Whispers of an entrepreneur

Over the past few months I have been thinking at length on the appropriateness of the name of my blog. Initially, being called “ My thoughts, ravings and ideals ” was apt, for it was just ideas and thoughts I had and wanted to pen down. Like a sort of diary that I can one day look back at and reminisce. As I am growing up, and maturing, I have realized that I would like to write more on issues I have a passion for – though I claim not to like politics, it does interest me and I will continue to write a little about it, from my perspective. My essential focus will be on entrepreneurship and its effect on communities – my experiences and lessons learnt. And due to this narrow focus, a requirement for name change. After pondering for some time, the most appropriate name for the blog, I could find is: “ Whispers of an entrepreneur ”. Reason for name These are essentially anecdotes from my life, on subjects I have researched, experienced or debated about. These are my w...

Having made it to the end of the work week, after a very interesting and fulfilling week, I cannot but help feel warm inside – thinking of some of the things that happened this week. At the Developer Factory we have Appies (Apprentices), which I try to have an interaction with on a weekly basis, largely to see how they are doing on the programme and if the mentorship is going well for them. During one of these interactions, the Appie I was speaking with, comments to me that he was not aware that he would be getting a stipend for his Apprenticeship, he was just happy to be here and enhancing his skills. The opportunity itself was payment enough – I thought that was arguably one of the best things I have heard in my life. How many of us, in this day and age, would be willing to get up every morning and do a solid days work as an investment for your future – WITHOUT PAY or any short term benefit? This young person taught me something about passion and living your passion...

South Africa is a very peculiar place – the only country with affirmative action legislation to allow the MAJORITY to reap benefit in the economy. The only country in BRICS without a real growth rate (at 2% we are pitiful, as an emerging economy). Nkandla on the hillside (Picture Marianne Thamm) -     As stolen online by me We are the only country having a liberation movement at the helm with two ex-presidents to speak of. We are a country that does not fully understand its place in the world – 15% of our population lives under first world conditions while the rest endure life under third world conditions. Well poverty and stark contrasts are nothing  new,  we have that all over the world – from Rio De Janeiro with its Favelas, right up next to a world city. We have  Sandton  (the richest square mile in Africa) across the road from Alexandra, one of the most impoverished areas in our country. Politicians and politically al...

Now. . . I was not instructed in the art of business at dinner table – though we had a dinner table, it was rare for us to sit as a family around it. My mother, a teacher, would arrive in the afternoon and after food was made would go and sleep, I knew that the shop closed at 20:30 and would expect her husband by 21:15. After a full day with school and extramural activities, by supper time I was tired and would sit in front of the television to have my supper. I am sure many folks shared this sort of family life, as I am sure many had a very different family life. This was mine, and despite all that - an entrepreneur was born. Reason 1: Authoritarian view It needs to be borne in mind that traditionally; black families are run in a particular manner – where the father as the head is the be all and end all of all things in the family. A unique standing that is bequeath to him irrespective of ability and conduct within the family business – fundamentally there is nothing wrong...

South African Flag Daily I am inundated with emails to apply for our Apprenticeship – applications from as remote and as far as the villages of Kwa Zulu, to Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. All these applicants have a few things in common – irrespective of race, they are all mostly young, between 17 and 30 years of age and looking for an opportunity to get a jump-start on life and career building.  The unsuccessful ones as applicants – the ones that touch me the most, are the ones who have no form of tertiary education. No further education and training – just a matric and passion to make it one day and live the proverbial “South African dream”. These young people having been born between 1984 and 1996 have largely lived in a society free of Apartheid, been afforded all the freedoms of democracy and grew up an era of opportunities for all. Yet this is not the case. We are arguably worse off as a country now - with an increased population size, cent...

As the world foremost financially well-off individuals, sit and discuss the fate of the world, risk, growth potential and development. I am can’t help to sit and wonder if I am wrong/immoral to want to one day sit at the tables at Davos. WEF 2014 Twitter #hashtag conversation topics If entrepreneurs are the rock stars of the business world, then some entrepreneurs must be rock gods – names present at Davos that come to mind are Bill Gates , Enrique Razon , Aliko Dangote and many more. I am sure all these gents ever set out to do was to have fun, do what they like and maybe change the world. Now rewinding back to some many decades ago, when these men got started – it all started with a dream. Yes we all dream, we dream big and small dreams, we dream wild and cautious dreams – we all dream. As American author, Kathrine Paterson once observed, “a dream without a plan is just a wish”. It has been my experience that only well defined, crystallised plans are the ones w...

Android Apps Anyone who has spent a minute with me, would know that I am evangelistic on the growth of a mobile development market in Africa. I envision an economic opportunity of a life time, which I have on occasion called the gold rush of my generation. Big words – I know. In Cape Town, mobile developers and boutique mobile development shops have increased over the past 3 years in an alarming rate. The introduction or emergence of foreign behemoths, entering the market to essentially explore and exploit the opportunities has led to a supply side push – which invariably will lead to conditions for an artificial market demand for skills. In a market like ours where skilled persons are few, a demand frenzy will occur and income inflation is likely. Where every IT graduate has now become a mobile App developer and when two or more are together, it is called a “company”, a lot of fly-by-night operators are on the rise. In other words – the increase in the numbe...