What money cannot buy

Small businesses are sold on what money buys. And quite frankly they don't have much of it to around.


3 things I thought our company cannot survive without:

1. Glossy business cards.
2. Fancy marketing that looks professional but does little.
3. A business plan to convince your banker.
   

The unwritten code was: Look and sound unrealistically larger than you currently are, as an emerging company.

After the whole myth. I found that small companies do not use what they have available to them for growth.


What I suggest:

1. Be in the conversation or the conversation where possible.
2. Turn strangers into friends as said by Seth Godin in Flipping Funnel
3. Bootstrap
4. Read the Business Brickyard by Howard Mann, which you can download here. Or get the hardback collector's version here.
5. Define, in a minute or two, what problem you're solving.

These are just a few of the things money cannot buy. As for the ones money can buy, you can join us for the Netweb Event. You still wouldn't pay for it though.

Nando's ad: Brilliant

The guys at advertising agencies have really upped their game. Especially, the guys who do Nando's adverts. If there are ads I look forward to, they have to be Nando's ones.

Just read an article from BizCommunity, that the guys at ANC Youth League were NOT impressed with the following ad.

I've got a feeling it might get deleted, so watch it now.

Two Jumps Ahead: 60second elevator pitch

I just read a mail from Blue Catalyst with EveD talking about her New Media Journal. By the way, she got 2nd place in MIT's 60second elevator pitch. Congragulations!

The New Media Journal is an introduction to new media or social media. It comes as a useful read for marketing your business online.

Here's the video, have a look. It was a well spent 2 or so minutes for me.

NetwebTV with Mike Stopforth: VIdeo removed

We have decided to remove the video with Mike Stopforth on NetwebTV. We are working on it and will be posted as soon as it's been cut into smaller bits.

This is for your viewing pleasure as the content will be more manageable.

Don't sell yourself

After our NetwebTV interview with EveD, we spoke about a few things relating to small business. Once again the term "small business" refers to fluidity and resourcefulness, not just size.

In trying to attract clients and new opportunities we tend to oversell ourselves. There's nothing I find more repulsive than a company desperate for a sale, to make me run as far as possible.

Your ethic should sell you. If you are worth talking about, someone always will.

Leave the selling part to others.

Become a friend

First we were offline when we got here this morning, thinking it was an April fool’s joke we laughed and almost wet pants.

Be that as it may, a chat I had with Gavin on Saturday came to mind. He is a business strategist and has been at it for about 20years.

He says: “it’s debatable that business ethic has changed in the past 10, 20years or even in the past century”. We were talking about how it seems juicy business deals goes to the same people. They are either friends or have managed to have close ties with people in the companies they provide services to.

Become a friend or get close enough to build relationships.