Everything in your business seems to be spiralling out of control. Your largest customer cancels their contract. A trusted partner betrays you. Cashflow dries up, and you’re quickly heading straight for the edge of a cliff. These things happen. The question is: how do...

Try to get your customers to announce they are your customers, too. When a partner announces they are working with you or your company, it creates skin in the game and shows their commitment. When customers announce they are paying for your good or service, it signals...

Business isn’t just a marathon or a sprint; it’s a bit of both. But there’s one key difference: unlike running or cycling, in markets with scale economies, data advantages, customer lock-ins or network effects, falling behind can mean never catching up. A small speed...

You can be in the strongest ship or the fastest aeroplane. If the captain doesn’t know where to go, you’ll drift around or end up in the wrong harbour. You are the captain of your life! No matter how skilled you are, how much luck you've had in the past or how many...

Once they've selected a growing market and have identified the product they will build, every entrepreneur needs to focus on building a company.  And this is primarily about building a team.  The right people with the right skills, attitudes and values will mean the...

Like a rising tide lifting all ships, even mediocre companies can succeed in a growing market. But an outgoing tide pulls everyone out to sea. Great companies led by impressive teams will almost always fail in a shrinking market. No matter how strong you are, if you...

"Eccentricity is one of those English traits that looks like frailty but masks a concealed strength; individuality disguised as oddity." ~ Ben Macintyre (A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal) People remember those who aren't normal. Especially, those...

Considering going into business with a bad person?  Do you think you can draw up a contract that will protect you? Forget it. They will win. For one thing, they probably enjoy litigation. If you’re ever tempted to go into business with someone with a reputation for...

A needy person is someone who prioritizes what other people think of them over what they think of themselves. As Mark Manson says:  “Any time you alter your words or behavior to fit someone else’s needs rather than your own, that is needy. Any time you lie about your...

2024 was a challenging but rewarding year. My third child was born. Emma is now 9 months old. Highly mobile and full of smiles. I left my job at fibertime – a business I believe in with a mission I support – to look for a new challenge where I have more control of the...

No matter what, take one more step.Movement creates movement. Action creates energy. One more step. No matter how small. It gets you closer to your goals.

Those who believe they can’t, will not. Without belief, there is no courage. Without courage, there is no action. Belief. Unwavering belief. It’s the most essential element in doing big things. It is how man walked on the moon, eradicated smallpox and constructed...

You need to go out and catch them. This is true for everything in entrepreneurship and life. It’s unlikely that good things like a partner, a business idea and sales will just come to you. You need to throw a line in the water and go find them.

Something I discovered when her trainer tried to hide her weights and give me a lighter set (he was worried it would hurt my ego). She’s shorter than me, and more importantly, she recently had a baby. I think I’m fit and active. It did hurt my ego a little. Her output...

There’s a Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now” Hindsight makes past decisions seem easy and the missed opportunities look obvious. You can’t control the past. The only thing you can control is what you do...

Until then, you almost have a business. And almost is hard to quantify. Sales is what separates a business from an idea.

Smartness is only table stakes. It’s just a requirement to play. Ideas are easy. Execution is the only thing that matters. Build your business around executors. 

#1 is the teamYou need to bring the best people in and remove bad elements. The entire team must be working towards one single goal. If you are not working in lock step then you will trip over each other. #2 is internal and external communication Internal...

All growth businesses need to innovate constantly. To stay relevant, they need to improve their product consistently. They also need to reshape marketing and sales iteratively. This kind of innovation doesn’t come from an R&D department. It comes from a culture of...

In his book, Sam Walton, the legendary business wizard who built Walmart, said that if he had to single out an element of his life that made a difference, it would be the passion to compete. “That passion has pretty much kept me on the go, looking ahead to the next...

Knowing what you’re doing right or wrong and identifying areas of improvement is one way to become a better leader, entrepreneur, writer, friend, spouse, or whatever. It’s also how you build a better product or business. After all, feedback loops drive growth. A...

Happy with a smile. Sad with a gloomy face. Smile often and you’ll feel happier. Make a sad face for long enough and you’ll feel depressed. Our emotions show on our faces. And the faces we show the world affect our moods. It also goes much deeper than emotions… We...

Personal growth compounds. It builds over time from an ever increasing base. Here are 11 things that slows growth or chips away at the base: Stop being curious. Stop seeking out mentors and advice. Drugs, excessive alcohol and other bad habits. Social media and other...

When growing your business, should you hire a horse or a mule?

The discovery of the Eureka Diamond was blind luck

The army of Alexander the Great threatened mutiny. It was during his campaign in India. The young king and his men were exhausted. All were worn out from years of hard travel and warfare. All missed their families. All wanted to home to Macedonia or their respective...

The birds mustn’t peck at the frogs and the frogs mustn’t hide the diamonds

That cash flow exercise at the back of a financial management textbook may be difficult, but it is not real. Writing a report on the “7 P’s” will give you a foundation for thinking about marketing, but it will always be one dimensional and a snapshot in time. Every...

Of all entrepreneurial proverbs, few are said as often as “follow the money”. It’s a truism we all hear. And it’s the one we most often get wrong. Generally, when you hear someone say that they’re following the money they mean that they are selling their product in a...

In life, business, sport… when looking to achieve something abnormal, don’t rely on the normal. Be a little contrarian. Don’t read the same books as everyone else. Ignore the best sellers at the airport. Read history and fantasy. Don’t subscribe to the usual blogs or...

I built my first website in 2006.

We all want our startup teams to be successful. We want them to be creative, committed, productive, profitable, loyal and energetic.

Over the last four years I’ve moved from Stellenbosch to Cape Town. Cape Town to Wellington. Wellington back to Stellenbosch, and from…

Lockdown in South Africa, Day 12.

If life were fair, the best product in a market would be the best selling product in that market.

One evening, two frogs — an optimist and a pessimist —  were hopping around a dairy. Distracted by the number of flies and cows, they both…

There is no shortage of organisations trying to stop crime in South Africa.

Before 2011, Kulula was funny. SA’s first low-cost cost airline became well known because of its cheap fares and its sense of humour.

Herb Kelleher started his career as a Texas-based lawyer with no experience or understanding of planes and air travel.

When Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple he could have become bitter and started living in the past.

In sports, you don’t win by focusing on the scoreboard. You win by focusing on what you need to do in the game right now.

Good processes allow people to think. Bad processes turn them into robots.

The Sears Catalog was the Amazon of its time.

Taking an idea from zero to a business is hard. You invest time, stress and money, and sacrifice alternative career paths.

If you show low integrity in day-to-day activities — like cheating in squash or making small promises that you don’t keep — people will…

It is more expensive for you to have your piano moved in or out than it is to have a new lift installed in your building…

Startups typically use software to solve a problem at scale. In exchange, they demand money — an exchange of value —  from the users, a…

If your product or service provides an escape from boredom, sell it in boring places.

“What would you do if you woke up tomorrow with a million dollars in your bank account?”

“Well, boys, if you are going to have a dog race, then you are going to need a rabbit. And Oracle will be one hell of a rabbit.” — Michael…

What do you want to be when you grow up? A professional athlete, a successful businessman, a famous painter or carpenter, a loving parent…

Have you ever spent time with a couple who, whenever one of them is out of the room, the other talks badly about them behind their back?

Minor changes in process, and effort, and thinking can add up to become remarkable improvements. Especially in the long run. Even more so…

In a survey of entrepreneurs, all will acknowledge that most new businesses fail. All will also believe their business will be a success.

At its core, entrepreneurship is a tradeoff between risk and return. You risk financial certainty and an average career to pursue a…

It was how he dealt with the sound of unexpected smoke, gunfire and explosions — signs that his troops were fighting for their lives…

We tend to hang out with people who are similar to us.

In the late 1940s, the first tobacco company of Anton Rupert — the South African ‘child of depression’ who went on to build a multi-billion…

Personal feedback from friends, family, colleagues and mentors on how we’re doing and what we should improve on is essential. It helps us…

An incredible idea or a fabulous product doesn’t mean anything unless you can sell it.

Like it or not, believe it or not, we are not open-minded.

Instead of adding up everything you’ve committed, spent or sacrificed to date think about what will make you happy, healthy and wealthy…

Find a book that you may want to read. Click on the big orange button and receive an SMS from your bank saying that $10.39 has been…

It is more profound to say it to someone when everything is going as planned (even if they are falling to Earth)

Vanity metrics like the total number of app downloads or daily active users play an important role in helping you and others understand your business. They can be used to monitor whether you’re growing or not, or whether that change in a support process or a new...

Namola is South Africa’s fastest growing security, policing and emergency response app. It is available nationally, has 160,000 registered…

Most businesses fail. Far more never get off the ground.

You’re facing a difficult decision. You need to choose Option A or Option B; perhaps you’re considering a pivot of your business or the…

It’s that time of year again…. Family, reflections and new years resolutions. As we celebrate the end of 2017 remember to be thankful to those who guide us through the adventure of life. 1.Family The moral compass and for being available when no one else is there....

We all have our blind spots. For certain skills — perhaps our ability to do maths, drive a car or see business opportunities — we may not…

Yarak is a word from the sport of falconry used to describe when a bird is superalert, hungry but not weak, and is ready to hunt. It is when the falcon is scanning the horizon and is able to chase down anything that moves, but is not desperate enough to go after prey...

Whether the deal gets done is never only about the numbers. The people, personalities, beliefs and the various other off-the-books circumstances impact what happens in the office. People like doing business with people that they like. If you’re not likeable, you’re...

The title is not a metaphor. If there is a dirty wrapper, an old coke can or a piece of plastic in your vicinity, don’t ignore it. Pick it…

We’re all ambitious, we’re all driven and we all want to make a success of our short lives.

Struggling to close a deal? Clients owe you money and your runway is rapidly coming to an end? Second guessing your decision to quit your…

We’re all sales people. Like it or not. We’re all trying to convince someone to “buy” something from us. Maybe it’s a pair of shoes or a magazine. Maybe it’s persuading a potential employer into believing that you’re productive or convincing a pretty girl to go for a...

We see the world through the eyes of a single character; ourselves. Our journey is watched through the lens of our individual past, our…

“I haven’t eaten a banana since I was 10” he said. I didn’t believe him. He was in his 70’s. I was about 12 and was eating a banana at the time. Ronnie went on to explain how he had grown up in England during the second world war. Due to the food rationing, the first...

We’re surrounded by bad news. Stories of terrorism, natural disasters, violence, crime, corruption and economic pessimism hog the…

I built my first website in 2006.

November 2016 on Namola

Business communication revolves around email. No two ways about it. It has become the foundation of how teams get onto the same page. It is…

Everyone in business (and in life in general) is the same. On the outside we try our best to look calm, collected and as if everything is…

Do you want to be remembered for your amazing plans or for your epic execution?

There has only ever been one successful slave revolution.

From driverless cars to the green energy revolution, integrated smart cities and new apps for funny selfies, all the innovations that are…

Britain is one of the powerhouses of the sport of cycling. At the 2012 Olympics, Team Great Britain Cycling won 8 gold medals. At #Rio2016…

Some people just want to argue and fight. They like the attention. They like the excitement.

A few months ago I published a post on how we should all choose our tribes — groups of people who we want to spend time with and who we…

As a South African reading the daily news, it’s difficult not to feel like the proverbial frog sitting in a pot of water on a lit stove.

When diamonds were first discovered in Kimberly South Africa, they were found in abundance in a layer of soft, easy to mine, yellow looking…

What is the biggest and most audacious goal that you have for your business? Whatever it is, think bigger and go for it.

To learn about business from all angles we need to actively seek out and surround ourselves with three different people: Someone better and more experienced that you can learn from (a mentor), Someone less experienced and greener that you can teach (a mentee), and...

The Mongol Empire was the largest continuous land empire the world has ever seen. Starting from Central Asia, the Mongol Empire grew…

Business is about making money. Don’t hide from that.

Unless you want to be the next hotel chain, the next local taxi company, the next record label distributor, the next video rental outlet or…

In 1943, during WW2, the US military was trying to determine the optimum amount and position of armour on fighter planes and bombers. They knew that covering an entire plane with armour would make it heavier, slower, less manoeuvrable and, therefore more likely to get...

In the connected world of smartphones, emails, WhatsApp and Skype it is tempting to build geographic boundaries between you and the people that you work with. Sometimes, however, there is no substitute for proximity. It is easy to ignore an email or put it off for...

“Why don’t we add x feature”, “let’s accommodate this business case”, “we can throw that in”, “I’m sure that someone would want to…

Most of us suffer from the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). We’re paranoid about missing opportunities, so we tend to follow crowds that seem to…

Ever since my wife and I moved to Nelson Mandela Bay I’ve become surrounded by surfers. Every tenth car has a surfboard or two on the roof. My flat overlooks a local break so whenever I want to sit on my balcony I’m forced to watch them catch wave after wave. I want...

We all belong to various communities made up of family, friends, acquaintances, work colleagues and people that we don’t know well. Each of…

Resist the temptation to chase every opportunity that presents itself. Focus on the quick wins and the things that will take you closer to your goal. Ignore, defer or say no to everything else. If you look hard enough you’ll notice that life and business are full of...

Just like building a house, when building a business, you need to start with the foundations. Once the foundations are in place, you can…

“We’ve been evacuated” read the the WhatsApp message that woke me up early this morning. My wife was letting me know that her, our 7 week…

“Life can deal you an amazing hand. Do you play it steady, bluff like crazy or go all in?” ― Joe Simpson

“Believe me it is better to understand the balance sheet of one’s own life than of the corn trade.” — Seneca

“Because it’s there”

In business, life and politics there are opportunities to take ethical shortcuts to get ahead, be more popular or make more money. Some of…

It’s easy to pitch what you want to sell. It’s harder to pitch what the customer actually wants to buy.

Business is about fulfilling a need, for a profit.

To be a leader in your startup you need to show up. No matter how hard it is.

You don’t need to have been top of your class to be a successful entrepreneur. In fact, it may help if you weren’t…

We all want our startup teams to be successful. We want them to be creative, committed, productive, profitable, loyal and energetic.

It is easy to go slow. It is easy to bide your time hoping that someone else will do the actual work. Things feel safer when you’re moving…

Over the last four years I’ve moved from Stellenbosch to Cape Town. Cape Town to Wellington. Wellington back to Stellenbosch, and from…

Meetings can be a valuable or an expensive way to spend your time. They can open up opportunities, or cost you dearly.

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone.

You’ve got a new high-profile project to complete. Maybe it’s internal, possibly the launch of a new product or the opening of a new…

The success or failure of any startup depends on team’s ability to communicate.

You’ve just ditched the suit. Left the corporate world. And have started a new job at a startup.

It’s one thing to deliver the goods once you have the contract. It’s another to show your potential clients that you’re willing to put in effort. Your initial emails and proposals are usually the first touch point with prospective clients. Most of them will decide...