Kulula and progress

This time I get to write about Kulula while sitting in my seat (27F), high above the karoo in ZS-OAM, Kulula's 'Camo plane'. I won't be repeating my amateur traveller mistake of forgetting the tablets pin after dutifully switching off 'all electronic devices' for the take-off. Unfortunately, this time it is a far cry from the newer 737-800 airplane that I flew on in the opposite direction less than a week ago. Not that I am uncomfortable - it's just that you can see the progress that has been made in the 23 years between the manufacture of these two planes. Maybe it is just a paranoid sense that newer planes should be safer ways of doing what man was never designed to do?

 

Having said that, the end result is much the same for the passenger. A fairly large piece of steel that hurtles through the air at around 800km/hr that you get to call your chariot for around 2 hours. So is the progress all it is cracked up to be... well let's go back to the concept of the good old padstal (Farm stall). 

 

Yes, you can still buy some enterprising farmers wares directly from him and enjoy a tranquil shopping experience, but the experience has changed for good and for the good. Everything about popping into these wonderful gems in the Western Cape (I'm sure the other provinces have their own eye-popping, mouth-watering versions that I have yet to experience) is about making you want to come back and visit them all over again. Great rustic designs, comfortable and quiet spots to drink a quick coffee, super clean toilets to keep the ladies happy and a good piece of green grass for the short people to expel all the pent up energy that was gathered during the last 5 hours on the road.

 

So back to the plane .. and the point. The legroom today is slightly less. It may be a few inches, but we all know how much difference that can make? The seats are slightly less comfortable. I'm not sure if I am imagining it, but the aircon (or do these babies have climate control) just seems a notch less effective. Oh yes, and they don't have those cool curvy things at the end of the wing tips - that makes absolutely zero difference to me, but it shows I am observant...

 

Now, taking these lessons back to our business that tomorrow will officially be one month old, what can be learnt. Firstly, things need to improve, even if it happens slowly and  over a number of years. That's what makes us human I suppose - we always want to improve our lot in life. Not to be confused with not being happy with what you have, but just imagine where humanity would be if Orville had said to Wilbur, "No boet, lets rather walk to Sally's place". I for one would be just outside JHB with a 10 hour road trip ahead of me.

 

Secondly, no matter how we improve things, more often than not, the underlying principles still stay the same and if any change compromises that underlying principle, you are going to sit with a problem. Take as an example the phone. No longer the humble tool that Alex invented a couple of years ago. Now it is a tool that can entertain even a monkey for days on end ... You have all owned a phone that has made you want to visit Steve or Kim Jung the 55th (Samsung?) and tell them exactly what you think of them. Well, that's just it - when the battery dies after 1.24 hours, the underlying principle of having a phone not longer exists, and the tool in your hand becomes a useless but expensive piece of plastic. Get it?

 

That's it for now ... time to turn off 'all electronic devices' for the landing, before this plane ends up in a similar state to those that fly for a certain airline whose flight numbers all start with MH ...

What does it take to get going

I love these stories on the web with titles like, "5 things you must know about starting a business" or "10 things every entrepreneur needs to know". I guess that they all have their place and I have certainly picked up a few tips from them, but the real truth is that you can spend your life researching what needs to be done to start something up and never actually start doing it! Been there ... almost done that!

My belief is that often some external factor or unplanned event leads to that final push - not always, but often... People spend hours in their offices with a great idea or a dream and never really get to test it for fear of taking the final leap and leaving the perceived safety of the "shore".
Yes, sound advice can be to keep your job and get something going on the side line, but that thought in itself is often enough for someone never to actually try. You hear warnings that the venture will fail if you don't commit 100% to it - for some this has certainly proved to be true.

Helena and I always wanted to start our own company and we investigated and planned the options, and actually once started a successful video editing business in Kathu. The irony of the whole situation is that we stopped doing that as it became too successful and demanded too much of Helena's time - something we had moved to Kathu to change. Looking back we should have set it up differently, but we see that as a learning to be applied somewhere in the future.

Having spent a year in Namibia, the final push for us came sooner than we had planned. In effect, while it was a great opportunity and a great place to stay, financially we were eating into our savings to stay there and moving further away from being able to start our own venture. So we had three choices;

1) Stay on and hope things got better;

2) Look for another job doing the same thing again;

3) Follow our dream and start our own venture.

Well since you have been reading this (yes, you have studied every sentence meticulously!) you will know that option 3 received the vote!

What have we learnt in the first month?

Here we go ....

"5 things that will help you to start!"

1) You need to take the step.
Read what you can, research what you can. But then stop and pray. You will need to know you are doing the right thing when times get tough, and they do quite early on (Month 1 !!). The internet won't push you. You will find information on the web to back up anything you want ... literally. If you want to stat your business up on the sideline - do it, a safety net can be a good thing. If you want to jump, plan your finances properly and make sure you can cope for a significant amount of time without income. Nobody can tell you how long, but I would guess 12 months plus - depends on what you plan to do. Some businesses will start generating income from day 1. Others will take time to build a name and a client base. The latter is the case for us.

2) Get your presence out there, sooner rather than later.
Once people know you are making a change, opportunities that you never even knew about can surface. Having handed in my resignation, I was amazed at how people opened up and took me into their confidence. Almost as if you become 'neutral' to them overnight. Keep in mind you still work for the company until your last day and take care to avoid potential conflict of interest scenarios.

The web is awash with advice on marketing. What we did was to sort out the branding first. I used an online service to do the logo design, business cards and letter heads for me and I was very happy with the results. Check them out: www.logodesigncreation.com.

This is the result:

Then set up a website, facebook page, twitter account and .....maybe even a blog if you enjoy writing and want to keep track of things. Who knows you may be the next Mark Shuttleworth and writing your autobiography may be easier this way!

3) Setting up the company
We decided to go with a contact that sets up your company, assists with taxes and general administrative requirements surrounding the statutory side of things. It has taken longer than expected but that is apparently due to issues with the CIPC site (www.cipc.co.za)

Visit their website, you can do all of it on your own if you want to save some money.

4) You don't need to be an accounting genius
This is where Google helped me. This was one of my "Best free accounting software" searches! I followed a few links, read a few reviews and came across Freshbooks more than once. I have been using it for 3 weeks now and it is awesome. A few features that I found lacking such as the ability to set up and track a budget - that would have been nice.  Otherwise, easy to use for almost anyone. www.freshbooks.com. Download the app on your mobile device and keep track of business expenses as they occur - I am sure this is going to save time later on.

5) Get on the phone
Emails and Linkedin messages are not very effective. Call people. Speak to them. You get results there and then. It may be a "No", but at least it is done. Emails and messages have a way of floating around, both in the 'digital atmosphere' as well as your head. You are going to need to have an uncluttered mind. Again ... call them.

Ok, so now I have reached the end of my list and I have another point to make, so see this as the "buy 5 get 1 free" tip!

6) Read "The seven habits of highly effective people" by Steven Covey.

If like me, reading is not something you think you always have time for, download the Audible app and buy the audio book. It is not your typical quick fix book so be prepared for a longer term investment in terms of your time. You will find some gems in this book, particularly in today's hurried, now world. The focus is on long term investments in terms of relationships and your own character.

Bear in mind, when reading the above, that we have been going for less than a month, so you are not reading advice from a business guru by any means! We have only just entered our first agreement that will lead to our first income, so see this more as a way of following our progress and seeing what works. (That's kind of like my disclaimer :) )

Mathew 6:34 ...
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."