Sometimes we entrepreneurs get so caught up in our “grand vision”.  Riding high on the wave of our “big idea,” falsely believing every human being on earth will one day use our product. So we spend countless hours locked in our own version of “garage.”  Acting like mad scientists mostly.  Cut off from society.…

When Woolworths got itself tangled with shackled black dolls wearing clothes with a rope on them in their stores, it scored an own goal. This was taken to depict slavery and was not well received by a lot of people in South Africa. This uproar came two weeks after H&M were in hot water over…

Where is the next bounce of the ball going in your industry? Are you ready for the next bounce of the ball? Do you know how your industry will look like in the next 5 years? What are you doing about it to adjust? One thing that destroys businesses is when someone is designing a…

Why does a broken copy machine get noticed by a number employees before someone decides to repair it? Why does a process stay the same, even after so many complain that it is inefficient? Because too many people think, "Well, that is not my job. Someone else should take care of it." Meanwhile, time and money…

Have you ever been silent for a 24-hour period? Does the thought of not speaking distress you or bring you images of bliss? Silence is a funny thing in modern day culture. It provokes strong emotions, you either love or it despise it. There are people who are uncomfortable in silence. There are couples who…

Professionals are able to get their work done without using emotion to signify urgency. When a doctor asks the nurse for a scalpel, she does not have to raise her voice, stamp her foot or even make a funny sarcastic face. She merely asks for a scalpel. When a pilot hits a tough spot on…

  You are not a brand. You are not Coca-Cola. You are not a gadget or a program or an image. You are not a logo or a series of talking points. You are mortal. You are finite. You are a person. You are a living, breathing, autonomous individual who does not seek to maximise…

You are going to have to get ok with failing, with higher risk, with more creation than repetition and with more sharing than you might at first feel comfortable with. But mainly you are going to leave the comfort zone of an age-old system. From now on, you are on your own, kid. The industrial…

In the connection economy, value is created by those who work together or are connected to others. No matter how smart you think you are, value is created when we connect the dots with others. Being an entrepreneur is a very lonely journey. Most of your hours in a day are spent being alone, working…

This works both for an individual relating to other individuals and for a brand connecting to an audience. Give stuff away, to people and to customers. Offer, constantly, to be of service. Answer a stranger’s questions on Twitter. Offer some free support to a potential sales target. Make an intro on LinkedIn. Don't just appeal…

In the connection economy, there is a dividing line between two kinds of projects: those that exist to create connections, and those that don't. The internet is a connection machine. Virtually every single popular web project (Facebook, twitter, chat, email, forums, etc.) exists to create connections between humans that were difficult or impossible to do…

LORA Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship strives to bring thought leaders, men and women who are pathfinders, entrepreneurs and change agents, men and women who have affected the very fibre of our thought processes, who influence our set of beliefs, and engage our mindsets in elements of value.  LORA has invited 10 experienced entrepreneurs to share…