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Archive for October 2010

Broken People are SWARMing too!

Broken People

I'm grateful for my GPS on my phone. It helps me find my way through all the road works and detours on the highway, as I head south in the dark of night to find Broken People.

The blue line in the map on my phone finally ends at my destination, a church on the far side of town from where I grew up. I get out my car and the melody rocks it's way from their jamming session inside, all the way out into the parking lot. I move to the beat as I get my camera out, turn it on and start filming...



Broken People is a 5-piece melodic rock band consisting of Chris "Chuck" Naude, Justin Lawrence, Rob Band, Shaun Stols , Stephen Ghandi Scholtz and Vic Vermaak.

Their hope is to make music that lands at the doorstep of people's hearts, making it all the way there without being bullied by all the stuff that people put in the way.

Their songs are written from personal experience about life, love, being real and are meant to make you think. They also intend to inspire you to focus on what is really important. Oh, and to get you moving!

I ask them about their name. Justin explains that everybody has a brokenness about them from different events in their lives. The band is a bunch of broken people trying to live out what they feel is in their hearts and what they believe. They're about brokenness being ok. They're not perfect, and are going to be what they are- flawed from the start, and hope that their audiences can relate to them better.

I'm at ease in their warmth and genuineness, and laugh at their witty sense of humour. I leave with a feeling of acceptance that their message and music brings, a melody lingering in my mind and with some clear directions on how to find my way home. Directions that help be get back to the highway, where the road works have me doing a few figure of eights until I find myself back on the road heading north towards home.

And I smile - because Broken People are going to be playing at the SWARM Party.

Broken People

Come listen to their tunes too- Saturday 20 November at the Bluesroom in Village Walk.
VIP Tickets include entrance, a Springleap T-shirt and 2 Castles- book with me.

For more info check out the rocking Facebook event or the meetup event.

Who'll be our MC for the SWARM Party?

The one matchstic SWARM Party is coming along nicely. Over 120 RSVP's and many many more maybe's!

And Jolandie recently organised and donated a whole stack of Glow Sticks for us to SWARM with! Thanks Jolandie, you rock!


image from glowsticks4less.org

We've also got 4 awesome bands lined up:
VIP Tickets include 2 free Castle Lager beers and a Springleap T-shirt! (book with me asap)

With all the activities of swarming and listening to the bands and lighting up the room with glow sticks, I think we need a funky, funny, fabulous MC for the evening. Don't you think so too?

So I'm asking if anyone would like to step up and be our SWARM MC for the night? Anyone?

Get in touch (call 0837302979) and we can chat about the details if you are keen :)

Thanks!
SWARMer T

I'm this serious about SWARMing

Jolandie and I got up to some mischief on the weekend. Serious mischief ;)

And our mischief making has got some international attention.

YES- I am that serious about this SWARM party and setting the record of being the first to unlock the Foursquare Super SWARM Badge on the African continent. And trade all my Springleap T-shirts in the process.

So if you ever doubted that we would pull this off, I hope this mischief making dissolves those doubts. ;)

Swarm Party graffiti

My fellow Mischief Makers were Mongezi and Jolandie. Jolandie Rust graffiti'd about her upcoming "Stuck on a Bike" event to raise the funds she needs to become the first woman to circumnavigate the African Continent on a bicylcle and solo.

Yip. Solo- no support vehicles.

And yip. On a bike- pedal power!

Her event is starting on the 5th November at the Tyger Valley Shopping Centre in Cape Town, where she will be literally on a bike for 48 hours to raise awareness and funds for three different causes. You can support her by popping by during the 48 hours (and especially between midnight and 4:00 in the morning- she will realllllly appreciate the company ;) and making a donation of R100. You'll get 2 CD’s by the awesome SA musician and motivational speaker - Verity Price.

And even if you are not in Cape Town, you can support Jolandi by still making a donation. Check out the info on her blog or the facebook event 'Stuck on a Bike'!

Jolandie with her finished piece of wall

So... se-reee-oooss-lyyyyy!

Jolandie and I are THAT serious about reaching our dreams and goals, that we would not only sit on a bike for 48 hours, but would also spend our Sunday graffiti'ing about our events.

So who's serious enough to support us and join in the fun? Give me a call 0837302979 or email.

Book of Thieves will be swarming- will you?

The SWARM is getting closer, and so far we have 103 people RSVP'd as a definite YES to attend via Facebook , with 231 maybes (mmm, wonder what it's going to take to convert those maybe's to definite's!?) and on meetup another 7 yes's and 2 maybe's.

That makes it 110 definate's! YAYY!!

And so we are 140 people away from setting a record for the African Continent of being the first to unlock the Super Swarm Badge on foursquare.com on 20 November at the Bluesroom.

Maybe if those maybe's were to listen to this sneak preview of one of the four bands, being "Book of Thieves", they might be converted to definate's? What do you think?

"Book of Thieves" consists of brothers Kyle and Ryan Engelsman (who've recently had birthdays: Happy Birthday guys!) and friends Jonathan Eva, Gareth Bertolani and Carl Seytler from the East Rand. They are a contemporary alternative band with a blend that appeals to a broad market. And they have a distinctly diverse sound that every time I've heard them, I cant help but tap a foot or my fingers or jive around! With influences from progressive 70's rock, reggae, blues and country, there is no doubt in my mind that the "Book of Thieves" will be taking us on an easy listening but refreshing journey as we SWARM on the 20th November.

"Book of Thieves" formed in December last year, and have just recorded their debut album which will be released soon. They're even planning their first overseas tour to Australia! Having had the privilege to have spent some time with the band, I have to agree with the music journalist Shawn Greyling that their album "will be blowing away the local radio scene soon and taking over the country with great hurricane effect"!

Book of Thieves

So join me at the party of the year and get to enjoy "Book of Thieves" live! After all, how can you not be intrigued to hear these 5 guys live when Greyling describes them as:

"... a romantically divine comedy of brilliant sound. The conversation between the vocals and musical instruments form a choir of sound that can outstand, outwit and outlast any international act that has been brought to the table." --Shawn Greyling – music journalist, 2010

Do you have a size 9 foot?

Two weeks ago I got my one minute of fame on DJ Fresh's show on 5 FM- super fly hey! I had literally one minute to explain one matchstick and the SWARM Party. I must have managed to get my message across in those few seconds, because I got a few calls and an email from Werner.

Werner said I caught his attention. He's also an entrepreneur, and is busy setting up his own fashion lifestyle brand based on simplicity and innovation. Before this, he worked for Nike SA, and with the job came the perks of receiving some merchandise and super deals. Like the one deal where he bought a pair of Nike Chuka's because they only had a couple of pairs and he didn't want to miss the opportunity, being into fashion and all.

So he wore the shoes from his car to the lift and into his flat. He then placed them back into their box, and they've been there ever since. He has only taken them out the box to take these photo's of them:

Nike Chuka trade

Werner is now willing to trade these white chuka's for one Springleap T-shirt, as his part of helping me get to my office space. So how's that for an exciting offer for someone who has a size 9 foot?

Werner says the chuka's have a retail value of R1000, and he's happy to get a T-shirt from you for R219 (that includes delivery of the T-shirt).

The shoes are with Werner, and Werner is in Cape Town. So if you are keen for the size 9 white, never been used other than a walk from his car to his flat, pair of Nike Chuka's, then you'll either have to collect them from him in Cape Town or arrange to have them delivered to you at an additional fee.

So if you are interested in this three-way trade, CALL ME 083 730 2979!
  • You'll get a brand new white pair of size 9 Nike Chukas with the box.
  • Werner will get a T-shirt
  • And I'll be one more T-shirt closer to my offices
Tag : ,

The SWARM Party is postponed to 20 November at Bluesroom

Due to circumstances beyond my control, we have had to move venues for the SWARM Party.

Due to moving venues, we have had to move dates too.

And due to moving dates we have a new exciting line-up of bands.

I've always wondered what could possibly have been happening behind the scenes when someone says "due to circumstances beyond our control we have had to change everything."

So I suppose the next saying that comes to mind is "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" because for this event, I have had first hand experience that has led me to be in the position to say, "due to circumstances beyond my control, we have had to change everything about the SWARM Party- except the swarm part."

And then another saying comes to mind. Those closest to me who have been watching me zoot all over Jozi and make plenty of phone calls in the last 48 hours to find a new venue, have been saying: "it'll probably work out for the better!"

And it looks like it is doing just that. *sigh of relief*

The news is:

The one matchstick SWARM Party is still on- it's just been postponed to Saturday the 20th November 2010.

The venue is now the awesome Bluesroom in Village Walk, Sandton.

And the line-up of bands: I am busy finalising this, so you'll find out in the next few days, but it is looking super fly! Really! It is exciting!

So look out for the details to follow, and spread the word that we will now be swarming on 20 November at the Bluesroom!

What is Foursquare all about?

I managed to get Walter Pike away for a few minutes from Ryan Gibson's popular and such fun Joburg Tweetup recently, to ask him a few questions and film him!

Walter shared with me what Foursquare.com is all about, and why the Super Swarm Badge is such an exciting thing to achieve. He also mentions how businesses can be using Foursquare to their advantage. Considering I have heard that foursquare is the fourth most popular app to be downloaded on iPhones right now in South Africa- businesses should take note.

Take a look here at what he had to say:

So if you want to help us unlock the very hard to get Super Swarm Badge- join us on the 20 November at the one matchstick Swarm Party at the Bluesroom!

How many Springleap Tshirts is an Xbox worth?

A while ago I was asked to share my one matchstick story with 700 of our brightest students at the Student Village Womens Leadership Conference. That led me to trade with Alon and Pepe for my flights to Durban and Cape Town to present at the conference there.

At the Johannesburg conference, Charlene and Krilona from Microsoft were in the audience.

Charlene contacted me a few days later asking if I would share my story again with her, her colleague Vis, and their team at Microsoft. I said "YES! As long as we trade for it!"
They said "YES!" too! And I had such fun chatting to them all :)


Collecting the Xbox from Charlene at Microsoft

So here is the three-way trade between us all:

One Xbox 360 Arcade on offer

I have on offer a super duper brand new Xbox 360 Arcade with 256MB of memory so you can store your favourite games and play more!

Need I say more? For those that need the details, check wiki here.

Lovely Xbox up for a one matchstick auction!

How this Three-Way is going to work:

Charlene and Vis have given me the Xbox to trade for 5 of my Springleap T-shirts. I need to find someone who wants the Xbox and will put up the cash for the T-shirts.

Now since Charlene and Vis started talking with me, I sneakily mentioned online that I thought I was going to get an Xbox to trade on, and some of my friends and followers have already started contacting me to trade with me for this Xbox! It's in hot demand!

So: even though the team at Microsoft only want five T-shirts for this Xbox, I am going to trade with whoever offers to pay for the most T-shirts for the Xbox. We're going to have a one matchstick Auction (bidorbuy style!) where the currency is Springleap T-shirts!

Bear in mind that this Xbox is worth R2499.00.
Each T-shirt is worth R183 and then there is shipping too (R36 for first 5 T-shirts, and then additional R5 per T-shirt).

So- opening "bid" in the currency of Springleap T-shirts is five T-shirts (which, with shipping, is a value of R951).

Bid increments is one Springleap T-shirt (R183 plus extra R5 for shipping of that T-shirt) which is a value of R188.

Other rules:
Auction opens now, and closes today at 17:00.
Bids must be placed in writing.
Highest bid received by 17:00 today wins.
If two or more people place the same bid, timing takes preference: whoever places that bid first will count.
If the winning bidder defaults, that is, doesn't pay up within 48 hours, then they are disqualified and it goes to the runner up bidder.

Get it?
  • Opening bid is 5 T-shirts – R951
  • Next bid would be 6 T-shirts – R951 + an extra R188, totalling R1139
  • Next bid would be for 7 T-shirts – R1139 + an extra R188, totalling R1327
  • Auction closes at 17:00 today- that's 17h00 on Wednesday 6 October 2010
  • Highest bid wins.
So… Uhummmhmm *clearing my throat to get my best auction-ing voice ready*

I have a super duper brand new Xbox 360 Arcade with 256MB of memory.
Opening bid is five T-shirts.
Who will give me five T-shirts?
Five T-shirts?
Going?
Going? To the highest bidder!

To place your bids you need to contact me in writing by:
Tweeting me @telana
Leaving a comment on this post.
Sms'ing me on 0837302979
Emailing me on onematchstick@gmail.com


This one matchstick auction ends 17:00 today! So BID NOW!

Once we've finalised the value of the Xbox, as in how many T-shirts the winning bid is, then:
- the winner will put up the cash and get the Xbox,
- The team at Microsoft will get the Springleap T-shirts
- I'll have less T-shirts to trade on!

Super duper fly!

Introducing Harbourlight- a SWARM Party Band

Harbourlight

Last week I went to check in on ::Harbourlight:: at their band practice with my friend and brilliant motivational talker Alon Joseph. Alon was the driver and camera man (and you can see him sneak in on one scene in the below movie). I was the very tired but super excited (I get quite tongue tied at one point in the interview) fan jumping around to their melodic rock tunes!

::Harbourlight:: is one of the exciting up and coming three bands playing at the SWARM Party on the 16th October! They formed at the beginning of 2006 and this team of five hardworking musicians (Shaun, Craig, Chris, Josh and Ashley) share a simple yet burning desire to share their message of hope and faith through their music in their own city Johannesburg, country South Africa and beyond!

Alon and I with the band HARBOURLIGHT


Their debut album Come Home was released in July of 2008 and I have my own copy. It's worth a listen to the 13 original and self produced songs.

They are about to release their second album entitled Mystery Story in the very near future. If we're lucky, they might play a few of their new tunes for us on at the SWARM party

So check out the little video we made to give you a taste of the entertainment lined up for the SWARM Party- featuring ::Harbourlight::!!

And then rush and book your VIP Tickets with me- you'll get a springleap T-shirt, 2 Castle Lagers and entrance to help us unlock the Super Swarm Badge on foursquare- which if we succeed, will be the first time it is unlocked on the African Continent!


If you don't want a T-shirt, how about a….

Plenty of Three-Way Trades still on the go and up for grabs!

So here's a summary of how it works and how you can trade with me in a Three-Way.

What's a Three-Way Trade?

Three-Ways involve three people:

1. Person One offers me an item or service in exchange for one or more of my T-shirts- they want to be "paid" for the item/service in the currency of Springleap T-shirts

2. Person Two wants the item or service and doesn't want a T-shirt, so puts up the cash to trade with me for the item/service. The cash is used to trade for the T-shirt/s so Person One gets the T-shirts.

3. Person Three is me – the one with all the T-shirts to trade.

So, if you want to be a part of one matchstick and help me get to my goal of office space for start up entrepreneurs, but don't want a T-shirt, and don't know what you would have to trade with me- here is an easy option: trade some of your cash for one of these items listed below.


SUMMARY OF Three Way Trades on offer:

So if you are interested in any of these offers- CALL ME on 0837302979 and lets do a Three-Way Trade!

Hike Table Mountain for a T-shirt

Who lives in Cape Town or is going there for a holiday sometime soon?
And would like to have a guided hike up Table Mountain?

Barry Washkansky and Candice Kotze are offering to guide four people on a hike up Table Mountain for the cost of just four of my Springleap T-shirts. That would cost you just R768.00 (that would be just R192 per person for four people).


Barry is an experienced guide and has been hiking and running on the Cape Mountains for the past 12 years, and so I’d say he’d be one of the best people to guide you and three friends, having explored himself the many different trails on the beautiful Cape Mountains. He and Candice offer guided tours of the mountains through HikeCapeTown.co.za

With a myriad of different trails to suit every requirement, whether its an early morning jaunt up Skeleton Gorge or a Full Moon Adventure on Devil's Peak, you can be assured that this Three Way Trade offer will suit your outdoor entertainment desires and energy and fitness levels!

So come on- experience the mountain with an experienced guide!


Contact me and let Barry and Candice show off Cape Town's spectacular mountains in a fun and safe walking environment.

You'll get a guided hike up Table Mountain for you and three friends or family members!
Barry and Candice will get 4 Springleap T-shirts
I'll be another 4 T-shirts closer to reaching my one matchstick dream!

So CALL ME! 0837302979

See you on the mountains...!


Recruitment Services for a T-shirt!

I'm continually amazed at how the internet is helping me turn a matchstick into an office.

The latest story is about Carl Anderson.

Facebook helped me get back into touch with his sister, a childhood friend that I had lost touch with. She and her brothers are now living in Cape Town, and through connecting with me on Facebook, she got to know of my one matchstick project. After mentioning it to Carl, he got in touch with me and has made me another awesome offer for a Three Way Trade!


Carl is a fellow entrepreneur, and is a partner in the start up recruitment firm in Cape Town called Swift Momentum. He emailed me saying:

I would like to offer our services ideally to a start up however not limited to that. We can either assist a company with the recruitment process guiding them in a consultancy manner. Alternatively we could offer our services for a placement. Either way, if we can be part of your one matchstick initiative – Swift Momentum as a company would love in on it.
Awesome hey?!

So, there are the two fabulous offers from Carl relating to recruitment needs:

OFFER ONE - Consulting Services

Would you like three hours of consulting services, either face to face in Cape Town or via email/Skype/telephone for one of my Springleap T-Shirts?

Carl himself will be delivering the consulting services, and can help with advice on all aspects of your recruiting process. This does not include Swift Momentum actually doing the recruitment and placing of a staff member, rather it is just advice and help to assist you in streamlining your recruitment policies and process.

And these three hours of consulting services will cost you only R219.00 (for his T-Shirt and delivery!)


OFFER TWO - Recruitment Placement

Carl and his team at Swift Momentum will help you find and place a permanent staff member! They are offering the full recruitment process from A-Z for one placement for the cost of just four of my Springleap T-shirts.

They are offering a recruitment package within the industries of Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Information Technology and Finance. By limiting the area’s within which they operate, they are able to provide a specialised recruitment service which is unique within the South African market.

Swift Recruitment is the only recruitment company within South Africa that offers a non-generalised recruitment platform and they specialise in permanent employment positions ranging from entry level employees to high end Directors and C.E.O's.

So if you need to find a super duper new staff member for your business, then consider taking up this Three Way Trade and using Swift Momentum's services for the cost of only R768.00 (that's for the four T-shirts and delivery) for one placement.


Why would you consider taking up one of these two offers as a Three Way Trade with Carl and I? Well, download a PDF here about Swift Momentum to learn more about how Carl offers a distinct recruitment service rarely offered in South Africa. He and his team are able to offer outstanding value and unique packages to suit each of their customer's needs.

Carl, his team, and with me in the background as part of this Three Way Trade, are look forward to dealing with your recruitment requirements efficiently, effectively and with Swift Momentum.

To summarise:

OFFER ONE:
You get three hours of recruitment consulting for R219.00
Carl gets one Springleap T-shirt
I get another T-shirt traded.

OFFER TWO:
You get the placement of a new staff member for just R768.00
Carl and his team get four Springleap T-shirts
I get another 4 T-shirts closer to my goal.

So if you want one of these offers, CALL ME 0837302979

Super fly!

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