Investors Guide
The Magazine for Startup and Growing Companies
The Networking Guru
FROST
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN BOTSWANA Ditch Your Job & Become Your Own Boss
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10 Fastest Growing Companies in Botswana
THE
DEE ZONE
PRODUCTIONS LEVITATION entertainment will never be the same A media empire that levitated against the gravities of industry norms in Botswana
Memoirs of the Internship Programme Survivor
CONTENTS GETTING STARTED
Entrepreneurship in the era of Tenderpreneurship Great Minds Think Alike - Or Not? CEO First Timers
THOUGHT LEADERS
Explore the niche through the eye of our entrepreneural thought leaders
MARKETING
New Age Strategies - Adapting to the new business ecosystem.
COVER
The Dee Zone Productions Levitation
STARTUPS
10 Fastest Growing Companies in Botswana
LIFE
Memoirs of The Internship Programme Survivor
THE LADDER
Interns Entrepreneurs
B
otswana’s 10 Fastest Growing
Companies
CONTENTS Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it Greg Anderson
SOCIAL MARKETING
Looking to tweet your way into the hearts and minds of consumers? Naturally, you’re thinking: More followers breed more sales, right? Not exactly. Simply collecting followers doesn’t guarantee financial gains. To use the network to drive traffic to your website and generate sales, you must first build a relationship with your followers. “On Twitter, the relationships, conversations and engagements you make are what determine your success,” there’s an art to using Twitter for business. Here are six pointers on how to build your company’s image on Twitter, cull valuable followers and engage prospective customers: Promote products or services lightly. Don’t just use Twitter as an online billboard. If all you’re going to do is use Twitter as a megaphone to announce your products, you will fail. To stir discussion, compliment tweets on industry news with actionable advice to consumers. Rather than directly send followers to purchase a product, consider posting a link for them to sign up for your business’s mailing list. Inject your personality. Humanizing your startup’s Twitter feed is key to distinguishing your business from competitors. I personally make it a point to respond to tweets from followers with personalized messages. People do business with who you are as a person. When you’re an entrepreneur you therefore have to show there’s a person behind our tweets.
Connect with industry leaders. Take advantage of the social network’s unique opportunity to reach out to well-known influencers in your field. Think carefully about handing off the job. Startup owners who delegate the responsibility of running the company’s profile to an employee must make sure the person is trained to manage the account. Twitter is a public forum. The person in charge should be someone extremely familiar with the brand and knowledgable of that company’s culture. Provide followers timely customer service. It’s your job to be there when an issue crops up. Tweet at the right time. While many social-media experts say there’s no magic number for how many tweets to make per day, it can be advantageous to tweet within a particular time frame depending on the industry. A startup selling financial products, for example, may get more engagement by tweeting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., whereas for a restaurant it may make sense to tweet around lunch and dinnertime. Rather than operate the account manually, you can schedule tweets to automatically run at specific times using a management tool like TweetDeck.com. However I personally do not encourage scheduled tweets because they can have a dangerous outcome. Imagine a scenario whereby a scheduled tweet causes controversy and you are not online to respond or justify or even delete the tweet.
CONTENTS
TRAVEL
The Rise & Rise of the CBD - Towering over the halcyon of the capital city’s uneventful skyline is one of the most elegantly planned and orchestrated.
MENTORS & MOTIVATION
Getting a Mentor 25 Influential Quotes for Young Entrepreneurs imPulse
GETTING STARTED
What You Didnt Learn in 17 Years of School Exit Strategy is Oxymoronic The Rough Road Ahead
YOUR MONEY
SOCIAL MARKETING
36 Rules to Social Media Marketing The TwitterPreneur - The rules of engagement and how to handle your company’s twitter account
CONTENTS OPPORTUNITIES
Top 10 Top Brass Business Opportunities in Botswana
CULTURE
The journey from internship to Entrepreneur It Won’t Work Syndrome Successful Startup Culture
WELLNESS ALL UP IN YOUR BIDNESS
Tobacco & the Workplace - The Anti Tobacco Network and partners launch a campaign against alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Tobacco was highlighted as a gateway to all the hard drugs
EDITOR’S NOTE
FUNDING
Runway Divinity - Business woman. Model. Mother. Designer. Those are the few definitions to one of the most innovative up and coming entrepreneurs.
Evolution refers to a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage especially a more advanced or mature stage. This issue focuses on entrepreneual evolution, a rough yet beautiful journey from intership to entrepreneurship.
“Startup Capital is a bit*&$”. Thats one of the most popular phrases amongs entrepreneurs here in Botswana. Beat the norm. revolt and rise above the lack of startup finance
THE BREAKTHROUGH Discover Our Entrepreneur of the Month
“Frost” The Networking Guru
THE BREAKTHROUGH - Entrepreneur of the month
The Networking Guru
DeyCALLMe
Frost
THE BREAKTHROUGH - Entrepreneur of the month
W
e start our debut with a name many of you will know as he’s a man that been quietly crafting and growing his business but with a little persuasion we managed to find out exactly what he’s been up to. The Entrepreneur of the month this month goes to Mr Thabang Frost Kwapa. Frost graduated from The University of Monash in 2011 with a Bachelor of Communications and Marketing. When I first met him he seemed calm. Too coy for the environment which he was in but yet consistently merging with the crowd of strangers at the table. Nobody introduced us as we all sat there more than twelve of us at the table exchanging jokes about twitter controversies. He spoke to everyone at the table like he had known them for years and on seemed to know all our names. He twirled through all the topics on the menu from women, to football, from politics to the health bill. At the end of the day we were friends but I still, admittedly did not know his name. We met for the second time at the same place but this time we were both clad in “office gladiator” attire. He came to me and we started talking as if we had known each other for decades and we had a couple of drinks, then he pulled off two card holders both overflowing with Business cards and he told me, “This is my office”. He said everything and everyone he needed to run his business was in those two card holders and right there I knew he was one of the best entrepreneurs I ever met. Upon return to Botswana he realised that being an employee was actually no safer than being self-employed! He decided to put his energies into building his own company rather than looking for another job and has been a successful entrepreneur ever since. Creative, determined, focused. Frost is one gentleman who shows great determination, commitment and unbelievable drive towards business super-success. He attributes his business virtue to his upbringing. Growing up in Morwa, raised by his grandmother Frost’s ambition was fueled by the desire to make it and take care of his grandmother who walked through the fire for him when he was a kid.
He did standard one to five of Primary School at Rasenna primary School in Morwa, then was sent by his grandparents to Zimbabwe to complete Standard six and seven at Sacred Heart Home in Esigodini, Bulawayo. He returned to Botswana and his grandparents made sure he got the best education at Legae Academy. Having weight problems Frost attests to the fact the he was often verbally bullied at school hence his move to Monash for tertiary education was the best thing to happen to him as it gave him th eopportunity to re-invent himself and to establish his new identity. He explored music, becoming a writer, a singer and a Dj and later opened the Dj academy at Monash. Frost says his Networking accumen was adapted from spending some time with his grandfather who used to tell him, Fa modisa a itumetse, mongwe le mongwe o itumetse (When the herdboy is happy, everyone else is happy). He says there are two reasons to social marketing: to help yourself and to help others. The beauty of marketing systems is that you dont really make much money unless you help others. If you focus on helping others make the shift from Employee or Self Employed to Business Owner then you will be successful in business. If you only want to teach yourself to be a business owner then a true network marketing system will never work for you. He continues to say that the beauty of network marketing is that it creates assets.
Asked about the significance of the business cards he carries around he says unlike most networkers, the business cards are but contacts to him. He does not believe in collecting business cards of people he hasnt made connections with and he strongly bashes the idea of young entrepreneurs who attend networking seminars and sit in groups of familiar faces, saying “if I have a security firm and I attend a seminar and sit in a group of other friends who own the same business as mine it defeats the whole purpose of network marketing since I do not get to learn any new ideas on how to improve my business”.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
THE BREAKTHROUGH - Entrepreneur of the month Frost is motivated above all by his peers. “When you see people you went to school with become CEOs and drive E-Classes it has to inspire a fire inside you if you are intelligent”. Secondly he tells a story about one of his uncles living in Atlanta, USA. “He is just about seven years older than me but he always tells me we have to become millionaires before thirty”. That on its own drives me to be a better person. His face brightened when he started talking about the third thing that inspires him: His 3 year old daughter and 4 months old son. “When I look at his eyes and realise how much he depends on me I know I cannot fail, I must not fail” he says. Frost’s philosophy is that “from the top I can do more”. He strongly believes that the only way to help others is to get to the top then elevate others from the desparities of poverty and other societal disadvantages. He is currently working with a an organization called Restor-A-Skul, where they go around schools that have limited resources and try to supplement where the government may be short of. “We have tutoring groups for students who are academically behind, we supplement books, and restore broken windows and anything that may help make the education of our next generation a bit more pleasent”.
THought leaders
The Niche A Catering Truck Business
Health Products Business
A catering truck business is similar with a restaurant on wheels. As compared to the traditional eat-in restaurants, it covers multiples advantages. This catering business can go anywhere and has a free time to deliver the needs of their customers. It also requires less staff unlike restaurants and other business opportunities.
Starting your own health products business may be a good idea because more and more people are concerned about their health. Like any kind of business, you have to start with a business plan. Most of the businesses that fail are those that did not create a comprehensive business plan. The plan will serve as your guide and you can check on it anytime you’re in doubt.
Before deciding to put up your own catering truck business, you need to secure license and other business permits. This is the most easiest but yet frustrating part of opening this type of business. I personally would advice you to hire a consultant ro assist you in the process so you can avoid the run-around from Ministry to Ministry and filling in endless forms. Most consultants charge as little as P800 to register a company a process that could eventually discourage you if you go the route of DIY.
You can begin with a home-based business since the health products can be stocked in a vacant room in your house. You can designate a room in your house to serve as your home office and when you decide to expand, you can now find a suitable location for the store. The home-based business will allow you to save money that you can use for the initial operations of the business. Determine the health products that you want to sell like health supplements, vitamins, and many others. Since there are many brands of health products today, you can choose the best ones that are in demand. You can check out product ratings or reviews to determine the best health products.
Trash Can Cleaning Business
At a glance this might seem like a laughable idea but one of the most up-and-coming growing trends across the world. Waste management has become not just a national issue but household. Starting a trash removal business is something that you might want to try in case that you want to help the environment and earn a reasonable income. More and more people are now into the trash cleaning business and this is the most perfect time for you to know why this is so. The trash removal business is a unique kind of venture simply because of the service’s nature that it provides yet it is also easy to get into. With dedication and commitment, anyone can surely earn profit from the waste of other people. Before you start, it is a must for you to check your area’s rules and regulations on waste disposal since this will save you from complications that might happen in the long run. Equipment -vehicles for junk hauling -dumpsters -more heavy equipment It is also a must that you do not neglect the small yet important safety equipment pieces such as: -gloves -safety glasses -heavy-duty boots
THought leaders Tax Consulting Firm
Political Consulting Firm
In many countries today, the taxation system has raise the tax consulting firm or tax consultancy firms. These firms can provide specialized or expert advice in the world of taxation and give taxpayers of industrial, commercial, and multi residential with tax management and property assessment services.
A political consulting firm is responsible for providing political advice to politicians. It is necessary for a person who wants to start a political consulting firm to have a certain degree on political science to ensure that he has the appropriate and necessary knowledge on the field that he wants to put up a business in.
Some of these tax consulting firms somehow serve as the extension of the business operations of their client as well as support their financial and strategic objectives, or as guardian or protector of the rights of taxpayers through the understanding as well as rectification of their liabilities in taxation, by giving the tax compliance and resolution services. However, the most common among the services of tax consulting businesses involved real property and personal property tax service. The first one is categorized into market comparison, site inspection, assessment analysis, and appeal negotiation in reducing real property tax. While the latter is provided through the evaluation of the client, site inspection, and recommended adjustments of clients. The first and foremost thing that you must do if you will establish a tax consulting firm is to learn the taxation and tax consulting operations. There are many institutions offering taxation’s degree as well as Master’s degree programs not only for the tax consulting operations but also for the improvement of taxation systems in the different government as well as private agencies. The program generally aims for a student to have a thorough understanding of tax system and tax law and more. Just search for a good school that offers taxation course and understand the complexity of taxation and you can understand how the business will work. One of the most popular career and business for taxation is tax consulting or the tax consultancy firm. This business can earn you money as well as help taxpayers settle their liabilities or difficulties in taxation. You just need money to invest and buy the needed tools and equipment as well as rent space for your office and knowledge of taxation even as a whole to put up this kind of business and you are ready to go on rolling.
In starting a political consulting firm, it is important to choose the right people who will work on your firm. Certain legalities must also be obtained first in order to operate your business.You can seek advice from a lawyer to help you in obtaining these legalities Once you already have the required paper works, the next step is to consider the place where you would like your office to be. It is importance to choose a place which is near to the people so that they will not have a hard time searching for your office and this will also give you an opportunity to reach the majority of the people. An ideal place for your political consulting firm office to be is in the city where there are many people.
THought leaders Virtual Assistant
Liquor Catering Business
With advancement in technology, it is now possible to work from home. And one of the many opportunities for people wanting to work at home is to get a job as a virtual assistant.
Starting your own liquor catering business can be more fun and effective. It is just a matter on how you handle things, from start-ups to managing. To get fruitful results, you should have passion to work and gather knowledge about your business career. Before deciding to start up your own liquor catering business, you need to know its basic information.
Working from home has always been a dream of many. Now, with advancement in technology, that dream has come true. Many are now working from home and enjoying the flexibility of such work setup. Among the many opportunities for people wanting towork from home is becoming a virtual assistant (VA) – working remotely from any office. First have a solid experience in performing a support task to professionals, offices and businesses. Although the functions of VAs could vary from Web designing to purely secretarial duties, many of the tasks of virtual assistants are support services such as bookkeeping, delivery management, Internet research, transcription and database management. If you have a job, do well on it. Specialize on a few functions (two to three) or a particular industry. This specialization could highlight you among the many aspiring VAs out there. Secure the equipment such as internet connection, telephone, and fax machine then find a place to have as an “office” whether within the house or some place else. The only requirement for the room is it should be free from distractions and conducive to make you perform efficiently. Market yourself extensively by setting up a Web site, joining forums, advertising in the Yellow Pages, joining VA organizations, posting your services in freelancing web sites and linking with other VAs.
This requires enough capital. Before you start the business, make sure that you have enough funds. To know the exact expenses of your business, it is best to make a formal business plan. Simply enumerate all the costs and possible expenditures to avoid budget shortages. If you don’t have enough money, applying bank loans is advised. You can also depend on various startups financing like microloans, peer lending and grants. If you are ready to start up your business, you need to finalize the contracts. The mother company of your liquor business should explain facts about the company. Before signing, make sure that you ask some questions, especially when you don’t understand its main content. Another thing that you need to consider is the location of your business. In considering the location, ensure that the place is accessible to all. As a part of legal procedures, it is a must to get a business license and other permits needed for your company. Your promotional schemes help your company to be more visible and effective. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money for marketing, then you can use online techniques. With the use of social networking sites, everything goes according to your plan.
CULTURE 1) We’ve debated this several times before and have decided it wouldn’t work. 2) We’ve tried this before, it didn’t work. 3) Doesn’t really fit our sales model. 4) It’s not appropriate for our industry. 5) It might work for tiny/small/large/huge com panies, but we sell to tiny/small/large/huge companies, and it won’t work for them. 6) Our investors would never agree to it. 8) Our team/plan is not really setup for that. 9) We could try it, but it’s a distraction. (Note: This often means “I’ve already decided it’s not going to work, but I can tell I need to convince you we shouldn’t try it…”) There are many, many more reasons why any given idea won’t work, but the above are a sufficient sample for this article. Oh, and by the way, I have at various points in time made all of these very same arguments myself (“I have met the enemy” and all that).
“It Won’t Work” Syndrome Every company has ideas that come up (sometimes frequently). And, based on the stage of the startup and the degree to which the idea is unconventional, there are always good, rational reasons why the given idea can’t possibly work. There are also bad, irrational reasons too. The problem is, it’s hard to tell the difference. Here are some of common reasons why something won’t work:
Now, here are a couple of mental exercises to try when you or you or your team is stuck.
w What if I told you that it’s working really, really
well for XYZ Company? How do you think they made it work? - The idea here is to assume the idea is good and has worked for a company very similar to yours. Then, ask your self (or your team): Now that we know it worked for them, what do we think they did to make it work?. What this does is mentally nudge you to think about how to work through whatever the obvious limitations to the idea already are.
w What if we had the proverbial gun held to our heads and we had to do [x]? The idea here is to assume/accept that the decision to implement the idea has already been made —presumably by some higher authority. Now, assuming that, what would you do to make the best of it?
OFFICE WELLNESS Most smokers are the most unproductive people in the workplace. In between the smoke breaks the work hours get cut from eight hours to a mere three hours. Most companies are adapting a culture where they screen their employees according to whether they smoke or not. It has become close common sense that smoking is bad for your health and productivity. The General Surgeon’s Report affirmed that but it also brought to light that the body of a recovers tremendously once the smoker quits smoking. The following are some of the benefits of qutting smoking as reported in the Surgeon Gerenal’s Report:
OFFICE WELLNESS
Memoirs The Internship Programme Survivor
LIFE
I
woke up in a one bedroomed house, the corrugated roof starring back at me with the arrogance of a thousand troops smelling victory. My back was screaming from the pressure and inertia it had endured from the stiff, unkind tiled floor I woke up from. See, I had not always lived like this. No. For four years I had been living with my uncle in a posh 2 bedroomed house in a gated community. Prevailing and tolerating a few insults here and there, kissing a** just so I could live another day in comfort.
This circumstance had been forced unto me when the University of Botswana denied me and a thousand other students from as far as Maun, Shakawe, Jackalas and Mengwe accommodation on-campus forcing us to go into the abyss to seek accomodation with a meager allowance of P1420. Most kids with parents in Gaborone brought their parents to the Student Welfare office and begged for accommodation for their children and in some instances greased a few hands with a few Pulas. Those of us whose folks were thousands of kilometres away were left with nothing but tears and hope. For four days we slept at the student center waiting to be helped, queing at the student welfare as early as 3am only to be told at around 3pm that “there still is no accommodation” on-campus and yet rich kids left the student welfare office with their parents holding their hands and holding a room key on the other hand. So basically this is how I ended up staying with my uncle.
The first year it was just me and him; he drank like a fish and would come home on the wee hours of the morning only to wake me up and introduce me to females he partied with while I was in the living room studying for exams. I had no choice but to stomach the condition I found myself in, after all he bought food, paid rent and I would have been a freakin’ brat to start complaining about him drinking and the noise he made while I attempted to study. I survived “Fail and Discontinue” commonly known as FD on so many accounts by a thread I even got accustomed to the fashionably embarrassing grades.
LIFE On my last semester I swore to myself that I was going to graduate by all means necessary even if it killed me but sadly it was too late – I passed all the subjects I took on my last semester with an average of 87% but as fate would have it I could not graduate because my credits were 3 points short of the 120 needed to graduate, therefore I had to take an extra semester. That was when the mosaic began to lose its threads. With no student allowance I was forced to walk from Tlokweng to the University of Botswana on many occasions because I had no combi money. I was born one gene short – I cannot (even on my last breath) ask for money from my mother. We never had that relationship. By the grace of the heavens I completed the last semester on December 14, 2011. On January 11, I started internship at the University of Botswana, Department of Environmental Health and at this point the relationship I had with my uncle had delapitated beyond chaotic. For his sake and mine, I packed my bags on May 5th and left the residence after finding a 1 room in Tlokweng at a price of P1000 from the P1800 I was getting paid from the internship. All I had on me was a blanket I had used while I was at boarding school, a beatdown 2-burner electric stove (which died 2 days later), a kettle, 1 plate and 1 cup, a knife and a couple of forks and spoons. As it stands in Gaborone and other neighbouring villages I was forced to pay P1000 rent plus another P1000 as security which left me with about P210 from a minute savings account I had setup a few months ago when I decided it was time to pack my bags and go. That night was the coldest night I have ever had to endure. The floor went Muhammad Ali on me all night and by 4am the next day I was awake not because I was overzealous about going to “work” – naah, my hip bone had suffered enough abuse, was shivering and I could not wait to feel the rays of the sun on my face. For hours maybe days I suffered the same fate over and over again, and at many points I regretted moving out. The chaotic relationship between me and my uncle is the only thing that stood between me and moving back.
LIFE Hope shrinked into a thinner thread every day, I wore it around my neck with shame and pride on my polar ends. On July 13, 2011 I attended the Internship Programme Induction workshop at Maharaja Conference Centre with hundreds of other interns. We sat there listening to speaker after speaker telling us how worthless we were. Well, in all fairness they did try to motivate us, they brought out mentors and other people who had found success through programmes such as Kickstart to teach us about being self-employed. They taught us how to “be” interns, how to dress, talk on the phone, respect the boss blah blah blah, but all I could hear and I bet most who sat next to me felt the same way was, “Y’all aint sh**, you motherfuck**s are a bunch of slaves to the
The thought of going back to the village like a failure as paralyzing. I spent endless nights browsing Entrepreneur Magazine looking for a clue or an idea for a Startup. For the whole month of July I worked on a business plan to start a milling plant at the village where I come from simply because it was the only business plan I could afford. The land crisis in most cities and towns in the country has made it close to impossible to start a business in those areas and those businesses that require a single office unit are made inconceivable by the blatant high officerental prices in the city. I visited LEA (I had seen an advert on TV saying they can help people start companies) and was directed to some lady who
That night I lay on the floor looking at the ceiling (well the ceilingless roof) , hungry, tears consuming my oculus, playing darts with a very dangerous thought
Suicide system and you better get used to it because nobody is going to hire you even if you have a fuc**n 4.0 GPA”. I swear that’s all I heard from that induction workshop.
The Internship Programme Director came in that room and scraped all our dreams away and not in so many words told us “this is how the world is and works so deal with it or go be a farmer”. When I left that induction workshop I had resigned all my dreams to the pitfalls of the system. I used to dream of owning silverback, charcoal black Audi Q7, a tall darkskinned busty girl on my passenger seat with a lil beautiful daughter at the back, I used to dream of living in a mansion with an indoor pool (man fuckit I cant even swim), but when I walked to the combi that day I was riddled in a catastrophe of emotions.
seemed more or less not a bit interested in anything I had to say. With so much dismissiveness she simply implied “Go Fu** your lil stupid dreams”. That night I lay on the floor looking at the ceiling (well the ceilingless roof) , hungry, tears consuming my oculus, playing darts with a very dangerous thought, ‘suicide’. I was at an endgame of sorts. My 23rd birthday was looming and I had endured the worst of winters to my bones, my marrow felt weaker, my stomach felt no more hunger, my ear sockets had begun to retreat back into my skull. I was done. Lying there looking at the parallel lines of the corrugated roof, through all the mathematics and arithmetic I had absorbed at school in 17 years, the morality tests I had ammased and the biology I had crammed into my skull I could only comeup with one solution to my predicament. Unconsciously my mind drifted from the corrugated roof to the planks that held it and it was there that I saw my answers. I saw a noose hanging from there, calling me, seducing me and for many following nights I saw the very same answer.
LIFE When I visited my grandmother at the village in September 2011 for the Botswana independence holidays, she damn-near cried her eyes off. For those two days when I was at the village she fed me like a lil pig before thanksgiving. That was when I went to the landboard, filled in the papers and applied for a business plot at the village. I had decided against suicide. I refused to accept defeat and that dream that had been killed by the Internship Director, the lady from LEA and the entire system was re-ignited. I decided I was going to build an empire, one brick at a time, even if it kills me. I decided to let the past 5 months become my ‘inspiration’, the fuel that drove my ambition. Through all these months however, there was not a single day that I did not show up to work, clean, energetic (surviving on water) and always ready to do the tasks I was given beyond excellence. In those 5 months I relinquished much more than my dignity, I lost all and many of the people I had considered friends for so many years. Everyone I used to hang out with disappeared. My life became a cycle
work every morning from Tlokweng and later from Gaphatshwa (a kilometer from Metsimotlhabe) he was on full blast in my ears telling me: “Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, an hour maybe a year, but at the end it will subside and most importantly that at the end of pain is success only if I want to be as successful as I want to breathe”. The internship programme is one of the worst devils to ever walk on our soil. Some have succumbed to this dragon and gave in to drugs, sex trade, and crimes of all sorts. On December 11, 2011 I was hired as the admin assistant for an organization called The Anti Tobacco Network and in all honesty the pain that I survived, the struggle that I weathered and all those cold, hungry nights were all worth it. The perspective I have of the world is something much more deeper than any class nor lesson I could have learnt from all my 17 years at school. Everyday I wake up in the morning I remind myself of where I come from, I don’t even need an
“Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, an hour maybe a year, but at the end it will subside and most importantly that at the end of pain is success only if I want to be as successful as I want to breathe”. of work, home, work, work, home and many hours of brain-frying on many many pages of Business Management and Marketing Books. To say I quit drinking because of that period would be a lie because I stopped drinking simply because I lacked the means to and I just never went back to the habit again even when things got better. The depression began to fade off around October, the decision to build upon my ambition had set-off a fire within me, and all I needed was a few months of the internship bulls*** to accumulate startup capital for my “business venture”. I discovered Eric Thomas and as I walked 10 kilometers on formal clothes to
alarm clock to wake me up – my past does. When you want to succeed as bad as you wanna breathe then you will be successful and I learnt the importance of sacrificing what I am for what I intend to be. You gotta be willing to be successful so bad, sometimes you forget to eat or sleep.
EDITOR’S NOTE
“To be able at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you will become” Eric Thomas The Hip Hop Preacher
To be able to look beyond the perils of doing business, and the need to beat away anxieties of growth (and survival!), certainly requires a bit of shutting out of the world, and a deep faith in one’s own instincts and abilities. The main stories in this issue, The Dee Zone Productions Levitation, BenDan Photography (Genius Lensmen) and Runway Divinity are but testimonies that it can be done starting from zero with less or no capital. Do not let cliches like “Startup Capital” is a bit*%# hold you back from unleashing the best of your potential. This is an opportunity to take stock of the way you work, ideate, and eventually devise processes that help you (and your company) do not just more, but do it better! Not long ago, social media was an experimental milieu for risk-tolerant brands. A battleground for mannerlessness, for rants, roasts, screenmunches, ‘turn-ups’ and youthful connections. Then, all of a sudden every business seemed to embrace that it needs a Facebook and Twitter account and thus Facebook and Twitter strategies. The business aspect of social media erupted and masked the previous state. Social media is not bad as the African mythologists perpetuate it to be - It is a powerful global communication revolution that requires new approaches for all businesses - and that has not yet solidified into reliance patterns. Two years ago I lay cold at the corner of a one roomed house, on the floor on a cold July morning. An intern at the University of Botswana I was at the brink of accepting defeat, at the very edge of suicide, broke, hungry and cold. Life seemed unfair, intolerable and downright harsh. Thats when I learnt how to spell the word “entrepreneur”. I started a small tutoring business while I continued the intership programme just so I could have something to eat after all the expensive rent and other utility expenses. All I can say is that the journey has been ugly but with commitment, the will to evolve and the ability to take advantage of the social media wave it has eventually become a fruitful journey. It is my sincere hope that this inagural issue inspires hope amongst students, interns and any potential entrepreneurs. Enjoy
@Prinzeville
YOUR MONEY Recently I had a discussion with one of my social media acquantancies about companies in Botswana that are hot for one minute then non existent in the next. It is a terrifying outcome that has for a long time now detered those with the ambition to venture into business. Many of our public companies operate short-sightedly, pumping up their quarterly numbers to boos their stock prices with sometimes disastrous long-term results. A business with an owner who measures growth and progress in years, not months, is a much easier ship to steer. As long as people want what you are selling it is crucial that you follow the following checklist but most importantly let your company evolve with the times.
Establish strong financial controls. Doing so produces solid information for decision-making and reduces the risk of theft and fraud. Simply put, until you know where every penny’s going, your business isnt on a sound footing. Minimize Distraction As a Director of three businesses I’ve seen first hand how an owner, freed from daily worries over cash flow can successfully concentrate on the future - building relationships, developing new products and services and overseeing other big picture issues. Hire trustworthy and smart people to handle the details. They are worth it. Increase Sales Obvious? Yes, but never forget that a larger company is inherently less risky than a smaller one
Pay Your Taxes
Diversify products & Services Spreading sales over more customers, product lines or markets reduces risk and enhances orpportunities for growth.
Mainatin and Improve Property and Equipment Mainatain access to money that can be used to take advantage of technological improvements, expand operations and keep everything in running order
Streamline, codify and document processes The hallmark of strong companies is the quality, consistency and documentation of the way they operate. My mentor always told me “if they want to be a bigger organization eventually act like one now”.
Reduce employee turnover Bear in mind that shelling out more money doesnt necessarily create a loyal and productive work force. Respect, fair management and inclusion in decision making go a long way
Improve efficiencies Since most businesses are valued by multiple of their earnings, every dollar of improvement here will result in more dollars of value, whether it’s four years from now or fourty.
Avoid competing on price A focus on undercutting the competition can start a vicious cycle that destroys your profit margins. You want customers to choose you for superior products and services, not because you’re the cheapest.
Protect Your Intellectual Property Make sure you have appropriate rights to your trademarks, names, designs, technologies, etc. Spending a few thousand dollars on an IP attorney now can save millions - and heartaches - later.
Resist the local norm of “Money-InHand”.
CONTACT US AT Tel: 3554504 Mob: +267 76086365 E-Mail: thevillescence@gmail.com Follow us: Facebook & Twitter
GETTING STARTED
Entrepreneurs in an Era of Tender-preneurship
Young
Unlike previous generations, for many millennials climbing the corporate ladders isn’t a goal they are striving to attain. Many are turning their backs on the traditional career path and instead, consider themselves entrepreneurs, with ideas, capital and plans for startup endeavors. Of those still at a “regular” job, a large number is pining to quit and work for themselves and a few of my friends have stated they will leave within the next two years. While the motivations for branching out into the world of entrepreneurship run the gamut, the No. 1 reason is freedom, followed by ability to choose projects and unlimited income potential. One thing you didn’t find or at least report on in this article, that I also hope we start to look at and discuss, related to “climbing the corporate ladder” is that it was always a flawed model, and it’s never the way most of us should look at a career path, regardless of whether or not it is inside a large organization or a startup. I believe we should look at ourselves as position players, just like pro athletes and artists do. A great shortstop doesn’t look to “move up” to be the pitcher, a great piano player doesn’t look to “move up” to be the violinist or even the conductor - they all chose their career based on where their talent was greatest - where they were most apprecated and valued for who they are, and what they uniquely brought to the team. And everyone in business should do the same.
Everyone should figure out what position they’re ideally suited for. Let’s be honest with ourselves and our children and future children. The reality is, although we can do almost anything, we can’t be “great” at everything we would like to be. We’re not all cutout to be great leaders, managers, teachers, writers or speakers - just like we’re not all naturally cutout to be great singers, dancers or basketball players. I truly believe that we all need to figure out what we have that nobody else does. And our career path should solely be based on figuring out where we can do our greatest work, based on who we uniquely are - based on the unique collective combination of natural attributes, education, experience, perspective and wisdom we’ve gained along our journey. Where we can make the greatest impact, and where are we going to be most valued and appreciated as a result of who we are? And once we figure that out, it’s not about moving up, it’s simply about being the best version of ourselves we can be, and making our own unique impact on the world!
25 25 INFLUENTIAL QUOTES FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.”
– Drew Houston, Dropbox founder and CEO
“When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.”
– Josh James, Omniture CEO and co-founder
“Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.”
– Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO
“My philosophy is that if I have any money I invest it in new ventures and not have it sitting around.”
– Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder
“No matter what, expect the unexpected. And whenever possible BE the unexpected.”
– Lynda Barry, author and cartoonist “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” – Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay Cosmetics founder “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel “Walk the walk: model to your team what you find most important in the way you think, behave, and make decisions.” – Julia Hartz, Eventbrite cofounder and president “Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, have confidence in your abilities and don’t let the bastards get you down.”
– Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P. founder
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” – Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder
“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.”
– Biz Stone, Twitter cofounder
“Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.”
– Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO
“Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop.”
– Jeffrey Zeldman, A List Apart publisher
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post Media Group president “Those who insert themselves into as many channels as possible look set to capture the most value. They’ll be the richest, the most successful, the most connected, capable and influential among us. We’re all publishers now, and the more we publish, the more valuable connections we’ll make.” – Pete Cashmore, Mashable founder and CEO
“As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.”
– Donald Trump, The Trump Organization president
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.”
– Anne Sweeney, Walt Disney president
COVER STORY
THE
DEE ZONE PRODUCTIONS
LEVIT TION A
Motion pictures are so much a part of our lives that its hard to imagine a world without them. We enjoy them in theatres, at home, in offices, in cars and buses and on airplanes. We carry films with us in our laptops and ipods. We press the button, and a machine conjures up movies for our pleasure. For four hundred years, people have been trying to understand why this medium has so captivated us. Films communicate information and ideas, and they show us places and ways of life we might not otherwise know. Films offer us ways of seeing and feeling that we find gratifying. They take us through experiences. The experience are often driven by stories, with characters we come to care about, but films might also develop an idea or explore visual qualities or sound textures. A film takes us on a journey, offering a patterned experience that engages our minds and emotions. Recently I had the opportunity to take a journey into the matrix of one of the country’s most successful production houses - an empire built from nothingness to greatness. Who amongst us is not a softie for a success story, or we can blame it on our overwhelming need to understand more about persons and institutions that we can see by the eyes - or in this case, gleaned from a byline. Even if you only somewhat followed the birth and growth of Dee Zone, you may have come to understand a few basic things about this empire. Dee Zone Productions has an illustrious profile that crosses over into health promotion and awareness to lifestyle and culture all the while providing great entertainment. Dee Zone Productions seems to be the only production house in the country with a clear grasp of professionalism when it comes to cutting-edge film-making and its many elements and they do so with such elegance and dedication it is hard to not be captivated by many and any of their productions. With a mandate that extends well beyond their pockets and wallets - their antecedence is to ‘broaden horizons and expand with the main aim to take Botswana with us’ according to Vincent Tiro the marketing manager of this fast-growing company which now boasts of not only film production but a music conglomerate of Steez, King Tux, Ryan Blaze and Cozy God - Dee Zone Music Group (DMG)currently making the brassiest buzz in the local music scene. This is a movement.
COVER STORY Recently there has been murmurs and verbal indictments directed to the Botswana television about the hapless situation at the Local state owned Broadcasting corporation. Most have simply thrown in the towel and reclined to watching the many free God Channels offered by DSTV. But a splinter of light and hope still burns in our hearts in anticipation for a locally daily aired and produced soapie. In a candid chat at the Multi-Award Winning Company Office in Finance Park, Vincent popularly known as Steez in Botswana music industry, let us into the story behind the conception, induction and mastering of a young company funded under the Botswana Youth Development Fund into one of the most powerful entities to look out for in media in the Kalahari. From within the vibrant walls of the office with the energy of graphic designers, scriptwriters, producers, editors and sound engineering we got a recount of the birth of the company to the giant it has become Founded five years ago, Dee Zone has become a reverberant outfit with a league of motivated young professionals and has created more than a thousand programs for an extraordinarily diverse clientele, including major corporations, nonprofit organizations, Botswana Television, advertising and public relations agencies, national sports franchises and many others. Thabiso Maretlwaneng founded Dee Zone productions well-nigh five years, it was among the first wave of production companies that pollarded the film landscape in Botswana with major music video productions for the likes of T.H.A.B.O., HT, KEB and M.I.C. Thabiso’s interest in film and video production took him to Swinburne Film University in Australia where he garnered a Bachelors Degree in Film and TV. An architectural thrill-maker, he has built a Media empire and throttled it miles ahead of the litter of companies in the same business. Dee Zone a ricochet of the state of dismay in which Botswana’s film industry is currently enduring, it has created invoking adverts and enchanting videos for some of the most prestigious companies in the country.
DEE ZONE PRODUCTIONS are proud sponsors
Brands and Ideas That Changed the Scope of Startups
COVER STORY One of the stellar shows Dee Zone is currently undertaking is the Good Morning Africa show which was crafted to market and vend Botswana to the international community in many aspects than tourism which we are only known for. The Good Morning Show was designed to inform, entertain and update viewers on the happenings of the world from an African perspective. This show airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 0700 – 0800 HRS DSTV Africa Magic Channel 154 and foregrounds a bright side of Botswana that is untold and unknown. A legion of bright smiles and shining faces; the started-from-zero fast growing citizen owned companies and the culinary art embedded in our culture. Among Dee Zone’s other major works is the hit series Ntwakgolo ,a pilot project in association with NACA, aimed at implementing HIV prevention in Botswana. With Ntwakgolo ,Dee Zone intends to create something that engages the viewer both emotionally and intellectually. Filmed in 8 district towns in Botswana the project is by far the largest Health Awareness campaign undertaken in the country in terms of the numbers reached and the relevance of the messages. The unparalleled attribute about Ntwakgolo is the simple yet extraordinary fact that the hit series has featured over 100 new first time actors from the different villages at which all the scenes are shot. Beautifully written scripts are canvassed with a segment that engages experts relevant to each episode’s message. A broad array of themes is encompassed by Ntwakgolo; from Multiple concurrent partners to abstinence and male safe circumcision. Vincent highlighted that Dee Zone also comports other various activities to reinforce this campaign such as visits to schools and offices for screening of certain episodes that may be relevant to certain groups of people or situations. Dee Zone had taken a hundred steps ahead of the industry and all can be attributed to great leadership, great networking and team work. This is an empire built on the core of the Kalahari to supercede time and memories for our generation and the many that follow.
CULTURE The Journey:
Internship Entrepreneurship
When I was fresh out of Varsity, anxious to fold in with the tax-paying society I had no clue what I was about to do with my life. The legend of the no-employment boogeyman became a reality. I studied biology and the is only a handful of laboratories in Botswana. I was ready to start my career despite these scary eventualities. Launching a business never crossed my mind-- let alone making it successful. All I wished for was a regular paycheck at the end of every month but as it turned out, that is only a dream. After spending six months on internship at the University of Botswana I finally realized that the transition from an intern to an entrepreneur was but an obligation. Starting a business was no manna - it required overcoming serious logistical and financial hurdles. I needed office space, staff and equipment. Computers, copiers and fax machines were all prohibitively expensive, same with a business phone system. I needed startup capital, which meant you first had to sell your idea to investors, max out the credit cards or make an emotional appeal to mom. I took a job. While I’ve never regretted it, I wonder if my story could have been different. Botswana’s young people are foregoing the 9-to-5 path and instead opting to build their own companies. According to a 2011 Kauffman Foundation survey, more than half of Millennials (54 percent) either want to start a business or have already started one. And at this moment in history, becoming a young entrepreneur might be as rational a decision as looking for a job.
The job market isn’t as robust as it once was. Today’s hyper-connected, hyper-informed millennials are acutely aware of this, as many of these young people emerged from University of Botswana, Limkwokwing University and other universities in Malaysia and colleges in Botswana and South Africa amid the great recession. We are aware that we can’t rely on the traditional career option - apply for jobs, go on interviews and wait for offers. Instead, we need to call on our ingenuity to create their own professional futures. Technology has helped expedite the process. With mobile technology, cloud computing and the proliferation of free (and nearly free) online tools for communication and collaboration, the barriers to starting a business that plagued previous generations have all but disappeared today. Facebook and Twitter have made it easier to market ourselves and our products. Setting up your business is easier and less expensive than ever. Just a couple of decades ago, it was inconceivable to start a business without an office, an expensive business phone solution and a receptionist. You needed all of these things not only to make your business run but also to give the appearance that yours was a successful operation, one that customers could feel confident doing business with. No longer. Today millions of small businesses are entirely virtual - run not from a physical office but from a laptop, tablet, smart phone and a set of mobile business apps. In fact, a large number of millennial entrepreneurs use more than five mobile apps to run their businesses, according to this year’s j2 Global mid-year small business report.
CULTURE The Rought Road Ahead Your can work on the go. Wi-Fi hot spots are proliferating to the point that you can literally carry your business with you anywhere -- to the gym, in the coffee shop or on the train. Google is even blanketing entire public areas with free Wi-Fi. Entrepreneurs can be more responsive to clients than ever
because you can connect with anyone from anywhere. That explains why j2 Global found 56 percent of millennials can imagine, within a year, running their businesses entirely from a tablet. Advertising is (almost) free. Until a few years ago, advertising meant spending a small fortune on print ads, plastering your message on billboards or pushing your burn rate through the roof with a radio or TV campaign. Your choices were simple: either you commit a lot of money advertising, or you didn’t advertise at all.
“Eliminate the traditional and cling to the essential” It’s not all rainbows and butterflies. Now, I’m not saying this will be easy. In some ways, being an entrepreneur today can be even more demanding than it was for previous generations. For example, the fact that you can connect and collaborate anytime and from anywhere means customers and vendors will expect you to be available around the clock, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. But as a millennial, you’re part of the most connected generation ever. You’ve learned better than anyone before you how to seamlessly blend work and play, how to stay constantly connected to the people you care about and how to multitask. How to Overcome the Struggles of Being a Young Entrepreneur A large number of interns recently completed their two years as interns and have not gotten hired. Most panic instead of getting focused. Many new graduates are facing the same expe riencing –- a crazy job market. The outlook is super bleak for college graduates and many are now living at home with their parents. As you may assume, the job market for people who didn’t graduate from college is mark -edly worse. For many, and like me six years ago, this type of news is simply frustrating. You bust your butt for four to five years, accumulate loads of debt in the hope of bettering your life, and then, nothing.
1.Do what you got to do. Here’s the deal. Unless you have a trust fund or substantial savings, you may have to take a short-term job that you don’t necessarily love. Internship may currently be your only choice and before you know it, two years have passed and you realize you’re not doing what you want to do. In the interim, do what you got to do.
3.Networking 101. Like OutKast rhymed, “You got to get up/get out and do something/don’t let the days of your life pass you by.” Do all you can to network, meet new people, conduct informational interviews and get your face out there. The key is not to seem desperate. People can smell desperation from a mile away. It’s all about exposure and creating value. Also, make sure your
5.Grab a team of supporters. When you’re not working, it can be tough, so it’s important to have a good supporting cast around you. This is your team that support you and vice versa. If you find yourself down, reach out for encouragement and return the favor. A solid team will get you though a rough patch and by the way, they’re also good when the sun is shining.
HOW TO CONQUER
2.Get focused. This down time without a job is a great time to get focused and really identify exactly what type of career that you want to pursue. This also includes defining your goals and vision for the life you want to lead, starting now. This is also a good time to identify what you don’t want.
personal brand is in order with your website, resume and more. 4. Work for free. If paid work is hard to come by, one thing that isn’t is volunteer work. I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve worked on for free, and the payoff has been pretty awesome. These gigs led to paid gigs and the expanding of my network and influence. Plus, it helps to add current projects to your resume.
So stay optimistic, stay focused and most importantly, be proactive. Lastly, do your best to have enjoy yourself during your job search. When you do land that job and are working like crazy, you’ll wish you enjoyed this downtime more.
OPPORTUNITIES
1 TOP BRASS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
BOTSWANA
If you’re hot to get going with a startup, but your finances aren’t, here are some independent businesses – requiring little more than a certificate or license – that you can start today: Home tutoring: requirements that students pass tougher standardized tests before moving to the next grade have led to booming demand for tutors. Financial Services/Business Consultant: If you know your stuff and have a proven track record, financial planning and/or business consulting can pay big. Cleaning/Lawn Service: With unemployment low, more people have less time – but more money – to spend on taking care of their homes and lawns.
Child Care Provider: Many of those working parents need and are looking for childcare – especially outside of regular business hours.
Catering: This is a great first step to opening a restaurant. Homebased catering is an inexpensive way to build clientele, test recipes and find out if you’re suited for the rigors of food service.
Computer Services: Whether you fix the machines, develop software or are able to translate technical jargon into everyday language, this growing field needs experts who make house calls. Many new users, especially older people who once avoided computers, now are giving in to lower prices. This new wave needs help with everything from setting up their new box to using the Web.
TRAVEL
The Rise & Rise of
THE CBD
Masa Square captured against the glow of bright loghts as it consumes an imepeding, beautiful Gaborone night. In the same way that we tend to make up our minds about people within seconds of meeting them, we also make up our minds about places we would want to visit or do business at. We rely far more on gut insticnt than researching huge amonts of statistics and it is applausible that the Central Business District in Botswana has slowly been elevated to an A-Class status. Since independence, Botswana has recorded one of the highest economic growth rates in the world. Growth was exceptionally rapid during the 1970s, averaging around 16% per year, before moderating to a still-impressive average of 7% over the following three decades. The global financial crisis interrupted this pattern, with the economy contracting by around 8% in 2009 as demand for Botswana’s diamonds fell. The economy staged a strong recovery in 2010-11, only to be followed by a renewed slowdown in 2012 on the back of sluggish global demand conditions—which contributed to an 8.1% contraction in the mining sector last year. Back in 1966, Botswana wasnt a model for anything. It boasted just three-and-a-half miles of paved roads and only three high schools in a country of 550 000 people. The pre-capita income was BWP 704 a year. Water was so scarce, and valuable, that even the currency would later be named the Pula, meaning rain.
TRAVEL Today the CBD is a symbol of how Botswana has grown into one of Africa’s most prosperous havens. Boasting of state of the art restaurants (Primi, Capello), a luxurious hotel (Lansmore) ,3D Cinema. Lansmore Hotel a member of Lorno Hotels is one of the nicely built hotel in the iconic Masa Square and in the region, it features huge rooms, excellent air conditioning, a first class gym and the convenience of good restaurants in the square. Espretto Coffe Shop adds to the ambience of serenity within the square coupled by the taste of Provencale cuisine at La Touche de Provence. The underground parking is secure and free for guests. Unlike many hotels in the city the staff at Lansmore have the Chobe Marina or Mowana Hotel kind of vive - Decent, well-mannered and the most efficient. The “iTowers” building is one of the breathtaking sights of the CBD even from afar. Named the country’s tallest building, the complex comprises of 21 storeys consisting of a double basement parking, 15 storyes of office accomodation and the rest of the balance is reserved for residential units with a roof-top terrace. Cementing the stature of the CBD is the monument of the three chiefs, a historical statue that marks an important turning point in the history of Botswana. Rise of the CBD viewed a few kilometers from the old Gaborone Bus Rank
I AM BOTSWANA I am the dream of a small boy from Nswazwi village I am Africa’s safe haven The mud hut that houses two point five million, Descendants of Matsieng the originator I fought my custody with Titans & I stood up tall with the Trans, the Vaals and the Natals My roots anchored me deeper to the base of the Capricon Anchored by Tsodilo, Kgale and Tswapong Hills Descendants of the hills of Africa, low in their resolve Canopied from basalt magmas of my mother’s nature Like a tripod my feet bear hyroglyphics of the first petroglyphic I am the hustle of a young rapper from the dongas, Pushing sixteen BARS of metaphors to stay afloat I m the mendi, the ship that sank with my co-founders Brothers of Sechele and the great Sekgoma I m the fragments of the great Munomutapa The fallen Rozvi empire and great hills of Domboshaba I m the Bulilingwe, Mengwe’s great Bukalanga Kingdom I let Rhodesia fondle my hips as I sat on the face of Mzansi I am the cold winters and hot summers I am the namaqualand flowers blooming in June I am the photo album filled with tens of lost languages & generations My genetics in divisions of multitribal diaspora Ba-a-Tswana; My lineage is genealogy of separationists I am the haunted spirit of my rebel sons -Tshekedi, Nswazwi, Gobuamang and Letsholathebe Tawana, Khama, Kgari and Bathoen I am the tombstones of memories for my unsung beloved sons Motlante, Motsete, Seretse and Kenneth Koma I m the peaceful banks and creeks of the Thamalakane river The still waters of the Chobe coiling Phantom I rise against gravity like the great Zambezi They talk of me as far as the Tanganyika and Kilimanjaro I harbor dreams of success for an entire evolution of species I am the blueprint of the earth’s ecosystem. The archetype of God’s original mindset I ran with impalas and fought with crocodiles, Sailed Great great rivers that run marathons from oceans In canoes with no rowers and broken oars Fed a billion zebras and tamed prides of lions Sat with Sechele at a bonfire with David Livingstone and learnt of Jerusalem Other great rivers among Jordan where Jesus walked on water I am a thousand churches and tens of religions I m from the blood baptists that built railways across me Rails long and painful like lashes on the back of my exported lineage I fought Cecil Rhodes and Andries Pretorious I fought them with spears and they blinded me with gun-powder I m from a world whose geography I never knew Where colonialists and Resident commissioners sold me a dream A world that stole my provinces, Mahikeng and Limpopo
GETTING STARTED
GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE OR NOT?
Innovation is one of the sexiest words in the business vocabulary. However, originality can be overrated, especially when it comThe es to the opportunity of bringing a proven business concept to a new market. The world is full of examples of copycat business models that were successfully replicated in new countries. The Chinese watched the successes of Amazon and eBay and launched Alibaba, which today has higher revenues than both U.S. firms combined. Indians followed suit with e-commerce Flipkart Brazil’s Peixe Urbano, in turn, mirrored itself on e-coupon websites like Groupon and Living Social. Pretty much every country or region in the world has its own travel booking website, inspired by Expedia and Travelocity. And on and on we go. Nevertheless, there are a few particular challenges associated with copycats. Barriers to entry for replicated business models are by definition low and you usually have no IP edge. The innovation doesn’t belong to you and, unless there is some sort of local IP protection (rare), anyone with the same idea and resources can jump in. As an example, after the first couple of crowdfunding websites emerged in Brazil, dozens followed suit, ironically “crowding” the market. The main benefits of copycat business models
The first benefit of being a copycat is the fact that the business model you are implementing has already been proven elsewhere. Of course, this doesn’t mean it will be a hit in your country, but at the very least you can incorporate several lessons before developing the product and launching the business. The risk therefore is considerably lower than that of an outright innovation, with no benchmarks to fall on. In fact, lessons learned can be applied not only at entry, but also from the moves and mistakes your reference company makes along the way, for it will always be a few years ahead of you. You benefit from the best of both worlds: innovation (at least in your target market) and prove of concept/benchmarking. Second, pitching the business to investors and potential partners is easier than with other startups. Adapting the business model to a new market can be tricky. Country and cultural differences have to be taken into consideration. For instance, in certain regions of the world, you can’t really launch a peer-to-peer lending website because charging interest from peers is not considered a socially acceptable practice. Also, trusting strangers in web 2.0type of interactions may not be something that the local meme supports (yet).
TRAVE
INVES
ELLERS
GUIDE
STORS
NO ENTREPRENEUR IS AN ISLAND I got to thinking about my little adventure the other day, the down and the more downs, the little ups and tiny wins and how far I travelled since last year. I wish that they made an odometer for this sort of thing (hint: great invention idea). There needs to be some sort of way to measure how far a person goes as a person and as an entrepreneur (I know, that is what profit is for). If I had to guess, I would say that my growth over the last year spanned from the east coast to the west figuratively. Both mentally, monetary and spiritual I can easily attest that I am better than I have ever been. Now, I am not saying this because I want to give myself a big pat on the back, but rather because I want to make mention of those that helped me from the beginning. It can be scary to branch out on your own – Right?. It is actually dangerous to explore the entrepreneurship jungle alone. I have seen many people and organizations work tirelessly to develop the same approach.
“In Business you get what you want by giving other people what they want� Think of it. How many people do you know? How many of these people truly understand what you do. How many of these folks have directed prospects to you as referrals? And how many of those referrals have actually turned into business?. Business networking is much more than showing up at networking functions, shaking a lot of hands and collecting a bunch of cards. Imagine this: Two people attending the same conference or seminar, sizing up and drawing an imaginary line down the middle of the conference hall. They separate, each taking half the room. At the end of the event, they meet again to see who collected the most business cards. Have youmet these people as an entrepreneur? Sure you have. We all have. What did they accomplish? They collected a lot of cards that will end up on a card-holder in a shelf or in the trash. What does a business card represent? Its a piece of paper, with ink images on it. No relationship has been formed. This networking strategy, by itself isnt effective use of time, money or energy. Networking for business growth must be strategic and focused. Not everyone you meet can help move your business forward but everything you do can be driven by the intention to grow your business. You have absolute control over whom you meet, where you meet them and how you develop and leverage relationships for mutual benefit.
20
Most Influential “Tweeps�
In Botswana
Social Media has revolutinized marketing in a massive way.Botswana has not been left behind from the twitter bandwagon that is traversing and connecting all points of the world. We profiled some of the most influential tweeters in Botswana and in the process we had to analyse more than 500 accounts that had the most retweets in the country regardless of the number of followers. That is to say that scores where not based on how many followers an individual attracted but on the amount of twitter trafiic they generated via other people responding to, retweeting or engaging with them. Here is our list of 20 most influential tweeps:
1. @SibsMacd 2. @Onizee 3. @ZeusGC 4. @MrsMapSocialyt 5. @StaggaSays 6. @HTTautona 7. @SidFmStation 8. @KenzarMafia 9. @BonniBotswana 10. @PhenyoMoroka
11. @tumieramsden 12. @Kaonekario 13. @DjBoogiesid 14. @DeAimo 15. @LepangFerguson 16. @Monahali 17. @Fauzthe1 18. @SesameM 19. @MrOwannete 20. @IamMercyThebe
GETTING STARTED
Exit
Strategy Is Oxymoronic Most of my friends are fearful of leaving their jobs to run their businesses on a full-time basis. They do own businesses but have rather decided to keep side jobs as exit strategies should their ventures fail. On a positive note however I hear much less talk about exit “strategies” in the startup world than I used to. Back in the day, no business plan was complete without a discussion of exit strategies. Today, most entrepreneurs don’t even write business plans (which is good, because nobody reads them), let alone have a detailed discussion on potential exit strategies. The purpose of a business is to build something of value for customers - which in turn creates value for stakeholders. When you’re walking out onto the field, you should be asking yourself “how do I best play this game?” not “Hey, once the game is over, how do I exit the arena?”. Planning your exit is a good thing when entering airplanes, theaters and bar brawls (of which I have no clue, I’ve just been watching too much Shameless and The Game) - not when entering a market.
My advice Spend your calories crafting strategies for how you will build value, how you will connect to potential customers - and how you will differentiate yourself from everyone else. Leave the exit planning for when you actually need to figure out an exit. I have no problems with startups exiting. Happens all the time, and is part of the circle of life in the startup world. My problem is when entrepreneurs are forced to unnaturally focus on the exit - and mistakenly calling such things a “strategy”.
GETTING STARTED
What You Didnt Learn in 17 Years of School With final exams around the corner for completing students, the minds of prospective graduates are running helter skelter in search of what to engage in after graduation. Whether they are deciding to pursue an entrepreneurial venture, join a startup or take a path in the corporate world, cramming for those finals aren’t the only thing they should be concerned about, at least for real-world purposes. For years, schools have gotten away with just providing a textbook education but companies are looking for more than facts and figures. They want to see practical competence in the practice of business, like teamwork skills, along with character strength. For college students looking to get a head start, here are a few skills to brush up on: Be open to feedback. No one likes criticism but being critiqued is something that is constantly occurring in workplace. Just like companies, our business school has 360-degree assessments, or performance reviews. These assessments, done as a team and with faculty and staff input, provide feedback to let each student know what areas he or she needs to work on. While this practice isn’t implemented in every college, it is starting to become more common. Understandably, some feedback may sting, but it only makes people better. So if you are receiving an assessment, be receptive. Ask questions and be open to different perspectives. Dress the part. At Wake Forest School of Business, where I’m a professor, we have a dress policy: business casual Monday through Thursday, smart casual on Friday and business professional when we have guest speakers. Why? Because that’s what companies expect. Depending on the career path you choose to pursue, make sure what you wear to class reflects the industry standard. By doing so, you come off as more professional to your professor and peers. It’s still about people and relationships. Our digital world has replaced many things, including face-to-face interaction. But in the business environment, people still communicate with each other in-person. To make it in the real world, developing communication skills is key. Learn how make small talk, network, get to know people and exercise humility and appreciation. Know when technology is appropriate. Many of our students fall into the millennial generation and have grown up in a digital world. They are adept at texting and tweeting, pros at posting selfies and addicted to being in constant, instantaneous contact with their environment. The business world is different. You actually have to sit through an hour-long meeting without checking your cell phone, Facebook or instant-message platform. Get into the habit at school. Learn to turn off your phones and pay attention. Not only will you show respect for your professor and classmates, but you will be more focused on what is happening in class. Hey, you might even learn something.
ALL UP IN YOUR BIDNESS
art in the ha At the helm of the modeling and fashion fraternity I have had the unprecedented fortune of knowing one of Botswana’s precious gems. Beauty that would charm the wits out of the gods and a brain as beautiful as her elegant legs strutting on the runway. Deep down she is a ground-in genetical nerd and a hybrid mannequin for both vintage and novel fashion. With a combination of punk-rock/nerdy/traditional and edgy vogue and a portfolio spanning from full-body shots to incredible black and white vignettes, her poise and composure in front of a camera is trully amazing as if she was born to live at the anterior of an optical lens. Her temperamentally rebellious attitude in front of the camera makes her a perfect ambassodor for African indigenous couture symbolizing black excellence. Long-legged, dazzlingly broad shoulders, beautiful face and a scenic walk cobble together the model: The 24 year old Lorato Marope. Popularly known as Lot Lorah (@LOTLorah on Twitter and Facebook) she is as unique as her story and as eclectic and platformed as the Canadian born supermodel Grace Mahary. Lot’s artistic uniqueness and conspicuous picturesque poses set her apart from a torrent of other models that the industry is flooded with. Not only a pretty face, Lot is a former student of Mater Spei class of ‘07, she went on to study Bachelor of Arts - Mass Media giving her the opportunity to network with agencies and photographers at international platforms and recognised photographers and companies like Adidas.
ALL UP IN YOUR BIDNESS
ands of a model
ALL UP IN YOUR BIDNESS Unlike most women with pretty face Lorato has created the Lot Lorah brand to embellish beauty in so many aspects of its nature. Her most notable being the hand and head wrists which she creates and sells so a growing base of customers. Every bead maker has some kind of niche that fits with the entire bead community, which is very strong in the Gaborone area. She has an extensive range of all types of seed beads for off-loom bead weaving, plus a large selection
Sefako Foundation is a charitable organization “committed to principles of empathy and botho” and one of their objectives is to go around SOS homes and mentor young girls into becoming responsible, empowered and educated representatives of their generation. As a young, new mother she understands the importance of raising a girl child and the challenges, and her wish is for every girl out ther to have as comfortable an upbringing as that she wishes for her own daughter.
ALL UP IN YOUR BIDN of Swarovski crystals and other embellishment beads. The founder of Sefako Foundation Lot’s greatest ambition and devotion is to mentor young girls in Botswana into classy women. Unlike most in the Peagantry business, her approach is not to open a modelling agency but a foundation to nurture young disadvantaged girls.
She is a great fan of “naija” music, RnB and House and TV shows among them her favourites; Single Ladies, Pretty Little Liars, The Big Bang Theory, America’s Next Top Model and The Game and her favourite hobby besides beadwork and creating beautiful wristbands is relaxing at home with her small family.
Contact Lorato Marope or Sadie Selepeng to make donations to Sefako Foundation
Call: +267 76086365/76477954 Email: sefakofoundation@yahoo.com Follow on Twitter: SfakoFoundation
NESS
ALL UP IN YOUR BIDNESS
MOTIVATION
Getting A Mentor
I had a strategy session with a business start-up owner a few months ago. She was six months into her start- up and needed some ideas during her development stage.
We started on the conversation of getting a mentor. (She wanted to know how I got a mentor that she happened to also admire a lot). She had her eyes on a potential mentor and didn’t know how to approach this person.
I told her,
“Your first goal,” I tell her, “is to try to talk to her and see if there’s even a spark between the two of you. Your second goal, is to try and have some one-on-one time to talk about what you’re doing and see if there is a connection.”
“make it personal”
I found out that she never took that advice. Instead, she sent a letter to this potential mentor, asking for a handout. She never did get a response. I’ve managed to get some successful mentors and accomplish some things I’m proud of in my business startups by following these steps:
Step One: Stalk your potential mentor at the time most convenient for them. Don’t try to call this person when they’re busy, interrupt them when they’re talking, or pop up at their office. Most business owners attend speaking events, are authors, host their own events, have products for sale, etc. So find them when they’re open to talk to the public. Step Two: Give them a reason to talk to you. Don’t expect someone to bend over backwards for you just because you’re a start-up. In fact, they may be asking themselves, “who the hell are you?” For example: if they have books for sale, buy one and talk to them while you get an autograph. If they’ve announced a private event during their speech, sign up for the event.
Step Three: The Good Follow-up. Good follow-up is contacting them with something that adds value to their business. First of all, don’t hope that they contact you. You contact them. You’re the one who needs help. Step Four: Communicate To Connect. The connection should be your primary aim. Avoid the empty communication. Too many people have a stage to talk from these days; but not too many people actually do. Step Five: Present. Here’s what you do when you talk about your start-up: you have some visuals. Most new business owners think they don’t need this. If you’re a start-up, you need all the help that you can get and this is one.
OFFICE WELLNESS
Work Obsession
It’s that time of year when things are crazy. You are probably slammed at work. The finances are not adding up, taxes have to be paid and employees hungrily look at you for upgrades on their salaries. Most entrepreneurs immerse themselves onto their work and zone off of the entire scope of their lives. Admist this craziness most lose their families, friends and worse - themselves. Here are a few tips to overcome this entrepreneural shadow. Review your day There is a lot going on so at the end of each day take some time to plan your schedule for the next day. What do you need to get finished? Make a list with the amount of time you need to complete each task. List your top priorities first. Then, when you wake up the next day, you’ll know what you need to work on and finish that day. Schedule “me” time
When you have a busy schedule, it can be so easy to rush from one activity to the next without taking a break. You go to work, drive the kids to wherever they need to be, shop, cook, clean, do laundry, etc. At the end of the day, you collapse on your bed and either fall asleep right away or lie awake thinking of all the things you need to get done the next day. This is not a good schedule for your health or stress levels. Instead, schedule some time for you.
Take time out to take a fun exercise class, go for a walk, get a massage, read a book… whatever you like to do that gives you a moment to relax and get your thoughts together. Get help Whether you want to believe it or not, sometimes its impossible to do it all. And if you try to do it all, what are the chances that you’ll be able to do everything well? Instead of running around like a crazy person and doing everything so-so due to a lack of time, why not ask for help? Maybe you can hire an intern or part-time employee, give your kids some extra chores to do or seek out family and friends to help you with shopping and odd jobs? It may cost a little extra money and time to give out some of your responsibilities to others, but it will be will worth it. The work will get done, and you’ll avoid spreading yourself too thin and getting sick. Don’t let the holidays pass you by. This is a very special time of year to appreciate what you have and spread goodwill and cheer. But if you are stuck behind your desk, up late worrying about work or in bed sick, the season will pass you by.
Fastest Growing Companies in Botswana
20
We are proud to present our inagural issues’s ranking of Botswana’s fastest growing mid-size enterprises. As a researcher, what is most fascinating about our ranking campaign is that it provides a vivid snapshot of the relationship between individual company growth, and the economy at large. Our list mirrors the country’s economic climate, and equips us with a deeper understanding of it. This ranking also represents the dynamism prevalent in Botswana’s mid-size segment. So, even while as many as 158 companies were assesed to be on the May list, the list has our top 10 companies which stood out as the fastest growing in terms of popularity, loyal following and visibility. As each of our issues unfold , we will try to bring forth a new insight into the rankings. 1. My Guy Clad in a pair of Converse, black jeans and a jacket, Tlamelo Ramodisa has built one of the most innovative companies in Botswana with the greatest social media strategies
3. Whis is beaconing new horizons for the fashion industry in Botswana. With the mastery of her hands and her beautifully aligned eye Thato has set unbreakable standards for fashion designers both locally and internationally.
2. Dee Zone Productions Undoubtedly one of the greatest media production houses in the country, Dee Zone’s success lies deeply in the massive talent it possess in its employ.
4. Bartrit.com bartrit.com is an online classifieds service that enables entrepreneurs and micro-businesses to promote their services for free and a small price for larger enterprises. The website is a brainchild of Parikshit Bohra and Kwasi Darkwa who plan to start transaction mediatory services on bartrit and are already working on launching it in Mauritius as their plan to expand to further purviews. The Website boasts of a massive social media following and garners up to 200 000 viewers.
5. BenDan Photography
13. Mathscit Tutoring Centre
6. Rimzy Productions
14. Protean Maun
7. Fresh Exclusive Nite Club
15. Mulabisc Enterprise
8. Little Learners Academy
16. FouSweedy
9. Deluxe Cabs
17. Cleanall Servives (PTY) Ltd
10. Kulyera Kotlo Milling
18. Cally Clothing
11. Inovata Security Solutions
19. TVR Free-Range Chickens
12. Norm’s Internet Cafe
20. Skip Hire
meet the mentors 2014
SMME Entrepreneurs Summit
The Entrepreneur’s Weekend Off
Ophrah Winfery Network & Tyler Perry’s The Haves & The Have Nots
House of Lies The struggle os Marty Kaan and associates through the dark world of Entrepreneurs
Arrow The life and mission of billionnaire playboy, Oliver Queen
The Big Bang Theory Scandal/The Fixer Political thriller
The Vampire Diaries
MOTIVATION imPULSE Sounds like a small child not getting his or her way, doesn’t it? Well, believe it or not, I’ve heard plenty of adults saying these exact same things recently and felt the need for a little pep talk via this blog. Whether it’s a difficult kickboxing class, a smallbusiness meeting or a social event, the buzz out there is negative. Well, I’ve got news for you “Negative Nancies.” It’s time for an attitude adjustment!. Yes, things are ugly in the news today, and you may be feeling a significant strain on your budget. But you’re not going to get anywhere is you don’t change your thought pattern. And more importantly - Strong people are feeding off your weakness right now! That’s right. The more negative you are about your business, physical health, finances… the list goes on… the more your competitors are taking advantage of your weakness. While you focus on the negative, we’re focusing on how to turn a bad situation into a positive one. While you’re crying over the stock market, we’re increasing our financial education. While you’re moping around in front of the television, we’re exercising and taking care of ourselves. Things Can Get Better. There are new clients and customers out there with money to spend on your products and services. There is a way to improve you financial situation even if you are flat broke. There is a way to feel better emotionally and physically. But you’ve got to take action right now. And it doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. Start with a small step. Conduct some research online to find information about improving your finances, business and health. Hang out with positive role models who can give you good advice and guidance. Change your mindset and think positive thoughts. This may sound simple, but if you are whining about your current situation and not willing to take any action, your situation is not likely going to change soon now, is it? And after all, isn’t it time you started to take control of your destiny? With this in mind, try to stop looking at your negative balance-sheet, turn off that reality television-show, avoid hanging out with naysayers, and put down that bag of potato chips. And more importantly, stop whining and start doing! It doesn’t take much to go in a positive direction. Take a small action right now to make your dreams a reality. You just may be surprised at how fast your life turns around!
GETTING STARTED
C E O
First Timers Starting a business can be dauting but equally exciting. The moment you have all the paperwork from the Registrar of Companies and the Botswana Unified Revenue Services, with an activated bank account. Its an overwhelmingly beautiful feeling and fulfilling. But it is not always sunshine and rainbows. When it gets down to the real business only the best of CEOs survive the spade. Here are eight areas where reality diverges the most from any startup CEO’s expectations. 1. Identifying customer needs is only a fraction of the product-market-fit battle. I’m a fan of the lean startup model and we are diligently striving to “build things that people want.” But identifying customer needs and creating a solution for those needs is only part of the equation. The other half is removing the 1000 small friction points and barriers to adoption, which is in itself a Sisyphean task.
2. Nobody gives a sh’t about what you are doing (at least at first). There’s an entire generation o-f entrepreneurs who have a skewed perception that “a great product markets itself.” That’s bullshit. Sure, there are a few born-viral products the round bags with old music records on them, but these are the extreme exceptions, not the norms. Most startups, even really good ones, have to make a ton of noise and hustle like hell to get anyone to pay attention. At the beginning really “nobody cares about your stupid little startup.”
6. Don’t sell the product - sell what users can do with the product. This is borrowed / stolen directly from Steve Jobs, and it’s something I have to beat into my brain every day. There are numerous layers and nuances to it: pitch the benefits not the features; sell the “why” vs. 6. “Thought leaders” are like supermodels— great if you can land one, but… Skip chasing “trophy partners”-- like trying to date a supermodel, they’re expensive, time consuming and a hassle to deal with when you do land them. Instead, chase those who need you the most.
3. Some people are just not that into you. Cold reality: many of the people you really want to like you / your company / your product, simply won’t. Persistence is indeed a critical trait for entrepreneurs, at some point it’s time to recognize when a deal’s not going to happen. In short, don’t let “Deal OCD” become a detriment to your overall business. 8. People will surprise you in awesome ways. If you’ve read this far, you’ll notice that most of the lessons learned involve accepting failure or overcoming roadblocks and rejection. But a nice takeaway is that people-- often strangers-- will surprise you in delightful ways, too. If you’re doing something interesting, and doing it for the right motivations, then people will go out of their way to help. It’s a beautiful thing.
GETTING STARTED
As a student entrepreneur, I was prepared to make some missteps. After all, I’m still just getting the hang of this entrepreneurship thing. But I’ve made some whopping failures too. Sure, making mistakes is something to be avoided. But the worst thing you can do is stumble and not learn from it. With this in mind, here are three of the top mistakes I’ve made that consequently taught me a lot about entrepreneurship. I’ve always prided myself on having a strong ability to judge personalities very quickly and accurately. It is foolish, however, to rely solely on instinct when choosing vendors, employees and business partners. In an interview, when a candidate is at their most composed, he or she might give off a hard-working vibe, but later that can very easily morph into aggression or stubbornness. I learned quickly (maybe still not quickly enough) that all first impressions need to be verified. At the very least, get a second opinion - Have the candidate go through two rounds of interviews. To be more thorough, go beyond a basic Google search and follow up with references to understand how the candidate performed at previous jobs and why they no longer work there. You never know what you might dig up. While I am a huge advocate for hands-on learning, there are some subjects in which the basics are best learned in a classroom. Accounting is definitely one of them. Student entrepreneurs are in the unique position of being able to take courses that both enhance general knowledge and supplement the business. It is crucial to take advantage of this. Though much of our accounting work is delegated to the consultants, I wish I had taken Accounting before I ever started my business. Having an understanding of the numbers helps shape the entire business, from operations to hiring to vendor choices. To some degree, I do believe this. I believe I can do anything I set my mind to, and that I am genuinely more productive the busier I am. There is, however, a limit to any one person’s abilities. Furthermore, even if you can do everything, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. It’s often more productive to delegate responsibilities. It gives employees a chance to show leadership and to grow within their role, and frees up your time to spend on tasks that require your specific skill set.
It has never been easy to build a successful company culture. It is something you have to work on day after day. This is not only true for multinational companies, but the basic theory applies to startups as well. It is not impossible but still very hard to build a fast-growing business without a positive company culture. There is not only direct causality but strong correlation between the well-being of your team and the success of your startup. Along the road of building a company founders often face many challenges. Creating a great culture is definitely one of these. The hardest part is that you can only learn this skill by doing it. There’s no workaround, tutorial, webinar where you can learn the magic from. However, you can gather ideas, ask others to share their experience, but at the end of the day it will all come down to you getting your hands dirty. Here are some of the key ingredients. I wrote this article not only to list general wisdom on how to build successful cultures but to eventually help you navigate the noise. Having a core set of values is essential for any company, and it is even more important for startups. Moreover, this should be the laying foundation of the startup itself. If the co-founders don’t think alike and share the same values the conflicts later on will tear the startup apart. “We failed. It was John’s fault. He was not dedicated enough.”
culture
successful startup
CULTURE
No matter what stage you are at, company culture needs to be a top priority. It sets the general tone for the co-founders, the team members and later on (when you scale) for potential employees as well. As it needs to be a priority, company culture is something you just have to spend time on.
Regardless what happens outside your comfort zone, whatever challenges and problems you may face, your initial set of values need to remain unchanged. Protecting the company culture and sticking to core values is a long-term benefit.”
“You cannot mandate productivity, you must provide the tools to let people become their best.” - Steve Jobs. If you want to avoid having underperforming and unhappy team members you have to motivate them and push them towards a higher stage of productivity. A good culture definitely helps the process.
Have a core set of values
Make company culture a priority Never compromise company values Be productive
CULTURE
STRATEGIC PLAN Companies often have trouble maintaining growth, even in favorable economic conditions. The modern business landscape is ever changing: The information highway remains supercharged; technology continues to develop at warp speed; distribution channels change unexpectedly; and new competitors spring into action every day. In today’s complex business environment, strategic thinking is essential for sustaining a long-term competitive position. Corporations recognize this necessity and invest ample resources towards strategic planning efforts. However, small-to-mid-sized companies often fail to engage in strategy development activities. As a result, subtle changes in the competitive landscape go unnoticed and once a new technology, process or change in cost structure enters the marketplace, the incumbent’s competitive advantages disappear. In response, the corporation goes into reactive mode and ends up playing catch up instead of proactively embracing new opportunities. The dearth of strategic planning in smaller-sized companies is often How can we attributed to an absence of time and What What does continue to understanding. Owners and comchanges are the company make pany executives tend to become occurring in offer? money? absorbed with the daily operations our industry? of the company and focus on immediate tasks instead of long-term goals. Some company owners may recognize the importance of strategic planning but simply lack clear understanding of the process. New technologies can change the competitive landscape overnight. Moreover, competitors may emerge from the most unexpected places. Make it a point to maintain a constant dialogue with your customers, suppliers and industry experts.
Recognizing the core competencies of your organization is critical to building strategic flexibility. The best way to preserve your competitive edge is to continually innovate. Upgrade your technologies, hone your internal processes or develop more efficient distribution channels.
Companies who understand what business they are in are more adept at identifying niches, following trends and responding to market demand. This flexibility makes them more successful at formulating sustainable businesses models
In its simplest form, a strategic plan is a clear vision of a company long-term position based upon the value-add it provides to customers and shareholders. Strategic plans require knowledge of fundamental industry shifts and how customers and competitors are expected to respond to those changes. Flexibility is an inherent characteristic of strategic plans, which should be easily adaptable to the current market. Evaluating strategic options is based on identifying choices that are most capable of providing value for all stakeholders and align with the organization’s vision and core competencies.
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