Here some stats from headlines News 24, City Press and others

•Steinhoff takes $12bn write-down after accounting scandal.

•African Bank Investments Limited was put under curatorship by the South African Reserve Bank in 2014

•South African municipalities are deeply indebted to water and electricity suppliers, with an outstanding balance of over R30 billion.

•Eskom's debt burden is now much bigger than South Africa's entire budget for healthcare and education.

•The South African Post Office (Sapo) will receive R2.9-billion over the next three years to reduce its debt levels, the National Treasury revealed ...

•Report reveals SAA will need R21.7bn between now and 2021, ... On March 31, the last day of the 2017/18 financial year, SAA had R13bn in assets and R26bn worth of debt. ....

•Edgars could close 1,300 stores and cut 40,000 jobs

•The analysed data of the top 10 credit providers, based on agreements that appear to be reckless, suggests that the 'big' credit providers

•South Africa. 92% of municipalities are in financial trouble

•The average consumer spends 78% of their income on debt with a average of 14 Accounts

The NCR credit bureau report www.ncr.org.co.za 

•Credit bureaus held records for 24.59 million credit-active consumers, a decrease of 3.44% when compared to the 25.46 million in the previous quarter. Consumers classified in good standing decreased by 751,431 to 15.02 million consumers. As a percentage of the total number of credit-active consumers, this reflects a decrease of 0.85% quarter-on-quarter and an increase of 0.17% year-on-year.

•The number of consumers with impaired records decreased by 124,500, to 9.57 million.

•The number of accounts decreased from 79.08 million in the previous quarter to 76.02 million. The number of impaired accounts decreased from 19.42 million to19.07 million when compared to the previous quarter, a decrease of 349,000 quarter-on quarter and 905,000 year-on-year

As South African’s we would see all of this as negativity, we would do the blame game, look what the government is doing, the banks and credit providers are making consumers over-indebted. Most consumers would sit back and complain, rather than doing something about their own situation.

I say South Africa is the place to be, if we can’t find work let’s create work. As South Africans we need to think out of the box. We are so focused on getting a better education to become a lawyer, do our MBA, to become Engineers but then when we qualify there is no work. We blame the educational system and we want free tertiary education not realising that the educational system was designed 300 years ago for the industrial revolution and we live in a technological age.

What has changed?

We are spending more time online, looking for advice “medical conditions, legal advice and and”, Using You Tube to make money, Social Media for marketing and buying our food online just to save a few minutes.

This brings me to the main point, we need to stop focusing on Government and Corporates for a helping hand but rather focus on ourselves. We need to focus on entrepreneurship.

To become an entrepreneur, you need to ask yourself the following questions?

What is your why?

Your how?

When?

Who?

What do I need to do?

By asking these questions you will find your talent, which will lead to purpose = passion. Passion will lead to a business you love doing.

Let’s think out the box!!!

I am going to use my boys as an example:

Both of my boys are video gamers and they are making a career from online gaming. What is your first thought going through your head? Video gaming how are you going to make money from video gaming. Gareth is 17 and he is professional gamer, he went to Abu Dabi and Mumbai playing for 100,000 Dollars. His team came third and won some prize money. Your question will be not everybody can be professional players and how else could a person make money from video gaming. The correct name for video gaming is Esports. Let me breakdown what income can be generated through Esports.

There are many different roles within Esports - some more hands-on than others - and more non-endemic companies are opening Esports divisions or adding roles that work within the space.

•Here's a selection of some of the more well-known jobs in Esports.

•Professional player

•Shoutcaster/host

•Coach/analyst

•Journalist/content creator

•PR/Marketing executive

•Product manager

•Sales/partnerships manager

•Admin/referee

•Organisation owner/manager

•Community/social media manager

•Broadcast/production crew

•Event manager

•Agent

•Other roles (statistician, lawyer, finance, support etc)

•Other gaming careers (developers, publishers, distribution etc)

•P1 visa to study in America

See link below on esports career and salaries

http://jobsontoast.com/career-opportunities-in-the-esports-industry-infographic/

Below are other careers which has got nothing to do with Esports but can still make a lot of money by chasing your passion without start-up capital.

•You Tuber

•Live Streamer

•Writing Bloggs

•Use your knowledge and sell it on line

•And many more opportunities

All I am saying is, don’t let your negativity ruin your passion follow your dreams and don’t let people say you can’t. Don’t depend on government or corporates to give you work. Start following your dreams, if you fail, stand up and do it again. Don’t let fear stand in your way!!! Remember most people will say I told you so. These types of people have never tried anything they still live with the words “if only”

Theodore Roosevelt: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat; who strives valiantly, who errs and may fall again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming.”