Thursday, 27 February 2014

20 Success Tips from South Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs



Imagine coming close enough to a one-on-one session with South Africa's Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame without an appointment?

Speaking of the greats: Discovery’s Adrian Gore, Nando’s chicken king Robbie Brozin, hotel magnate Sol Kerzner or real estate empress Pam Golding. The thought process behind Anant Singh and his first film, the battles Raymon Ackerman faced building Pick n Pay; or how Carrol Boyes turned a passion for art into a lucrative business?

How did they all start out? How did they raise capital? What drove them? What were their individual recipes for success?


KEY RECIPES OF SUCCESS FROM ALL THE ABOVE;

1.       Make a difference in your industry – Always believe that you can redefine the business industry that you are in. Make a ground breaking.
2.      Believe in yourself – Part of being an entrepreneur is the need to get somewhere in life; to have the belief that you can get out there and make a difference.
3.       Money follows ideas- If you have a great business idea, you’ll find someone to pay for it.
4.      We learn more from our mistakes rather than from our victories – From success one learns only how smart they are. From failure, they learn how to improve themselves
5.       Trust your gut – Even upto the last moment, just before pen meets paper, walk if you smell trouble.
6.      Strike a balance between reason and passion – A good business idea is not pure emotion or pure intellect – it is a combination of a desire to do something and a sound reason to do it.
7.       Use the lean times -  So called bad times present a great opportunity; you cut your costs back to the bone that when the market starts to go up; you’re in a fantastic position.
8.      Learn how to invest – It is not about what you earn, but about how you invest it.
9.      Work with people whose skills complement your own – Businesses need to have components to succeed, logic and creativity.
10.   Make sure talent bubbles up in the company but not out of the door – Open door policy where it nurtures and drives not just talent but also room to be innovative and spread that like a bad disease.
11.   Become a super delegator – because there is a mutual interest to succeed, let your people run with your vision. That gives time to grow and transform more.
12.   The bigger the challenge, the sweeter the reward – If you do something obvious and easier then you would be missing the opportunity to be that catalyst.
13.   Partnerships are key to successful entrepreneurship – The world’s greatest entrepreneurs – the likes of Warren Buffet, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs – are presented to the world as individual success stories. The truth is that these entrepreneurs had partners who played a key role in ensuring that they realize their dreams in their chosen paths. One of the key advantages of partnerships is that those involved are better placed to analyze their dreams and develop others along the way.
14.   Chase success – The money is not all-important, it’s only one of the measures of success.
15.   Build depth – There is nothing like depth. It gives you gravitas.
16.   Put in the hours – Success in business does not work on an 8 – 5 mentality. Be prepared to work hard and put in extra hours.
17.    People make profits, businesses only report them – You realize value by turning a good business into a great business. But more fundamental than that is turning good people into great people.
18.   Simplicity should be prized not despised – An entrepreneur should never be afraid of simplicity. Some believe the more complex you make something the more impressive it is and the more chance of it has of being approved. Simple is better.
19.   Stay close to your customer – if you become too corporate in your approach you lose touch with what your customer’s want. Stay close to your customer and you stay close to new opportunities.

20.  Find a mentor and listen – As the quote goes….I am able to see far because I sit on the shoulders of giants. Always find someone ready to be your blueprint checkmate and guide you as you navigate the entrepreneurial road.

GBSH Consult is a top go-to global consulting firm that delivers essential advantage to the world's top influential businesses, governments, individuals and organizations. GBSH Consult focuses on converting business visions and ideas into ideal revenue channels. For more info log onto www.gbshconsult.com

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