Paradoxes of Entrepreneurship
24 June 2006
Wits Business School
Workshop attendees found that it takes a combination of luck, talent, good management, and timing to become a wealthy business owner. Sean Temlett, lecturer in marketing and entrepreneurship at the Wits Business School captivated everyone's attention during his riveting lesson on the management of the paradoxes that entrepreneurs face.
Attendees left the day inspired by 6 points that every entrepreneur should be attentive to before embarking on the exciting adventure of having your own business - these points were Market Gaps, Competitor Intensity, Annuity Income, Managing for Growth and Structuring a High Growth Company.
A day well spent!
Having It All - A Women's Guide to Juggling
25 May 2006
Wits Business School
This exciting Businesswomen's Association Membership Drive breakfast was led by Dr Linda Friedland, a phenomenal woman listed, amongst her many achievements, as one of the 100 Who's Who of South African women in "Women Today" - 50 years of South African Women Newsmakers (Kwela Publications).
BWA members - existing and new - networked over a scrumptious breakfast and exciting talk by Dr Friedland on a Women's Guide to Juggling. Many new friends and business acquaintances were made!
Project Management for Non-Project Managers
6 May 2006
Wits Business School
Vasintha Pather, MD and lead consultant of The Process Practice led a powerful, yet practical, workshop that showed attendees how to acquire the core Project Management skills, in order to enhance the effectiveness of their projects.
Attendees learned that Project Management is not just about planning, managing and delivery, but also about collaboration, leadership, focus and common sense. They left with the knowledge that Project Management is a tool for success and focused achievement, and that it is simple, effective and necessary to apply in all business!
Opportunity To Present Your Business!
4 May 2006
The Cell C Auditorium
Review By: Debbie Saraiva
The networking evening provided some members with a chance to present themselves and their business. The scope of companies were wide and varied anything from Cruise options, web site creations, corporate wear and environmental services to mention but a few. These evenings not only give members an opportunity to promote themselves but could provide business opportunities for other members who could not present. There have been many requests for these types of evenings by members and I am sure there will be many to follow. Just a thanks to Cherry on top for sponsoring the food for the evening. It was a great feast.
Women and Global Business Breakfast
The Grace of Rosebank
The Johannesburg Branch of the BWA recently hosted a networking breakfast at The Grace of Rosebank for a delegation from the Kazakhstan Businesswomen?s Association and the Illinois Technology and Innovation Business Mission to South Africa. The breakfast was organised to explore trade opportunities between the countries and to further enhance the BWA?s global interaction.
?From past experience we have seen that networking breakfasts form a vital part of creating business opportunities for our members and non-members. However, this opportunity would not have been possible without the generous support of The Grace of Rosebank. They kindly sponsored the venue in order to provide us with a world-class facility conducive to the level of businesswomen in attendance. For this, we are greatly appreciative,? says Clara Priester, Chairperson of the Johannesburg Branch Committee.
As a result of hosting this networking event at such a prestigious venue, a number of business relations were established, which will hopefully lead to future business dealings between the countries.
Mentee Skills Framework Workshop
8 April 2006
Wits Business School
Review by: Liezel Blignaut
The BWA Mentoring Committee initiates and co-ordinates mentoring projects that are aimed at developing the potential of professional and businesswomen in South Africa.
Mentoring is a valuable tool aimed at addressing the specific but overall developmental needs of a Mentee.
Being a mentor can also proof to be an enriching personal and career experience. A mentorship workshop for Mentees took place on 8 April that provided those present with a better understanding of what mentorship entails and what it would require of them as a Mentee. The workshop was attended by 20 women.
Those who attended the mentee workshop should remember to submit their applications by 8 May 2006.
The success of this initiative and the number of mentees that could be matched to mentors depend, inter alia on the willingness of our members to act as mentors.
If you are interested in being a mentor, you are invited to attend a development session for mentors on 13 May 2006.
Application forms for mentors will be distributed at this session, and have to be returned on the same day.
For more info please contact: Liezel Blignaut on liezelb@hcbsolutions.com
A Toolkit Of Business Calculations Simplified Workshop
1 April 2006
Wits Business School
We got rid of the fear of numbers forever!
We had an inspirational morning workshop on the vital business skill of understanding business numbers. The session was facilitated by the author of the book, ?Basic Business Calculations", David Zidel. He demystified the financial aspects of business and showed us how easy it is to become really adept at the most commonly used business calculations.
He focused on practical, simple examples. We did the basics through to an understanding of the basic financial reports, graphs and percentages.
It was a very interactive and practical.
About the Facilitator:
David Zidel - B.Com (Wits), Hons (Unisa) MBA (Wits). David has worked in Business Consulting, Lecturing and Management for in excess of twelve years. He is also a freelance lecturer at the Wits Business School and the author of the book ?Basic Business Calculations?.
Who Is Bwa?
30 March 2006
Cell C , Auditorium Building C3, 150 Rivonia Rd, Sandton
Review by: Angela Barter
The Business Women?s Association (BWA) held it?s first New Member Outreach and networking evening on Thursday, 30 March at Cell C, Sandton.
Over 85 elite businesswomen attended this great networking evening where Clara Priester, chairman of the BWA presented a brief overview of the organization and the benefits thereof. Thereafter, light snacks and drinks were served and guests were invited to network with other influential businesswomen in the Gauteng region.
Being the largest and most prominent association of business and professional women in South Africa, and the voice of women in business, the BWA aims to increase their membership base of South African entrepreneurs, professionals and senior decision makers through ongoing network evenings such as these.
Through strategic partnerships with sponsors, non-profit organizations, leading companies, business schools and international associations, the BWA provides ongoing opportunities to advance the interest of women in business. These include regular business presentations, workshops and seminars as well as mentoring, lifestyle and award ceremonies amongst others.
Effective Selling Skills Workshop
4 March 2006
Wits Business School
Because Jacques de Villiers is a long-time friend of the BWA, he offered the workshop at a massive discount to its members.
Jacques ran an exciting morning workshop especially for BWA members on the art and science of selling.
He showed us how to:
- get enthusiastic about using the phone
- build rapport
- conduct a proper needs analysis
- present your solution properly
- close a deal
- overcome objections
- develop a pipeline of qualified leads
- and lots more
For more information about Jacque de Villiers please visit www.jacquesdevilliers.com
National Budget 2006 Analysis
17 February 2006
Nedbank Sandton Auditorium, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandown
This Nedbank sponsored event took place on Friday, 17 February 2006, following the Budget announcement in parliament by Trevor Manuel on Wednesday, 15 February 2006.
We started off with registrations and breakfast. Portia Nondo opened on behalf of Nedbank and handed over to the co-host Clara Priester, Chairperson of the BWA Johannesburg branch. Clara welcomed everyone, especially our CEO, Tina Thomson. Nicky Weimar was introduced and started her presentation.
Nicky's infectious passion for her subject along with her extensive knowledge and experience made for an accessible and enlightening presentation. Nicky Weimar is, quite simply, a woman who believes that a basic understanding of economic workings is within the reach of every South African.
Nicky clarified several areas, including:
- Taxes
- The Government's financial position and the impact this has on the economy, interest rates and inflation
- The Government's activities regarding social spending
We had a short question and answer session and Clara closed the morning by thanking everyone who attended.
Winning on the Web Evening Seminar
2 February 2006
The Cell C Auditorium Building C3 150 Rivonia Rd, Sandton
It was a no techno-babble presentation on how business can capitalise on web functionally efficiently & profitability.
Andrea Ellens from is a marketing consultant with a background in FMCG and retail marketing in the UK and South Africa. She has worked for Robertson?s Spice?s (Unilever) (SA), Sainsbury?s supermarket (UK), BAA (UK) and Premier Foods (UK). Her expertise is in strategic marketing, and customer service, and believes in what the internet can do to enhance business capabilities.
The objective of the session was to increase business women?s knowledge on the web and how they capitalise on the benefits on having a website for their own business.
Presentation outlined
1. What is the web
- An explanation of the world wide web
- How search engines work
- How the web is used from information sources, to selling, to database management
- Global trends effecting internet usage
- Size of the web and web users in South Africa
2. Why it is important to you (small / medium business)
- Common reason for disillusionment
- Case studies to counter reasons for disillusionment
- Summary of key factors for a good website
3. How do you win on the web
- How to have a customer focused website
- Outline of web functions and the costs associated with functionality
- How to achieve flexibility and versatility on the web
- Additional sources of information