I’ve been working on a course to teach young people how to earn money. These are people at school, or just out of school. Somehow earning money has become confused with the concept of entrepreneurship. We don’t think about earning money without wanting to teach all the skills needed to run a factory. We assume that every … Read more

I asked Google for some guidance on the issue. The phrase “business is fun” is listed 38,400 times. The phrase “business is war” is listed 733,000 times. That’s 771,400 in total. The fun echelon makes up 5% of that total, with the aggressive group coming in at 95%. So what? Well, these are two basic … Read more

Most startups close early. Both offline (normal) startups and online startups. But there is a massive difference in the cost of closure. A basic offline venture costs a whole pile of money before making that first sale. The government wants you to register before you start. Then you might need a shop (or office or factory) … Read more

Last week I wrote an article about how easy it is to start a business in South Africa. I fear that I must reconsider some of my words. It seems that Armageddon is nigh, and I may have to invoke Rule #6. Firstly, about the ease of starting up. I was wrong. I am the … Read more

SARS has struck in Norway and I just know I have it. Mrs Carruthers assures me that the mixture of distilled water and colouring that the GP will prescribe is hardly worth venturing out into the snow for. This has meant a tense time indoors expecting the worst. I was thinking of this when writing an article … Read more

The end of each year is a fine time to look back and assess whether one is on the right track. Or, in my case, not. Lest I sound like a self-focused ego maniac, let me explain why this might be relevant to you as a reader of this twelve year old weekly.  Twenty years ago I … Read more

There’s no shortage of people who want to tell us how to live our lives. I think this is most true for those of us who run our own shows. It does not build much confidence when almost all of us are, to say the least, flying by the seat of our pants. As a … Read more

Nobody really knows anything about diabetes, although the concept of daily injections inspires terror in most people. The first time I heard about the existence of such a disease I was about 10 years old. I was standing in a queue outside matrons office, waiting for a vaccination. Each kid that had gone in had … Read more

This past week, I started tentatively working on a book about diabetes. I have read a few books written by diabetics. None of us like the disease. All of us agree that the disease defines us. But most of us see the disease as “the enemy”. Kevin Kelly, in his superb book “What Technology Wants” … Read more

Here is a true story. (All my stories are true. If I made them up in a novel you would not believe them.) My new client, Dave (not his real name) sells a product that we all need. It is a high-value item. We each buy one every 10 years or so. Dave wants some … Read more