Mike Stopforth

Loved the post, and the disclaimer!

A road show is informative but education is still another issue altogether.

Here’s how I see it:

1) Education in my mind means skills that are lacking. These skills range from technical to business and both are highly underdeveloped here in SA. What we clearly need to do is change this.
2) It also comes down to money. While starting up an online business isn’t as financially draining as an offline business it’s the money required to survive while waiting for the business to take off that is often a problem. We need more tech related Venture Capital.

My 2 cents on an excellent post about something that needs to be acted on ASAP.

Count me in.

The reason I put money second is because online businesses are something you can often run in your spare time. It is obviously important for every business.I still think that skills are the biggest problem.

“Sometimes the hardest part of running a marathon is putting your shoes on.” – Have you had more Whiskey???

Howdy Mike,

The other day when I told you I would move to Jo’burg as soon as you guys get an ocean, was only partially true.

In my opinion, what makes this job so much more fascinating is that companies are starting to shove money behind the idea, which is tremendous.

Even for WineCountry, which is still a far cry from where I want (need) it to be, I think it is something that has taken the wine world (in SA) by surprise. Besides Stormhoek, a brand most wineries used to only reference in envious conversation, it’s enlightening to see so many of them now opening up to the possibilities and dare to spare a buck for digital.

As you will know, taking the risk in executing on new ideas only comes through confidence. There’s few of us willing to spend a clients money only to see it fail.

What is so rewarding for me at this stage is to see wineries (from the drop in a bucket, Paarl) getting some worthwhile exposure on the internet, a channel (previously) much more conducive to big brands, the media and technology.

Subsequently, when these wineries started seeing the results, it’s astonishing how relaxed they are becoming in allocating more generous amounts toward achieving our goal, which is to strongly cement the Wine Industry of South Africa on a global digital map, where I fear we have fallen behind dramatically.

Salary? I’m living well…it’s taken an initiation period to establish my reputation, but it’s coming into fruition nicely now.

Next goal: To educate some of you techno geeks and have you experience quality wine and the rewarding wine lifestyle.

Let’s see how successful the 2.0 evangelists are in all these corporates. It’s a delicate, delicate balancing act. Patience from the entrepreneurial spirit. Vision from the corporate. And both side’s ability to sell a strategy and only then, live the dream…

I’ve been introduced to social media via my New Media course @ Rhodes Uni. Am hooked on it now, and would like to get a foot into the “industry” next year, but have no idea how to.

[Wish you guys could make a trip down to Grahamstown next weekend, for the Careers Fair for final year students. Or maybe next year ]

I’d say Zoopy is a corporate, now being owned/part owned by Vodacom? Mike your post also doesn’t take into account that I’d been with M&G for past 8 years. They are a corporate… a very entrepreneurial corporate… but a corporate non the less. If you have to fill out a form, it’s a corporate. I filled out lots of forms.