BUSINESS TIPS - From Employee to Entrepreneur - Part 8

BUSINESS TIPS – From Employee to Entrepreneur – Part 8


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC – March 2013

So far we have looked at:-
1.    The difference between being an employee and an employer;
2.    Your Purpose:
3.    The People around you and
4.    Your Personal Footprint.
5.    Knowledge & what you do with it
6.    The Generosity of your Spirit
7.    The Role of Technology in your Business
8.    Self Confidence
9.    Creativity
10.    Focus
11.    Vision
12.    Result
13.    Networking
14.    Leadership
15.    Management
16.    Problem Solving
17.    Being Innovative
18.    Teamwork
19.    Strategy

Believe it or not there are a whole lot more – today we will explore a few more.

1.    Branding
We all know just how important it is to brand ourselves.  Think about it for a moment, even the huge big brands like Coca Cola continue to spend millions on advertising, just to ensure that their branding remains forefront in the minds of the general populace.  Even the famous ‘no name brands’ are . . .  well brands in themselves – they brand the Pick ‘n Pay’s and the Checkers, as the in-house cheaper, but ‘just as good quality’ products.

The message is therefore very clear – if you don’t brand yourself, you are quite possibly branding someone else and you are most definitely sending prospective client’s elsewhere.  So get yourself and/or your company properly branded before you start you marketing campaigns.

2.    Marketing
Marketing is about getting your message out there – the “who you are” and the “what you sell”, be that product or service.  It makes logical sense then that who you are and what you sell will only affect the people that ‘hear’ about you or travel as far as your message goes.  Pretty much like you may very well be known by everybody at your child’s nursery school, if you move to another province no-one at the new nursery school will know you at all.  In order for your marketing to be successful it has to reach everyone in your target market.

3.    Profit and Passion
Unless you are a well-heeled (or married to a well-heeled) philanthropist, the fact of the matter is that you will need to make a living and in order to make a living you will need to make a profit.  Yes I know that ‘doing what you love’ means that it doesn’t feel like work, but that’s the beauty of doing what you love and charging for it – you will get out as much as you put in!  Okay, you might not get it out straight away, but you will reap the rewards at some point.  My workshop that was written almost 10 years ago now, has just brought in a huge lump sum and I mean huge – I wish you could see the look of pure glee on my face right now.  Actually if the truth be told, it is exactly that passion that you need in order to put the kind of effort in that will determine the kind of rewards that you will eventually get out.

If you’re doing it for free, you are not a business person but rather a philanthropist, if you are doing it for a fee then you are a business person – the challenge here of course is that you need to decide just who you are.


Next time we will continue to look at some of the other issues that you will need or be aware of to become a successful Entrepreneur.

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 - Born an Original

Born an Original

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

Today’s quote comes from John Mason who says “You were born an original.   Don't die a copy.”

What a statement!  How succinctly stated!

Think about it for a moment.  As youngsters in school, we all want to dress the same and be the same as everyone around us.  Primarily to ‘fit in’ I suspect.  I am sure we have not only, not all heard the words, “but Jane’s mother bought her one” – but also uttered them at some stage in our lives.

Then come the teenage rebellion years and we all profess to ‘wanting to be different’, yet we are all the same.  Many of our actions are really confused in that we often pull what we want and/or need and/or desire towards us with one hand, whilst pushing it away with the other.  How many of us have yearned for the soft re-assurance of a touch or a spoken word from someone that we love and instead of making our feelings known we have lashed out to hurt them and push them away – sounds familiar doesn’t it?  Well it makes us just the same as everyone else.

Then comes the work place – many of us paid our school fees in the banking world. Yes it’s true, every second person that I speak to, at some point in their lives have worked in the bank.  Go figure!  So much for being different!

At some point in our lives, many of us take that huge leap of faith, have a mini crisis or whatever you would like to call it and . . .  wait for it . . . .  we started our own businesses!  How difficult was that!  So how different does that make us – not much from where I am looking right now.

Then comes the crunch – we actually succeed!  Yes, we do become a statistic – but it’s a statistic of the best kind.  You see against all odds, against all the numbers or perhaps I should say in spite of it all – we succeed!  Not only do we succeed, but we become rich beyond all expectation – now that certainly makes us different.  The question has got to be why?

You see, it doesn’t matter how strangely we dress, how strangely we behave we are all similar.  What makes us different is how we think of ourselves.  Those who dare to dream and visualize in the positive are different from the rest and those are the ones who will be different and who will succeed!

So tell me, are you an Original or are you a copy?

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

MARKETING - Is your Business idea built on Market Research or a Hunch?

MARKETING

Is Your Business Idea Built On Market Research Or a Hunch?

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting January 2008.

I know that when I started thinking about ‘going on my own’ so to speak, the initial idea was born out of absolute frustration and boredom.

I had been working in the same Group for over 10 years and for the last 4 of those years, I had been doing exactly the same thing, day after day.  Seeing the same people day after day, and finding the same mistakes and theft and fraud and . .  yip, I was doing exactly what I do now (being an Internal Auditor), but my work life had reached a plateau.  There was no longer a challenge, I was as high up in the Company as I would ever be able to go and quite honestly I felt really burnt out.

There were two options available to me, to find another position at another Company or ‘go on my own’.

Moving to another Company
When I sat down and really thought about this option, it took all of about 30 seconds to dismiss it.  It wasn’t that I was unhappy with my current employers.  I was well paid, highly respected and highly regarded – it was, well quite honestly it was the lack of challenge.  How long would it take for me to reach this same “space”, if I took a job at another Company – I really didn’t think it would take too long at all.  So this option fell right off the table.

Going on my own
The first time I even dared to look at this option, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!  I mean for goodness sake, what on earth did I know about starting and running a business.  Sure as an Internal Auditor, I knew how to put the processes and procedures in place, but put them in place of ‘what kind of business’?  As head of the Department, I knew how to manage staff and I was also acutely aware of all the pitfalls associated with HR and the Labour Relations Act – I had certainly “Chaired” enough disciplinary hearings and dismissed enough staff over the years to understand the implications.  But even if I did have staff, what good would they be to me if I didn’t even know what kind of business I wanted.  So that idea also got shelved – for a while anyway, but it came ‘a-knocking’ from time to time.

The more I thought about what I wanted to do, the more frustrated I became.  I was literally ‘clueless’!  Time went by and slowly but surely this little idea started to germinate.  Why couldn’t I do exactly what I was doing now – but out there in the big wild world.  Why couldn’t I do “Internal Auditing” for little companies?

Now at this point, had I resigned and just done it, I can assure you that nothing would have come of it and this brilliant idea of mine would have gotten me nowhere.  Why, you may ask?  Simple really, I had no idea if there was a ‘need’ for my kind of service.  Just because I thought that it was a good idea, didn’t mean it was so!  I had a vague idea of who my target market should be, but because I thought that they may need my services, didn’t mean that my potential clients wanted my services.

So I did what I knew best how to do – I started investigating (also known as market research).  I spent many hours trawling the internet, looking to see if there was anyone else out there who was doing what I do – there wasn’t.  Now that could mean one of two things, either it was because there was no need for the service, or alternatively it was because no-one had thought of the idea before.

It was time to check my target market  - fortunately I have a great number of friends who are Entrepreneurs and as SMME’s they fall into exactly the market that I wanted to test.  The internet also provided me with a huge amount of material and information as to exactly what was available and what wasn’t.  The result was that there was a huge need of what I could provide and either no-one else had thought about it, or alternatively no-one else had the skills with which to do it.  All of this research and ‘investigating’ took over three years to accomplish and the result of this is that I have now been ‘on my own’ for almost 11 years.

So what is the point of this story – it’s really quite simple, if your business idea is built solely upon a ‘hunch’ or ‘an idea’, in all probability you will fail.  This is because no matter how ‘in love’ you are with your product or service and no matter how passionate you feel about it, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the ‘real’ market out there will share your enthusiasm.

Look at what the statistics prove – hundreds of businesses start up every day – that’s not a bad thing at all, but hundreds of businesses close their doors and go out of business each day too and that is not a good thing.  Yes not all of them go out of business because they failed to do their market related research, but a great number of them never even get off the ground and huge amounts of money, blood, sweat and tears result in everything being lost.

You have to put in the research and also test the market.  I had 3 clients before I even resigned from my job.  Without the research being done, you will have no idea if your service, product or idea has any chance of  being sustainable.

Rather start out as you mean to continue – slowly, steadily and sustainably.

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

MARKETING - Focus on Sales

MARKETING


Focus on Sales


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting April 2009.

So how do you deal with your ‘Focus on Customers’? Do you focus more on getting new customers or do you focus on existing customers or what about ‘old’ or previous customers – do you ever revisit them?

Here’s the thing – it is always a good idea to bring in new business, it’s healthy for the Company to have new ‘blood’ from time to time. That said it takes time to build new relationships and it can be a costly exercise, although it must be done.

What is an alternative idea though, is to promote your business and/or new products/services to existing, current or even previous customers. The relationship is already built. Trust and credibility issues have already been dealt with and both you and the client know what to expect.

By reaching out to your existing data base, you will be able to significantly reduce your marketing costs whilst keeping your turnover on the up and up. These clients have ‘proved’ their willingness to purchase your products and/or services and you have them on hand, it’s not like you would have to prove yourself all over again.

I am sure that any marketing person anywhere, will tell your that one of the biggest assets that your company has is your data or customer base. So use it, all the time.

You need to understand that just because one sale has been finalized, it does not mean that the relationship is over – it’s just beginning. Remember that and your current customer base will forever be your ‘bread and butter’ whilst new customers will become the icing and the cherry on top of the cake.

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

HR 101 - What to do when . . . You're Not Sure About Leave - Part 2

ARTICLE 6

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . YOU’RE NOT SURE ABOUT LEAVE

PART 2

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC.

Ok, here we go – now we have exactly what the Act says, now let’s find out exactly what it means!

Let’s get my favorite protagonists back.  George the employee and Mike the employer.

George has been working for Mike for almost a year now and it’s time for him to take some leave.  George is reluctant to take leave as he is really in need of some additional finance.  The roof of his house in Soweto has blown off and he needs the additional finance to do the repairs.  Mike on the other hand, can’t really do without George because he has landed a deal that has stretched his resources really thin.  So they come to a compromise – George has requested that Mike pay him out for his leave and since Mike has the new deal he is in a financial position to pay George for the leave that he does not take!

Sounds like a win, win situation doesn’t it?  Look again! 

Firstly the only person to really win out of this situation is SARS - you see the extra finance in George’s pay packet means that he has gone into the next tax bracket, so he is actually paying more tax out to SARS than the leave pay is actually worth.

Secondly although George now has the additional funds that he needs to repair his roof – the additional work, without him taking a rest, means that his body and his mind is tired and it will be a whole year before he can actually take some time out again.  His judgment is slow, his reflexes are slow and he is not only putting himself at risk, but also his work mates because he could actually be the cause of an accident.

Thirdly, although Mike has been able to complete his project on time, George will probably only be half as productive as usual for the rest of the year because he has not had time to rest.

Finally, if the Department of Labour and/or the CCMA found out that Mike had paid George’s leave out – Mike could be in serious trouble and face a huge fine for not obeying the law.

The only time it is legal for Mike to pay George out his leave pay is if George resigns, is dismissed, retires or is retrenched – then all of the leave pay would need to be paid out in full.

Next week let’s have a look at accumulation of leave.

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

EARLY WARNING - Warning from ADT Security

EARLY WARNING

Warning from ADT Security



By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting  August  2010.

I received this communication from one of my colleagues:
“Please spread this email, to all your staff, friends and family, we all need to be aware and we all need to put a stop to this, winter is coming and that’s when most house break ins happen.

The following points were made in a discussion with members of SA Police Services on Radio IFM.

We are not aware that any of these signs are being used by criminals in our area but I feel it is good that you be warned.
•    When there is a Z painted at the Stop sign – there is a few houses being robbed in that street
•    If there is a heap of small stones in front of a house. – There are dogs
•    If there is two large stones placed next to each other. – two old people
•    Sometimes they pack a few stones in a row next to each other. – how many people in the house.
•    Colors :
•    Red coke can, red rag etc’ means the occupants can defend themselves
Coke can on its side. – somebody at home
Coke can standing straight up. – nobody at home.
* White: sorghum box pointing to house. - marked to break in
White plastic bag on fence. – easy target
* Green: directions, the direction the green bottle is showing. – the direction they should move
* Blue: any blue bag, paper etc. – Somebody in the house prepared to help you.
* Black: Stock Theft.
* If your dog suddenly dies or is vomiting and there is black dots in the vomit or any white powder next to the dog. Contact the police, they must remove the dog and vomit immediately, do not touch anything, it is dangerous.
•    If your dog barks at night, - listen to the type of barking
•    A Kiewiet makes one noise when seeing an owl but a different noise when seeing a human being.
•    Simba Chips packet: it is folded neatly, If the face on packet is pointing towards your house. – Boss at home
•    If face is pointing away from home. – Boss not at home
•    If they see foot prints by your gate, they know somebody stays here.
•    They phone your house number to find out if you are at home.
•    They switch off your power at your (unlocked) mains box, if you go out to check your box, your home is open
For them to slip in or you are a soft target outside alone in the dark.
•    Strange object: Arriving at home in your car, a strange object, dustbin, carton box, brick, tree branch, go past it,
if you get out to remove the object, you are a soft target.
•    What Must You Do:
•    Remove all the loose signs in front of your house, throw it away
•    There has been cases where the “signs” were removed three times and the chap who had to plant the signs got into trouble
•    Try and remove the painted signs, paint over them.
Report any signs that you think were planted there after you had removed them.
Regards,

Yogen Govender
Area Operations Manager – North”
Let’s be safe out there people!

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 - Generosity Rules

Merry Xmas every one!

The Power of Networking - Part 23

PART 23

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

In her cards on Networking Tips, Dr Renate Volpe says “Be generous with what you know.  Circulate information.  Connect people.”

I am often amazed at the absolute generosity of some people (Renate included) and then equally amazed at how some people will not share anything.  The mind boggles – well mine does anyway!

Some people hold everything so closely to themselves, they will not give out a lead or a referral, but are sure to be in the very front of the queue if they are to receive anything!  Go figure! 

Apart from the fact that there is an abundance of opportunity and work out there, they are so busy keeping everything close to them, they do not see what is right under their very noses – the abundance.  They agonise and stress about every little thing and how people are trying to cheat them and the competition is stealing all of their ideas and business is sooo bad because . . . .  Sounds familiar doesn’t it?  Yet if they had only opened their hands and their hearts and gave something back, they would receive hugely.

My friend and colleague Kevin Foot always says that ‘you have to give to get’.  I agree and have found that you actually don’t have to give too much in order to get a whole lot back.

Look, I don’t mean that you have to give the shirt off your back or give out your IP for nothing.  Not at all.  But put people in touch with one another.  Give out referrals and leads.  Invite your competition to a networking meeting with you – chances are that you will be able to work together on a big project that neither of you could manage to work on alone (now there’s a thought for you). 

Share information – where the next networking meeting is, who is going to be there, opportunities that are not for you but you know someone who is dying to do that sort of thing.

When you are in front of a client or even a prospective client, who you are pitching to, listen to the needs of the client – it may be that the client not only has need of your services, but also the services of someone that you know.  On the other hand it may be that the client does not need your services at all, but has need of someone that you know – imagine how impressed they will be when you say “I’m sorry I cannot help you with this as it is not my field, however I can recommend Jane Doe as this is exactly what she does.”

Not only will Jane Doe think you’re great and start looking out for work for you, but the client will also bear that in mind and when they do have work that you can do for them, you will be called in.  That kind of generous behaviour tends to stick out in the minds of people. 

This is the best value add that you can have.

For more information on Dr Volpe, visit her website on 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 - From Employee to Entrepreneur - Part 7

BUSINESS TIPS – From Employee to Entrepreneur – Part 7


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC – February 2013

So far we have looked at:-
1.    The difference between being an employee and an employer;
2.    Your Purpose:
3.    The People around you and
4.    Your Personal Footprint.
5.    Knowledge & what you do with it
6.    The Generosity of your Spirit
7.    The Role of Technology in your Business
8.    Self Confidence
9.    Creativity
10.    Focus
11.    Vision
12.    Result
13.    Networking
14.    Leadership
15.    Management

Believe it or not there are a whole lot more – today we will explore a few more.

1.    Problem Solving
I doubt that there is a single business owner or entrepreneur out there who can honestly say that there is a single day that they don’t have to solve some sort of problem or another.  You have to be able to think outside of the box, change your mindset or your perspective and even think laterally.  Remember each problem that you solve successfully brings you one step closer to your ultimate goal and your success in the long term.

2.    Being Innovative
In keeping with the previous point, all small business owners are innovative in one way or another – yes all of them, even the bookkeepers and accountants.  They have to be in order to compete.  Each business owner or entrepreneur has to find a ‘different’ way to do things.  They each have to make what they offer different to what everyone else offers (and I am not suggesting that anyone does anything illegal here okay!) The more unusual your offering or product, the more likely your company will become valuable.

3.    Teamwork
A task/problem shared is a task/problem halved . . .  There is nothing truer than that, provided of course that you have the right team in place. Even though every team has a leader, someone who carries the ultimate responsibility and accountability, the reality is that a team where everyone contributes to ‘ideas’ as well as the tasks, works better together.  A team where everybody is part of the decision process is stronger as they are all working towards a common goal. Make sure that you have such a team!

4.    Strategy
Winning the Lotto is by chance (provided of course that you have bought yourself a ticket).  Winning in business is because you have planned properly and you have a strategy in place.  Beware that your strategy and planning don’t stay in that stage, remember you need ‘action’ to get the work done and succeed.

Next time we will continue to look at some of the other issues that you will need or be aware of to become a successful Entrepreneur.

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 - Becoming More Conscious

MOTIVATION – Becoming More Conscious


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

You know, I grew up on a farm in the late 50’s and 60’s and for the people of my generation, using the “K” word was pretty much the norm.  Was that right? Of course not!  My point though is that nowadays when I hear that word (although it is very rare to hear it these days, thank goodness), apart from the fact I find it offensive, I am also reminded how things were.

So how did we get from there to here?  How did a whole nation of people go from using words that were the ‘norm’ for that period of time – to something that now, the majority of us find absolutely reprehensible?

Well I think it is because we have become more conscious about what we say.  It’s like the ‘volume’ control on kids – as they grow, so they become more aware of what they sound like and then instead of every word being said as loud as they possibly can, it becomes softer and more manageable.

Now here’s the thing – if we become more aware of what we say to ourselves softly and quietly, on a daily basis and stop all the negative thoughts that run wild in our heads, chances are that those negative thoughts will become positive thoughts and pretty soon instead of a sad, depressed and frightened individual, we’ll be a happy, upbeat confident person.

So how do we go about this? Well as with most things in life, it would be one word at a time, one day at a time.  Be aware of what your thoughts are – each time something negative pops into you mind, mentally shake it loose – get rid of it and then replace it with a word with the opposite meaning. Actively think of the good things around you, be aware of your surroundings, take time out of your day to enjoy the simple things in life, the magnificent sunrise, the glorious sunset, the smell of freshly brewed coffee or freshly baked bread.

Allow your mind to wonder back to the memories of child hood where you were responsible for nothing more than being a kid and having a good time.  Remember the laughter and the sunshine.

Watch children at play, see the delight upon a child’s face as they see their first butterfly or soapy bubbles as they float in the air and remember the thoughts that you had when you first experienced things. It will lighten the load in your heart and put a spring in your step.

Fill your head with pleasant positive thoughts and the burdens of your day will melt away.

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

MARKETING - Duplicating Efforts

MARKETING

Duplicating Efforts

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting January 2008.

I am no expert on marketing – that said, common sense and logic must tell you that most marketing techniques have already been tried and tested through time.

I am pretty sure that many people will tell you that it is really important to be innovative and creative with respect to your marketing efforts.

To add to that I am also pretty sure that you are  hugely excited about your very new and unique widget and/or product, or if your widget and/or product is not new, the unique spin is on why your product and/or service is different and why people should be using your product and/or service rather that anyone else’s.

It is really very easy to get caught up in the hype and the emotional excitement of the whole thing, but the bottom line is that your focus should be on the results that come out of the marketing.

Whilst it is not a good idea to copy other brands out there (you won’t see Pepsi doing the exact same marketing as Coco Cola, for example), it would be a good idea to have a look at the basic idea of what your competition are doing.  Look at the structure of the marketing exercise and what kind of campaign they are using.  What does the advertisement do and who is the target market?  Is the advertisement appropriate to the target market and so on.  So you can use the same kind of formula as the basis for thinking out and developing your own strategy.

So the better idea for great marketing is not trying to ‘fry your brain’, to think of new and innovative ways in which to market yourself and/or your product, but to use the old and trusted methods of marketing.

Keep your focus on the results and choose a winning formula as apposed to a wildly creative formula as your marketing approach of choice.

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

MARKETING - As we know it

MARKETING

As We Know It

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting April 2009.

I am no expert on marketing – that said, common sense and logic must tell you that most marketing techniques have already been tried and tested through time.

I seem to remember in the recesses of my mind, something about the four “P’s”, and that if you don’t advertise or do some sort of direct marketing exercise, that your business will most certainly fail.  Well I for one think that this is a bunch of hooey!

You see, as far as I am concerned business is about making a profit, making money is relatively easy, but making a profit – well now that is a whole different ball game altogether.  Ok, getting back to the point – in order to make a profit (or money for that matter) you need to sell something, irrespective of whether that something is a product or a service.  So you need to have sales – lots and lots of sales.

Now as a small business owner, I don’t have deep pockets.  That means essentially that I don’t have the financial resources to do huge amounts of advertising or ad campaigns – I am sure that many of you are also in the same predicament.  So what do I (read we) do.

Well for me it is easy – you see I ‘cross pollinate’ or collaborate or Network – whatever you like to call it.

Let me explain – about a week or so ago, I met (let’s call her Anne) at a Networking meeting – she is a secretary or PA by profession and due to the economy and cuts in jobs in several of the huge Corporate companies, she found herself doing her own thing from home.  Anne has a huge amount of experience dealing with ‘red tape’ in terms of presenting for tenders and the like and clearly is great with keeping diaries sorted and meeting deadlines and all of this from home. 

Anne has been in business for herself for about 4 months now and although she is connected in terms of the Corporate world, her clients are now people from the SMME market.  So how does she get business?

Well you see, I also have this client (let’s call her Jane) who owns or co-owns several businesses.  Being a bit of a control freak, she tries to do everything herself and the result is often chaos!  As I write this, she is opening her brand new restaurant tomorrow.  The guest list features several political dignitaries and about 200 odd guests.  She also had a deadline to present for a tender worth millions, by close of business today.  I’m sure you can see the dilemma and the incredible stress that she has put herself under.

I have now connected Anne and Jane and so their journey begins.  Anne has sorted out the tender presentation and all Anne has to do is stand there as power presentation does its thing and hand out the neatly and professionally produced documentation as and when it is required.

Now Jane, who is connected to thousands of SMME’s will refer Anne to everyone who needs her services.  Anne who is connected to thousands of Corporate players will connect Jane to all the power players that will enhance her several businesses.

Both Anne and Jane have learnt some valuable lessons – you can market your business through the power of referrals, you can grow your data base by connecting with people (even if they don’t necessarily have anything to do with the business that you are in) and you can’t do everything yourself – sometimes it is easier, cheaper and more professional to get professionals in to do what they do best, while you do what you do best.

The bottom line however, is that this form of Marketing is not even done by you – it is done for you by all the small business owners or individuals in your data base.  It is done on your behalf and often you are not even aware of it being done – now that’s what I call the marketing of the future!

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 - What to do when . . . You're not sure about Leave - Part 1

ARTICLE 6

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . YOU’RE NOT SURE ABOUT LEAVE

PART 1

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC.

Annual Leave and the various requirements, is something that we hear about time after time.

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act – Section 20, deals with some of the conditions that apply to annual leave.

The Act says:
(1)    An employer must grant an employee: -
(a)    at least three calendar weeks (15 days) annual leave on full pay in respect of each 12 months of employment (the ‘annual leave cycle’)
(b)    by agreement, at lease one day of annual leave on full pay for every 17 days on which the employee worked or was entitled to be paid, or
(c)    by agreement, at least one hour of annual leave on full pay for every 17 hours on which the employee worked or was entitled to be paid.
(2)    An employer must grant an employee an additional day of paid leave if a public holiday falls on a day during an employee’s annual leave on which the employee would otherwise have worked.
(3)    An employer may reduce an employee’s entitlement to annual leave by the number of days occasional leave on full pay granted to the employee at the employee’s request in that annual leave cycle.
(4)    An employer must grant at least three calendar weeks annual leave on full pay in respect of each 12 months of employment (the annual leave cycle) not later than six months after the end of the annual leave cycle or the year in which the leave was earned.
(5)    Annual leave must be taken: -
(a)    in accordance with an agreement between the employer and the employee; or
(b)    if there is no agreement in terms of paragraph (a), at a time determined by the employer in accordance with this clause.
(6)    An employer may not require or permit an employee to take leave during: -
(a)    any other period of leave to which the employee is entitled in terms of this part of the Sectoral determination; or
(b)    any period of notice of termination of employment.
(7)    An employer may not require or permit an employee to work for the employer during any period of annual leave.
(8)    An employer may not pay an employee instead of granting paid leave in terms of this clause except on termination of employment.
(9)    An employer must pay an employee leave pay at least equivalent to the remuneration that the employee would have received for working for a period equal to the period of annual leave, calculated on the basis of the employee’s rate of remuneration immediately before the period of leave.
(10)    An employer must pay an employee leave pay: -
(a)    before the beginning of the period of leave; or
(b)    by agreement, on the employee’s normal payday.

Let’s have a look at what this all means next week.

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

EARLY WARNING - Stolen Identity

EARLY WARNING

Stolen Identity.

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting March 2009.

Imagine trying to prove who you are, when your identity has been stolen by someone else.

Ok let’s put it into perspective.  You have a bank account and in that bank account you have several hundreds of thousands of rands.  The bank has decided that they have to ‘freeze’ your account because you are not ‘FICA’ compliant and now you have to prove who you are all over again.  Problem is though, someone has stolen your identity and the identity number that you have, have always had and should always have, now belongs to someone else, so the bank won’t allow you access to your funds, you cannot open a new bank account – in fact your drivers license is also affected and you cannot get a new passport either.  Gives everything a completely different slant doesn’t it?

A recent report in the newspaper tells of a disabled woman who is living on handouts because her identity has been stolen and she cannot access the disability grant that she is entitled to because of this.

In this instance, this poor woman, has no income and because of her disability is not able to work to provide herself with an income and whilst she is destitute, hungry and cold, someone else is cashing in on her grants.  The authorities appear to know all about it, but have done nothing – a case of fraud has been opened, but nothing has happened and she in the meantime has lost her right to a dignified life.

So here’s the thing, don’t give your identity number to just anyone, in fact don’t give out any of your details to just anyone.  If you call a bank or somewhere where they need to identify who you are, then that is fine – you have made the call to the relevant institution – but if someone calls you, telling you that they are from the bank or the insurance institution or MTN or Vodacom or Cell C or whoever, you are not obliged to give them any information at all – not over the phone and not when you have not made the call.

Never, ever give your pin number out to anyone – not even a bank official, if you are having a problem give them everything that they need until it is time to enter the pin number – this you must do whilst they have their backs turned to you.

Never ever give anyone your credit card and/or ID details on line unless it is a secure site.  A secure site will always have a little ‘lock’ in the corner.  The little lock in the corner is put there by the credit card merchant only.

Take care of your identity and report any thing that may be suspicious.  All of the banks have a ‘fraud division’.  Always get a reference number when making a complaint so that you can follow it up.

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

The Power of Networking - Part 22

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 22

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

Craig Harrison says that the reason that Networking may not be working for you is because of the basic 9 mistakes that Networker’s make.  I have been going through these over the few weeks and let’s see if this is what is holding you back.

To get to know a bit more about Craig Harrison, please visit his website on www.craigspeaks.com.

The ninth and final mistake that Networker’s make, according to Craig is “Disrespect the Tao of Networking.  Networker’s who are obsequious to those they believe can help them, yet rude to those they believe can’t help them, disrespect networking.  I’ve had networker’s disparage the last person they met whilst in conversation with me.  I was afraid to let them go for fear of what they would next say about me!  That’s the antithetical to the spirit of networking.  One networker took my card and in front of me, wrote the letter A on it, and boasted he was “putting me in his A list.”  Let’s just say he was clearly the biggest A I met that night!”

I recently experienced someone who disrespected me and my time and quite frankly I am still peeved about the whole incident.  This person, let’s call him George, was happy to set up an appointment with me and I sat with him for an hour, listening carefully to what he did and what his target market was and then put together a list of people out of my data base that I felt could help him or even, in some cases who he could pitch his product to.  It took another hour to sit down and mail him with the names and contact details of all these referrals and copy them on the mail, telling them who he was and what it was that he did – so that they knew he would be contacting them.  I call this a warm lead. 

A few months later George and I met at another networking meeting.  After the meeting he, another fellow and I sat having a drink and discussing how networking was ‘working’ for us, when George asked me if I had any additional folk that I could recommend him to.  I again made a list of people and a few days later repeated the exercise of mailing him and the people that I was recommending him to.

Imagine, my disgust when several months later George and I hooked up, again at a networking event.  George had had a few too many glasses of red wine and was clearly not in control of all of his faculties as he smilingly told me that he had not bothered to contact a single person that I had referred him to.  I was absolutely astonished, and he ‘sort of realising’ his mistake, actually asked me to re-send all the information and contact details that I had so painstakingly already sent to him.

This for me was the highest form of disrespect to me as an individual.  George had not only wasted my time, but in not contacting anyone, he had basically told me that my contacts and referrals were not worth the paper that they were written on.

You see, George had a mindset that he himself couldn’t get past.  George had decided in his own mind that I was not worthy because he could not sell me anything and therefore there was no-one that I knew who could possibly be worthy of his product. 

The worst of it is that George believes that he is a networker of note!

Needless to say, George will never get a name or a telephone number out of me again, let alone the time of day.

Understand that although the individual with whom you meet, may not be able to use or need whatever widget that you are selling or whatever service that you are selling, they have, without a shadow of a doubt though, someone in their own database that will need that widget or that service. 

Don’t be quick to judge someone.  You have no idea who they are and more importantly, you have no idea who they know.

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

BUSINESS TIPS - From Employee to Entrepreneur - Part 6

BUSINESS TIPS – From Employee to Entrepreneur – Part 6


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC – January 2013

So far we have looked at:-
1.    The difference between being an employee and an employer;
2.    Your Purpose:
3.    The People around you and
4.    Your Personal Footprint.
5.    Knowledge & what you do with it
6.    The Generosity of your Spirit
7.    The Role of Technology in your Business
8.    Self Confidence
9.    Creativity and
10.    Focus
11.    Vision
12.    Result

Believe it or not there are a whole lot more – today we will explore a few more.

1.    Networking
One of the quickest ways to get to people who have more knowledge and more experience than you do is to network.  There are many SMME (small, medium, micro enterprises), entrepreneurial or start up networking groups out there for you to choose from.  Some leave you to your own devices, some are semi facilitated and some are fully facilitated – find one that suits your requirements and get networking.  Networking is also a great way to build relationships with like-minded people who often become suppliers and even customers and you will find people who will be willing to assist you by sharing their knowledge and experience.

2.    Leadership
Every company needs a leader and as a business owner that is who you are – the leader.  Quite honestly, your business success (or failure for that matter) is intrinsically linked to and dependent upon your capability as a leader.  You will need to inspire your staff, you will need to gain the trust and respect of your staff and you will need to commit to them if you want commitment from them.  If you are not a natural leader or are unsure of your role as a leader, I would suggest that you get yourself off to some training as soon as possible as leaders are not necessarily born, they can also be made.

3.    Management
Every business needs to be properly managed.  Whether you are on your own or you have staff, your business still needs to be managed and this is achieved by having some sort of plan in terms of the operation of the business.  What are you going to do with regard to sales, delivery etc. and how are you going to achieve that.  You have to know where you are going and how you are going to get there in order for you to succeed.

Next time we will continue to look at some of the other issues that you will need or be aware of to become a successful Entrepreneur.

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 - Attitide

MOTIVATION - ATTITUDE
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC
Today’s article is based on a whole piece rather than just a one liner, by an unknown author – but what a piece of work it is!
“There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.

It's about learning to dance in the rain.”

I have been engaged, in several conversations about being positive, of late.  Some of these discussions have turned into extremely bitter arguments, some have ruined friendships, some have been taken in the spirit that they were intended and lifted spirits – all have had a profound affect on me in my personal capacity.  They have left their mark and in short made me more determined to see the good in life.

That’s not to say that I walk around with a blinkered view of what is happening around me, it just means that although I see the pain, the poverty, the crime and all the nasties that surround my life, I have made a conscious decision to see the good that has come out of these sometimes impossible situations. 

Not only have I chosen to see the good, but I have also made a decision to make a difference where I can.

Don’t worry folks that does not mean that I will don flowing robes and headgear and become the next “Mother Theresa”, I am still “Nikki” and the Nikki that those who know me have grown to love – as far as that is concerned, things will remain the same, but I have chosen my attitude.

I challenge you all to look around you and see what is before you, really look and you too will see the good that has grown out of the bad!  Choose to laugh with me, choose to see the view that I see, choose to make a difference in someone else’s life by merely changing your mindset about how you view your own life.

Choose to have the right attitude!
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

MARKETING - Follow That Lead

MARKETING

Follow Up On Leads

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC September 2009.


I am often frustrated beyond measure and to the point where I lose my sense of humour when I receive a flyer in the mail advertising the services of a handyman and I call him, ready with my very long list of bits and pieces that I need done around the house, only to sit and wait for someone who never actually arrives, despite the fact that the appointment has been booked and confirmed.  I mean, what’s with that?

As the handyman in question, you have marketed yourself, advertised your services and then you don’t pitch to give me a quote or you come and quote and then I never hear from you again.  Why have you gone to the trouble and cost of marketing and advertising, but you don’t follow up on leads?

People, this is a biggie!  One of the biggest mistakes you can make is becoming obsessed with sourcing leads.  What happens then is that you have an abundance of leads and you don’t have the infrastructure or spare capacity to actually respond to what you already have and you are already out and about trying to source more leads.

Remember that the most expensive cost to a sale is generating the lead – not following up on that lead is like throwing money away.  Putting a practical, simple procedure in place to ensure that you follow up on all of your leads would be hugely beneficial in ensuring that you meet all of your delivery promises.

A happy client, who has had all of their needs and expectations met, is a returning customer and a referring customer.

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

MARKETING - Doing Your Own PR

MARKETING

Doing Your Own PR

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting CC October 2009.

Once again, let me be really up front and tell you that I am not a Marketing guru.  Any articles that appear here on Marketing are from a totally logical point of view and are tips that have worked for me as a small business owner without a budget for Marketing.

As small business owners we all think that we have the greatest product and/or service in the world.  We are really passionate about what we do and we know, deep down inside of ourselves that ‘if only’ people knew about out product/service we would be so busy we would not know what to do with ourselves and we would have pots and pots and oodles and oodles of money just flying into out bank accounts.

Now here’s the kicker. It’s the ‘if only’ part.  You see the bottom line is that no matter how great our product is or how fabulous our service is, if no-one knows about it or how it will make a difference in their lives, no-one is going to buy it and well . . . .  our bank accounts will remain empty.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs can often be heard lamenting about the lack of . . . .  the lack of finance to put a really good marketing strategy together, the lack of finance to use a really good PR agency, the lack of . .  well I’m sure you get the picture.

Truth be told though, we are all capable of doing the whole thing ourselves and even, in some cases getting better results for ourselves than we might have gotten by hiring someone to do it for us.  You see good PR can be the greatest asset in a business but a bad publicist who fails to deliver can really do a great deal of harm.

So let’s have a look at some of the simple things that you can do as PR in your own company.

Take a good hard look at what happens in your company.  Remember, your company is unique.  What about your company is unique? What about your company is newsworthy? Do you have a monthly newsletter that goes out, do you have an anniversary of your business coming up or is there a special holiday coming up such as (but not limited to) ‘Workers Day’ or ‘Women’s Day’.  If you are not someone who looks at special promotions then perhaps it is time to start looking at something right now.  It can be linked to a public holiday or to an event or even to a group of people (e.g. all members of Women In Finance will be eligible for a discount of 10% for the duration of the promotion).  You see the thing is that you can only pitch a concept to the media if you have something interesting to promote.

Make sure that you have some really great photographs of your store and/or product and/or yourself (if you are selling your service) because some of the smaller publications of newspapers and/or magazines may not have the financial means to have a photographer running around all over the country side to take photos and photos always, always, always can make a difference to whether your pitch is successful or not.  Be prepared.

In fact, it is quite a good idea to have a Business Profile and/or Personal Profile written up and ready for distribution.  It’s good to have your profile include whatever is being promoted together with a bit of the history of the business and/or yourself and of course it must include (but not be limited to) things like your contact details, address, web address etc., and it must be presented in a professional manner on your letterhead.  This is something that you can write yourself or if you are really not comfortable doing this hire a wordsmith on a ‘per word’ basis to do it for you.  Most freelance journalists will be able to assist you in this regard.

Once the profile is done, write a letter that is to the point that can be mailed or e-mailed to editors and/or producers with your profile attached, or better yet – see if you can get in to see them.

The letter must be as short and as simple as possible, but it must include all of the promotions that are on offer.

All the Editors and/or Producers want to know is ‘what’s going on’ and they are often looking for something different to report on.  Once they have this information they can make their own decision as to whether or not they want to cover.

Simple hey?  Simple and very effective!  So go on, I dare you – try doing something like this for yourself and see how well it turns out.

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

HR - What to do when . . . There's a Discrepancy in the Job Description

ARTICLE 5

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . There’s a discrepancy on the Job Description

PART 4

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

Here we have Mike the owner of the Business with a problem on his hands as George the ‘Horse and Carriage’ driver has refused to do any convoy work, on the grounds that it was not in his job description.

The matter has gone to the Arbitrator at the CMMA and we are about to find out how the story ends.

The bottom line is that Mike had instituted a clear procedure on what was to happen in the event that there was a dispute.  George and the Union had failed to adhere to this procedure.  There was also a clear history, where previous drivers had done ‘convoy’ work and the Arbitrator could not find any evidence to show that the instruction was unreasonable in any way.

The Arbitrator also found that Mike was entitled to instruct the ‘Horse & Carriage’ drivers to work in the new vehicles  (or convoys as they are known), when they were unable to perform their normal duties and/or when there was insufficient work for their ‘Horse & Carriage’ duties, and that the ‘Horse & Carriage’ drivers were not entitled to refuse to carry out such an instruction on the grounds that it was not in their job descriptions.

Although in this particular instance, Mike won his case, it would be advisable to ensure that you have proper job descriptions in place.  Since it was the ‘clause’ that won the day, it would also be a good idea to include the clause “should a grievance be felt with regard to any instruction issued, representation may be made to supervision or higher authority by means of the grievance procedure, but in the first instance the instruction shall be obeyed.”  Obviously then, you would also need to have a ‘Grievance   Procedure’ in place too.

It must also be evident that Job Descriptions are not written in blood or cast in stone, as situations change all the time – so it would also be a good idea to have something like “the functions and responsibilities listed in the job description may be changed at any time, depending upon the operational requirements of the employer, and within the parameters of the post held by the employee.”

As usual though, all procedures, policies and controls and the changes  that are made to them, must be made readily available to the  staff.

The lesson to be learnt from this case though, is that you must have policies and procedures in place.

Next week we will start on a new case study.

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

Early Warning - Tow Truckers 'Jam' Cellphones at Accidents

EARLY WARNING

Tow Truckers ‘jam’ Cellphones at accidents.

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting March 2009.

This is one of the most disgusting stories that I have found the need to tell! A recent newspaper article penned by Natasha Joseph has revealed that apparently some of the tow truck drivers in Cape Town are using some sort of electronic device that jams the signal to and from a cellphone. Apparently they are doing this to make sure that people who have been involved in accidents cannot phone alternative tow truck drivers.

Now here is my opinion – that, in itself is not the end of the world although I am a firm believer in free enterprise and all that that goes with. The problem however is that this typically means that the person involved in the accident or even witnesses or passengers or passers by also cannot contact an ambulance or the police or family or friends for assistance.

How terrible is that? I mean what if someone actually dies as a direct result of no-one being able to summon assistance? Who then becomes responsible? How would you feel if you found out that your loved one passed away because nobody could dial out to get hold of help, because someone jammed the signal? I mean, what kind of people do this? Do people actually have nothing better to do than to think up things like this? Clearly making money is more important than a person’s life!

You do understand of course, that if this is happening in Cape Town, chances are that it is also happening in Gauteng and probably Durban and well . . . . anywhere where there are tow truck drivers.

Apparently though – there is a way around it – if you move some 30 meters or so from where you are trying to call, and try again, chances are that you might then be able to make the call – provided of course that they then don’t get electronic devices with a longer range.

Satra (South African Towing & Recovery Association), chair Andre Van Der Merwe ‘has urged anyone who has had this problem at an accident site to report this to Icasa’, writes Natasha.

Quite frankly, I wouldn’t just report them, I would lay a charge of sorts against them as well.

Stories like this make me despair of the human 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