Advice
Flexibility. To many business owners this may sound like a swear word. The prospect of having employees who are not working in the office or not available during work hours on certain days could appear to be more of a hindrance than a help. But if entrepreneurs and small business owners want to attract and […]
Recognition, reward and opportunity; these are the three key staples in the diet of an engaged and motivated employee. Yet – delivering the right balance of these ‘dietary requirements’ can be one of the biggest challenges businesses face. When they don’t get it right, a disengaged workforce and low morale ensues. With 20 years’ experience […]
So your business has expanded and you are considering employing your first member of staff. However, you are not sure whether to employee a full time, contract or even a casual worker. Before you go ahead start recruiting, here are some important legal issues to consider when hiring staff: Contractor vs Employee In law, there […]
It’s not uncommon these days to have a wide age gap between your employees. Many businesses these days have an employee age range which spans across three generations – the Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y (or the Millennials). While each generation brings a distinct set of values, insights and expertise to the workplace, […]
The desire to be happy at work and enjoy your job is not an unreasonable one – after all, we spend the vast majority of our waking hours working. True – some of us submit to the notion that getting paid to work is not synonymous with enjoyment, but an increasing number of the workforce […]
This article will focus on the best internal collection practices for your small business. This article assumes your business already has a credit policy in place and a collection policy in place. Also keep in mind that this article is focused on commercial as opposed to consumer collection matters although there are similarities between the […]
If you’re a business owner who was driven to the start-up scene by the prospect of independence and a better work-life balance, then the question you have to ask yourself is this: would you wish for your own employees – the life-blood of your business – to view entrepreneurialism as the ultimate ‘escape hatch’ from […]
For business owners, the line between personal and business life is inevitably blurred. Managing a business is a demanding juggling act, sidelining valued relationships, resulting in frustration and a lack of control over any aspect of our lives. I’ve lived by the following five key principles to create balance in business, freeing time for family […]
We have come a long way from the idea that biggest is best. An increasing number of entrepreneurs are discovering opportunities in cheap-to-establish, technology driven business models; our graduates have become increasingly attracted to the development opportunities offered by emerging industries; and finally, only the nimblest and most agile businesses are capturing the attention of […]
For as long as there is entrepreneurship, people who have taken upon themselves to do this job have searched for the recipe for what makes a successful business, and the answers they found and brought into conversation were sometimes quite extraordinary. Some of them, however, made a huge mistake, and, in spite of having the […]
As a business owner, you are in charge with making sure that your company’s productivity is at its maximum capacity. You don’t want to catch yourself waiting for things to happen – as an entrepreneur, it is your duty to have things well rounded-up and functioning. There are many ways to make sure things are […]
One of the biggest HR issues most businesses face is attracting and retaining skilled staff. When an estimated 25 per cent of employees leave their jobs after just three months, you know it’s time to address the reasons why, and stop it from happening to you. After all, staff turnover can cost your business tens of […]
Regardless of which industry your small business is in, there’s no doubt that the calibre of your sales team is key to the success of the product or service that you’re offering. Finding the right people who are properly qualified and skilled enough to deliver what you need is only the very beginning of what […]
Jaid Hulsbosch reveals 5 steps in an internal employee engagement program that will support a launch of a repositioned or new brand strategy Articulating a company’s DNA to engage with consumers in relevant and meaningful ways is a large-scale effort and production. However this is only half the job, often overlooked in the process is […]
It is not that big of a secret that, in today’s unforgiving business climate, companies are forced to constantly improve upon the things driving them forward in order to stay ahead of the competition. But what exactly are those thongs? According to TNS survey 32% of participants from high-performing companies said that that they have […]
Have you started noticing strange, odd behaviours from an employee? This may be occurring over time and can include the employee being too aggressive, too intimidating or just plain bizarre. If you’re the owner of an SME, you have the right to terminate an employee; however, you may be quite reluctant to dismiss the employee […]
There are two kinds of startups – those who succeed and others who constantly try. In Britain, at least half the companies fail to last more than five years and in the US, three out of four startups are going bust without managing to turn a profit. The team and leader define the success of […]
The challenges for traditional industries are intensifying. After decades in the driving seat, technology is now striking the heart of what some industry sectors have traditionally kept to themselves. And arguably, it’s about time, as a new wave of technology enabled start-ups are finding more efficient ways to deliver services tailored to a client’s needs […]
According to a report published in Harvard Business Review, out of 20,000 hires during a three year research period, 46 percent had failed in the first 18 months and only 19 percent achieved success. The primary reason given for failure was “poor interpersonal skills” which 82 percent of managers admitted to having overlooked in the […]
You want to feel alert, fresh and awake at work. You are hoping to feel energised and focused throughout the day. Yet by 2pm your energy sags. You still have several meetings in the hours ahead. You order another coffee and keep going, all the while feeling increasingly depleted. The demands, the deadlines and expectations […]
