A place for my thoughts on business, e-commerce, technology, design and life.
Employee Cliques Are Bad For Business
Companies should pay very close attention to cliques forming amongst employees - this is a sure indication that there is something very wrong with company dynamic and managers (if present).
The stronger the clique, the less likely employees outside of it will be willing to interact with those inside it.
Employees might even go as far as to feel the need to quit their jobs - this goes way back to schoolyard days feeling like the odd one out.
Cliques are infectious, even the most highly respected people fall prey to it. You may find yourself gossiping about a certain employee via IM or email unexpectedly - just stop it.
The outcasted employees will feel resentment towards the company, not the clique - this is a sure fire way of killing productivity and ultimately the company.
Think about it.
12 August 2010 · Comments
Is your business successful? Do you make money?
Most entrepreneurs show unease and discomfort when asked whether they consider their businesses successful. As with those posing such a violating question, entrepreneurs instinctively link the concept of success to financial statements.
I was recently asked by an acquaintance whether my…
27 May 2010 · Comments
13 South African tech startups you might not have heard of
Firstly, thanks to all for the great feedback on my previous post - extremely valuable insight from some of the top guys in the industry.
With that said; there is a huge misunderstanding of when a company can no longer be called a start-up. This is a very important point and I would like to look into it further at some stage.
In the meantime, I’ve listed a few more local startups that are creating value and grabbing attention. I’ve intentionally left off blogs & web dev agencies due to a few good points raised in my previous post.
MiMoney is a new way to shop online. If you do not have a credit card or do not want to use one online, MiMoney is for you.
wiWallet is a mobile payment technology provider.
Ammo Mobile is also a mobile payment provider with a few cool features such as paying friends directly to their mobile phones and more.
A global pay-per-click market place
Mobile advertising platform turning ad’s into useful interactive information to end users. Their implementation promises an average of a 25% response rate on ads.
An online social chess platform allowing you to play live tournaments and/or against your friends. Their membership is bridging the 1 million mark.
CrowdFund isn’t your regular startup company offering a product or service, It’s a start-up angel investment fund. There is undoubtedly a space for this kind of business in the South African market and they deserve a mention.
BetTech focusses on creating gaming software primarily in the gambling sector.
Aduity has been somewhat secretive with details, but they will be providing a product or service in the mobile advertising space. We also know that they are funded.
Obox is headed up by the Perel brothers. They create premium designer themes for Wordpress, Tumblr and Posterous. They’re based in Camps Bay and are definitely a business to watch out for in future.
A powerful new socially driven e-commerce platform aiming to revolutionize the current e-commerce landscape. Mooblr aims to be to store owners what Wordpress is to bloggers. Soon to be launched.
Personera is a funded startup that allows you to a create and print a physical calendar using the information (birthdays, events, photo’s etc) from your Facebook account.
UrbanKhana is a very convenient food preparation and delivery service. A very simple concept. You get to download the menu, choose your meals, pay for it weekly and they deliver on time and straight to your doorstep.
Thanks to all of those who gave constructive input and contributed to the lists, especially:
19 May 2010 · Comments
10 South African Tech Startups
South Africa is abuzz with startup fever. It’s a good thing - we’re gaining traction on other technology hubs.
UPDATE: This list is not based on revenue in any way what so ever.
I define a startup as a company that is in it’s first or second phase of the business cycle; inception(product development) and growth(market development).
Here’s a list of 10 Popular South African tech startups as nominated on Twitter (in no particular order):
1) Yola
A website builder for anyone that wants to build and host a website quickly and easily. Heavily based on the Freemium model with paid upgrades. They were founded in Cape Town in 2007 and currently have offices in Cape Town and San Francisco.
- Google Page Rank: 7
- Alexa Rank: 4478
- Compete Rank: 4152
2) Blueworld
A Cape Town based social network started by Charl Norman and Bradley Voges
- Google Page Rank: 6
- Alexa Rank: 41,597
- Compete Rank: 295,336
3) Zoopy
Zoopy is a social platform for sharing video, photo’s and audio.
- Google Page Rank: 5
- Alexa Rank: 19,301
- Compete Rank: 72,983
4) Afrigator
Africa’s largest social media aggregator and blog directory founded by Justin Hartman and Mike Stopforth and Stii Pretorius.
- Google Page Rank: 4
- Alexa Rank: 40,332
- Compete Rank: 409,766
5) Springleap
A community based platform where users create designs, vote and interact with one another. Winning designs are printed on t-shirts and sold.
- Google Page Rank: 5
- Alexa Rank: 39,231
- Compete Rank: 2,012,918
6) Memeburn
A blog focussed on tracking startup news and tech entrepreneurs’ stories from the emerging market sector. Founded by Mathew Buckland.
- Google Page Rank: 0
- Alexa Rank: 37,197
- Compete Rank: 0
7) WooThemes
WooThemes is probably one of the most successful designer Wordpress Theme businesses in the world.
- Google Page Rank: 7
- Alexa Rank: 1747
- Compete Rank: 5755
8) SACamera
An online store focussing entirely on photographic equipment and accessories.
- Google Page Rank: 3
- Alexa Rank: 101,668
- Compete Rank: 1,903,636
9) Skyrove
A WIFI hotspot provider with a twist. Skyrove pays a percentage of revenue to people who host the Skyrove routers at the end of each month.
- Google Page Rank: 5
- Alexa Rank: 314,499
- Compete Rank: 4,260,344
10) FireID
A universal authentication system that makes accessing internet transactions and secure data safer than ever.
- Google Page Rank: 4
- Alexa Rank: 491,683
- Compete Rank: n/a
There are a few other startups running under the radar of attention, but as Jason Fried sais: “Competition that kills isn’t pre-announced - it catches an unsuspecting incumbent by surprise”.
Let me know if there are any you would like to see on the list.
18 May 2010 · Comments
The Freemium Model - The Enterprising Troll
Firstly, this is just my opinion; use it, don’t use it…
Via wikipedia.org, “Freemium is a business model that works by offering basic Web services, or a basic downloadable digital product, for free, while charging a premium for advanced or special features.”
What exactly is the cost of “free”? Nothing is free, the cost could either be incurred by the customer or the provider, but one guarantee is that there is always a cost involved - its the cost of doing business.
That old automatron of “Let’s get them in the door and we’ll become rich” no longer applies today; you need to be creating enough value to keep your free to paid conversion rate up.
Users are a strange breed - a huge percentage of your users will always only use the free version of your product or service and essentially you will still be paying the bills.
Focus on revenue from the start, then build a quality user base - do you really care about the loafers that will undoubtedly burden you with support queries and never spend a dime?
The Freemium model is plagued with the issue of perceived value - how can something for free be of value? This is where your marketing needs to kick in …
So, before you vigorously consume the Freemium model, check that:
- This is the business model you want to start off with.
- Ensure that your business can scale to meet the requirements of free AND paid users.
- You know your revenue streams.
- You don’t play in the dark forrest, ensure that you are creating tangible value.
Thoughts?
Further Reading:
12 May 2010 · Comments
