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Monday 3rd June

Hey there, so we meet again...

They say time flies when you're having fun, but in my case its been work work work. Well today was a bit of an eventful day. I wrote my Genesis Exam, so our course convener before the exam says "it's a hard exam to fail, because i'm in such a great mood, so just sit back and enjoy writing".. my first thought was please give me some of that energy sir, and while you're at it would you like to write my paper for me, since you're in such a great mood :))

Genesis is a course that focuses on our product, which right now is the Azura. It focuses on all of the aspects that go into product production as well as team dynamics, as we work as a team in all our Genesis work. One of the questions in the exam asked us what advice we would give next years Genesis students in terms if cake sale (our capital making event) and group building activities, while also drawing on examples from our own group. I found myself writing a lot, about how teams should be proactive, think and work SMART, and  engage in group activities outside of school before the tasks,to allow team members to get to know each other and what each team member enjoys, which can assist with allocating roles that members would be comfortable in. 

It was funny, because while i was writing my answers, (not that they are correct or anything) because in doing so i realised what a long way our group has come in becoming entrepreneurs and growing as a team, without even realising it. The metamorphosis can even been seen in the changes from cake sale 1 and cake sale 2 and the development of our product, the Azura. Though development has been a little slow due to exams, it was just very eye opening to see that not only have I grown and learnt a lot in such a short amount of time, but that I have experienced this not only as an individual, but also as part of a group of aspiring entrepreneurs like myself. Though it hasn't been all roses along the way it was just a very nice feeling knowing that we are growing in a way that we are after such a short period of time, able to already be offering advice to future budding entrepreneurs like ourselves. 

Well that was my biggest highlight for that day, that it sometimes takes being given the opportunity to share your knowledge with someone that allows you to see how much you actually know and have learnt. So the key lesson of today for any aspiring entrepreneurs, is don't be scared to share your knowledge with people.

Much love

Tarisai xx

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Final Takeaways for the Semester - Saturday/Sunday 1 & 2 June

Over the weekend we're preparing for our last two exams: Genesis and Marketing.

Genesis refers to the actual process we have been going through in setting up our businesses at university and the action-learning process.

The marketing exam is an overview of the mainstream theories and practices of modern day marketers.

The two seem to blend quite well.

What seems to be a marketing principle that we've learnt upon many occasions is the importance of the customer experience. The idea is to exceed customer expectations and delight them to the degree that they stay loyal to the brand, produce positive word-of-mouth messages and develop a relationship with the brand. One of the reasons why this is so important is due to the fact that the cost of acquiring a new customer is far greater than extending the lifetime relationship of those who have already been converted.

From the start of our Genesis activities, we have aimed to more than satisfy our customers at Cake Sale, and put in place the necessary steps to develop our customer relationships. We did this by collecting email addresses right from the beginning of the year and entering people into raffles when they bought from us. Now that our product launch day is getting close, we have a list of people who are familiar with us and will likely be interested in attending our launch on campus.

While it nice to see where we have implemented good practice, it is also good to reflect on where we could have improved and begin doing some of those things while we have the opportunity in the up-coming holidays. Most notably, I would say is getting to know each other as a group! This is crucial as whatever dynamic is in place will also mediate how stress is expressed and experienced by different members of the group when it shows up.

I look forward to these holidays and having one or two great 'jols' with my team! :)

Chat to you next blog-shift,
Craig

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Keeping Momentum - Friday 31 May

The onslaught of exams are finally over... for this week. The next wave starts again next Monday and Tuesday... and then freedom!.. For a little while.

It's important to remember during these periods of recovery and breathing out, that it is an opportunity to be well prepared for the final set of exams. Kind of like when two boxers are in a ring together, the general advise is to never show your opponent that you are tiring... keeping the psychological game up. I'm not sure if this metaphor applies well here, but it totally resonates for me right now!

It's definitely been a recurring lesson for me throughout this semester that we are all much more capable than we give ourselves credit. I can remember when I filled my calendar with all the deadlines for the semester, stood back, took it in all in, and started getting heart palpitations.

I didn't believe in myself. All of my past 'failures' and memories of late hand-ins came rushing back to me... I was projecting my past into my future, and assuming that I had not grown, could not grow, out of the struggles I had around time and task management.

While I admit that it still is something I strive to master, it is amazing to look back and reflect on how much was actually achieved, and reframe some of those limiting beliefs.

It is with this positive outlook and self-assurance that I wish to direct into these last few exams, as well as the semester ahead... Keep the momentum going, finish strong, and kick some ass!

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Synthesising the Collection of Entrepreneurial Strategies - 30 May

One of my favourite courses this semester has been Entrepreneurial Strategies. Here we looked at a collection of what our lecturer considered some of the best readings on business theory. We studied theories on strategy, creativity and even the lives of modern day entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs.

While the course was full of interesting content, it never seemed like we had enough time to fully engage with the material as the program workload was just so intensive. Now that it is exams, it is the same story! There just is not enough time to read and study everything.

So in the name of entrepreneurship, we as a student body came together, worked SMART and summarised one or two readings each and uploaded them to Vula - a file-sharing platform provided by the university. This was truly a helpful exercise for me, as not only have I taken a short-cut approach to learning the content, but I'm considering reading the course pack over the holidays! It's that juicey.

We're encouraged to synthesise our own understanding of the theories we have learnt and to apply them to the life of Steve Jobs. I'll let you in on the distinct pattern I've noticed that informs how to achieve greatness in your lifetime...

I have drawn on Gladwell's theory of 10 000 hours until mastery of a discipline, Michael Porters theory of the comparative advantage of nations, and Blue Oceans Strategy. I would recommend reading up on those three things and applying them to the life of Steve Jobs, but I'll save you some time and tell you the end result of my discovery and how to apply it to your own life.

Step 1, gain 10 000 hours of mastery in the discipline in which you are most passionate. Step 2, find out what your nation has a comparative advantage in, and step 3, find a way to apply your discipline to that industry. The final key to doing step 3 right, is step 4, apply Blue Oceans Strategy to define your business and uniquely differentiate yourself by creating a 'blue ocean'.

Apply those steps and I'm sure you will succeed in having a major impact on your industry of choice!

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Business in Context - The Lense of Leadership - Wednesday 29 May

Yo yo yo, today we wrote one of the craziest exams! Business in context, yo it's the next step, in the evolution, of our constitutional exploration into leadership... I'm not a great rapper.

Seriously though, the course content was pretty cool. I quite enjoyed the section on transformational leadership and human needs.

Basically, it became apparent to me how given the current challenges we face as the human race (not breaking into another rap), such as climate change and political-economic instability, we need to be teaching young people the art of transformation leadership.

A transformational leader differs from the traditional stereotypical Hollywood leader, in that they lead from the back instead of the front. They empower others instead of being the source of power. They take time to understand people and their needs, and tailor the ultimate vision to cater for and meet these needs.

I personally feel interested in learning more about transformational leadership, applying it and teaching it to others in South Africa. I think that making these kinds of teachings available to more people (through the use of technology) is one of the strongest ways I feel inspired to contribute to the transformation of our society.

For now I would like to work on applying what I've learnt about leadership within our business, as well as leading myself effectively throughout the exam period and study well and productively!

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The End of Finance... And Beginning of Life! - Tuesday 28 May

Today we wrote the finance exam... Boy am I glad it's behind us!

I must say that I did learn a lot from the course, probably the most notable being the importance of budgeting. This allows for better control and planning of business activities and the setting of financial goals and targets for the period. It also showed me how the different departments of a business can come together in forecasting the amount that is expected to be spent.

I realised how importance of the above exercise as that is the current state of our business. We are grappling with forecasting our costs and ensuring that we follow an accurate budget

I am grateful that we have the opportunity to formally learn such concepts and then practically apply them to our business. However, I do wish I had more time to study! That being said, talk to you next time!

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The Calm Before the Storm - Monday 27 May

This Sergeant Craig Jaf. reporting for blogger duty. Exams are upon us, full force. We're experiencing heavy fire. We're expecting the first attack to take place tomorrow morning, Tuesday 28 May 08:00hr, the second on Wednesday 08:00hr and a final assault for the week on Thursday 12:30hr. We will fight them through the night and right through the day. We shall never surrender!

While our enemy is a clever foe, we have received reinforcements from an ally platoon in the Marketing program. One of their captains has experience fending off finance exam attacks, and offered to host a workshop over the weekend to prepare us.

I have been very impressed by the unity within the varying Management programs and the willingness to work side-by-side in these dark hours. We shall surely prevail!

On a brighter note, our squad member Riana is celebrating her day of birth today. Congratulations, soldier!

We're a little tougher than these guys...

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