The Cape Talk business awards, the fish cake and what makes you truly unique as a business

I was gracefully invited to help with the judging of the Cape Talk radio stations small business awards. My job which i enjoyed thoroughly was to prepare the businesses for the actual judging process. One of the key questions for all the businesses was , "what makes you unique?" or your unique selling position USP? The example i gave them was the previous years winner who was a fish shop but his real USP was his fish cakes. A great story. So I asked all the businesses " what their fish cake is?" Some had some interesting fish cakes....a transport company that focuses on women to airport, a alternative food company that makes a pizza that takes 5 days to make, a biltong maker who has made chicken biltong, a pyjama manufacturer who makes a one piece that is very popular. When looking carefully every business had a fish cake but they seldom focused on this when they explained their business. Instead they focused on being very corporate like. I explained to them that when explaining their business they should always tell a  great story that focuses on their USP or fish cake. Then one business asked me for my fish cake....oops on the spot! So i told them the story of the vine, and that my fish cake is "The seeing the leaves workshops". So next time you explain your business and someone asks you what you do, tell them what your fish cake is!

Water Fountains and water coolers could be cool!

Looking at the newspapers I saw a picture of a very pretty park. In the park hidden in the picture was a small water fountain. Looking at the fountain i wondered wether you could put anything in a water fountain? or a water cooler? Well yes of course you could. You could put in coke or milk or beer or iced tea! Then i thought how many water coolers there are and how many public fountains there are and i thought why not fill a few with some odd stuff and see what happens when people come and take a drink. At the public fountains it caused a huge rage as people suddenly got a squirt of coke or milk. Then i thought why not create my own fountains and see what happens? Then i can place them anywhere and i can get clients to fill them and people can then drink from the fountain....a new concept that could create brilliant brand awareness and generate a whole new form of income.

Changing perceptions: How investors and entrepreneurs can make magic and change the world.

For sometime now i have been wondering like other people in my network how one changes the perceptions of people who do have money and link them with entrepreneurs who want to change the world. The problem is that people with money will often choosour e safe options as investment or they will invest with people they know. The journey to find a new system came with the realisation that there is a missing link between these two parties. The missing link is the connector. That person who connects the entrepreneur with the investor. However connectors at the moment are institutional investors, people who manage funds for other people and they are paid a fee to connect. In other words they are like brokers and they get paid to do so so the people they represent make more money. However this system is flawed as connectors should not be paid! And this was the radical realisation! We all live in tribes still. The religious tribes, the colour tribes, the sex tribes etc. So connectors are busy all the time connecting people within their own tribes. To connect someone from outside the tribe does entail some risk and personal reputational damage. So why not build a system of connectors across tribes who will connect with one another and connect with thousands of businesses and then these businesses should connect with one another as well. And this is the essence of a new world order from the I-ego to the W-ego. Where connectors understand that everyone including themselves benefit as does society in the growth of jobs and prosperity for all. So it does not matter wether connectors are connecting with regards to a small businesses selling chickens or the next technology enterprise that could change the way we do business in Africa. The point is real connectors are the missing link who operate because they beleive this is the right thing to do. If they do benefit they could be the first to invest or be paid if the entrepreneur chooses to do so not because its the dealmaker. Connectors are sitting in coffee shops all the time doing just this. I know because i am one of these people. Now imagine an organisation dedicated to supporting these connectors. Holding events for them, paying the coffee bill, maybe a flight to connect two people together to create magic. Would you want to be a connector? Soon something is going to happen where 1000 connectors meet and try and see if 10,000 businesses can receive the connectivity they need to take their businesses to the next level and change the way we perceive what we do now as seriously old school.

Some Great New ideas! Drive through ATM's, Dead body barriers and self help affidavits at police stations

Once upon a time I wanted to draw cash from an ATM. Problem 1: I couldnt find parking. Problem 2: when i did find parking it was miles away. Problem 3: The cost of the parking was blue murder Problem 4: I had to go into a mall wasting my time Problem 5: It was late and dark and dangerous. So why not have a drive through ATM. We have fast food drive thru's and they work really well. Security is better and one could have all the banks under one roof. ATM cash withdrawals will become much easier to manage and convenient for me. My vote is for DRive thru ATM's as i could also buy my burger and chips at the same time.
When one looks at the newspapers or images of dead gangsters or murdered people on the TV one can see real live dead bodies, people under blankets with red splotches and often kids seeing these images in the communities where they live. Someone needs to design a proper barrier that is erected by police or the community so people dont have to be bombarded with these sickening images. As this is a global problem police all over the world could use and purchase whatever barrier is designed as a uniquely SA design. Im sick and tired of seeing a 4 year old seeing these images in poor communities when i would never let my kids see the same things.
When people go into a police station they often need to give an affidavit. However there are 2 problems  for people who enter a local police station. 1: The police writing the affidavit often dont do such a great job and their literacy skills are often poor. 2: Many affidavits are lost. A self help kiosk similar to a a self help kiosk at the airport for ticket vending could be designed so people can do their own affidavits, print them and save them on a central server. The police officer can read and sign and store the paper copy. I really like this idea as the justice system is often fraught with poor record keeping and management.

Corporates need Innovation and sometimes this will come from Employees: The Vodacom call me case

Now I dont really like to write on my blog about specific companies BUT my blog is supposed to be about nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship on all levels of society where society is the winner in the end and entrepreneurs and pioneers can make money or fame that they can use to hopefully do more innovation and keep bettering society. So this leads me to the Vodacom "Please call me " case. Everything about this case has lessons for entrepreneurs and especially intrepreneurs ( people who innovate as an employee). Let me start with the corporate. Every corporate needs to keep innovating or they will perish. So a culture of innovation needs to be created in all levels of a company. But how do you encourage innovation without rewarding employees? And in the case of Vodacom actually taking the idea as one's own. My impressions in reading the story is that the biggest slap in the face is that Alan Knott Craig actually claimed the idea in his biography. This is shocking! I beleive that employees first want recognition beyond anything else. In this case I would still recognise what is the truth! This is about good business and the right thing to do. In a world where David can beat Goliath it is because of the power of the individual. So the company should have dedicated innovation managers and policies guiding what happens when employees have great ideas. The lesson for the employees of vodacom are simple. If you have an innovation make the app in your own time. Patent it and then offer it to the company. If they wont pay then  offer it to your competitors. Watch the movie ENVY with Jack Black! Personally I have known about this for some time and will never encourage an innovator to take their ideas to certain companies with poor reputations for “stealing” ideas. Companies like Vodacom, Discovery, Eskom, and so on! The worse part is if Vodacom just gave him recognition it would probably have been enough. Bad Karma! Shame on you Vodacom!

Hair Credit, Stickers for car hire firms in foreign countries and spectator whistles

One thing is certain. People love doing their hair. In a country like South Africa where men and women love doing their hair and looking good why not develop a system of hair credit with a large retailer like Edgars that sells hair products and has advanced credit systems in place. The system would be developed with local hair salons that purchase from the retailers their hair products and individuals who also purchase hair products but get a hair credit for the local salon later or get their hair done on credit and pay for it later at the larger retailer. This will change the hair industry forever!
have you even wondered when you arrive in another country and want to hire a car that the car hire industry should have funky stickers on the back windows warning local motorists what country the driver is in to prevent accidents but also to foster goodwill. So if you are in Italy, Italian signs will show the driver is from France, and says hello and hopes the Italian is having a great day. This could be a really interesting way to make new friends and keep motorists amused on the roads.
At local soccer games in South Africa many people take whistles to games and own whistles but they also have cell phones. It would be much easier to get a whistle app on the cell phone although this might be quite confusing to referees.

Why a great brand and a great name means so much to a startup business!

Clickbones, Ambidex, Crutch collective, Espinaca, Hlaza Pools, Iyeza Express all have fantastic looking brands and names. You may not know these brands yet as they are new but you may in the future. I am completely convinced that a great looking brand and a great name for a startup company makes a huge difference to the success of that startup. Sometimes I feel that a great name look and feel makes the difference between getting investment and media attention. I remember launching many businesses and or projects and it was often the brand and name of that initiative that made the difference between other similar businesses. I have also seen the difference in competitions and the difference between winning and losing and i have seen the difference with investors when businesses are pitched to them. The immediate effect of a strong and confident brand that catches the eye on all levels can make the difference between success and failure. This does not matter wether it is a social enterprise or non profit or a commercial business. Non profits in particular are very weak on branding and yet the competition to raise funds is worse than raising capital for commercial businesses. Commercial companies especially when they are startups need to stand out and the best way is with a brand. i use a small little outfit in Cape Town called Neon Grey to do all my brands and this is a lesson in itself. I feel small companies are more cutting edge and can deliver within days fantastic quality and quirky brands that stand out and affordable. Larger brand companies are more risk averse and too expensive which a startup doesnt need. A startup needs something quick, simple, cutting edge, stands out and will create attention asap! When Neon Grey gets too big they will lose that edge and I will need to find another bunch of small guys who want to push the envelope of brand with a startup mentality. What I have learnt is that a great brand is more often worth more than the value of the company ( not always) and that the value of the company sits with the brand. Its amazing to me how a change of name and look and feel can change the chances of a company or social project instantaneously.