Over the past fifteen years, I have seen many licensing deals go south because one of the parties fell into a pitfall that could have been avoided. In this article I share the 10 most common pitfalls of brand licensing that I have come across. After reading these, I hope you will let us know if you fell prey to one of these. If you have experienced another, please let us know what happened. Through your help we can learn from each other and avoid the consequences of making one of these mistakes.
Updated 6 Years ago

What’s the most dangerous advice to receive when you’re ready to take the leap and start your own business? It’s the advice given in reality-TV shows and heroic entrepreneur fiction: “Quit your job, put your life savings on the line and risk it all!” That sort of advice is fine if you’re a student with few outgoing expenses and OK about sleeping on a friend’s sofa while the business is in startup mode. But if you have a house, a family and other commitments, it's the very worst advice to take.
Updated 6 Years ago

Leadership is not prescriptive and what works for one person may not work for another. There is one trait, however, that many successful business leaders and entrepreneurs share: They are constantly asking themselves questions to stay relevant and perceptive. Whether you’re running a company, heading up a startup or leading a team, your ability to analyze and critique your workday and approach is critical to success. Keeping tabs on your own development might help figure out areas for improvement, deepen your understanding of your industry and set a good example to the people you manage.
Updated 6 Years ago

Tanzania will play host to a number of legends of football in a glamour game as the country stages a match which will see a Tanzania Select XI line up against a group of Real Madrid legends in the capital city, Dar es Salam. Among the number of ex-Real Madrid legends confirmed to play in the game are three time Ballon d’Or winner Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo. Other stars expected for the game are Michael Owen, Fernando Morientes, Fabio Cannavaro, Fernando Hierro, Reuben De la Red, Christian Karembeu, Michel Salgado, Steve McMannaman, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Jose Maria Gutierrez Hernandez and Fernando Redondo.
Updated 6 Years ago

JSE-listed gold miner, Harmony Gold, on Tuesday said it is set to briefly shut down one of its shafts as it (shaft) is costly to operate. It is believed that this closure could lead to 1 500 job losses in the firm. This could throw many people on to the streets in South Africa, which already suffers a 35 percent unemployment rate.
Updated 6 Years ago

Recently, Ghana signed a Power Compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), making it the current largest American Government‐funded transaction of President Obama’s Power Africa initiative. The Ghana Power Compact facilitates the investment of up to $498.2 million for the transformation of Ghana’s power sector while also stimulating private investments.
Updated 6 Years ago

Johannesburg and London-listed diversified resources firm, Glencore, on Wednesday said its operational performance was resilient across all its businesses in the first half of 2014 with the divestment of Las Bambas improving the firm’s balance sheet. “Our balance sheet…now allows us to accelerate the return of excess capital to shareholders,” said CEO Ivan Glasenberg when delivering the company’s trading update for the first half of the current financial year.
Updated 6 Years ago

Sub-Sahara Africa is poised to become the driver of global economic growth owing to the region’s unparalleled demographic dividend, a new report has said. The Global Economy Watch report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reckon that in less than three decades, Africa will have the biggest labour force in the world and will experience faster economic growth than any other region.
Updated 6 Years ago

Iran will not stop importing natural gas from Turkmenistan, National Iranian Gas Company's Managing Director Hamidreza Araqi said on Tuesday. By importing gas from Turkmenistan, Iran aims to promote its gas trade in the long term, the Mehr News Agency quoted Araqi as saying.
Updated 6 Years ago

Sony has announced the launch of what it dubs ‘world’s most waterproof phone’, the Xperia M2 Aqua, a variant of the mid-range Xperia M2. The phone, priced at Dhs1,299, is expected to be released in the UAE by mid-September and will be available in three colours: black, white and copper.
Updated 6 Years ago