03 September 2008
As the Big Issue so nicely put it, “Daisies is the most stylish outdoor festival in the country, and the most environmentally friendly.” There is a gazillion things happening at Rocking The Daisies. I’m contemplating a blog post for each day running up to the event - I figure it will be a done deal, and that a Apple iPhone will have a FeistyFemale name tag on it (my “first prize” guess).
One of the competitions running, that has sparked my interest is the Rocking the Daisies Red Bull Radar competition.
Rocking the Daisies and Red Bull RADAR in partnership with Speakerbox have created a kick-ass competition offering four emerging bands the opportunity to play live on the main stage at Rocking the Daisies in 2008. Approximately 5000 people attended in 2007 - and 2008 promises to be bigger and better than ever before. This is the perfect way to get known!
Approximately 40 bands have entered thus far and there have been over 15000 votes. (I sharpened up on my investigative skills).
Time is however running out for bands to enter the competition and win a slot on the main stage. The ultimate winner not only gets to rock live and loud but also gets a to spend five days in the Red Bull Sound Studio in Cape Town to record a 4-track EP, a music video, a professional photo shoot and the artwork for the sleeve design while living it up like rock stars at Daddy Long Legs in Long Street. Not to mention the celeb feeling of being interviewed and supported by the RTD media partners! An all expenses paid deal indeed!
*FeistyFemale tries to calculate and roughly estimate the value of this prize.*
- Accommodation - R8000
- Flights - R7000
- Recording Time - R12 000
- Video - R10 000
- Photo Shoot -R2500
- Art - R1500
- Rocking in front of a live audience (with over 5000 people) - PRICELESS!
The four winners will be announced by the 17th of September, until then I will try and tame my curiosity by spend more time listening to SA’s talented up and coming artists! Why not vote for your favourite?
PS. My three tags: Jason, Wikidnickers, Jayx
Posted in: Events
03 September 2008
A quick reminder that the Biz Smarts bite-size series is still on the go…check out the latest tip, People are Puzzles Pieces
I wonder if I could come up with a year’s worth of lessons?
Posted in: Entrepreneurship
02 September 2008
When you start off your year with a post entitled, Your Attitude in 2008, the universe is bound to test your devotion to the subject. At the moment the universe is putting me through an endurance test.
Two weeks of big changes all round. I can honestly state that my nerves are a little raw. By Sunday afternoon I was ready to pack a backpack, sell my worldly possessions and hitch-hike around the globe.
So, to put any whisperings of my slightly abrupt mood and chaoticness to an end, I thought a list of key issues would suffice as an explanation on almost any query:
In charge of selling two gorgeous family properties.
Ridden with worry that the above mentioned isn’t happening fast enough - my folks aka the old people need to move closer to city amenities e.g. doctors and hospitals.
House hunting in George. It’s a mission. ( I am bargain-girl after all.)
Moved to a new place in Cape Town. (A double life can get tricky.) A whole weekend of stairs, boxes, packing, unpacking, DIY, and bad logistics.
Working on a business plan for a brilliant concept conceived by Jamie (sister). Exciting times! I have concluded that she is the best partner anybody could wish for.
Working on restructuring businesses in the weeeeeee hours of the morning.
Ripple is approaching silly season and we have spent a lot of time improving systems and ops to run smoother this season.
Ripple and Office Reliance are organising a super conference for the Garden Route in November.
Toying with the idea of a Ripple branch in CT, as I will be finishing off with my current project soon.
Close friend is going through a rough time and it’s breaking my heart.
Blogging - eish, once you start there is just no rest. From Thought Leader to client blogs, it’s never-ending.
Sudden pangs of guilt - owe Imel a small business marketing post.
Networking. It must be done, but somehow when I start prioritizing I start feeling all networked out!
If I don’t answer your calls, attend some arb event, blog enough, sms enough or sound friendly enough…. I am busy juggling glass balls. A fragile state of affairs, concentration and focus is needed.
Posted in: Just Me, Life
28 August 2008
“The way I see it, if you can’t trust someone, why do you want to do business with them in the first place? Or work for them? Or employ them? Or whatever…”
My friend, the brilliant Darren Gorton wrote a thought-provoking post on Trust vs Control. It’s a must read if you are in business - big or small.
A week or two ago I decided that I was going to start implementing a no-strike, non-negotiable rule when it comes to collaboration, working with business associates and choosing clients. Strangely the universe and my friends have been reinforcing and reaffirming my thoughts on this.
Some scattered thoughts:
- A company can have a big team, lots of money and a solid brand but ultimately it will be damn hard, if not impossible to build a working relationship if your values don’t align to that of the company. This includes facets such as beliefs, trust, control and honest communication.
- My paramedic once told me that “You can’t sell your soul and dreams for anything, especially money”. Perhaps it’s the foundation of moral soundness and happiness. To not sell your soul and to realise your dreams, you ultimately need to stay true to yourself and your beliefs. Generally those are prerequisites of trust.
- You need to be 100% honest with yourself. You yourself will only trust if you have good values and are both trusting and trustworthy. Compromise on your dreams, values or integrity and you will end up a bitter, dissatisfied and unhappy person.
Then, like Darren points out “good faith” is really difficult to find nowadays. So where do we start?
Posted in: Entrepreneurship, Lessons from Combat
24 August 2008
Despite the fact that I function exceptionally well in a high-pressure,chaotic and noisy environment, I simply cannot write client content with phones ringing off the hook. Last week I had to escape a combination of Ripple buzz and family love - my obvious venue of escape was Office Reliance.
It would be the first time that I experienced the business and the services as a client. The experience panned out exactly like I expected. It was a delightful experience! The environment makes you want to be productive. It’s a tranquil environment but the business buzz in the background reminds you that it is a working environment.
I thought about the business a lot when I helped create the brand and helped design the product offering. Having experienced it as a client with a fresh perspective, I thought I’d share my revised thoughts of what the facility truly offers a client:
- Flexible solutions for office usage.
- Receptionists that truly excel at customer service.
- Networking with other companies, business people and like-minded individuals both on-premises and through special events.
- Media exposure and brand support.
- Access to a knowledge centre and resources.
- A pleasant business environment that is driven by a modern mobile lifestyle.
If you do find yourself in the Garden Route be sure to pop in. I promise it is a business experience to be remembered!
Posted in: Acknowledgements
My Web