Nur Ahmad Furlong

Tag: “Bandwidth Barn”

  • WordPress Meetup – 28 September 09 – Bandwidth Barn

    For way too long I’ve been talking to alot of the WordPress guys in Cape Town about organising the next WPCPT meetup, but it seems everyone is completely snowed under and we’ve put it off for more than 8 months now. So Joe of Frogfoot networks has given us a jump start and gotten the ball rolling.

    The Event will take place at the Bandwidth Barn in Buitengracht street in Cape Town’s CBD.

    Date: 28 September 2009

    Time: 16:30

    Talks: offer to speak

    • Talk about the next WordCamp in SA
    • The evolution of BuddyPress & Child Themes – Ashley Shaw
    • WordPress & SEO – Rafiq Phillips
    • Intro to WordPress Coding – Nur (depends on interest)

    Still Need:

    • Projector
    • More speakers
    • Any sponsors (snacks etc)
    • Ideas for talks & activities
    • Help spreading the word

    We know there’s very little time left so we’re hoping you’ll all pitch in with the promotion over the next few days and also attend yourselves. Loads ave been happening in the WordPress world over the last year and there’s tons to talk about so it looks like it’s gonna be a real fin event once again.

    Add your name to the wiki – http://wiki.geekdinner.org.za/wiki/WordPress.org.za_Meetup_4

    Come join the fun and meet the community, have your say and maybe learn a thing or 2.

  • VeloCITI session 2 – the value of Value Propositions

    After investigating our values in VeloCITI session 1, we’ve moved on to crafting our Unique Selling Proposition or Value Proposition so we have a clear and impactful way of conveying the essence of what our businesses are all about.

    It’s sometimes referred to as the elevator pitch, you only have a few seconds to convey to someone what you do in a way which uncovers it’s unique characteristics while still being clear enough for them to perfectly understand what you’re saying.

    David Murray of Cape Venture Partners hosted an excellent half day session with us taking us through the nuts & bolts of value propositions. We also focused on company names and how these impact the way the market perceives the company.

    Describing your company in 10 words:

    If you had just ten words with which to describe why people should buy your company‘s product or service, what would you say?

    10 words are very few, especially when there’s so much we want to say to those who ask us that all important question: “So, what is it that YOU do?”. Many times we are faced with this question, not only from business people, but sometimes from our family members and friends. If we are stuck for simple words to describe what we do,chances are we haven’t Mastered the art of selling our businesses yet.

    So What exactly is a Value Proposition?

    Otherwise known as USP or Unique Selling Point/Proposition,it’s a condensed, yet simple and easy to understand expression of what your business is all about.

    • It has to be Unique, Different and that uniqueness has to be attractive enough to matter.
    • It has to be clear and easy to comprehend with as little jargon if any at all.
    • It has to matter to the customer or potential customer
    • It has to be a solution to an existing problem. In other words there must be real(or perceived) value in what you are offering or no-one will be willing to pay for it.
    • It has to be different in some way to what your competitors are saying in order to make you stand out and be more attractive to the potential customer.

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  • VeloCITI 2008 – I’m officially on the programme. Yeah!!!

    velociti-hereicomeMy head is spinning completely after attending the bridging course of the VeloCITI program. Out of all the companies applying (20 odd) who were short listed to attend the bridging course, I’ve made the cut with 14 other exciting new companies who will be given the chance to build their businesses from the ground up with professional help.

    If you don’t know what VeloCITI is all about, it’s the business incubation program sponsored by local government and run by CITI (Cape Information Technology Initiative). It aims to take start-up technology based companies and grow them with the hope of increasing employment and growing the local economy.

    A well known graduate of the programme, Rafiq Phillips was recently seen on Carte Blanche discussing web 2.0. Rafiq made a name for himself with his start-up venture, i-drive and is still out there creating buzz and achieving great things. Other companies like Red Button, one of the winning companies from the 2007 program are making it big with their wireless hotspots.

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