Networking 101 - The Win/Win Situation
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
The term ‘win/win’ is being bandied about quite a bit of late, but what does it really mean and is there such a thing, in reality?
I know that I use the term quite often, and it certainly makes sense to me, but that is my perception and my expectation. What about the other person? What if they do not see it as a ‘win’ on their side? What if they do not see whatever it is that I am ‘putting on the table’ as a win – is it still a ‘win/win’ or is the reality that there is a loss somewhere?
If I had to be brutally honest, I would have to say “Yes”, absolutely yes, there would be a loss! How could there not be?
I guess that this is where the saying ‘it takes two to tango’ is really profound! You see at a Networking event, if someone cannot see the benefit of their being there, they will not work at it, and no matter how many meetings I set up and no matter how excited I get on their behalf, if they don’t work at it from their side – nothing will happen.
The majority of people who go to networking events, go there specifically to ‘sell’ their service or their product. They are usually the most disillusioned of them all because the reality of Networking is that they are highly unlikely to ever make a sale.
Occasionally someone will go there because they are looking for a service or product supplier, however that is the exception rather than the rule. These people usually have a bit more luck, because there might just be the kind of service and/or widget that they are looking for. But what happens if there is no-one there offering the specific service and/or widget that they are looking for and they too go home empty handed? Well they also become very disillusioned to.
The person who is the most successful of them all at Networking, is the person who goes there to meet people and build relationships. Believe me the sale of the product or service will follow, but the relationship has to be built first.
So where is the ‘win/win’ situation in any of this. Well it’s really quite simple and I can’t for the life of me understand why others just don’t get it. If you and I are in the process of ‘building a relationship’ (or already in one for that matter), every time I (or you) speak to a prospective client, we will listen carefully, not only to what that prospective clients wants from us, but also what that prospective client needs. One of those ‘needs’ might just be something that you can provide.
The ‘win/win’ (which is you and I looking out for business opportunities for each other – not just ourselves) has just become a ‘win/win/win’ because - I have secured work and given value to the prospective client, you have been given work by the prospective client, and the prospective client has had all of their needs fulfilled. How cool is that and more importantly, how easy was that.
So what is your interpretation or perception of a ‘win/win’ situation in Networking or are you one of those folk whose expectation is all about ‘what’s in it for you’?
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
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Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Business Tips - Firing a Client - Part
Business Tips - Firing a Client – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Firing a client! To many small business owners out there this may sound like attempting suicide. That said, it is often in our own best interests to get rid of problem clients.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to define what the word ‘client’ means. The Concise Oxford Dictionary says “Person using services of professional man (lawyer, architect, social worker etc).” The Wiki says “A customer is a buyer or receiver of goods or services”. Surely that would mean that if the client is a ‘buyer’ that the goods or services that they had received would actually need to be paid for.
Look I’m not saying that every time you have a difficult client you need to get rid of them, I am talking about the client who consistently gives takes up 80% of your time and energy but only contributes to 20% of your income. It’s the client who never listens when you tell them things, who never takes your advice but when the smelly brown stuff hits the fan, expects you to drop whatever you are doing and sort out their mess . . . at a discount!
It’s the client who you constantly battle to get money out of, in fact it takes you longer to get the money out of them than it did to do the job in the first place. I have some of these clients and my Customer policy for them is that they actually need to pay me up front and then I will do the work for the amount of money that they have paid me. That way they get the work done that they want and need and I get paid on time – a win/win I am sure that you would agree. Alternatively, get a deposit up front, especially if what you are selling is a product. I sell a service you see and quite honestly, I cannot un-write a policy or procedure or un-teach something that has already been taught, so there is nothing that I can actually take back from them.
Another way to deal with clients who don’t pay on time and then cancel everything out of the blue (when you have already done the work) is to put a substantial cancellation fee into your Terms and Conditions. Don’t be shy or scared to phone them for money, it is after all your money and I have no doubt that they did not blink an eye when they contacted you at all hours of the day and night demanding your attention.
It really isn’t worth the aggravation and irritation! They will cost you more in time and effort and energy than what you will make off them in the long run.
Next week we will have a look at some additional reasons on why to get rid of some of your clients.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Firing a client! To many small business owners out there this may sound like attempting suicide. That said, it is often in our own best interests to get rid of problem clients.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to define what the word ‘client’ means. The Concise Oxford Dictionary says “Person using services of professional man (lawyer, architect, social worker etc).” The Wiki says “A customer is a buyer or receiver of goods or services”. Surely that would mean that if the client is a ‘buyer’ that the goods or services that they had received would actually need to be paid for.
Look I’m not saying that every time you have a difficult client you need to get rid of them, I am talking about the client who consistently gives takes up 80% of your time and energy but only contributes to 20% of your income. It’s the client who never listens when you tell them things, who never takes your advice but when the smelly brown stuff hits the fan, expects you to drop whatever you are doing and sort out their mess . . . at a discount!
It’s the client who you constantly battle to get money out of, in fact it takes you longer to get the money out of them than it did to do the job in the first place. I have some of these clients and my Customer policy for them is that they actually need to pay me up front and then I will do the work for the amount of money that they have paid me. That way they get the work done that they want and need and I get paid on time – a win/win I am sure that you would agree. Alternatively, get a deposit up front, especially if what you are selling is a product. I sell a service you see and quite honestly, I cannot un-write a policy or procedure or un-teach something that has already been taught, so there is nothing that I can actually take back from them.
Another way to deal with clients who don’t pay on time and then cancel everything out of the blue (when you have already done the work) is to put a substantial cancellation fee into your Terms and Conditions. Don’t be shy or scared to phone them for money, it is after all your money and I have no doubt that they did not blink an eye when they contacted you at all hours of the day and night demanding your attention.
It really isn’t worth the aggravation and irritation! They will cost you more in time and effort and energy than what you will make off them in the long run.
Next week we will have a look at some additional reasons on why to get rid of some of your clients.
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, October 29, 2018
Inspiration – Land and Live Amongst the Stars
Inspiration – Land and Live Amongst the Stars
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Les Brown says “Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars”.
Every time I read or see this sentence I get such a huge big smile on my face. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It makes me realize that all is well in my world and all is fantastic with me and that makes me really grateful!
Now I can see you all reading this with a really puzzled expression on your faces. You see I have reached for the moon on many occasions and on many of those I have missed completely. At the time the feeling is one of devastation but the result is that another door or opportunity has presented itself – a great big fat juicy lucrative opportunity that serves me well and that is always a good thing – landing amongst the stars.
Actually if the truth be told, I am precisely in that place right now and that is what I really love about writing my blog because nine times out of ten, I end up writing about stuff that I need to hear the most.
You see at the end of last year with the guidance of my mentor, I put all my plans, my goals and my desires in place. Everything was done with an action plan, a due date and the detailed list pertaining to how it was going to be done. A step by step of what I had to do to get things done. I was going to hit the ground running in the New Year..
Please believe me when I say I did hit the ground running in the New Year and I promise you I have hit it hard - thing is though that often the ‘time’ frame that we live our lives on earth is completely different to that of the Universe. Whilst common sense and logic must tell me that there is no such thing as ‘time’ in the Universe and its more to do with the lining up or perhaps ‘aligning’ of things, so that they ultimately all roll out fitting into each other and supporting each other to maximize their wealth of abundance, especially for little old me - the reality is that my deadlines have been missed and things that should have taken place in February have now been moved and shifted out to April, May, June and even as far as August and beyond.
To say that I was a little despondent when I opened my journal to write todays blog would have been a huge understatement – all my carefully laid out plans down the tubes!! And . . . are they? I think not hey! What they are is ‘moved out’ and ‘shifted’ and a whole new bunch of opportunities have presented themselves in the now, in this current time and space! How cool is that!
The reality is that although the plans for some opportunities have not happened as and when I wanted them to, they have not disappeared from sight altogether. The reality is that there are now some new opportunities that have presented themselves for which I have not planned but now I have some time available to not only put stuff into place for the new opportunities, but I will also be able to utilize some of the strategies from my previous planning.
The reality is that I will now also have time to lie amongst the stars and look up at the moon and ‘plan’ my next opportunity to “Shoot for the Moon”!
How awesome is that!
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 (Pty) Ltd
Les Brown says “Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars”.
Every time I read or see this sentence I get such a huge big smile on my face. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It makes me realize that all is well in my world and all is fantastic with me and that makes me really grateful!
Now I can see you all reading this with a really puzzled expression on your faces. You see I have reached for the moon on many occasions and on many of those I have missed completely. At the time the feeling is one of devastation but the result is that another door or opportunity has presented itself – a great big fat juicy lucrative opportunity that serves me well and that is always a good thing – landing amongst the stars.
Actually if the truth be told, I am precisely in that place right now and that is what I really love about writing my blog because nine times out of ten, I end up writing about stuff that I need to hear the most.
You see at the end of last year with the guidance of my mentor, I put all my plans, my goals and my desires in place. Everything was done with an action plan, a due date and the detailed list pertaining to how it was going to be done. A step by step of what I had to do to get things done. I was going to hit the ground running in the New Year..
Please believe me when I say I did hit the ground running in the New Year and I promise you I have hit it hard - thing is though that often the ‘time’ frame that we live our lives on earth is completely different to that of the Universe. Whilst common sense and logic must tell me that there is no such thing as ‘time’ in the Universe and its more to do with the lining up or perhaps ‘aligning’ of things, so that they ultimately all roll out fitting into each other and supporting each other to maximize their wealth of abundance, especially for little old me - the reality is that my deadlines have been missed and things that should have taken place in February have now been moved and shifted out to April, May, June and even as far as August and beyond.
To say that I was a little despondent when I opened my journal to write todays blog would have been a huge understatement – all my carefully laid out plans down the tubes!! And . . . are they? I think not hey! What they are is ‘moved out’ and ‘shifted’ and a whole new bunch of opportunities have presented themselves in the now, in this current time and space! How cool is that!
The reality is that although the plans for some opportunities have not happened as and when I wanted them to, they have not disappeared from sight altogether. The reality is that there are now some new opportunities that have presented themselves for which I have not planned but now I have some time available to not only put stuff into place for the new opportunities, but I will also be able to utilize some of the strategies from my previous planning.
The reality is that I will now also have time to lie amongst the stars and look up at the moon and ‘plan’ my next opportunity to “Shoot for the Moon”!
How awesome is that!
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, October 26, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Need Those Wall Charts
HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Need Those Wall Charts
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd - August 2009
Please note that this pertains to South African labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
About 98% of the companies that I assess actually are not compliant in terms of the wall charts that are required to be displayed.
You see both the employers and the employees are required to be aware of and even understand the minimum requirements of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It is a legal requirement to display these wall charts. Not only are they required to be displayed, but furthermore they are required to be easily accessible to all staff. Should the Department of Labour arrive at your office door and request to view these wall charts and you don’t have them, you may very well be in for a hefty fine. So it really is a good idea to be proactive about this.
Here’s the thing though, although it is incumbent upon employers to comply with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Employment Equity Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employees also have a part to play in ensuring that their obligations are carried out.
In terms of the latest upgrades of the Employment Equity Act, Companies and Government Departments are required to compile equity plans and these too are required to be displayed on notice boards. These plans also need to be discussed with the employees and their representative trade unions. Some small businesses may be exempt from this, but the minimum requirements would need to be checked.
In terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the minute 5 or more people are employed, there is a requirement to implement a health and safety structure in order to sustain the well being of employees and you are further required to create a healthy and safe working environment. Common sense though, should always prevail and whether you employ one person or one hundred, people have the right to work in a safe environment.
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 (Pty) Ltd - August 2009
Please note that this pertains to South African labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
About 98% of the companies that I assess actually are not compliant in terms of the wall charts that are required to be displayed.
You see both the employers and the employees are required to be aware of and even understand the minimum requirements of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It is a legal requirement to display these wall charts. Not only are they required to be displayed, but furthermore they are required to be easily accessible to all staff. Should the Department of Labour arrive at your office door and request to view these wall charts and you don’t have them, you may very well be in for a hefty fine. So it really is a good idea to be proactive about this.
Here’s the thing though, although it is incumbent upon employers to comply with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Employment Equity Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employees also have a part to play in ensuring that their obligations are carried out.
In terms of the latest upgrades of the Employment Equity Act, Companies and Government Departments are required to compile equity plans and these too are required to be displayed on notice boards. These plans also need to be discussed with the employees and their representative trade unions. Some small businesses may be exempt from this, but the minimum requirements would need to be checked.
In terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the minute 5 or more people are employed, there is a requirement to implement a health and safety structure in order to sustain the well being of employees and you are further required to create a healthy and safe working environment. Common sense though, should always prevail and whether you employ one person or one hundred, people have the right to work in a safe environment.
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, October 25, 2018
Blogging 101 – Write When You do have Ideas
Blogging 101 – Write When You do have Ideas
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
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 pantry 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 (Pty) Ltd
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 pantry 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
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Networking 101 - The difference between flirting & warmth
Networking 101 - The difference between flirting & warmth
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Flirtation and warmth are different energies. Identify these within yourself and use them appropriately.”
There are several networking meetings that I attend, and at many of them there is a guy who is in his 60’s and the first people that he targets are the ‘young’ ladies.
It is quite embarrassing for us seasoned Networkers, who have invited people along to a meeting, with the sole intention of doing business and most of the time we just try and make a joke of it, but the bottom line is that he is losing a lot of sales because of it, and the sales he is losing is from the very women that he is targeting.
You see, sadly he sees himself as being really charming, but the majority of the girls see him as being a bit of a ‘pervert’! In fact that is the exact word that someone used to describe him the other night.
How well do you think that that is working for him?
It’s now gotten to the stage that he pressures them into a one on one meeting with him, at the Networking event and then they cancel afterwards. This is just not good business acumen.
The reality of the situation is that because he cannot differentiate between being ‘charming’ and being a ‘bit of a pervert’, he is losing business hand over foot.
So believe me – understand the difference between being warm and friendly and flirtation.
The one will bring you heaps of business, the other will ensure that you don’t get any.
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Flirtation and warmth are different energies. Identify these within yourself and use them appropriately.”
There are several networking meetings that I attend, and at many of them there is a guy who is in his 60’s and the first people that he targets are the ‘young’ ladies.
It is quite embarrassing for us seasoned Networkers, who have invited people along to a meeting, with the sole intention of doing business and most of the time we just try and make a joke of it, but the bottom line is that he is losing a lot of sales because of it, and the sales he is losing is from the very women that he is targeting.
You see, sadly he sees himself as being really charming, but the majority of the girls see him as being a bit of a ‘pervert’! In fact that is the exact word that someone used to describe him the other night.
How well do you think that that is working for him?
It’s now gotten to the stage that he pressures them into a one on one meeting with him, at the Networking event and then they cancel afterwards. This is just not good business acumen.
The reality of the situation is that because he cannot differentiate between being ‘charming’ and being a ‘bit of a pervert’, he is losing business hand over foot.
So believe me – understand the difference between being warm and friendly and flirtation.
The one will bring you heaps of business, the other will ensure that you don’t get any.
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Business Tips - Entrepreneurs in South Africa
Business Tips – Entrepreneurs in South Africa
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Oh boy – am I going to make myself hugely unpopular with this one! Still sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do!
I, for one and sick and tired of the lament that many SMME’s have at the moment.
I am constantly told how ‘difficult’ it is because there are no opportunities and there is no funding. What a load of nonsense! There are huge opportunities out there – all you have to do is open your eyes and look! The majority of SMME’s walk around with blinkers on and wouldn’t see an opportunity if it bit them on the bum! There is also this whole sense of entitlement – what the hell is with that? Stop sitting around on your arse, waiting for things to happen, be done and dusted and fall into your lap. You have to work at getting things done, for things to come about!
Sadly too many SMME’s are so fixated on that idea of what they want to do that they fail to recognize the fact that it is about the ‘customer’s need’ rather than ‘their wants’. Even more sad is that this is something that they have probably learnt from one of their Corporate connections.
Then of course there is the whole issue around funding. Firstly, what makes you think that it is your God given right to demand funding from anyone – and not only just funding, but funding on your terms?
Let’s just put this into perspective shall we – if a person arrived at your front door, someone you have never met before and that you don’t know from Adam (presuming of course that he were able to get passed all the security and actually get to the front door), and this person asked you for a loan – what would you say? What would your reaction be? I know what mine would be and I am sure that yours would be no different.
The lending institutions have a right to lend you money (or not) and if they choose to lend you the money, they have the right to ask you whatever questions that they want to and they have the right to ask you to produce whatever documentation that they want to – of course, you also have rights too – if you object to being asked the questions or you have a problem with supplying them with the documentation or information that they want, you can always go somewhere else. No-one is forcing you to go, cap in hand, begging for money – you do that all by yourself. Be warned though, if you do go somewhere else, chances are that the ‘somewhere else’ will require the same type of information. So if you want the loan – suck it up!
Why do you think that it is like this? Do you think that the lending institutions want to make it as difficult as possible because they have nothing better to do? Personally, I think it is because they have been burnt before, over and over again. Think about it from your personal perspective – if you had lent a whole chunk of money to someone and they didn’t pay it back – how willing would you be to lend to someone else the next time? Or, how willing would you be to lend money to someone who has a track record of not paying it back? Or, what about when you got to the 10th or 100th person who you lent money to and only one was paying back – how would you feel then?
Remember the risk is all theirs. You go under or fall flat on your face or take the money for a fancy holiday in the Alps, instead of using it to build your business – they have lost their money. Sure they can go the legal route and usually that is exactly what they do, but that still means that they are without their funds for the duration and we all know that these things take forever and also cost an arm and a leg.
My suggestion to you, to avoid as much irritation, aggravation and frustration as possible, is to ask the institution to give you a list of all of their requirements. Whatever documents they give you to complete, complete them in full. Chances are, if you don’t give them all the information that they ask for, your application will be rejected and sent back to you for completion. Remember they hold all the cards in their hands and they can prolong your agony for as long as they like, so don’t give them added cause. If you are not sure of what something means – because some of the questions can be very ambiguous and can appear to be complicated, then ask someone. Be sure to get the person’s name and contact details and where possible, get them to confirm what they said in an e-mail – or you send an e-mail confirming what they said. Whatever you do don’t guess or assume or supply them with information that is not correct or true. They do check what you have supplied and if you are caught out in a lie, chances are they you will never get your loan, no matter how many hoops you then jump through.
Oh, and while I am on my soap box – the Government has offered to help and help doesn’t mean that they will pay 100% for what you want to do. Help means exactly that – they will assist you, not do everything for you. Expecting them to supply you with 100% of the money that you require to buy a franchise or a business is just unrealistic – you also have to contribute something. So don’t expect to have your own business that someone else has bought and paid for and you just sit back and rake in all the cash. Having your own business takes hard work, determination and many – and I mean many, sacrifices!
So suck it up Buttercup and get off your rear end and instead of waiting for things to happen go out there and make things happen!
End of rant!
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 (Pty) Ltd
Oh boy – am I going to make myself hugely unpopular with this one! Still sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do!
I, for one and sick and tired of the lament that many SMME’s have at the moment.
I am constantly told how ‘difficult’ it is because there are no opportunities and there is no funding. What a load of nonsense! There are huge opportunities out there – all you have to do is open your eyes and look! The majority of SMME’s walk around with blinkers on and wouldn’t see an opportunity if it bit them on the bum! There is also this whole sense of entitlement – what the hell is with that? Stop sitting around on your arse, waiting for things to happen, be done and dusted and fall into your lap. You have to work at getting things done, for things to come about!
Sadly too many SMME’s are so fixated on that idea of what they want to do that they fail to recognize the fact that it is about the ‘customer’s need’ rather than ‘their wants’. Even more sad is that this is something that they have probably learnt from one of their Corporate connections.
Then of course there is the whole issue around funding. Firstly, what makes you think that it is your God given right to demand funding from anyone – and not only just funding, but funding on your terms?
Let’s just put this into perspective shall we – if a person arrived at your front door, someone you have never met before and that you don’t know from Adam (presuming of course that he were able to get passed all the security and actually get to the front door), and this person asked you for a loan – what would you say? What would your reaction be? I know what mine would be and I am sure that yours would be no different.
The lending institutions have a right to lend you money (or not) and if they choose to lend you the money, they have the right to ask you whatever questions that they want to and they have the right to ask you to produce whatever documentation that they want to – of course, you also have rights too – if you object to being asked the questions or you have a problem with supplying them with the documentation or information that they want, you can always go somewhere else. No-one is forcing you to go, cap in hand, begging for money – you do that all by yourself. Be warned though, if you do go somewhere else, chances are that the ‘somewhere else’ will require the same type of information. So if you want the loan – suck it up!
Why do you think that it is like this? Do you think that the lending institutions want to make it as difficult as possible because they have nothing better to do? Personally, I think it is because they have been burnt before, over and over again. Think about it from your personal perspective – if you had lent a whole chunk of money to someone and they didn’t pay it back – how willing would you be to lend to someone else the next time? Or, how willing would you be to lend money to someone who has a track record of not paying it back? Or, what about when you got to the 10th or 100th person who you lent money to and only one was paying back – how would you feel then?
Remember the risk is all theirs. You go under or fall flat on your face or take the money for a fancy holiday in the Alps, instead of using it to build your business – they have lost their money. Sure they can go the legal route and usually that is exactly what they do, but that still means that they are without their funds for the duration and we all know that these things take forever and also cost an arm and a leg.
My suggestion to you, to avoid as much irritation, aggravation and frustration as possible, is to ask the institution to give you a list of all of their requirements. Whatever documents they give you to complete, complete them in full. Chances are, if you don’t give them all the information that they ask for, your application will be rejected and sent back to you for completion. Remember they hold all the cards in their hands and they can prolong your agony for as long as they like, so don’t give them added cause. If you are not sure of what something means – because some of the questions can be very ambiguous and can appear to be complicated, then ask someone. Be sure to get the person’s name and contact details and where possible, get them to confirm what they said in an e-mail – or you send an e-mail confirming what they said. Whatever you do don’t guess or assume or supply them with information that is not correct or true. They do check what you have supplied and if you are caught out in a lie, chances are they you will never get your loan, no matter how many hoops you then jump through.
Oh, and while I am on my soap box – the Government has offered to help and help doesn’t mean that they will pay 100% for what you want to do. Help means exactly that – they will assist you, not do everything for you. Expecting them to supply you with 100% of the money that you require to buy a franchise or a business is just unrealistic – you also have to contribute something. So don’t expect to have your own business that someone else has bought and paid for and you just sit back and rake in all the cash. Having your own business takes hard work, determination and many – and I mean many, sacrifices!
So suck it up Buttercup and get off your rear end and instead of waiting for things to happen go out there and make things happen!
End of rant!
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, October 22, 2018
Inspiration – Choose how you are going to live
Inspiration – Choose how you are going to live
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Joan Baez said “You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. You can only decide how you are going to live – now.”
This really does resonate with me at the moment. You see I am really down in the dumps and feeling very sorry for myself. There’s no real reason for me to be feeling like this – nothing has gone wrong, no-one has slighted me in any way – in fact I am really busy on the work front and very content on the home front. I’m just feeling blue!
Now I have often written about the choices that we make (or don’t make for that matter) so I do understand from a logical prospective, that me being blue is some sort of choice that I have made on a subconscious level and that therefore I can, on a conscious level, make another choice to be upbeat and positive.
The problem for me right now is that is that it is easy to make that choice – the difficulty of course is in the ‘living’ of that choice.
The difficulty now for me is to look beyond the fog that is clouding my mind. You see the blues that I am having is not based or bound by logic but by emotion. So clearly I have to step away from all the emotion in order for me to get back to the place where logic prevails – and of course that is another choice that I have to make.
One step at a time, once choice at a time and of course, my mindset will change and the blues will simply just fade away.
So, here I go to make a choice . . . .
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 (Pty) Ltd
Joan Baez said “You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. You can only decide how you are going to live – now.”
This really does resonate with me at the moment. You see I am really down in the dumps and feeling very sorry for myself. There’s no real reason for me to be feeling like this – nothing has gone wrong, no-one has slighted me in any way – in fact I am really busy on the work front and very content on the home front. I’m just feeling blue!
Now I have often written about the choices that we make (or don’t make for that matter) so I do understand from a logical prospective, that me being blue is some sort of choice that I have made on a subconscious level and that therefore I can, on a conscious level, make another choice to be upbeat and positive.
The problem for me right now is that is that it is easy to make that choice – the difficulty of course is in the ‘living’ of that choice.
The difficulty now for me is to look beyond the fog that is clouding my mind. You see the blues that I am having is not based or bound by logic but by emotion. So clearly I have to step away from all the emotion in order for me to get back to the place where logic prevails – and of course that is another choice that I have to make.
One step at a time, once choice at a time and of course, my mindset will change and the blues will simply just fade away.
So, here I go to make a choice . . . .
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, October 19, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . Restraint of Trade – Part 2
HR 101 – What to do When . . . Restraint of Trade – Part 2
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
Following on from last week, we are having a look at a case of “Restraint of Trade” that was upheld by the courts.
In this instance, Mike our favorite protagonist works in a motor vehicle service centre where he does specialized diagnostic testing (let’s call them 123 Motor City).
Again, Mike is offered a position with a competitor ( let’s call them ABC Motor City), but this time he has been enticed across, not because of his work skills but in at attempt by ABC Motor City to gain access to the internal processes of 123 Motor City as well as their client data base.
Again Mike is served with papers to appear in court as 123 Motor City attempt to invoke the “Restraint of Trade” clause.
This time Mike is not successful in defending the application due to (but not Limited to) the following.
• Mike started at 123 Motor City fresh out of school. All of his work skills and diagnostic training was gained when 123 Motor City sent Mike to college and workshops and training courses (and paid for these too). 123 Motor City was therefore able to distinguish between the proprietary to it and Mike’s general knowledge and skills.
• Mike did posses information pertaining to 123 Motor City, that was of a confidential nature, and he had furthermore attended many in house training sessions and the result of this was that many of his skills and knowledge was specifically about the processes and systems and products of 123 Motor City.
• As a direct result of this Mike was in possession of trade secrets and client information – both of which were of a confidential nature. If Mike shared any or all of this information with ABC Motor City it could be used against 123 Motor City and also used to their disadvantage.
The bottom line was that as far as the courts were concerned, the fact that there was any risk whatsoever, of disclosure of confidential information, be it of 123 Motor City’s processes or product information or worth ethics or clients, any one of these was sufficient to justify the Court’s decision to prevent Mike from taking up employment with ABC Motor City.
The Court therefore enforced the Restraint of Trade clause.
So remember, be specific with what you want to prevent. Be specific and realistic about the time that your want the restraint to be in force and always be fair.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
Following on from last week, we are having a look at a case of “Restraint of Trade” that was upheld by the courts.
In this instance, Mike our favorite protagonist works in a motor vehicle service centre where he does specialized diagnostic testing (let’s call them 123 Motor City).
Again, Mike is offered a position with a competitor ( let’s call them ABC Motor City), but this time he has been enticed across, not because of his work skills but in at attempt by ABC Motor City to gain access to the internal processes of 123 Motor City as well as their client data base.
Again Mike is served with papers to appear in court as 123 Motor City attempt to invoke the “Restraint of Trade” clause.
This time Mike is not successful in defending the application due to (but not Limited to) the following.
• Mike started at 123 Motor City fresh out of school. All of his work skills and diagnostic training was gained when 123 Motor City sent Mike to college and workshops and training courses (and paid for these too). 123 Motor City was therefore able to distinguish between the proprietary to it and Mike’s general knowledge and skills.
• Mike did posses information pertaining to 123 Motor City, that was of a confidential nature, and he had furthermore attended many in house training sessions and the result of this was that many of his skills and knowledge was specifically about the processes and systems and products of 123 Motor City.
• As a direct result of this Mike was in possession of trade secrets and client information – both of which were of a confidential nature. If Mike shared any or all of this information with ABC Motor City it could be used against 123 Motor City and also used to their disadvantage.
The bottom line was that as far as the courts were concerned, the fact that there was any risk whatsoever, of disclosure of confidential information, be it of 123 Motor City’s processes or product information or worth ethics or clients, any one of these was sufficient to justify the Court’s decision to prevent Mike from taking up employment with ABC Motor City.
The Court therefore enforced the Restraint of Trade clause.
So remember, be specific with what you want to prevent. Be specific and realistic about the time that your want the restraint to be in force and always be fair.
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, October 18, 2018
Blogging 101 – Stealing Content & Ideas
Blogging 101 – Stealing Content & Ideas
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
I was asked the other day whether I had ever ‘stolen ideas or content”? To be quite honest I was gob smacked! Now I can see you all shaking your heads and wondering if I have lost all of my marbles!
Here’s the thing, more often than not, (probably around 99.9999% of the time), something that I have heard or something that I have seen or something that I have read about, has sparked an idea for an article, in my mind.
Logic must tell you that it would be impossible for me to actually experience every single thing that I write about. Of course that does not mean that I cannot write about the lesson that needs to be learnt or in fact learn the lesson from someone else myself.
Look, let’s be honest here – I am not saying that you should plagiarize anyone’s work or not give an author credit for something that they have written. That for me, goes without saying. Words that you use that were written by someone else should be correctly credited. That’s not only a legal issue, but for me it is also a moral one.
What I am saying though, is that words, or pictures often spark another idea or are often the basis of another idea that will usually end up as an article. Pretty much like the question that was asked that has now become this article.
This is often one way that allows ideas to be shown in perhaps a different context or from another viewpoint.
The fact of the matter is that I have several websites that I visit on a daily basis and several newsletters that I get on one feed or another and I also subscribe to several magazines and am constantly reading books that pertain to business or biographies and even non-fiction. The fact of the matter is that all of this reading makes something ‘click’ and somewhere, something has made me think and that thought has resulted in an article being written.
So whilst I don’t condone or promote ‘theft’ of someone else’s work or that an article that someone else wrote be attributed to yourself, I do feel that we all get ideas from somewhere and even when we do ‘research’ we are still using other people’s work to validate what we are doing.
Think about it for a minute – and then go and write your own article!
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 (Pty) Ltd
I was asked the other day whether I had ever ‘stolen ideas or content”? To be quite honest I was gob smacked! Now I can see you all shaking your heads and wondering if I have lost all of my marbles!
Here’s the thing, more often than not, (probably around 99.9999% of the time), something that I have heard or something that I have seen or something that I have read about, has sparked an idea for an article, in my mind.
Logic must tell you that it would be impossible for me to actually experience every single thing that I write about. Of course that does not mean that I cannot write about the lesson that needs to be learnt or in fact learn the lesson from someone else myself.
Look, let’s be honest here – I am not saying that you should plagiarize anyone’s work or not give an author credit for something that they have written. That for me, goes without saying. Words that you use that were written by someone else should be correctly credited. That’s not only a legal issue, but for me it is also a moral one.
What I am saying though, is that words, or pictures often spark another idea or are often the basis of another idea that will usually end up as an article. Pretty much like the question that was asked that has now become this article.
This is often one way that allows ideas to be shown in perhaps a different context or from another viewpoint.
The fact of the matter is that I have several websites that I visit on a daily basis and several newsletters that I get on one feed or another and I also subscribe to several magazines and am constantly reading books that pertain to business or biographies and even non-fiction. The fact of the matter is that all of this reading makes something ‘click’ and somewhere, something has made me think and that thought has resulted in an article being written.
So whilst I don’t condone or promote ‘theft’ of someone else’s work or that an article that someone else wrote be attributed to yourself, I do feel that we all get ideas from somewhere and even when we do ‘research’ we are still using other people’s work to validate what we are doing.
Think about it for a minute – and then go and write your own article!
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, October 17, 2018
Networking 101 - Relationship Building
Networking 101 - Relationship Building
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
It is said that ‘sales come purely from people’.
As true that that may be, we still have to ‘trust’ people and there is a whole lot of ‘personal touch’ that would need to enter the equation too. How about ‘value add’ or being ‘unique’ and offering something that no-one else does? Then of course there are things like pricing, quality and delivery, and I suspect that I have only just begun to scratch the surface!
So why am I talking about all of these in a Networking Tip? Well it’s really quite simple – you see none of the above would happen if a relationship had not been built or a referral not been made.
Think about it for a moment – we have built relationships with all of our suppliers (although I suspect some, like banks, cell phone providers and the post office were out of necessity rather than choice) in both our personal capacity and our business capacity. Even the big ones like Woolworths or Pick ‘n Pay, we go to because our parents went there to do the grocery shop, or someone told us about a special that they had on or they give good value for money. Whatever the reason is and whether it is with a specific person there, or just the brand name – the relationship is built.
Networking for me is about meeting people, quickly and effortlessly so that I can start building relationships with those people. The more people I meet, the more relationships I can start, the more business walks in through my front door.
So if sales ‘comes purely from people’ doesn’t it stand to reason that the more people I have in my circle of influence the more sales I am going to generate?
It works for me!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
It is said that ‘sales come purely from people’.
As true that that may be, we still have to ‘trust’ people and there is a whole lot of ‘personal touch’ that would need to enter the equation too. How about ‘value add’ or being ‘unique’ and offering something that no-one else does? Then of course there are things like pricing, quality and delivery, and I suspect that I have only just begun to scratch the surface!
So why am I talking about all of these in a Networking Tip? Well it’s really quite simple – you see none of the above would happen if a relationship had not been built or a referral not been made.
Think about it for a moment – we have built relationships with all of our suppliers (although I suspect some, like banks, cell phone providers and the post office were out of necessity rather than choice) in both our personal capacity and our business capacity. Even the big ones like Woolworths or Pick ‘n Pay, we go to because our parents went there to do the grocery shop, or someone told us about a special that they had on or they give good value for money. Whatever the reason is and whether it is with a specific person there, or just the brand name – the relationship is built.
Networking for me is about meeting people, quickly and effortlessly so that I can start building relationships with those people. The more people I meet, the more relationships I can start, the more business walks in through my front door.
So if sales ‘comes purely from people’ doesn’t it stand to reason that the more people I have in my circle of influence the more sales I am going to generate?
It works for me!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Business Tips - The Poker Player
Business Tips – The Poker Player
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr Renate Volpe, in her Political Intelligence nuggets says “Game 8: The Poker player. Encourages another person to share information, without revealing their own position.”
Oh I know these ones – they are the people who usually throw one or two words out and on very rare occasions an entire sentence may go into the pot and then they sit back and wait and watch and listen to everything that everyone else has to say. As the conversation wanes or stops altogether they will throw the next lot of words or sentence into the mix again.
Usually, they sit back with a huge self satisfied grin across their faces as they take in all the information that comes out of the conversation, whilst putting very little back in.
From this information they use whatever they need to for their own purposes, never, ever giving anything back.
From my own personal point of view they are like vampires, constantly sucking the life blood out of you. Always looking for new information, always on the periphery of any conversation, but never actually part of it.
In my opinion an exchange of ideas/information, is exactly that . . . exchanging or brainstorming and I always try and make myself aware of individuals who hang about just to listen in and not contribute in any way.
Should you require any additional information on Renate and what she does, please visit her website on http://www.drrenatavolpe.co.za.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr Renate Volpe, in her Political Intelligence nuggets says “Game 8: The Poker player. Encourages another person to share information, without revealing their own position.”
Oh I know these ones – they are the people who usually throw one or two words out and on very rare occasions an entire sentence may go into the pot and then they sit back and wait and watch and listen to everything that everyone else has to say. As the conversation wanes or stops altogether they will throw the next lot of words or sentence into the mix again.
Usually, they sit back with a huge self satisfied grin across their faces as they take in all the information that comes out of the conversation, whilst putting very little back in.
From this information they use whatever they need to for their own purposes, never, ever giving anything back.
From my own personal point of view they are like vampires, constantly sucking the life blood out of you. Always looking for new information, always on the periphery of any conversation, but never actually part of it.
In my opinion an exchange of ideas/information, is exactly that . . . exchanging or brainstorming and I always try and make myself aware of individuals who hang about just to listen in and not contribute in any way.
Should you require any additional information on Renate and what she does, please visit her website on http://www.drrenatavolpe.co.za.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
Monday, October 15, 2018
Inspiation - Can't or Won't
Inspiration – Can't' or Won't
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Jan Ashford says "There is no such thing as can't, only won't"
Isn't it absolutely amazing how the thing that is absolutely bugging me the most or the thing that I most need to learn about is the thing that I get to write about! It always makes me smile when these opportunities present themselves in this way.
Let me tell you the story . . . .
I am currently doing some work for a client, let's call them ABC Products. They have several branches throughout the country and even some across borders.
Although the business is a number of years old now and doing very well, there are very few policies, procedures and templates in place - including (but not limited to) the fact that Letters or Contracts of employment have not been issued.
For several months now I have been trying to get information out of the office administration staff in each of the branches and it has been a very long and frustrating process.
The final straw happened today when I received a reply from the Office Administrator. Now you may be wondering why receiving a reply from the Office Administrator would cause such a furor. Well you see it's like this, this is the fourth time she has sent me the exact same reply, clearly the problem is that she has not answered the question. Actually the reality is that she probably did not read the question properly and therefore did not answer it at all.
It was Einstein who said that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again whilst expecting a different outcome"!
Now clearly the problem was either the Office Administrator "could not" give me the correct answer or she "would not" give me the correct answer! Yet instead of explaining what the problem was to me, so that we could find a workable solution, she merely continued to send me the incorrect information in the hope that I would either accept it or just go away!
Clearly I did neither! What eventually happened of course, is that she ended up facing disciplinary charges for failing to comply with a reasonable instruction and that of course, makes me the "bad" guy - not that that concerns me in any way, you understand.
The reality is that all this drama could have been easily avoided if only she had had a mind shift change and become a part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem.
I guess it goes to the age old story of how resistant we humans are to change of any sort - whether it will ultimately make our lives easier or not. The reality of that of course, is that "change" is one if the few things that is absolutely guaranteed and we had best get used to the idea and just deal with it or we will be faced with a life full of angst and challenge.
So the challenge is for us to let go of the angst and embrace the change. That way at least we have some control over how and when the change takes place.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Jan Ashford says "There is no such thing as can't, only won't"
Isn't it absolutely amazing how the thing that is absolutely bugging me the most or the thing that I most need to learn about is the thing that I get to write about! It always makes me smile when these opportunities present themselves in this way.
Let me tell you the story . . . .
I am currently doing some work for a client, let's call them ABC Products. They have several branches throughout the country and even some across borders.
Although the business is a number of years old now and doing very well, there are very few policies, procedures and templates in place - including (but not limited to) the fact that Letters or Contracts of employment have not been issued.
For several months now I have been trying to get information out of the office administration staff in each of the branches and it has been a very long and frustrating process.
The final straw happened today when I received a reply from the Office Administrator. Now you may be wondering why receiving a reply from the Office Administrator would cause such a furor. Well you see it's like this, this is the fourth time she has sent me the exact same reply, clearly the problem is that she has not answered the question. Actually the reality is that she probably did not read the question properly and therefore did not answer it at all.
It was Einstein who said that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again whilst expecting a different outcome"!
Now clearly the problem was either the Office Administrator "could not" give me the correct answer or she "would not" give me the correct answer! Yet instead of explaining what the problem was to me, so that we could find a workable solution, she merely continued to send me the incorrect information in the hope that I would either accept it or just go away!
Clearly I did neither! What eventually happened of course, is that she ended up facing disciplinary charges for failing to comply with a reasonable instruction and that of course, makes me the "bad" guy - not that that concerns me in any way, you understand.
The reality is that all this drama could have been easily avoided if only she had had a mind shift change and become a part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem.
I guess it goes to the age old story of how resistant we humans are to change of any sort - whether it will ultimately make our lives easier or not. The reality of that of course, is that "change" is one if the few things that is absolutely guaranteed and we had best get used to the idea and just deal with it or we will be faced with a life full of angst and challenge.
So the challenge is for us to let go of the angst and embrace the change. That way at least we have some control over how and when the change takes place.
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, October 12, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . Restraint of Trade – Part 1
HR 101 – What to do When . . . Restraint of Trade – Part 1
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
There has been a great deal of speculation about “Restraint’s of Trade” in an Employee’s Letter/Contract of Employment.
Here are some of the facts:-
• Our constitution states that we have a right to work.
• The courts will only enforce a “Restraint of Trade” agreement on a case-by-case basis. Each case is looked at specifically and individually.
So the bottom line is that there is no hard and fast rule.
Here’s the story.
Our favorite protagonist, Mike works as a program developer in ABC IT Solutions. Mike has a contract of employment that has a restraint of trade clause that specifies that Mike cannot work for a competitor for a period of 24 months.
Mike, after working for the company for a period of 5 years, is offered a senior position, with a whole lot of additional items in his package, with a competitor (let’s call them XYZ IT Solutions). ABC IT Solutions refused to even discuss matching what was offered to Mike and Mike decided to leave and join the XYZ IT Solutions. ABC IT Solutions decided to invoke the Restraint of Trade clause and Mike is presented with documents to appear in court.
Here’s the thing – Mike is changing employment to better himself, he is not changing employment to transfer company skills and to transfer information to his new employer.
In this instance, Mike already had his skills when he joined ABC IT Solutions, therefore his skills and ‘Know How’ are vested in himself rather than in ABC IT Solutions.
Furthermore his contract of employment is not specific at all – Mike has not been stopped for working in a specific demographic area or geographic area but rather has been stropped from working anywhere for a period of two years.
XYZ IT Solutions have their own client base and if you have to view the kind of product or service that they sell, their target market is similar but not exactly the same as that of ABC IT Solutions.
Mike’s ability to program software in direct response to the client’s needs and specifications, means that he is not taking any trade secrets or confidential information with him – he is using his own knowledge and Intellectual Property. The knowledge that Mike has is quite generic to the trade, his ability to interpret the client’s request however and his ability to provide software that solves client’s problems at an affordable price, is unique to himself.
In this case, Mike won his case as the court decided that:
• The restraint of trade was too broad and not specific. To uphold it would mean that Mike would not be able to work in his profession, anywhere in the world, for a period of two years.
• The knowledge and skills that Mike has, are his own and do not, in any way constitute any kind of trade secrets or confidential information that may belong to the Company.
• ABC IT Solutions could not isolate what its Intellectual Property was or even differentiate between what was theirs or what belonged to Mike.
Next time we will look at when a Restraint of Trade was upheld.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
There has been a great deal of speculation about “Restraint’s of Trade” in an Employee’s Letter/Contract of Employment.
Here are some of the facts:-
• Our constitution states that we have a right to work.
• The courts will only enforce a “Restraint of Trade” agreement on a case-by-case basis. Each case is looked at specifically and individually.
So the bottom line is that there is no hard and fast rule.
Here’s the story.
Our favorite protagonist, Mike works as a program developer in ABC IT Solutions. Mike has a contract of employment that has a restraint of trade clause that specifies that Mike cannot work for a competitor for a period of 24 months.
Mike, after working for the company for a period of 5 years, is offered a senior position, with a whole lot of additional items in his package, with a competitor (let’s call them XYZ IT Solutions). ABC IT Solutions refused to even discuss matching what was offered to Mike and Mike decided to leave and join the XYZ IT Solutions. ABC IT Solutions decided to invoke the Restraint of Trade clause and Mike is presented with documents to appear in court.
Here’s the thing – Mike is changing employment to better himself, he is not changing employment to transfer company skills and to transfer information to his new employer.
In this instance, Mike already had his skills when he joined ABC IT Solutions, therefore his skills and ‘Know How’ are vested in himself rather than in ABC IT Solutions.
Furthermore his contract of employment is not specific at all – Mike has not been stopped for working in a specific demographic area or geographic area but rather has been stropped from working anywhere for a period of two years.
XYZ IT Solutions have their own client base and if you have to view the kind of product or service that they sell, their target market is similar but not exactly the same as that of ABC IT Solutions.
Mike’s ability to program software in direct response to the client’s needs and specifications, means that he is not taking any trade secrets or confidential information with him – he is using his own knowledge and Intellectual Property. The knowledge that Mike has is quite generic to the trade, his ability to interpret the client’s request however and his ability to provide software that solves client’s problems at an affordable price, is unique to himself.
In this case, Mike won his case as the court decided that:
• The restraint of trade was too broad and not specific. To uphold it would mean that Mike would not be able to work in his profession, anywhere in the world, for a period of two years.
• The knowledge and skills that Mike has, are his own and do not, in any way constitute any kind of trade secrets or confidential information that may belong to the Company.
• ABC IT Solutions could not isolate what its Intellectual Property was or even differentiate between what was theirs or what belonged to Mike.
Next time we will look at when a Restraint of Trade was upheld.
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, October 11, 2018
Blogging 101 – Learn Something New
Blogging 101 – Learn Something New
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
I must admit that there have been occasions when I have sat here in my office, word document in front of me, ready for me to just put something on it and nothing comes to mind. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times, that that clean white block looks back at me, mocking me, bullying me, daring me, in fact doing everything nasty and horrible that you can think of to me. The one thing that it never, ever does is inspire me! That has to come from somewhere else and that somewhere else, for me is usually something that I have seen, read or listened to, but now have an opinion about and as I have often said, I usually have an opinion about most things.
Sometimes when I am writing an article on a particular topic, it feels like a chore – something that I was really on fire about, just a few weeks ago has become a chore, a pain in the rear end! That’s when I really do procrastinate – trying to squirm myself out of writing the article with ‘I don’t feel like it or I want to do xyz now, or my own particular favorite one – I’ll just go and make myself a cup of tea and I’ll write it as soon as I get back. Needless to say, when I come back or rather if I come back, there is always something else that I need to do first. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
What I have realized lately is that the reason that I am not inspired to write that particular article on that particular subject, is usually because I’ve gone off the boil. I mean how many times can you say the same thing in a different way and sometimes people just don’t get it. Now that’s not my fault, although to be honest it can be quite frustrating for me.
So how do I get back ‘on the boil’? How do I get my ‘mojo’ back? Well I can either look though all of my material that I have gathered over the years, and believe me there is a lot of it – but the idea of getting some 20 odd boxes of notes and cuttings down out of the top corners of the cupboards is about as exciting and spark creating as watching paint dry (yet I still collect stuff all the time). The quickest and least painful thing for me is to put the old headphones on, crank up the music (I am currently listening to Duffy singing “Distant Dreamer” as I type this) and go on an e-journey on the subject that I am wanting to write about. I always find something that I never knew on the subject, or something that I can now look at from a completely different aspect and my spark is once again ignited, my mojo returns and the blank word page, suddenly fills up really quickly – just as it should.
Personally, I don’t think that we will ever know all that there is to know about a particular subject. I think that we often become over confident about it. That’s the danger! So when you’re stuck, learn something new about the subject that you want to write about or about anything really. Learning something new never hurt anybody and it can be a lot of fun!
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 (Pty) Ltd
I must admit that there have been occasions when I have sat here in my office, word document in front of me, ready for me to just put something on it and nothing comes to mind. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times, that that clean white block looks back at me, mocking me, bullying me, daring me, in fact doing everything nasty and horrible that you can think of to me. The one thing that it never, ever does is inspire me! That has to come from somewhere else and that somewhere else, for me is usually something that I have seen, read or listened to, but now have an opinion about and as I have often said, I usually have an opinion about most things.
Sometimes when I am writing an article on a particular topic, it feels like a chore – something that I was really on fire about, just a few weeks ago has become a chore, a pain in the rear end! That’s when I really do procrastinate – trying to squirm myself out of writing the article with ‘I don’t feel like it or I want to do xyz now, or my own particular favorite one – I’ll just go and make myself a cup of tea and I’ll write it as soon as I get back. Needless to say, when I come back or rather if I come back, there is always something else that I need to do first. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
What I have realized lately is that the reason that I am not inspired to write that particular article on that particular subject, is usually because I’ve gone off the boil. I mean how many times can you say the same thing in a different way and sometimes people just don’t get it. Now that’s not my fault, although to be honest it can be quite frustrating for me.
So how do I get back ‘on the boil’? How do I get my ‘mojo’ back? Well I can either look though all of my material that I have gathered over the years, and believe me there is a lot of it – but the idea of getting some 20 odd boxes of notes and cuttings down out of the top corners of the cupboards is about as exciting and spark creating as watching paint dry (yet I still collect stuff all the time). The quickest and least painful thing for me is to put the old headphones on, crank up the music (I am currently listening to Duffy singing “Distant Dreamer” as I type this) and go on an e-journey on the subject that I am wanting to write about. I always find something that I never knew on the subject, or something that I can now look at from a completely different aspect and my spark is once again ignited, my mojo returns and the blank word page, suddenly fills up really quickly – just as it should.
Personally, I don’t think that we will ever know all that there is to know about a particular subject. I think that we often become over confident about it. That’s the danger! So when you’re stuck, learn something new about the subject that you want to write about or about anything really. Learning something new never hurt anybody and it can be a lot of fun!
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, October 10, 2018
Networking 101 - Be sure to list your achievements
Networking 101 - Be sure to list your achievements
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Tell people what it is that you are good at or have done well. Don’t confuse the communication of factual business information with false modesty.”
Oh I am absolutely for this one! Look, I understand that no-one wants to go around telling everyone how fantastic they are and the list of their achievements. It’s not the best thing to do, if you are socializing – however, if you are networking it is essential.
People need to know what you have achieved. It all goes to who you are and what you have done. It goes to your credibility. It goes to your deliverables. It tells people that you do deliver, that you do achieve and that you can be trusted. It lets people know that others have used your services or bought your products and they have been well pleased with what you did for them.
In short it tells them that you are trustworthy and they will be more willing to part with their hard earned moola.
So don’t hide your achievements under the blankets as if you are ashamed of them. Tell everyone what you have done with your life and tell it proudly. I am sure you worked very hard to achieve it, be proud that you have and show it.
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Tell people what it is that you are good at or have done well. Don’t confuse the communication of factual business information with false modesty.”
Oh I am absolutely for this one! Look, I understand that no-one wants to go around telling everyone how fantastic they are and the list of their achievements. It’s not the best thing to do, if you are socializing – however, if you are networking it is essential.
People need to know what you have achieved. It all goes to who you are and what you have done. It goes to your credibility. It goes to your deliverables. It tells people that you do deliver, that you do achieve and that you can be trusted. It lets people know that others have used your services or bought your products and they have been well pleased with what you did for them.
In short it tells them that you are trustworthy and they will be more willing to part with their hard earned moola.
So don’t hide your achievements under the blankets as if you are ashamed of them. Tell everyone what you have done with your life and tell it proudly. I am sure you worked very hard to achieve it, be proud that you have and show it.
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at http://www.drrenatevolpe.co.za
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, October 09, 2018
Business Tips - You are not alone
Business Tips – You are not alone
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Being an Entrepreneur is not for sissies! It’s tough – really tough! Especially when you are starting out. You have to be all that there is and more.
You’re the person in charge of operations, administration, bookkeeping, compliance, HR and Marketing. Then you usually have to be the cleaner, the delivery guy and the tea person too. Don’t forget all the research and legal stuff and legislative stuff that also has to be done not to mention procurement and . . . . and so the list of things that have to be done goes on and on! Yep, the life of an Entrepreneur is often very hard and often very lonely.
It gets even worse though when you experience a problem that you are not sure how to deal with because it is outside of your realm of experience. You will often feel that the weight of the world and your burdens are crushing you, squeezing all of your inspiration out of you and killing your spirit.
It can get so bad that you get to the point where you are ready to just throw in the towel and give up. The angst, the uncertainty and sheer enormity of the undertaking before you is just so overwhelming, it’s just too much!
Believe me when I tell you that we have all been there at some point or another!
The reality of course is that you don’t have to isolate yourself and do this all on your own. Ask for help – what’s the worst that can happen?
In my experience the worst that can happen is that that particular person cannot help because they themselves do not have the experience, but believe me when I tell you that there are always people out there who are more than willing to help.
Let’s take it one step at a time.
Firstly, as you are starting out, get advice from the start and I am not talking about advice from your mates who are all working for other people and who have never run or started a business themselves. I am talking about help from Entrepreneurs who are already up and running and who have already gone through (and survived and prospered) what you are currently going through.
Understand also, that in all probability you will need advice of one kind or another all the way through the rest of your career as an Entrepreneur. Even the most successful Entrepreneurs still have mentors and advisors, why would you be any different?
When you start out and are still in the planning stages and you are confused about the ‘how to’, differentiate your product or service from your competition or how to ‘price’ yourself, the easiest way is to actually use your competitors to improve your products or services. What are they selling that you can improve on?
Once you are up and running you need to measure on a regular basis. What are your customers experiencing? Are they satisfied with the experience? Are they happy with the product? What or how can you improve?
As an Entrepreneur there will come a time when you have a difficult or disgruntled client. That is just the reality of doing business. As difficult as it may be for you to deal with angry or upset customers, it is something that you need to do and please understand that it should be done sooner rather than later. Making an angry customer ‘wait’ before you contact them is not going to endear them to you in any way – if anything it will fuel the fire.
Keep yourself up to date with social media channels, especially those that are the home for complaints. Often this is the first place where you will become aware of a problem.
Keep yourself informed – you need to know what is happening in the markets around you. Depending on what industry you are in, it will often give you an advantage.
Finally, talk to your mentors and coaches - the people who know you best. The people whose ‘common sense’ (although that is a very rare commodity these days), or logical type advise is just what you need to hear and then really listen to what they say.
Often when you are not talking to them it is because your sub-conscious is telling you that you are doing something wrong – something that they would advise you against.
So listen to and really ‘hear’ what is going on around you – it may mean avoiding a world of pain further on down the line.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Being an Entrepreneur is not for sissies! It’s tough – really tough! Especially when you are starting out. You have to be all that there is and more.
You’re the person in charge of operations, administration, bookkeeping, compliance, HR and Marketing. Then you usually have to be the cleaner, the delivery guy and the tea person too. Don’t forget all the research and legal stuff and legislative stuff that also has to be done not to mention procurement and . . . . and so the list of things that have to be done goes on and on! Yep, the life of an Entrepreneur is often very hard and often very lonely.
It gets even worse though when you experience a problem that you are not sure how to deal with because it is outside of your realm of experience. You will often feel that the weight of the world and your burdens are crushing you, squeezing all of your inspiration out of you and killing your spirit.
It can get so bad that you get to the point where you are ready to just throw in the towel and give up. The angst, the uncertainty and sheer enormity of the undertaking before you is just so overwhelming, it’s just too much!
Believe me when I tell you that we have all been there at some point or another!
The reality of course is that you don’t have to isolate yourself and do this all on your own. Ask for help – what’s the worst that can happen?
In my experience the worst that can happen is that that particular person cannot help because they themselves do not have the experience, but believe me when I tell you that there are always people out there who are more than willing to help.
Let’s take it one step at a time.
Firstly, as you are starting out, get advice from the start and I am not talking about advice from your mates who are all working for other people and who have never run or started a business themselves. I am talking about help from Entrepreneurs who are already up and running and who have already gone through (and survived and prospered) what you are currently going through.
Understand also, that in all probability you will need advice of one kind or another all the way through the rest of your career as an Entrepreneur. Even the most successful Entrepreneurs still have mentors and advisors, why would you be any different?
When you start out and are still in the planning stages and you are confused about the ‘how to’, differentiate your product or service from your competition or how to ‘price’ yourself, the easiest way is to actually use your competitors to improve your products or services. What are they selling that you can improve on?
Once you are up and running you need to measure on a regular basis. What are your customers experiencing? Are they satisfied with the experience? Are they happy with the product? What or how can you improve?
As an Entrepreneur there will come a time when you have a difficult or disgruntled client. That is just the reality of doing business. As difficult as it may be for you to deal with angry or upset customers, it is something that you need to do and please understand that it should be done sooner rather than later. Making an angry customer ‘wait’ before you contact them is not going to endear them to you in any way – if anything it will fuel the fire.
Keep yourself up to date with social media channels, especially those that are the home for complaints. Often this is the first place where you will become aware of a problem.
Keep yourself informed – you need to know what is happening in the markets around you. Depending on what industry you are in, it will often give you an advantage.
Finally, talk to your mentors and coaches - the people who know you best. The people whose ‘common sense’ (although that is a very rare commodity these days), or logical type advise is just what you need to hear and then really listen to what they say.
Often when you are not talking to them it is because your sub-conscious is telling you that you are doing something wrong – something that they would advise you against.
So listen to and really ‘hear’ what is going on around you – it may mean avoiding a world of pain further on down the line.
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, October 08, 2018
Inspiration - Learning to Fly
Inspiration – Learning to Fly
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Fredrich Nietzsche says “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying!”
Oh! This one really had me smiling! You see, whilst I am very aware that most things in life take time to achieve and that certain processes need to be followed to ensure a successful outcome, I am also terribly impatient! I am always impatient to get the task started and done – no – patience is certainly not one of my strong points!
I understand that the journey of life goes through stages, where we start off by ‘standing’ and then ‘walking’ and so on, but that doesn’t mean that the goal of ‘flying’ is not constantly far from our thoughts and that we want to get there as quickly as possible and that we are not hugely impatient to get to it and of course, herein lies the challenge.
Much like the ‘short cut’ that we take on unfamiliar roads to get to a specific destination in a hurry, will often get us horribly lost and take us far longer to get there than the original route, so too often will the ‘shortcuts’ that we take in life often end in disaster.
I think that the trick is to savour the journey. To stop every now and then and celebrate the achievements that we have made. To look back and see how far we have come rather than just continuously chastising ourselves on all the things that we have not yet achieved.
I think that the trick is to deal with the issues as and when they arise and not to ignore or bury them in the hope that they will resolve themselves or even go away. I think that where we can, we should be proactive and prepare ourselves for what we know will happen or can happen so that we can deal with them effectively and efficiently when they do happen.
I think that we should always look at life with a ‘can do’ kind of attitude, rather than actively trying to find ways to say “can’t do”!
I think that we should check our ‘mind sets’ on a regular basis and make the ‘minor adjustments’ that are required instead of waiting until life gives us a big fat smack or ‘wake up’ call.
I think that we must remember to ‘flex’ our fledgling wings from time to time to remind us of our goals and so that when it comes time to ‘soar’ we will do so without fear or restraint.
But until that time . . . . I think we need to pull in the reigns and ‘learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance’ before we start to fly.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Fredrich Nietzsche says “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying!”
Oh! This one really had me smiling! You see, whilst I am very aware that most things in life take time to achieve and that certain processes need to be followed to ensure a successful outcome, I am also terribly impatient! I am always impatient to get the task started and done – no – patience is certainly not one of my strong points!
I understand that the journey of life goes through stages, where we start off by ‘standing’ and then ‘walking’ and so on, but that doesn’t mean that the goal of ‘flying’ is not constantly far from our thoughts and that we want to get there as quickly as possible and that we are not hugely impatient to get to it and of course, herein lies the challenge.
Much like the ‘short cut’ that we take on unfamiliar roads to get to a specific destination in a hurry, will often get us horribly lost and take us far longer to get there than the original route, so too often will the ‘shortcuts’ that we take in life often end in disaster.
I think that the trick is to savour the journey. To stop every now and then and celebrate the achievements that we have made. To look back and see how far we have come rather than just continuously chastising ourselves on all the things that we have not yet achieved.
I think that the trick is to deal with the issues as and when they arise and not to ignore or bury them in the hope that they will resolve themselves or even go away. I think that where we can, we should be proactive and prepare ourselves for what we know will happen or can happen so that we can deal with them effectively and efficiently when they do happen.
I think that we should always look at life with a ‘can do’ kind of attitude, rather than actively trying to find ways to say “can’t do”!
I think that we should check our ‘mind sets’ on a regular basis and make the ‘minor adjustments’ that are required instead of waiting until life gives us a big fat smack or ‘wake up’ call.
I think that we must remember to ‘flex’ our fledgling wings from time to time to remind us of our goals and so that when it comes time to ‘soar’ we will do so without fear or restraint.
But until that time . . . . I think we need to pull in the reigns and ‘learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance’ before we start to fly.
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, October 05, 2018
HR 101 – What to do When . . . South African Working Outside of South Africa
By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Please note that this pertains to South African labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.
To follow on from last week – in this instance, Mike, our favorite protagonist works in a branch of a South African company, we will call ABC Consulting, in Kenya.
Like many companies throughout the world, ABC Consulting in Kenya found itself in trouble because of the recession and it was forced to retrench its staff.
Fortunately for Mike, the proper procedures pertaining to retrenchment were not followed and no negotiations were entered into.
Mike referred the case to the Labour Court here in South Africa.
The Labour Court decided the following:
• Both Mike and the Head Office of the Company, were based in South Africa, therefore South African Labour Laws applied.
• Both Mike and ABC Consulting had agreed that the employer’s (South African) policies would apply
• ABC Consulting had not approved or adopted Kenyan Law or their Labour Relations Act in any other part of the business.
• Both Mike and the CEO of ABC Consulting had been under the impression that the contract was enforceable under South African Law, when they signed the contract
Therefore South African Labour Law had jurisdiction and Mike won his case.
In this particular instance, Mike was awarded damages for ABC Consulting’s breach of contract as well as relocation costs, his share options, accrued profit shares, salary, notice pay, leave pay and his severance pay. In addition to all of this, Mike was also awarded compensation to the value of 12 months pay.
A very expensive lesson for ABC Consulting, I am sure you will agree.
So be sure that you know exactly what the legal requirements are if you are a ‘foreign’ company or if you are a South African Company with branches in other countries, it could be your saving grace.
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, October 04, 2018
Blogging 101 - Have Fun with it
Blogging 101 – Have fun with it
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
At the last count I noticed that I have now officially written in excess of 1900 articles. That’s quite impressive even by my standards. Sure there have been times when I have written an article every single day. There have been times when I have even been in advance – that means I have actually written articles before I needed or even wanted to post them.
On the other hand there certainly have been times when I haven’t posted or written anything for days, or weeks or even months. Those have been times when life just ‘happened’ to me instead of me being in control. These have been sad times or when my head space has been wrong. Those were times when I was unable to write because writing was ‘just not fun’!
There is no logical reason to do anything that is not fun and whilst I do understand that there are often tasks that need to get done irrespective of whether we enjoy doing them or not, the reality is that I cannot be creative if I am not enjoying myself, I cannot be creative if I am not having fun and quite frankly I certainly would not have been able to sustain or maintain the number of articles or even more importantly the quality of the content of the articles, if I were not enjoying myself and having fun.
So in order for me to enjoy writing the articles, it is extremely important for me to choose the niche that I am interested in. The reality is that I write for my own enjoyment. If what I am writing about is useful to others or if I can make money out of what I am writing about, then for me that is an added bonus. If I had chosen a niche market in order to write purely for financial gain, I would have, in all probability found the writing difficult if not altogether painful.
Much is said about compromising between what you enjoy and love to write about and what your readers would like to read. If you only write about what you love and not what your readers would like to read – well then you have a problem because chances are you will be the only one who will be reading what you have written. Clearly the trick is to either find something that you love to hear or read as well as something that other people love to hear or read, that you are comfortable with and then go with that.
The old adage of “if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it” always applies. You can’t improve if you cannot see that you are improving or if you think that people do not value what you are saying. So set targets or goals for yourself so that you can track your progress and as you see that more and more people are reading your blogs, so too will your motivation to write more increase.
As your confidence increases so too will your desire to monetize it. Money is also a huge motivator, especially in the short term. This can be done in a number of ways and the two that readily spring to mine are add opportunities or affiliate links.
Don’t expect to get rich overnight though –slow and steady usually wins the race.
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 (Pty) Ltd
At the last count I noticed that I have now officially written in excess of 1900 articles. That’s quite impressive even by my standards. Sure there have been times when I have written an article every single day. There have been times when I have even been in advance – that means I have actually written articles before I needed or even wanted to post them.
On the other hand there certainly have been times when I haven’t posted or written anything for days, or weeks or even months. Those have been times when life just ‘happened’ to me instead of me being in control. These have been sad times or when my head space has been wrong. Those were times when I was unable to write because writing was ‘just not fun’!
There is no logical reason to do anything that is not fun and whilst I do understand that there are often tasks that need to get done irrespective of whether we enjoy doing them or not, the reality is that I cannot be creative if I am not enjoying myself, I cannot be creative if I am not having fun and quite frankly I certainly would not have been able to sustain or maintain the number of articles or even more importantly the quality of the content of the articles, if I were not enjoying myself and having fun.
So in order for me to enjoy writing the articles, it is extremely important for me to choose the niche that I am interested in. The reality is that I write for my own enjoyment. If what I am writing about is useful to others or if I can make money out of what I am writing about, then for me that is an added bonus. If I had chosen a niche market in order to write purely for financial gain, I would have, in all probability found the writing difficult if not altogether painful.
Much is said about compromising between what you enjoy and love to write about and what your readers would like to read. If you only write about what you love and not what your readers would like to read – well then you have a problem because chances are you will be the only one who will be reading what you have written. Clearly the trick is to either find something that you love to hear or read as well as something that other people love to hear or read, that you are comfortable with and then go with that.
The old adage of “if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it” always applies. You can’t improve if you cannot see that you are improving or if you think that people do not value what you are saying. So set targets or goals for yourself so that you can track your progress and as you see that more and more people are reading your blogs, so too will your motivation to write more increase.
As your confidence increases so too will your desire to monetize it. Money is also a huge motivator, especially in the short term. This can be done in a number of ways and the two that readily spring to mine are add opportunities or affiliate links.
Don’t expect to get rich overnight though –slow and steady usually wins the race.
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, October 03, 2018
Networking 101 - Always have the End in Mind
Networking 101 - Always have the End in Mind
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
It is said that you should ‘start with the end in mind’. Whilst I agree with this statement in terms of “Networking” and indeed of business, I am not sure that it is true of life (however that would be another discussion for another time).
Going to a networking meeting or attempting to do any kind of networking without having the end in mind, would be going there to achieve absolutely – nothing!
Your objective, or end, in networking is clearly to do business – whether that business is to buy (or find suppliers) or to sell (either your product or services) or perhaps it is to do a combination of the two. The bottom line is that it is to do the business.
In order to do the business, I am of the opinion, that a relationship needs to be built. If people don’t know you or don’t know what it is that you do, you cannot start building the relationship so you need to tell them who you are and what it is that you do.
Some networking events allow only a very short time for you to explain what it is that you do and who you are. So it is imperative that you have a really good “elevator speech”.
You need to have your elevator speech written and rehearsed. Practice on your friends and family – make sure that it illustrates clearly what it is that you do.
If possible your elevator speech should highlight what it is that makes your offering different to and better than all of your competitors. Think about what it is that you are saying – if you are a “hairdresser” for example, why should people come to you rather than any other hairdresser? Remember that you know what it is that you do better than anyone else, so it stands to reason that you need to tell them and explain it to them. They cannot read your mind, so they will not know if you don’t tell them.
Then of course you also need ‘to listen’. It’s no good giving people what you think they want or need. You have to give them what they want and in order to find out what that is you need to listen to what they say. Many people don’t actually know how to say the words about what it is that they want, so you need to listen carefully to the words that they are saying in order to determine what they want.
You love to get referrals I am sure. I know that I do. I also know that there is no way that I am going to refer anyone because they were at the same meeting, venue, pub, party (insert where you met them here) as I was, so I make an appointment with them in order to set up a meeting for a one-on-one discussion, to find out what is that they do, to ascertain if there are any synergies and find out if there is any mutually beneficial way that you can add value to each others businesses. This is how the relationship can start to develop. Once the relationship is in this stage it is easier for you to refer or collaborate with or form strategic alliances with these individuals.
This is the end that I always have in mind when I network. Do you really know why it is that you network?
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za
Tuesday, October 02, 2018
Business Tips – Creating a Successful Team – Part 3
Business Tips – Creating a Successful Team – Part 3
By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Following on from last time, here are the last few tips on how to get the best out of your team.
I know that as children we are taught to ‘share and share alike’. Be it food, or clothing, or toys – whatever, we are taught to share. Sadly, many of us lose this quality as we grow older. We become fearful that if we share we will lose it all. We become fearful that someone will ‘steal’ it from us so we hide it from view. We tell no one, we share it with no-one or we play the cards ‘close to our chests’ so that no-one can have a ‘look see’ for fear that it will be gone. No-where is this truer than in the work place and no-where is it more important for us to share, especially information, than in the work place. No matter what the information is, or whether we think it is important or not, it should be shared, it may very well be important to the work that someone else in the team is doing. Not only will knowing the information that you have, be valuable to them, but it may also add intrinsic value to their task and therefore make them more effective in terms of their performance. Sharing the information will also show them that you trust them and again, this creates an environment that is motivated and strong.
Having regular meetings to ‘brainstorm’ is also of vital importance. These meetings should be positive and staff should be able to feel that they can raise issues such as problems that may arise from time to time, without them being attacked for doing the wrong thing. There should be no ‘recrimination’ at this type of meeting, as it should be seen as an opportunity for everybody in the team to look for a solution to the problem. Often we are ‘too close to the wood to see the trees’ and having an outside point of view may be all that is required to find a solution to the table. Creating a ‘safe’ environment for people to share, not only their accomplishments but also to seek assistance for their challenges will go a long way to creating a strong and efficient team who will always be successful in any project.
It’s about creating and providing your team with the right conditions for them to work in. It’s about giving them the correct tools with which to perform their tasks. It’s about trusting them and guiding them and working with them.
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 (Pty) Ltd
Following on from last time, here are the last few tips on how to get the best out of your team.
I know that as children we are taught to ‘share and share alike’. Be it food, or clothing, or toys – whatever, we are taught to share. Sadly, many of us lose this quality as we grow older. We become fearful that if we share we will lose it all. We become fearful that someone will ‘steal’ it from us so we hide it from view. We tell no one, we share it with no-one or we play the cards ‘close to our chests’ so that no-one can have a ‘look see’ for fear that it will be gone. No-where is this truer than in the work place and no-where is it more important for us to share, especially information, than in the work place. No matter what the information is, or whether we think it is important or not, it should be shared, it may very well be important to the work that someone else in the team is doing. Not only will knowing the information that you have, be valuable to them, but it may also add intrinsic value to their task and therefore make them more effective in terms of their performance. Sharing the information will also show them that you trust them and again, this creates an environment that is motivated and strong.
Having regular meetings to ‘brainstorm’ is also of vital importance. These meetings should be positive and staff should be able to feel that they can raise issues such as problems that may arise from time to time, without them being attacked for doing the wrong thing. There should be no ‘recrimination’ at this type of meeting, as it should be seen as an opportunity for everybody in the team to look for a solution to the problem. Often we are ‘too close to the wood to see the trees’ and having an outside point of view may be all that is required to find a solution to the table. Creating a ‘safe’ environment for people to share, not only their accomplishments but also to seek assistance for their challenges will go a long way to creating a strong and efficient team who will always be successful in any project.
It’s about creating and providing your team with the right conditions for them to work in. It’s about giving them the correct tools with which to perform their tasks. It’s about trusting them and guiding them and working with them.
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, October 01, 2018
Inspiration – The Magic of Success
Inspiration – The Magic of Success
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd
Jim Rohn says that “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
I think that what Jim is trying to say is that ‘success’ doesn’t just happen like something that appears magically out of thin air. Success is not a mysterious thing that just appears, but rather something that happens as a result of a whole lot of actions that have to take place and many of these actions have to take place in a specific sequence and they have to take place consistently, usually time and time again.
Like anything else in life, success is something that is easily achieved with proper planning and like anything else you need to have ‘actions’ or deliverables that need to be met and by meeting these ‘deliverables’ your success will ‘magically and mysteriously’ appear!
Decide what it is that you want to achieve and by when you want to achieve it. It really is no good wanting to achieve something and not having a “by when” date that it needs to be achieved by. You obviously need to know exactly what it is that you want to achieve. Not being 100% sure about this will usually mean that you wander around life in a perpetual fog.
Once you have decided what you want to achieve and by when you want to achieve it, then you need to put a plan into place around what you need to do in order to achieve your goal.
Remember that each step that has to be taken should have a deadline date by which time it should be completed.
Think about it for a moment – let’s take one of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz – when he writes a book he needs to have, at the very beginning of the process, an outline or some sort of an idea of what the story is going to be about. Then he has to have a date by when the book must be completed. Between the idea for the book and the date by which it has to be completed, a certain amount of research needs to take place and of course the book itself has to be written as well as proof read and then there are the re-writes etc. Clearly he has to allocate a dedicated amounted of time to the research as well as the actual writing of the book. Now be that a number of hours per day or a specific number of words per day, he needs to have some sort of schedule in place in order for him to successfully meet his goals.
Obviously he needs to remain focused on these goals and committed to meeting his deadlines –failing to be focused or committed will result in . . . . well no book being completed on time. That I’m afraid is the bottom line!
So for me the ‘magical’ moment is when I complete the final task, on time. In that moment of completion the success takes place and I can quite honestly say that there is nothing quite like that particular feeling, on earth.
That successful moment is one of the most magical that you will ever experience.
So plan, then execute and finally celebrate your magical moment!
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 (Pty) Ltd
Jim Rohn says that “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
I think that what Jim is trying to say is that ‘success’ doesn’t just happen like something that appears magically out of thin air. Success is not a mysterious thing that just appears, but rather something that happens as a result of a whole lot of actions that have to take place and many of these actions have to take place in a specific sequence and they have to take place consistently, usually time and time again.
Like anything else in life, success is something that is easily achieved with proper planning and like anything else you need to have ‘actions’ or deliverables that need to be met and by meeting these ‘deliverables’ your success will ‘magically and mysteriously’ appear!
Decide what it is that you want to achieve and by when you want to achieve it. It really is no good wanting to achieve something and not having a “by when” date that it needs to be achieved by. You obviously need to know exactly what it is that you want to achieve. Not being 100% sure about this will usually mean that you wander around life in a perpetual fog.
Once you have decided what you want to achieve and by when you want to achieve it, then you need to put a plan into place around what you need to do in order to achieve your goal.
Remember that each step that has to be taken should have a deadline date by which time it should be completed.
Think about it for a moment – let’s take one of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz – when he writes a book he needs to have, at the very beginning of the process, an outline or some sort of an idea of what the story is going to be about. Then he has to have a date by when the book must be completed. Between the idea for the book and the date by which it has to be completed, a certain amount of research needs to take place and of course the book itself has to be written as well as proof read and then there are the re-writes etc. Clearly he has to allocate a dedicated amounted of time to the research as well as the actual writing of the book. Now be that a number of hours per day or a specific number of words per day, he needs to have some sort of schedule in place in order for him to successfully meet his goals.
Obviously he needs to remain focused on these goals and committed to meeting his deadlines –failing to be focused or committed will result in . . . . well no book being completed on time. That I’m afraid is the bottom line!
So for me the ‘magical’ moment is when I complete the final task, on time. In that moment of completion the success takes place and I can quite honestly say that there is nothing quite like that particular feeling, on earth.
That successful moment is one of the most magical that you will ever experience.
So plan, then execute and finally celebrate your magical moment!
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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