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How a fun, practical creativity tool gave this man in his 60s a second income – and a new lease on life

I met with a business broker I have known for some years who has given me business advice from the trenches as he deals with valuing and selling all sorts of businesses. He can spot a dud a kilometre away.

John McQuade as Charlie Wild from the program Charlie Wild, Private Detective.
John McQuade as Charlie Wild from the program Charlie Wild, Private Detective.

Yet he’s being having a hard time selling businesses in this down economy. Sellers are desperate to sell even events businesses which have little assets and dubious goodwill because of fickle corporates who change suppliers at the drop of a hat.

Buyers of concrete solid businesses such as small manufacturing companies are taking long to make decisions – a sale can take up to 6 months or longer.

On top of this, he’s been moving from a large home in the suburbs to a smaller cluster house. Downsizing has proved traumatic for his wife who wants to take all her positions to their new home. She’s finding it difficult to change and let go. Continue reading “How a fun, practical creativity tool gave this man in his 60s a second income – and a new lease on life”

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Ignore your pie-in-the-sky thinking if you want but don’t cry when your competitors steal a scrumptious slice of your market

Why has pie-in-the-sky thinking got such a bad rap?
Why has pie-in-the-sky thinking got such a bad rap?

Last night while driving to a jazz club I was listening to a new Johannesburg radio station and I heard a business consultant interviewing entrepreneurs who have taken a second-hand car sounds business and through innovative ideas have made it super successful.

What stood out for me was a remark made by the wife of the husband-and-wife business partnership. She said her husband was the “pie-in-the-sky” thinker. He was the one who had come up with ideas such as to showcase a classic car from the 60s in their car sound audio fitment centre. Continue reading “Ignore your pie-in-the-sky thinking if you want but don’t cry when your competitors steal a scrumptious slice of your market”

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One overlooked secret to generating new ideas

It’s Tuesday today – the day that’s furthest away from Monday, the day when many feel at their lowest point of energy. It’s not for nothing that even songwriters have written about Monday blues such as “I don’t like Mondays”, “Manic Monday” and “Blue Monday”.

Interesting that songs about Tuesday are more upbeat: “Ruby Tuesday”, “Groovy Tuesday” and “Hooray for Tuesday”.

Mondays can drain our energy as we try to break away from the relaxed state of the weekend and recoil ourselves for the first day of the working week. Continue reading “One overlooked secret to generating new ideas”

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Your idea sucks? Now, what are you going to do about it?

Today is a very special day in your life. How do I know this? I know because you have landed on this blog. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t curious about how you can take your idea for a product or service and make it work for your life or business. Stay here for a few minutes I will show you exactly how you can make this day one of the most exciting that you have ever had in your life.

I was listening to a small business owner telling me excitedly about a new product idea that he had come up with but I was squirming in my seat. His idea sucked but I didn’t have the heart to tell him. I listened closely and when he finished I suggested he give the idea some more thought and recommended he use the New Business Idea Accelerator Evaluation Plan to see if his idea was feasible. Continue reading “Your idea sucks? Now, what are you going to do about it?”

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What happened to entrepreneurial spirit? Finding the entrepreneur in you

Kalk Bay Harbour, Cape Town.
Kalk Bay Harbour, Cape Town. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I was growing up in the seaside village of Kalk Bay, Cape Town, my father hired a spare outside room from the mother of a famous cricketer at the time.

The empty room was quickly filled with equipment that my brothers and I used for our watersports: surfboards, wetsuits, diving gear and fishing rods. I spent many hours in that room fixing surfboard dents or dings.

I didn’t know it then but this woman was being entrepreneurial by making some money on the side in her retirement years. Continue reading “What happened to entrepreneurial spirit? Finding the entrepreneur in you”

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Keeping tight-lipped about product flaws is fatal for trust

English: Muizenberg from Boyes Drive
Muizenberg from Boyes Drive (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It happened so long ago that I almost forgot about it: how I bought a surfboard from a shop in Muizenberg when I first started surfing and the board was so brittle that it cracked even with the slightest pressure or bump.

In those days, not unlike what still happens in all sorts of products and services, the owner of the surf shop didn’t say a word about the poor quality of manufacture of his product. I can remember how many times I’d have to buy resin, catalyst and fibreglass strips to fix the many “dings” in my surfboard. Continue reading “Keeping tight-lipped about product flaws is fatal for trust”

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Discover the four things you must know before you create a new product or service

"enthusiasm"
“Enthusiasm” (Photo credit: TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³)

Small business owners wanting to expand their product or service range may come up with a new business idea, rush into it without much thought because they are swept on a wave of enthusiasm and then discover that there is little or no demand.

I’ve made this mistake and I’ve seen first-hand as others have done the same. It’s almost as if we think that our enthusiasm will make up for everything. Our reasoning and gut feeling are shoved aside in the white-hot act of creation and product development. We may be blinded by the “darn it, just do it” mantras spouted by celebrity entrepreneurs. Continue reading “Discover the four things you must know before you create a new product or service”
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Where do you find the best business advice?

Sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia. Older dunes are reddish and larger, newer dunes are yellow-brown.
Sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia. Credit: Yathin S Krishnappa

A few months back I was advising an entrepreneur was eager to market his service to other small business people but his ideas to sell his Internet offering sucked. Rather than tell him so and risk hurting his feelings, I suggested that we would go speak to some prospects to find out what selling methods worked best with them.

A small business owner who had been running his deli business for a few years told the entrepreneur that the only marketing he would respond to would be direct contact. The entrepreneur needed to call him and let him know what he could do to help grow his business. Continue reading “Where do you find the best business advice?”

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Earth Day 2013 – A tidal wave of innovation needed

A pair of African Black oyster catchers. Photo credit: Chesney Bradshaw.
A pair of African Black oyster catchers. Photo credit: Chesney Bradshaw.

In my late teens I ran along Fish Hoek beach in the mornings, sometimes with my father, and we’d see little sand pipers race up to the water’s edge to find tiny sea creatures to eat.

Some years ago I was chatting to friends, who grew up in the area, on a hot summer’s morning in December right there at the end of the same beach near Clovelly corner. We were talking about growing up in such a beautiful place when I remembered that I had not seen sand pipers for years.

“What happened to all those sand pipers we used to see on the beach?” I asked one of my friends. Continue reading “Earth Day 2013 – A tidal wave of innovation needed”

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Green fatigue, a luxury for people with plenty water

Green
Green (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

When I was travelling through to the Richtersveld, a dry semi–desert region, I stopped at the town of De Aar. On entering the restroom at a restaurant in the centre of town, I found the wash basin hot water tap running full blast.

This is probably the result of a low-information mindset and culture. It’s got to be because how can you waste water in such a water-stressed area? Continue reading “Green fatigue, a luxury for people with plenty water”