LeanSeed.co

01/04/2025

Hello community! 🌟

Growing your craft, small business, or idea into something sustainable can be tough, confusing, and lonely- but it doesn’t have to be!

I first created the Life+Venture Kit in 2021 to navigate the chaos of balancing life and work during the pandemic.

Four years later, I still use and share it because these questions continue to guide me in building a business that:

✨ aligns better with who I am
✨ brings more satisfaction
✨ reduces burnout
✨ sets healthier boundaries
✨ sustains me in half the working time

That being said, I often feel alone on this journey and need real conversations to talk through my thoughts for inspiration and clarity.

🌟 Send the us a message saying "I can relate" if you would to join us for a small workshop at the 📍 Bodhi Tree Edenvale on 12 April 2025 @ 09:00.

In reply, you'll receive more info on the workshop.

🌟 3 of 8 places remaining!

Join us can to reflect on these questions TOGETHER and leave feeling inspired and confident in our next steps!

17/03/2025

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." - James Clear

We kicked off 2025 with a planning session - aligning our intentions and goals to shape the experiences we want this year.

With www.leanseed.co V2.0 nearly ready to launch, we set our sights on usability testing, developing new workshops, attending more conferences, and expanding our network.

By February, as we juggled these new initiatives alongside existing projects, the quote really hit home - ambition alone isn’t enough; we need better systems to support growth as an SME.

𝗦𝗼, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸:

✅ More regular full-team meetings.
✅ ClickUp - keeping projects and tasks aligned
✅ Miro - for strategic research and planning
✅ Figma - for design work and proposals
✅ Upskilling on tools to simplify, streamline, and scale

It's a work in progress, but we're all already feeling more connected and productive!

What systems have helped you improve the way you work?

13/03/2025

To AI or not to AI your photos? It came down to our values.

Last week, I signed up for an AI photo generator - thinking it would be a lean, efficient way to update everyone's photos on the website.

When I shared the idea, I was met with a question that stopped me in my tracks: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺? 😳

At first, I leaned into my logic - efficiency, practicality, working smarter. But then I paused.

There’s a fine line between using gen AI to streamline work and using it to "generate" how we present ourselves.

And for us as a team, that line became clear through conversation and engagement.

So I got a refund and, yesterday, we had fun taking photos. Caitie, thanks for keeping my integrity in check. 🫶

Creating a culture is a process, a collaborative one. I am humbled as I learn.

What do you think?

27/02/2025

I'm excited to share our first case study! 🎉 It was a privilege to collaborate with Leza and Tshifhiwa, tackling this project using our own unique approach.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱. In a recent project, we combined the Individual-Group-Organisation model, the Five Dysfunctions of a Team framework, and the Design Thinking process to explore the deeper dynamics affecting team performance.

✅ Taking a holistic approach, we looked 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 to examine individual behaviours, team cohesion, strategic direction, and organisational structures.

✅ By integrating these structured frameworks, we gained a comprehensive view of the challenges and provided recommendations that addressed both immediate concerns and the broader factors shaping long-term performance.

Each team operates within its own unique ecosystem - effective solutions require a tailored approach.

👉 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/dJ8RwCqw

🧐 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻?

24/02/2025

It's easy to get lost in to-do lists, worries about the future and keeping up with the Joneses.

Maya Angelou nailed it - what matters is how YOU feel about who you are, what you do and how you do it.

May your Monday matter to you!

07/02/2025

The Cause - or the problem that speaks to our hearts - if what makes all the difference in how we feel about what we do. Love this!

Our founder Simon Sinek reflects on how having a just cause can help you achieve the unimaginable.

04/02/2025

In South Africa, many people avoid giving direct negative feedback. So how do you uncover what your customers 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 think and feel?

You don’t need a long survey - just three key questions can help you 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆.

We’ve also created three free tools to help you collect honest feedback - 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆.

𝟯 𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

💬 Was there anything that you liked or loved about your last experience
with us?
💬 If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you’d change about your last experience with us?
💬 How likely are you to recommend us to a friend, family member, or colleague?

𝟯 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝘀

▪️ Copy our Google Forms template for easy digital collection: https://bit.ly/3EptRyK
▪️ Rebrand our Canva template for more visual impact: http://bit.ly/3WO6GVb
▪️ Download our A6 ready-to-print image for quick handwritten feedback: https://bit.ly/4gxbntn

💡 The way you ask for feedback matters. Check out our 4 quick tips for getting more responses and better insights.

14/02/2022

How did you make a successful change in the past? Big or small, share your story to help others.

11/02/2022

Your well-being is ALWAYS more important. 😇

Take the first step towards owning your weekends by spending an hour playing with the Life+Venture Kit. 💪

You'll be surprised at how writing down what you want or don't want can be the start of a liberating journey...

https://leanseed.co/for-individuals/ #3-step-process

10/02/2022

Do you have a vision of success?