The business gurus say it takes three years for a business to prove it has what it takes. Three years isn’t that long, but it can feel like forever when you’re impatient, as I am.
CliffCentral turned three on May 1st and so much has happened that it’s hard to measure exactly how successful we’ve been.
People ask me all the time, and I sometimes have to stop myself before I trot out the same old line: “It’s great, we’ve reached all our milestones and we’re ready for the next phase.” The truth is exactly that, in an environment we created, we grew from zero into a solid new offering. CliffCentral.com is a source of great pride for me. We’ve made our mark. We’re by no means in any position to rest on our laurels, but it’s time to take stock.
When we started three years ago there were only a handful of podcasts in South Africa. The idea of online radio (and the eventual hybrid of online radio and podcasting) was meant to bridge the gap to eventual on-demand listening. It had already happened in music, was happening in TV and was obviously going to take place in the realm of audio.
The pressure to stay ahead of the rest is exhilarating, and the satisfaction we take from creating opportunities for others has been the best part of this journey so far. The talent of tomorrow is being trained, groomed and given space to develop at CliffCentral.com.
The next step is an exciting one.
We’re proud to announce a partnership with advertising industry giants Muzi Kuzwayo and Phumi Mashigo of Ignitive. Phumi Mashigo, who has been a long-time Director of our company, will be our Managing Director. The two of them bring expertise, energy and new ideas which we believe will power us forward in developing the blueprints for digital content creation.
There will be shock and awe.
The old Swahili proverb is apt: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Onwards and upwards!
