Knowledge, Skills & Process – All can be learned
Day 2 of the KiPiDi Start Your Own Business workshop arrived with new registrations quickly integrated into groups, a brief recap of what was covered last week, before the KiPiDi Warriors presented their assignment from the previous week. There was no time to be nervous, as the group work and presentation skills practised last week paid dividends.
Look in the Mirror
Still looking in the mirror, the class explored the many personal skills you need as an entrepreneur. Time management and the concept of “African Time” took the class by storm with an intense debate about the meaning and origin of African Time!
No firm conclusions were reached, but all agreed you need to be ontime for your customers if you want to make a sale!
Narrowing the focus, the class moved on to the entrepreneurial skills many entrepreneurs had mastered and which contributed to their success. Calculated risk taking, creativity and innovation, as well as accepting and acting on feedback were all rated highly. The value of networking was illustrated with a real example of Lindiwe and Amanda, and how the power of their networking had led to the development of KiPiDi and its launch in Slovoville.
Everything starts with an idea!
Generating ideas and spotting opportunities took centre stage.
A few simple but effective tools used for generating and evaluating ideas and opportunities were introduced. Brainstorming, Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy, and Mind Mapping were explored in a group discussion with the groups tasked with developing a solution to the challenges posed by “African Time” in Kasi.
Group presentations followed as each group shared their ideas with the class. You had to be there for the debate that followed!
Homework time
KiPiDi Warriors were assigned the individual task of identifying their own business idea, the problem they were solving, potential solutions they had evaluated and why a particular solution could be commercially viable.
Be prepared to present!
