The story of our heart

We study degrees. Get engaged. Get married. Go to school. Find a religion. Have children. Buy a car. Open bank accounts. Invest money. Buy houses. Get jobs. Change jobs. I have done many things in my life. Not good nor bad. Not right nor wrong. I just did them. Lately I wonder out loud why I do what I do. I have done a lot because it was the cultural, had religious approval or met my family's expectations. I supposedly 'pleased' them (them we refer to when we are not too sure who). The truth however is that none of those 'them's' are pleased....

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Where do you start fundraising?

Finding investors for you next world changing idea is not easy. Yes we have all heard the story of the guy doing a fundraising round in Silicon Valley and getting 50 Million dollars in 1 session That story leaves out the hard work that was put in the fundraising project in the years beforehand. We never hear the stories of the businesses which failed to raise any money - because you guessed it right: They failed. Nobody likes a failing story. So where do you start? Firstly: Put your own neck on the line. Don't expect other people to...

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What is a fair salary?

I started two businesses in the past seven months. I employ seven people. These people depend on my businesses to feed their families. In African terms this means that 70 people depend approximately on my businesses. A big responsibility. Deciding on a salary has been a real challenge. My social side wants to pay as much as possible, but my entrepreneurial side wants to pay as lot less to keep costs down. Is paying the minimum wage enough? Legally it is, but is paying the minimum wage right? I pay my staff R200 per day which is about...

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