating to publicity: I make it my goal to have 6 Press Releases published during next year. That works out to about 1 every 8 weeks. Should be possible.
Another goal relates to increasing Followers on Twitter and Facebook for Beautiful Bracelets. I would like at least 1000 Followers on Twitter. To this end, I will run a Competition on Facebook and Twitter (this seems to be what everyone else does to increase Followers if you’re not a Celebrity!). So I will do my best to run a Valentine’s Day Competition. Should be fun! Keep a look out for that.
The third Goal relates to the Book which is due to be published in April 2013: “1000 Beautiful Bracelets” How I made a profit from R1000 ($120) in just 6 weeks and how you can too. You can pre-order this Book on the Website, Beautiful Bracelets. I once heard that certain Publishers overseas won’t consider publishing a book that cannot make at least 4000 sales from the author’s own circle / contacts. I also once heard that in South Africa, because the market is so small, a book that sells more than 20,000 copies is considered a Best Seller! That seems like quite a minimal number of copies to sell, in my view. So my first goal is that sales of 4000 copies would happen quite quickly (for the sake of the Publisher). And then, of course, I would like to reach the next goal during the year if at all possible – to sell more than 20,000 copies: whether that figure makes it a “Best Seller” or not, it’s a nice figure to aim for. If each person who reads the book actually decides to “do” the book (or put it in the hands of a friend or family member together with the R1000 startup capital to “do” the book), that would be an incredible achievement. Can you imagine what kind of an impact we could have in our country ‘s economy if 20,000 people started a business and employed one other person each.
It would be amazing. A dream come true! I will work on many other goals for Beautiful Bracelets in 2013, but these are enough to start with!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Ideas for Business: 10 Fastest Growing Industries in America

Here is a list of the 10 Fastest Growing Industries which, given some thought, could help you focus on an aspect of one of these areas to focus on for a new business idea. Each of these industries is expected to experience growth within the next 5 years. Certainly, it seems that many of these businesses are also doing well in other parts of the world including South Africa:

  • 3D Printer Manufacturing
  • Hot Sauce Production
  • Generic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
  • Pilates & Yoga Studios
  • For-Profit Universities
  • Self-Tanning Product Manufacturing
  • Online Eyeglasses & Contact Lens Sales
  • Green and Sustainable Building Construction
  • Solar Panel Manufacturing
  • Social Network Game Development
Source: IBIS World

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

How I got the idea for Beautiful Bracelets

About two years ago, I was working on an international project, promoting the Quartet of Peace (four instruments: two violins, a viola and a cello made by violinmaker, Brian Lisus to honour the four South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureates). I arranged the inaugural Concerts for the instruments to be launched and presented to the public, these were held in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Leipzig, Paris and London. Whilst arranging the two Paris Concerts, I liaised closely with Lainey Trequesser, a South African who has lived there now for over 40 years. When Lainey arrived in South Africa for the first Quartet of Peace Concerts, she gave me a "friendship bracelet", a really beautiful beaded stretch bracelet, which I loved so much, after a couple of years of wearing it almost every day, I wanted to make another just like it in case it perished with over-use. Around June 2012 I heard that someone had come all the way from Zimbabwe to Midrand to purchase beads for a new business she was doing, making jewellery! This was apparently a warehouse of beads in Midrand that I'd never heard of! Which surprised me, since I'd lived in Midrand since 1990. Sure enough, Allure Beads had every bead colour I needed to re-make the bracelet and much more! That bracelet was a rainbow comprising many colours, similar to the one above, and I had to buy at least 10 different strands of 100 beads each to make one bracelet. So I decided to make more, to give away to friends. After a bit, someone suggested I should sell them. I sold a few. This provided market research because the in the process of selling the bracelets people started telling me what they liked and gave me ideas I could work on and improve on until I got the designs for the Beautiful Bracelets that are now sold on the website, and that everyone loves! Once I'd sold to a few friends in June 2012, the idea went on the backburner for a few months and I actually forgot about it until the 1st of October when Bruce Whitfield mentioned he was seeking a listener to be a contestant in the R1000 Challenge on Radio 702 / Cape Talk, competing against their in house business experts.. The day I called in I was actually wearing one of the Bracelets and this gave me, on the spur of the moment, the business idea I presented on that life-changing phone call..

Monday, December 17, 2012

Selling on Facebook: Why you need a Page

Within 3 weeks of the Startup of Beautiful Bracelets I sold a Bracelet to someone I don’t know, via the Facebook Business Page I created on Day 1. One of my friends who was at University with me in KZN is now teaching in Shanghai, China. She “liked” one of the photo’s I posted with a link to the Beautiful Bracelets website. One of HER friends (whom I don’t know and have never met), who is living in Durban was curious about why she “liked” the page, clicked on it, and immediately contacted me to purchase a Beautiful Bracelet for someone’s 21st Birthday. The Beautiful Bracelet was delivered in Durban overnight, she had it the next day! So the time is over when you can think of Facebook as a “good idea” for businesses to try. With over 500 million ACTIVE users, you simply have to be there! Here are some simple steps to get it done fast.

Facebook keeps changing things, so if this is out of date by the time you read this, their “help” guide would be able to help you. These are key pointers that may help you right now:

(1) Choose a classification: Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php and from there, choose one of the following classifications that best fit your business:
  • Local Business or Place
  • Artist, Band, or Public Figure
  • Company, Organization, or Institution
  • Entertainment
  • Brand or Product
  • Cause or Community
These will facilitate better search results (people finding you online). Once selected, choose a category (carefully, this cannot be changed once you confirm your business name, if you make a mistake you have to delete and start over) then fill out your business name.

(2) Fill out Basic Information. Upload a photo (pre-sized to 180x180, you can use one of the photo re-sizing programs to do this, I use IrfanView but Picasa works well too. It just is quicker if the photo fits well. This could be your Company Logo if you already have one. Fill out the “About” section, 2-3 lines, a short few phrases that “sell” the company or product and give the special features of your brand, include a link to your website here.

(3) Administration: Use your Admin Panel, it’s a useful tool to manage your Page and build Audiences (potential buyers/clients/customers). You can update the basic info provided earlier in “Update Info”. It allows you to add a description, giving more details than previously given in the “About” section. “Update Info” allows you to update the basic information you’ve already given, with more details selling your product or service, include your website here too. If you are a micro business you probably won’t have too many Page Administrators (you may need to delegate people to reply to comments as you grow busier). The other options allow you to manage your notifications and add page permissions.

Build Audience: Be strategic, rather make the page look interesting with content and interactions from one or two friends before you invite many more people to join your Page. Once you get to 30+ Facebook gives you useful statistics and insight, so for a micro business this would be your first goal. You could even create an Ad to generate more users.

(4) Fill your Page with Great Content.

Cover Photo. Put your best, most appealing photo here, the dimensions should be 851X315 (its just quicker if you pre-size the photo correctly using IrfanView or Picasa or similar).

Custom Tabs. Facebook allows endless Custom Tabs (Photos, Events, Competitions, etc) but bear in mind 4 are visible, the rest are hidden until clicked on.

Posts. Use a variety of posts, content, photos, video links relevant to your customers that will have the effect of making them interested to purchase your product or service. I try to have a more subtle approach on Facebook, in my view this is a “soft sell” although I have actually had nearly 30 percent of my sales generated as a result of people seeing the products, photos and comments on Facebook! The great thing is that my Blog gives me good insight as to what people are interested in.

Monitor: It may be fantastic to have a stunning Facebook Page but certain statistics have shown that failure to respond via social channels can lead to up to 15% of your customers preferring to purchase elsewhere! Be sure to respond to comments and messages not only to let your fans know you care about them, but certainly to avoid the detrimental effects of NOT doing so!

(5) Measure yourself. By this stage, you’ve built and shared a Facebook page that accurately reflects your business. Use the “View Insights” option (lower middle of the Admin panel). This enables you to monitor what’s working, what isn’t so that you can grow and adapt your marketing efforts and improve your Facebook content and Strategy.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Think and Grow Rich

I am reading a revised, updated version of the Napoleon Hill classic “Think and grow rich”, which by the time of Napoleon Hill's death in 1970 had sold over 70 million copies worldwide. It was first published in 1937. The first Chapter is about “Desire” and for those who haven’t read the book I will quote (abridged) a short section that has worked for Beautiful Bracelets, even within the Money Show Challenge.

The method by which desire for riches can be transmuted into its financial equivalent consists of six definite, practical steps:
1.Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire
2.Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire
3.Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire
4.Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once whether you are ready or not, to put the plan into action.
5.Write out a clear, concise statement of the money you intend to acquire. Name the time limit for its acquisition. State what you intend to give in return for the money, and clearly describe the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
6.Read your written statement out loud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after rising in the morning. AS YOU READ, SEE, FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.

It works. If you follow the 6 steps exactly. I believe this book should be standard reading for any aspiring entrepreneur.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Just Do It!

The illustration in the book “The Secret” of the way you handle a journey sticks in my mind. If you are embarking on a road trip to New York City, commencing in Los Angeles, you don’t need to know the detail of the journey. Just start driving, the “way” to get from A to B will unfold as you go. The visual image I had in my mind was of a car, travelling at night, its headlights lighting up the first 100m. Then once you pass that landmark, the next 100m is lit up, and so on and so on until you reach your destination.
It is the same with a new venture or startup business. You may have an idea. But you may not know exactly how to get to the final destination of where you want to go with the idea. Just start. The “way” will unfold as you go. This has worked for me in several businesses. Too many people sit around, waiting for everything to be “perfect” before they start. Very often they never actually get the business going, because life although it can get very close to perfect, will never BE perfect this side of eternity!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Christmas and Beyond

The last date for Orders for Beautiful Bracelets or Beautiful Pendants should you wish these gifts to be Christmas presents in time to be placed under the Tree is Tuesday 18 December, for any destination within South Africa. Most people in South Africa take the week off between Christmas and New Year to get some rest and relaxation with friends or family, whether in the country or overseas. Should you check back on this Blog, there will be inspirational posts to help gear up for a great 2013! If you're already on your way to wherever your holiday will be, we wish you safe travels and a Wonderful holiday! If you still have some last-minute shopping to wrap up before you go, why don't you consider checking out what the website Beautiful Bracelets has to offer at a very good price, you could make a friend or loved one very happy! It could even be delivered to your destination of choice. Every person who owns a Beautiful Bracelet just loves wearing it!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Beautiful Pendants is Launched!

At the time of the Radio 702 Money Show Challenge, Tracey Webster, CEO of the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurial Development recommended Beautiful Bracelets’ next step may be to branch out into other product lines, like Pendants. A week before the Grande Finale, we had actually designed and made up a Beautiful Pendant and Bracelet set to be auctioned on a Charity Art Auction in aid of the Starfish Foundation. Today we carried through with the idea, and launched “Beautiful Pendants”. We had previously secured the domain www.beautifulpendants.co.za and will be pointing that domain to the products page for Beautiful Pendants shortly. The Beautiful Pendant and Bracelet Gift sets make a great Gift idea. The deadline for orders to make it under the Tree in time for Christmas is Tuesday 18 December: Don’t delay, place your order now!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Saving Money in your Startup

The best way to save money so that you create a sustainable business is not to spend it. Avoid the following wasteful spending practices and you will build capital quicker:

  1. Spending on advertising, signage, brochure, designer website. Rather use every resource you have to create awareness of your product, there are plenty of cost free methods around including marketing to friends and their friends via social media and email. Design your own website using www.wozaonline.co.za. We did, for Beautiful Bracelets and have had many compliments on it!
  2. Don't waste money on business cards, customised stationery, designer logo's (design it yourself). All these things initially can be printed on your own computer, for very little. If you're using an internet cafe/Postnet, you can print a few as needed to save costs once you have a template. Get free templates from MSWord or Publisher,, or go online to www.avery.com or www.redfern.co.za to create your own labels, business cards, invoices. Stationery in South Africa for any of these templates is available from Waltons, and you could more than halve your costs at the early stages of your business by going this route. At some point, as your reach expands, it becomes cost effective to use a dedicated printing service, but initially, doing it yourself, you can print a few of each as required..
  3. Expensive office suites. Rather work from home. In my first business, I justified having expensive offices in an upmarket business area, it nearly put me under in the first year. The justification to myself was the image it projected to clients, but quite frankly, I usually met them at their offices, not mine, and eventually to save costs for a season I moved to work from home. That initial outlay of 2 years' office rental would have been a great capital injection to take the business to the next level after 2 years, instead of which it took longer to establish that business.
  4. Luxury Company car. Definitely a way to eat into your cash. 
  5. Bank charges. In South Africa Bank Charges are still too high. I would recommend any startup in South Africa to bank with Capitec (no fees). Shop around, negotiate the best deal for your business if at all possible.
  6. Data. Although we believe and hope these costs will come down rapidly within the next year or two, data charges are high. You have no choice over in an online business, at Beautiful Bracelets we reduce our "spend" on data by making use from time to time of the unlimited free wireless data at Cappucino's, Midrand. They know all about how to create loyal customers!
  7. Phone calls. Expensive in South Africa, even for local calls.Use text/SMS and for calls, use Viber (smartphone app) or Skype.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Create a Blog for Your Startup

A Blog  is a useful tool to inspire or help others, provide updates, information about new product launches and opportunities as well as to share greater detail on a highlight or opportunity with your potential customers that  may be too much information for other platforms (website or social media). Some tips:

Don't become too promotional. People don't want to read advertisements, if they want to do that they will click on the adverts at the side of your Blog. Make sure the links to your website are clearly visible. A reader pointed out that the link to Beautiful Bracelets wasn't clear (actually he said it wasn't there). It was, but I fixed the visibility.

Plan Ahead. Work out what themes you want to cover, perhaps a series of topics you want to write about. I don't believe a Blog should be too long. Break up one potentially over-long post into several rather than load your reader with too much information in one sitting. People are more likely to follow your Blog longer term if your posts are organised.

Use Photos. Give your page a visual interest with good photos. Bad quality ones can make it look cheap. Take photos of your business in action, your products on the go, your employees, custsomers/clients or other businesses you interact with. Makes it more interesting to read. If you can't take your own quality photos (which I feel is the best way, at least they're original), use stock photos.

Be hands on. Encourage action. Ask for feedback. Platforms like WordPress or Blogger make it very easy to create and manage a Blog. You can read a comparison of  the two here. Get a dedicated domain. This Blog actually goes under www.1000beautifulbracelets.com

Generate Sales and Leads for your Business. Referrals (or clickthrough's) from this Blog to the Beautiful Bracelets website have resulted in sales. And that, for me, is a very good reason for a Blog. The other reason is to help and inspire people who are perhaps thinking of or already running their own businesses.

Monday, December 10, 2012

It's like running a Marathon..

Running is one of my favourite forms of exercise. I've never been very fast, the fastest I managed 10km was under 50 minutes..nothing like the race times of the winners! But I enjoy it "because I can". Operating a small business is like running a marathon (half marathon for me, not sure I could go that far). It's not a sprint, you want your business to go the distance, not collapse after the first 100m dash!

Success takes Training: You have to exercise or work at it every day, and your once a week "rest" day is part of that training. When I'm training for a half marathon, I adjust the way I think, and I work on my stamina, and adjust every part of my life to achieve the goal. Which includes waking early, putting in the training (sometimes twice a day since this builds stamina for long distances quicker), training on longer and shorter routes, in all temperatures, practising on shorter races, making sure I have the right equipment (shoes, gear), eating and hydrating correctly. 21km is actually not very far in relation to the kind of Ultramarathons many South Africans run (Comrades, Two Oceans) but for me it is quite enough.

Race Day Conditions are not always ideal: The race is on, regardless of Race Day conditions! There are few things in life you can control. But you can control your preparation, your choices, and your attitude.

Overnight Success is Unrealistic: It can take 10 weeks to train for a Marathon. Things don't always go the way you think they will. Sometimes an injury or illness requires a new strategy or approach to achieve the goal. In the same way sales goals sometimes need a new approach. Sales goals seem more manageable when broken down into weekly goals.

The seemingly impossible can be achieved:  The Comrades Marathon is one example of that in running. In the same way, if you have a vision and a plan to support a new product or service you can do something you never thought was possible!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

What Can I Do To Help YOU Today?


I was surprised to find in the opening pages of Donald Trump’s book “How to Get Rich” these quotes:

The Mother of All Advice

Trust in God and be true to yourself.
-  Mary Trump, my (Donald’s) Mother

When I look back, that was great advice, concise and wise at once. I didn’t really get it at first, but because it sounded good, I stuck to it. Later I realized how comprehensive this is-how to keep your bases covered while thinking about the picture. It’s good advice no matter what your business or lifestyle.
- DJT

The quote I enjoy most from the biography I just read (George Washington Carver) told how his students at the University where he taught most of his latter years, asked him what time he wakes and how did he start his days. He said, he would wake each day at 4am, go somewhere quiet and spend time talking with God. Most of us have a shopping list of requests, needs, prayers requiring answers. George Washington Carver said all he did was ask God: Lord, what can I do to help you Today? George would then wait for the answer. And do it. 

I like that. A lot.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

One of History's Most Remarkable Men..

I am being inspired by the biography of George Washington Carver at the moment, an American Scientist, Botanist, Educator and Inventor who invented and promoted over 100 products made from peanuts including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline (petrol), and nitroglycerin. Born to slave parents, he was orphaned before he could walk. In his youth he fought poverty and throughout his life he battled prejudice. Yet he emerged as one of history's most remarkable men! It is an incredible story.
Photograph of George Washington Carver taken by Frances Benjamin Johnson in 1906

Another person whose biography inspired me earlier this year was that of Steve Jobs. I think what I remember most is that Steve had a sense of destiny. He knew from early on in his life (as a premonition) that he was not going to live long, so he had a sense of urgency to fulfil his life's purpose in a hurry. He was a perfectionist and one of the amazing things to me is that if he hadn't got involved in the computing industry you wouldn't be reading this Blog Post in a pretty type face. One of the elective courses Steve took after "dropping out" of university as a full time student was "Calligraphy". Hence the designer fonts we all have to choose from. Great, I love it when art and science meet in business.

I would encourage you, if you aren't already, to read the biographies of successful people. This is one of the places I gain very useful tips and information on how to run my own businesses and grow successful in them.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Persistence and Tenacity

A few excellent quotes to inspire you (and me):

"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."
Nelson Mandela, South African leader

“I haven't failed. I've found 10,000 ways that don't work.”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931);
Inventor, Businessman

“I think and think for months and years, ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955);
Theoretical Physicist, Philosopher, Nobel Prize Winner

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.”
Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933);
30th Us President

“If I had permitted my failures, or what seemed to me at the time a lack of success, to discourage me I cannot see any way in which I would ever have made progress.”
Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933);
30th Us President

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
Robert J. Collier (1876-1918);
Writer

“Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.”
F. Scott Fiztgerald (1896-1940);
Novelist, Screenwriter

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others let go.”
William Feather

“Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.”
Malcolm S. Forbes (1919-1990);
Publisher

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1886);
Author

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t. ”
Thomas Edison (1847-1931);
Inventor, Businessman

Just when the caterpillar thought its life was over, it became a butterfly.. Proverb

Thursday, December 6, 2012

How NOT to Start a Business

A great article in this month's Entrepreneur SA magazine has inspired this post. We desperately need new business startups in this country that will have a greater chance of success. Avoid some of these pitfalls if this is you:

Wrong reasons to start a business: 1) To become wealthy. 2) Job creation 3) Freedom

The main reason to start a business should be to fulfil a need in the marketplace. Better still, to fulfil a need that will evolve in the future, filling a niche that others haven't found yet. And your business should adapt and change as the market moves on too.

A key to success is having the right financial controls in place. "Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts" Proverbs 24:3-4

You need to know exactly where you stand at all times, keeping your finger on the pulse of things. Poor credit arrangements, lack of financial planning, unnecessary overheads, insufficient reserve funds or cashflow are amongst main reasons business startups fail. Don't use your new business profits like a piggy bank to splurge on luxuries. Decide on a monthly salary and don't go over that.

Be realistic, under-promise and over-deliver. Too many startup businesses make promises they can never make good on. Don't take on an order that is so fantastic there is no way you'd ever fill it. If you can realistically produce 10,000 units, then you need to turn down an order for 100,000 until your capacity for the production is there. Or ask for an extended time period to deliver that will fit your production capacity.

Keep it simple, stay focused, and get the right people for the job. If you pay attention to all these things, your business will have a better chance of success.

For more on the Article that inspired this Post, see Entrepreneur SA.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

How to See Opportunities Others Miss


We’ve all seen a great business idea start from scratch and either felt we could have done it or perhaps we even got the idea first and did nothing or told someone else and they ran with it!

Here are some things you can do now to prepare yourself so that you’re ready to grab the opportunity that comes past your nose next time:
  • Practice looking at the details, beyond what’s on the surface. Opportunities are in the details.
  • Train yourself to go the extra mile. Be prepared to do the things others couldn’t be bothered with. There’s very little competition in the second mile.
  • Don’t take complaints personally, rather learn from them. Be thankful and appreciative when people complain about your business. They give you an opportunity to improve, to fine-tune, to hone your business. From the outset, when Beautiful Bracelets started, I listened carefully to comments and criticisms which gave me an opportunity to improve the product. As a result, to date there have been no complaints or returns. But if there are, I will learn from that situation.
  • Embrace change, don’t run from it. This will give you an opportunity to see opportunities that others don’t.
  • Be flexible and adaptable. Someone who is rigid or set in their ways is more likely to miss opportunities whereas research has shown that creative solutions and innovative thinking are more likely a result of flexible thinking and adaptive responses to situations. Rigid thinking seldom solves a problem.


If you follow these tips, then hidden opportunities will attract your attention like a magnet.. Opportunities are everywhere. The trick is to recognise them, and having done so, pursue them!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Disaster Creates Opportunities

Valley of Desolation, Camdeboo National Park (Source: www.southafrica.net)
I really believe the best online businesses that will be the big names within the next 5 years are probably business ideas or concepts that no-one has even thought of up till now. As new situations arise and develop, and things happen that have never happened before, entire new industries will develop (at one time the internet was an “event” that had never happened before and now some of us depend on it for our livelihoods).There have been some amazing ideas even in South Africa that have sprung up.

Businesses can happen out of situations of great distress. For example, the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa has (sadly) been a massive source of prosperity for new (and old) businesses in South Africa. Some of the “old” business ideas have been the funeral parlours. AVBOB is probably the best known of them, established in Bloemfontein in 1921, it is probably a little known fact that the company is now one of the most successful in South Africa, with net income in the tax year 2011/12 posted at R820million (an increase from R456,6million in the previous year) whilst total assets increased over the same period by 19.5% to R6.2billion (see Chairman’s Report). I was actually shocked by these figures, particularly the increase year on year which indicates that the AIDS pandemic is far from being “under control” which our Government is very quiet about. I cannot imagine another reason for the doubling in turnover of a funeral service business, since South Africa has not had a sudden outbreak of War or other major catastrophe. Scary.

Another business in South Africa which was probably much needed previously, but became a viable business as a result of the sheer numbers of deaths due to the AIDS pandemic. I heard (from a reliable source, I once interviewed the Founder's Personal Assistant many years ago when she was looking for a career move!) this business was started as a result of a conversation between two people in a pub. One of them had a relative who’d passed away (around 1998) and was lamenting that he needed to repatriate the body to another country bordering South Africa for a burial according to local traditions but was struggling with the logistics, being unable to find anyone who could help. This birthed a new business where the founder secured deals with all the local insurance companies providing insurance policies, and started the first specialized business handling all the logistics for people who needed this service. It is a thriving business with its head office in Midrand, 21st Century Life, now with 25 branches across the country.

If you don’t ask, you won’t receive: Ask God for a new business idea, but when you get it, don’t speak about it: ACT swiftly and DO it!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Re-Seller Opportunities

In some countries (USA for one), you need to ensure you have the necessary permits:a Re-seller's Licence or Permit. I can't find anything like that in South Africa nor have I ever heard of it, if anyone has please let me know! The reason is that the VAT portion is removed for parts of the transaction. That isn't really applicable in this case since the VAT registration threshold in South Africa is R1million of taxable supplies per annum (2012). Beautiful Bracelets will be thrilled when it reaches that level!

I had been looking at other ways to sell Beautiful Bracelets, which included Re-Sellers, when people started approaching me directly to Re-sell Beautiful Bracelets, even from overseas! (Australia). The ones I am most excited about are the students, who at the moment in South Africa have their summer break of 2-3 months over December/January. Today I met one of them, who had listened to the entire Money Show Challenge and had been inspired by it to create her own small business on the side whilst she continues to complete the final year of her IT degree next year. I find this very exciting, because this is really the best way to solve the unemployment situation in South Africa in my view: Students need to be thinking about business already whilst working on their studies.. The long vacations are the perfection opportunity to practice starting a small business, and if you or someone you know is in that scenario, why not use the model given in the Radio 702 Challenge, and make a decision to work as hard as you can and see if you can make a go of it? The worst case scenario is you used R1000 and got no return. Or R50. Or, you could generate a profit of R3,750 or R4,850 or R12,000 or, like the incredible Pavlo Phitidis maybe you also have a brilliant idea and with a whole lot of hard work can multiply it into nearly R70,000 in just 6 weeks! 

It was truly gratifying today to be told by this Student that she had been inspired by the R1000 Money Show Challenge to do it herself which is why she contacted me to start her own small business, using her social networks to sell Beautiful Bracelets!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Acts of Love

Acts of Love 2012 Shoebox Project
Beautiful Bracelets loves working to help charities, like Acts of Love, who are involved with various social upliftment projects in the greater Midrand area throughout the year. At the moment they have been mobilising the people of Acts Church to assist with the Christmas Shoebox Project, where each child (in many cases an AIDS orphan) is given a Christmas gift.. People volunteer to donate either a Shoebox filled with goodies (having been given a name, gender, age) or donate R200 for a Shoebox to be made up. I love doing this, it gives me great joy to be part of the giving. If you haven't already linked up with a similar project in your area, you are welcome to donate via their website here: Acts of Love is a registered charity in South Africa (NPO: 021 828). Facebook Page: Acts of Love.
Shoebox filled with toys, clothes, toiletries and other gifts fit for a 10 year old girl..

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Inspiration from Others

I really enjoy hearing from people who get in touch with me and tell me they heard the Radio 702/ Cape Talk R1000 Money Show Challenge, some of whom were avid listeners, they didn't miss a single show that focused on the Challenge. Earlier this week I received an unexpected call from a couple whom I knew very well but hadn't spoken to for a number of years, they now have an olive farm in a remote spot in the Cape, so remote it doesn't even have cellphone reception, but the farmer listens daily to the Money Show..! A fascinating re-connection.

And then last night, someone who'd been listening to every broadcast of the Money Show especially the section focusing on the R1000 Challenge, introduced himself at the Midrand Moonlight Christmas Market and bought a Beautiful Bracelet for his wife! I find these moments very encouraging, it seems that many people were inspired by the R1000 Money Show Challenge.. and are all amazed at Pavlo Phitidis.