WORKSHOP: JHB GAUTENG: A Basic Practical Guide to Starting a Business - 22 February 2012
Getting started in the right direction will ensure a smooth transition from 'wannabe' to business owner and will allow you to focus on what you are good at - you know, getting that product and/or service to market. Ensuring that you have everything in place and working correctly, will ensure maximum productivity with minimum effort and will always affect your bottom line. Getting your processes and procedures in place will ensure that your business is built on a strong infrastructure that usually translates into a sustainable business.
The workshop deals with the everyday issues that arise when starting a new business. It saves time and energy as well as money. Time in that you don’t have to spend time in queue’s trying to get the correct documentation, or doing research on the Internet or anywhere else for that matter, trying to find out what you have to do and where you have to go in order to do it.
A Basic Practical Guide To Starting A Business is broken up into the following main titles below and starts off with the difference between a Sole Proprietor, a Close Corporation and a Company and how to register each of these entities.
- Accounting Records & General
- Banking Accounts
- Receipts and Banking
- Cheque Payments and/or Internet Payments
- Invoices
- Credit Notes
- Bank Reconciliations
- Petty Cash
- Control of Numbered Stationery
- Computerised Accounting
- Staff & HR Issues
- Security/Safety
- Money Laundering
- Filing
- Stock Control
No prior knowledge of Starting A Business is necessary for this highly effective but simple to understand workshop that promises to equip you with powerful tools to register and manage your business on a practical level.
About the Facilitator – Nikki Viljoen
Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who has her own company called Viljoen Consulting.
Nikki has in excess of 30 years experience in this field both from a banking perspective as well as from a Corporate perspective.
Having seen a huge gap in the SMME market, Nikki started Viljoen Consulting to assist SMME’s to become compliant and to establish controls and processes and to implement structure into the smaller companies to give them greater stability, and to encourage sustainability.
Nikki’s business blog http://www.businessreality.blogspot.com/ or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za/ was recently internationally rated at 8.9 out of a possible 10. This places Nikki 5th in the world in her category. With her blog Nikki shares useful Business and Personal tips with anyone who cares to read it.
Date: Wednesday 22nd February 2012
Price: R1 195.00 per delegate (includes breakfast/lunch/refreshments and course material)
Venue: German Chamber
47 Oxford Road
Forrest Town
Johannesburg
Time: 08.30 to 3.30/4.00 pm. (Registration from 08.00 onwards). Please allow additional travelling time to combat traffic.
RSVP: no later than Monday 20th February 2012 . Space is limited therefore bookings will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.
Please contact:-
German Chamber delegates please contact Shaan Padayachy on 011 486 2775 or spadayachy@germanchamber.co.za
Business Engage ( formerly Women in Finance) delegates please contact Colleen Larsen on colleen@womeninfinance.co.za or 084-353-9865.
Everyone else please contact Nikki Viljoen on nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or 083 702 8849 for booking details.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
EARLY WARNING - Legal Notices - Amendments
EARLY WARNING
Legal Notices - Amendments
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting January 2011.
I got this information directly off an AA Newsletter. It says (sic):
The National Road Traffic Regulations have been amended.
The amendment is in Government Gazette 33796, Notice number 1113 published on 25 November 2010. It is called the Seventeenth Amendment and came into force on publication. A few of the amendments are listed for your information:
• New motor vehicles registered after 1 August 2010 must have number plates that are fitted with pop rivets or screws. If it cannot be fitted to the vehicle it must be fitted to a bracket that complies with SANS 973.
• As of 1 February 2011 persons who obtain driving licences for a code C, C1, EC or EC1 driving licence will not be allowed to drive a motor vehicle that requires a code B or code EB licence (in old terms – a person with a code 10, 11, 13 or 14 licence cannot drive a vehicle for which you need a code 08 licence). This will only apply to new licence holders.
• Foreign licences are accepted in South Africa if the person got the licence while he was not in SA for a period longer than 3 months. Foreign licences are valid in SA until it expires in the country of issue but not for longer than 5 years after the person got permanent residence in SA
• Directional Stability Control Devices for mini and midibuses are introduced through a certification process that forms part of the roadworthy test. It applies to all mini and midibuses and not only newly manufactured vehicles.
• Left-hand drive steered vehicles: Legality is clarified - the owner of such a vehicle may, if the vehicle was licensed in his name before 23 July 2004, sell the vehicle and the new owner may licence it.
• An amendment to regulation 332 was published and lists the evidential breath testers that may be used to collect evidential breath samples and the certificate issued by the manufacturer or supplier may be used as evidence in cases by the mere production thereof.
• Management representatives of testing stations are limited to testing 150 motor vehicles per month.
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
Legal Notices - Amendments
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting January 2011.
I got this information directly off an AA Newsletter. It says (sic):
The National Road Traffic Regulations have been amended.
The amendment is in Government Gazette 33796, Notice number 1113 published on 25 November 2010. It is called the Seventeenth Amendment and came into force on publication. A few of the amendments are listed for your information:
• New motor vehicles registered after 1 August 2010 must have number plates that are fitted with pop rivets or screws. If it cannot be fitted to the vehicle it must be fitted to a bracket that complies with SANS 973.
• As of 1 February 2011 persons who obtain driving licences for a code C, C1, EC or EC1 driving licence will not be allowed to drive a motor vehicle that requires a code B or code EB licence (in old terms – a person with a code 10, 11, 13 or 14 licence cannot drive a vehicle for which you need a code 08 licence). This will only apply to new licence holders.
• Foreign licences are accepted in South Africa if the person got the licence while he was not in SA for a period longer than 3 months. Foreign licences are valid in SA until it expires in the country of issue but not for longer than 5 years after the person got permanent residence in SA
• Directional Stability Control Devices for mini and midibuses are introduced through a certification process that forms part of the roadworthy test. It applies to all mini and midibuses and not only newly manufactured vehicles.
• Left-hand drive steered vehicles: Legality is clarified - the owner of such a vehicle may, if the vehicle was licensed in his name before 23 July 2004, sell the vehicle and the new owner may licence it.
• An amendment to regulation 332 was published and lists the evidential breath testers that may be used to collect evidential breath samples and the certificate issued by the manufacturer or supplier may be used as evidence in cases by the mere production thereof.
• Management representatives of testing stations are limited to testing 150 motor vehicles per month.
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, January 25, 2012
BLOGGING TIPS - Where to Look for Ideas - Part 1
BLOGGING TIPS – Where Else to look for Ideas – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC January 2012
So last week we had a look at just how easy it is to turn everyday experiences into ideas for articles. Today I am going to give you some more examples of where to look for inspiration.
Using Celebrities & their Causes
We all have our favorite celebrities and many individuals avidly follow what their favorite celebrities are doing and getting up to. Celebrities also often use their status to highlight their pet projects – pretty much like Angelina Jolie uses her name to advance her projects and her position as a UN Ambassador or Al Gore who highlights Global Warming.
Using my friend Jacques the gardener again, his ideal celebrity to use to promote his business “Grow your own food” to highlight how we can all feed ourselves as well as grow our own little sustainable food businesses, would be someone like Annie Lennox or Cameron Diaz or Leonardo de Caprio, who are all very outspoken about our carbon footprints and issues around hunger and the starving poor – all of which can be addressed in some way by growing our own food.
Sure Jacques would have to do a little research on the exact or specific areas of their passions and commitments, but with his commitment to sustainable and organic food growing, there would be a wealth of information on the issues that they stand for, that he would be equally as passionate about.
I can see the article right now starting with words that go something along the lines of “Like Annie Lennox who strongly believes that no child should go to bed hungry – neither do I! Growing your own food and . . . .”
Keeping a Journal
Now I know that keeping a journal can be a real pain in the rear end – especially if it is something that you have not done all your life.
Oprah Winfrey often talks about the “gratitude” journal that she keeps and how she writes down at least 3 things every day that she is grateful for. So what about keeping a journal, either as a full journal about your business day or if that is too much, then say 3 things a day that you learnt, discovered, noticed, experienced etc. about your business?
In the case of my friend Jacques the gardener, this could be a full journal on the gardens that he works in and what works and what doesn’t (and yes all gardens are very different depending on the type of soil or how much sun they get etc.) or the project that he is involved with and how they are progressing or evolving or it could be on the things that he researched on that day and how they could change whatever it is that he needed to do the research for.
I am sure that you can see that that would open up a huge amount of possibilities and inspire a great number of things to write about.
Next time we have a look at a few more options for inspiration. Until then don’t forget to have fun with your writing.
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 January 2012
So last week we had a look at just how easy it is to turn everyday experiences into ideas for articles. Today I am going to give you some more examples of where to look for inspiration.
Using Celebrities & their Causes
We all have our favorite celebrities and many individuals avidly follow what their favorite celebrities are doing and getting up to. Celebrities also often use their status to highlight their pet projects – pretty much like Angelina Jolie uses her name to advance her projects and her position as a UN Ambassador or Al Gore who highlights Global Warming.
Using my friend Jacques the gardener again, his ideal celebrity to use to promote his business “Grow your own food” to highlight how we can all feed ourselves as well as grow our own little sustainable food businesses, would be someone like Annie Lennox or Cameron Diaz or Leonardo de Caprio, who are all very outspoken about our carbon footprints and issues around hunger and the starving poor – all of which can be addressed in some way by growing our own food.
Sure Jacques would have to do a little research on the exact or specific areas of their passions and commitments, but with his commitment to sustainable and organic food growing, there would be a wealth of information on the issues that they stand for, that he would be equally as passionate about.
I can see the article right now starting with words that go something along the lines of “Like Annie Lennox who strongly believes that no child should go to bed hungry – neither do I! Growing your own food and . . . .”
Keeping a Journal
Now I know that keeping a journal can be a real pain in the rear end – especially if it is something that you have not done all your life.
Oprah Winfrey often talks about the “gratitude” journal that she keeps and how she writes down at least 3 things every day that she is grateful for. So what about keeping a journal, either as a full journal about your business day or if that is too much, then say 3 things a day that you learnt, discovered, noticed, experienced etc. about your business?
In the case of my friend Jacques the gardener, this could be a full journal on the gardens that he works in and what works and what doesn’t (and yes all gardens are very different depending on the type of soil or how much sun they get etc.) or the project that he is involved with and how they are progressing or evolving or it could be on the things that he researched on that day and how they could change whatever it is that he needed to do the research for.
I am sure that you can see that that would open up a huge amount of possibilities and inspire a great number of things to write about.
Next time we have a look at a few more options for inspiration. Until then don’t forget to have fun with your writing.
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, January 24, 2012
Templates, Policies & Procedures on Sale until 29th February 2012
Templates, Policies & Procedures on Sale until 29 February 2012
Is there a problem between your sales and your delivery that is impacting on your accounts receivable? Could be a problem with your work or document flow.
Are your orders not being processed timeously or correctly? Could be a problem with your processes?
Do all of your staff ‘do their own thing’ when it comes to performing their administrative and/or operational duties. Could be your processes are not documented or are too complicated for them to stick to.
Are you aware of the requirements of the “New Company’s Act” and what your responsibilities are in terms of that Act?
If your reply to the first 3 questions was “yes”, chances are that your response to the 4th one was “No”!
Sadly, the reality is the impact that not having proper Templates, Policies & Procedures will have on your bottom line. Losses that will be caused, not only from theft but also from lack of consistent good quality productivity, or loss of a sale or client because of bad or shoddy service.
Many small business owners and ‘start-ups’ are very passionate about the product or service that they are providing or wanting to provide – that goes without question! Many more are so caught up with the ‘making’ the sale or getting the new customer, that the very infrastructure or “business of business” is badly neglected. Often the result of that is that hard fought for (and won) contract is negated and lost due to poor or non-existent delivery or bad customer service or worse yet, shoddy administration or operational requirements. Lost clients more often than not, translate into bad word of mouth publicity and that is not good for any company, big or small.
Much of this can be resolved, by just having the correct simple procedure or template or policy in place and in fact having some of these in place is a legal requirement.
In keeping with the fact that it is a brand new year, and many of us have the ‘intention’ of doing things the right way, or even better this year, I am putting all of my Templates, Policies and Procedures on sale until the end of February. Seeing that most of them are quite generic, this is a great opportunity for you to get the year going in the right direction.
Pricing Structure
For purchases up to R5 000 there will be a 7.5% discount
For purchases over R5 000 and up to R7 500 there will be a 10% discount.
For purchases over R7 500 and up to R10 000 there will be a 15% discount.
For purchases over R10 000 there will be a 20% discount
The Templates, Policies and Procedures cover topics such as (but not limited to)
The Acts
Administrations/Operations/Finance
Kitchens
HR
OHSA (Occupational Health & Safety)
Retail (including stock control)
Fleet Management
If you would like to see a detailed list of what is available, please contact Nikki Viljoen on 083 702 8849 or Nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
Let’s work together to grow sustainable businesses.
Is there a problem between your sales and your delivery that is impacting on your accounts receivable? Could be a problem with your work or document flow.
Are your orders not being processed timeously or correctly? Could be a problem with your processes?
Do all of your staff ‘do their own thing’ when it comes to performing their administrative and/or operational duties. Could be your processes are not documented or are too complicated for them to stick to.
Are you aware of the requirements of the “New Company’s Act” and what your responsibilities are in terms of that Act?
If your reply to the first 3 questions was “yes”, chances are that your response to the 4th one was “No”!
Sadly, the reality is the impact that not having proper Templates, Policies & Procedures will have on your bottom line. Losses that will be caused, not only from theft but also from lack of consistent good quality productivity, or loss of a sale or client because of bad or shoddy service.
Many small business owners and ‘start-ups’ are very passionate about the product or service that they are providing or wanting to provide – that goes without question! Many more are so caught up with the ‘making’ the sale or getting the new customer, that the very infrastructure or “business of business” is badly neglected. Often the result of that is that hard fought for (and won) contract is negated and lost due to poor or non-existent delivery or bad customer service or worse yet, shoddy administration or operational requirements. Lost clients more often than not, translate into bad word of mouth publicity and that is not good for any company, big or small.
Much of this can be resolved, by just having the correct simple procedure or template or policy in place and in fact having some of these in place is a legal requirement.
In keeping with the fact that it is a brand new year, and many of us have the ‘intention’ of doing things the right way, or even better this year, I am putting all of my Templates, Policies and Procedures on sale until the end of February. Seeing that most of them are quite generic, this is a great opportunity for you to get the year going in the right direction.
Pricing Structure
For purchases up to R5 000 there will be a 7.5% discount
For purchases over R5 000 and up to R7 500 there will be a 10% discount.
For purchases over R7 500 and up to R10 000 there will be a 15% discount.
For purchases over R10 000 there will be a 20% discount
The Templates, Policies and Procedures cover topics such as (but not limited to)
The Acts
Administrations/Operations/Finance
Kitchens
HR
OHSA (Occupational Health & Safety)
Retail (including stock control)
Fleet Management
If you would like to see a detailed list of what is available, please contact Nikki Viljoen on 083 702 8849 or Nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
Let’s work together to grow sustainable businesses.
BUSINESS TIPS - Planning to Succeed - Part 2
BUSINESS TIPS – Planning to Succeed – PART 2
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2011
Following on from last time, let’s look at some of the other guidelines that can be used by SMME’s to plan for the success of their business.
Organizational Chart
Contrary to popular belief, an organizational chart is not just about knowing which staff report into which departments or which individuals head up the various departments. Having a proper organizational chart makes it that much easier for business owners to see or visualize the company with all its various divisions and compartments.
This in turn makes it easier to put strategy and infrastructure in place and it will also allow business owners to respond to changing markets, trends and opportunity, a lot faster and more effectively. Having a plan or chart clearly visible has a great impact – much more than something that is merely a thought or an idea and that is kept only in the mind.
The organizational chart also means that intensions are clear and well defined and this makes it a lot easier to communicate these intentions to your staff.
Positional Contracts
Although all the staff need to have their own contracts – having contracts that are specific to a position is always a good thing. Apart from the fact that the staff member concerned will be under no misconception about what their role in the company is, the business owner also gets to define that particular role and make their expectations clear.
The easiest way for me (and I suspect that this is standard practice) is to start at the top of the organizational chart and work your way downwards.
Remember of course to have the list of requirements for each task readily at hand and make sure that your expectations and requirements are clear.
KPI’s
KPI’s of course are “Key Performance Indicators” and they are how the performance of the staff member is to be measured. Remember the old adage “If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it?” Well here’s the thing – it’s true and the best way to set those measurements and implement them is in the KPI’s or job descriptions. That way, as the business owner, your intention is made clear from the start and the consequences of not meeting your expectation is also documented.
Just make sure though, that when you hire someone for a position that they are capable of performing the required task or you will be responsible for setting them up for failure. The days of hiring someone because they had cute dimples or because they had long gorgeous legs and then dismissing them at some stage because you discovered that the work was not being done, are no longer here. You, as the business owner also have a responsibility for ensuring that the person you hire is qualified and/or capable of doing the work.
How-to Manuals
It is of the utmost importance – most especially if you have staff – to document ‘how to’. Ensuring that your staff all complete tasks in the same way will ensure that things get done properly and consistently and will also provide you with something to measure their performance by.
Actually if the truth be told, even if you don’t have staff, having checklists for yourself for all the tasks that you perform will ensure that you don’t forget to do things when you are interrupted by the phone and/or a client.
Documenting your ‘how-to’ will also remove all sorts of emotional issues like (but not limited to) “but I thought you meant” or “I thought I would do it like this today” or my personal favorite “But I always do it like this!” Instructions that are simple and clear provide the groundwork for work that is correctly and timeously performed, leaving little room for error and oversight.
So, there you have it – the basic plans that you should have in place as you venture out into the world of Business Owner.
Don’t forget to check your plans and goals on a regular basis though – not only to see that you are still going in the right direction, but also to ‘tick off’ your accomplishments as and when you realize them. Then of course there are always the little ‘tweaks’ that need to be done and you change direction due to market trends and legislational requirements.
Good luck on your new venture and don’t forget to have fun along the way.
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 2011
Following on from last time, let’s look at some of the other guidelines that can be used by SMME’s to plan for the success of their business.
Organizational Chart
Contrary to popular belief, an organizational chart is not just about knowing which staff report into which departments or which individuals head up the various departments. Having a proper organizational chart makes it that much easier for business owners to see or visualize the company with all its various divisions and compartments.
This in turn makes it easier to put strategy and infrastructure in place and it will also allow business owners to respond to changing markets, trends and opportunity, a lot faster and more effectively. Having a plan or chart clearly visible has a great impact – much more than something that is merely a thought or an idea and that is kept only in the mind.
The organizational chart also means that intensions are clear and well defined and this makes it a lot easier to communicate these intentions to your staff.
Positional Contracts
Although all the staff need to have their own contracts – having contracts that are specific to a position is always a good thing. Apart from the fact that the staff member concerned will be under no misconception about what their role in the company is, the business owner also gets to define that particular role and make their expectations clear.
The easiest way for me (and I suspect that this is standard practice) is to start at the top of the organizational chart and work your way downwards.
Remember of course to have the list of requirements for each task readily at hand and make sure that your expectations and requirements are clear.
KPI’s
KPI’s of course are “Key Performance Indicators” and they are how the performance of the staff member is to be measured. Remember the old adage “If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it?” Well here’s the thing – it’s true and the best way to set those measurements and implement them is in the KPI’s or job descriptions. That way, as the business owner, your intention is made clear from the start and the consequences of not meeting your expectation is also documented.
Just make sure though, that when you hire someone for a position that they are capable of performing the required task or you will be responsible for setting them up for failure. The days of hiring someone because they had cute dimples or because they had long gorgeous legs and then dismissing them at some stage because you discovered that the work was not being done, are no longer here. You, as the business owner also have a responsibility for ensuring that the person you hire is qualified and/or capable of doing the work.
How-to Manuals
It is of the utmost importance – most especially if you have staff – to document ‘how to’. Ensuring that your staff all complete tasks in the same way will ensure that things get done properly and consistently and will also provide you with something to measure their performance by.
Actually if the truth be told, even if you don’t have staff, having checklists for yourself for all the tasks that you perform will ensure that you don’t forget to do things when you are interrupted by the phone and/or a client.
Documenting your ‘how-to’ will also remove all sorts of emotional issues like (but not limited to) “but I thought you meant” or “I thought I would do it like this today” or my personal favorite “But I always do it like this!” Instructions that are simple and clear provide the groundwork for work that is correctly and timeously performed, leaving little room for error and oversight.
So, there you have it – the basic plans that you should have in place as you venture out into the world of Business Owner.
Don’t forget to check your plans and goals on a regular basis though – not only to see that you are still going in the right direction, but also to ‘tick off’ your accomplishments as and when you realize them. Then of course there are always the little ‘tweaks’ that need to be done and you change direction due to market trends and legislational requirements.
Good luck on your new venture and don’t forget to have fun along the way.
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
BUSINESS TIPS - Planning to Succeed - Part 1
BUSINESS TIPS – Planning to Succeed – PART 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2011
It’s no secret that in order for you to succeed in life, there has to be some sort of plan and obviously this also applies to business success as well. In fact I would even go so far as to say that the ‘devil is in the detail’. The more information and detail in the plan, the more you can ‘measure’ yourself to see how you are doing and the more likely it is to succeed.
The problem of course is that many folk have no idea what needs to go into a plan and this statement is backed up and evidenced by the many businesses that fail because individuals have failed to make plans or set goals of any kind.
Here are some guidelines on what you need to look at in order to plan properly.
Vision
Your vision, of course, is your dream or your intention. It is the ultimate goal. It could be something as dramatic as having your particular product in every home in the country by xxxx date or as simple as providing training to 500 SMME’s (small, medium, micro enterprises) on a monthly basis.
What it should perhaps include however is what kind of product and why it should be in every household or what kind of training and why it will make a difference.
Mission Statement
For me, the mission statement is a simple plan on the ‘how to’ achieve your vision. So how do you intend getting your product into every household or how do you intend getting the SMME’s into your training. At this stage I wouldn’t go too in depth but rather have the basics down as these can be fleshed out at a later stage or as and when you get to the information that you need.
At this point it is also a good idea to start getting your figures in place – the budgets. Number crunching is not always as difficult as we seem to think it is – just start with the basics and then the detail can be fleshed out from there.
Culture Statement
I must admit, when I ask this particular question, I am often met with a very confused look as well as the statement - “The What . . . . ?” Every business has a culture and pretty much like we are ‘masters of our own destiny,’ we also have a choice about the type of culture we want our businesses to be. The way that you deal with customers and your suppliers or your staff would largely affect the type of culture that your business will become. In many instances, the culture of the company is determined by ethnic or religious influences but whilst we may be influenced by these external factors, it is equally important to ensure that our ethics also influence the culture of the company.
Often, it’s “Who we are” and our beliefs (and I am not talking about religion here), that are what attract people to do business with us.
Goals
Whether we want to admit it or not we all have goals – some of them are really simple and we make them without even thinking, like “I need to get to work by 08h30am this morning”. Of course that is a goal – is it one that you need to write down – not necessarily. Some of them can be seriously difficult and complicated, well actually – if the truth be told, we make them seriously difficult and complicated.
For me the easiest way to put my goals into perspective is to break things down into bite size chucks. Where do I want to be in a year or two years or three years or even five years. That’s the end goal – then break it down into the components – what do I need to do to get there and how long will that take me. Once you have written all of that down, it is easier to set goals with time lines, be those timelines hours, days, weeks, months or even years.
Let me give you a simple example. I want to paint my home and I want it done and completed at the end of say 6 months. What do I need to do to get that done? How many rooms are there, in which order will I paint the rooms. What has to be done before I can paint (preparation), how long will that take me for each room (preparing the walls, covering and/or moving furniture, purchasing paint, brushes, etc)? What has to be done once the room has been painted (clean-up and uncovering and/or moving furniture etc).
Now I have an idea of all the tasks that must be done and I can assign a time frame to each and if my time frames are reasonable and I stick to them, I can complete my task within the time period that I gave myself or not – you see here I can now adjust my ‘end result’, if that is what is required. I have documented my goal and set a plan in place in order to achieve my goal – I can measure myself at every step along the way and see how I am doing.
In the same way and in every aspect of your business, this simple type of goal setting and planning can be implemented to ensure that you achieve what ever it is that you wish to do.
Next week we will have a look at the rest of the guidelines that I spoke about at the beginning of this blog.
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 2011
It’s no secret that in order for you to succeed in life, there has to be some sort of plan and obviously this also applies to business success as well. In fact I would even go so far as to say that the ‘devil is in the detail’. The more information and detail in the plan, the more you can ‘measure’ yourself to see how you are doing and the more likely it is to succeed.
The problem of course is that many folk have no idea what needs to go into a plan and this statement is backed up and evidenced by the many businesses that fail because individuals have failed to make plans or set goals of any kind.
Here are some guidelines on what you need to look at in order to plan properly.
Vision
Your vision, of course, is your dream or your intention. It is the ultimate goal. It could be something as dramatic as having your particular product in every home in the country by xxxx date or as simple as providing training to 500 SMME’s (small, medium, micro enterprises) on a monthly basis.
What it should perhaps include however is what kind of product and why it should be in every household or what kind of training and why it will make a difference.
Mission Statement
For me, the mission statement is a simple plan on the ‘how to’ achieve your vision. So how do you intend getting your product into every household or how do you intend getting the SMME’s into your training. At this stage I wouldn’t go too in depth but rather have the basics down as these can be fleshed out at a later stage or as and when you get to the information that you need.
At this point it is also a good idea to start getting your figures in place – the budgets. Number crunching is not always as difficult as we seem to think it is – just start with the basics and then the detail can be fleshed out from there.
Culture Statement
I must admit, when I ask this particular question, I am often met with a very confused look as well as the statement - “The What . . . . ?” Every business has a culture and pretty much like we are ‘masters of our own destiny,’ we also have a choice about the type of culture we want our businesses to be. The way that you deal with customers and your suppliers or your staff would largely affect the type of culture that your business will become. In many instances, the culture of the company is determined by ethnic or religious influences but whilst we may be influenced by these external factors, it is equally important to ensure that our ethics also influence the culture of the company.
Often, it’s “Who we are” and our beliefs (and I am not talking about religion here), that are what attract people to do business with us.
Goals
Whether we want to admit it or not we all have goals – some of them are really simple and we make them without even thinking, like “I need to get to work by 08h30am this morning”. Of course that is a goal – is it one that you need to write down – not necessarily. Some of them can be seriously difficult and complicated, well actually – if the truth be told, we make them seriously difficult and complicated.
For me the easiest way to put my goals into perspective is to break things down into bite size chucks. Where do I want to be in a year or two years or three years or even five years. That’s the end goal – then break it down into the components – what do I need to do to get there and how long will that take me. Once you have written all of that down, it is easier to set goals with time lines, be those timelines hours, days, weeks, months or even years.
Let me give you a simple example. I want to paint my home and I want it done and completed at the end of say 6 months. What do I need to do to get that done? How many rooms are there, in which order will I paint the rooms. What has to be done before I can paint (preparation), how long will that take me for each room (preparing the walls, covering and/or moving furniture, purchasing paint, brushes, etc)? What has to be done once the room has been painted (clean-up and uncovering and/or moving furniture etc).
Now I have an idea of all the tasks that must be done and I can assign a time frame to each and if my time frames are reasonable and I stick to them, I can complete my task within the time period that I gave myself or not – you see here I can now adjust my ‘end result’, if that is what is required. I have documented my goal and set a plan in place in order to achieve my goal – I can measure myself at every step along the way and see how I am doing.
In the same way and in every aspect of your business, this simple type of goal setting and planning can be implemented to ensure that you achieve what ever it is that you wish to do.
Next week we will have a look at the rest of the guidelines that I spoke about at the beginning of this blog.
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, January 23, 2012
MOTIVATION - Strong Desire
MOTIVATION – Strong Desire
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – January 2012
Napoleon Hill says “The starting point of achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires produce weak results, just as a small amount of fire produces a small amount of heat.”
I guess this means, more or less, the same as ‘you reap what you sow’ or ‘you get out what you put in’ and it certainly makes logical sense to me, which is probably why I am often really surprised at the number of people who sit back and wait for stuff to happen for them and then when nothing happens they lament – loudly – about how unfair life is and that they didn’t get what they deserved.
My eyes roll upwards and my head shakes from side to side as I try and grasp at their logic. Strangely enough though, on some level, this victim ‘hard done by’ role that they choose to go through life with, does seem to resonate with many and they are commiserated with and empathized with and held up as shining examples of how unequal some are.
Now actually seeing those words in print before my eyes, brought a smile to my face and a giggle to my lips. You see, for me going through life with that kind of attitude would not only be soul destroying it would also be exhausting! I mean can you imagine forcing yourself to feel like that all the time? Now that must be really hard work!
For me the level of motivation is directly attributable to the level of desire – if I really, really and I mean really, want something – I will do everything in my power to get it. The less I desire something, the less motivated I am and therefore the less amount of effort I will put into getting it. Yip, it’s official – I am definitely driven by my desires.
Here’s a thought though – often those desires and the achievements that are realized as a result of those desires, mean nothing to anyone other than yourself and for me, those are the greatest achievements. Let me explain – I write for my own enjoyment. Sure I share the writing with anyone in the world who cares to read the words and yes I do believe that they can change the course of someone’s world but to be quite honest, I don’t really worry about whether anyone is reading my words or what they may or may not think about my words – I write so that I can see the words and often I write about things that I most need to hear or to see or to understand. Every now and then I get a mail from a total stranger, in another country, on the opposite side of the world, who thanks me for the words that I have shared.
My achievement was writing an article, which was based on my desire to write. Once the article is written, I don’t give it much more thought. That said however, the achievement is made all the more sweeter, when I do hear from someone who has been touched by my words. That praise, that acknowledgement, those accolades just make my desire that much stronger and so the circle continues.
My desire is really strong and therefore my goals will be met and my challenges will be overcome and I will succeed. What about you – do you even know what your desires are?
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 – January 2012
Napoleon Hill says “The starting point of achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires produce weak results, just as a small amount of fire produces a small amount of heat.”
I guess this means, more or less, the same as ‘you reap what you sow’ or ‘you get out what you put in’ and it certainly makes logical sense to me, which is probably why I am often really surprised at the number of people who sit back and wait for stuff to happen for them and then when nothing happens they lament – loudly – about how unfair life is and that they didn’t get what they deserved.
My eyes roll upwards and my head shakes from side to side as I try and grasp at their logic. Strangely enough though, on some level, this victim ‘hard done by’ role that they choose to go through life with, does seem to resonate with many and they are commiserated with and empathized with and held up as shining examples of how unequal some are.
Now actually seeing those words in print before my eyes, brought a smile to my face and a giggle to my lips. You see, for me going through life with that kind of attitude would not only be soul destroying it would also be exhausting! I mean can you imagine forcing yourself to feel like that all the time? Now that must be really hard work!
For me the level of motivation is directly attributable to the level of desire – if I really, really and I mean really, want something – I will do everything in my power to get it. The less I desire something, the less motivated I am and therefore the less amount of effort I will put into getting it. Yip, it’s official – I am definitely driven by my desires.
Here’s a thought though – often those desires and the achievements that are realized as a result of those desires, mean nothing to anyone other than yourself and for me, those are the greatest achievements. Let me explain – I write for my own enjoyment. Sure I share the writing with anyone in the world who cares to read the words and yes I do believe that they can change the course of someone’s world but to be quite honest, I don’t really worry about whether anyone is reading my words or what they may or may not think about my words – I write so that I can see the words and often I write about things that I most need to hear or to see or to understand. Every now and then I get a mail from a total stranger, in another country, on the opposite side of the world, who thanks me for the words that I have shared.
My achievement was writing an article, which was based on my desire to write. Once the article is written, I don’t give it much more thought. That said however, the achievement is made all the more sweeter, when I do hear from someone who has been touched by my words. That praise, that acknowledgement, those accolades just make my desire that much stronger and so the circle continues.
My desire is really strong and therefore my goals will be met and my challenges will be overcome and I will succeed. What about you – do you even know what your desires are?
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, January 19, 2012
EARLY WARNING - Does a Traffic Fine Have an Expiry Date
EARLY WARNING
Does a Traffic Fine Have an Expiry Date?
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting January 2011.
One of my clients was telling me the story, the other day, of the time that he got pulled over, in what appeared to be a routine police check point. Now I am not talking about a story that happened years ago, but rather one that has happened in the last month or two. I know that I saw a really marked increase in the number of traffic check points along the roads over the Christmas period and the period leading up to the holidays. In fact, coming back from visiting a client in Germiston in early December 2011, I went through a road block on the M2 (I mean the metro police were pulling people off on the highway) and on the same day there were 3 road blocks on Beyers Naude (between Auckland Park and Cresta). Talk about overkill. Like most people, I just put it down to the police looking to ensure that they get their annual bonus’s as this appears to be the only time that they are out in full force like this.
Anyway the story goes . . . my client was not perturbed about going through the road block, his licenses were in order and he did not have any outstanding fines . . . or so he thought. He was pulled over and asked to produce his driver’s license – no problem. They checked the license disk on his windscreen – no problem. Another member of the police force joined the fellow that was attending to him and there was a lot of loud talking and gesturing going on. Perplexed, my client innocently asked “is there anything wrong?” That’s when it all went pear shaped.
You see sometime in the year 2000, my client got a fine in the amount of R100. Apparently it was posted to him and again, apparently it had not been paid. In view of the fact that this happened 11 years ago, my client was not too concerned because debts are supposed to be prescribed after 3 years. Isn’t that how we all understand it? Well like my client and myself, you would also be incorrect, if this is what you thought.
Apparently, in terms of the Prescription Act (and I must admit that I haven’t read this particular Act myself, so I am going on hearsay), the Act does not make provision for the prescription period on debts to the government (both local and/or national). There is a huge argument about whether a traffic fine (or any fine for that matter I guess) is a debt or not and there does not appear to be consensus on this.
What there is consensus about though is this – according to an article in the AA newsletter, a traffic fine is the result or consequence of an offence and as an offence “in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act it is illogical to conclude that a debt linked to a criminal offence can prescribe.”
So the bottom line is that my client (and any one else out there who has outstanding fines from long ago) is liable to pay the R100 fine.
What still amuses me of course, is the fact that it took them 11 years and a random road block to find my client. Even stranger is that he has worked for the same company at the same business address for all that time as well as resided at the same residential address for all that time. I guess the metro police had to dig deep into the proverbial barrel for that particular R100.
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
Does a Traffic Fine Have an Expiry Date?
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting January 2011.
One of my clients was telling me the story, the other day, of the time that he got pulled over, in what appeared to be a routine police check point. Now I am not talking about a story that happened years ago, but rather one that has happened in the last month or two. I know that I saw a really marked increase in the number of traffic check points along the roads over the Christmas period and the period leading up to the holidays. In fact, coming back from visiting a client in Germiston in early December 2011, I went through a road block on the M2 (I mean the metro police were pulling people off on the highway) and on the same day there were 3 road blocks on Beyers Naude (between Auckland Park and Cresta). Talk about overkill. Like most people, I just put it down to the police looking to ensure that they get their annual bonus’s as this appears to be the only time that they are out in full force like this.
Anyway the story goes . . . my client was not perturbed about going through the road block, his licenses were in order and he did not have any outstanding fines . . . or so he thought. He was pulled over and asked to produce his driver’s license – no problem. They checked the license disk on his windscreen – no problem. Another member of the police force joined the fellow that was attending to him and there was a lot of loud talking and gesturing going on. Perplexed, my client innocently asked “is there anything wrong?” That’s when it all went pear shaped.
You see sometime in the year 2000, my client got a fine in the amount of R100. Apparently it was posted to him and again, apparently it had not been paid. In view of the fact that this happened 11 years ago, my client was not too concerned because debts are supposed to be prescribed after 3 years. Isn’t that how we all understand it? Well like my client and myself, you would also be incorrect, if this is what you thought.
Apparently, in terms of the Prescription Act (and I must admit that I haven’t read this particular Act myself, so I am going on hearsay), the Act does not make provision for the prescription period on debts to the government (both local and/or national). There is a huge argument about whether a traffic fine (or any fine for that matter I guess) is a debt or not and there does not appear to be consensus on this.
What there is consensus about though is this – according to an article in the AA newsletter, a traffic fine is the result or consequence of an offence and as an offence “in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act it is illogical to conclude that a debt linked to a criminal offence can prescribe.”
So the bottom line is that my client (and any one else out there who has outstanding fines from long ago) is liable to pay the R100 fine.
What still amuses me of course, is the fact that it took them 11 years and a random road block to find my client. Even stranger is that he has worked for the same company at the same business address for all that time as well as resided at the same residential address for all that time. I guess the metro police had to dig deep into the proverbial barrel for that particular R100.
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, January 18, 2012
BLOGGING TIPS - Where to Look for Ideas
BLOGGING TIPS – Where to look for Ideas
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC January 2012
I know that I seem to be harping on about this, but every day I encounter people who seem quite keen to start a blog, but who have no idea what to write about.
It is sometimes extremely frustrating for me when this happens because as I talk to them and ascertain exactly what they do and what their passion is, it is abundantly clear that they have a huge amount of knowledge on their subject or specialty and that there is a copious amount of material that they could write about. Even every day things that occur could become a source of inspiration.
Whilst we were on holiday over the Christmas period, my friend Jacques and I were taking photos. We took photos of everything that moved (and many things that didn’t) and I jokingly said to Jacques “we should start a blog on Things I Saw Today or Things I Did Today!” The look that he gave me clearly stated that I had lost the plot – again! I had a good laugh, you see Jacques is a gardener. He works with many communities, showing them how to grow their own food and then how to turn the surplus into sustainable income and I realized that he was thinking how a photo of a clump of bobbing seaweed (being what we saw that day) could be turned into an article that would have any impact on the work that he does.
So I started to ask the questions (and happily I did know the answers because the tour guide had told us):
q. What does the bobbing seaweed tell us?
a. That there is no perlemoen (abalone) in the area because that is what they feed on – the poachers have harvested everything.
q. So would you harvest the seaweed?
a. Yes I would if I had, or wanted to start a perlemoen farm.
q. So what would the benefits be of starting a perlemoen farm?
a. Well it would replenish the stocks that have been depleted through poaching and it is a healthy organic source of food and if properly managed is extremely sustainable and . . . .
All of that because of a clump of seaweed bobbing in the ocean – a whole bunch of stuff to write about (not to mention a whole host of opportunities for someone)!
We all have these kinds of experiences during our day – things that we see, encounters with people who we deal with and people who tell us their stories. Each and every one of them has the propensity to become a blog article that highlights something in our businesses. We just have to be open to the possibilities.
Personally, I think that the biggest challenge that most people think they have, when they want to write a blog, is the ‘how to write’ it and not the ‘what to write’! As always my advice here is – write it exactly the way you would if you were telling someone the story, as if you were engaged in a discussion with someone and you were telling them what happened.
So now – who thinks that they don’t have anything to put into a blog?
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 January 2012
I know that I seem to be harping on about this, but every day I encounter people who seem quite keen to start a blog, but who have no idea what to write about.
It is sometimes extremely frustrating for me when this happens because as I talk to them and ascertain exactly what they do and what their passion is, it is abundantly clear that they have a huge amount of knowledge on their subject or specialty and that there is a copious amount of material that they could write about. Even every day things that occur could become a source of inspiration.
Whilst we were on holiday over the Christmas period, my friend Jacques and I were taking photos. We took photos of everything that moved (and many things that didn’t) and I jokingly said to Jacques “we should start a blog on Things I Saw Today or Things I Did Today!” The look that he gave me clearly stated that I had lost the plot – again! I had a good laugh, you see Jacques is a gardener. He works with many communities, showing them how to grow their own food and then how to turn the surplus into sustainable income and I realized that he was thinking how a photo of a clump of bobbing seaweed (being what we saw that day) could be turned into an article that would have any impact on the work that he does.
So I started to ask the questions (and happily I did know the answers because the tour guide had told us):
q. What does the bobbing seaweed tell us?
a. That there is no perlemoen (abalone) in the area because that is what they feed on – the poachers have harvested everything.
q. So would you harvest the seaweed?
a. Yes I would if I had, or wanted to start a perlemoen farm.
q. So what would the benefits be of starting a perlemoen farm?
a. Well it would replenish the stocks that have been depleted through poaching and it is a healthy organic source of food and if properly managed is extremely sustainable and . . . .
All of that because of a clump of seaweed bobbing in the ocean – a whole bunch of stuff to write about (not to mention a whole host of opportunities for someone)!
We all have these kinds of experiences during our day – things that we see, encounters with people who we deal with and people who tell us their stories. Each and every one of them has the propensity to become a blog article that highlights something in our businesses. We just have to be open to the possibilities.
Personally, I think that the biggest challenge that most people think they have, when they want to write a blog, is the ‘how to write’ it and not the ‘what to write’! As always my advice here is – write it exactly the way you would if you were telling someone the story, as if you were engaged in a discussion with someone and you were telling them what happened.
So now – who thinks that they don’t have anything to put into a blog?
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, January 17, 2012
BUSINESS TIPS - Planning to Succeed - Part 1
BUSINESS TIPS – Planning to Succeed – PART 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2011
It’s no secret that in order for you to succeed in life, there has to be some sort of plan and obviously this also applies to business success as well. In fact I would even go so far as to say that the ‘devil is in the detail’. The more information and detail in the plan, the more you can ‘measure’ yourself to see how you are doing and the more likely it is to succeed.
The problem of course is that many folk have no idea what needs to go into a plan and this statement is backed up and evidenced by the many businesses that fail because individuals have failed to make plans or set goals of any kind.
Here are some guidelines on what you need to look at in order to plan properly.
Vision
Your vision, of course, is your dream or your intention. It is the ultimate goal. It could be something as dramatic as having your particular product in every home in the country by xxxx date or as simple as providing training to 500 SMME’s (small, medium, micro enterprises) on a monthly basis.
What it should perhaps include however is what kind of product and why it should be in every household or what kind of training and why it will make a difference.
Mission Statement
For me, the mission statement is a simple plan on the ‘how to’ achieve your vision. So how do you intend getting your product into every household or how do you intend getting the SMME’s into your training. At this stage I wouldn’t go too in depth but rather have the basics down as these can be fleshed out at a later stage or as and when you get to the information that you need.
At this point it is also a good idea to start getting your figures in place – the budgets. Number crunching is not always as difficult as we seem to think it is – just start with the basics and then the detail can be fleshed out from there.
Culture Statement
I must admit, when I ask this particular question, I am often met with a very confused look as well as the statement - “The What . . . . ?” Every business has a culture and pretty much like we are ‘masters of our own destiny,’ we also have a choice about the type of culture we want our businesses to be. The way that you deal with customers and your suppliers or your staff would largely affect the type of culture that your business will become. In many instances, the culture of the company is determined by ethnic or religious influences but whilst we may be influenced by these external factors, it is equally important to ensure that our ethics also influence the culture of the company.
Often, it’s “Who we are” and our beliefs (and I am not talking about religion here), that are what attract people to do business with us.
Goals
Whether we want to admit it or not we all have goals – some of them are really simple and we make them without even thinking, like “I need to get to work by 08h30am this morning”. Of course that is a goal – is it one that you need to write down – not necessarily. Some of them can be seriously difficult and complicated, well actually – if the truth be told, we make them seriously difficult and complicated.
For me the easiest way to put my goals into perspective is to break things down into bite size chucks. Where do I want to be in a year or two years or three years or even five years. That’s the end goal – then break it down into the components – what do I need to do to get there and how long will that take me. Once you have written all of that down, it is easier to set goals with time lines, be those timelines hours, days, weeks, months or even years.
Let me give you a simple example. I want to paint my home and I want it done and completed at the end of say 6 months. What do I need to do to get that done? How many rooms are there, in which order will I paint the rooms. What has to be done before I can paint (preparation), how long will that take me for each room (preparing the walls, covering and/or moving furniture, purchasing paint, brushes, etc)? What has to be done once the room has been painted (clean-up and uncovering and/or moving furniture etc).
Now I have an idea of all the tasks that must be done and I can assign a time frame to each and if my time frames are reasonable and I stick to them, I can complete my task within the time period that I gave myself or not – you see here I can now adjust my ‘end result’, if that is what is required. I have documented my goal and set a plan in place in order to achieve my goal – I can measure myself at every step along the way and see how I am doing.
In the same way and in every aspect of your business, this simple type of goal setting and planning can be implemented to ensure that you achieve what ever it is that you wish to do.
Next week we will have a look at the rest of the guidelines that I spoke about at the beginning of this blog.
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 2011
It’s no secret that in order for you to succeed in life, there has to be some sort of plan and obviously this also applies to business success as well. In fact I would even go so far as to say that the ‘devil is in the detail’. The more information and detail in the plan, the more you can ‘measure’ yourself to see how you are doing and the more likely it is to succeed.
The problem of course is that many folk have no idea what needs to go into a plan and this statement is backed up and evidenced by the many businesses that fail because individuals have failed to make plans or set goals of any kind.
Here are some guidelines on what you need to look at in order to plan properly.
Vision
Your vision, of course, is your dream or your intention. It is the ultimate goal. It could be something as dramatic as having your particular product in every home in the country by xxxx date or as simple as providing training to 500 SMME’s (small, medium, micro enterprises) on a monthly basis.
What it should perhaps include however is what kind of product and why it should be in every household or what kind of training and why it will make a difference.
Mission Statement
For me, the mission statement is a simple plan on the ‘how to’ achieve your vision. So how do you intend getting your product into every household or how do you intend getting the SMME’s into your training. At this stage I wouldn’t go too in depth but rather have the basics down as these can be fleshed out at a later stage or as and when you get to the information that you need.
At this point it is also a good idea to start getting your figures in place – the budgets. Number crunching is not always as difficult as we seem to think it is – just start with the basics and then the detail can be fleshed out from there.
Culture Statement
I must admit, when I ask this particular question, I am often met with a very confused look as well as the statement - “The What . . . . ?” Every business has a culture and pretty much like we are ‘masters of our own destiny,’ we also have a choice about the type of culture we want our businesses to be. The way that you deal with customers and your suppliers or your staff would largely affect the type of culture that your business will become. In many instances, the culture of the company is determined by ethnic or religious influences but whilst we may be influenced by these external factors, it is equally important to ensure that our ethics also influence the culture of the company.
Often, it’s “Who we are” and our beliefs (and I am not talking about religion here), that are what attract people to do business with us.
Goals
Whether we want to admit it or not we all have goals – some of them are really simple and we make them without even thinking, like “I need to get to work by 08h30am this morning”. Of course that is a goal – is it one that you need to write down – not necessarily. Some of them can be seriously difficult and complicated, well actually – if the truth be told, we make them seriously difficult and complicated.
For me the easiest way to put my goals into perspective is to break things down into bite size chucks. Where do I want to be in a year or two years or three years or even five years. That’s the end goal – then break it down into the components – what do I need to do to get there and how long will that take me. Once you have written all of that down, it is easier to set goals with time lines, be those timelines hours, days, weeks, months or even years.
Let me give you a simple example. I want to paint my home and I want it done and completed at the end of say 6 months. What do I need to do to get that done? How many rooms are there, in which order will I paint the rooms. What has to be done before I can paint (preparation), how long will that take me for each room (preparing the walls, covering and/or moving furniture, purchasing paint, brushes, etc)? What has to be done once the room has been painted (clean-up and uncovering and/or moving furniture etc).
Now I have an idea of all the tasks that must be done and I can assign a time frame to each and if my time frames are reasonable and I stick to them, I can complete my task within the time period that I gave myself or not – you see here I can now adjust my ‘end result’, if that is what is required. I have documented my goal and set a plan in place in order to achieve my goal – I can measure myself at every step along the way and see how I am doing.
In the same way and in every aspect of your business, this simple type of goal setting and planning can be implemented to ensure that you achieve what ever it is that you wish to do.
Next week we will have a look at the rest of the guidelines that I spoke about at the beginning of this blog.
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, January 16, 2012
MOTIVATION - Be Willing ti Improve Yourself
MOTIVATION – Be Willing to Improve Yourself
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2011
James Allen says “People are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound.”
This particular human trait was made quite prevalent during my holiday this year. Here’s the story – I met this older man (let’s call him George), who has a real problem with acidity in his system. It’s really bad. Not only does the poor old man suffer with arthritis but his legs are full of open sores that he then scratches badly in an attempt to stop the itching. From what I can gather, he has been to several doctors and none can assist – I now know why.
You see George loves to drink wine – in particular dry white wine, but if there is no white wine open, he will gladly accept a glass (or three) of red wine or anything else alcoholic that is going. George is also partial to tomatoes and granadilla’s and . . . . . . I’m sure you get the picture.
In have suggested that George take some ‘base powder’, which is an alkaline type powder that will assist with neutralizing the acid in his body, but that of course won’t help on a long term basis because George puts more acid into his body than anything can neutralize. The result of course is, that according to George – ‘the doctors don’t know what they are doing and he doesn’t believe a word that they are saying.”
I carefully explained to George that he would need to cut down on his alcohol intake as well as the acidic fruit and vegetables that he favors and that together with the intake of ‘base powder’ would help to reduce the level of acid in his body. Ron declined to reduce his alcohol intake, but he will “try” the base powder.
The reality of the situation is that George’s body will continue, unsuccessfully, to battle to remove the acid from his system. He will continue to suffer from arthritis and he will of course, continue to experience open sores on his legs. More importantly he will continue to increase his acid intake as he drinks more and more white wine or red wine or anything else alcoholic that he can lay his hands on. Sadly, I will be the villain in the story as I will be the one who told him to take ‘base powder’ of course it doesn’t work.
As you can see from the story, George wants his circumstances to change but he is unwilling to change his own lifestyle in order for that to occur.
Many of us, both in our personal lives and our business lives, lament things that we would like to change. Whether it is to do with our health or our finances or our clients (or lack thereof) or anything for that matter that makes us sad or makes life difficult for us, yet we seem unable or unwilling to change what we are doing.
I think it was Einstein who said something along the lines of “Stupidity is doing something over and over in exactly the same manner and then expecting the outcome to differ!”
When things are not going the way that you want them to in life, something has to change. The quicker we realize that and make the change(s), the quicker (and easier) it will be for us to get on with life. Holding onto something and hoping that it will change, without us making any kind of change within ourselves, is just a waste of time. The problem of course is that not only is it just a waste of time, but it is also a very negative and destructive course to take.
So I’m off to make a list of all the things that are not working for me and part of my goals for 2012 is to do things differently, make the changes and so ensure that my life going forward is easier, mellower and more rewarding.
What changes are you going to make?
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 2011
James Allen says “People are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound.”
This particular human trait was made quite prevalent during my holiday this year. Here’s the story – I met this older man (let’s call him George), who has a real problem with acidity in his system. It’s really bad. Not only does the poor old man suffer with arthritis but his legs are full of open sores that he then scratches badly in an attempt to stop the itching. From what I can gather, he has been to several doctors and none can assist – I now know why.
You see George loves to drink wine – in particular dry white wine, but if there is no white wine open, he will gladly accept a glass (or three) of red wine or anything else alcoholic that is going. George is also partial to tomatoes and granadilla’s and . . . . . . I’m sure you get the picture.
In have suggested that George take some ‘base powder’, which is an alkaline type powder that will assist with neutralizing the acid in his body, but that of course won’t help on a long term basis because George puts more acid into his body than anything can neutralize. The result of course is, that according to George – ‘the doctors don’t know what they are doing and he doesn’t believe a word that they are saying.”
I carefully explained to George that he would need to cut down on his alcohol intake as well as the acidic fruit and vegetables that he favors and that together with the intake of ‘base powder’ would help to reduce the level of acid in his body. Ron declined to reduce his alcohol intake, but he will “try” the base powder.
The reality of the situation is that George’s body will continue, unsuccessfully, to battle to remove the acid from his system. He will continue to suffer from arthritis and he will of course, continue to experience open sores on his legs. More importantly he will continue to increase his acid intake as he drinks more and more white wine or red wine or anything else alcoholic that he can lay his hands on. Sadly, I will be the villain in the story as I will be the one who told him to take ‘base powder’ of course it doesn’t work.
As you can see from the story, George wants his circumstances to change but he is unwilling to change his own lifestyle in order for that to occur.
Many of us, both in our personal lives and our business lives, lament things that we would like to change. Whether it is to do with our health or our finances or our clients (or lack thereof) or anything for that matter that makes us sad or makes life difficult for us, yet we seem unable or unwilling to change what we are doing.
I think it was Einstein who said something along the lines of “Stupidity is doing something over and over in exactly the same manner and then expecting the outcome to differ!”
When things are not going the way that you want them to in life, something has to change. The quicker we realize that and make the change(s), the quicker (and easier) it will be for us to get on with life. Holding onto something and hoping that it will change, without us making any kind of change within ourselves, is just a waste of time. The problem of course is that not only is it just a waste of time, but it is also a very negative and destructive course to take.
So I’m off to make a list of all the things that are not working for me and part of my goals for 2012 is to do things differently, make the changes and so ensure that my life going forward is easier, mellower and more rewarding.
What changes are you going to make?
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, January 13, 2012
HR - What to do with Domestic Workers
HR – What to do with Domestic Workers
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC , December 2011
A number of my clients have found themselves either on the wrong side of the law or alternatively with a sullen, at odds with the world, domestic worker. Neither are fun to deal with and the reality is that meeting the requirements as an employer is not that difficult and having the correct procedures in place is not that difficult and usually calms the waters as your domestic employee now feels secure in their employment and you will have the means to measure their performance as well as have the law on your side in terms of the disciplinary codes.
Firstly let’s define who “Domestic Employees” are. They are your daily helpers, your maids, your chars, your gardeners. They are also your drivers or care givers to the elderly, the frail or the disabled as well as child minders or anyone who cares for your children. In short, they are anyone who works in your household.
Here are some of the basic legal requirements.
Contracts
Like any other employee, your domestic worker needs and is entitled to have a written contract in place, irrespective of whether they are full time and even if they only work one day a week.
Like any other employment contract all the terms and conditions of the employment need to be listed. Issues such as, but not limited to:
- Starting and ending times
- Pay rate
- Leave requirements (include not only annual leave, but also sick leave and Family Responsibility leave)
- Duties
- Any special requirements such as when leave must be taken or cannot be taken etc.
Obviously your domestic worker needs to understand clearly what these terms and requirements are, so you need to go through them slowly and carefully and if necessary, in her/his home language to ensure that they do in fact understand what your expectations are. If your domestic worker is illiterate, make sure that you explain things in simple terms.
No one can be forced to sign a document and many domestic workers are terrified of putting their ‘mark’ to anything. So if your domestic worker refuses to sign, you can fulfil your compliance requirements by documenting this on her/his document and then giving them a copy of the document. Don’t forget to keep one for yourself though – ensuring that you have also documented the refusal to sign the document and the date that the document was given to her/him.
Wages and Related Criteria
The rate of pay for Domestic worker’s, like any other category, is protected by law and there are minimum rates of pay for hourly/daily/weekly/monthly paid individuals. Workers who work in the rural areas for example are entitled to a different level of pay to those working in the cities and things like whether they are ‘live in’ or if they have to take public transport, are also taken into consideration. So you would need to familiarize yourself with what these differences are. Please go to the Department of Labour’s website (http://www.labour.gov.za ) to get this information.
Remember that if your domestic worker/gardener works for you for more than 24 hours a month (and yes this means if you have someone in to help you once a week, this does apply to you), you have to register with the Department of Labour as an employer. Once you have received your registration number, you have to register your employee for UIF. The UIF is calculated at 2% of the employees total wage. The employee has to pay 1% (which must be deducted from her/his wages) and the employer has to pay 1% as well. This money has to be paid over to SARS (South African Revenue Services) every month and before the 7th of the following month.
All employees are entitled to receive a pay slip indicating what their remuneration is, what deductions have been made and how much leave they are entitled to. In the case of casual and/or ‘piece’ workers, it is suggested that you get them to sign in receipt for any money that has been given to them for services rendered. This will remove any emotional outbursts such as “I worked all day cleaning the garage and I never got paid!”
Leave Related Issues
The usual suspects apply – Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Family Responsibility Leave and of course Maternity Leave.
Just like any other employee, your domestic workers are entitled to paid annual leave and this is calculated at the usual three weeks (15 working days) per annum for full time workers or 1 (one) day for every 17 (seventeen) days worked.
In terms of sick leave, the cycle is also 36 months and the domestic worker is entitled to an amount of paid sick leave that is equal to the number of days that she/he would normally have worked during a period of six weeks or 30 days is she/he is full time employed. So for example, your once a week char/gardener, in this instance would be entitled to 6 days and your full time (Monday to Friday) domestic employee would be entitled to 30 days paid leave for every 36 month period.
For the first six months of employment however, your domestic worker is only entitled to 1 (one) day’s sick leave for every 26 days worked.
Like all other forms of employees, your domestic worker is entitled to 4 (four) months unpaid maternity leave and you are obliged to ‘re-employ’ them after their 4 months is up. Remember also, that you cannot dismiss them for being pregnant or getting pregnant and doing so would be considered ‘unfair’ by the CCMA and you would be fined and find yourself hugely out of pocket. So don’t do it.
Domestic employees who are employed for more than 24 hours a month (again this applies to your weekly char or gardener too) are also entitled to take Family Responsibility Leave in the amount of 5 (five) days per annum.
Bits and Pieces
All the other HR requirements that apply in the Corporate Employment world also apply to domestic employees. So this of course means that you cannot just dismiss, you have to have a fair and reasonable reason for wanting to dismiss your domestic worker.
The rules around discipline also apply, so written warnings and disciplinary hearings need to take place and be documented in the usual fashion.
Performance appraisals should also take place at least annually and increases and/or bonus should relate to the results of these, also government will insist on a minimum annual increase.
Issues around retrenchment still apply and in terms of this employers are governed and restricted in exactly the same way as any other employer would be.
The rest of the terms and conditions in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act also then still will apply to your domestic employees and you need to be aware of the fact that non-compliance to any of these could result in you receiving a visit from the Department of Labour inspector who may then issue a compliance order and/or even issue you with a fine.
The simple or most cost effective measure of course, is to ensure that you are compliant and keep yourself that way.
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 Viljoen Consulting CC , December 2011
A number of my clients have found themselves either on the wrong side of the law or alternatively with a sullen, at odds with the world, domestic worker. Neither are fun to deal with and the reality is that meeting the requirements as an employer is not that difficult and having the correct procedures in place is not that difficult and usually calms the waters as your domestic employee now feels secure in their employment and you will have the means to measure their performance as well as have the law on your side in terms of the disciplinary codes.
Firstly let’s define who “Domestic Employees” are. They are your daily helpers, your maids, your chars, your gardeners. They are also your drivers or care givers to the elderly, the frail or the disabled as well as child minders or anyone who cares for your children. In short, they are anyone who works in your household.
Here are some of the basic legal requirements.
Contracts
Like any other employee, your domestic worker needs and is entitled to have a written contract in place, irrespective of whether they are full time and even if they only work one day a week.
Like any other employment contract all the terms and conditions of the employment need to be listed. Issues such as, but not limited to:
- Starting and ending times
- Pay rate
- Leave requirements (include not only annual leave, but also sick leave and Family Responsibility leave)
- Duties
- Any special requirements such as when leave must be taken or cannot be taken etc.
Obviously your domestic worker needs to understand clearly what these terms and requirements are, so you need to go through them slowly and carefully and if necessary, in her/his home language to ensure that they do in fact understand what your expectations are. If your domestic worker is illiterate, make sure that you explain things in simple terms.
No one can be forced to sign a document and many domestic workers are terrified of putting their ‘mark’ to anything. So if your domestic worker refuses to sign, you can fulfil your compliance requirements by documenting this on her/his document and then giving them a copy of the document. Don’t forget to keep one for yourself though – ensuring that you have also documented the refusal to sign the document and the date that the document was given to her/him.
Wages and Related Criteria
The rate of pay for Domestic worker’s, like any other category, is protected by law and there are minimum rates of pay for hourly/daily/weekly/monthly paid individuals. Workers who work in the rural areas for example are entitled to a different level of pay to those working in the cities and things like whether they are ‘live in’ or if they have to take public transport, are also taken into consideration. So you would need to familiarize yourself with what these differences are. Please go to the Department of Labour’s website (http://www.labour.gov.za ) to get this information.
Remember that if your domestic worker/gardener works for you for more than 24 hours a month (and yes this means if you have someone in to help you once a week, this does apply to you), you have to register with the Department of Labour as an employer. Once you have received your registration number, you have to register your employee for UIF. The UIF is calculated at 2% of the employees total wage. The employee has to pay 1% (which must be deducted from her/his wages) and the employer has to pay 1% as well. This money has to be paid over to SARS (South African Revenue Services) every month and before the 7th of the following month.
All employees are entitled to receive a pay slip indicating what their remuneration is, what deductions have been made and how much leave they are entitled to. In the case of casual and/or ‘piece’ workers, it is suggested that you get them to sign in receipt for any money that has been given to them for services rendered. This will remove any emotional outbursts such as “I worked all day cleaning the garage and I never got paid!”
Leave Related Issues
The usual suspects apply – Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Family Responsibility Leave and of course Maternity Leave.
Just like any other employee, your domestic workers are entitled to paid annual leave and this is calculated at the usual three weeks (15 working days) per annum for full time workers or 1 (one) day for every 17 (seventeen) days worked.
In terms of sick leave, the cycle is also 36 months and the domestic worker is entitled to an amount of paid sick leave that is equal to the number of days that she/he would normally have worked during a period of six weeks or 30 days is she/he is full time employed. So for example, your once a week char/gardener, in this instance would be entitled to 6 days and your full time (Monday to Friday) domestic employee would be entitled to 30 days paid leave for every 36 month period.
For the first six months of employment however, your domestic worker is only entitled to 1 (one) day’s sick leave for every 26 days worked.
Like all other forms of employees, your domestic worker is entitled to 4 (four) months unpaid maternity leave and you are obliged to ‘re-employ’ them after their 4 months is up. Remember also, that you cannot dismiss them for being pregnant or getting pregnant and doing so would be considered ‘unfair’ by the CCMA and you would be fined and find yourself hugely out of pocket. So don’t do it.
Domestic employees who are employed for more than 24 hours a month (again this applies to your weekly char or gardener too) are also entitled to take Family Responsibility Leave in the amount of 5 (five) days per annum.
Bits and Pieces
All the other HR requirements that apply in the Corporate Employment world also apply to domestic employees. So this of course means that you cannot just dismiss, you have to have a fair and reasonable reason for wanting to dismiss your domestic worker.
The rules around discipline also apply, so written warnings and disciplinary hearings need to take place and be documented in the usual fashion.
Performance appraisals should also take place at least annually and increases and/or bonus should relate to the results of these, also government will insist on a minimum annual increase.
Issues around retrenchment still apply and in terms of this employers are governed and restricted in exactly the same way as any other employer would be.
The rest of the terms and conditions in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act also then still will apply to your domestic employees and you need to be aware of the fact that non-compliance to any of these could result in you receiving a visit from the Department of Labour inspector who may then issue a compliance order and/or even issue you with a fine.
The simple or most cost effective measure of course, is to ensure that you are compliant and keep yourself that way.
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, January 12, 2012
EARLY WARNING – Be Alert for Duplicate Car Keys
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting – January 2012
I have taken the below information directly off a newsletter that I received from the AA. I hope that the information contained herein, stops at least one person from being scammed. Be careful out there and always be aware of what is happening around you – if something doesn’t feel right, chances are it isn’t!
Regards
Nikki
Be on the alert for car keys duplication when buying a car privately
Buying a car online can be an easy and safe process, but you should always be vigilant, as there are fraudsters out to defraud you. AA Autobay warns prospective buyers to be extra cautious when buying a car online due to an increase in the cases where car keys are duplicated before the sale is finalised.
“Duplication of car keys is one of the scams seen as a trend for fraudsters to find an easy way to scam the buyer by stealing the car after the purchase,” says Karla Strydom spokesperson for AA Autobay.
When buying a car privately, you are at risk of fraudsters masquerading as sellers who are always on the lookout for ways to defraud unsuspecting car buyers of their hard earned money. Once the buyer has paid the full price for the car, a location for handover is arranged and the real keys are given to the new owner, while the fraudster is left with a duplicate. As a result, the fraudster has full access to the car and buyer’s personal information, so they can steal the car back from the buyer’s home or workplace. “Prospective car buyers shouldn’t be fooled by a smooth sale process, which may ultimately leave them with nothing,” says Strydom.
Buying a car privately from a reputable and professional seller protects the buyer from such scams. At AA Autobay the entire process and transaction is facilitated end-to-end for the buyer and seller, minimising the risk of unknown factors in the sale process. AA Autobay hands over the purchased car to the buyer at AA Autobay’s premises on the seller’s behalf, and in so doing, ensures that none of the buyer’s personal information is disclosed to the seller. This process ensures that the vehicle cannot be stolen by the fraudster, who impersonates a genuine seller, and whom may have a copy of the car keys to use at a later point to steal the vehicle back from the buyer.
The buyer and seller can rest assured of a peace-of-mind deal by using AA Autobay to facilitate the vehicle sale and purchase process. “We understand that when buying a car, consumers need protection against fraudsters, and against having their hard earn money embezzled from them. That is why AA Autobay does the necessary checks to ensure the seller is indeed the owner of the vehicle and is legitimate. A further precaution includes the protection of contact details as well as addresses of buyers and sellers to protect them against any other fraudulent activity,” concludes Strydom.
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 – January 2012
I have taken the below information directly off a newsletter that I received from the AA. I hope that the information contained herein, stops at least one person from being scammed. Be careful out there and always be aware of what is happening around you – if something doesn’t feel right, chances are it isn’t!
Regards
Nikki
Be on the alert for car keys duplication when buying a car privately
Buying a car online can be an easy and safe process, but you should always be vigilant, as there are fraudsters out to defraud you. AA Autobay warns prospective buyers to be extra cautious when buying a car online due to an increase in the cases where car keys are duplicated before the sale is finalised.
“Duplication of car keys is one of the scams seen as a trend for fraudsters to find an easy way to scam the buyer by stealing the car after the purchase,” says Karla Strydom spokesperson for AA Autobay.
When buying a car privately, you are at risk of fraudsters masquerading as sellers who are always on the lookout for ways to defraud unsuspecting car buyers of their hard earned money. Once the buyer has paid the full price for the car, a location for handover is arranged and the real keys are given to the new owner, while the fraudster is left with a duplicate. As a result, the fraudster has full access to the car and buyer’s personal information, so they can steal the car back from the buyer’s home or workplace. “Prospective car buyers shouldn’t be fooled by a smooth sale process, which may ultimately leave them with nothing,” says Strydom.
Buying a car privately from a reputable and professional seller protects the buyer from such scams. At AA Autobay the entire process and transaction is facilitated end-to-end for the buyer and seller, minimising the risk of unknown factors in the sale process. AA Autobay hands over the purchased car to the buyer at AA Autobay’s premises on the seller’s behalf, and in so doing, ensures that none of the buyer’s personal information is disclosed to the seller. This process ensures that the vehicle cannot be stolen by the fraudster, who impersonates a genuine seller, and whom may have a copy of the car keys to use at a later point to steal the vehicle back from the buyer.
The buyer and seller can rest assured of a peace-of-mind deal by using AA Autobay to facilitate the vehicle sale and purchase process. “We understand that when buying a car, consumers need protection against fraudsters, and against having their hard earn money embezzled from them. That is why AA Autobay does the necessary checks to ensure the seller is indeed the owner of the vehicle and is legitimate. A further precaution includes the protection of contact details as well as addresses of buyers and sellers to protect them against any other fraudulent activity,” concludes Strydom.
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, January 11, 2012
BLOGGING TIPS - Write When You do have Ideas
BLOGGING TIPS – Write When You do have Ideas
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC December 2011
I’m sure that by now, most of you understand that I do love to write. Actually, if the truth be told – if I don’t write every single day, I feel as though something is missing in my life. You know what I mean – that feeling that you have forgotten to do something, but you can’t think of what that ‘something’ is.
The fact of the matter though is that despite the huge amount of material and ideas that I have for articles and stories – sometimes I am just not in the mood to write. Sometimes, although the idea for the article is scrumptious and delicious and absolutely perfect – I’m not, and the words just won’t flow and as I once was so inspired, so uninspired I am right now. That’s usually when I fling my arms heavenward and declare “Someone has messed with my mojo!”
When I am in this frame of mind – well there’s actually no point in actually even trying to write! I know because I have tried before – many times and all that happens is I’ve written a load of absolute drivel, messed up a perfectly good idea, then irritated and annoyed myself beyond reason.
Conversely, there are times when I can’t seem to stop writing – when ideas flow like running water and it feels like the pen won’t keep up with my thoughts or my fingers won’t move quickly enough over the key board. When this happens, I can produce an article every 15 to 20 minutes and I have been known to write far into the night, often forgetting to eat or drink or even go to the bathroom.
I really do love it when I am in this space because this is the time when I write articles in advance. The articles for my column in the “Your Business Magazine” (http://bizmag.co.za) may be written for the entire year, in one sitting. Speeches for Toastmasters, or functions where I am the guest speaker or on occasions even new workshops that I have been asked to facilitate, are written during these times and are therefore ready long before they are actually needed.
There’s nothing quite like getting to a deadline knowing that the article has been written and that there is no need for panic or haste – especially when it is one of those times when I really don’t feel like writing about anything!
So use your time of inspiration to write to your heart’s content and put the ‘writings’ into your own panty to be used as and when you are uninspired or just not in the mood. This way you can continue to love what you do instead of becoming irritated and resentful when you are forced to do something that you really don’t feel like doing.
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 2011
I’m sure that by now, most of you understand that I do love to write. Actually, if the truth be told – if I don’t write every single day, I feel as though something is missing in my life. You know what I mean – that feeling that you have forgotten to do something, but you can’t think of what that ‘something’ is.
The fact of the matter though is that despite the huge amount of material and ideas that I have for articles and stories – sometimes I am just not in the mood to write. Sometimes, although the idea for the article is scrumptious and delicious and absolutely perfect – I’m not, and the words just won’t flow and as I once was so inspired, so uninspired I am right now. That’s usually when I fling my arms heavenward and declare “Someone has messed with my mojo!”
When I am in this frame of mind – well there’s actually no point in actually even trying to write! I know because I have tried before – many times and all that happens is I’ve written a load of absolute drivel, messed up a perfectly good idea, then irritated and annoyed myself beyond reason.
Conversely, there are times when I can’t seem to stop writing – when ideas flow like running water and it feels like the pen won’t keep up with my thoughts or my fingers won’t move quickly enough over the key board. When this happens, I can produce an article every 15 to 20 minutes and I have been known to write far into the night, often forgetting to eat or drink or even go to the bathroom.
I really do love it when I am in this space because this is the time when I write articles in advance. The articles for my column in the “Your Business Magazine” (http://bizmag.co.za) may be written for the entire year, in one sitting. Speeches for Toastmasters, or functions where I am the guest speaker or on occasions even new workshops that I have been asked to facilitate, are written during these times and are therefore ready long before they are actually needed.
There’s nothing quite like getting to a deadline knowing that the article has been written and that there is no need for panic or haste – especially when it is one of those times when I really don’t feel like writing about anything!
So use your time of inspiration to write to your heart’s content and put the ‘writings’ into your own panty to be used as and when you are uninspired or just not in the mood. This way you can continue to love what you do instead of becoming irritated and resentful when you are forced to do something that you really don’t feel like doing.
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, January 10, 2012
BUSINESS TIPS - Social Media - What Gives
BUSINESS TIPS – Social Media - What Gives
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2011
Many of my clients seem to be tearing their hair out because of staff taking time away from their designated jobs to ‘play’ on the social media sites or incessantly chat on their cell phones.
Twenty years ago Social Media was simply the radio or television and was relatively harmless to business – I mean it was quite easy to ensure that staff were not glued to the TV or the radio. With the introduction of WWW (World Wide Web) and the internet however, things have changed drastically and currently employers are bearing the brunt of it.
Today we have all sorts of distractions such as (but not limited to) Facebook and Twitter and don’t forget BBM (Blackberry Messenger)! According to an article written by Jan Du Toit entitled “Social Media: Guidelines on the policy for employees using social media for non-business purposes”, employees spend as much as 79% of their business day, playing on social networking and/or gaming sites. Never mind the work that doesn’t get done, there is also the cost of the resource that the company will ultimately be responsiblefor. Just how long can any company, regardless of its’ size, continue doing business under these circumstances – my guess is not very long at all.
There have also been reported incidents where employees have been dismissed because of how they have disparaged bosses and/or colleagues and/or clients, publically – what kind of damage does that do to the reputation of the company as well as the individual? Yes, technology has advanced us as a species into a wonderful world, where there is so much to explore and learn – sadly, it has also caused huge problems in terms of the way that it is being abused by individuals who have no control over their own actions and who are addicted to the games or the interaction. Sadly many of us find that are lives are now governed by gadgets.
It is obvious, that in order for SME’s (small, medium enterprises) as well as big corporate companies, to survive the technical revolution, certain measures need to be implemented to ensure that staff spend their work time actually working and not playing in their personal capacities. Enter the Social Media Policy. This will set clear guidelines to ensure that staff do not abuse company resources and provide clear definitions between what is and isn’t allowed.
Here are some of the types of issues that would need to be addressed:
If the employee is using media sites for business purposes, they must be aware of and clear on (but not limited to):
- Which social media sites can be used and when.
- The legality of postings and whether they are ethical or disrespectful and disparaging.
- The company’s confidentiality policy should not be breeched, this should include the personal details of management, colleagues and even clients and suppliers.
- Company details and information should be correctly disclosed, and only the official company logo should be used.
- In terms of compliance or legislation, it is also a good idea to ensure that all copyright laws are adhered to.
- Media type statements and/or public postings should always first be cleared by the employer and/or his/her designate.
- etc.
For employees using the internet, social media (including cell phones and IM {instant messages applications}), they should be (but not limited to).
- Company policy on the use of company equipment as well as what social sites can be used and when
- Company confidentiality policy must not be breeched in any way, so company information must be kept safe
- The company code of conduct should be upheld
- Employees should only post in their personal capacities and not on ‘behalf of’ the company, their colleagues, clients and/or service providers and suppliers.
- Usage of cellphones should also be included here.
- Etc.
Furthermore, employees should be made aware of the consequences, should they fail to comply with the policy and a reminder that internet and e-mail and in the case of company cell phones, usage can and will be monitored.
It’s also a good idea to include this on the letter/contract of appointment, making sure that employees understand that when they sign their letters/contract, they also give employers permission to monitor the internet/e-mail/cell phone usage of the employer.
Please contact Nikki, if you require assistance with this policy and/or any other policies/procedures/templates that you may require.
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 2011
Many of my clients seem to be tearing their hair out because of staff taking time away from their designated jobs to ‘play’ on the social media sites or incessantly chat on their cell phones.
Twenty years ago Social Media was simply the radio or television and was relatively harmless to business – I mean it was quite easy to ensure that staff were not glued to the TV or the radio. With the introduction of WWW (World Wide Web) and the internet however, things have changed drastically and currently employers are bearing the brunt of it.
Today we have all sorts of distractions such as (but not limited to) Facebook and Twitter and don’t forget BBM (Blackberry Messenger)! According to an article written by Jan Du Toit entitled “Social Media: Guidelines on the policy for employees using social media for non-business purposes”, employees spend as much as 79% of their business day, playing on social networking and/or gaming sites. Never mind the work that doesn’t get done, there is also the cost of the resource that the company will ultimately be responsiblefor. Just how long can any company, regardless of its’ size, continue doing business under these circumstances – my guess is not very long at all.
There have also been reported incidents where employees have been dismissed because of how they have disparaged bosses and/or colleagues and/or clients, publically – what kind of damage does that do to the reputation of the company as well as the individual? Yes, technology has advanced us as a species into a wonderful world, where there is so much to explore and learn – sadly, it has also caused huge problems in terms of the way that it is being abused by individuals who have no control over their own actions and who are addicted to the games or the interaction. Sadly many of us find that are lives are now governed by gadgets.
It is obvious, that in order for SME’s (small, medium enterprises) as well as big corporate companies, to survive the technical revolution, certain measures need to be implemented to ensure that staff spend their work time actually working and not playing in their personal capacities. Enter the Social Media Policy. This will set clear guidelines to ensure that staff do not abuse company resources and provide clear definitions between what is and isn’t allowed.
Here are some of the types of issues that would need to be addressed:
If the employee is using media sites for business purposes, they must be aware of and clear on (but not limited to):
- Which social media sites can be used and when.
- The legality of postings and whether they are ethical or disrespectful and disparaging.
- The company’s confidentiality policy should not be breeched, this should include the personal details of management, colleagues and even clients and suppliers.
- Company details and information should be correctly disclosed, and only the official company logo should be used.
- In terms of compliance or legislation, it is also a good idea to ensure that all copyright laws are adhered to.
- Media type statements and/or public postings should always first be cleared by the employer and/or his/her designate.
- etc.
For employees using the internet, social media (including cell phones and IM {instant messages applications}), they should be (but not limited to).
- Company policy on the use of company equipment as well as what social sites can be used and when
- Company confidentiality policy must not be breeched in any way, so company information must be kept safe
- The company code of conduct should be upheld
- Employees should only post in their personal capacities and not on ‘behalf of’ the company, their colleagues, clients and/or service providers and suppliers.
- Usage of cellphones should also be included here.
- Etc.
Furthermore, employees should be made aware of the consequences, should they fail to comply with the policy and a reminder that internet and e-mail and in the case of company cell phones, usage can and will be monitored.
It’s also a good idea to include this on the letter/contract of appointment, making sure that employees understand that when they sign their letters/contract, they also give employers permission to monitor the internet/e-mail/cell phone usage of the employer.
Please contact Nikki, if you require assistance with this policy and/or any other policies/procedures/templates that you may require.
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, January 09, 2012
MOTIVATION - What Can Be - Must Be
MOTIVATION – What Can Be – Must Be
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC – December 2011
Today’s words come from Abraham Maslow who says “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be!”
Sounds about right don’t you think? Yet for many it is one of the most challenging things that they ever attempt to do!
I think I can safely say that everyone has a life’s purpose – it’s ultimately the reason that we humans visit this planet called earth. Yet for so many, a purpose in life is the last thing that they think about or even contemplate and how very sad is that.
For many, merely putting one foot in front of the other in order to ensure that they have food for their children is about as much as they can allow themselves to think about. They are so focused on that, that any thought other than that intrudes and is instantly banished. Any thought would be considered as an imposition, an evil or a bad thing as it detracts them from their sole purpose which is to put that food on the table.
Many of these souls are damaged in mind and/or in body – broken by the weight of their world. Damaged by what they consider their ‘lot in life’, imprisoned by their own minds and fears and how incredibly sad is that.
Here’s the thing though – it is my belief that we all have some sort of potential that we have to fulfill. We all have something inside of ourselves that drives us, something that makes us cling tenaciously to life itself and until we firstly discover what that “thing” is, what that potential is and secondly until we fulfill that potential we are doomed to wonder around as though we are lost.
I know that on a personal level, if I don’t write something every day it is as though I have forgotten to do something – something is missing or not completed.
If that is how I feel and I believe that I know what my life’s purpose is, I cannot even begin to understand or comprehend what people who are merely existing through life must feel.
Life is designed to be lived to the full, to be enjoyed and savored and to have fun. So dig down deep, find your passion and your life’s purpose and start living by being all that you can be and fulfill that potential that is so uniquely yours!
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 2011
Today’s words come from Abraham Maslow who says “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be!”
Sounds about right don’t you think? Yet for many it is one of the most challenging things that they ever attempt to do!
I think I can safely say that everyone has a life’s purpose – it’s ultimately the reason that we humans visit this planet called earth. Yet for so many, a purpose in life is the last thing that they think about or even contemplate and how very sad is that.
For many, merely putting one foot in front of the other in order to ensure that they have food for their children is about as much as they can allow themselves to think about. They are so focused on that, that any thought other than that intrudes and is instantly banished. Any thought would be considered as an imposition, an evil or a bad thing as it detracts them from their sole purpose which is to put that food on the table.
Many of these souls are damaged in mind and/or in body – broken by the weight of their world. Damaged by what they consider their ‘lot in life’, imprisoned by their own minds and fears and how incredibly sad is that.
Here’s the thing though – it is my belief that we all have some sort of potential that we have to fulfill. We all have something inside of ourselves that drives us, something that makes us cling tenaciously to life itself and until we firstly discover what that “thing” is, what that potential is and secondly until we fulfill that potential we are doomed to wonder around as though we are lost.
I know that on a personal level, if I don’t write something every day it is as though I have forgotten to do something – something is missing or not completed.
If that is how I feel and I believe that I know what my life’s purpose is, I cannot even begin to understand or comprehend what people who are merely existing through life must feel.
Life is designed to be lived to the full, to be enjoyed and savored and to have fun. So dig down deep, find your passion and your life’s purpose and start living by being all that you can be and fulfill that potential that is so uniquely yours!
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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