Can you make a business out of prison uniforms?

Yes you can. Its amazing how many pictures of prison uniforms we see in the newspapers every year. Last year one of my fundraising trainees in The Fundraising Academy ( one of my other businesses) did the Innovation workshop using the newspapers and actually thought of the idea of  custom making inside the prisons, the prison uniform. I thought at the time it was a great idea. A new fashion trend and nothing I had ever heard of! But then I thought why not create a fashion trend at all prisons across the world. God knows how many prisons there are and this translates literally into thousands of patterns, colours, and brands in many many countries.

So how would one start a venture like this.

Well I always promote the idea of testing a new concept.

Testing means; can you make it, and will it sell.

I have decided to write to 100 prisons across the world and see if they want to participate in the concept: Take old prison uniforms and custom make them for sale within the prison system.

The clothes will be designed with professional designers from that area and produced inside the prison.

Once the clothes have been designed, and manufactured I will set up a web page for online sales across the globe.

The company will make money controlling the process, selecting the designs, marketing and distribution.

The prison will get a share of the profits.

A fund for prisoners will be created and donated to all programs who work with prisoners, the prisoners who participate in the program, and families of prisoners .

Maps, tobacco tea, and a Saatza machine

I have just returned from Zimbabwe and completed my innovation (seeing the leaves) workshops and pitch session together with my gracious hosts and sponsors ZB Bank.

It always amazes me that innovation when done my way always achieves the same results:

1. The Newspaper technique does work and it is easy to teach

2. Many ideas no matter where are similar

3. I always get some gems ( more on this later)

4. I always get the same feedback; Like why didn’t we see this technique before?

5. I always get the same questions.

6. I always get some awesome indigenous stuff that only a local would like.

So the mantra is that innovation is somehow a global human quality and by using the technique of newspapers it is easy to find great new ideas.

My top ideas in Zim are not necessarily the top ideas from other people but just ideas that I liked.

By looking at a picture of a Chinese diplomat ( and apparently there are many Chinese immigrants to ZIM), an entrepreneur saw the global map behind him on a large sheet of paper. This sparked an innovation of a small device, that plugged in would be able to “screen” maps ( any) onto a wall. Small micro-slide type devices could be bought and inserted and any map made. I loved this idea as the detail and the affordability could be seen, as well the basic practicality of the device that could be in a kids home, a business, a rural area etc.

MY second best idea was the combination of Tea and Tobacco to make Tobacco Tea ( ZIM has both). I loved this idea because smoking does kill but people still want the nicotine. I was reminded of the COCA tea I bought in Colombia.

The last business as by a guy called Will, who had manufactured with his own money a Saatza ( that’s pap in SA) machine that makes an industrial quality Saatza en masse. He really impressed me and my hope is this guy makes it big ( with my help). I immediately hooked him up with my friend Tim from caterware and I hope they do a deal.

Zim was a great experience, the people awesome, the opportunities immense. I hope to come back soon and I really want to see the rest of Africa now.

And the floods come rolling in! again!

I said a few months ago while the sun was still shining. Just wait! Its gonna rain! Its gonna flood! The shacks will be under water! Everyone will feel helpless! And true to Moses the rains have come. The shacks are under water and everyone feels helpless. Every year the same pattern occurs and every year diddly squat happens. So when the rains abate in about December or January in Cape Town then why not start some innovative campaigns and projects over the 6 months period before the rains come.
There is a big debate about why the poor dont do more to prevent the flooding themselves. Well i cant really answer this question as i dont live there but perhaps it is because when people live in shacks they dont really give a shit about their properties, as after all it is a shack, and no-one really wants to live in one. So if poor people are not being self preventative then perhaps art and innovation can show the way. Perhaps some of the interventions will take off and perhaps others will just die. The trick for me is to implement a whole raft of things and see what sparks the interest of people who live in shacks.
Ok, so how about some innovation. These are the kinds of ideas i think are worth a bash!

1. Water does move and its easy to make water move where you want it to go. Design a system in these areas where water moves efficiently. This could take the form of pathways of rock, paving, trenches, piping, etc. It would be great to store the water for future use.

2. Build specialised water catchment tanks on the sides or top of shacks. The water could be used later. South Africa has a terrible zero water catchment household policy and this needs to change.

3. Build underground water catchment areas on sport fields for future use to irrigate the sports fields which are often left without water in summer.

4. When there is flooding have specialised round boards that people can walk on around the area. (like alice in wonderland and the large lilies)

5. Have large clothes driers operational in the area throughout winter at a marginal price to consumers and maybe subsidised by Eskom

6. The design of large sponges to mop up areas quickly.

7. Build shacks 1m above the ground like they do in Asia. The shacks can be built using old plastic crates and then removed in summer. This is a really simple solution that will work!!!

Ok I could go on and on. Who wants to join me in January 2014-May 2014 to implement some of these solutions.

The easiest way to make money as an entrepreneur is do what government does but better!

Many entrepreneurs try and think of that really big idea....that awesome IT product...that great innovation. However some of the most successful businesses have been those entrepreneurs who have filled the gap in government services and just done it better, with better staff, better service and more accountability to the ultimate paying customer.
In South Africa (SA) there are many examples of entrepreneurs just doing it better and coining it.
Postnet is an alternative post office with hundreds of branches.
SA has many successful and world class private hospitals because state hospitals have weak services.
SA has a massive security sector that works in parallel to a very dismal police force.
One of the largest private growth sectors in the country is private education and the number of private companies getting into the game and making huge profits is astonishing as the state education sector just doesnt cut the mustard.
The list goes on! The brilliant facet of these business sectors is they are very easily exported to other countries who need these services and thus brand and profit and profits grow. Everyone benefits from a better quality service.
So I started to think where there are still gaps in the SA market.
What about all those municipal services, fire services,  private morgues and private burial spaces.
Municipal services such as trash collection are already privatised. But what about water and electricty service provision. When a water pipe bursts or electricity wires get damaged why not have private companies take on this role? But the big one must be morgues and private burial spaces. Death is an industry that everyone will pay for and this could be the next big private enterprise opportunity.

Why Sport is evolving rapidly, Why failure is really important and why dont i start the party of one in the next government elections!

I have been following and playing sport all my life. I have noticed massive shifts in sports. From amateurs , to professionalism, to entertainment specialists. I also love surfing and surfing has shown massive change. Amateurs and enthusiasts started the sport for its purity and thrill and a bit of the alternative side of society, then pro's started and i think this is where surfing is at now, and the age of entertainment will still come. In rugby, cricket and soccer for example entertainment is now the priority. Surfing has lagged behind a bit and they haven't been able to innovate beyond being a pro!
So who watches a  surfing competition? well surfers mostly. Who watches a soccer game? everyone! The whole family! My son does karate and its basically the same but still on an amateur level mostly. I suppose one day they will go pro, and then become entertainers like MMA fighters. Karate ninja kings! I am truly fascinated by all this progression but none so in women's netball. Mostly an amateur sport for so long all of a sudden we had pro's, and even quicker we had entertainment. To my amazement all the glitz and glamour where all to show in a fast pace tournament involving the best of the best, rule changes, and very entertaining. Now if you can entertain me watching women's netball you can probably entertain me watching any sport. My question is what comes after entertainment?
I hate failing. At anything. But i do understand that to be a successfull sportsman or entrepreneur you have to fail....learn....not make the same mistakes again....drop what you are doing and do something different...and above all move on....yikes its tough.
And lastly. Im thinking of starting my own political party. The Party of One! To start a party you only need R500 in South Africa and fill in the forms and apply. My party will not represent all the other party of one's, but will support them with funding and skills. The Party of One will not have a single manifesto or a set of rules....all the one's have their own. Anyone want to become a oner?

Old school VS New School

You've heard the term old school vs new school? It basically means that some products, services or even attitudes are old school or antiquated and really behind the times or irrelevant and new school means something new, fresh, change, energetic and world changing. When i think of old school i think of products where everyone basically uses it but doesn't think why except that everyone else uses it or does it! A great example is that everyone used candles and oil, while Edison developed electricity. Old school was the oil and candle because no one really questioned it. Then electricty became new school. Now electricity is becoming old school as renewable energy slowly starts to take over...and it will!
When i think of old school i think of golfers and the holes they make called divets. Now millions of golfers make millions of divets daily. Golfers carry sand. Now thats seriously old school. Someone will design a product that can fill those holes so golfers dont need to carry a bag of sand any more. Like a spray can of grass?
The masses eat bread as one of their staple diets or wheat products. Now this is old school. Diets will change and are changing but what of the masses and their eating habits. Something affordable and tasty into something new school, healthy etc. Old school is when the majority of people do something without really thinking why they do it, and new school becomes the alternative and then everyone changes.
It becomes a constant and endless circle of change, adaption, evolution and innovation.
Other old school things that need solutions include:
1. Marriage
2. Political systems
3. Fridges
4. TV
5. Insurance
and so on and so on!

Are you a loser if you enter a entrepreneurship competition and lose?

I was a judge at an entrepreneurship competition this weekend and i listened to the 8 finalists. So I asked the orgnaisers how many people entered the competition. 1000! Jeez thats a lot of entries. I happened to be sitting next to the founder of The BIG Break TV program that is also a competition. So i asked him the same question. He said that 12,000 people entered his show and of course there is only 1 winner and 12 finalists. Then i looked around at the many many competitions that are now available to entrepreneurs across the world. Thousands of people enter these competitions, a few are finalists and the rest?? My opinion is that no one should be a loser in an entrepreneurship competition. So How would i run an entrepreneurship competition?

1. All the entrants are looked at as possible entrepreneurs rather than there ideas alone.
2. Everyone must receive feedback that will encourage them to keep trying...as perseverance is so important being an entrepreneur.
3. Everyone should be encouraged to come back and pitch again and again and again....until they get it!
4. The databases of all the losers should be compiled into one massive database and this should be the foundation for training, encouragement and motivation for wanna be entrepreneurs.

So at the moment we have winners and losers.

In my system i want only winners and winners.

I will begin by compiling a list of all the "losers" and start the long process of getting them up to speed, Who knows the judges may have missed quite a few diamonds on the way.