For the record . . . Viljoen Consulting cc closes today for the holidays, therefore there will be no new articles until 4th January 2010.
BUSINESS TIPS – Creating A Budget
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
For many of us who were employees before we became SMME’s or Entrepreneurs, creating a budget was something that we perhaps did on a monthly basis. It was all that we needed because we were assured of a fixed income at the end of each and every month.
As an SMME however, especially when we are starting out, we do not know what to expect. We can always theorize about what we would like to have coming in as income, but we do have quite a bit of control over what will be going out. It is really is a good idea to know exactly how much your need to be coming in to be able to pay the basic bills. So creating a 12 month budget is a good idea.
Having a 12 month budget will allow you to plan and strategize what you need and want to do for the following twelve months. Creating a 12 month budget is not something that you should do when you have some spare time, but rather something that you should allocate time to do. It should be seen as something that is critical to your business, rather than something that is viewed as a waste of time. It will assist you in ensuring that your business has a manageable and sustainable financial plan.
For me the challenge always is just to get started. If you are not sure about what you are doing, it is really easy to procrastinate. So book it in your diary and just get going.
First of all you need to know what your profit/loss format is. Don’t panic – it is not as scary as it sounds. You start with your income – take what you charge for your product and/or service, less your cost of sale (which is the cost of the goods sold or the cost to you, in order to supply the service), less your overhead expenses. This is your net income (also known as profit).
Don’t forget to list all of your expenses or the expenses that you expect to have during the next 12 months and also your projected income. Then in order to ensure that you don’t overstate your income, it is always a good idea to validate it. So for example if you predict that your income in July is going to be say R20 000.00, you need to list how that R20 000.00 is made up. In other words, what you are going to do in order to bring that money into the company. Be careful that you don’t underestimate your expenses – be realistic about your expectations – it is always better to come in under budget on your expenses and over budget on your income than the other way around.
Remember to compare your actual monthly figures to your predicted theoretical figures. This will be of real value to you, firstly to ensure that you keep your sales figures up and your expenses down and secondly it will assist you in the compilation of the following year’s budget.
As a business owner myself, I am all too aware of the demands on my time and how critical it is to manage my time effectively. That said, I have learnt the hard way, just how costly it is, both financially and also from a time point of view, if the financial side of the business is not managed effectively and properly.
If numbers and the financial side of things is not one of your strengths, I promise you it is in your own best interests to find someone (either an employee or a bookkeeper or better yet an accountant) to assist you or get yourself on some sort of “Financial Literacy” workshop so that you have the basic knowledge of what is happening in the financial side of your company. Believe me without it, you will be lost and that is surely the quickest recipe for disaster.
You are responsible for the financial well being of your company – at the very least you should be able to have a basic understanding of it.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
MOTIVATION - Firing Up Your Soul
MOTIVATION – Firing Up Your Soul
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2009
Jean De La Fontaine says “Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.”
Oh Wow! I really like that one and I must admit, it really resonates with me!
You see, I am really passionate about what it is that I do (mind you – if the truth be told, I am really passionate about a good party too J) and I am so fired up about what I can do and the difference that I can make, not only in the lives of others but my own life too, that in the middle of this so called ‘recession’, my business has grown in leaps and bounds! How cool is that?
Yip, that’s right, it has actually grown. It has morphed into something completely different to what I first hand in mind almost seven years ago, but you know what . . . I like it even more.
I like how it feels, how it fits and I love how it makes me feel. I love the fact that right now, as I am writing these words, there is a smile on my face.
Truth is, I like it more and am more passionate about what I do (if that is at all possible) than I was when I started out.
Here’s the thing – my passion shows. People can see it and they often wonder what it is that I have that they don’t. Not only can they see it, but they can also feel it in the energy that comes from me. It shows in the way that my face changes and my eyes light up when I talk about the various projects that I am currently involved with and the ones that are in the pipeline. It shows when I get a new client or when I have met all the expectations, perceptions and requirements of an existing client.
It definitely does show when I have thought ‘out of the box’ and seen an opportunity that others feel will fall flat or that cannot materialize and I am sure you can understand just how much it does show, when I prove them wrong and get the whole thing going.
I know that it shows on the inside, when I achieve my goals and when I know that I have made a difference. It shows on the inside when I see someone’s eyes light up when they ‘get’ whatever it is that I am trying to show them.
Most of all though, my passion shows on the inside, when I receive the accolades from clients, institutions, colleagues, friends, family and even total strangers in recognition for sharing my passion, for being real and often for doing what everyone else thought could never be done.
Impossibilities turn into possibilities when your heart and soul are fired up by passion!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2009
Jean De La Fontaine says “Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.”
Oh Wow! I really like that one and I must admit, it really resonates with me!
You see, I am really passionate about what it is that I do (mind you – if the truth be told, I am really passionate about a good party too J) and I am so fired up about what I can do and the difference that I can make, not only in the lives of others but my own life too, that in the middle of this so called ‘recession’, my business has grown in leaps and bounds! How cool is that?
Yip, that’s right, it has actually grown. It has morphed into something completely different to what I first hand in mind almost seven years ago, but you know what . . . I like it even more.
I like how it feels, how it fits and I love how it makes me feel. I love the fact that right now, as I am writing these words, there is a smile on my face.
Truth is, I like it more and am more passionate about what I do (if that is at all possible) than I was when I started out.
Here’s the thing – my passion shows. People can see it and they often wonder what it is that I have that they don’t. Not only can they see it, but they can also feel it in the energy that comes from me. It shows in the way that my face changes and my eyes light up when I talk about the various projects that I am currently involved with and the ones that are in the pipeline. It shows when I get a new client or when I have met all the expectations, perceptions and requirements of an existing client.
It definitely does show when I have thought ‘out of the box’ and seen an opportunity that others feel will fall flat or that cannot materialize and I am sure you can understand just how much it does show, when I prove them wrong and get the whole thing going.
I know that it shows on the inside, when I achieve my goals and when I know that I have made a difference. It shows on the inside when I see someone’s eyes light up when they ‘get’ whatever it is that I am trying to show them.
Most of all though, my passion shows on the inside, when I receive the accolades from clients, institutions, colleagues, friends, family and even total strangers in recognition for sharing my passion, for being real and often for doing what everyone else thought could never be done.
Impossibilities turn into possibilities when your heart and soul are fired up by passion!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Friday, December 11, 2009
HR - Desertion and the AWOL Employee - Part 1
ARTICLE 49
Desertion and the AWOL Employee – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
It would appear that there is much confusion around this topic and also what the difference between the two is.
Let’s take it one step at a time.
AWOL (Absent Without Leave) is exactly that. It usually pertains to the employee who does not come to work and then does not phone in to advise why they are not at work. They could be away for one day or they could be away for several days, but they usually come back to work with some or other long story as to why they were not at work and why they could not phone in. Your leave policy should have a procedure to deal with this and the consequences for the ‘missing’ employee.
Desertion is when an employee just walks off the job or does not come into work at all and who has in all probability gotten themselves another form of employment and therefore has no intention of coming back, but just ‘forgot’ to tell anyone.
Both of these carry consequences and these consequences can lead to their dismissal.
So let’s bring in my favourite protagonists. Mike owns a retail store in a busy mall and George is the store manager. Sarah is a sales consultant in Mike’s retail store and she reports to George. Jane is the head of the HR department.
One Monday morning during the December rush, at about 09h30, Mike received a call from Sarah advising that George had not arrived for work and that all the staff were standing outside the door, together with clients, as they were unable to enter the premises. Sarah further stated that she had tried to contact George and that his cell phone went directly to voice mail.
Understandably annoyed, Mike instructed Sarah to wait at the store with the rest of the staff as he was on his way. Mike contacted Jane and instructed her to try and get hold of George and briefly explained the situation. Mike requested and received the spare keys to the store and made his way to the store.
Mike got the store started and then appointed Sarah as acting Manager until such time as they could ascertain what had happened to George.
Jane in the meantime had also tried to contact on his cell phone but the phone went directly to voice mail. Jane then tried to contact George on his home number, this also went to voice mail. Jane then tried to contact George’s wife and that phone also went directly to voice mail. Messages were now left on all three phones.
Nothing was heard from either George or his wife during the course of the day and Sarah managed the store and closed up in compliance with laid down procedures, in George’s absence.
That evening, Mike again attempted to contact George and his wife, to no avail. Mike left messages on all the phones again.
The following day, Mike instructed Jane to try and contact Mike and his wife again. Again Jane could not get through and again messages were left on all of the phones. Jane noted all of this in George’s personnel file. Nothing was heard from George or his wife during the course of the second day that he was absent from work.
On the third day, Jane again tried to contact George and/or his wife, again without any success. Again nothing was heard from George or his wife.
By the fifth day, having still not heard from either George or his wife, Mike made the decision to follow the correct procedures in sending a registered letter and a telegram to George’s home address instructing him to return to work. Again no response was forthcoming and a disciplinary was held in abstentia and George was found guilty of desertion and dismissed.
In this particular instance George never returned to work and Mike never found out why he left. It was rumoured from time to time, but the staff that George had been seen working somewhere else, so it was clear to Mike that George felt that he could not face Mike and hand in his resignation and he had just decided to leave. The matter was closed.
Next week we will look at some additional examples of desertion and/or AWOL.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Desertion and the AWOL Employee – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
It would appear that there is much confusion around this topic and also what the difference between the two is.
Let’s take it one step at a time.
AWOL (Absent Without Leave) is exactly that. It usually pertains to the employee who does not come to work and then does not phone in to advise why they are not at work. They could be away for one day or they could be away for several days, but they usually come back to work with some or other long story as to why they were not at work and why they could not phone in. Your leave policy should have a procedure to deal with this and the consequences for the ‘missing’ employee.
Desertion is when an employee just walks off the job or does not come into work at all and who has in all probability gotten themselves another form of employment and therefore has no intention of coming back, but just ‘forgot’ to tell anyone.
Both of these carry consequences and these consequences can lead to their dismissal.
So let’s bring in my favourite protagonists. Mike owns a retail store in a busy mall and George is the store manager. Sarah is a sales consultant in Mike’s retail store and she reports to George. Jane is the head of the HR department.
One Monday morning during the December rush, at about 09h30, Mike received a call from Sarah advising that George had not arrived for work and that all the staff were standing outside the door, together with clients, as they were unable to enter the premises. Sarah further stated that she had tried to contact George and that his cell phone went directly to voice mail.
Understandably annoyed, Mike instructed Sarah to wait at the store with the rest of the staff as he was on his way. Mike contacted Jane and instructed her to try and get hold of George and briefly explained the situation. Mike requested and received the spare keys to the store and made his way to the store.
Mike got the store started and then appointed Sarah as acting Manager until such time as they could ascertain what had happened to George.
Jane in the meantime had also tried to contact on his cell phone but the phone went directly to voice mail. Jane then tried to contact George on his home number, this also went to voice mail. Jane then tried to contact George’s wife and that phone also went directly to voice mail. Messages were now left on all three phones.
Nothing was heard from either George or his wife during the course of the day and Sarah managed the store and closed up in compliance with laid down procedures, in George’s absence.
That evening, Mike again attempted to contact George and his wife, to no avail. Mike left messages on all the phones again.
The following day, Mike instructed Jane to try and contact Mike and his wife again. Again Jane could not get through and again messages were left on all of the phones. Jane noted all of this in George’s personnel file. Nothing was heard from George or his wife during the course of the second day that he was absent from work.
On the third day, Jane again tried to contact George and/or his wife, again without any success. Again nothing was heard from George or his wife.
By the fifth day, having still not heard from either George or his wife, Mike made the decision to follow the correct procedures in sending a registered letter and a telegram to George’s home address instructing him to return to work. Again no response was forthcoming and a disciplinary was held in abstentia and George was found guilty of desertion and dismissed.
In this particular instance George never returned to work and Mike never found out why he left. It was rumoured from time to time, but the staff that George had been seen working somewhere else, so it was clear to Mike that George felt that he could not face Mike and hand in his resignation and he had just decided to leave. The matter was closed.
Next week we will look at some additional examples of desertion and/or AWOL.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, December 10, 2009
SALES - Increasing the Number of Your Customers
SALES – Increasing the Number of Your Customers
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009.
Last week we looked at the various ways we could increase the number of clients and/or customers. This week we will have a look at how to increase the number of sales that we make to those clients/customers.
Sure it’s great to have say 100 more customers, but stop and think about it for a moment – how much greater would it be if each of those customers, not only bought a product and/or service from you, but came back on a regular basis to purchase from you again and again. Now that would be a fantastic occurrence, I am sure you would all agree!
Obviously, whatever it is that you offer, be it product and/or service, it has to be the same or preferably better than your competitors. Taking this as a given, one of the quickest ways to increasing the number of sales is of course to make it as easy as possible for your existing customers to do repeat business with you. For me, that means reminding my clients from time to time about some of the products/services that I have to offer and I do this by means of sending an e-mail. By doing this I not only remind my customers of the product service that I have on offer, but it also assists me with the building of a strong, sustainable relationship with my customers and this in turn builds customer loyalty. Understand though that the quality of my product/service can never be brought into dispute and must be maintained at the highest possible standard.
Some of the customer service areas that perhaps need to be checked on, on a regular basis to ensure that they don’t fall between the cracks (but not limited to) are listed below. Remember too that the simpler the process, the more often it just gets disregarded and the more often it is the most critical one that is required. So check yourself on a regular basis to ensure that you are doing all that can be done in these areas.
· Do you have a turn-a-round time to respond to requests or calls or e-mails. If not, here is an ideal opportunity to implement something. Make sure it is realistic though – putting a policy in place that states for example that you will respond to e-mails within 10 minutes of receiving them is not clever and will put you (and your staff) under tremendous strain, but putting a policy in place that the phone will be answered by the 3rd ring is a great thing. Think about what you want done and put realistic policies in place.
· Do you ensure that your client contact details are current and kept up to date. Again, here is an opportunity to make sure that this is done on a regular basis.
· Is the product and/or service that you offer consistently of a high quality, good value for money and readily available? There is nothing worse than seeing an advert for a particular product and/or service or something on special and then you get there and there is no stock. It makes me really grumpy and if it makes me grumpy it makes others (being your clients) grumpy too!
· When issues are decided at meetings or policies implemented and/or instructions given, do you follow up to ensure that those policies and/or instructions have in fact been implemented and/or processed? Make sure that each decision or instruction is implemented correctly and followed to fruition. No matter how many decisions you make or how many policies and procedures that you may have, if they are not implemented and/or if there are no consequences, the decisions and/or instructions and/or policies and procedures mean nothing and are in fact worthless.
· Billing – now this is one of my shortcomings – make sure that your invoices are raised timeously and not only on time, but that they are accurate. I am often caught short at the end of the month in terms of cash flow because my invoices have gone out late. Be careful with this.
Finally, think about what makes you use or seek out new suppliers. Whatever it is, make sure that you don’t do the same thing or you will lose your customers for the very same reason.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009.
Last week we looked at the various ways we could increase the number of clients and/or customers. This week we will have a look at how to increase the number of sales that we make to those clients/customers.
Sure it’s great to have say 100 more customers, but stop and think about it for a moment – how much greater would it be if each of those customers, not only bought a product and/or service from you, but came back on a regular basis to purchase from you again and again. Now that would be a fantastic occurrence, I am sure you would all agree!
Obviously, whatever it is that you offer, be it product and/or service, it has to be the same or preferably better than your competitors. Taking this as a given, one of the quickest ways to increasing the number of sales is of course to make it as easy as possible for your existing customers to do repeat business with you. For me, that means reminding my clients from time to time about some of the products/services that I have to offer and I do this by means of sending an e-mail. By doing this I not only remind my customers of the product service that I have on offer, but it also assists me with the building of a strong, sustainable relationship with my customers and this in turn builds customer loyalty. Understand though that the quality of my product/service can never be brought into dispute and must be maintained at the highest possible standard.
Some of the customer service areas that perhaps need to be checked on, on a regular basis to ensure that they don’t fall between the cracks (but not limited to) are listed below. Remember too that the simpler the process, the more often it just gets disregarded and the more often it is the most critical one that is required. So check yourself on a regular basis to ensure that you are doing all that can be done in these areas.
· Do you have a turn-a-round time to respond to requests or calls or e-mails. If not, here is an ideal opportunity to implement something. Make sure it is realistic though – putting a policy in place that states for example that you will respond to e-mails within 10 minutes of receiving them is not clever and will put you (and your staff) under tremendous strain, but putting a policy in place that the phone will be answered by the 3rd ring is a great thing. Think about what you want done and put realistic policies in place.
· Do you ensure that your client contact details are current and kept up to date. Again, here is an opportunity to make sure that this is done on a regular basis.
· Is the product and/or service that you offer consistently of a high quality, good value for money and readily available? There is nothing worse than seeing an advert for a particular product and/or service or something on special and then you get there and there is no stock. It makes me really grumpy and if it makes me grumpy it makes others (being your clients) grumpy too!
· When issues are decided at meetings or policies implemented and/or instructions given, do you follow up to ensure that those policies and/or instructions have in fact been implemented and/or processed? Make sure that each decision or instruction is implemented correctly and followed to fruition. No matter how many decisions you make or how many policies and procedures that you may have, if they are not implemented and/or if there are no consequences, the decisions and/or instructions and/or policies and procedures mean nothing and are in fact worthless.
· Billing – now this is one of my shortcomings – make sure that your invoices are raised timeously and not only on time, but that they are accurate. I am often caught short at the end of the month in terms of cash flow because my invoices have gone out late. Be careful with this.
Finally, think about what makes you use or seek out new suppliers. Whatever it is, make sure that you don’t do the same thing or you will lose your customers for the very same reason.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
The Power of Networking - Part 141
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 141
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. December 2009
One of the greatest things to come out of Networking for me, apart from all of my business, is my ‘Virtual Corporation’.
What does this mean essentially? Well it’s like this, in many ways my ‘Virtual Corporation’ is far more powerful than even the biggest corporation. You see my “Virtual Corporation” is staffed by small business owners – people who are specialists in their own fields and who are as passionate about their businesses as I am about mine.
So like a big corporation who have for example a Marketing Department – I have Nathalie Chinje of Upbeat Marketing (http://www.upbeat.co.za) – Nathalie hosts a Networking event entitled “Intra Africa Executive Breakfast” on a monthly basis. This is a platform for ‘across border’ networking and business opportunities and focuses on Africa and it’s potential. Fascinating stuff and I have met the most interesting of people, from Ambassadors to High Commissioners and the like.
Most corporate companies have their own IT department – I have Ian Grant of IG Computers (http://www.IGComputers.co.za) – oh and while I am on this subject and this site, if you would like to check if the name that you want as your domain name is available, go to Ian’s site and on the top right hand side of the home page, you will be able to do just that – at no charge.
Then of course most Corporate companies have their own web development department and I have Meryl Rosenberg of Pixelmagic (http://www.pixelmagic.co.za), Meryl has does some awesome stuff for me, including but not limited to my website or how about the branding on my e-mails, pretty powerful stuff that and I have received several compliments for it from all around the world. Then of course the branding of my ‘Twitter’ account and me on Facebook and where-ever you look, I am branded and it all links back to my website. How cool is that!
As most of you know by now, I write policies and procedures and have a Workshop entitled “A Basic Practical Guide to Starting A Business” and one of the things that I try and teach Business Start-ups – as well already operational Small Businesses, is about getting the various contracts in place, so just as a big corporate has a legal department, I too have one – but mine of course is bigger and better. Firstly I have a Kerry Jack of Cognosa who specializes in contracts and to make life easier for the SMME you can go to her site http://www.agreementsonline.co.za and actually download pretty much any kind of contract that you would need in your small business and if you wanted something changed slightly, contact Kerry and she will assist you to make that change and still keep it in legalese. Actually if the truth be told her contracts are so simple that even the average layman can understand them – how’s that for transparency? Although Kerry is a registered attorney she does not do litigation, but for that and all matters requiring litigation I have Noa Kinstler of Kinstler Attorneys and Noa, being a proactive attorney has a newsletter in which she gives legal tips and also tells us about the various legal issues that may affect us both in our professional and personal lives – an early warning if you like. If you would like to receive these newsletters please contact Noa on noa@kinstler.co.za
This is just a taste of what my ‘Virtual Corporation’ is about, more of my service providers are listed under “My Team” on my website (http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za) and many more from Accountants to HR and IR specialists, to Event Management, Writers or Wordsmiths and publishers to Entertainers, I have them all.
So do yourself a favour – start Networking. Not only will it bring in the business, but you to can add value to your clients and/or suppliers not to mention yourself, with your very own ‘Virtual Corporation’.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 141
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. December 2009
One of the greatest things to come out of Networking for me, apart from all of my business, is my ‘Virtual Corporation’.
What does this mean essentially? Well it’s like this, in many ways my ‘Virtual Corporation’ is far more powerful than even the biggest corporation. You see my “Virtual Corporation” is staffed by small business owners – people who are specialists in their own fields and who are as passionate about their businesses as I am about mine.
So like a big corporation who have for example a Marketing Department – I have Nathalie Chinje of Upbeat Marketing (http://www.upbeat.co.za) – Nathalie hosts a Networking event entitled “Intra Africa Executive Breakfast” on a monthly basis. This is a platform for ‘across border’ networking and business opportunities and focuses on Africa and it’s potential. Fascinating stuff and I have met the most interesting of people, from Ambassadors to High Commissioners and the like.
Most corporate companies have their own IT department – I have Ian Grant of IG Computers (http://www.IGComputers.co.za) – oh and while I am on this subject and this site, if you would like to check if the name that you want as your domain name is available, go to Ian’s site and on the top right hand side of the home page, you will be able to do just that – at no charge.
Then of course most Corporate companies have their own web development department and I have Meryl Rosenberg of Pixelmagic (http://www.pixelmagic.co.za), Meryl has does some awesome stuff for me, including but not limited to my website or how about the branding on my e-mails, pretty powerful stuff that and I have received several compliments for it from all around the world. Then of course the branding of my ‘Twitter’ account and me on Facebook and where-ever you look, I am branded and it all links back to my website. How cool is that!
As most of you know by now, I write policies and procedures and have a Workshop entitled “A Basic Practical Guide to Starting A Business” and one of the things that I try and teach Business Start-ups – as well already operational Small Businesses, is about getting the various contracts in place, so just as a big corporate has a legal department, I too have one – but mine of course is bigger and better. Firstly I have a Kerry Jack of Cognosa who specializes in contracts and to make life easier for the SMME you can go to her site http://www.agreementsonline.co.za and actually download pretty much any kind of contract that you would need in your small business and if you wanted something changed slightly, contact Kerry and she will assist you to make that change and still keep it in legalese. Actually if the truth be told her contracts are so simple that even the average layman can understand them – how’s that for transparency? Although Kerry is a registered attorney she does not do litigation, but for that and all matters requiring litigation I have Noa Kinstler of Kinstler Attorneys and Noa, being a proactive attorney has a newsletter in which she gives legal tips and also tells us about the various legal issues that may affect us both in our professional and personal lives – an early warning if you like. If you would like to receive these newsletters please contact Noa on noa@kinstler.co.za
This is just a taste of what my ‘Virtual Corporation’ is about, more of my service providers are listed under “My Team” on my website (http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za) and many more from Accountants to HR and IR specialists, to Event Management, Writers or Wordsmiths and publishers to Entertainers, I have them all.
So do yourself a favour – start Networking. Not only will it bring in the business, but you to can add value to your clients and/or suppliers not to mention yourself, with your very own ‘Virtual Corporation’.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
BUSINESS TIPS - Keeping It Real
BUSINESS TIPS – Keeping It Real
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
Dr Renate Volpe, in her nuggets on Leadership insights says “What do you have to offer the world other than your true self?”
I must say that this is a subject that is absolutely close to my heart. We are all here to do business. We are all here to earn an honest living and most of us are here to make a difference.
Perhaps it is something in the air, or a changing of the winds or perhaps it is just because it is that time of the year, but I get the feeling that there are some things that are just not as they should be. I seem to be being messed around much more than usual lately and quite frankly it is getting up my left nostril.
We’re all busy, we are all trying to get done before everyone leaves for the annual migration to the coast and yet in some ways I seem to be going round in circles.
People want to see me, they book the appointment, hell they even get me to move other appointments around because they absolutely have to see me and then at the last minute, they cancel. Well I suppose that I should be grateful that they did cancel and that I didn’t have to find out when I arrived that the meeting was no longer.
Here’s the thing though, if you are wanting to meet with me as a matter of urgency, then meet me – whatever else comes up schedule it for another time or another day, but meet me – my perception is then that you are serious about what it is that you want to discuss with me. When it gets to the point that the 3rd meeting in a row is moved, rescheduled or cancelled by the same person, my perception is one of - if you are messing me around at this early stage of our relationship, what on earth is it going to be down the line?
In all honesty, what is it that you are telling me by doing this – that your time is more valuable than mine, or that your clients/suppliers/friends (add anything you like here) are more valuable than mine, or that your business comes before mine, despite the fact that I have something that you want! Actually, what you are showing me is your true self, what you are telling me is who you really are and in the words of Dr Maya Angelou “Believe someone the first time they tell you who they are!”
So think about what you show the world, because sooner or later – the true self, the person that you really are, will come out.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
Dr Renate Volpe, in her nuggets on Leadership insights says “What do you have to offer the world other than your true self?”
I must say that this is a subject that is absolutely close to my heart. We are all here to do business. We are all here to earn an honest living and most of us are here to make a difference.
Perhaps it is something in the air, or a changing of the winds or perhaps it is just because it is that time of the year, but I get the feeling that there are some things that are just not as they should be. I seem to be being messed around much more than usual lately and quite frankly it is getting up my left nostril.
We’re all busy, we are all trying to get done before everyone leaves for the annual migration to the coast and yet in some ways I seem to be going round in circles.
People want to see me, they book the appointment, hell they even get me to move other appointments around because they absolutely have to see me and then at the last minute, they cancel. Well I suppose that I should be grateful that they did cancel and that I didn’t have to find out when I arrived that the meeting was no longer.
Here’s the thing though, if you are wanting to meet with me as a matter of urgency, then meet me – whatever else comes up schedule it for another time or another day, but meet me – my perception is then that you are serious about what it is that you want to discuss with me. When it gets to the point that the 3rd meeting in a row is moved, rescheduled or cancelled by the same person, my perception is one of - if you are messing me around at this early stage of our relationship, what on earth is it going to be down the line?
In all honesty, what is it that you are telling me by doing this – that your time is more valuable than mine, or that your clients/suppliers/friends (add anything you like here) are more valuable than mine, or that your business comes before mine, despite the fact that I have something that you want! Actually, what you are showing me is your true self, what you are telling me is who you really are and in the words of Dr Maya Angelou “Believe someone the first time they tell you who they are!”
So think about what you show the world, because sooner or later – the true self, the person that you really are, will come out.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, December 07, 2009
MOTIVATION - An Attitude of Gratitude
MOTIVATION – An Attitude of Gratitude
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2009
Brian Tracy says “Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step towards achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
I seem to having been writing a lot about gratitude over the last couple of weeks and clearly it has something to do with the fact that I am extremely aware of the abundance of opportunity that abounds.
I watched an incredibly spectacular sunset last night and as I marveled at the colours that spread themselves across the heavens I wondered at the ‘paint pallette’ of the Gods (whomever you profess them to be) and marveled at the visions that produced such a masterpiece and I gave thanks, and such a wonderful feeling of being at peace with the world engulfed me.
This morning, I was up early enough to witness the beauty of the sunrise. Dawn has always been the most special time of the day for me, but today I got a feeling of “all is well in my world” and again murmured thanks to the Universe for allowing me to live in this truly beautiful world. Just the memory brings a smile to my face and a knowledge that it’s a gift and like any other gift that we are given it’s the right thing to say ‘thank you’.
So stop, smell the coffee (and give thanks for the ability to be able to smell), pick a flower (and give thanks for the gift of sight), look around you and take it all in – the miracle of life, the gift of living and give thanks. It will resonate though all of your senses all day long.
What a way to enjoy the day!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2009
Brian Tracy says “Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step towards achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
I seem to having been writing a lot about gratitude over the last couple of weeks and clearly it has something to do with the fact that I am extremely aware of the abundance of opportunity that abounds.
I watched an incredibly spectacular sunset last night and as I marveled at the colours that spread themselves across the heavens I wondered at the ‘paint pallette’ of the Gods (whomever you profess them to be) and marveled at the visions that produced such a masterpiece and I gave thanks, and such a wonderful feeling of being at peace with the world engulfed me.
This morning, I was up early enough to witness the beauty of the sunrise. Dawn has always been the most special time of the day for me, but today I got a feeling of “all is well in my world” and again murmured thanks to the Universe for allowing me to live in this truly beautiful world. Just the memory brings a smile to my face and a knowledge that it’s a gift and like any other gift that we are given it’s the right thing to say ‘thank you’.
So stop, smell the coffee (and give thanks for the ability to be able to smell), pick a flower (and give thanks for the gift of sight), look around you and take it all in – the miracle of life, the gift of living and give thanks. It will resonate though all of your senses all day long.
What a way to enjoy the day!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
MOTIVATION - An Attitude of Gratitude
MOTIVATION – An Attitude of Gratitude
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2009
Brian Tracy says “Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step towards achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
I seem to having been writing a lot about gratitude over the last couple of weeks and clearly it has something to do with the fact that I am extremely aware of the abundance of opportunity that abounds.
I watched an incredibly spectacular sunset last night and as I marveled at the colours that spread themselves across the heavens I wondered at the ‘paint pallette’ of the Gods (whomever you profess them to be) and marveled at the visions that produced such a masterpiece and I gave thanks, and such a wonderful feeling of being at peace with the world engulfed me.
This morning, I was up early enough to witness the beauty of the sunrise. Dawn has always been the most special time of the day for me, but today I got a feeling of “all is well in my world” and again murmured thanks to the Universe for allowing me to live in this truly beautiful world. Just the memory brings a smile to my face and a knowledge that it’s a gift and like any other gift that we are given it’s the right thing to say ‘thank you’.
So stop, smell the coffee (and give thanks for the ability to be able to smell), pick a flower (and give thanks for the gift of sight), look around you and take it all in – the miracle of life, the gift of living and give thanks. It will resonate though all of your senses all day long.
What a way to enjoy the day!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2009
Brian Tracy says “Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step towards achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
I seem to having been writing a lot about gratitude over the last couple of weeks and clearly it has something to do with the fact that I am extremely aware of the abundance of opportunity that abounds.
I watched an incredibly spectacular sunset last night and as I marveled at the colours that spread themselves across the heavens I wondered at the ‘paint pallette’ of the Gods (whomever you profess them to be) and marveled at the visions that produced such a masterpiece and I gave thanks, and such a wonderful feeling of being at peace with the world engulfed me.
This morning, I was up early enough to witness the beauty of the sunrise. Dawn has always been the most special time of the day for me, but today I got a feeling of “all is well in my world” and again murmured thanks to the Universe for allowing me to live in this truly beautiful world. Just the memory brings a smile to my face and a knowledge that it’s a gift and like any other gift that we are given it’s the right thing to say ‘thank you’.
So stop, smell the coffee (and give thanks for the ability to be able to smell), pick a flower (and give thanks for the gift of sight), look around you and take it all in – the miracle of life, the gift of living and give thanks. It will resonate though all of your senses all day long.
What a way to enjoy the day!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Friday, December 04, 2009
HR - To Smoke or Not to Smoke
ARTICLE 48
To Smoke or Not to Smoke
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
This is one article that really is going to upset a lot of people and yet also make a lot of people very happy. This is definitely one for the employer!
As an ex smoker myself, I am constantly aware of all the smoke, the cigarette smoke, the cigar smoke and even the pipe smoke that is constantly around me, invading my space. I am aware of the damage that I have done to myself and the damage that smokers are doing to themselves (and us ‘passive’ smokers too) on a daily basis.
As a business owner, I am also aware of the fact that I have to protect my staff from smokers in terms of the Tobacco Products Control Act. As you are all aware I am sure, there is “No Smoking” allowed in public places – restaurants and pubs have to have designated smoking areas and smoking is not allowed in malls and indeed in most office buildings.
Here’s the thing though, no where in the law does it state that as an employer, I have to pander to the smoking requirements of my smoking staff! I don’t have to give my employees ‘smoke breaks’, in fact I can actually make them work the time in that they take as ‘smoke breaks’ without having to pay them any kind of overtime at all or alternatively, I can tally up all the time that the smoker used on ‘smoke breaks’ and deduct it from their wages at the end of the week and/or from their salaries at the end of the month! How cool is that?
I can ban smoking from the building altogether and I can choose exactly which area can be used for smoking purposes and there is no where that it is written that I have to provide shelter from the elements either. So if I choose to designate the car park as the smoking area and it is bucketing with rain – well quite frankly, sorry for you!
Think about it for a moment, as an employer I don’t have to provide my alcoholic employee with a ‘drinks break’ so why would I feel the need to supply my smoker with a ‘smoke break’ particularly if I am as anti smoking as most other ‘ex smokers’? Both are addictions? Both take time out of the workplace which impacts on the bottom line and both have serious health implications.
Now surely that is an incentive for smokers to quit, whilst they are still ahead!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
To Smoke or Not to Smoke
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009
This is one article that really is going to upset a lot of people and yet also make a lot of people very happy. This is definitely one for the employer!
As an ex smoker myself, I am constantly aware of all the smoke, the cigarette smoke, the cigar smoke and even the pipe smoke that is constantly around me, invading my space. I am aware of the damage that I have done to myself and the damage that smokers are doing to themselves (and us ‘passive’ smokers too) on a daily basis.
As a business owner, I am also aware of the fact that I have to protect my staff from smokers in terms of the Tobacco Products Control Act. As you are all aware I am sure, there is “No Smoking” allowed in public places – restaurants and pubs have to have designated smoking areas and smoking is not allowed in malls and indeed in most office buildings.
Here’s the thing though, no where in the law does it state that as an employer, I have to pander to the smoking requirements of my smoking staff! I don’t have to give my employees ‘smoke breaks’, in fact I can actually make them work the time in that they take as ‘smoke breaks’ without having to pay them any kind of overtime at all or alternatively, I can tally up all the time that the smoker used on ‘smoke breaks’ and deduct it from their wages at the end of the week and/or from their salaries at the end of the month! How cool is that?
I can ban smoking from the building altogether and I can choose exactly which area can be used for smoking purposes and there is no where that it is written that I have to provide shelter from the elements either. So if I choose to designate the car park as the smoking area and it is bucketing with rain – well quite frankly, sorry for you!
Think about it for a moment, as an employer I don’t have to provide my alcoholic employee with a ‘drinks break’ so why would I feel the need to supply my smoker with a ‘smoke break’ particularly if I am as anti smoking as most other ‘ex smokers’? Both are addictions? Both take time out of the workplace which impacts on the bottom line and both have serious health implications.
Now surely that is an incentive for smokers to quit, whilst they are still ahead!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
SALES - Increasing the Number of Your Customers
SALES – Increasing the Number of Your Customers
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009.
Much has been written about the ‘how to’ of increasing your client base, so I doubt very much that anything that I have to say here will be new or any kind of revelation. That said, I have found over the years that sometimes we need to be reminded of things and sometimes it takes ‘just one more telling of the story’ before we actually ‘get’ the plot – so here it is.
We know that in order to increase the number of clients that we have, we have to:
· reach new potential clients with the offering that we currently have – be that product and/or service
· reach new potential clients with a new offering – be that product and/or service.
But how do we do this?
Well we need to ask ourselves some serious questions – these are (but not limited to):
· Who is our target market? Who are the people that really have a need of our product and/or service. Does our product and/or service meet the need of the potential client? Does our product and/or service save them time or give them some sort of additional value?
· How badly do our potential clients need our product and/or service? In other words, how much time do they spend on a daily basis, trying to find what ever it is that we are selling? In fact do they even know that the product and/or service that we are selling actually exists?
· How many of these potential clients are there and how do we actually reach them?
Clearly, in order to answer these questions honestly and fully, we would need to do some market research. In fact, before selling anything it is always a good idea to do some market research – it is the only way that we can accurately ascertain if there is a need for the particular product and/or service that we are offering and it will also educate us on what we actually need to know about our potential customers, like who in the organization is the best person to speak to, who are the decision makers and what we need to know in order to tell them about our product and/or service.
Knowing the culture of our potential clients, their likes and their dislikes, their needs and their desires, will make our quest to engage with them that much easier.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2009.
Much has been written about the ‘how to’ of increasing your client base, so I doubt very much that anything that I have to say here will be new or any kind of revelation. That said, I have found over the years that sometimes we need to be reminded of things and sometimes it takes ‘just one more telling of the story’ before we actually ‘get’ the plot – so here it is.
We know that in order to increase the number of clients that we have, we have to:
· reach new potential clients with the offering that we currently have – be that product and/or service
· reach new potential clients with a new offering – be that product and/or service.
But how do we do this?
Well we need to ask ourselves some serious questions – these are (but not limited to):
· Who is our target market? Who are the people that really have a need of our product and/or service. Does our product and/or service meet the need of the potential client? Does our product and/or service save them time or give them some sort of additional value?
· How badly do our potential clients need our product and/or service? In other words, how much time do they spend on a daily basis, trying to find what ever it is that we are selling? In fact do they even know that the product and/or service that we are selling actually exists?
· How many of these potential clients are there and how do we actually reach them?
Clearly, in order to answer these questions honestly and fully, we would need to do some market research. In fact, before selling anything it is always a good idea to do some market research – it is the only way that we can accurately ascertain if there is a need for the particular product and/or service that we are offering and it will also educate us on what we actually need to know about our potential customers, like who in the organization is the best person to speak to, who are the decision makers and what we need to know in order to tell them about our product and/or service.
Knowing the culture of our potential clients, their likes and their dislikes, their needs and their desires, will make our quest to engage with them that much easier.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
The Power of Networking - Part 140
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 140
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. December 2009
So what exactly is it that makes connectors so popular in a Networking environment?
Simple really, as their name suggests they connect people with one another – people who can do great, profitable business. People who, under normal circumstances, would never even realise that they have any kind of synergy are connected in ways that they never even thought about. Connectors are able to see/think out of the box and because they understand the true essence of Networking, they are able to, not only see the connection but also facilitate it.
Connectors build huge networks around themselves, so it’s little wonder that many people would love to get to know them, to have access to their network and/or data base, if nothing else.
Connectors are people who are trusted by their networks and/or data bases and since they are well known and trusted people often do business with one another, without knowing, or on occasion, even meeting one another. You see the relationship has already been established and built by the connector.
You will always find at least one connector at a Networking event. It’s not because they need to meet yet another bookkeeper or another coach, it’s because they need to meet and have access to all the people that that bookkeeper and/or coach know in order to facilitate the connections that they need to make.
Connectors are driven to move the value that they know and trust is in their networks from one contact to the other, connecting one person to another. They understand that making these connections will also benefit them. They also understand that Networking isn’t about instant gratification but rather of adding value to their Network and over time they will reap the rewards from making these connections.
Connectors understand that it’s about finding synergy between people they have known for years and the new people that they are constantly meeting.
Connectors instinctively Network where ever they go, with everyone that they meet.
Connectors know and appreciate that their Networks are in fact a professional asset to their businesses.
Is your Network a professional asset to you? If not, perhaps it is time to make it one of the goals for you for the coming year.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 140
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. December 2009
So what exactly is it that makes connectors so popular in a Networking environment?
Simple really, as their name suggests they connect people with one another – people who can do great, profitable business. People who, under normal circumstances, would never even realise that they have any kind of synergy are connected in ways that they never even thought about. Connectors are able to see/think out of the box and because they understand the true essence of Networking, they are able to, not only see the connection but also facilitate it.
Connectors build huge networks around themselves, so it’s little wonder that many people would love to get to know them, to have access to their network and/or data base, if nothing else.
Connectors are people who are trusted by their networks and/or data bases and since they are well known and trusted people often do business with one another, without knowing, or on occasion, even meeting one another. You see the relationship has already been established and built by the connector.
You will always find at least one connector at a Networking event. It’s not because they need to meet yet another bookkeeper or another coach, it’s because they need to meet and have access to all the people that that bookkeeper and/or coach know in order to facilitate the connections that they need to make.
Connectors are driven to move the value that they know and trust is in their networks from one contact to the other, connecting one person to another. They understand that making these connections will also benefit them. They also understand that Networking isn’t about instant gratification but rather of adding value to their Network and over time they will reap the rewards from making these connections.
Connectors understand that it’s about finding synergy between people they have known for years and the new people that they are constantly meeting.
Connectors instinctively Network where ever they go, with everyone that they meet.
Connectors know and appreciate that their Networks are in fact a professional asset to their businesses.
Is your Network a professional asset to you? If not, perhaps it is time to make it one of the goals for you for the coming year.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
BUSINESS TIPS - How To Manage Cash Flow
BUSINESS TIPS – How to Manage Cash Flow
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC July 2009 December 2009
Last week we looked at exactly what cash flow is and this week we will look at the ‘how to’ of managing cash flow. For me as usual, it’s the simplest method of ‘how to’ that I will be sharing, so please just be aware that there are many more components and levels of complexity to this subject.
It is important to understand that most of the money that you generate as an inflow should be from the sale of your product and/or service. It cannot be from investing and/finance – if this is the case you are going to be very deep in the smelly brown stuff without a shovel to dig yourself out. So sales are obviously key, irrespective of whether you are selling a product and/or a service.
It is also important to understand that the inflow and outflow of your business tells the story of how healthy or unhealthy your company is. That is one of the reasons that I believe it is so important to have the services of a really good accountant to assist you. The understanding and ‘reading’ of the story of your business can only be done by someone who is experienced in these matters and someone who will tell you where you are going wrong and guide you back onto the correct path. My someone, is Nico Labuschagne of Labuschagne & Associates and I am quite happy to share his contact details on (labuschagnassoc@lantic.net).
That said it is also very important to understand that cash flow is a ‘real time’ issue as opposed to having your books done on a monthly basis – by the time they get to the bookkeeper/accountant they are already a month or so old and are therefore a ‘reactive’ issue. You cannot wait for a whole month to then realize that you have no money to pay the bills that are coming in and are due, right now! In terms of cash flow, you have to be proactive – you have to know what is happening right now!
To create a cash flow statement, and remember that it is a living breathing document and it changes all the time, you need to take all the business inflows and subtract all the business cash outflows. This is usually done on a monthly basis but it can be done for any specific period. Obviously doing this manually is a pain in the rear end and by using an accounting package to generate financial statements and thereby producing a Cash Flow statement, would be the simplest way to do it (another reason for a Nico in my life, I don’t have to invest in expensive software accounting packages.)
When you work out your budgets, it is extremely important to use ‘cash flow projections’, because if you as a business owner, do not understand the way that your cash flow operates, you will find yourself in a cash flow crunch, where you will be waiting for funds to come in, but have operating expenses that need to be paid now.
This is particularly true if you have or run sales on account (hopefully you are then registered with the National Credit Authorities as a service provider), or alternatively have clients who pay 30 or 60 or even 90 days. You need to make provision to ensure that you have enough cash on hand to pay your bills while you wait for monies to come in.
As SMME’s, I am sure that you will agree that this is a very difficult position to be in and this is why it is vital to firstly know, what is happening from a financial prospective, in your business and secondly to understand what happens when you have cash flowing both in and out of your business.
Understanding and knowing where your money is coming in from and where your money is going out to, is key to controlling your cash flow.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC July 2009 December 2009
Last week we looked at exactly what cash flow is and this week we will look at the ‘how to’ of managing cash flow. For me as usual, it’s the simplest method of ‘how to’ that I will be sharing, so please just be aware that there are many more components and levels of complexity to this subject.
It is important to understand that most of the money that you generate as an inflow should be from the sale of your product and/or service. It cannot be from investing and/finance – if this is the case you are going to be very deep in the smelly brown stuff without a shovel to dig yourself out. So sales are obviously key, irrespective of whether you are selling a product and/or a service.
It is also important to understand that the inflow and outflow of your business tells the story of how healthy or unhealthy your company is. That is one of the reasons that I believe it is so important to have the services of a really good accountant to assist you. The understanding and ‘reading’ of the story of your business can only be done by someone who is experienced in these matters and someone who will tell you where you are going wrong and guide you back onto the correct path. My someone, is Nico Labuschagne of Labuschagne & Associates and I am quite happy to share his contact details on (labuschagnassoc@lantic.net).
That said it is also very important to understand that cash flow is a ‘real time’ issue as opposed to having your books done on a monthly basis – by the time they get to the bookkeeper/accountant they are already a month or so old and are therefore a ‘reactive’ issue. You cannot wait for a whole month to then realize that you have no money to pay the bills that are coming in and are due, right now! In terms of cash flow, you have to be proactive – you have to know what is happening right now!
To create a cash flow statement, and remember that it is a living breathing document and it changes all the time, you need to take all the business inflows and subtract all the business cash outflows. This is usually done on a monthly basis but it can be done for any specific period. Obviously doing this manually is a pain in the rear end and by using an accounting package to generate financial statements and thereby producing a Cash Flow statement, would be the simplest way to do it (another reason for a Nico in my life, I don’t have to invest in expensive software accounting packages.)
When you work out your budgets, it is extremely important to use ‘cash flow projections’, because if you as a business owner, do not understand the way that your cash flow operates, you will find yourself in a cash flow crunch, where you will be waiting for funds to come in, but have operating expenses that need to be paid now.
This is particularly true if you have or run sales on account (hopefully you are then registered with the National Credit Authorities as a service provider), or alternatively have clients who pay 30 or 60 or even 90 days. You need to make provision to ensure that you have enough cash on hand to pay your bills while you wait for monies to come in.
As SMME’s, I am sure that you will agree that this is a very difficult position to be in and this is why it is vital to firstly know, what is happening from a financial prospective, in your business and secondly to understand what happens when you have cash flowing both in and out of your business.
Understanding and knowing where your money is coming in from and where your money is going out to, is key to controlling your cash flow.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, November 30, 2009
MOTIVATION - Don't Ever Do . . . . Nothing
MOTIVATION – Don’t Ever Do . . . . Nothing
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Theodore Roosevelt said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing that you can do is nothing.”
Wow! Ironically enough, my good friend and colleague Colleen Larsen of Women In Finance (http://www.womeninfinance.co.za) and I were discussing this very issue earlier today. Doing nothing about something never makes the problem go away – in fact it usually just makes it that much worse.
Obviously, in any given situation, it is always a good thing to do the ‘right’ thing. That’s just a given and it always makes life just that much easier.
The dilemma comes along when there is indecision or when the decision comes packaged with a huge consequence – one that we are perhaps not so willing to subject ourselves to.
Here is where the danger lies. Here is where we meet the challenge . . . or not. This is where we usually step back from the situation. Oh and don’t misunderstand me for one moment – stepping back from a situation is within itself, not a bad thing if the reason we are stepping back is to take a breath and look at what is happening. That is definitely not a bad thing. But once you have stepped back you still need to action something.
Step back, but don’t come to a full stop. Strategize, plan, engage and get going again. Do something for goodness sake!
Doing nothing is quite detrimental to yourself. Doing nothing means that nothing will happen. Doing nothing will often created a negative situation or even a vacuum and it will result in . . . nothing!
Remember that every action causes a (re) action. So get busy, get moving, get actioned!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Theodore Roosevelt said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing that you can do is nothing.”
Wow! Ironically enough, my good friend and colleague Colleen Larsen of Women In Finance (http://www.womeninfinance.co.za) and I were discussing this very issue earlier today. Doing nothing about something never makes the problem go away – in fact it usually just makes it that much worse.
Obviously, in any given situation, it is always a good thing to do the ‘right’ thing. That’s just a given and it always makes life just that much easier.
The dilemma comes along when there is indecision or when the decision comes packaged with a huge consequence – one that we are perhaps not so willing to subject ourselves to.
Here is where the danger lies. Here is where we meet the challenge . . . or not. This is where we usually step back from the situation. Oh and don’t misunderstand me for one moment – stepping back from a situation is within itself, not a bad thing if the reason we are stepping back is to take a breath and look at what is happening. That is definitely not a bad thing. But once you have stepped back you still need to action something.
Step back, but don’t come to a full stop. Strategize, plan, engage and get going again. Do something for goodness sake!
Doing nothing is quite detrimental to yourself. Doing nothing means that nothing will happen. Doing nothing will often created a negative situation or even a vacuum and it will result in . . . nothing!
Remember that every action causes a (re) action. So get busy, get moving, get actioned!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
MOTIVATION - Don't Ever Do . . . . Nothing
MOTIVATION – Don’t Ever Do . . . . Nothing
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Theodore Roosevelt said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing that you can do is nothing.”
Wow! Ironically enough, my good friend and colleague Colleen Larsen of Women In Finance (http://www.womeninfinance.co.za) and I were discussing this very issue earlier today. Doing nothing about something never makes the problem go away – in fact it usually just makes it that much worse.
Obviously, in any given situation, it is always a good thing to do the ‘right’ thing. That’s just a given and it always makes life just that much easier.
The dilemma comes along when there is indecision or when the decision comes packaged with a huge consequence – one that we are perhaps not so willing to subject ourselves to.
Here is where the danger lies. Here is where we meet the challenge . . . or not. This is where we usually step back from the situation. Oh and don’t misunderstand me for one moment – stepping back from a situation is within itself, not a bad thing if the reason we are stepping back is to take a breath and look at what is happening. That is definitely not a bad thing. But once you have stepped back you still need to action something.
Step back, but don’t come to a full stop. Strategize, plan, engage and get going again. Do something for goodness sake!
Doing nothing is quite detrimental to yourself. Doing nothing means that nothing will happen. Doing nothing will often created a negative situation or even a vacuum and it will result in . . . nothing!
Remember that every action causes a (re) action. So get busy, get moving, get actioned!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Theodore Roosevelt said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing that you can do is nothing.”
Wow! Ironically enough, my good friend and colleague Colleen Larsen of Women In Finance (http://www.womeninfinance.co.za) and I were discussing this very issue earlier today. Doing nothing about something never makes the problem go away – in fact it usually just makes it that much worse.
Obviously, in any given situation, it is always a good thing to do the ‘right’ thing. That’s just a given and it always makes life just that much easier.
The dilemma comes along when there is indecision or when the decision comes packaged with a huge consequence – one that we are perhaps not so willing to subject ourselves to.
Here is where the danger lies. Here is where we meet the challenge . . . or not. This is where we usually step back from the situation. Oh and don’t misunderstand me for one moment – stepping back from a situation is within itself, not a bad thing if the reason we are stepping back is to take a breath and look at what is happening. That is definitely not a bad thing. But once you have stepped back you still need to action something.
Step back, but don’t come to a full stop. Strategize, plan, engage and get going again. Do something for goodness sake!
Doing nothing is quite detrimental to yourself. Doing nothing means that nothing will happen. Doing nothing will often created a negative situation or even a vacuum and it will result in . . . nothing!
Remember that every action causes a (re) action. So get busy, get moving, get actioned!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Friday, November 27, 2009
HR - Preparing for Disputes - Part 2
ARTICLE 47
Preparing for Disputes – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Following on from last week, today we are going to look at some of the most typical and also most important issues that can be discussed at the ‘pre-meeting’.
Some of the most typical and also important issues that are or can be dealt with are (but not limited to):
· Any means by which the dispute may be settled. Both parties would be expected to express exactly what they are wanting that would give them a sense of vindication. It is often at this point that an “out of court” settlement is reached and agreed to and once this agreement has been signed, the arbitration hearing would therefore be totally unnecessary .
· Facts that are the common cause. In some cases it is the ‘straw that breaks the camels back’ that mess the whole works up and it is easier and more beneficial to all parties to get consensus on these and to agree to the facts up front. Issues such as (but not limited to)
+ the exact date that an employee was employed
+ the exact date that the employee was dismissed
+ the exact reason for the dismissal
Here’s the thing – the more issues that can be agreed upon before the hearing, the less time (and expense) will be needed to establish the facts during the hearing.
· Facts that are in dispute. These are usually the issues that the parties cannot or will not agree on. These are issues such as (but not limited to)
+ the employees benefits
+ the employees package
+ the employees remuneration
+ whether the treatment by the employer was fair and/or unfair.
It may also include issues such as whether the employee was at the workplace on the day that the incident took place and so on.
Often at this point the parties may agree that the arbitrator will need decide if the dismissal was procedurally fair or unfair and also whether it was substantively unfair.
· Precise Relief claimed. Usually this is the discussion that takes place that highlights whether the employee wants to be re-instated or whether they want some kind of financial compensation.
It is also at this stage that the sharing and exchange of documents takes place and one ‘common’ bundle of documents can be compiled. Parties fighting about documents and their contents or lack thereof take up huge amounts of time and getting this resolved up front and beforehand makes life a lot easier and it will also greatly reduce the amount of time that is spent in the actual hearing.
Both parties should of course, document the entire meeting, making sure that all the issues that they have agreed to are correctly recorded as well as all the issues that were not agreed on. These minutes can then be signed off on by both parties that then can also be presented to the arbitrator who will use them to get a clear idea of key issues that are relevant to the case.
Be careful though that you don’t give away too much of your case. It is for this very reason that it is in your own interests to use someone who is an expert in Labour Law and it’s relevant processes and the negotiation thereof. If you don’t and the whole thing goes pear-shaped, it could cost you a great deal of money.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Preparing for Disputes – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Following on from last week, today we are going to look at some of the most typical and also most important issues that can be discussed at the ‘pre-meeting’.
Some of the most typical and also important issues that are or can be dealt with are (but not limited to):
· Any means by which the dispute may be settled. Both parties would be expected to express exactly what they are wanting that would give them a sense of vindication. It is often at this point that an “out of court” settlement is reached and agreed to and once this agreement has been signed, the arbitration hearing would therefore be totally unnecessary .
· Facts that are the common cause. In some cases it is the ‘straw that breaks the camels back’ that mess the whole works up and it is easier and more beneficial to all parties to get consensus on these and to agree to the facts up front. Issues such as (but not limited to)
+ the exact date that an employee was employed
+ the exact date that the employee was dismissed
+ the exact reason for the dismissal
Here’s the thing – the more issues that can be agreed upon before the hearing, the less time (and expense) will be needed to establish the facts during the hearing.
· Facts that are in dispute. These are usually the issues that the parties cannot or will not agree on. These are issues such as (but not limited to)
+ the employees benefits
+ the employees package
+ the employees remuneration
+ whether the treatment by the employer was fair and/or unfair.
It may also include issues such as whether the employee was at the workplace on the day that the incident took place and so on.
Often at this point the parties may agree that the arbitrator will need decide if the dismissal was procedurally fair or unfair and also whether it was substantively unfair.
· Precise Relief claimed. Usually this is the discussion that takes place that highlights whether the employee wants to be re-instated or whether they want some kind of financial compensation.
It is also at this stage that the sharing and exchange of documents takes place and one ‘common’ bundle of documents can be compiled. Parties fighting about documents and their contents or lack thereof take up huge amounts of time and getting this resolved up front and beforehand makes life a lot easier and it will also greatly reduce the amount of time that is spent in the actual hearing.
Both parties should of course, document the entire meeting, making sure that all the issues that they have agreed to are correctly recorded as well as all the issues that were not agreed on. These minutes can then be signed off on by both parties that then can also be presented to the arbitrator who will use them to get a clear idea of key issues that are relevant to the case.
Be careful though that you don’t give away too much of your case. It is for this very reason that it is in your own interests to use someone who is an expert in Labour Law and it’s relevant processes and the negotiation thereof. If you don’t and the whole thing goes pear-shaped, it could cost you a great deal of money.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, November 26, 2009
SALES - Knowledge is Key
SALES – Knowledge is Key
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
I know that I am one of the most impatient people on the planet. Talk about instant gratification – when I want something, I want it right now! Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Fact of the matter is that I am no different from most people on the face of the earth and certainly no different from any of my SMME colleagues.
Here’s the thing though, you would not expect yourself to become proficient or an expert after one piano lesson or a master chef from reading one cookery book, so why on earth would you expect yourself to become an expert sales person after making just one sale? Doesn’t make any kind of logical sense now does it?
Like most things in life I have to keep learning about it, I have to keep reading up on it, I have to keep implementing what I have learnt. I have to keep up to date with the trends and what is happening in my working and business environment. Those of you who know me and who have been in my office will attest to the large piles of books, magazines and articles that I have all over the place, not to mention the pile of magazines in the bathroom and the toilet. As I have mentioned in some of my articles before, much of what I write is what I most need to hear and this is no exception. As I do the research for and write these articles for my blog and to share with my fellow SMME’s so I learn and grow my own business.
I understand that after almost 40 years since I was last in a classroom, I have to again become a student and learn, not only about selling but all the other skills that are needed as a small business owner. Skills such as branding and marketing, general business skills, skills around negotiation and the ‘how to’ of people skills and please don’t forget anything and everything around finance and tax. New technology also needs to be understood to a certain degree and for me that means knowing what can be done rather than how it does it.
Of late, I find myself becoming quite an information junkie, I devour books, magazines and shamelessly trawl the internet for information, I can’t seem to get enough and I also seem to need more and more.
Don’t forget though, although the saying is ‘knowledge is power’ the true power is unleashed when you do something with that knowledge! So don’t just be learning, make sure that you do something with your new found knowledge. That’s the key!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
I know that I am one of the most impatient people on the planet. Talk about instant gratification – when I want something, I want it right now! Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Fact of the matter is that I am no different from most people on the face of the earth and certainly no different from any of my SMME colleagues.
Here’s the thing though, you would not expect yourself to become proficient or an expert after one piano lesson or a master chef from reading one cookery book, so why on earth would you expect yourself to become an expert sales person after making just one sale? Doesn’t make any kind of logical sense now does it?
Like most things in life I have to keep learning about it, I have to keep reading up on it, I have to keep implementing what I have learnt. I have to keep up to date with the trends and what is happening in my working and business environment. Those of you who know me and who have been in my office will attest to the large piles of books, magazines and articles that I have all over the place, not to mention the pile of magazines in the bathroom and the toilet. As I have mentioned in some of my articles before, much of what I write is what I most need to hear and this is no exception. As I do the research for and write these articles for my blog and to share with my fellow SMME’s so I learn and grow my own business.
I understand that after almost 40 years since I was last in a classroom, I have to again become a student and learn, not only about selling but all the other skills that are needed as a small business owner. Skills such as branding and marketing, general business skills, skills around negotiation and the ‘how to’ of people skills and please don’t forget anything and everything around finance and tax. New technology also needs to be understood to a certain degree and for me that means knowing what can be done rather than how it does it.
Of late, I find myself becoming quite an information junkie, I devour books, magazines and shamelessly trawl the internet for information, I can’t seem to get enough and I also seem to need more and more.
Don’t forget though, although the saying is ‘knowledge is power’ the true power is unleashed when you do something with that knowledge! So don’t just be learning, make sure that you do something with your new found knowledge. That’s the key!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Power of Networking - Part 139
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 139
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
I was reminded again yesterday about how trust is such an important factor in Networking and referrals.
You see my friend (let’s call her Jill) met me for lunch and was telling me about this huge opportunity that has presented itself to her. There is this chap (let’s call him John) who heads up a multi million Rand organisation who is looking for a particular product to brand as a corporate gift for his clients for 2010.
Jill had a meeting with him on an unrelated issue and he mentioned this corporate gift idea that he had and said that no-one had gotten back to him and that in fact he had had little response from anyone. How bizarre is that? The man wants to give someone huge amounts of money and/or business and no-one appears to wants the business!
Well now Jill, who is in a totally unrelated type of business, really does not know how to pass up on a good deal and she asks him if she could perhaps assist him and John gives her 24 hours to get back to him with a proposal. 24 hours people, in a field that she knows nothing about!
You would think that Jill’s initial reaction would be one of “Panic! I have no idea where to even begin to find what he needs” – well, in a way you could be right but more importantly you are most definitely wrong.
Here’s the thing – Jill may not know much about the product that she had 24 hours in which to come up with, but Jill knows me and Jill knows that I know lots of people. So Jill, who loves to work ‘smart’ rather than ‘hard’ called me!
So here is what happened – I have connected Jill with several people in my database, one in particular being (let’s call her Jane). Jill and Jane have never met one another, but because I referred both of them, one to the other, they are now doing business and John is a happy man. My contacts know and trust me and they also know how to deliver. The result is . . . . well let’s jus say that Jill owes me several large whiskeys!
Here are two people, who have yet to meet one another, who are doing hundreds of thousands of Rands worth of business because they both know and trust me.
Now that . . . is the Power of Networking!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 139
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
I was reminded again yesterday about how trust is such an important factor in Networking and referrals.
You see my friend (let’s call her Jill) met me for lunch and was telling me about this huge opportunity that has presented itself to her. There is this chap (let’s call him John) who heads up a multi million Rand organisation who is looking for a particular product to brand as a corporate gift for his clients for 2010.
Jill had a meeting with him on an unrelated issue and he mentioned this corporate gift idea that he had and said that no-one had gotten back to him and that in fact he had had little response from anyone. How bizarre is that? The man wants to give someone huge amounts of money and/or business and no-one appears to wants the business!
Well now Jill, who is in a totally unrelated type of business, really does not know how to pass up on a good deal and she asks him if she could perhaps assist him and John gives her 24 hours to get back to him with a proposal. 24 hours people, in a field that she knows nothing about!
You would think that Jill’s initial reaction would be one of “Panic! I have no idea where to even begin to find what he needs” – well, in a way you could be right but more importantly you are most definitely wrong.
Here’s the thing – Jill may not know much about the product that she had 24 hours in which to come up with, but Jill knows me and Jill knows that I know lots of people. So Jill, who loves to work ‘smart’ rather than ‘hard’ called me!
So here is what happened – I have connected Jill with several people in my database, one in particular being (let’s call her Jane). Jill and Jane have never met one another, but because I referred both of them, one to the other, they are now doing business and John is a happy man. My contacts know and trust me and they also know how to deliver. The result is . . . . well let’s jus say that Jill owes me several large whiskeys!
Here are two people, who have yet to meet one another, who are doing hundreds of thousands of Rands worth of business because they both know and trust me.
Now that . . . is the Power of Networking!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
BUSINESS TIPS - What is Cash Flow?
BUSINESS TIPS – What is Cash Flow
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
We all hear the words every day – “Cash is King”! Clearly it is preferable to have physical cash in your hand, than say a cheque or even money in the bank. Why do you think that that is?
Firstly if the money is in the bank, then there may be expenses that still need to go off your account, you would still need to go to the bank to draw money or alternatively you may not have the card or the correct access codes to get the money out of the bank. So having physical cash in your hand is always a good thing.
Let’s have a look at what cash flow is – exactly. Quite simply, it is the physical money that you have access to at any given time. It’s not the money that you are waiting to be paid. It’s not the stock that you are waiting to sell – it’s the physical cash that you have access to at any given time.
Having a good cash flow is absolutely imperative. As SMME’s (Small, Micro, Medium Enterprises) we need a good cash flow in order to purchase our supplies, to pay rent, to pay our staff and to pay our way in the every day manner in which we conduct our business. In short it is that lifeblood that we need in order to earn our livelihood, without it we would whither up and literally die.
So how do we get this ‘cash flow’?
First of all we need to get money into the business – this is usually referred to as a “cash inflow” and it is usually made of up four different components, these are:
· Sales of our products and/or services – well that’s pretty self explanatory.
· Loan or credit card proceeds – this is either money that we have loaned from a bank or financial institution or indeed money that we have loaned our business in our personal capacity and/or money that is coming to us from sales that were paid for by means of credit cards or indeed money that we have ‘borrowed’ on our credit cards, even money that is owed to us by our debtors.
· Asset Sales – this would be when we sell assets (such as old computers or vehicles etc) that were previously purchased by the company that we are now upgrading and/or even just getting rid of.
· Owner investments – these would be property and/or financial and/or business investments that we have made on behalf of our company.
Then of course money goes out of the business – this is usually referred to as “cash outflow” and again it is usually made up of four different components, these are:
· Business expenditures – these are of course the expenses that are raised in the normal day to day running of the business. This would also include salaries and wages etc for the staff.
· Loan or credit card principal payments – just as you got the money either from a loan or your credit card, now you have to pay that loan back or pay your credit card back.
· Asset purchases – again, just as you sold old equipment or equipment that you no longer needed, so now you have to buy new equipment and/or assets for the business.
· Owner withdrawals – again that is pretty self explanatory and it is when the owner takes money out of the business for personal use. These drawings are usually offset against the money that the owner has lent to the business out of his/her loan account.
Both the ‘Cash Inflows’ and the ‘Cash Outflows’ also fit into three main categories within the business and these are:
· Operating – this covers the sales of product and/or services of your business, together with the business expenses that you incur in the selling of your product and/or service.
· Investing – this would be all the assets that you buy and sell and
· Financing – this obviously covers all the loans and the repayments of the loans as well as the money that the owner has invested into his/her business and the withdrawals that he/she makes for personal use.
So there you have it, basically what cash flow is and the ‘how’ and ‘what’ it relates to.
Next week we will have a look at some simple tips on how to manage your cash flow.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
We all hear the words every day – “Cash is King”! Clearly it is preferable to have physical cash in your hand, than say a cheque or even money in the bank. Why do you think that that is?
Firstly if the money is in the bank, then there may be expenses that still need to go off your account, you would still need to go to the bank to draw money or alternatively you may not have the card or the correct access codes to get the money out of the bank. So having physical cash in your hand is always a good thing.
Let’s have a look at what cash flow is – exactly. Quite simply, it is the physical money that you have access to at any given time. It’s not the money that you are waiting to be paid. It’s not the stock that you are waiting to sell – it’s the physical cash that you have access to at any given time.
Having a good cash flow is absolutely imperative. As SMME’s (Small, Micro, Medium Enterprises) we need a good cash flow in order to purchase our supplies, to pay rent, to pay our staff and to pay our way in the every day manner in which we conduct our business. In short it is that lifeblood that we need in order to earn our livelihood, without it we would whither up and literally die.
So how do we get this ‘cash flow’?
First of all we need to get money into the business – this is usually referred to as a “cash inflow” and it is usually made of up four different components, these are:
· Sales of our products and/or services – well that’s pretty self explanatory.
· Loan or credit card proceeds – this is either money that we have loaned from a bank or financial institution or indeed money that we have loaned our business in our personal capacity and/or money that is coming to us from sales that were paid for by means of credit cards or indeed money that we have ‘borrowed’ on our credit cards, even money that is owed to us by our debtors.
· Asset Sales – this would be when we sell assets (such as old computers or vehicles etc) that were previously purchased by the company that we are now upgrading and/or even just getting rid of.
· Owner investments – these would be property and/or financial and/or business investments that we have made on behalf of our company.
Then of course money goes out of the business – this is usually referred to as “cash outflow” and again it is usually made up of four different components, these are:
· Business expenditures – these are of course the expenses that are raised in the normal day to day running of the business. This would also include salaries and wages etc for the staff.
· Loan or credit card principal payments – just as you got the money either from a loan or your credit card, now you have to pay that loan back or pay your credit card back.
· Asset purchases – again, just as you sold old equipment or equipment that you no longer needed, so now you have to buy new equipment and/or assets for the business.
· Owner withdrawals – again that is pretty self explanatory and it is when the owner takes money out of the business for personal use. These drawings are usually offset against the money that the owner has lent to the business out of his/her loan account.
Both the ‘Cash Inflows’ and the ‘Cash Outflows’ also fit into three main categories within the business and these are:
· Operating – this covers the sales of product and/or services of your business, together with the business expenses that you incur in the selling of your product and/or service.
· Investing – this would be all the assets that you buy and sell and
· Financing – this obviously covers all the loans and the repayments of the loans as well as the money that the owner has invested into his/her business and the withdrawals that he/she makes for personal use.
So there you have it, basically what cash flow is and the ‘how’ and ‘what’ it relates to.
Next week we will have a look at some simple tips on how to manage your cash flow.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, November 23, 2009
MOTIVATION - Believing It Is Possible
MOTIVATION – Believing It is Possible
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – November 2009
Richard M De Vos says “The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.”
So what exactly is it that we are all so afraid of? Why is it that we are afraid to believe that “things” are possible? Why is it that we have so little faith in ourselves and the magnitude of ‘that’ person that we are, that we are afraid to try things in life? Quite honestly I don’t have the answers.
What I do have is a life and business coach by the name of Vanessa, who is teaching me and guiding me through this process. I always smilingly say that I am a ‘work in progress’!
What I am discovering in this amazing journey through life is that I am beginning to ‘try’ things – not just wanting to try them or thinking about trying them, but that I am actually actively engaged in the process of ‘trying’ life. I am physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually engaged in ‘the business of trying life.’
Please believe me when I tell you that it is the most difficult thing I have ever done and also the absolute easiest. Difficult because I have had to let go of and work through my own fear and my faith in myself and the Universe. Easy because, once I let myself ‘do’ it, I could not for the life of me understand what it was that I was so scared and afraid of in the first place.
Yip – a work in progress, that’s me! You see every time I hit a ripple in the road (usually put there by myself) my first reaction is one of fear and then I have to stop – work through everything from a logical perspective, understand the fear, throw the fear and the uncertainty out and then continue on my way. I do understand and am aware of the fact that as I continue on my journey the ‘fear factor’ will become less and less though.
You see, the ‘fear’ had been a part of my life for so long that it had become a really nasty and evil habit. Like any other bad habit, you have to be consciously and consistently aware of the damage that it is doing to you and only in that awareness will you be able to rid yourself of it.
It’s a habit that I am expunging on a daily basis.
It’s a habit that will soon be gone from my life forever.
In my new found ‘fearless’ freedom, I am finally starting to try new things and in so doing I have found the faith and trust in myself and the purpose of my life, which will ultimately allow me to live my life to the fullest.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – November 2009
Richard M De Vos says “The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.”
So what exactly is it that we are all so afraid of? Why is it that we are afraid to believe that “things” are possible? Why is it that we have so little faith in ourselves and the magnitude of ‘that’ person that we are, that we are afraid to try things in life? Quite honestly I don’t have the answers.
What I do have is a life and business coach by the name of Vanessa, who is teaching me and guiding me through this process. I always smilingly say that I am a ‘work in progress’!
What I am discovering in this amazing journey through life is that I am beginning to ‘try’ things – not just wanting to try them or thinking about trying them, but that I am actually actively engaged in the process of ‘trying’ life. I am physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually engaged in ‘the business of trying life.’
Please believe me when I tell you that it is the most difficult thing I have ever done and also the absolute easiest. Difficult because I have had to let go of and work through my own fear and my faith in myself and the Universe. Easy because, once I let myself ‘do’ it, I could not for the life of me understand what it was that I was so scared and afraid of in the first place.
Yip – a work in progress, that’s me! You see every time I hit a ripple in the road (usually put there by myself) my first reaction is one of fear and then I have to stop – work through everything from a logical perspective, understand the fear, throw the fear and the uncertainty out and then continue on my way. I do understand and am aware of the fact that as I continue on my journey the ‘fear factor’ will become less and less though.
You see, the ‘fear’ had been a part of my life for so long that it had become a really nasty and evil habit. Like any other bad habit, you have to be consciously and consistently aware of the damage that it is doing to you and only in that awareness will you be able to rid yourself of it.
It’s a habit that I am expunging on a daily basis.
It’s a habit that will soon be gone from my life forever.
In my new found ‘fearless’ freedom, I am finally starting to try new things and in so doing I have found the faith and trust in myself and the purpose of my life, which will ultimately allow me to live my life to the fullest.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Saturday, November 21, 2009
HR - Preparing for Disputes - Part 1
ARTICLE 47
Preparing for Disputes - Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Over the last few months, I have been inundated with clients who have had the need to discipline staff. In every single instance, although I have previously taken them through the “how to” and the “what to” with their staffing challenges, they have chosen not to listen to or take my advice. The result now is that they are deep in the smelly brown stuff and getting them out of it is going to be expensive. Had they but listened in the first place, none of this would have happened and they certainly would not have been in the space that they have now found themselves in.
In all of the instances, a huge amount of time and resources, not to mention cost has been spent to ensure that the damage is now contained and that it does not spiral out of control.
Preparation of documents and a comprehensive documented statement of account is vital, so ensuring that the telling of the story and how it unfolded is critical and whilst it is always a good idea to leave ‘emotions’ at the door, explaining how you felt, your perceptions and expectations is always a good thing.
Having your story backed up with documentation is extremely useful, but having witnesses who can corroborate your story and the documents is even better and in all probability the most powerful thing of all.
Remember however, that a disciplinary hearing is still a process and it doesn’t matter how powerful your case is, you still have to follow the process, especially the most basic of all of the processes and they have to be followed completely and to the letter of the law. Not doing so will actually make things a whole lot worse instead of better. So please take notice of this.
From there, depending on the outcome of the findings, the dispute may be referred to the CCMA for conciliation, con-arb or arbitration.
Please be aware of the fact that should the dispute go to con-arb or arbitration, the responsibility of preparing the case properly will be yours. So if you are not sure of what to do make sure that you get someone who knows what they are doing to help you and guide you through the process.
The reason that you need to prepare yourself properly is because you can expect to go through a court type hearing with all the relevant proceedings and processes. You see you will not only have to present your evidence in a manner that is professional, but yet concise and easy to understand – you will also have to respond to and try and counteract the evidence of your opponent, also in a profession manner. You have to come across as believable and ensure that what you have to say bears merit rather than malice.
There may be a need for a “pre-arbitration” meeting with your adversary. In many instances this type of meeting could in fact resolve the matter, thereby removing the need for an arbitration meeting altogether. At worst the pre-arbitration meeting will assist in the reducing of time that it will take to complete the hearing and/or assist you in the preparation of the meeting. For the record though, although the CCMA would like the parties to have a ‘pre-meeting’ and that it could be to your own advantage to do so, the fact of the matter is that it is not compulsory.
Next week we will look at some of the most typical and also most important issues that can be discussed at the ‘pre-meeting’.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Preparing for Disputes - Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Over the last few months, I have been inundated with clients who have had the need to discipline staff. In every single instance, although I have previously taken them through the “how to” and the “what to” with their staffing challenges, they have chosen not to listen to or take my advice. The result now is that they are deep in the smelly brown stuff and getting them out of it is going to be expensive. Had they but listened in the first place, none of this would have happened and they certainly would not have been in the space that they have now found themselves in.
In all of the instances, a huge amount of time and resources, not to mention cost has been spent to ensure that the damage is now contained and that it does not spiral out of control.
Preparation of documents and a comprehensive documented statement of account is vital, so ensuring that the telling of the story and how it unfolded is critical and whilst it is always a good idea to leave ‘emotions’ at the door, explaining how you felt, your perceptions and expectations is always a good thing.
Having your story backed up with documentation is extremely useful, but having witnesses who can corroborate your story and the documents is even better and in all probability the most powerful thing of all.
Remember however, that a disciplinary hearing is still a process and it doesn’t matter how powerful your case is, you still have to follow the process, especially the most basic of all of the processes and they have to be followed completely and to the letter of the law. Not doing so will actually make things a whole lot worse instead of better. So please take notice of this.
From there, depending on the outcome of the findings, the dispute may be referred to the CCMA for conciliation, con-arb or arbitration.
Please be aware of the fact that should the dispute go to con-arb or arbitration, the responsibility of preparing the case properly will be yours. So if you are not sure of what to do make sure that you get someone who knows what they are doing to help you and guide you through the process.
The reason that you need to prepare yourself properly is because you can expect to go through a court type hearing with all the relevant proceedings and processes. You see you will not only have to present your evidence in a manner that is professional, but yet concise and easy to understand – you will also have to respond to and try and counteract the evidence of your opponent, also in a profession manner. You have to come across as believable and ensure that what you have to say bears merit rather than malice.
There may be a need for a “pre-arbitration” meeting with your adversary. In many instances this type of meeting could in fact resolve the matter, thereby removing the need for an arbitration meeting altogether. At worst the pre-arbitration meeting will assist in the reducing of time that it will take to complete the hearing and/or assist you in the preparation of the meeting. For the record though, although the CCMA would like the parties to have a ‘pre-meeting’ and that it could be to your own advantage to do so, the fact of the matter is that it is not compulsory.
Next week we will look at some of the most typical and also most important issues that can be discussed at the ‘pre-meeting’.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, November 19, 2009
SALES - Boosting the Sale and Soft Selling
SALES – Boosting the Sale and Soft Selling
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am a real fan of the South African Lotto (AKA the lottery). Granted most of us win far less than we pay to play, but for me, as long as it is fun and not an addiction – where’s the problem?
I used to grab a couple of ‘quick picks’ each week leaving the thrill of the win up to the Universe as the machine picks the numbers that you end up playing, on a random basis. I was fairly successful and used to feel the same sense of elation and well being, whether I won R7.00 (my smallest and most frequent win) to a few thousand Rand (my largest win), and since each ticket was R2.50 the R20.00 or so I spent a week was really not a train smash at all.
Then they upped the cost to R3.50 a ticket and now they have introduced another component called “Power Ball”.
Powerball forces you to choose your own numbers and that has changed the whole ‘feel’ of the experience because now I have to choose the numbers which means that I am also looking at statistics to see which numbers come up more than others and ‘my win’ is no longer left entirely up to chance. The draw is also done on two entirely different days to the normal lotto draws.
Thing is though that whilst I was quite happy to accept the R1.00 increase, I doubt very much that I would have been enamored with, say a R2.50 or R3.00 increase.
The R1.00 increase, together with the introduction of the “Power Ball” game gives the perception that I am getting more value for my money.
But what if the lotto ticket was, say R100.00 a ticket? Would I be willing to spend that amount of money twice a week? I doubt it very much – in fact knowing the kind of person that I am – I probably would not play anymore at all.
So what does this all tell me? Well, generally speaking it evidences that the more the item costs the more reluctant people are to spend the money in the first place. Put that together with the risk involved and people become even more reluctant to spend the money.
In the grand scheme of things, there are a relatively small number of individuals who are willing to take financial risks.
So therefore to make the ‘sale’ more attractive, it is in your own best interests to ensure that the perception is that the risk is kept to a minimum.
That’s why referrals work so well. You see, because the product and/or service arrives tried, tested and trusted, the perception is that there is very little risk.
So for me, the biggest and easiest way to reduce risk is by being recommended by an existing client and/or contact.
It’s the easiest way to increase my database and the easiest way to boost my sales and most definitely the easiest way for me to get new business.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am a real fan of the South African Lotto (AKA the lottery). Granted most of us win far less than we pay to play, but for me, as long as it is fun and not an addiction – where’s the problem?
I used to grab a couple of ‘quick picks’ each week leaving the thrill of the win up to the Universe as the machine picks the numbers that you end up playing, on a random basis. I was fairly successful and used to feel the same sense of elation and well being, whether I won R7.00 (my smallest and most frequent win) to a few thousand Rand (my largest win), and since each ticket was R2.50 the R20.00 or so I spent a week was really not a train smash at all.
Then they upped the cost to R3.50 a ticket and now they have introduced another component called “Power Ball”.
Powerball forces you to choose your own numbers and that has changed the whole ‘feel’ of the experience because now I have to choose the numbers which means that I am also looking at statistics to see which numbers come up more than others and ‘my win’ is no longer left entirely up to chance. The draw is also done on two entirely different days to the normal lotto draws.
Thing is though that whilst I was quite happy to accept the R1.00 increase, I doubt very much that I would have been enamored with, say a R2.50 or R3.00 increase.
The R1.00 increase, together with the introduction of the “Power Ball” game gives the perception that I am getting more value for my money.
But what if the lotto ticket was, say R100.00 a ticket? Would I be willing to spend that amount of money twice a week? I doubt it very much – in fact knowing the kind of person that I am – I probably would not play anymore at all.
So what does this all tell me? Well, generally speaking it evidences that the more the item costs the more reluctant people are to spend the money in the first place. Put that together with the risk involved and people become even more reluctant to spend the money.
In the grand scheme of things, there are a relatively small number of individuals who are willing to take financial risks.
So therefore to make the ‘sale’ more attractive, it is in your own best interests to ensure that the perception is that the risk is kept to a minimum.
That’s why referrals work so well. You see, because the product and/or service arrives tried, tested and trusted, the perception is that there is very little risk.
So for me, the biggest and easiest way to reduce risk is by being recommended by an existing client and/or contact.
It’s the easiest way to increase my database and the easiest way to boost my sales and most definitely the easiest way for me to get new business.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Power of Networking - Part 138
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 138
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
Ralph Marston says “What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank-you for it, would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you are already have.”
What makes you think that Networking is any different? One of the issues around Networking and one of the reasons people don’t believe that it actually does work is the fact that people don’t say thank you or that they don’t appreciate or even respect the referral that they have been given and also that very often people don’t reciprocate.
A couple of months ago, I was at a Networking event that was attached to a huge exhibition. Walking around the different exhibits, I came across two individuals who I had introduced to each other about three years before, working together at one of the stalls. I saw synergy between them that they clearly did not see at the time and they have since formed a JV (Joint Venture) that is obviously working very well.
Here’s the thing though – after I introduced them to each other, I have never heard from them again. In fact, I didn’t even recognise them, they both called out to me as I passed by. They are still in my database, they still get my ‘newsletters’ and invitations to the workshops that I run (so they know where and how to contact me) – but at no time did they ever feel the need to call me and tell me that they had formed the JV or to thank me for the referral. From what they told me, they have made loads of money from the relationship and yet no-one has even thought about me – the person that started the whole thing off.
Now quite honestly, whilst I am pleased that they eventually saw (and acted on) the synergies between themselves (that just proves to me once again that Networking does work) I am also quite miffed at the lack of respect that they have shown me. What they have shown me without a doubt too though, is that they are incredibly ungrateful. It will be their own loss though at the end of the day, because each and every time, going forward, that I have a possible connection or link for them and to them, I will certainly think twice about referring it. The connection or referral will go to others in my data base who have shown me respect, who have thanked me and who are obviously grateful about what I have passed onto them.
So think carefully about how you were brought up – I was always taught to say ‘thank-you’ and even if nothing comes of an introduction or referral that has been passed onto me, I always make contact and thank the person who connected me. The Universe is a really wonderful place, with many opportunities and you have no idea where the next great/big/enormous one is going to come from, so be thankful, be respectful and always be grateful.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 138
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
Ralph Marston says “What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank-you for it, would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you are already have.”
What makes you think that Networking is any different? One of the issues around Networking and one of the reasons people don’t believe that it actually does work is the fact that people don’t say thank you or that they don’t appreciate or even respect the referral that they have been given and also that very often people don’t reciprocate.
A couple of months ago, I was at a Networking event that was attached to a huge exhibition. Walking around the different exhibits, I came across two individuals who I had introduced to each other about three years before, working together at one of the stalls. I saw synergy between them that they clearly did not see at the time and they have since formed a JV (Joint Venture) that is obviously working very well.
Here’s the thing though – after I introduced them to each other, I have never heard from them again. In fact, I didn’t even recognise them, they both called out to me as I passed by. They are still in my database, they still get my ‘newsletters’ and invitations to the workshops that I run (so they know where and how to contact me) – but at no time did they ever feel the need to call me and tell me that they had formed the JV or to thank me for the referral. From what they told me, they have made loads of money from the relationship and yet no-one has even thought about me – the person that started the whole thing off.
Now quite honestly, whilst I am pleased that they eventually saw (and acted on) the synergies between themselves (that just proves to me once again that Networking does work) I am also quite miffed at the lack of respect that they have shown me. What they have shown me without a doubt too though, is that they are incredibly ungrateful. It will be their own loss though at the end of the day, because each and every time, going forward, that I have a possible connection or link for them and to them, I will certainly think twice about referring it. The connection or referral will go to others in my data base who have shown me respect, who have thanked me and who are obviously grateful about what I have passed onto them.
So think carefully about how you were brought up – I was always taught to say ‘thank-you’ and even if nothing comes of an introduction or referral that has been passed onto me, I always make contact and thank the person who connected me. The Universe is a really wonderful place, with many opportunities and you have no idea where the next great/big/enormous one is going to come from, so be thankful, be respectful and always be grateful.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
BUSINESS TIPS - Encouragement
BUSINESS TIPS – Encouragement
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Dr Renate Volpe, in her Political Intelligence nuggets says “Game 8: The Poker player. Encourages another person to share information, without revealing their own position.”
Oh I know these ones – they are the people who usually throw one or two words out and on very rare occasions an entire sentence may go into the pot and then they sit back and wait and watch and listen to everything that everyone else has to say. As the conversation wanes or stops altogether they will throw the next lot of words or sentence into the mix again.
Usually, they sit back with a huge self satisfied grin across their faces as they take in all the information that comes out of the conversation, whilst putting very little back in.
From this information they use whatever they need to for their own purposes, never, ever giving anything back.
From my own personal point of view they are like vampires, constantly sucking the life blood out of you. Always looking for new information, always on the periphery of any conversation, but never actually part of it.
In my opinion an exchange of ideas/information, is exactly that . . . exchanging or brainstorming and I always try and make myself aware of individuals who hang about just to listen in and not contribute in any way.
Should you require any additional information on Renate and what she does, please visit her website on http://www.HIRS.co.za.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Dr Renate Volpe, in her Political Intelligence nuggets says “Game 8: The Poker player. Encourages another person to share information, without revealing their own position.”
Oh I know these ones – they are the people who usually throw one or two words out and on very rare occasions an entire sentence may go into the pot and then they sit back and wait and watch and listen to everything that everyone else has to say. As the conversation wanes or stops altogether they will throw the next lot of words or sentence into the mix again.
Usually, they sit back with a huge self satisfied grin across their faces as they take in all the information that comes out of the conversation, whilst putting very little back in.
From this information they use whatever they need to for their own purposes, never, ever giving anything back.
From my own personal point of view they are like vampires, constantly sucking the life blood out of you. Always looking for new information, always on the periphery of any conversation, but never actually part of it.
In my opinion an exchange of ideas/information, is exactly that . . . exchanging or brainstorming and I always try and make myself aware of individuals who hang about just to listen in and not contribute in any way.
Should you require any additional information on Renate and what she does, please visit her website on http://www.HIRS.co.za.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, November 16, 2009
MOTIVATION - If You Can Dream It
MOTIVATION – If You Can Dream It
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
One of the most profound sayings that I know of is Walt Disney’s “If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.”
This certainly is one of the motivational tips that resonates the most with me – and boy do I love to dream. It is my most favorite part of the day. When I am lying in my bed at night, just before I slip into ‘lala land’ (if I am extremely lucky you understand), in that place between being awake and being asleep that I love to call ‘the twilight zone’, where I allow my mind to wonder to all the delicious possibilities that are available, and believe me when I tell you there are millions! I doubt very much that there is a single night that I don’t go to sleep with a huge big grin on my face and that I think is very good for the soul!
Sadly, even in this day and age, there are still millions of people out there, who never mind don’t have even a single dream, but worse still, they have no idea how to dream. People who are caught up in their mundane lives, who are so busy putting ‘one foot in front of the other’ in order to stay alive, so focused and intent on just existing that there is no room for anything else. Or, what about those folk who have been so damaged by life that they do not think that they deserve anything good in their lives, much less even the notion that they too can dream? Then of course you have the people who do not even believe in dreams, people who are so cynical about the magical aspects of life that they cannot even begin to understand how important it is to dream. My heart really does go out to all of these – I could not even being to imagine my life without my dreams.
Here’s the thing though – it’s no good just dreaming! Sure it’s a lot of fun and sure it feeds the mystical, magical, fantasy side of our lives, but in order to have those dreams become a reality (the ones that you do want to be part of your reality that is, not the ones about the flying red dragons), then you have to do something with them, about them and to them, in order for them to become the reality. There has to be some sort of action on your part. You have to become (if you’re not one already) a ‘doer’! You have to create the ‘space’ for the dream to become a reality and I think for most, therein lies the challenge.
Think about it for a moment – how would you feel about reading a book that has no ending! You get all caught up in the twists and turns, the plots and the pleasures, the drama and seductions and as you get to the most critical stage, you turn the page and . . . . nothing. You hastily turn the page back, believing that you have missed something, that you have done something wrong and no, there it is the twists and turns, the plot and the pleasures and you turn the page again, hoping that the tale continues and there, as plain as day, staring right back at you, a blank page!
That for me is what happens when a dream is not turned into reality. Irritation at having been brought this far down the road and then left dangling, the plot not realized, the twists and turns only half completed and the story that started off rich and vibrant and full of life brought to an abrupt end.
So remember that the dream that you want to turn into reality, must be brought to fruition, the tale needs to unfold and the story needs to have an ending and quite honestly, whichever ending that you need to write will be the right one for you – it’s all about the choices that you make and how you want the dream to end. So put in the effort, make it happen. Dream the dream but don’t forget to turn the dream into your reality.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
One of the most profound sayings that I know of is Walt Disney’s “If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.”
This certainly is one of the motivational tips that resonates the most with me – and boy do I love to dream. It is my most favorite part of the day. When I am lying in my bed at night, just before I slip into ‘lala land’ (if I am extremely lucky you understand), in that place between being awake and being asleep that I love to call ‘the twilight zone’, where I allow my mind to wonder to all the delicious possibilities that are available, and believe me when I tell you there are millions! I doubt very much that there is a single night that I don’t go to sleep with a huge big grin on my face and that I think is very good for the soul!
Sadly, even in this day and age, there are still millions of people out there, who never mind don’t have even a single dream, but worse still, they have no idea how to dream. People who are caught up in their mundane lives, who are so busy putting ‘one foot in front of the other’ in order to stay alive, so focused and intent on just existing that there is no room for anything else. Or, what about those folk who have been so damaged by life that they do not think that they deserve anything good in their lives, much less even the notion that they too can dream? Then of course you have the people who do not even believe in dreams, people who are so cynical about the magical aspects of life that they cannot even begin to understand how important it is to dream. My heart really does go out to all of these – I could not even being to imagine my life without my dreams.
Here’s the thing though – it’s no good just dreaming! Sure it’s a lot of fun and sure it feeds the mystical, magical, fantasy side of our lives, but in order to have those dreams become a reality (the ones that you do want to be part of your reality that is, not the ones about the flying red dragons), then you have to do something with them, about them and to them, in order for them to become the reality. There has to be some sort of action on your part. You have to become (if you’re not one already) a ‘doer’! You have to create the ‘space’ for the dream to become a reality and I think for most, therein lies the challenge.
Think about it for a moment – how would you feel about reading a book that has no ending! You get all caught up in the twists and turns, the plots and the pleasures, the drama and seductions and as you get to the most critical stage, you turn the page and . . . . nothing. You hastily turn the page back, believing that you have missed something, that you have done something wrong and no, there it is the twists and turns, the plot and the pleasures and you turn the page again, hoping that the tale continues and there, as plain as day, staring right back at you, a blank page!
That for me is what happens when a dream is not turned into reality. Irritation at having been brought this far down the road and then left dangling, the plot not realized, the twists and turns only half completed and the story that started off rich and vibrant and full of life brought to an abrupt end.
So remember that the dream that you want to turn into reality, must be brought to fruition, the tale needs to unfold and the story needs to have an ending and quite honestly, whichever ending that you need to write will be the right one for you – it’s all about the choices that you make and how you want the dream to end. So put in the effort, make it happen. Dream the dream but don’t forget to turn the dream into your reality.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Friday, November 13, 2009
Don't Forget the Basic Procedures
ARTICLE 46
Don’t Forget The Basic Procedures
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Most people have this absolute loathing for procedures and policies in the workplace, believing, somewhat naively that “It won’t happen to me”. Sad that.
Many others, having burnt their fingers once or twice or indeed several times over, now do a 180 degree turn and belabour the point, going too much into the finer detail and forgetting the basics.
Here’s the thing – too much is just as bad as too little. Oh I can just see all of you, shaking your heads sadly and wondering (probably out loud) if ‘this woman will ever be happy’ with what you do.?
Stick to the basics – keep it as simple as possible. Putting in too much detail and complicating the whole process may well result in the whole thing going pear-shaped as chances are you will be opening the lid of “Pandora’s Box”.
Here’s the story.
Mike owns a courier company and has many vehicles and drivers in his employ. Both George and Simon are drivers who were driving around the yard early one morning prior to going out onto the road to do their deliveries. George was still inebriated from the night before and should probably not have been driving anything. George’s reactions were not what they should have been and coming around a corner, he failed to react in time and went smack bang into the side of Simon’s vehicle, which was parked at the loading bay. Clearly George was at fault.
Mike drove George off to the nearest police station and requested that station commander and/or one of his staff test George for alcohol excess. This implied that Mike did not have the means to conduct an alcohol test on his own premises.
For whatever reason, the police could not do the test either.
Mike then conducted a disciplinary hearing on George the next day. George was found guilty and dismissed for drinking and driving, for endangering the lives of others and also for the damage that he caused to both vehicles.
George was also not advised that he had the right to appeal the findings.
The Court was not impressed. You see although it agreed that George was intoxicated at the time of the accident, proper procedures were not followed.
· George did not know that he could be dismissed for being drunk on duty – there was no Dismissal policy or Code of Conduct policy in place.
· George was only advised that the charges were at the actual disciplinary hearing. The charges should have been recorded on the charge sheet or the notice to attend a disciplinary.
· George’s previous disciplinary record was not taken into account.
· George was not given enough notice of the disciplinary
· Mike did not ‘test’ to see whether George’s conduct had damaged the employment relationship to such an extent that George’s continued employment would be intolerable.
· What about the element of ‘trust’ in the relationship. Mike had not shown that the trust between himself and George had been irreparably damaged.
· The most damaging aspect of this case though was that the Court said that it was the ‘responsibility of the Management to ensure that George (or any other employee for that matter) did not start working if he was drunk and/or had consumed alcohol prior to commencing work.’
Mike had not followed that basic procedures when putting this case together and based on that alone, he would have lost the case.
So before you do the ‘knee jerk’ thing – step back, take some time to think about what you are doing. Look at your own internal policies and procedures and make sure that you follow them step by step. Chances are that if you are procedurally correct, the case will not go to CCMA for arbitration.
Remember, if you are not sure about what you are doing, find an HR specialist, don’t try and do things yourself. It will cost you more in the long run.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Don’t Forget The Basic Procedures
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Most people have this absolute loathing for procedures and policies in the workplace, believing, somewhat naively that “It won’t happen to me”. Sad that.
Many others, having burnt their fingers once or twice or indeed several times over, now do a 180 degree turn and belabour the point, going too much into the finer detail and forgetting the basics.
Here’s the thing – too much is just as bad as too little. Oh I can just see all of you, shaking your heads sadly and wondering (probably out loud) if ‘this woman will ever be happy’ with what you do.?
Stick to the basics – keep it as simple as possible. Putting in too much detail and complicating the whole process may well result in the whole thing going pear-shaped as chances are you will be opening the lid of “Pandora’s Box”.
Here’s the story.
Mike owns a courier company and has many vehicles and drivers in his employ. Both George and Simon are drivers who were driving around the yard early one morning prior to going out onto the road to do their deliveries. George was still inebriated from the night before and should probably not have been driving anything. George’s reactions were not what they should have been and coming around a corner, he failed to react in time and went smack bang into the side of Simon’s vehicle, which was parked at the loading bay. Clearly George was at fault.
Mike drove George off to the nearest police station and requested that station commander and/or one of his staff test George for alcohol excess. This implied that Mike did not have the means to conduct an alcohol test on his own premises.
For whatever reason, the police could not do the test either.
Mike then conducted a disciplinary hearing on George the next day. George was found guilty and dismissed for drinking and driving, for endangering the lives of others and also for the damage that he caused to both vehicles.
George was also not advised that he had the right to appeal the findings.
The Court was not impressed. You see although it agreed that George was intoxicated at the time of the accident, proper procedures were not followed.
· George did not know that he could be dismissed for being drunk on duty – there was no Dismissal policy or Code of Conduct policy in place.
· George was only advised that the charges were at the actual disciplinary hearing. The charges should have been recorded on the charge sheet or the notice to attend a disciplinary.
· George’s previous disciplinary record was not taken into account.
· George was not given enough notice of the disciplinary
· Mike did not ‘test’ to see whether George’s conduct had damaged the employment relationship to such an extent that George’s continued employment would be intolerable.
· What about the element of ‘trust’ in the relationship. Mike had not shown that the trust between himself and George had been irreparably damaged.
· The most damaging aspect of this case though was that the Court said that it was the ‘responsibility of the Management to ensure that George (or any other employee for that matter) did not start working if he was drunk and/or had consumed alcohol prior to commencing work.’
Mike had not followed that basic procedures when putting this case together and based on that alone, he would have lost the case.
So before you do the ‘knee jerk’ thing – step back, take some time to think about what you are doing. Look at your own internal policies and procedures and make sure that you follow them step by step. Chances are that if you are procedurally correct, the case will not go to CCMA for arbitration.
Remember, if you are not sure about what you are doing, find an HR specialist, don’t try and do things yourself. It will cost you more in the long run.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, November 12, 2009
SALES - Timing is Key
SALES – Timing is Key
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
I am sure that you have all experienced the sale that you really, really push for. You are geared up and excited. Everything seems to be going in the right direction and then . . . . . . nothing. You cannot seem to close the deal. You cannot seem to get hold of anyone who can make a decision. Everything spirals downwards and the whole bloody thing goes pear shaped. You’re left sitting there wondering what the hell happened!
You go back to the beginning and analyze everything that you did, what was said, by whom and when and in all honesty you cannot for the life of you see what went wrong, where it went wrong, and why it went wrong.
Relax! Chances are that it has nothing to do with you anyway but that it is a timing thing. It happens to me all the time – it’s almost like I am ‘before my own time’ if that makes any sense. Go back to them in a few months time, pitch it again and watch the whole concept fall on very fertile ground. Most of the time it will seem as though you have pitched an entirely new concept, one that they have never even heard before. It’s quite extraordinary.
Here’s the thing though – you need to stay in touch. Continue to build the relationship. Continue to add value to the potential client. Remain focused. Be consistent and be persistent and believe me it will pay you big dividends in the long run.
It’s just a matter of time.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
I am sure that you have all experienced the sale that you really, really push for. You are geared up and excited. Everything seems to be going in the right direction and then . . . . . . nothing. You cannot seem to close the deal. You cannot seem to get hold of anyone who can make a decision. Everything spirals downwards and the whole bloody thing goes pear shaped. You’re left sitting there wondering what the hell happened!
You go back to the beginning and analyze everything that you did, what was said, by whom and when and in all honesty you cannot for the life of you see what went wrong, where it went wrong, and why it went wrong.
Relax! Chances are that it has nothing to do with you anyway but that it is a timing thing. It happens to me all the time – it’s almost like I am ‘before my own time’ if that makes any sense. Go back to them in a few months time, pitch it again and watch the whole concept fall on very fertile ground. Most of the time it will seem as though you have pitched an entirely new concept, one that they have never even heard before. It’s quite extraordinary.
Here’s the thing though – you need to stay in touch. Continue to build the relationship. Continue to add value to the potential client. Remain focused. Be consistent and be persistent and believe me it will pay you big dividends in the long run.
It’s just a matter of time.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Power of Networking - Part 137
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 137
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
I see it all around me all of the time and quite frankly it was one of the reasons that I started this Networking blog in the first place. What on earth am she talking about, you must be wondering – well it’s quite simply this, all SMME’s/Entrepreneurs get caught up in the day to day running of their businesses and/or dealing with one crisis after another. This usually means that they often cannot see the wood for trees and then bad decisions are made with bad solutions being brought into place and these of course have really bad consequences.
We get lost in our own minds and head space and I have even, on occasion heard someone say that they felt ‘lonely’ in business. We get this whole mentality that it’s us against the world, us all on our lonesome! What about the “I am an island” syndrome – I wonder how many times I had to hear that particular phrase?
Here’s the thing though, we are not alone, much as we would often like to do the dramatic “woe is me” thing and play the ‘victim/martyr’ role. The reality is that we are really not alone. Every small business owner/entrepreneur out there has gone through/is going through/will go through, exactly what you and I are going through right now! How presumptuous of us to think that we are so completely special in the grand scheme of things, that we get to do things differently.
Not only are we not intrinsically different to every other SMME/Entrepreneur out there, but we also don’t have to try and do it on our own, even if we are the only person in our businesses. How’s that for a statement?
You see, that is the beauty of Networking. We can interact with others who are going through what we are going through – others from businesses that are completely different to ours and even others from businesses that are very similar if not the same as ours. We can learn from each other, we can learn together, we can brainstorm and find suitable solutions for ourselves and for others. We can share information and ideas and we can keep each other grounded.
We can look out for each other and be a guiding light when someone else loses their way and starts to feel alone.
This is one of the reasons that Networking, for me is one of the most powerful tools in my business.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 137
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
I see it all around me all of the time and quite frankly it was one of the reasons that I started this Networking blog in the first place. What on earth am she talking about, you must be wondering – well it’s quite simply this, all SMME’s/Entrepreneurs get caught up in the day to day running of their businesses and/or dealing with one crisis after another. This usually means that they often cannot see the wood for trees and then bad decisions are made with bad solutions being brought into place and these of course have really bad consequences.
We get lost in our own minds and head space and I have even, on occasion heard someone say that they felt ‘lonely’ in business. We get this whole mentality that it’s us against the world, us all on our lonesome! What about the “I am an island” syndrome – I wonder how many times I had to hear that particular phrase?
Here’s the thing though, we are not alone, much as we would often like to do the dramatic “woe is me” thing and play the ‘victim/martyr’ role. The reality is that we are really not alone. Every small business owner/entrepreneur out there has gone through/is going through/will go through, exactly what you and I are going through right now! How presumptuous of us to think that we are so completely special in the grand scheme of things, that we get to do things differently.
Not only are we not intrinsically different to every other SMME/Entrepreneur out there, but we also don’t have to try and do it on our own, even if we are the only person in our businesses. How’s that for a statement?
You see, that is the beauty of Networking. We can interact with others who are going through what we are going through – others from businesses that are completely different to ours and even others from businesses that are very similar if not the same as ours. We can learn from each other, we can learn together, we can brainstorm and find suitable solutions for ourselves and for others. We can share information and ideas and we can keep each other grounded.
We can look out for each other and be a guiding light when someone else loses their way and starts to feel alone.
This is one of the reasons that Networking, for me is one of the most powerful tools in my business.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
VAT - Invoice Requirements
VAT – Invoice Requirements
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
As a VAT vendor – it’s not just about ensuring that you do the calculations correctly. It’s not just about making sure that you only claim for what you are entitled to claim for. There are several other issues at stake and if you are not aware of them, chances are that you are going to end up in hot water, should SARS decide to do an audit.
Firstly, let’s just get the most important issue out of the way. You need to retain all of your tax invoices. Whether you retain them in hard copy or soft copy or both, is not the real issue – the bottom line is that you have to keep them for a minimum of 5 years. So don’t be going throwing anything out!
Here’s a basic checklist for the requirements that MUST appear on your invoice.
· The words “Tax Invoice” must appear in a prominent position. Don’t try and be clever and hide it in amongst the rest of the wording on your invoice. Rather display it together with the number of the invoice. That way there can be no misunderstanding
· The Name, address and VAT registration number of the supplier. As a supplier myself, I have found it just easier to have my VAT number quoted on all of my correspondence. That way there can be no confusion.
· The Name, address and VAT registration number of the recipient. This one is not always easy to get. Sometimes clients are reluctant to give some of their personal details. Tip. You can check you client/supplier’s VAT number on the SARS site. Beware of people posing as VAT vendors. It will affect your return.
· The invoice number and date of the invoice. Remember that the invoices have to run consecutively and therefore the dates must be consistent with those numbers. There is nothing to stop you from personalizing the invoices, as long as every number follows on from the previous numbers.
· A full and proper description of the goods or the services supplied. Abbreviate if you must, but ensure that your description is understandable.
· The value of the goods/services supplied. It is also a good idea to evidence the cost of the goods/services supplied and then the VAT value as a separate figure and then the total cost of the invoice (which would be the value of the goods/services and the value of the VAT added together).
Remember though that unless you are a Sole Trader and/or a partnership where the partners are natural person, you will have to pay VAT on invoices raised. This means that irrespective of whether you have been paid by your client or not, you have to pay the VAT portion of the invoice across every two months.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
As a VAT vendor – it’s not just about ensuring that you do the calculations correctly. It’s not just about making sure that you only claim for what you are entitled to claim for. There are several other issues at stake and if you are not aware of them, chances are that you are going to end up in hot water, should SARS decide to do an audit.
Firstly, let’s just get the most important issue out of the way. You need to retain all of your tax invoices. Whether you retain them in hard copy or soft copy or both, is not the real issue – the bottom line is that you have to keep them for a minimum of 5 years. So don’t be going throwing anything out!
Here’s a basic checklist for the requirements that MUST appear on your invoice.
· The words “Tax Invoice” must appear in a prominent position. Don’t try and be clever and hide it in amongst the rest of the wording on your invoice. Rather display it together with the number of the invoice. That way there can be no misunderstanding
· The Name, address and VAT registration number of the supplier. As a supplier myself, I have found it just easier to have my VAT number quoted on all of my correspondence. That way there can be no confusion.
· The Name, address and VAT registration number of the recipient. This one is not always easy to get. Sometimes clients are reluctant to give some of their personal details. Tip. You can check you client/supplier’s VAT number on the SARS site. Beware of people posing as VAT vendors. It will affect your return.
· The invoice number and date of the invoice. Remember that the invoices have to run consecutively and therefore the dates must be consistent with those numbers. There is nothing to stop you from personalizing the invoices, as long as every number follows on from the previous numbers.
· A full and proper description of the goods or the services supplied. Abbreviate if you must, but ensure that your description is understandable.
· The value of the goods/services supplied. It is also a good idea to evidence the cost of the goods/services supplied and then the VAT value as a separate figure and then the total cost of the invoice (which would be the value of the goods/services and the value of the VAT added together).
Remember though that unless you are a Sole Trader and/or a partnership where the partners are natural person, you will have to pay VAT on invoices raised. This means that irrespective of whether you have been paid by your client or not, you have to pay the VAT portion of the invoice across every two months.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, November 09, 2009
MOTIVATION - Actions Speak Louder Than Words
MOTIVATION – Actions Speak Louder Than Words
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Ralph, Waldo Emerson says “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”
So many times I get the feeling that I am talking “at” people rather than talking to them or with them.
The perception, when you are engaged in conversation is that people are hanging onto every word that you say or alternatively, not listening at all. The reality is of course that it’s somewhere in the middle.
What does always really stand out however (well it does for me) is the credibility of the person who is speaking and in order for most people to gain credibility they have to be seen “Walking the talk”.
Let me tell you now, people are tired of “Talk Shows”! More and more people want to see that a person lives up the expectations that they have set up. They want to see that you are a person of your word, a person who can be depended on, a person of moral character.
Many years ago, when I was still a child, my father said “You have no control over the name that you bring into this world because it is the name that I have given you, but you are responsible for the name that you take out of this world because it is the name that you have made for yourself”.
It is something that I have been aware of my whole life and it is something that I live by and something that I live for within the parameters of my business. It is intrinsically who I am and what I stand for.
SMME’s (Small, Medium, Micro Enterprises), in general have earned themselves a reputation and sadly it is one of being unreliable, one of not being able to deliver.
Why? We because we are so busy telling people how fabulous we are, that there is no time to be the ‘fabulous’ that we say we are. On a personal level, I am far more comfortable being ‘fabulous’ than talking about how ‘fabulous’ I am. I am far more comfortable ‘doing’ than talking about doing.
So tell me – are you a ‘doer’ or are you just a talker? Do walk the talk or just talk the talk?
I know exactly which one I want to be know as – do you?
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Ralph, Waldo Emerson says “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”
So many times I get the feeling that I am talking “at” people rather than talking to them or with them.
The perception, when you are engaged in conversation is that people are hanging onto every word that you say or alternatively, not listening at all. The reality is of course that it’s somewhere in the middle.
What does always really stand out however (well it does for me) is the credibility of the person who is speaking and in order for most people to gain credibility they have to be seen “Walking the talk”.
Let me tell you now, people are tired of “Talk Shows”! More and more people want to see that a person lives up the expectations that they have set up. They want to see that you are a person of your word, a person who can be depended on, a person of moral character.
Many years ago, when I was still a child, my father said “You have no control over the name that you bring into this world because it is the name that I have given you, but you are responsible for the name that you take out of this world because it is the name that you have made for yourself”.
It is something that I have been aware of my whole life and it is something that I live by and something that I live for within the parameters of my business. It is intrinsically who I am and what I stand for.
SMME’s (Small, Medium, Micro Enterprises), in general have earned themselves a reputation and sadly it is one of being unreliable, one of not being able to deliver.
Why? We because we are so busy telling people how fabulous we are, that there is no time to be the ‘fabulous’ that we say we are. On a personal level, I am far more comfortable being ‘fabulous’ than talking about how ‘fabulous’ I am. I am far more comfortable ‘doing’ than talking about doing.
So tell me – are you a ‘doer’ or are you just a talker? Do walk the talk or just talk the talk?
I know exactly which one I want to be know as – do you?
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Friday, November 06, 2009
ARTICLE 45
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Staff Take Time Off
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Once again the issue of what and how much time can be taken by employees has come up. There always seems to be so much confusion around this issue – here are the facts.
Annual Leave – This is a legal requirement
In terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCOA), employees are entitled to a minimum of 15 working days per annum. This is essentially the very minimum for employees that work an eight hour, five day week. Obviously the longer their day or week the more leave that they are entitled to.
When leave can be taken and the procedures for completing leave forms and authorization therefore needs to be documented into a “Leave Policy”.
Sick Leave – This is a legal requirement
Again the BCOA is quite specific. Rule of thumb is as follows: If you take the number of days that your employees generally work over a six week period, that is the number of days that they are entitled to take over a three year period.
So for example, if your employee works a five day week for six weeks, this culminates to thirty days. Therefore your employee is entitled to take thirty days sick leave over a three year period.
Obviously issues like doctor’s certificates and leave forms should also be taken into account and these requirements should be documented when you are putting your leave policy together.
Maternity Leave – This is a legal requirement.
In terms of the NCOA, female employees are entitled to four months maternity leave. At this particular point in time, this is unpaid, however should the Company elect to put the employee on some sort of remuneration or even fully paid maternity leave, they are entitled to do so. Remember though that once the precedent is set, it need to be consistently maintained.
As usual the Company’s requirements as well as the rules pertaining to ‘what to do’ when applying for maternity leave should be included in your leave policy.
Family Responsibility Leave – This is a legal requirement.
The BCOA allows for three days in any given year. There are several requirements as to when and under which conditions this leave can be taken. The BCOA have the basic requirements, however that said, as long as the basics are me and complied with the number of days as well as the requirements can be extended by the employer.
The BCOA stipulates that Family Responsibility leave can be taken by employees, in relation to the immediate family as defined by the law. The exact requirements together with the relevant documentary evidence should be included in the Company’s Leave Policy.
These are all of the leave applications that are required by law. Other leave requirements such as (but not limited to):
Paternity Leave
Study Leave
Unpaid Leave
May very well be included in the Company policy, however this is not a legal requirement and is at the discretion of the employer.
Remember though, if you are not sure about what the requirements are, contact a Labour specialist – don’t just guess. Guessing will usually end up costing your in the long run.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . Staff Take Time Off
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009
Once again the issue of what and how much time can be taken by employees has come up. There always seems to be so much confusion around this issue – here are the facts.
Annual Leave – This is a legal requirement
In terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCOA), employees are entitled to a minimum of 15 working days per annum. This is essentially the very minimum for employees that work an eight hour, five day week. Obviously the longer their day or week the more leave that they are entitled to.
When leave can be taken and the procedures for completing leave forms and authorization therefore needs to be documented into a “Leave Policy”.
Sick Leave – This is a legal requirement
Again the BCOA is quite specific. Rule of thumb is as follows: If you take the number of days that your employees generally work over a six week period, that is the number of days that they are entitled to take over a three year period.
So for example, if your employee works a five day week for six weeks, this culminates to thirty days. Therefore your employee is entitled to take thirty days sick leave over a three year period.
Obviously issues like doctor’s certificates and leave forms should also be taken into account and these requirements should be documented when you are putting your leave policy together.
Maternity Leave – This is a legal requirement.
In terms of the NCOA, female employees are entitled to four months maternity leave. At this particular point in time, this is unpaid, however should the Company elect to put the employee on some sort of remuneration or even fully paid maternity leave, they are entitled to do so. Remember though that once the precedent is set, it need to be consistently maintained.
As usual the Company’s requirements as well as the rules pertaining to ‘what to do’ when applying for maternity leave should be included in your leave policy.
Family Responsibility Leave – This is a legal requirement.
The BCOA allows for three days in any given year. There are several requirements as to when and under which conditions this leave can be taken. The BCOA have the basic requirements, however that said, as long as the basics are me and complied with the number of days as well as the requirements can be extended by the employer.
The BCOA stipulates that Family Responsibility leave can be taken by employees, in relation to the immediate family as defined by the law. The exact requirements together with the relevant documentary evidence should be included in the Company’s Leave Policy.
These are all of the leave applications that are required by law. Other leave requirements such as (but not limited to):
Paternity Leave
Study Leave
Unpaid Leave
May very well be included in the Company policy, however this is not a legal requirement and is at the discretion of the employer.
Remember though, if you are not sure about what the requirements are, contact a Labour specialist – don’t just guess. Guessing will usually end up costing your in the long run.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Thursday, November 05, 2009
SALES - Finding What Your Customer Wants
SALES – Finding What Your Customer Wants
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
The easiest sales usually come about with the right kind of marketing and quite frankly I was not really sure where to put this particular article – there is such a huge divide between sales, marketing and branding and yet they are so incredibly close to. So if your perception is that it should be under something else . . well just pretend that it is!
Here we go –
Let’s take the same product, in the same place. On one of “The Apprentice” shows the challenge was to see which team could sell the most food at a football game. Both teams had exactly the same food, both teams were at the same game, both teams had the same number of members.
Team # 1 had hundreds of people crowded around the point where they were selling the food from. They had cheerleaders doing whatever it is that cheerleaders do, there were eating type competitions, lots of ra ra going on and lots of people everywhere. Sounds quite like fun doesn’t it. I am sure it was a lot of fun, but they did not win – Team # 2 did.
Team # 2 did not have a specific point where they sold the food from. There were no cheerleaders, there was no ra ra. So what happened? What made Team # 1 and Team # 2 so very different.
Well let’s examine the setting. Why do most people go to a football game? For me the most logical answer is ‘because they want to see the game’!
If you are going to the football game to watch the game, logic must tell you that you will not wanting to be queuing to buy food and drink irrespective of how gorgeous the cheerleaders are, or what the prize is for the eating competition. You’re there to watch the game and speaking from my own experience, I even resent having to queue up to go to the bathrooms.
So being logical again, it stands to reason that I would prefer it if someone came around to me with food and drink. It would mean that my focus was removed from the game (as I decided and ordered whatever it was that I wanted to eat and/or drink) for seconds rather than hours.
Here’s the other thing – people who get exactly what it is that they want, when they want it, don’t usually have a problem with paying more for it. Again, speaking from my own experience I would much rather pay say R30.00 for a steak roll that was delivered to me in my seat than say R15.00 for the same steak roll that I had to get up and go and find in another part of the stadium, where I had the irritation of having to queue for 15 to 20 minutes, have people pushing and shoving at me (we all know how that happens in a queue and it is one of my personal pet hates) and then when I eventually get back to my seat, I have missed most of the play and as luck would usually have it, the best goal/catch/run (insert whatever you want here). That would just annoy me immensely!
So what does that tell me? Simple really, “The key to success in business is GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT”.
Very simple, yet so many people get it all wrong!
So change your mindset – find out how to do things better, or faster, more profitable but most of all, find out what it is that people want and then give it to them in a better way, or much faster and then watch how your profits grow!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC November 2009.
The easiest sales usually come about with the right kind of marketing and quite frankly I was not really sure where to put this particular article – there is such a huge divide between sales, marketing and branding and yet they are so incredibly close to. So if your perception is that it should be under something else . . well just pretend that it is!
Here we go –
Let’s take the same product, in the same place. On one of “The Apprentice” shows the challenge was to see which team could sell the most food at a football game. Both teams had exactly the same food, both teams were at the same game, both teams had the same number of members.
Team # 1 had hundreds of people crowded around the point where they were selling the food from. They had cheerleaders doing whatever it is that cheerleaders do, there were eating type competitions, lots of ra ra going on and lots of people everywhere. Sounds quite like fun doesn’t it. I am sure it was a lot of fun, but they did not win – Team # 2 did.
Team # 2 did not have a specific point where they sold the food from. There were no cheerleaders, there was no ra ra. So what happened? What made Team # 1 and Team # 2 so very different.
Well let’s examine the setting. Why do most people go to a football game? For me the most logical answer is ‘because they want to see the game’!
If you are going to the football game to watch the game, logic must tell you that you will not wanting to be queuing to buy food and drink irrespective of how gorgeous the cheerleaders are, or what the prize is for the eating competition. You’re there to watch the game and speaking from my own experience, I even resent having to queue up to go to the bathrooms.
So being logical again, it stands to reason that I would prefer it if someone came around to me with food and drink. It would mean that my focus was removed from the game (as I decided and ordered whatever it was that I wanted to eat and/or drink) for seconds rather than hours.
Here’s the other thing – people who get exactly what it is that they want, when they want it, don’t usually have a problem with paying more for it. Again, speaking from my own experience I would much rather pay say R30.00 for a steak roll that was delivered to me in my seat than say R15.00 for the same steak roll that I had to get up and go and find in another part of the stadium, where I had the irritation of having to queue for 15 to 20 minutes, have people pushing and shoving at me (we all know how that happens in a queue and it is one of my personal pet hates) and then when I eventually get back to my seat, I have missed most of the play and as luck would usually have it, the best goal/catch/run (insert whatever you want here). That would just annoy me immensely!
So what does that tell me? Simple really, “The key to success in business is GIVING PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT”.
Very simple, yet so many people get it all wrong!
So change your mindset – find out how to do things better, or faster, more profitable but most of all, find out what it is that people want and then give it to them in a better way, or much faster and then watch how your profits grow!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
The Power of Networking - Part 136
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 136
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
One of the things that has become more and more evident to me as I continue on this Networking journey that I have undertaken is this: I have to mix with positive, passionate people!
I am currently going through my data base to clean out all the people who I never hear from or who have moved or just plain fallen off the planet (and believe me it is something that you need to do at least twice a year) and as I delete certain folk off the list, I am both saddened and relieved.
Saddened because, no matter how hard I have tried they just did not get the plot and they remain negative. They just cannot or will not see what is right in front of them – that’s their choice I guess. There are so many opportunities out there for people who will just look and then act.
Relieved because, well it’s hard on me to continually hit my head against a brick wall and quite frankly I don’t have to do that at all. For every person that I delete off the list I have no doubt that there will be five or more that I add onto the list. Five more individuals who are passionate about what they do and who will go for opportunities with me.
You see I choose to work with and mix with individuals who want to grow their businesses and who want to grow their profits. I choose to work with individuals who are not only passionate about what they do but also passionate about life. I want to work with people who are full of enthusiasm for life and for business and whose enthusiasm is infectious and contagious.
You see I believe that you become like the people that you mix with and I have no desire to be negative and a pessimist. I want to see the good in life, I want to live the good life and I want to empower others to do the same.
So here’s the thing – if you are one of those folk who are negative, who always see the bad in everything, who always have something derogatory to say about people, the country, the politics (insert anything you like here), please do me a favour – walk the other way when you see me. Quite honestly there is no room in my life for you!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
PART 136
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC. November 2009
One of the things that has become more and more evident to me as I continue on this Networking journey that I have undertaken is this: I have to mix with positive, passionate people!
I am currently going through my data base to clean out all the people who I never hear from or who have moved or just plain fallen off the planet (and believe me it is something that you need to do at least twice a year) and as I delete certain folk off the list, I am both saddened and relieved.
Saddened because, no matter how hard I have tried they just did not get the plot and they remain negative. They just cannot or will not see what is right in front of them – that’s their choice I guess. There are so many opportunities out there for people who will just look and then act.
Relieved because, well it’s hard on me to continually hit my head against a brick wall and quite frankly I don’t have to do that at all. For every person that I delete off the list I have no doubt that there will be five or more that I add onto the list. Five more individuals who are passionate about what they do and who will go for opportunities with me.
You see I choose to work with and mix with individuals who want to grow their businesses and who want to grow their profits. I choose to work with individuals who are not only passionate about what they do but also passionate about life. I want to work with people who are full of enthusiasm for life and for business and whose enthusiasm is infectious and contagious.
You see I believe that you become like the people that you mix with and I have no desire to be negative and a pessimist. I want to see the good in life, I want to live the good life and I want to empower others to do the same.
So here’s the thing – if you are one of those folk who are negative, who always see the bad in everything, who always have something derogatory to say about people, the country, the politics (insert anything you like here), please do me a favour – walk the other way when you see me. Quite honestly there is no room in my life for you!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
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