Iambatman

15/07/2024

Life can be tough and there are times we all feel like victims of our circumstances. However, it’s important to remember that taking ownership of your life is key to your success. Instead of seeing yourself as a victim, look for ways to take control of your life and push yourself to reach your goals!

Examples of things people might say that indicate they are seeing themselves as victims of their circumstances include:

- “There’s nothing I can do, this is just how it is”
- “It’s impossible for me to get ahead, no matter how hard I try”
- “Why do you always attack me?”
- “I always get the short end of the stick, there’s nothing I can do about it”
- “I have no control over my future”
- “Why try when I’m destined for failure anyway”

Instead of the above, why not try saying:

- “I have the ability to try everything I can in order to change things for the better”
- “I am capable of learning new things.”
- “Let’s go grab a coffee together so we can better understand how we might make progress.”
- “I do what I can with what I have.”
- “I have the ability to make sound decisions that will impact my future for good.”
- “Let me try even if I fail!”

Taking responsibility and striving for a better future is the best way to create the life you want.

Thoughts? Comment down below. ⬇️

12/07/2024

We are coming to you Joburg & Pretoria!

Ready to take your accounting practice to the next level?

Join us for an exclusive event on Digitising Your Accounting Practice hosted by:





This session will COMPLETELY change the way you go about your business.

We have been through the classic mistakes of building an accounting practice and we want to show you how to digitise with scale and ease.

We are going to unpack THE strategy to growing your digital accounting practice with a clear direction! You will learn how to:

➡️Price your services

➡️Brand and market your accounting practice

➡️Franchise as a growth strategy

➡️Use apps for successful practice management

PLUS you will have the opportunity to connect with likeminded accountants looking to level up their accounting practice.

📅 Date: Thursday, 25 July 2024

🕔 Time: 17:30 - 19:30

📍 Venue: Bayport House, 3 Alice Lane, Sandton

You don’t want to miss out on this. SPOTS ARE LIMITED. Register here 👉https://qkt.io/bCA2cI

11/07/2024

How do you define wisdom?

According to Tremper Longman, Wisdom is not the same as intelligence.

Intelligence is the art of knowing facts, while wisdom is the skill of living, an understanding or knowledge on how to navigate life. Wisdom involves the ability to know how to avoid problems or how to get out of trouble when it finds you. Wisdom is the ability to say and do the right thing at the right time, and to feel and express the right of emotion at the right level that is appropriate to the particular situation.

How do you define wisdom and more importantly, how does one grow in wisdom?

08/07/2024

Being in business is not easy. There are many tough days, weeks, and months.

Sometimes they seem relentless, but tough times are followed by good times.

Just like a trail race, the hills can be tough and unforgiving, but after every hill, there is a downhill that lets you enjoy the view and recover, preparing you for the next hill.

Sometimes you run slowly or even walk. Sometimes you have to grind to a halt and rest.

But other times you can run like the wind. Getting to the end is not a sprint.

It is a journey. It takes time, but it is worth it.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. This is what makes business owners so special.

This was the annual Rota da Broa trail run just outside of Coimbra. It was one of the highlights of my trip to Portugal.

05/07/2024

Back in June, I spent 10 days in Portugal visiting my daughter and experiencing her life as a young remote worker in Lisbon. The time I visited coincided with Lisbon’s annual summer festivals, so the streets were lively every night, filled with people enjoying cold beer, street food, and vibrant music until the early hours.

The visit offered a refreshing change from other European cities I’ve been to.

I found Lisbon to be somewhat unique, given it’s climate - especially in summer - it has a bit of a different vibe to the rest of Europe - and perhaps more similar to what I am used to in South Africa. The life in general is very European - small apartments, expensive to live in which leads to people spending more time outside in cafes and outdoors.

Lisbon is vibrant with young people, many of whom are presumably remote workers. The abundance of co-working spaces with fast internet impressed me, as I could visit my daughter, enjoy tourist activities, and STILL manage my South African-based remote-working business seamlessly. It was very easy to move around as there are so many options to choose from, train, bus, scooter, uber, bolt or to walk! I really love this about Europe.

I really enjoyed and appreciated the general sense of health and wellbeing as the city was filled with people running and exercising outside which helped me to maintain my daily 5km run.

The food was generally good, I was surprised by the fact that it wasn’t as spicy as I expected it to be. And that is because I have been mostly influenced by the Mozambican Portuguese culture in South Africa.

My biggest surprise was that Portugal is not as affluent as its European neighbours since I noticed many old, decrepit buildings nestled between modern, upscale ones. It seemed like the rich and poor lived side by side, which is different from my experience growing up in South Africa.

The locals’ friendliness and warmth made me feel at home from day one. It was comforting to see my daughter’s strong support network of friends, which is crucial in a European city where living alone can be isolating.

I hope to be back soon! Have you been to Europe before? Comment down below what most surprised you.

04/07/2024

The wonderful privilege of visiting my daughter in Portugal.

This is a bit of a humble brag, but I have to say it.

My daughter not only invited me to visit her but also offered to pay for my trip. She just turned 21, generates her own income, is financially independent and takes care of herself in a foreign country—it's nothing short of amazing.

Before I went, I had lingering worry and anxiety, “Is my daughter safe? Is she going to be okay?” I was used to having her under my roof for close to 20 years. I got used to her being my responsibility, making sure she was properly fed, clothed, and secure, and that all her needs were taken care of.

And now she is out of the house, and I can't do any of those things.

What now?

The only thing I can do is try my best to provide emotional support.

It was incredible to see for myself what her life looks like, how she has set up her routine, and become her own person. I could see her taking responsibility for her life and making good decisions all around.

It was wonderful to see the community she is part of, a group of people with a similar worldview who support, love, and care for her.

It was lovely to spend one-on-one time with her, sharing our hearts, meals, and experiences.

As a South African, the safety concern is always there, so knowing she is in a safe and non-threatening environment was very reassuring.

Understanding what she goes through daily was great because now I can picture the places she goes when she calls me.

It was an affirmation that she has a good head on her shoulders, making thoughtful decisions that benefit her long-term.

It was sad to leave, but also comforting to know she will be okay. I can go home and not lose sleep because I now understand the context in which she operates.

It was just wonderful.

02/07/2024

I had an amazing opportunity to attend and co-present with on our take, “Digitising Your Accounting Practice.” It was incredible.

The event was sponsored by Allan Gray, and the purpose was to:

👉 Collaborate with other accountants

👉 Discuss digital accounting as the way forward

Lornelle and I shared our journeys as digital and remote-working accountants. We were joined by Andrew van Rooyen from , who spoke about automating reporting, Elan Lea from , who discussed automating credit control to improve collections, and Piko from Allan Gray, who shared insights on the investment landscape of South Africa in the context of our political and socio-economic situation.

It was an incredible evening of networking. What really stood out to me was seeing the diversity of accountants willing to work together and collaborate to make the industry better. Wow!

I am grateful to for taking leadership in that regard and inviting us to collaborate with her on this event.

P.S. My Joburg friends.

25 July.

Stay tuned for more.

Save the date.

Cheers!

01/07/2024

24/06/2024

Are you an accountant based Cape Town looking to level up your practice?

THIS is your sign to join myself & from on Thursday at the “Digitising Your Accounting Practice” Session at the Allan Gray building near the Waterfront in Cape Town.

This session will COMPLETELY change the way you go about your business.

We have been through the classic mistakes of building an accounting practice and we want to show you how to digitise with scale and ease.

We are going to unpack THE strategy to growing your digital accounting practice with a clear direction! You will learn how best to maximise the cloud accounting ecosystem to optimise day-to-day processes in your practice.

PLUS you will have the opportunity to connect with likeminded accountants looking to level up their accounting practice.

You don’t want to miss out on this. SPOTS ARE LIMITED. Find the link to register in my stories.

10/06/2024

My wife and I are one. I need her and she needs me. We need each other.

My wife recently travelled overseas leaving me with our two youngest kids for two weeks.

I got to wear a number of hats during this time, namely: ⬇️

1 - business owner,

2 - father,

3 - mother,

4 - dishwasher,

5 - laundromat,

6 - storyteller,

7 - uber service,

8 - sports fan,

9 - events coordinator,

10 - cook,

11 - procurement manager,

12 - beautician, and the list goes on.

I did not only find new respect for my wife as the rockstar that she is but also for single parents in general. How do they do it!?

Key lessons learnt:

✅ my wife is the one who grants me the right to do what I do every day;

✅ my wife is my greatest cheerleader;

✅ my wife does not judge me when I make mistakes;

✅ she laughs at almost all of my jokes - funny and not so funny;

✅ my business would not be where it is today if it was not for my wife - she has a central place in its success;

✅ single parents are rockstars and deserve a special place in heaven.

That’s all. Thank you.