One of my most longstanding partnerships has been with Sage, a leading multinational enterprise software company, on its #SageForSmallBiz campaign targeted at small business owners and startup founders on the impact of digital transformation in their businesses. Here's timeline of that journey.
On 7 July 2020, I was greeted by an email in my inbox with the subject line “Software Company Content Campaign”, followed by an urgent request outlining the impact of my work in industry. A few negotiations and months later, this would be the birth of a partnership now known as #SageForSmallBiz with multinational enterprise software company, Sage.
Six months later, and we’ve designed a conversation engaging with innovators, entrepreneurs, financial practitioners on themes of digital transformation, financial strategy and business innovation for the optimization of successfully running your business.
To mark this 6 month landmark, I’ve decided to share some of my 6 favourite moments and resources from the #SageForSmallBiz conversation:
Announcement of the Partnership
This was a conversation and partnership that was months in the pipeline, and I’d had a relationship with a few of my current colleagues, so when we hit the ground running, it was like a aligned well-oiled machine. This lead to getting profiled on the Sage website, engaging on the value of impact innovation.
Smart Money Tribe
The prospect of being in such a partnership meant that the #SageForSmallBiz stakeholders like yourself, were looking for value-add that wasn’t just centred around my expertise of being in business innovation, but also to engage on shared experiences. This is why, when I had the opportunity, I brought in my smart money tribe who are investors, entrepreneurs, venture builders to talk about their financial strategy that they use in their businesses, and treating their entities like legacy babies.
The Evergreen 30 Day Sage Trial
As a founder of a small business, managing your expenses and income is often afforded by the affordability and accessibility of an Excel spreadsheet. As you move your business from stage of growth to another, and you cannot afford to be inputting on excel at every purchase because more high-level prioritise require your attention, or the services of an accountant, the attractiveness of automating your accounting software becomes more alluring. This is why the Evergreen Sage Business Cloud Accounting Start 30-day FREE trial is one of my favourite resources from Sage.
“Accountants don't come cheap and as a startup, you generally have a very minimal budget in the early stages of your business. So Use accounting software to remain organized.” – Tinyiko Simbine, CFO and Co-Founder of GirlCode
Team
Trust me when I say that takes a village to raise this conversation. From my fellow brand partnership colleagues, to the Sage engine that ensures we get our wish list to give you the best engagement and resources, getting on the monthly calls and strategy sessions definitely make the journey to work on this campaign a better delight.
Small Business Toolkits
If you’re not a big fan of reading articles or joining webinars, Sage has curated a few toolkits that are consumable and practical for founders in their first year, to creatives who are struggling with the jargon of the business and finance world. My top 3 would have to be:
- Automating your Business Processes
- The Art of Being Paid Kit
- Quick Start Guide to Payroll Tax Year-End
Elevating after 6 Months
We have a special project coming in the next few months that will engage the tough economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through digital transformation, financial strategy and business innovation. I cannot wait to share this with you.
What have been some of your favourite moments and resources from the #SageForSmallBiz conversation? Let me know in the comments section, I’d love to hear from you and the value derived for your business or idea. Keep following the hashtag and www.sage.com for more information and updates.
“Such valuable information!
Thank you for breaking it down, BUT not dumbing it down. We’re learning as we go and grow #SageForSmallBiz.” - Phumeza Langa, Host of #SistaHoodHour