Strategic analysis from Idea Accelerator and ready-to-publish content from Financial News Daily.
It’s a question that can make some people feel uncomfortable. The proverb “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” means that it is better to have something that is certain than take a risk to get more, where you might lose everything. It is a warning against giving up a sure thing for something speculative.
Under what circumstances might this rule or proverb not apply? Continue reading “Is a bird in the hand always better than two in the bush?”
A research study asked 500 adults if they were more likely to pay for digital products which provided entertainment (such as music) and solutions (software apps) or for those providing knowledge such as an online newspaper.
The research, says ScienceDaily, found that younger and wealthier users were more likely to be willing to pay for online news. People who had bought software programs, online movies, apps and e-books were also more likely to pay for online news.
This research is important for anyone involved in online or traditional news media. It illustrates the ongoing effects of the digital revolution on news. But it also makes one ask how small business can use entertainment to their advantage.
How can you use entertainment to make your business, products and services more interesting to customers? Continue reading “Are you entertaining your customers enough?”
Stewart Laing, tattoo artist, gave this pitch to the panel selecting social entrepreneurs to fund:
“I’ve been homeless, I’ve been an addict, I’ve been shot in the face. My dad died when I was young, I have no contact with my mum, I hustled for a living. Four years ago I turned things around. My tattoo teacher not only taught me, he saved my life. Now I want to set up a tattoo studio and employ troubled kids like I was to escape the street.”
This young man is 26 years old. He has developed his entrepreneurial instincts on the streets. Overcome childhood trauma. Learned to survive.
Seeing Stewart’s first-hand account from a piece in the Evening Standard, is powerful and moving. It shows how entrepreneurial skills can be found anywhere. It also shows how entrepreneurs can make money but also how they can make a difference to other people’s lives.
Continue reading “Where do you get your inspiration as an entrepreneur?”
Did you see that story the other day on how a social media company contracted a coastal city for 10 days and sent them a bill of R500,000?
The municipality gave out half a million Rand on a contract to promote the coastal city on social media. The reported contract involved paying R50,000 a day to:
A Sunday newspaper reported that the city’s communications department has an operating budget of R48 million a year, a specialist web team and close to 50 employees in the communications team. Continue reading “How much would you pay for a social media service for your small business?”
The weekend newspaper in the Western Cape covered the assets of a construction company under liquidation in its auction pages. When you look at the concrete mixer, generators and cut-off saw machine you get struck by the sadness of a business going into bankruptcy.
The sale didn’t only include these items but also the company’s construction, road and survey equipment and its office equipment and furniture. These items included containers, compactors, compressors, water pumps, moisture density gauges, generators and Leica Land Surveyor and large quantities of tools, ladders, drills and spares, scaffolding and trailers. Continue reading “Did this small business sign personal sureties?”
A start-up co-founder Craig Anderson has come up with a shark attack mitigation system in the form of a product called Clever Buoy, which is able to detect sharks and warn lifesavers of their presence in bathing areas.
The Perth-based Shark Attack Mitigation Systems business has developed Clever Buoy with the help of Google and Optus (A POTUS). The company has used a process from the oil and gas industry to develop new software that recognises sharks through sonar based on their swimming patterns.
Continue reading “What early detection systems do you need in your business?”
One of the local gossip magazines carried the story about the Kardashian sisters being obsessed with plastic surgery. The article details how they had been using Botox, fillers, lip injections and nose jobs to transform their facial looks. It’s quite amazing what these young superstars will do to look more beautiful and younger.
What’s even more interesting is that the perception used to be that more mature people would go for plastic surgery but now it seems that young people are obsessed with going under the knife. Continue reading “Obsessed with surgery… is a small business face-lift necessary?”
An adventure reporter with two children is widowed. He leaves his reporter’s job and decides to buy a zoo in a small rural community. Despite the misgivings of his brother and children, he goes ahead and buys the zoo.
From the outset, the new zoo owner runs into problems with everything: staff who question his motive, sick animals, zoo keeping regulations and financial hurdles.
“We bought a zoo” is a light-hearted comedy/drama family film but it has some interesting lessons for startup owners and buyers of second-hand businesses.
Benjamin Mee, the new owner of the dilapidated zoo, has to convince the small staff that he is for real. None of them are convinced that he can resurrect the zoo. Continue reading “Juiced up about a lemon business? Think again”
Without warning the Post Office in Sandton City shopping complex closed down in the first week of March. What happened is hard to decipher because the public messages outside were unclear and contradictory.
When the Post Office branch in the shopping centre closed down customers had to go to the branch in Benmore to collect their parcels or go to Bramley in Johannesburg to collect their post office box mail. Customers grumbled and left handwritten complaints on the signage at the post office branch.
I don’t want to get into any criticising of the Post Office but would rather look at its byzantine business model that is leaving money on the table for sharp private entrepreneurial business people. Continue reading “Wouldn’t it be nice if you could run your business like the post office”
I visited a new fast chicken and sit-down restaurant where the staff gave friendly and swift customer service. This service was so excellent that when the manager and co-owner came around to ask us were we happy with our meal, I asked him could he explain just one thing to me.
My question was: how come your staff are so helpful and friendly compared to the national chain of chicken restaurants that previously had a similar operation on the same premises? Continue reading “Do you take on any customer you can find or are you selective?”
