Category Archives: My Business

Two coaches. Same direction.

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I’m working with two coaches at the moment. One is a running coach to get me running fit & ready for Two Oceans. The other is a business coach to help me launch my social media product offering online.

They are worlds apart but the weekly homework they dish out is so similar. They both drive home the messages of understanding my passion, clarity & direction, proper goal setting, mindset, consistency, and discipline.

As the weeks have rolled by, I’ve learned some key lessons:

  • I know that unless I do the quality track sessions, my running pace won’t improve.
  • I realize that unless I’m crystal clear on my ideal audience, I won’t be able to target the right people to sell my offering.
  • I understand that most of my running victories are won in my head.
  • I’ve discovered that an entrepreneurial mindset is very different from that of corporate, something I’m trying to crack.
  • Mindset has been the biggest challenge. The nagging from Coach Michelle every time I skip track, and the persistence of the weekly call from Stepper (yup, that’s her name) have taught me to really focus on what matters.

Getting ready for my weekly Zoom call with Stepper.

It all comes down to accountability. Yeah sure, I could have Googled some running programmes and downloaded small business manuals. But that’s just it. I didn’t. And there are things they’ve taught me about myself that were hidden in my blindspot.

There are 6 weeks left before Two Oceans and smack in between the training sessions, I will be launching my brand new social media product offering to clients.

Both are goals that bring me immense joy and purpose in my life. But both also scare me shitless. Luckily, according to my two coaches, this means I’m on track.

The skies are simply beautiful at track lately

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. That’s my business!

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The end of year rush has started … Projects need to be completed. Budgets need to be spent. Exams start soon. That feeling of burnout can feel quite overwhelming.

So…I thought it might be worth taking your mind off things & sharing some great initiatives from a few of Conversation Station’s (that’s my business) clients.

Francis and Terry Rogan Physiotherapists

These two physiotherapists have bought a whole bunch of Secret Santa Shoebox names and opened it up to their clients to support. Simply “Pick a name, fill a box or two, drop it off, we will do the rest.” Physiotherapists with heart.

Just a few months ago, Francis was also part of the Sunflower Fund Everest Challenge, running up & down the Westcliff steps to raise funds for stem cell donation. Go check Francis in action!

I see passion in the work they do but love how they make time for others.
Francis and Terry Rogan FB cover

Educo Solutions

FREE, yes you heard right, education to South African youth in Soweto and Alex. Be between 18 & 28 years old, unemployed and come along to learn SETA-accredited computer and business skills. For more information and qualifying criteria, go here.

With SA’s dire unemployment figures, this is a lifeline for someone out there. Please help to spread the word!

Educo family

Brenda Taylor (aka CocoJade Distillery)

Brenda is collecting clothes, food, bedding and pretty much anything for a family close to her after their house burnt down in Lawley near Orange Farm. As she puts it, if your house burns down, you need everything! For Vongani, Phumzile and Siya, their end of year stress is very real after losing everything they owned. Let that sink in. If you’d like to donate, message me and will put you in touch with Brenda.

In choosing clients to work with, it’s usually the proof of their actions which tells me more about their values than any business plan they develop. You will want to support this amazing entrepreneur in future. Watch this space. *Not only because of gin.*

WIBT & PDA International Africa

In partnership with NICOSA & Khensani’s Collection, the team from Women In Business Today (WIBT) & PDA International Africa ran a series of workshops with high school kids in Diepsloot to teach them about navigating life beyond school. They played a board based simulation game which taught them to understand the career options available to them.

An incredibly enriching and empowering initiative! Thank you Matthew and Wade.

W5

School Aid SA

So most of you know that I grew up as an avid reader and even went on to study Library Science after high school. So refurbishing libraries across schools in South Africa is quite close to my heart. Imagination is one of the strongest tools to escape the evils of this world.

“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” ― J.K. Rowling

Check out (& please follow their Facebook page & Instagram account) for amazing stories across SA. Here’s a little video I made to pull at those heart strings!

There’s a lot more going on but sometimes instead of listening to the negativity going on around me, I remember that a few people in my circle are doing extraordinary things.

It’s the small things that make a big difference.

Thoughts on my run: how I survived #Januworry

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#Januworry is over and it’s a new month. Phew.

I knew when I left Standard Bank last year in November that we were entering into a really difficult phase for most businesses. Starting my own small business was risky. Diving into the rush of December, followed by the deathly quiet and stretched out January, my chances of finding work and clients were said to be slim.

I didn’t have any expectations, but it didn’t stop me from hustling as hard as I could. With my business card in hand, I visited the retailers in my ‘hood. I networked via social media and sipped over 100 cups of chai latte, meeting prospective clients and others like me who have also made the jump into entrepreneurship.

Emma watching me at work in my office.

It’s comforting to talk about my journey and reinforce my vision with as many people as I can. I have found other entrepreneurs incredibly inspiring and encouraging. Compared to the corporate culture I left behind, other small business owners go out of their way to help me be successful.

If I could sprinkle just a handful of this dust into the team I left behind, what an amazing difference that would make.

But I’ve moved on and survived.

Every day has been wonderful. Every day has felt new. Every day has come with its own challenges. But it’s been difficult. Difficult like you have no idea! It’s been exhausting. I’ve been thrown miles out of my comfort zone. The fear has been crippling. But strange enough, there was hidden confidence inside me I didn’t think existed.

I survived. And hey, look, it’s February.

I have two clients on my book who have trusted me to manage their social media accounts. I have consulted on a huge project and I have sat in as an advisory on interviews for a social media role in the mining industry – ironically where I started out 20 years ago. I have an inbox full of proposals awaiting replies. What a ride it’s been. My head wants to explode because my heart already has.

Bravery. Ticking the box.

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Bravery. It’s not a word that I’ve ever associated myself with. I’ve never done anything big enough to be in that category. Until last year, that is.

I was filling out a survey recently where I was asked to tick as many words I associated with. The word bravery jumped out at me and made me think. Actually, you know what? I think I have been brave. In fact, I know I have!

After 17 years, I walked away from the comfort and (false sense of) security of a job in the corporate world to start my own business. With hundreds of similar agencies popping up and offering the same services, in a struggling economy, with no guarantees, I decided to give it a go.

The first few weeks were hugely disruptive. It was year-end when I started my business (is there ever a right time?).  Most people were exhausted and counting down to December holidays. People would agree to meet with me but wanted to kick off only in 2019. Made sense.

So as I also started to relax, to clear my head and take a break into the festive season, there have been days (many of them) when I have felt incredibly guilty. Guilty for feeling such a massive sigh of relief. Guilty for allowing the anxiety to disappear. Guilty for reading or sleeping or walking Emma. Guilty for finally being happy.

No one tells you when you start a business that there is so much admin to sort out! What’s kept me busy?

  • Sorting out admin such as registering my company with CIPRO, opening up bank accounts, finding a bookkeeper.
  • Sourcing an accounting package so that I can invoice clients. It took me 4 hours to send my first invoice via Quickbooks. I am so thrilled my bookkeeper is back from holiday.
  • Coming up with my own branding and mapping out my business’ marketing plan.
  • Developing a content strategy for Conversation Station.
  • Meeting with prospective clients which I realize is tough. In between cappuccinos and chai lattes, there is a lot more education and convincing that needs to be done to get them on board.
  • Writing up proposals but knowing my audience does not expect the Rolls Royce version that I am used to after my years in corporate.
  • Buying office furniture, stationery, a printer. Office National in Cramerview Bryanston is a gem folks!

Heading into 2019 and I’m ready.

Do you like my office? Man, I’m proud of it. Thanks KK for hanging up the whiteboard (behind my desk) and your patience with me trying to find the perfect couch, which I promise is not for afternoon naps. It’s for thinking time. *grin*

office study

My office. I actually love it. Notice the medal hanger with all our running medals up behind me. Inspiration.

It hasn’t been easy and there’s a long journey ahead, I know. But I feel brave. Braver than I’ve ever felt for a long time. I’m confident in my abilities and I know I’ve got something different to offer. More importantly, I love what I do and I can make a difference.

For now, I have the luxury of time on my hands. Time to think. Time to relax. Time to sort out stuff. Time to regain a bit of the confidence I lost towards the end of last year. Time to love “me” again. Time to re-invent and find myself.

Working from home and not sitting in traffic also means I have more time to run. And this is usually where my best thinking is done.

For more info on my new business, check out www.conversationstation.co.za. Let me know what you think!