Nur Ahmad Furlong

Blog

  • Why good design is so important to your business

    Understanding the role design plays in business success is crucial to making the best design decision based on your business objectives. Design is the language your business uses to communicate itself to the world.

     good design just makes business sense

    Lets look at en everyday example. You’ve been invited to a business event, those attending will be trend setters in your specific industry. You have a copy of the programme of the event and have a good idea of how you want people to perceive your presence especially during the networking session. So how do you go about getting the results you need? Design!

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  • Independent Designer & Web Developer

    Period: September 2007 – July 2008

    Nomad-one.com Freelance Designer & Developer

    Design & development of websites, Print based Design & Illustration, Advertising, Branding, website maintenance, CSS & html coding, WordPress Blogs, Online Social Networking, Web & Design Consulting

    Client Testimonials: 
    http://www.nomad-one.com/testimonials/

    With this Role I prepared myself for starting my own business. I also spent about 8 months on a business Development course called VeloCITI

    During the period spent freelancing under the nomad-one.com banner I established a solid network and been involved in organising industry events.

  • Startup Business School

    Startup Business School

    Like many, I’ve been agonising for years about going out on my own and starting some kind of business. So many ideas have come and gone, some even making it to the planning stage, but I’m very much used to being permanently employed within companies and sooner or later whether due to lack of time, energy or motivation the business ideas end up on a dusty shelf in the back of my mind. Recently my entrepreneurial mind has started bugging me again and due to many circumstances in my life it seems I am being forced into the position of taking a step out there into the great big unknown of self-employment.

    A while ago I came across the Startup Business School while searching for some online productivity tools. Back then I was still very much comfortable in my day job and things seemed stable but the internet industry is in a constant state of flux and things change so quickly. Today I hunted around for this tool and checked into my free account that I had set up back then. Why didn’t we learn a bit of this type of thing back in school I ask myself, so many people are in need of the simple skills required to get started with some kind of business or entrepreneurial venture.

    Startup Business School online

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  • Speak to the world with WordPress


    Make Yourself Heard with WordPress

    WordPress is a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. What a mouthful. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

    More simply, WordPress is what you use when you want to work with your blogging software, not fight it. http://wordpress.org/

    The fact that you are reading this post right now is enough of a testament to the power of the blogging revolution. Even though I am a web designer and and have the ability to design and code my own websites with the assistance of fancy tools to make the job easier for me I have still chosen to use WordPress for my personal and professional publishing purposes.

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  • Entreprenometer – I took the test

    Entreprenometer – I took the test

    Starting to move in the direction of getting your own business up and running is a daunting task for most who make the decision to go solo with their ideas. Scouting around for some resources I came across www.entrepreneurship.co.za

    Vision
    The South African Institute for Entrepreneurship has a vision of a dynamic culture of entrepreneurship in South Africa that promotes a positive mindset in youth and adults and assists in the eradication of poverty through the creation of effective entrepreneurs and enterprises.
    PURPOSE
    The SAIE develops innovative materials that utilize original, creative methodologies; and trains educators, trainers and community-based organisations to convey business skills, uncover entrepreneurship qualities and ensure sustainable economic development and wealth creation.

    I took this nice little entreprenometer test which gave me the following results.

    My entrepreneurometer test results

    Try it out for yourself and see if you have what it takes to make the big bucks!

  • A Brainstorm Process I use. Sometimes

    When you’re stuck for concepts or solutions as I am quite often it helps to organize your thinking. Just sitting there and pushing can have a similar effect as it does when you’re constipated. It’s also helpful to think a bit before starting to create something. I use many different brainstorming techniques depending on my needs, energy, mood. Mind mapping out your thought process is a good way to collect thoughts and create connections or links between thoughts. A cool free mind mapping tool I started using is Free Mind. Don’t you just love people who share. Grab yourself a copy of freemind, or just a piece of paper and pull those illusive ideas out of their hiding places.

    1. Identify problem

    • What are we trying to achieve
    • Objectives, aims, goals
    • Define the problem from different angles
    • Define the criteria for a successful solution

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