Business lessons from unconventional wisdom

WELCOME to the whimsical world where philosophy meets entrepreneurship.

- BONGANI NTOMBELA

You might wonder how the musings of ancient philosophers can help us today in our small business endeavours. Well, put on your ancient reading glasses. We are about to embark on a philosophical journey through the atmosphere where Socrates questions your reasoning like a judge, and Aristotle provides tips on customer value proposition. If you think philosophy is just for Unisa academics who wear turtlenecks and sip lattes in Brooklyn cafes, think again. This is the unconventional wisdom your enterprise has been waiting for.

Before diving in, please report to the Start-Up gate, where you'll be greeted by Socrates, who'll immediately pester you with questions until you admit you know nothing about the business you are about to start. Socrates is like your aunts and cousins who keep asking you what you are trying to achieve with the money you are always borrowing from them.

If you keep avoiding their questions, maybe you're not ready to start your business. Instead, become a Socrates to your potential customers, competitors, the accountant you hated in high school, and some dodgy suppliers. Ask them why they do what they do.

The moment you assume you know everything is the moment you should visit a former township spaza owner who is now operating a pyramid scheme. Questions make you wise, though also very annoying at times. At the same time, it is better to be annoyed earlier than being tortured by your guilt when you realise later that you have made a fatal mistake. Avoid Judas Iscariot's guilty moment.