Incubator Programme Shelling soon

Things are getting very egg-citing here at the HEP office.

We are egg-specting our new baby to hatch this Monday and egg-splode onto the market

Please keep your eyes out for our press release and details of our new website.

So yokes, this could be the programme to get cracking on

Is there hope for SA?

An interesting article on the web this morning by Ray Hartley gives us 3 reasons to hope once again in our country. Comments on his article suggest otherwise. What do you think? Read it here

Human Hair

I went to get my monthly haircut today and got into a conversation with Michelle, my stylist, about what the hair can be used for once it has been cut and swept up. They just toss it in the bin and it goes to some landfill in Cape Town. I got home and did some research and have found 10 uses for cut human hair.

1.Wig making. Obviously this is for hair that is cut long and kept and delivered under specified conditions

2.Cosmetic testing. It would be better to test shampoo and hair products on real human hair than on those poor bunnies and mice.

3.Garden Products. A company called SmartGrow uses human hair to make mulch for vegetable gardens

4.Oil Spills. Human hair in bags is used to absorb oil on road and water when spills occur.

5.Clothes. There are a few people who have woven human hair to make fabric and clothes. There is even a bikini swimsuit made by a barber.

6.Furniture. Human hair is spun and mixed with resin to form a fiberglass like mixture that can be molded to make chairs and tables.

7.Art. There are many artists and works of art that have utilized human hair to add a different media to the work.

8.Soy Source. Human hair was once distilled to make amino acid, the most common substance in soy source. The factory was closed down.

9.Nesting. Hair can be donated to bird parks and reserves for birds to collect and use in nest building.

10.Rope. Hair can be woven together to make strands and rope. This was common in native American culture.

So next time you get your hair cut think about what you could be doing with the hair you leave behind on the floor.

HEP Entrepreneur Incubator

On The Hunt For Service

Our team is on the hunt for service awards in and around South Africa.
As we go out and about our normal day of business we will be assessing the level of service we get at the airport, coffee shops, car hire, hotels and service providers.

We are looking for exceptional service that separates the supplier from the normal hum drum service we have grow used to as well as any poor sour service that we get that lowers the already low bench mark that we to have developed.

If you, or anyone you know has any stories to share, that can backed up with names and details, please send them through to us or post them here.

It is time we shone the spotlight on our customer service in South Africa.
Lets together help improve our service level before it all goes pear shaped.

Happy Birthday Madiba

From all Entrepreneurs in South Africa, a big thumbs up on your Birthday.

Gowrie Lodge - Nottingham Road

To counter the previous article, I thought it would be good to share one of our excellent experiences that we had.

Gowrie Village is situated just before Nottingham Road central on the skirts of Gowrie Golf Course in the Midlands just a few km off the N3. If you sneezed as you drove past you may miss it and never know it was ever there. Some genius had put together this small village with a collection of shops and homes that transports one back to some foreign landscape, much like walking through the fir coats in the wardrobe.

We arrived there in the cold of a winter wind and were welcomed by Kari Greene who gave us our keys and we were shown to our new home for the night: a warm cottage, heaters already on in each room, fire place prepped for lighting and thick duvets on each bed. All the places here are brand new so the feeling of fresh paint and unstained furniture is a pleasure. Thandi, the full time housekeeper popped in to say Hi and to see if we had everything.

We unpacked and went for a stroll around the local homes and across the road to The Junction, a collection of craft shops and coffee shop. The feelings of freedom and space and peace took some getting used to. The evening brought the dark, so dark and the cold but with the fire blazing and heaters on we were warm as toast.

My only regret was that we did not know more about this place before we got there or we would have spent at least another night there to explore the local crafters and the brewery.

Well worth the time and money, highly recommended.

We took pics but the ones on the web site do it more justice.

Gowrie Lodge

Nottingham Road

033 266 5579

www.gowrielodge.co.za

Dolphin Point, Amanzimtoti

Our first port of call was a B&B in Amanzimtoti that we selected from the web close to the airport for convenience before we trekked up into the Midlands.

Dolphin Point is linked to the www.wheretostay.co.za web sight and gave a grand review. This is some of the copy and pics straight from the web site:

“Each room has its own entrance, is air-conditioned, has TV with M-Net, a fridge (with refreshments), telephone, tea / coffee tray. All bedrooms are en-suite.Tranquil gardens, surrounded by natural tropical bush abundant with bird life, lead to an unspoilt beach. Secure parking. Laundry and fax facilities. Transfers or car hire arranged. Children welcome. Most credit cards accepted. Pool on property. Arrive as a visitor and leave as a friend!”

We arrived there on time and were immediately directed to another venue 5 km away in the valley. We were told to follow someone else who was also going there as they had GPS and will not get lost. We arrived at a holiday duplex complex that had been built in the 80’s and not seen a new coat of paint or a handyman since. Our unit #1 was cold and dark. The security gate lock jammed on me and it took almost 15 minutes to get it unlocked. The toilet down stairs had a broken seat with brown mould and rust on all surfaces. The kitchen floor was flooded. The front garden gate looked like it had been eaten (probably by previous guests who gave up trying to get out of the security gate). But you get my drift. I had to do some plumbing work to get the toilet upstairs to stop running all night and the floor in the shower became a hazard when it got wet and became slimy like algae in a stagnant river. These are some of the pics I took:

Yes, we did complain and were treated to a breakfast at the original Dolphin Point the next morning but it failed to wash the foul taste of poor services and un kept promises.

A good lesson for us to learn early on in our holiday. The next night's venue did get better.

Holiday Analysis

Having just completed our family holiday, it is time to take stock and look back at the return on investment of our holiday spend. We spent 11 days in KZN at six different destinations all in the 3 star category.

I had delegated the selection and bookings to my wife, who spent many hours online searching and selecting out various places to stay and to visit. Our target area was Durban, the Midlands and then Umhlanga Rocks. The following points became clear right from the start:

· It is very difficult to select a venue based on 2 or 3 lines of text and a thumbnail picture on their web site.
· Agents who represent other people’s establishments do not always tell the truth.
· Confirmation and booking is not easy when going through a third party agent.
· Directions often assume that you live in the area and know your way around.
· Last minute changes were not communicated or sent via email after we had left Cape Town.

I have put together a series of articles that I will post over the next few days that will highlight and educate the highs and lows of our holiday.
Entrepreneurs in the hospitality business take note; there is a lot to learn from this.

A final note for this post: The weather in KZN this time of year is superb, we were swimming and sun tanning while the Western Cape was covered in rain, wind and snow. A good choice of destination for this time of year.