September is a special month for us as we celebrate AdMarula’s birthday. Building momentum over the past 12 years has provided us with many small victories. We have made mistakes, hustled like crazy, solved problems, adapted, celebrated as we grew, cried as we lost clients during COVID, forged incredible business partnerships, helped companies grow, and done it all over again.

Looking back, here are some of the greatest lessons I’ve learnt (so far):

1. The importance of celebrating small wins – While it’s easy (and important) to focus on the big goals, it is equally important to celebrate small wins along the way. Whether it’s hiring your first employee, making it through your first quarter or signing your first client, treating these small wins like a major one will keep you and your team motivated to keep going.

2. You’re only as good as your team – I know this is a bit of a cliché, but that’s because it’s true. No manager or leader can grow without the team to help make this happen. Keep your staff happy and your clients will be happy too.

3. Fear is the greatest stopper – when running and building a business you will often find yourself in unchartered waters, having to do things you’ve never done before. Just do it! The fear of doing it is much worse than actually doing it, and you will figure it out along the way.

4. It’s all about relationships – we may live in a tech-centric world, but behind the tech, there are still real people who need real connection. The technology will change and come and go, but strong business relationships survive the ebbs and flows of change.

5. Doing the right thing gets you farther in the long term, but not necessarily in the short term. All industries have grey areas which some businesses choose to explore in order to gain results quicker, but the damage you do to your reputation, relationships and brand will catch up with you eventually. Do what is right, always.

6. Are you a problem finder or a problem solver? Most people would rather not solve their problems – it’s sad but true. People would rather ignore them and hope they go away, but by getting to the root and solving them you save unbelievable amounts of time, pain, and suffering. So be the person who solves the problem, not the one who finds them.

7. There is no easy business – at least not what I’ve seen. That said, you CAN make your business simpler, which will make things feel easier. Businesses naturally increase in complexity as they grow, so it’s important to look for ways to simplify continually. Remember: Less is More!
   
   

Finally, I wish you all a good Heritage Day and may we all use this day to celebrate what makes our country and its people so special.

Onwards and upwards!

Daniel Gross – CEO