There are so many things you can do to improve your business – not just incrementally, but monumentally – and often the specifics are rather simple. Here are 50 things that you can start doing today to make your business work, grow, and keep on growing. If all you did was pick a new item from this list-each week – and put it into play, can you imagine how much progress you would make?
As business owners, we charge clients for services. But how many business owners put a price tag on their time? This is not the per hour rate some of us charge clients. We’re talking about your time. The answer to the question is “not many”, because we don’t necessarily think of our time in terms of Rands and cents. As a business owner, you should, though. Your time is never free and it is most certainly valuable. Here are 6 ways for you to save and make the most of your time.
Long gone are the days when receiving text messages and emails were a novelty, celebrated by the receiver. In today’s technological age, most of us crave an hour or two in the day when we can escape our phones, tablets and laptops, either for a run on the mountain, or to go into strategic thinking mode and switch off from the outside world for a while. How many times a day do you let your phone distract you? Here are 6 tips on how to stay present and focused, without missing out on all the action.
No matter how good you are at running your business, you can do better. As a small business owner, you have to be pretty hands-on when it comes to the day-to-day handling of the company, which means you always need to be at the top of your game. This is the year you’re going to do that. Here are some tips on how to be a better business person.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is more important than IQ when working with other people. Are you able to be assertive without being aggressive? How do you respond to manipulation? In today’s business world organisations do not compete with their products. They compete through using their most valuable resource, their people. Good interpersonal skills are vital to allow this to happen. How good are your interpersonal skills?
Leadership that moves us towards making real, person to person connection is what we should be aiming for.
If you are a veteran in the SME sector, are running a very successful business or just feel you have something to offer a budding entrepreneur, you may consider becoming a mentor. Let's look at the characteristics of a good business mentor. Mentorship is all about giving back and contributing to the growth of someone who may be where you were as a would-be business mogul. Use your experience and expertise to help other small business owners
Business etiquette involves more than eating with the right fork or leaving a suitable tip. It's about generally acceptable, courteous, and respectful behaviour. Of course, this changes over time, and varies across contexts and between cultures. That being said, there are general guidelines for any given business situation. Basic knowledge of business etiquette can be priceless. Here are some tips to get you on your way.
Leaders and managers are often identified as the same, but there is one very distinct difference: a leader mentors and takes part in tasks together with their teams, unlike managers. Managers delegate tasks and focus their energy on a hierarchy system. Leaders don’t fixate about being superior. And, naturally, employees will respect people who are genuinely willing to go the extra mile to help someone grow. This article looks at the qualities you should consider in your role as a leader.
When it comes to finding accurate information about starting or running a business, it can be hard to know who to ask or where to look. Reading the articles on this website are a very good place to start, but it can be even more valuable to find an expert who can give you face-to-face advice. A mentor can walk with you on your journey as a small business owner.
The average entrepreneur will admit that his life is his business and his business
We live in a society where so much emphasis is placed on developing our minds and our intellect.
Having the ability to make sound and sometimes quick decisions is crucial for running your own business successfully.
As a business owner you have most likely have quite a bit of experience in dealing with various “obstacles”. These may come in different guises e.g. a new product or service that is slow to take off, having a variable cash flow but fixed overheads, handling demanding tasks or clients, etc. The key question is: How do you manoeuvre yourself through these situations without becoming negative, angry, feeling helpless or staying stuck? This article explores some of the options available to you.
Yes, we can become successful quicker. It is possible to speed up the process.
Being nominated to the position of a leader can be both an encouraging and daunting experience. It is encouraging because it shows the trust your company and employees place in you. However, it can also be daunting because of the list of responsibilities that come with the title. This article outlines the skills you will need as a leader, to help you prepare for your role.
What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? This article provides a list of the top 15 personal characteristics and qualities of successful entrepreneurs. Do you have them? Check where you feel strong today and where you can improve moving forward. Take into account that while some people are born with certain skills and personality, you can learn and improve through training and practice.
Fraud and corruption seem to have become entrenched in the way of operating these days. It is so easy to say: "But if so and so is doing this and getting away with it, then so can I”. How does this affect the way business is being done? In recent chats to business owners and people in the corporate world, more businesses are resorting to making use of polygraph testing to manage and reduce fraud and theft. Let us stop to consider some actions you can take before resorting to such drastic measures:
For any project to run smoothly and produce the desired outcomes it has to be lead by someone who can bring all the elements - and people involved - together to work towards achieving a common goal. This person is called the Project Manager. A project manager brings all the elements of a project together.
There is no doubt that there is enormous hunger for aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners to clearly understand what it takes to stay in the game and of course get to the top of the game. But what is it exactly that makes the world's most successful people tick, and why have these mercurial individuals have arrived where so few have? Here are 10 tips and rules that stand out.
Regardless of where you are in your career, a mentor can help guide you through your entrepreneurial journey. From providing information and knowledge to finding ways to stimulate your personal and professional growth, and everything in between. It is therefore important to find someone you can trust and feel comfortable enough with to ask questions and learn from.
Not sure why you need to be a good communicator? Well, being a manager means that you have to do more than, well, manage people. You need to be able to communicate clearly and build a relationship with your colleagues and employees. If you do not improve your interpersonal and communication skills, you might find that your employees are unable to speak to you about issues they might be facing. Outlined in this article are just some of the reasons why communication is important to management.
Have you stopped to think that your business actually reflects your own character? As a SME owner, the tone and way you operate your business is determined by who you are as a person. Let us look at some of the factors that influence your effectiveness as a leader and, in doing so, unpack some of the key reasons why certain leaders fail.
