This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 01-Nov-2012 issue
In the words of author Nathaniel S. Summers, “The strength of a person is often weighed by how they deal with their weaknesses.” By way of example, I’d like to share a true story with you. Continue reading
This article also appeared in Finweek magazine in their 6-Sep-2012 issue
The American author Theodor Geisel, who wrote under the pen name of Dr. Seuss, was rejected by 27 publishers when he submitted his first manuscript. When he finally found a publisher, his 46 books including “Cat in the Hat”, and “Green Eggs and Ham” went on to sell nearly half a billion books worldwide.
Renowned writer JK Rowling shares a similar story. Her first book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was submitted to 12 publishing houses. All 12 rejected it. But then the number 13 turned out to be an incredibly lucky one for Rowling and the Bloomsbury publishing group. Rowling went from living on social security to being a self-made billionaire. In its 2011 world billionaires’ list, Forbes estimated Rowling’s net worth at US$1bn.
Looking at these phenomenal turnarounds, there are a number of critical lessons we can take away:
This article was published in the 16-August-2012 issue of Finweek Magazine
You’ve probably heard the age-old debate “Can you teach entrepreneurship?” As an entrepreneur myself, I recognise that not everyone is an entrepreneur and even the best teaching can’t make a successful entrepreneur out of someone who isn’t wired that way. However if entrepreneurship is in your blood, an MBA can encourage you to become a successful entrepreneur. Continue reading
Thanks to everyone who came to our Mzansi Gold Entrepreneurial Finance event this weekend and for the great feedback. We had an incredible turnout despite the Currie Cup final and the Kings of Leon concert on the same day. Also a big thank you to our speakers for sharing their funding experiences. All in all it was a big success. We plan to do lots more like this to help raise awareness that angel funding is now an option for entrepreneurs in South Africa. Continue reading
In a recent survey commissioned by the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, our youth gave their perspectives on the state of entrepreneurship in South Africa. The eye-opening report at http://www.bransoncentre.org/SouthAfrica/young_upstarts_report.pdf shows that this area is in drastic need of improvement!
What can we do to fix this? Entrepreneurial role models and a positive national outlook have a vital role to play.
Continue reading
Passion is a vital trait for success, especially in entrepreneurs. But it can also be your downfall. Continue reading
Are there flaws in the models that business schools use to teach entrepreneurship? To unpack this question, one needs to go back to the origins of business schools and the MBA.
The first business schools like Wharton were formed in the late 1800’s to teach management. In fact the first MBA degree was offered in 1908. The fundamental challenge they aimed to solve was to train people how to manage a large corporate that needed to implement on a known problem, for example producing more cars. Continue reading
Gone are the days when hard work alone would get you the career advancement you wanted. In today’s connected world, everything hinges on networking and relationships. The bigger your network, the more doors to opportunities it can open for you.
It takes courage and tenacity to translate your big idea into a real business. The risks of entrepreneurship are many, but for those who succeed, the benefits are unlimited. Here are 5 questions to ask yourself before striking out on your own… Continue reading
By our very nature, entrepreneurs are hungry to achieve more and are very often married to their businesses. So, as Adrian Gore, founder of Discovery Health, once said at a talk I attended: “There is no such thing as work-life balance for entrepreneurs“. Running a home-based business presents its own unique issues in this balancing act. I’ve picked up a few tips along the way that I hope can help those of you who work from home to manage this. Continue reading
www.colettesymanowitz.com 