General

“The unfortunate need people who will be kind to them; the prosperous need people to be kind to.” (Aristotle) Strategic business partnerships are an integral part of any successful business and yet very few entrepreneurs think of the opportunities which arise from partnering with non-profit organisations. Collaborating with NGOs and…

“As an entrepreneur, one of the biggest challenges you will face will be building your brand. The ultimate goal is to set your company and your brand apart from the crowd.” (Ryan Holmes, Founder and CEO of Hootsuite) Trying to get a business off the ground is challenging. Every step…

“There’s life and death in every email.” (Bill Gates) Over the past 25 years, email has become synonymous with office life: a recent study found that the average worker sends between 9,000 and 15,000 emails a year. All of this is happening despite email being fundamentally flawed in multiple ways…

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” (Henry Ford) Without revenue targets, businesses are unable to measure their performance against past years, reward employees, or accurately forecast and plan. Targets set by leaders for individuals or teams can shape morale and expectations for employees and…

“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” (Stephen R. Covey, author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’) Good business leaders recognise that regular employee performance reviews play a vital role in improving transparency, identifying talent, and enhancing performance – yet often this…

“Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just marketing, sales, or service.” (Dharmesh Shah, CTO and co-founder, HubSpot) Brand awareness is at the heart of building a successful business. If your target customers, and the public at large don’t know who…

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” (Benjamin Franklin) When a company is struggling with cashflow, or simply looking to improve profitability, the directors will often consider making grand sweeping changes like retrenching staff, slashing the marketing budget or even selling off resources. While this…

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” (Jeff Bezos) You have a great product or service that fills a need. You are doing your marketing. Your accountant has helped you streamline your cashflow and provided you with your financial forecasts. You are…

“There are no shortcuts when it comes to getting out of debt.” (Dave Ramsey, finance journalist and author) Most businesses have debt of some kind or another. Whether you need help to buy stock, maintain equipment or even fund a property, it’s likely that at some stage in your business’…

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently.” (Warren Buffett) During tough economic times it can be tempting to illegally cut corners, hire staff at lower salaries, or avoid paying taxes you know you…