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

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

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

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

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

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 

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

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 

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

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

HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Are A South African Working In A Foreign Embassy

HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Are A South African Working In A Foreign Embassy

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour and Best Practice requirements.

As you probably know, an Embassy is, according to international law, considered to be on foreign soil.  Therefore it you are a South African working in an Embassy you would be governed by the Labour laws of that particular country.
This however, does not apply to companies or branches of companies that are based in South Africa.
Here’s the story.

Mike is the Managing Director of a Foreign company in South Africa, whose Head Office is in the USA.

The USA Head Office officials decide that they do not like Mike’s management skills and he is dismissed without any kind of warning.  Mike refers his dismissal to the Bargaining Council.

The USA Head Office officials retaliate by stating that the Council has no jurisdiction because it was the Head Office in the USA, who dismissed Mike and not the officials that reside in South Africa.
The arbitrators are called in and it is decided that the Bargaining Council do have jurisdiction because of (but not limited to) the following issues.

• Although the Company’s Head Office was  in the USA, Mike was employed in the South African branch.

• The employer had to pay Mike’s legal costs.

Mike won his case, since the dismissal procedures, which apply to South Africa were not complied with.

Next week we will have a look at South Africans working in Foreign countries.

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

Blogging 101 - The Writing

Blogging  – The Writing

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

About now we hit a complete blank!

We all know what it is that we know and given any other opportunity to tell people what it is that we know is never a problem.

Ask us to write down what it is that we know in anything other than a ‘strictly business sense’ and quite frankly we are up *&^% street without a paddle.  Actually if the truth be told, many of us do not even have any kind of business profile to speak of.

Here’s the thing though – to talk and gesture and pontificate, well that’s easy – we do it every day, but to put our thoughts, our passion, our feelings down on paper, well that’s an entirely different thing altogether!

Somehow, through our own perception, we lock into something dark and unacceptable when we put our own thoughts down on paper.  Truth be told, I guess – these thoughts come back to haunt us or bite us on the rear end.  Strangely enough for me at any rate, what I write about is what I most need to hear myself.

Many of my most profound lessons and the things that I have most needed to learn or understand are the things that I have shared with the world, on my blog.

Many is the time that I have ‘kicked’ your rear end and my own at the same time!

You see, I don’t just rely on ‘what I know’, I research almost every article that I write, which means, not only do I provide you, my reader, with information, but I also keep myself up to date and that is extremely important!

Often as Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners we are so caught up in the running of our own businesses that we do not keep up with what is happening in the world around us. Doing the research for my blogs allows me to do this.

My marketing becomes my training and my R & D too – how cool is that?

Blogging really has become part of my marketing and the time that I spend on it is really worth while.

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

Networking 101 - Acknowledge People’s Contribution

Networking 101 - Acknowledge People’s Contribution

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:

“Always remember, to acknowledge peoples’ contributions, thank them, compliment them sincerely, and return favours where possible.”

Isn’t this just common courtesy?  Think about it for a moment – here I use Dr Renate Volpe’s nugget cards on a regular basis as a theme on whatever it is that I am writing.  How pleased do you think she would be if I had not asked permission?  How pleased do you think she would be if I did not give her the credit for the ‘tip’ that she has written?  How pleased do you think she would be if I didn’t acknowledge that it is her writing and therefore her IP (intellectual property)?

Quite frankly, I don’t think she would be very pleased with me at all.  In fact for the record, whenever I use one of Renate’s nuggets, I mail her a copy of what I have written, because without her nugget, her ‘tip’ or her statement, I would not have had anything to write about.

Now, ask yourself this question, how would you feel if someone consistently took your contributions, your writings and muses and used them to promote whatever it was that they were doing, without asking your permission to do so, or without even giving you the credit of having contributed it in the first place?  I am sure you would not be very happy about it at all.

So make sure that whenever you use something of someone else’s, where possible ask permission first.  Make sure that you thank them and give them credit for their good work.  Let’s face it, if the work wasn’t good you would not be using it in the first place! Always, always reciprocate if you can.

Just treat them and their work, the way that you would want to be treated.

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

Business Tip – Creating a Successful Team – Part 2

Business Tip – Creating a Successful Team – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Following on from last time, here are some more tips on how to get the best out of your team.

My ‘baby’ brother is a Senior International Partner at Deloittes in Australia and I am immensely proud of him.  We chat often and as I tell him of what is happening in my life and what I am achieving and he always says “Well done Nikki!”  The first time he said it I was amused – I mean, here I am – his ‘big’ sister and he is the one that is praising me (not that I never praised him or congratulated him, you understand).  It did make me feel good though (and it still does).  I guess that we, as the human beings, still always need to be acknowledged in some way or another.  Even though your staff are members of a team, remember that they still remain individuals and as individuals they still need to be encouraged.

When a member of your team does something correctly or their job performance is good, give them recognition.  This tells them (and all their colleagues) that you are aware of what is going on and that you have noticed that they are doing well.  Congratulations and praise should be given as soon as possible and if you have motivated them with promises of a reward, be sure to give that reward as soon as they have achieved the objective.  Holding onto a reward that should have been given in the hopes that it will spur them onto achieving more objectives will not work and in all probability will have a negative effect.  So don’t do it.

As someone who prefers to work alone, one of my biggest challenges is  to delegate.  Think about it for a moment though – you have a team, more importantly, you are part of a team.  Each member of the team (including you) has specific tasks that they need to perform.  If you were able to complete the project all by yourself, you would not need the team – therefore you have to ‘give up’ a lot of the tasks that you would normally perform to the various team members that those tasks fall under.  They are no longer your tasks.  Giving up those tasks will also free up time for you to do the important tasks that fall under your particular portfolio – so if it’s not on your portfolio, then  it’s not your task – give it to someone else or hand it over to the person that it belongs to.  Delegating things successfully will show your staff that you trust them to do their work (and any other tasks that you give them) properly.  It will give them confidence in their abilities and will generally assist with motivating them as well.

Just like any successful democracy, the whole team should be involved in the decision making.  Yes you are ultimately responsible for the outcomes and the deliverables and everything else that goes with that, but you need the ‘buy in’ of the team and that will never happen if they are not part of the decision making.  Remember they are the ones that have to do the physical work and if they are just ‘told’ what to do, without understanding the ‘why’ and the consequences, they will become disgruntled.

Next time we will look at the final few tips on Creating a Successful team.

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

HR 101 – What to do When . . . Your Staff Member Steals From You

HR 101 – What to do When . . .  Your Staff Member Steals From You

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements .

Did you know that there are certain circumstances, when you can actually get remuneration from an employee’s pension payout, when they steal from you?  I must admit that until I did the research, I didn’t know that!  Here’s the story.

Mike owns a retail store in a busy mall and George is one of his salespersons.  Mike has been noticing that stock is slowly but surely going missing and his level of shrinkage is growing month by month.  Mike implements added procedures such as daily stock counts in an effort to sort the problem out.  As luck would have it, Mike catches George red handed (so to speak) as Mike watches, he sees George hide an expensive tie inside of his shirt and then walk out of the door to be met by someone down the corridor.  Mike follows at a discreet distance and watches as George removes the tie from his shirt and hands it to the other fellow.  As the fellow hands George money, Mike makes his presence known and catches George before he can run.

George is embarrassed at being caught and admits to have been stealing for a long time. Under Mike’s watchful eye, George writes out the incident report about ‘how’ he stole the tie.  Mike calls in the police and again insists that George make a statement about what he has stolen and George admits to stealing stock to the value of around R20 000 – this is documented.  Once the statement has been written, signed and witnessed, Mike gets a certified copy and is given a case number. 

Mike then holds a disciplinary in ‘Abstentia’ (remember George is locked up), George is found guilty of theft and dishonesty and he is dismissed.  Although George in this instance is not entitled to notice pay, he is still entitled to any leave that may be owing to him and also there is his pension fund. Mike pays  all the outstanding leave pay and monthly pay (up to and including the last day that George worked for the month) into George’s account and notifies the Pension Fund administrators that George is no longer employed by the company and that they should calculate his pension payout.

Mike also advises the Pension Fund Administrators that George has been dishonest and that he has admitted to theft and gives them a copy of the admission of guilt.  The Pension Fund Administrators are obliged to give Mike R20 000 out of George’s pension payout, prior to them paying the balance out to George.

Mike has followed the correct procedures.

The law you see, is actually quite fair as long as the correct procedures are followed.

Be aware though that had Mike not ‘driven the process’ himself, the Administrators would not have just automatically paid him out, out of George’s pension payout – Mike had to advise them that this is what he was entitled to and give them the documentary evidence that they required.

Please make sure though that you have a signed copy of admission from the employee, stating that they have been dishonest, or that they have stolen, or that they have committed fraud or that the loss experienced by the company was as a direct result of their ‘misconduct’.  Make sure that you get some sort of value on what has been ‘lost’ or that there is a judgment against them for the loss that you have incurred.

Don’t try and do this if the charge against the employee is merely one of ‘negligence’ – there has to be an actual loss and the loss has to be a result of dishonesty and oh yes, an unsigned e-mail or an ‘SMS’ is not sufficient proof.  Make sure that you get the errant employee’s signature on the document and make sure that they have admitted to the theft/fraud.  This will ensure that their ‘intent’ was clear and that you then get your money back.

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

Blogging 101 - Your Writing Style

Blogging 101 – Your Writing Style

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

As many of you know, I am an avid reader.  I have this insatiable need to learn and reading keeps that particular monster fed and at bay.  Over the years though, I have certainly become more of a discerning reader and obviously tend to look at articles that are of particular interest to me.

I am not for example, going to be reading about IT hardware (or software for that matter) – I don’t understand the terminology and would probably have more fun watching paint dry.  So how do I choose what I read?

First and foremost, the title would have to grab my attention and then the content would have to be not only interesting, but in my case it needs to make me ‘see’ the picture.

If my imagination is not captured within the first few paragraphs, I move on!  It’s that simple.

As I have often said before, it’s all in the telling of the story and if that is not told in an interesting way or if I don’t find it exciting or funny, well then it’s not likely to hold my attention.

For me the easiest way to write is to tell the story in exactly the same manner as I would if I were chatting to a friend or even a client. Using simple words I create the picture or vision, if you will, in the mind of the listener.

Remember, in this instance, your listener becomes your reader and you have to keep them engaged by ensuring that the tale you tell is interesting and insightful from the get-go.

Keep it short, keep it sweet and keep it interesting!

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

Networking 101 - Be Proactive

Networking 101 – Be Proactive

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Now I know that being a small business owner means that you are all over the place.  You’re the salesman, the administration manager, the operations manager, the HR manager and even, amongst other things, the tea lady on occasion!

Believe me, I really get it when you tell me that you are so busy doing all that needs to be done, in your business – what with trying to hold your head above water, and trying to make good on the promises that you have made to your clients, that there just is no time (or inclination for that matter) to go beyond what you are already doing to be proactive.

Some would say that “as a micro business owner you don’t actually want or need to be proactive, you want to be reactive”!  It seems that “being proactive requires far more work than being reactive and it is therefore both impossible and completely unnecessary to do anything more than meticulously deliver on your promises.”

Well maybe, but then I wonder what excuse you will give to the tax man when he comes a-calling and you are not properly registered, or the Department of Labour, when you have not submitted what needs to be done?  I can assure you neither could give a damn whether you want to be proactive or reactive.

How about new clients – would you rather be proactive or reactive when you are looking for new clients?  I tell you what, why don’t you just sit and look at the telephone and hope that it will ring and then you can snatch it up and answer it – well that’s being reactive isn’t it?

Or you could go out and network, build up a data base, build relationships with the people you connect with at the meetings, whether they need your services or not, and then when they refer you to someone in their data base, who has a huge amount of work for you, you can smile about exactly how proactive you were.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly think that the extra effort and work is worthwhile in the end, especially when I look at my bank balance.

What about you?  Are you ‘reactive’ or ‘proactive’?  Which one works best for you?

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Business Tips – Creating a Successful Team – Part 1

Business Tips – Creating a Successful Team – Part 1

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Some of us are better team players than others – I know because I have worked in a team and I have worked on my own, and quite frankly, working on my own, works for me.

That said, there are people out there who cannot work on their own and in order to function properly they need to work as part of a team.  Working in a team, or being part of a team does not necessarily mean that you are not a leader, or that you are not a self starter – in some cases it merely means that you need the camaraderie that is part of being in ‘a team’.

For me it takes a ‘special’ kind of leader to lead a successful team, and it takes a ‘special’ kind of person to be a member of a successful team.  Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and it is obviously really important to have people with the right ‘mix’ of personalities to ensure the success of the team.  So how do you go about getting that winning formula?

Here are some of (but not limited to) the issues that need to be covered:

- Clearly you need to ascertain what skills are required for the particular task at hand.  Once those are clearly defined, you will need to source the individuals who have those skills and the only way to do that is to interact with the team. Get to know them, understand how they think.  Learn about what their strengths and weaknesses are so that when you do partner them up together that they compliment one another and not clash with each other.  Not only will this put you in a great position in terms of ‘who is who’ but it will evidence that you are taking a personal interest in them and the perception is then that you ‘care and have their best interests’ at heart.  This is a really positive position to be in.
- In order to get the very best out of your team, it is imperative that you not only know what motivates them, but you also need to know what their individual goals are.  Understanding what drives someone and then being in a position to assist them in achieving those goals, will ensure that everyone in the team pulls in the same direction.
- Whatever you do, don’t be taking anyone or anything for granted.  As in life, people need to be challenged, constantly challenged.  So if it looks like your team is functioning like a dream – don’t leave well enough alone, it will in all probability go southwards – find ways in which to challenge them. Make sure that each challenge is well within the capabilities or potential of each individual and remember that it doesn’t have to be the same challenge for each person – different things challenge different people, so make sure that each  person is challenged in their own particular way.  The trick is to keep everyone interested and motivated and there is nothing like a challenge to do this.
- Be sure that you have analyzed their strengths and weaknesses as once you know what it is that you are dealing with, you are then in a position to strategize and ensure that you make the most of everyone’s strengths and implement measures to ensure that the weaknesses are compensated for.
- Be a mentor.  Coach your team. Guide your team – know exactly what they are doing to ensure that they are always moving towards the common goal. Capitalize on the individual strengths and ensure that as a group these strengths are utilized correctly.  In the areas of weaknesses, if there are no members that are able to compensate for these, then you will have to assist the ‘team’ to overcome the weaknesses.  Understand the difficulty here and motivate them to ‘do better’ or challenge them to work on their weaknesses in order to overcome this problem.  Getting the best out of your team means that you have to put the best of you, into them.

Next week we will continue with some more pointers on how to get the best out of your team.

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

Inspiration - Attaining the Impossible

Inspiration  –  Attaining the Impossible

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

“Optimists enrich the present, enhance the future, challenge the improbable and attain the impossible” says William Arthur Ward.

What a lovely thought!  Actually what a lovely several thoughts!

I have always believed that I am a ‘realistic optimist’.  I remember sitting in my English Major class in college in the early 70’s and making that statement, in front of the whole class, to the teacher (who I still consider one of my closest friends some 45 years down the line), and her looking at me as though I had ‘lost the plot’ when she said “Exactly what does that mean?”

To be completely fair, I have been asked that very same question many times since then and explained as I will here.

Let me put it this way (and I am going to give my beliefs around South Africa here as an example), I have great faith in South Africa.  I think that we have huge potential to grow as a nation, to join together in making this country the best that it can be.  I believe that if we all work together and all do our bit, that we can eradicate poverty, crime and corruption.  That is the optimist in me talking.  The reality of course is that we may very well grow but that will be a huge climb because unfortunately the fact of the matter is that not all members of the nation will be ‘pulling’ in the same direction. Not all will be working to eradicate poverty because some will be stealing the food/opportunity/ money for education etc. right out of the hands of those poor people.  Not all will be working to eradicate crime and corruption, because many will be actually working very hard in their chosen professions of crime and corruption! That’s the realist in me talking.

So whilst I am very enthusiastic about the potential of the country I am also acutely aware of the challenges that face us all if we are to get it right.

Thing is though, although I am very aware of the challenges, I am also inspired enough to want to do something to make the whole thing work.  I am still prepared to ‘do my bit’ to make a difference and to motivate and perhaps even inspire others to also do their bit, no matter how small or how ‘little’ that bit is, because you see – all the ‘little’ bits will at some point join up to become a ‘big’ bit and that ‘big’ bit will make a huge difference and that ‘huge difference’ will ‘enrich the present, enhance the future, challenge the improbable and attain the impossible’.

As much as the reality is that there will always be those who are pessimistic about the future, the reality is also that the impossible can be obtained, if everyone ‘Chips in’ and does their ‘little’ bit.

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

HR 101 – What to do When . . . What Needs To Be On A Medical Certificate

HR 101 – What to do When . . . What Needs To Be On A Medical Certificate

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

Let’s bring out the protagonists.

Mike owns a factory and George is one of his workers – George calls in sick on a regular basis and when he comes back to work, he does bring a doctors certificate with him. 

When George has taken sick leave for the 50th day in the same year, Mike starts getting suspicious because George never ‘looks’ sick when he is at work.  Mike starts his investigation by looking at the doctor’s certificates that have been given to him.

In terms of the BCEA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act) a doctor’s certificate must be signed and issued by a ‘registered Medical Practitioner’.  This means that it has to be someone who is ‘certified’ to diagnose and treat patients and who is ‘registered’ with a professional council that has been established by an Act of Parliament.

Here is the other information that must be on the medical certificate.
• The name, address, qualification and practice or registration number of the practioner (please note that Mike is entitled to check that this information is correct).
• The name of the employee.
• The date and time that the employee was examined.
• If the doctor actually saw the employee and diagnosed the illness at the time of examination, this should be stipulated on the certificate.  If the doctor did not examine the employee, but has issued the certificate based on what the employee has told them, this should also be stipulated on the certificate.
• A description of the illness.  It must be noted here however that if the employee is not prepared to give consent for the illness to be stipulated on the certificate, then the Medical Practioner is entitled to document something along the lines of “my opinion, based on my examination of George Dladla is that he is unfit to work.”
• The Medical Practitioner should also state whether the employee is totally ‘unfit to work’ or if the employee is ‘able to perform less strenuous duties’ in their working environment.
• The exact period that the patient has been booked off for (this should indicate exactly which date the employee must return to work – so, not George is booked off sick for a week, but rather George ‘will return to work on Monday 20th July 2009.)
• The date that the Medical Practioner has issued the Medical Certificate.
• The Medical Certificate must be signed  by the Registered Medical Practioner.

In this particular instance, the Certificates that George was bringing to Mike were correct and Mike now has to decide whether he wants to dismiss George due to ill health.  How Mike deals with this situation is another story for another day.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Blogging 101 - The What to Do

Blogging 101  – The What To Do

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Ok, so here we are.  You know why you need to blog and then what . . . ?  What on earth are you going to write about?  Let’s just face it, many of us have no clue how to write effectively, let alone what to write about.  I know that when I started out, I would often just sit in front of a blank screen and wait – wait for an idea, wait for inspiration – just wait.  It took a while for me to ‘get it’, but with practice it happens a lot faster now and it is a lot easier.

I have collected stacks of material over the last few years and still diligently do.  I read an article that perhaps will spark something in me or light a fire under my rear end – that’s usually what happens.  I have an opinion or it sparks an entirely different idea.  I usually sit with the article in front of me, read it through, think about what the impact that that particular article has/might have/ should have on my life and then a thread starts to form in my mind.  In the beginning the only way that I could describe what happens in my mind is that it starts off as a little leaf blowing around in the breeze.  The breeze becomes a twister and the little leaf becomes a vast quantity of leaves all going round and round in my mind until I have to ‘get it out’ (by writing it down) and so quell the storm.  In the beginning this could take days – with a lot of practice, nowadays once I have read through the article it takes me about 15 minutes to write the article – amazing thing that – practice.

Don’t commit yourself to more than you can manage in the beginning.  Even if it means that you write only one article a month or one every two weeks, don’t stress it.  I started off with my Networking Tips on a Wednesday, months later I increased that to include the HR tip on a Friday.  Again, months later I started my Monday Motivation (although it’s usually presented in the form of a challenge) and then the Thursdays (or perhaps it was the Tuesday’s – I forget which now) articles and opportunities presented themselves and it has been just over several years now that I am submitting 5  articles a week.  Don’t get me wrong, there are days when it is incredibly hard to write and to get what I am trying to say in some sort of articulate way.  Other days my fingers fly across the keyboard, barely able to keep up with my thoughts.

I do try and write the articles in advance, so that if there is some sort of problem or if I have an early morning meeting that I do have an article ready for posting.  It’s not always possible though and then I find myself under pressure – not pleasant at all.  So try and not get yourself into a situation where you are running against a clock.  Apart from my commitment to my own blog of an article a day, I also have other writing commitments – I have a bi-monthly column in the Your Business magazine.  These articles obviously take a lot more time as they involve a lot more research and also sometimes have me ‘interviewing’ people – but they are great fun to do.

What I have come to realize though is that I do love to write, it has become a passion and my only regret is that I discovered it very late in my 40’s.  Can you imagine the number of articles that I could have written had I started in my 20’s or even 30’s?  I love the ‘finding’ out about things that I write.  I love that I am making a difference, not only in my life but also in the lives of others.  I love how the words on the pages transform themselves into pictures in my mind.

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 

Networking 101 - Be Clear About What You Do

Networking 101 - Be Clear About What You Do

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd 

Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:

“Get out there and tell people what it is that you do and how they can benefit from a business relationship with you.”

I don’t know about you guys but my crystal ball doesn’t work very well.  Actually if the truth be told, it doesn’t work at all!

I need people to tell me what it is that they do – they need to explain it in detail.  Particularly if their business is based around being a consultant.  I mean exactly what is it that you consult about?

The same goes for someone who does training, what is it that you train?  Tell me, I can’t just guess!

Sometimes getting information out of people is like pulling hen’s teeth!

Remember, I cannot refer you if I don’t know what it is that you do – so put it out there – tell me what it is that you do, I will then tell you what I do and we can see what kind of synergies we have together and we can also see who we can refer each other to, in our respective data bases, thereby adding value to both.

A win/win situation – wouldn’t you agree?

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 

Business Tips - Creating a Budget

Business Tips – Creating A Budget

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

For many of us who were employees before we became SMME’s or Entrepreneurs, creating a budget was something that we perhaps did on a monthly basis.  It was all that we needed because we were assured of a fixed income at the end of each and every month.

As an SMME however, especially when we are starting out, we do not know what to expect.  We can always theorize about what we would like to have coming in as income, but we do have quite a bit of control over what will be going out.  It is really is a good idea to know exactly how much your need to be coming in to be able to pay the basic bills.  So creating a 12 month budget is a good idea.

Having a 12 month budget will allow you to plan and strategize what you need and want to do for the following twelve months.  Creating a 12 month budget is not something that you should do when you have some spare time, but rather something that you should allocate time to do.  It should be seen as something that is critical to your business, rather than something that is viewed as a waste of time.  It will assist you in ensuring that your business has a manageable and sustainable financial plan.

For me the challenge always is just to get started.  If you are not sure about what you are doing, it is really easy to procrastinate.  So book it in your diary and just get going.

First of all you need to know what your profit/loss format is.  Don’t panic – it is not as scary as it sounds.  You start with your income – take what you charge for your product or service, less your cost of sale (which is the cost of the goods sold or the cost to you, in order to supply the service), less your overhead expenses.  This is your net income (also known as profit).

Don’t forget to list all of your expenses or the expenses that you expect to have during the next 12 months and also your projected income.  Then in order to ensure that you don’t overstate your income, it is always a good idea to validate it.  So for example if you predict that your income in July is going to be say R20 000.00, you need to list how that R20 000.00 is made up.  In other words, what you are going to do in order to bring that money into the company. Be careful that you don’t underestimate your expenses – be realistic about your expectations – it is always better to come in under budget on your expenses and over budget on your income than the other way around.

Remember to compare your actual monthly figures to your predicted theoretical figures.  This will be of real value to you, firstly to ensure that you keep your sales figures up and your expenses down and secondly it will assist you in the compilation of the following year’s budget.

As a business owner myself, I am all too aware of the demands on my time and how critical it is to manage my time effectively.  That said, I have learnt the hard way, just how costly it is, both financially and also from a time point of view, if the financial side of the business is not managed effectively and properly.

If the numbers and the financial side of things is not one of your strengths, I promise you it is in your own best interests to find someone (either an employee or a bookkeeper or better yet an accountant) to assist you or get yourself on some sort of “Financial Literacy” workshop so that you have the basic knowledge of what is happening in the financial side of your company.  Believe me without it, you will be lost and that is surely the quickest recipe for disaster.

You are responsible for the financial well being of your company – at the very least you should be able to have a basic understanding of it.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation - Run to Your Dreams

Motivation –  Run to Your Dreams

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Tina Downey says “You can run from your dreams in fear or run to your dreams in faith.”

For me this is a ‘no brainer’, but the question is always, which one will you choose?  I was recently interviewed on Summit TV on the issues around fear and how that fear impacts on Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners  and how these Entrepreneurs and Small Business owners (or actually anyone for that matter) can deal with and even ultimately conquer or get over their fear.

There are of course different types of fear, fear of the dark or fear of heights and for the average business owner, fear of commitment, fear of failure or even fear of success.  Then we are often fearful of our own perceived shortcomings, our belief in ourselves (or lack thereof) – you know the one that I mean, that little voice in our heads that often  says things like  ‘don’t be ridiculous – of course you can’t do that’! The little voice in our heads that second guesses our every move, our every decision, that little voice that mocks us at every opportunity.

The biggest problem with fear is that it paralyses us.  We get sucked into its core and then it overwhelms us and the perception is that we need to ‘get away’ from it as fast and as far as possible.  We focus our entire beings on – getting away!

The reality of course is that fear will always follow and if you are fearful about something, (irrespective of what that ‘something’ is) and you don’t deal with the issue or the cause of that fear or the fear itself – there is nowhere on this planet that you can actually hide safely from that fear.

So how do you deal with that fear?  How do you reclaim your power (and make no mistake, we are all incredibly powerful beings)? 

Like most things in life different people deal with situations differently.  For me, facing my fear is the most difficult but yet the most liberating way of dealing with my fears and like we here in Africa say, “You eat an elephant one bite at a time”, the only way that I can deal with my fear is one step at a time.  I have to face that fear and ask the questions and believe me they are often incredibly hard questions because you have to dig deep inside yourself to find the answers.  The “what exactly am I afraid of” and “why am I afraid of that . .” type questions. Oh . . .  and there is no point is lying, no matter how much your squirm and try to get away . .  you have to be honest with yourself, brutally honest! 

Oh, and whilst I am on the subject – be prepared to make some changes in yourself, your mindset and the very core of who you are as a person.  You know the ones I mean – the hard ones! 

I find the easiest way to do this is, as usual, to write things down.  Let your pen be governed by your thoughts as you write down the question that you asked yourself and then the answer that comes – usually very slowly to start with and then like a gushing faucet or raging river – don’t worry about spelling or even writing down full sentences – don’t worry about whether you are making any sense at all, just write.  Once done you will be exhausted – well I always am.  Then it is time to be gentle with yourself, take a nap or have a massage – take your mind off what you have just gone through.

Once refreshed, go back to your writing and go through each item individually – make notes on what can be done differently to change the outcome and then work through each one individually. Put your thoughts into an action plan and make sure that the plan has dates by which tasks must be accomplished and slowly but surely get on with it.  Make sure that there are consequences if you don’t meet your deadlines and rewards if you do.  If you need to, turn it into a challenge or a game and before you know it, that particular fear will have dissipated and you will be well on your way to successfully accomplishing your goals.

Will you ever be afraid again – probably!  The fact of the matter is that we are human and we doubt ourselves, our actions, our plans. We doubt who we are and what we are capable of and even what our intentions are.  That said, it is also our very ‘human-ness’ that makes us courageous and strong and committed too.

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

HR 101 – What to do When . . . You Always Seem To End Up At The CCMA

HR 101 – What to do When . . .  You Always Seem To End Up At The CCMA

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Please note that this pertains to South African Labour Relations and Best Practice requirements.

At a workshop that I was giving, the other day (A Basic Practical Guide To Starting A Business), one of the delegates made a statement that went something along the lines of “I don’t want to hire any staff because they are so difficult to get rid of and then you always end up at the CCMA and then end up having to pay huge fines – it’s all about the employee!”

To say that I was stunned, would be an understatement!  Then it hit me – apart from the ‘mindset’ out in the marketplace that the Labour Law only takes care of the employee and the employer just has to keep paying, there is also the mindset of ‘how difficult can it be – I can do it myself’!  Wrong, Wrong and Wrong again!

SMME’s (Small, Medium, Micro Enterprises) also seem to operate from the back foot.  They always seem to do things as a reaction to something.  Quite honestly it frustrates the hell out of me and what it does is add to the bottom line – the reality is they always end up paying through the nose and then they sit back and play the victim.

Here are some of the ways (but not limited to) in which you can avoid ending up at the CCMA or paying huge fines and penalties.

• It is widely recognized that the quickest way to end up at the CCMA is, not to have procedures in place!  Having the correct HR, Administration and Operational Policies, Procedures and Templates will ensure that staff know exactly what it is that is required of them, they understand that there are consequences and they know what those consequences are.  Make sure that your procedures are within the letter of the law.
• The next problem is that employers, in an attempt to save money, try and chair disciplinaries themselves.  That’s just not a good idea – to chair a disciplinary, you would need to, at the very least, have an idea of what the BCOA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act) and the Labour Relations Act says.  It’s like being your own lawyer in a court of law!  The reality of this is that it ends up costing you an arm and a leg, as you end up having to get legal advice anyway and it leaves you feeling like a victim of the law.  Don’t do it!
• Many business owners think that the law is there to make life difficult.  Nothing can be further from the truth.  My take on this is that the law (and also policies and procedures) are legislated and implemented to protect us from our own stupidity.  Now, as you can imagine, I am often given quite a hard time by people when I make this statement.  The reality though is that laws are passed and procedures are implemented as a result of something that has happened.  No-body sits around all day, trying to think up ways to make life difficult.  People usually try and prevent something from happening again and again and they do this by means of either legislation and the implementation of Policies,Templates and Procedures.
• Having an inexperienced Chairperson can also cause untold problems.  A Chairperson who is not competent or who cannot make a decision based on the facts, rather than the emotions – or who must report into an HR department or business owner, prior to ‘taking a decision’ is going to cost in the long run, when the employee goes to the CCMA.  So make a decision to get the right person in to chair the disciplinary.

So here’s the thing then – yes Labour legislation is 100% in favour of the employee – that said Labour legislation lays down the correct procedures for employers to dismiss staff legally.

So make a decision now – get your policies and procedures correct and make sure that they are properly implemented, get the right people in to do the disciplinaries and even if you do end up at the CCMA, chances are that the case will be dismissed.

It’s your choice – how you make it will mean the difference to your business.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Blogging 101 – What Makes a Blog Well Written? - Part 2

Blogging 101 – What Makes a Blog Well Written? - Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

So now we have a great title and . . .  now what?

It feels like a hundred years ago since I was at school, but I do remember the
English teacher always drilling into us the basics of a good composition – it, the story that is, has to have a beginning, a middle and an ending.  Let’s be honest here, what is a blog – if not a story about your business, or about who you are or what it is that you are doing and why you are doing it?  The reality is that it is a story and it is in the telling of the story, that you have the power. 

A story is no good, if the beginning makes you want to fall asleep.  Most people will stop right there and not continue reading.  So too is having a fantastic and strong ending, without a great beginning.  That is just a hopeless exercise.  Conversely having a fantastic beginning, that grips the imagination or curiosity of the reader and then having an ending that makes them feel like they have just lit the soggy end of a wet squib, will also make them reluctant to read any of your future offerings.

So you’ve got a fabulous beginning and an ending that will make the reader bang down the door for the next installment, but what about the middle?  How do you tell the story?  Does it follow the twists and turns, does it have a surprise somewhere along the way, does it make the reader engage with the characters or feel that they want to buy your product or service?  Does it conjure up pictures or colours or smells or memories that reach down into the very core of a being?  How does it make them feel inside?  For example, what are you ‘feeling’ right now as you read these words.  Are you nodding your head furiously because you understand exactly how you feel when you are reading something that bores you to tears or the excitement that creeps up from within as you read something that gives you an ‘ah-ha’ moment or that challenges you or that makes you think, I mean really think – or are you sadly shaking your head from side to side, because you don’t have a clue about what it is that I am going on about (and yes, there will always be those who remain utterly clueless – no matter what the topic)!

For me, the beginning must grab my attention from the getgo – I must think, I have to just read this page before I  . . . .  (insert what you will here).  The ending must make me sigh with pleasure, sad that I have come to the end and eager to start reading the next article or the next book by the same author and the middle, well the middle must keep me engrossed, it must feed my imagination and satisfy my curiosity, it must stretch my mind and leave me with an internal sense of well being. It must make me willing to follow without question, not make me feel like I am being dragged along, resisting all of the way.  Reading the kind of articles that make me feel like I am being forced to read, irritate and annoy and sap all the pleasure out of reading the written word.

Step back from your page for a moment and ponder – what is the picture that you want your reader to have?  What is the experience that you wish for them to have? Is it a pleasurable one?  Now sit down and write the story with all of those images that run around and swirl about in your head – they will see them, they will feel them and I have no doubt that they will enjoy 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

Networking 101 - Make loads of notes

Networking 101 - Make loads of notes

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:

“Write notes and reminders on the business cards, which will over time, jog your memory.”

Well I don’t know about you, but I am really bad with names and faces.  I have been like that all of my life – ironically though I can remember what the US$ rate was in 1977 (it was 1.12 with the Rand being the stronger), but when it comes to names and faces – well they just escape me.  I no longer apologise, it is not meant disrespectfully – some times things just are what they are.

So as you can imagine, I really have to work hard at trying to remember who is who, when I meet a whole bunch of people at a networking event!  As soon as is practical, I make notes on the actual card as to what they do and what I want to talk to them about when I meet them, I also make a note of which event I met them at so that when I phone and remind them who I am I can use the name of the event as clarification.  Often I can hear on the phone, that they can not quite place me and then when I mention the name of the event, they suddenly remember – it works all the time.

When I load the contacts onto my database, I make notes again of where I met the individual and what it is that they do (often the card does not give any kind of indication of what it is that the person does, especially if they are consultants), so that when I meet with them I have a broad kind of understanding about what it is that they do.

Keep your notes up to date and keep your data base up to date too, for the best results and to reap the highest value from  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

Business Tips – Bookkeepers & Financial Year End – Part 2

Business Tips – Bookkeepers & Financial Year End – Part 2

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

I know that I continually harp on about getting the right bookkeeper/accountant in place – the reason for this is that having the wrong one can end up costing you an arm and a leg.

It is imperative that your bookkeeper/accountant advise you in advance of any changes that will affect you. Imagine the waste of money and resources if the Company owner only found out that the has to pay VAT monthly when he reaches the R35 million turnover per annum mark, 6 months after he has met that particular milestone?  The penalties and interest would be absolutely staggering!

The bookkeeper/accountant must also ensure that you are given monthly financial statements or management reports.  Here’s the thing though, if you are given reports or statements that you have no idea how to read, these reports/statements are actually not worth the paper that they are printed on!  So it is therefore incumbent upon the bookkeeper/accountant to make sure that you understand what it is that they are giving you.  There is no way that you can make an informed decision around the financial aspects of your business if you have no idea about what is going on.

In terms of the law, your Company is obliged to produce Annual Financial Statements.  This is to evidence to SARS (should they ask) what your financial status was during the course of the year and of course, so that the Company taxes can be correctly calculated. This must also be done timeously by your bookkeeper/accountant and they must be signed off correctly in terms of the law.

If, in terms of the law, your books must be audited, then it is the responsibility of the bookkeeper/accountant to assist the auditors with the auditing process and communicate and liaise with the auditors.

All of these issues should be done automatically and timeously by your bookkeeper/accountant, but that said, you – the business owner, remain accountable and responsible, so you need to manage your relationship with your bookkeeper/accountant to ensure that you are kept up to date.

As with most things in life, there are good bookkeeper/accountant’s and bad.  Make sure that whomever you choose is at the very least registered and properly qualified and remember that no matter how brilliant/qualified/professional they are – you are ultimately responsible, so ensure that you, at the very least, pick one that you can build a relationship with and not someone who is just a voice at the other end of the telephone and that you are not just another invoice that has to be raised every month.

Finally – understand that SARS will not accept “ignorance of the law” as a reason for you not doing or paying stuff.  Irrespective of whether or not you have a bookkeeper/accountant who did or didn’t do what needed to be done, it is your responsibility to ensure that things are done and you will be held accountable.

It’s your business at the end of the day and you need to keep your finger on the pulse.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za

Motivation – Don’t Put your Happiness on Hold

Motivation –  Don’t Put your Happiness on Hold

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd  – February 2013

Dale Carnegie said “Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy.  Well that is doubtful.  So get as much happiness out of what you are doing, as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.”

Man oh man! I sure did have a quiet chuckle around this one!

You see I don’t believe that this only applies to your ‘happiness’!  I think that this applies to ‘life’ in general!

How many times during the course of the day do we hear ‘when xyz happens, things will be better or ‘when xyz kicks in things will be better’ or ‘when xyz happens I will feel better’ (insert any other saying that you’ve heard here).

The fact of the matter is that we tend to dwell in the past (and some of us seem to live there on a permanent basis), or live for the future.

What ever happened to the present or the ‘now’?  What ever happened to living in the moment?  How on earth do you enjoy life if you never take the time to ‘live it’?  We are always over analyzing the past when we know on some level that we cannot change what has already taken place.  We are always over planning the future when logic must tell us that the future can only be determined by what we do in the present!  Yet never quite being present, well present in our own lives, we plan and worry and hope and wish and . . .  well nothing really changes does it?

The reason that nothing really changes is because you are not happy inside of yourself, you are not content with who you are as a person and until you change that or make peace with it, it doesn’t really matter how much money you have, how much power you have, how much you have in terms of worldly possessions, you will never be content or happy.  The only way to change what you are not happy with inside of yourself is to make the decision to change – yip, it’s actually that simple. 

You have to make the decision to see your circumstances differently or to react differently to any given situation or feel differently when you are confronted with a certain set of circumstances.  You have the power to make the change! 

So the next time you feel that you can’t cope because there is no money and things will be better when you do have money, rather think about all the things that you can do with what you have and be amazed and how different you will feel.  You make your own happiness, but you have to make the decision to do so!

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