Category: Entrepreneur

One of the keys in running a successful business is understanding what the core business is. With my bookkeeping venture it took quite a long time to understand that. And I had to radically change direction a few times to really get to it. Now we are there. We convert data from MYOB (and soon Quickbooks) to Xero. It is a tiny niche in the bookkeeping/accounting world. But we have developed some unique tools and processed that allow us to deliver this service better than anyone else. It is time to scale. Sometimes, it is scary to let go…

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It has been a long time. Mobile Telecom is running. It worked, even without micro testing. We moved through a major transition where we had to change the complete system of how we operated. Jason and Belinda are handling that really well, so that I do not have to do much at all. That meant new time for my next venture: Jet Bookkeeping I always enjoyed figures and what could be learned from them for a business. With the advance of online accounting packages, we can now deliver profitable intelligence to small businesses. Jet Bookkeeping started in late April…

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I had a few months of relaxation, visited friends, connected with our beautiful National Park, swam in the Ocean. Then it was time for the next venture. A new business partner (actually a very dear friend, so we’ll see whether there is any truth in what they say about friends and going into business together). He has been running Mobile Telecom for many years. I kept saying that I am not interested in the phone industry until a conversation I had with my wife. In it I remembered how much joy it had given me to create an amazing…

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What an exciting and stressful week (month?). We have just signed all the paperwork (about 200 pages) to sell SolarPay to another solar company (Ingenero). We had found that through a contact from my business partner, talked to them briefly in January and were approached again in June when we tried to find a solution to our cash-flow situation. They were the solution we took. The negotiations reminded me again of how important it is to concentrate on what the other party wants. The better we can deliver that, the more successful the negotiations. It was a tough decision…

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What is theory and what is practice? My team has grown to 8 people. I am continuing to pass on responsibility. They are great at taking it and making it work. The biggest challenge I took with regards to spending time was to go on a 2 week holiday. I went without a mobile phone, I did not look at a computer, did not call in to see how things were going. My team cursed at times, but it worked. Sales continued, systems were installed and they even dealt with a major calamity of one of our contractors stealing…

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This is the most difficult and most involved, but has the greatest long-term results. In reality all preliminary steps just prepare you for this ultimate vision: becoming redundant. There is an emotional component to it. To a large extend we are defined by the things we do, especially at work. Becoming redundant is challenging that. And this is where the mastery of the first step (spending time) becomes essential; life needs to be filled with meaningful and joyous activities. Otherwise there is no point in working towards redundancy. Millions of people wait their whole life for retirement, only to find…

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We can spend time or invest time. The difference is in the timing of the outcomes. Spending time has two immediate outcomes: we receive money or we experience joy. Investing time has three possible outcomes: we receive money, we gain energy or we free time in the future. So the most valuable activities are the ones that bring the biggest return in a balanced fashion. Here are some examples: Spending time to receive money: a physiotherapist who treats a patient Spending time to experience joy: the activity you selected in step one Investing time to receive money: building a…

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Here is a list of my time wasting activities. Thanks to Raymond Aaron, Tim Ferris and Mark Joyner for teaching about them. Look for things that are easy to implement and have the greatest impact on your life. Do not think you need to do everything at once. That probably leads to overwhelm and you will not achieve anything. Pick one from this list of possibilities and implement it. Most of these suggestions take less than 5 minutes to implement and do not cost a thing. But they will result in huge time increases, far more than the time…

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