Slipstream  -  Rainbow WOW Moment

Raizcorpian, Melanie Brummer, from Slipstream, recently held her Rainbow Wow Moment workshop at Raizcorp Kramerville. The purpose of the workshop was to introduce people to the art of dyeing, something which Melanie is a master of and to celebrate the launch of the new Slipstream instructional DVD. Those who attended the workshop had a chance to experience the fun in creating their own pieces of art using Melanie’s dye techniques. Attendees brought along 100% cotton white garments to be taken through the dye process.

Buckets of water were scattered around the courtyard. Heaps of elastic bands formed in the centre of the tables in the Chill Room alongside bundles of forks and two microwaves sat outside on the bench. The garments were dunked into the buckets of water. The forks were used to twist the garments into white flowers and the elastic bands held them in their newfound shape. The garments were then dipped into different colours of dye and placed in plastic bags, ready to be nuked. A five minute trip in the microwave and the garments were morphed into beautiful butterflies. 

For those that were unable to add a touch of dye to their clothing, you can always purchase Melanie’s instructional DVD that was produced by Free the Orange. The DVD includes information about various binding techniques, how the chemistry works, the requirements in terms of fabrics, how to make the dye vibrant and colourfast, different ways of getting the colour onto cloth and a Wow Moment! at the end. Orders for this DVD may be placed by emailing Melanie at info@dyeandprints.co.za. There are also upcoming workshops for those that wish to experience the magic in action. You can request the class schedule from the previously provided email address.

Melanie gets excited by the possibilities of infinite potential. With dye, a piece of white fabric can become anything you want it to be.  Plain fabrics can be turned into something magical over a short period of time. She has spilled her excitement across a lavishly illustrated, full colour book with more than fifty step-by-step pictures, guiding the reader through the dying process.  The Contemporary Dyecraft book launched in February 2010 and is available in English and Afrikaans and is published by Metz Press. Orders for the Contemporary Dyecraft book may be placed using the previously provided email address.

REAP Mid-Year Report

The Raizcorp Rural Enterprise Accelerate Programme (REAP) currently being run in St Lucia has reached its halfway mark. Participants of the programme come from a rural background and are exposed to an adapted version of Raizcorp’s curriculum. The REAP programme caters for entrepreneurs who operate in a rural context and possess a blue heart. Participants receive three days of learning and personal development every month for a period of one year.

The current REAP programme is being facilitated by Marius Wilken (Raizcorp Richards Bay Prosperator Manager) and Nothile Mpisi (Raizcorp Richards Bay Strategy Guide). Forty entrepreneurs from different industries attend the programme at Komthandayo Cultural Village and receive the tools and guidance needed for their respective business to grow.

Over the last six months, participants have discovered who they are, can conduct a SWOT-A analysis, can create SMARTER goals and have begun to record the actions of their respective businesses.

It is amazing to see the growth of the participants since attending the REAP programme. They have been instilled with confidence and knowledge and have truly seized the moment.

Pitch & Polish

The brandhouse™ Pitch and Polish competition has now come to an end.  The competition provided a great experience for organisers, contestants and, most of all, the finalists. Although many reports cite South Africa as low on entrepreneurial activity, one wonders if the researchers have ever met the people we found on the first round of the nationwide Pitch and Polish competition! 

Applicants could enter online.  From the online applications, between 6 and 10 contestants were chosen to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges after a full day workshop during which they were “polished” by Allon Raiz from Raizcorp.  This was not a comfortable day for contestants, but the grilling prepared them for the formal pitch in the evening. 

From each of the five cities, three contestants were chosen to go through to the next round and it was touching to experience how excited they were and how seriously they took the competition.  The mandate from Entrepreneurs Organisation, the organisation responsible for Pitch and Polish as the local impact arm of the EO Cape Town University and the sponsors, brandhouse™, MTN Business, RMB Private Bank, City of Cape Town and SA Tourism, to find grassroots entrepreneurial talent and to help those companies to launch or grow was fulfilled.

The quarter-finals took place in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Polokwane, where five of the fifteen second round contestants presented their business ideas to a fresh team of judges. From these quarter finals, six semi-finalists were chosen.  The six semi-finalists were:  David Mphuti, Graeme Waite, Rodgers Mahumani, Ntombenhle Khathwane, Charles Tladi and Raees Ismail.  These entrepreneurs presented their businesses at the FNB Conference Centre in Grayston Drive, Sandton. The judges were Allon Raiz, Trevor Tutu and Yossi Hasson. Two finalists were chosen: David Mphuti and Ntombenhle Khathwane.  A third finalist, Zamandlovu Makola, was chosen from a wildcard competition, which was run on SAfm.

The three finalists presented their businesses to hundreds of successful entrepreneurs at the Entrepreneurs Organisation Cape Town University on the 11^th of November, as well as to the three judges: Allon Raiz, Nick Ristic and Yossi Hasson.  Their lives will never be the same again! Pitch and Polish has unearthed talented entrepreneurs who would never have had the opportunity to grow their businesses and network with successful entrepreneurs, able to  mentor them and help grow their companies.  

David April Launch

He has proved his mettle as an arts and culture performer, leader, mentor, pioneer, dance activist and entrepreneur – and now David Thatanelo April is moving with a purpose! In September 2010, David  re-branded his April Training and Consulting arts consultancy as simply David April, while continuing to deliver the same individualised, hands-on service that clients have come to value.  April wishes to express his deep appreciation and gratitude to The Brand Union, a world-class global brand agency for the corporate identity and design of his company. They have managed to articulate and capture the essence of what David April stands for – Move with purpose! “As an entrepreneur I have learned how to turn risks into opportunities, build a culture of innovation through finding and creating synergies between business and the arts; and how to identify and make connections between dance and other art forms, with an eye on business sustainability,” says April. Since striking out on his own, April has consulted widely with clients in the arts industry, NGOs, government departments and the private sector.

Passionate about arts and culture development, April uses his 17 years of experience, including a decade of senior management experience, to bring a professional approach to any project he tackles – from fundraising, teaching and skills development to planning, marketing and management. In 2003, he was the first recipient of the prestigious Tunkie Memorial Award for Outstanding Dedication and Leadership in Dance. As such, his David April arts consultancy provides interactive, engaging and accessible creative movement solutions using music and dance to stimulate discussion and effect change – particularly in the fields of arts, business and education. He is looking forward to continuing to serve the South African arts and culture sector in his David April arts consultancy – a one-stop shop for project management, entertainment (themed dance performances for special events, seminars, conferences and product launches), fundraising, education and training.

Sassy new Sasha CD cover

Issued by: Free the Orange

A closer look at the creative genius behind Sasha Martinengo's new CD cover artwork

Relishing the chance to flex their creative muscles, the creative agency Free the Orange is proud to be the mastermind behind the striking CD cover artwork on Sasha Martinengo's latest Essential Hit Picks 3compilation album. 

Taking a bold new approach that was dramatically different to the previous two album covers, Free the Orange set their sights on allowing the beautiful Durban-based model, Genna-wae Webster, literally to interact with the Sasha Martinengo brand during the photo shoot. The end result - a striking, Eighties-inspired image of Webster physically writing out Sasha's name in bright neon lights using a photographic technique called "light graffiti" - is every bit the hit as the tracks that make up the album. 

"The whole idea was to have a local girl on the cover, photographed here in South Africa, and not just an image taken form a stock library with added effects," explains Free the Orange resident photographer, Laura Jane, of Laura Jane Photography.

In order to replicate the lighting one would find in a dance club, the team (including a very enthusiastic Sasha Martinengo himself) used various different light sources and glow sticks to "paint" Webster, as well as a strobe light to freeze the image during the last few seconds of each 30-second exposure. The tricky part of using the technique of light graffiti is that one is working in a pitch-black studio and only sees the end result once the 30-second exposure finishes. It is a game of trial, error and intuition, but when it works, it really works, as Sasha's new CD cover so beautifully proves. 

Martinengo, who says that the final album cover more than exceeded his expectations, has posted a copy of the album cover on his Twitter page and already received a barrage of positive comments and "wows" from his fans. 

"The album cover is nothing like the previous album covers," he says. "It's got a retro but modern feel to it, and it really stands out. I was so excited to be at the photo shoot, because this album is very close to my heart, and when they needed a few hands to help create the colour and lighting effects I just jumped right in!" 

MD of Free the Orange, Steven Hall, possibly enjoyed the shoot even more than Martinengo, largely because of the way in which the shoot allowed the company to really live up to its name and "free the orange".

"What was amazing about the shoot was that a lot of the creativity was very spontaneous and in the moment," he explains. "We were trying different things, and in doing so we came up with some cool ideas, that is something you cannot force. As a process, it's 'Freeing the Orange'. It's about letting that flow of energy happen then and there." (Click here to watch behind the scenes footage.)

Free the Orange has a long history of working within the music industry under their "MUZIK" division, in terms of designing the artwork, creating TV commercials and, more recently, making music videos. They are a creative force to be reckoned with, especially when tasked with briefs that allow the team to play with a concept and let the free flow of ideas drive the project forward. 

Heaven or Hell  -  You Decide!
 - by Riaad Isaacs

“Where are you in your life right now?” I asked the person I was guiding. Without missing a beat she retorted, “I’m in hell, and I’ve been there since December.” “Great” I replied, “it’s a starting point and at least you know where you are. So, now tell me how have you created this hell?” To which she replied, “What do you mean I’ve created this hell?”

I had similar conversation with three different people in the past week, all of them in deep existential pain experiencing some form of hell. None of these entrepreneurs seemed to recognise that they were the architects of this hell. If these entrepreneurs do not know, as well as acknowledge, that they are responsible for creating hell, they simply remain victims of their circumstances and are powerless to create a different reality.

Rather than being two realms of the afterlife, Heaven and Hell are a state of mind which we create. Hell is usually created when we live and work unconsciously. The moment we become conscious, which I define as being aware, awake and mindful, we begin to be able to create heaven in situations where, once, we experienced hell.

My encounters with these entrepreneurs, as well as my thoughts on conscious living, led me to think about the question: “What does it mean to develop a conscious business?”

Adam Smith, in his book Moral Sentiment, explains how a moral foundation is the basis for the success of business. If we ignore this, and allow our businesses to operate without moral foundation, we will soon create an amoral, if not immoral, business and society. One does not need to look very far for evidence of how endemic this phenomenon already is. In 2002, the world watched in disbelief as Enron, once the darling of Wall Street, imploded when it was revealed that they had boosted earnings and hidden debts to the tune of more than $1billion. The global giant Worldcom overstated its cash flow by booking $3.8 billion in operating expenses as capital expenses and Xerox admitted to falsifying financial results for 5 years. Closer to home, a South African stalwart, Tiger Brands were fined R99 million for price fixing, Adcock Ingram also had to pay R70 million in fines for price fixing and another home grown giant, Sasol, were fined R3.7billion for participating in a paraffin wax cartel. The evidence suggests that this trend is escalating with the sub-prime debacle precipitating the recent economic collapse.

The media may focus on the ‘big guys’ but I believe that we have to re-examine the moral and ethical foundations of businesses at a grassroots level, i.e. SMMEs and entrepreneurial ventures. Most businesses, including the abovementioned large corporations, began as small concerns with ambitions of growing into global enterprises.

I contend that the main reason we are facing widespread institutionalised corruption and general social malaise is that the majority of these businesses began life unconsciously and grew into unconscious empires, perpetuating an unsustainable, myopic perspective or, in simpler terms, hell. Fining or reprimanding these transgressors amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist that will ultimately do nothing to change their behaviour. For the behaviour to shift, we must all assume the responsibility of developing ourselves and our businesses more mindfully in order to become the leaders of model global empires of the future.

In his book Conscious Business, Dr Fred Kofman puts forward 7 qualities required for creating a conscious business:

• 
  
  unconditional responsibility
• 
  
  essential integrity
• 
  
  ontological humility
• 
  
  authentic communication
• 
  
  constructive negotiation
• 
  
  impeccable coordination; and the over arching enabler
• 
  
  emotional mastery

Kofman maintains that these qualities are essential to building a conscious business. For a conscious business to work, all employees must maintain a high degree of awareness. Kofman observes that conscious employees take responsibility for their lives. They don't compromise human values for material success. They speak their truth and listen to others' truths with honesty and respect. They look for creative solutions to disagreements and honour their commitments impeccably. They are in touch with their emotions and express them productively. When an individual entrepreneur begins to integrate these and other essential attributes into their businesses, their businesses become a true expression of themselves and a vehicle for placing these qualities into the world. Through this heaven is created, where hell once existed.

Imagine a business, your business, operating on these fundamental tenets and maybe you will begin to create heaven where you now create hell. In The Prophet, Khalil Gibran wrote, “Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.”

Disclaimer: The contents of this article reflect the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of Raizcorp.

Meet the Guide:  Riaad Isaacs

Born in Johannesburg, Riaad has worked in many diverse fields ranging from sports to restaurants to coaching and workshop facilitation. Riaad has been a professional soccer player, a personal trainer, transformation facilitator and, in his most recent incarnation, worked as an Ontological Coach. Ontological Coaching, other wise known as Transformational Coaching, refers to coaching at the level of being rather than doing.

Riaad is committed to transformation, both of himself and of the people around him, describing himself as “committed to making this a better planet”. Riaad also describes himself as tenacious: “I can get too focused and involved in my own endeavours … to the exclusion of those around me,” he explains.

A spiritual being at heart, Riaad is inspired by Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, two 19th century American authors who Riaad describes as “being way ahead of their time”. Riaad identifies with their non-conformist natures and their passion and commitment to transcending the materialistic world in search of soul. At Raizcorp, Riaad aims to combine his desire for change with the entrepreneurs’ desire for profitability in a quest to find the balance between the needs of the material world and the desires of the spiritual.