Mike Stopforth

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What Do We Really Mean by Digital?
Mike · Posted on Jul 25, 2020Jul 25, 2020

Is there a word in the business lexicon that can be interpreted more ways than “digital”? Is digital a thing? A set of things? Is it a way of doing things? Is it something you can buy or build? Is it an ideal, or belief, or set of values? And is this an important question …

MMA fighter
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Fighting While Moving Backwards
Mike · Posted on May 31, 2020May 31, 2020

Most sports have seen their events and audiences grind to a halt during the global COVID-19 lockdown. UFC president Dana White has pounced on the opportunity in typically bold and polarising fashion, broadcasting multiple events under revised conditions. Right now it’s about the only sport fans can enjoy live. Mixed Martial Arts (MMS) is not …

One-Eyed Man podcast
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The One-Eyed Man podcast Season One
Mike · Posted on May 1, 2020May 2, 2020

Do you remember those heady, idealistic early days of blogging? I was an early adopter and as such was often approached by colleagues and friends for advice about starting a blog. They would have an idea or a story to tell, had probably registered an account with Blogger or Typepad or WordPress and in some …

Mike presenting SME Africa
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How SMEs can survive the COVID-19 crisis
Mike · Posted on Apr 21, 2020Apr 30, 2020

This is an unimaginably difficult time for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It’s a tough time for everyone, to be fair, but when you’re balancing the survival of your organisation with the concern you have for your employees, economic uncertainty, and your own well-being, you have a cocktail of complexity and stress. Add to that …

BCX Disrupt Rapelang Rabana
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Reflections on the 2017 BCX Disrupt Summit
Mike · Posted on Nov 23, 2017Apr 30, 2020

Social instability will get us long before AI does.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone use the words innovation or disruption in a boardroom or conference venue in the last ten years, I’d have 0.892 bitcoin. Sadly, there is an inverse correlation between the number of people who talk about innovation and …

The Best Business Advice You'll Ever Get
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The Best Business Advice You’ll Ever Get
Mike · Posted on Nov 26, 2016Apr 30, 2020

I posed the question of what’s the single best piece of business advice you’d ever received to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn recently. There were some great answers, so I’ve collated and listed them here. Sorry if I didn’t manage to capture them all. If you have a gem that’s not here, please add it to …

Combatting Idea Inertia
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3 Steps To Combatting Idea Inertia
Mike · Posted on May 17, 2016Apr 30, 2020

Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything. Many would argue the inherent value of ideas. Personally, I believe ideas in and of themselves are worthless. An average idea with even the tiniest first step taken is immeasurably more valuable than a phenomenal idea coupled with zero action. Derek Sivers, entrepreneur and all-round smart human, has expressed …

White and Happy In South Africa
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How To Be White And Happy In South Africa
Mike · Posted on Feb 27, 2016Apr 30, 2020

It’s tough being a rich white male. Alright, now that I’ve got your attention … I’ve witnessed a tectonic shift in this country’s narrative over the last 18 to 24 months. Today, as a white South African, I’m feeling vulnerable. I feel like I can’t speak freely. I feel like I’m damned if I do, …

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Two Simple Diagrams That Will Save Your Business
Mike · Posted on Nov 23, 2015May 1, 2020

Never settle. Businesses – and agencies in particular – mess up when they settle. The biggest enemy of innovation in any company is past success. When you think you have it made – when you think you’ve gotten it right, you’re already in trouble. Winning customers is tough. Keeping customers is tougher. Shaping the future of customer relationships is …

Don't Hire Staff - Rent Them
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Don’t Hire Staff – Rent Them
Mike · Posted on Nov 4, 2015Apr 30, 2020

The toughest part of running Cerebra has been finding, hiring, losing, and firing employees. While client wins and losses and the ups-and-downs in between are emotional rollercoasters in their own right, nothing affects me as deeply as the highs and lows of staff relationships. It’s one thing I haven’t come close to getting right yet. …

The Real Secret To Business Success
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The Real Secret To Business Success
Mike · Posted on Sep 25, 2015Apr 30, 2020

It’s better to be safe than sorry, right? But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. You should never judge a book by its cover. But clothes make the man (or woman)? Winners never quit. But you should also quit while you’re ahead. Contradictory idioms pepper the English language. Almost every go-to adage has a rational, sensible comeback. I …

Why internet famous isn't business smart.
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Why Internet Famous Isn’t Business Smart
Mike · Posted on Mar 26, 2015Apr 30, 2020

-Companies are appointing successful Instagrammers, accomplished bloggers, and influential “Twelebs” into significant business decision-making positions. But is this smart? I wish I had coined the term “pseulebrity”. The first time I heard it used was in one of Mike Sharman‘s presentations, and it’s become a staple addition to our conversations about how ordinary people achieve extraordinary fame …

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To My Son On His 10th Birthday
Mike · Posted on Mar 9, 2015Apr 30, 2020

You turned 10 years old just over a week ago. 10 years old! It’s staggering to think that it’s a decade since you arrived in my life, tiny, defenceless, and utterly precious. Today it seems you are growing faster than we can keep up. Your formidable brain and effervescent personality are constant sources of inspiration. …

The big agency lie.
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#AgencyLife – The Big Agency Lie
Mike · Posted on Feb 26, 2015Apr 30, 2020

Let me tell you how advertising agencies work. Agencies, by and large, sell hours. Unless they find a way to productise intellectual property or build a clever piece of proprietary technology, agency businesses scale by adding staff as they add clients. Win a client, hire people. Lose a client, fire people. Agency owners and executives …

Meetings Suck. Fix them.
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Meetings Suck. Fix Them With 6 Easy Steps.
Mike · Posted on Jan 26, 2015Apr 30, 2020

“I hate meetings.” The most frequently spoken words at Cerebra. Closely followed by “Let’s have a meeting.” Meetings are widely considered an abominable waste of time. And yet, we still have them. We still have them because, despite all the wondrous technology at our fingertips, we haven’t (yet) developed a comparable replacement for real human …

Better Jo'burger
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9 Ways To Be A Better Jo’Burger
Mike · Posted on Jan 8, 2015May 1, 2020

Johannesburg is home. It has been home my whole life and my love affair with this city means I could not dream of living elsewhere unless forced to. This said Jozi can be a tough place to live. She has a brooding temper that bubbles under the surface and manifests in epic thunderstorms, pockmarked roads …

Not personal, business.
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It’s Not Personal. It’s Business.
Mike · Posted on Dec 20, 2014Apr 30, 2020

In Saving Private Ryan, there is a beautiful scene set inside an abandoned church that Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squad seek refuge in overnight. In it, Captain Miller and Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore) discuss how many men died under Miller’s command: Captain Miller: You see, when… when you end up killing one of your …

Measure of character
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The Measure Of Character In The Information Age
Mike · Posted on Nov 18, 2014Apr 30, 2020

Just over two years ago, Don Packett from 21Tanks provided me with the opportunity to write a page for their free Do Ideas ebook. The ebook is a collection of anecdotes and philosophies on how to move from having ideas to doing ideas. It is a fantastic read that I highly recommend to all my clients, colleagues, …

Protection of Personal Information Act, social media
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What POPI Means For Social Media Marketers
Mike · Posted on Nov 4, 2014Apr 30, 2020

With Y2K bug-level fervour, murmurs around POPI, the impending Protection of Personal Information Act, pepper board room conversations. In consultation with brands, I am asked weekly what this new legislation will mean for marketers and, more specifically, for marketers in social media channels. So what is POPI exactly? In 2009 the South African government first tabled …

Brand Schizo
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#BrandSchizo – My Book Is Out! (And Free Stuff)
Mike · Posted on Aug 15, 2014May 1, 2020

I’m thrilled to announce that my book, #BrandSchizo, is finally out in print! I have been talking about brand schizophrenia for some time now and worked with the wonderful Amy Heydenrych to compile those blog posts, talks, and interviews into a single coherent work. It was published with the help of Jacana Media and the design …

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Testimonials

“Every time I hear Mike present, I am in awe of his presence and ability to hold the audience. He is able to take technical topics and make them seem so simple and obvious. With Mike, it never feels like you are being presented to…rather, you leave the room feeling as though he has merely confirmed your own thoughts (which you never actually had).”

Murray Booth (ColPal) Marketing Manager https://mikestopforth.com/testimonials

Articles

  • What Do We Really Mean by Digital?
  • Fighting While Moving Backwards
  • The One-Eyed Man podcast Season One
  • How SMEs can survive the COVID-19 crisis
  • Reflections on the 2017 BCX Disrupt Summit

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