| 12 POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU PLAN TO | | | | 6. YOUR IMAGE |
| START YOUR OWN BUSINESS | | | | I guess I could say a lot about this. But my rule of |
| 1. LEADERSHIP | | | | thumb is, when I feel I look great I’m okay. We all |
| When starting a business your primary goal should be | | | | automatically know what is right and what not. |
| to become a leader in your field. When people start to | | | | Do not see a CEO of a company in your jeans and |
| talk about your kind of business, your name must be | | | | tekkies. They will not appreciate it. They can regard it |
| the one to pop into the conversation. You must be the | | | | as disrespectful. |
| one that they refer to for advice and leadership. | | | | Always look your best, even if you’re going to |
| How can you achieve this? | | | | town. You never know when a client bumps into you. |
| • Market yourself through networking, blogging, | | | | 7. KNOWLEDGE |
| social media and write columns for newspapers. | | | | Do not start a business you know nothing about. Do |
| • Attend events. | | | | research! Know as much as you possibly can. Know |
| • Make a difference in other people’s lives. | | | | your field. |
| • Become a role model. | | | | Read, read, read and then again, read! Stay on top of |
| 2. ON THE WINNING PATH | | | | the daily news. No matter how negative. It is always a |
| Getting onto the winning path is a dedicated journey. | | | | good starting point for a conversation. |
| You must define clear goals of what you want to | | | | 8. HEALTH |
| achieve. | | | | Look after yourself. There is nothing so detrimental to |
| People like to say that you should not go through life | | | | a business as when the owner or manager is sick. |
| with tunnel vision. But in this case, tunnel vision is what | | | | Get enough exercise, rest and sleep. Make "me time" |
| you need. | | | | to unwind. |
| Set your eyes on your goal and work for it. Do not let | | | | And most of all – be happy. People like to do |
| anything distract you! | | | | business with a person who is happy and full of life. |
| 3. ENTREPRENEURSHIP | | | | 9. KEEP AT IT |
| I’m sure you thought I should have mentioned this | | | | To start a business is not for the faint hearted. You |
| first and foremost. But no. Entrepreneurship is not the | | | | must be prepared to work, work, work. Don’t ever |
| most important. Your attitude is. | | | | give up. |
| Lots of people are scared of entrepreneurship | | | | Even if things are not going according to plan, don’t |
| because they feel that they cannot succeed if they | | | | give up. Try again. Learn as you go along. |
| don’t have a new and fresh idea. They are so | | | | If a certain approach fails, try a different angle. |
| wrong. | | | | And remember … If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. |
| All you need is a idea. Even if it already exists. You | | | | 10. SAY IT |
| must just make it better. You must give people | | | | Don’t be scared to air your views. If you want to |
| incentives to make use of your service/product | | | | be a leader in your field, you must be able to say what |
| because you have the X-factor. | | | | you think. |
| Entrepreneurship is taking something and making it the | | | | Don’t shy away from confrontation. You can learn |
| best! | | | | a lot. |
| 4. FINANCIALLY FIT | | | | 11. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY |
| What more can I say? You must know what goes on | | | | Try to give back to the community. And it won’t |
| in your bank account. You must know what comes in | | | | hurt if the newspapers can place a story about that. |
| and what goes out. And see to it that the out does not | | | | See it as part of your marketing campaign. |
| outweigh the in. | | | | 12. BE PROUD |
| We cannot know everything. A good idea would be to | | | | Firstly be proud of your country. We have a great |
| get a financial expert to help you with this. | | | | country with wonderful opportunities. But it starts with |
| 5. COMMUNICATE WITH SELF ASSURANCE | | | | you. Look for positives and build on it. |
| No one likes to listen to someone who cannot | | | | Be proud of yourself. It shows. And people love to do |
| communicate. I have found the best way to train | | | | business with self assured people. |
| myself in talking is to record myself while talking and | | | | Starting a business is a wonderful and exciting journey. |
| rectifying that which I find irritating. You have to be | | | | We all have it in us to make a difference in our own |
| very true to yourself here. You have to get your voice | | | | lives. And having your own business must certainly be |
| strong. Learn to manage your breathing and learn to | | | | the biggest and most positive change you can make in |
| pronounce word clearly. Talk slower and a bit harder. | | | | your own life. |
| The written word is also very important. If you are | | | | "Whenever in the race of life, you feel your feet hitting |
| writing a newsletter or marketing material, make sure | | | | ground, you must know you are losing speed." |
| about your spelling. If you are not sure, get a dictionary. | | | | For more information on starting your own online |
| Find the correct spelling and use it. | | | | business. |