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In 2003 Freshlyground – Conference Entertainers launched their debut album, Jika Jika under their own Freeground Records label, the immediate success of which firmly cemented the band as one of South Africa’s most successful young acts.
Freshlyground formed in early 2002, and is made up of seven talented and diverse musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Fronted by the diminutive but dynamic Zolani Mahola, the band exudes a live performance energy that has been the bedrock of their success.
The experienced rhythm section of Peter Cohen (drums) & Josh Hawks (bass) is complimented by guitarist Julio Sigauque, keyboardist Seredeal Scheepers, Simon Attwell (flute, mbira, sax and harmonica) and violinist Kyla Rose Smith.
Although hailing from diverse backgrounds, between them the band’s members weave a musical magic that is highly infectious and undeniably groovy.
Freshlyground – Conference Entertainers released their second studio album Nomvula in July 2004. Nomvula was recorded and produced by JB Arthur and Sibusiso Victor Masondo.
The album sparked interest from Sony BMG Africa, who signed the band and released Nomvula in September that year. Radio quickly picked up on the single ‘Doo Be Doo’ and the catchy song went on to become a crossover favorite amongst a diverse spread of stations and their listeners.
‘Doo Be Doo’ was the most played song in South Africa in 2005.
The major success of ‘Doo Be Doo’ was followed by the singles ‘I’d Like’, ‘Zithande’, ‘Things Have Changed’ and the title track of the album Nomvula.
The album sold 300 000 units in South Africa alone- earning it multi-platinum status. The success and broad appeal of the band was celebrated in November 2006 when Freshly Ground-Conference Band Entertainers won the MTV Europe Award in the category Best African Act.
The award placed the band firmly on the international music map and earned them further recognition on home soil as significant South African cultural exports.
The success of Nomvula was followed by Ma Cheri – Freshlyground’s third studio album, released in September 2007.
The album’s release was followed by a major South African tour attended by over 25 000 people across four cities. The tour was produced by Freshlyground and supported by Volkswagen South Africa .
The tour successfully raised the performance and production standards of local touring, putting the band on par with international acts in terms of production scale and value.
Ma Cheri has sold 80 000 units to date in South Africa and the single Pot Belly is another major crossover success, and is play listed on all South African radio stations.
Five years on Freshlyground – Conference Entertainers are a still a sensation. In South Africa audiences of every race cram in to see them. Old people get up and dance.
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Helen Nicholson has a BCom degree from Wits University where she studied to be an accountant.
After working in the financial industry in South Africa, Helen lived in the Middle East for 5 years where she developed and sold her own successful business in Dubai before returning to South Africa.
She gained international corporate experience in the IT industry, coordinating the marketing Middle East operation for Novell.
On her return to South Africa, Helen Nicholson consulted and lectured at Wits Business School where she still guest lectures on the MBA programme and on various in-company programs. She also lectures at GIBS and the UCT Graduate School of Business.
Helen has a bi-monthly regular column in the Star Newspaper on the power of networking. She is the Director of The Networking Company, specialising in educating people to ‘Grow your Network, Grow your Business’.
Helen Nicholson recently published the business best-seller, ‘Networking – How to get Your Black Belt in Business Success’.
Helen Nicholson is a passionate South African who thrives on the meaningful work she does as a consultant in the area of ‘leadership development’.
Helen is a mentor at Shanduka Black Umbrellas for aspiring African entrepreneurs and she is a founding member of the Professional Speakers Association of South Africa.
She currently offers two presentations; ‘Mindfulness – a Business Game-Changer’ and ‘Grow Your Network, Grow Your Business’:
The ‘Grow Your Network, Grow Your Business ‘presentation will enable you to:
Linkedin Course
The Beginner/Intermediate module is a stand-alone course. There is a 10% discount if you attend all three modules.
The Opposite to Advertising
Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent.
The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty. According to Roper Public Affairs,
• 80 percent of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement.
• 70 percent say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company, while
• 60 percent say that company content helps them make better product decisions.
Think of this – what if your customers looked forward to receiving your marketing? What if when they received it, via print, email, website, they spent 15, 30, 45 minutes with it?
Why LinkedIn?
Other than Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is strictly business – and has become a “secret weapon for B2B activities” for Helen Nicholson and such as:
1. Replacing Cold Calling
2. Generating New Leads
3. Finding the Decision Maker
Networking
How to get your black belt is business success
Do you want to build a network of useful contacts in order to kick-start your career but don’t know how?
Are you aware of the crucial importance of networking but lack the know-how to get started?
Or do you think networking entails just pitching up at a cocktail party and handing out your business cards?
If any of the above, this book is for you!
The Connected Leader Book
“The Connected Leader” sees two leading best-selling authors, Helen Nicholson – Business Networking Specialist and Dr Nik join forces to give insights into what being truly connected means, both face-to-face and digitally in the new world of work and working mothers
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Mark Fish is a distinguished South African soccer legend whose career spanned top clubs both locally and internationally. He rose to prominence with Orlando Pirates, where he played an integral role in securing the 1995 CAF Champions League title. Fish’s natural athleticism and versatility on the field earned him a move to Europe, where he played for elite clubs such as Lazio in Italy, and English teams Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic, competing in the prestigious English Premier League. His solid defensive skills and leadership made him a key figure in both his club and international teams.
Fish’s international career flourished with Bafana Bafana, South Africa’s national team, where he played a pivotal role in the country’s triumph at the 1996 African Cup of Nations. His contributions to South African soccer, both on and off the pitch, have made him an icon and a source of inspiration for many young athletes. After retiring from professional soccer, Fish continued to stay involved with the sport, dedicating himself to coaching, mentoring, and inspiring the next generation. He also works as a sports ambassador, promoting soccer and youth development across South Africa.
Today, Mark Fish is highly regarded not only for his achievements on the field but also for his leadership and role in mentoring young athletes. As a sought-after keynote speaker and mentor, Fish shares valuable insights on teamwork, perseverance, and leadership, using his career to inspire those aspiring to succeed in both sports and life. His passion for soccer continues to fuel his dedication to developing the future of the sport in South Africa and beyond.
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Over the past decade Jon Kroeger has consulted with various clients on addressing challenges within the world of Sales and Retail Experience – both locally and abroad. Traveling to Europe and Asia on strategic learning and implementation programs, Jon has insights around global sales and retail strategies – those that work and those that don’t.
In the ever-evolving consumer driven world with multiple buyer profiles, mass choice and instant gratification, the sales profile, job description and internal sales processes & support are incredibly outdated and often suffer from the ‘one shoe fits all’ syndrome.
Working with his clients, Jon develops bespoke Sales Processes & Support structures, Sales Strategies and Sales training programmes based on his clients individual business definition of Customer Experience.
Jon is known for his entertaining and relatable real-world Storytelling when talking about Customer & Retail Experience, improving your Sales Experience, growing your Business and Authentic Leadership. Through his Stories, Jon encourages a change in perspective of his audience by giving them an alternative narrative to think about. His ability to simplify complex business and sales concepts into relatable day-to-day experiences keeps his audiences fully engaged throughout his talks.
Jon Kroeger infinite passion is to improve the image of Salespeople and once again positioning a career in Sales at the top of the ‘most respectable careers in the world’ list.
Over the past decade (and some), Jon Kroeger has been involved with sales on multiple levels, and within multiple disciplines.
Having had a career in Sales, Sales Management and as a Branch Manager for many years, Jon knows his way around the Sales Process, Sales Management, Sales Coaching, Strategic Selling and Retail Experience Improvement Strategies.
Jon Kroeger is currently responsible for running multiple Businesses, and sales has been, and still is a daily task. As the saying goes, he eats, breaths, sleeps and dreams sales and the Customer Experience.
But Jon also a professional Customer – buying stuff all the time! Be it Online, face- 2-face or browsing through a store, Jon is buying stuff all the time.
We all love listening to or telling a good story! And it’s generally agreed that we use Storytelling as a way to transfer knowledge and learning experiences from one generation to the next.
And everyone loves a good Story.
It’s the reason why Netflix, YouTube, Showmax and many other streaming services not only exist, but flourish! Stories that seem to ‘talk directly to us’ and that we can relate to on a personal and aspirational level, are stories that we remember the most.
These memorable Stories are often linked to how the Story made us feel. Our own experiences, both good and bad make us feel a certain way, and we remember more the way we feel then what actually happened. So to communicate the context around these feelings and to tell others what happened to us that made us feel the way we felt, we use Storytelling. And its these personally relatable stories that leave a lasting impression on us.
In Jon Kroeger talks he use relatable stories of real-world, day-to-day experiences when talking to people about Customer Experience, improving your Sales Experience, growing your Business and Authentic Leadership.
Through his Stories, Jon Kroeger – Retail encourage a change in perspective of his audience by giving them an alternative narrative to think about.
Every encounter I have as either a Salesperson or a Customer, the total Customer Experience and additional transactional value is foremost in my mind.
As a Salesperson, in this vastly competitive consumer driven world we sell in, you are often up against the retail store down the road, the frustrating and misunderstood discount war, economic cycles and how do you convince your Customers to rather buy from you?
As a Customer, I’m asking myself “why should I buy from you?” It’s so competitive out there, with many options, Brands, products etc. that all promise to ‘solve my need’ – and many can fulfil this promise. What is it that creates a compelling enough reason for me to buy your solution or take you up on your offer as a Salesperson or your particular retail store?
And the answer is hardly ever the amount of discount offered. Discounted pricing is only ever the bargaining chip in the absence of additional transactional value. The compelling reason for Jon Kroeger – Retail Sales to do business with you is largely dependent on the overall level of Customer Experience and additional transactional value offered by you (the Salesperson) and perceived by me (the Customer).
Arguably, the most valuable skill any Salesperson has is there ability to offer an authentic, memorable Customer Experience with enough compelling reasons for your Customer to confidently do business with you. One thing is for sure though, if you don’t know everything about what it is that you are selling and what you are selling against, don’t expect your Customers to trust your sales pitch – they will buy not because of you, but in spite of you – and probably at a demanded reduced transactional value.
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