“Apart from the obvious benefits of accounting accuracy and more effective sales analyses, I find that Gary’s Involvement as a mentor has also added a huge personal comfort factor to my decision making and forward planning.”
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Well, we’ve just seen the end of January – the first month of 2011 is gone, - and I feel like I’ve missed it; – it went so fast. While we were away on some much-needed leave, I took time to reflect on the past year, and what I see lying in store for us, as [...]
Dear Friends,
We’ve come to the end of 2010 – for many South Africans, quite a significant year with the Soccer World cup and all its implications. Some of those implications are not going to be good, and there’s no good fooling ourselves about it! Someone is going to have to pay for all the fancy [...]
After nearly 40 years in the marketplace, and some 14 of those helping small business owners, I am convinced that this is one area where most small businesses just don’t cut it! I will even go so far as to say that the greater majority of these small business owners never start with a properly [...]
I heard today that SARS are issuing warrants of arrest for errant taxpayers, who – presumably – are ignoring demands and summonses to submit tax returns. One story involves someone who was arrested in the dead of night and then incarecerated along with every other kind of felon! This is not something one wants to [...]
Thanks to the development in information technology, and the ease with which we can all communicate today, many of us can now do our work almost anywhere in the world. This is especially true in many consulting-type environments.
When I was first articled to an accounting firm in Pietermaritzburg, in the early 70’s, computers were [...]
Well, – the end of the first decade of the 21st century is in sight. I can’t believe how fast the past ten years have gone – it seems just like yesterday that everyone was panicking about Y2K, and the prophets of doom were forecasting a meltdown of all our information systems!
In retrospect, sometimes [...]
I had an interesting experience the other day while visiting a client.
While we were chatting, his firm’s buyer popped his head into the office and said (almost gleefully), “I’ve just been told by XYZ Company they won’t be able to deliver the goods when they promised – and this is the second time now!”
“They’re useless!” [...]
Some of the most important role-players in your business are your suppliers.
If they don’t supply on time it can disrupt your business and cost you money.
If they don’t supply at all because you haven’t paid your account, it could be terminal!
Most small businesses that are having financial problems, have very poor relationships with their suppliers. [...]
My wife and I have just returned from a few days in the bush – communing with nature. It was quiet and it was peaceful – no noisy dogs barking; no drone of heavy trucks from the highway. We were blessed to have sightings of the all the big five – with the [...]
In previous newsletters I have drawn the connection between the level of engagement of your employees with that of your customers. Its not really rocket science!
I can heartily recommend a little book by Mark Sanborn called “The Fred Factor” which goes directly to the heart of this issue. Based on a true story [...]
“Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.”
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