2010 and Where From Here?

Well the 2009 year is almost over and we move into the "teens" of this century. The retail sector has not performed up to Christmas as well as expected and down on last year.

To be expected with no "stimulus package" this time around. Yes, it looks as though people did spend it last year.

Trouble is, it was NOT spent on sustainable economic growth! How many have suffered the annoyance of call centres phoning us and asking about our "insulation"?

This is short term economic activity. Mr Rudd and his friends would have been better to offer TARGETED tax relief to businesses investing in genuine growth and employment projects. This would have created sustainable economic activity that would perpetuate itself into years ahead. The initial impact on the retail sector would have been less evident but in reality, shouldn't the growth at retail be the effect of growth in sound industrial and economic infrastructure (more jobs, higher pay being the result, therefore stimulating retail spending) instead of a “quick fix” that would expire leaving us saddled with interminable debt?

Instead we have the legacy of higher debt that we will be paying off for generations to come through higher interest rates and YES, HIGHER TAXES!

So what do you do as a small to medium business owner? There are a few alternatives but the precursor to them all is PLANNING.

At Harmonic Business Design, we can assist you with a high value add component (I won't work with you unless it can add real sustainable value to YOUR business).

Our services include:

• Assessment of current situation and planning the way forward (you say "I already know that" but I'll bet you really don't)
• Selling your business either locally or overseas. Overseas sales of strong sound businesses will generally result in a significant selling price premium compared to the local market
• Implementing the systems and structures that make YOUR business strong and sound to add value and increase cash flow

Call us now on 0434-293 815 or (07)3040 2367

Cheers and happy New Year

Roger

What the f— is wrong with these people?

What the f— is wrong with these people?

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My Review of CardScan Executive

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No More Lost Cards!

Roger the Business Architect Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 7/16/2009

 

4 5

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Best Uses: Networking, Office, Syncing Contacts, Capturing Images, Improving Productivity

Describe Yourself: Tech Savvy

I network intensively and previously collected many hundreds of business cards. I now scan these and only keep a select few business cards on hand.

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HARMONIC BUSINESS DESIGN PTY LTD
Charlie’s Harmonic Business
BUSINESS PLAN

Roger Seach
18 June 2009



This is one of a series of articles written by Roger Seach to assist small to medium business owners to prosper. The articles are intended to be general in nature only and are not intended to be specific advice to any person, persons, business or businesses

 
Charlie’s Harmonic Business – Business Plan

Sometimes there are days when you wonder whether you should be in business at all. It seemed like a great idea at the time:
• Be your own boss
• Meet lots of interesting people
• Work whatever hours you want and if you want to go fishing or play golf, just give yourself a day off
• Build a valuable asset which can employee the family and will grow into a retirement “nest egg”

Then the reality set in:
• Not enough money to pay the rent, wages, suppliers and taxes. (Where does it go?)
• Suppliers letting you down
• Difficult customers who are never satisfied and always pay late; they treat you like their bank overdraft
• Never enough time to do the paperwork without sitting up all night
• Employees taking sick days off when you know they're not really sick

Charlie Burns started out the same way. He had big ideas. His business was going to be much more than an employer for him. He was going to build a small empire that would, within three to five years enable him to semi-retire and run the business from a distance. These ideas were bouncing around in his head for months before he started his business.

He rented a small office and workshop, started knocking on doors and making phone calls looking for customers. He knew that he would need some money to carry him through until the business became self-supporting. He sold a few shares at a good time in the market and he knew that this would carry him for two months. Enough time he thought, to build up his sales.

Trouble was, two months became three months; three months became four months and at that point, he had to go out and get a night shift job to bring in enough money to pay for the essentials of life. He was not getting enough sleep, there were too many things that took time and did not produce money. He never seemed to get anything completed. He had to employ somebody to take some of the load but he could not afford to pay wages to himself even. He was devastated and his feelings spilled over into his social and family life.

Charlie's son, Alan was just completing university and he had studied the theory behind business development. One night, at about 2:30 a.m., Charlie came home from his nightshift and found Alan drinking coffee and studying hard for upcoming exams.

They sat together in the silence of the house, drinking coffee together when Alan said, “Dad, if you keep this up, you are going to kill yourself and what good will that be? I know that you had big ideas of how this business was going to run and you talked about your goals all the time. We both have been so busy these days that we have not had a chance to talk. We hardly even see each other! When I was studying tonight, I realised that I needed to sit you down and tell you what I have learnt. That’s why I am still awake, studying. The only time I could see you was when you walked in that door after working eighteen hours straight.”

“You have always been my hero, dad, someone who knows all the answers. Now I want you to listen to me.”

“Things have not turned out the way you expected in your business, have they? You have not seen any of your goals even looking like they are getting closer. Most of the things that have happened have not been the way you expected. Do you remember when I was at high school? You told me that now I really have to study because things will only get tougher. Did I listen?”

“No, you did not!” said his father firmly. “You continued to play games on the computer, talk on the phone and watch too much television. It was not until you started failing your exams that you realised you needed to put in the hard work. Remember, I told you at the very beginning that you needed a written study plan for each year, broken down into weeks, so that you could cover all of the work that you had to do as you were learning. You needed to plan enough time to balance school with games, TV, social life and sporting activities.”

Alan smiled and his eyes glistened in the lamplight. “Listen to yourself, dad, and look at the way that you have approached your business. You don’t have a plan! You need a business plan. You need to start with your goals clearly defined, including timeframes and you must write them down. You have to look at what could happen in your business, considering your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This needs to be done using different assumptions: optimistic, pessimistic and most likely. From the business plan, you need to develop strategies or techniques to achieve the goals within the time frames. The plan must have the flexibility to cope with changes and unexpected impacts.”

“That's enough for now dad; you and I both need our sleep. I will study tomorrow. I want you to make a promise to me, you stubborn, lovely old man. I want you to promise me that this Saturday, you and I will sit down together and we will start a business plan that will be the foundation of your business and the source of all planning and activities. We won't put the business plan away on a shelf to gather dust. We will take it out at least every three months and review what the business is doing to see that we are still on track. Trust me dad, it will save your life and it will save my future children's granddad. Is that a promise?”

Charlie looked at his son and realised how proud he was of this young man. “Yes, Alan, it's a promise!” Charlie pulled out his handkerchief and wiped something from his eye.

Alan smiled. “Dad, when we do this, you will start to see some harmony in your business. I will help you all that I can with the right methods and techniques. And that’s my promise in return!”

This is one of a series of articles that I have written to help small to medium business owners understand the road to more profitable and successful businesses and to help to save their lives. Watch this space!

The advice and suggestions given in this article are general in nature and before implementing them, you should seek appropriate professional advice. Your chamber of commerce and the economic development team in your local council are good starting points.

A very useful (and free) “snapshot” report on your business is available if you log on to www.harmonicbiz.com.au and follow the “ENACT” logo link on the left side of any page to a questionnaire that comprehensively covers your business health. You will receive, within 24 hours, a two to three page “Business Performance Index” report on the health of your business, based on the answers you give. There is no obligation, no cost and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Queensland has already endorsed this programme.

Just give me a call on (07)3040 2367 or 0434-293 815 for a no obligation chat about the growth opportunities of your business

Roger Seach (e-mail: Roger@HarmonicBiz.com.au )

Human Resources - What a bloody insulting term!

Ever wondered about or given some consideration to the term "Human Resources"?

The modern view of human resource management first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the MBA course at Harvard Business School. Other interpretations were developed in Michigan and New York.

Different interpretations of Human Resources.

The Harvard interpretation sees employees as resources. However, they are viewed as being different from other resources in how they are to be managed

The Harvard model outlines four HR policy areas:

• Human resource flows - recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, appraisal and assessment, promtion, termination, etc.
• Reward systems - pay systems, motivation, etc.
• Employee influence - delegated levels of authority, responsibility, power
• Work systems - definition/design of work and alignment of people.

Which in turn lead to the 'four C's' or HR policies that have to be achieved:

• Commitment
• Congruence
• Competence
• Cost effectiveness

Michigan Business School - A harder approach

A different view is associated with the Michigan Business School. The Michigan model has a harder, even less humanistic edge, holding that employees are resources in the same way as any other business resource. They must be:

• obtained as cheaply as possible
• used sparingly
• developed and exploited as much as possible

The Michigan theorists highlighted the following as being the most important HR issues to achieve such a match:

• Selection of the most suitable people to meet business needs
• Performance in the pursuit of business objectives
• Appraisal, monitoring performance and providing feedback to the organization and its employees
• Rewards for appropriate performance
• Development of the skills and knowledge required to meet business objectives

Wouldn't good old "Personnel" be a more appropriate term? I find it degrading to employees (often quoted as "our most valuable resource" in company propaganda) to refer to them as "resources". Ultimately, isn't slave labour the most cost effective?

Cheers and keep smiling

Roger

Business Plans - Who Needs 'Em?

YOU DO!

I see almost every problem in business stemming back to inadequate planning.

I can understand why people don't plan and "just want to get on with it":

• Planning is boring for get up and go types
• Entrepreneurs are often creative directors who aren't concerned about details
• Planning is tedious and delays getting on with the job
• Planning isn't "sexy"
• Planning doesn't immediately produce tangible results

I have heard so many small business people making comments to the effect : "We should have done our planning years ago". They realise that an effective business plan is necessary to achieve success in business but so often, this realisation comes after missed opportunities or unforeseen threats have clobbered the business.

So, WHAT do you do? WHAT don't you do? Let's get the "don'ts" out of the way first. Then we finish on the positives as they are constructive and encouraging (sorry, it resembles dog training in some respects for the same reason that dog training does)

• DON'T be tempted by sexy new planning tools and gadgets and gizmos
• DON'T blindly follow advisers who say "you should do it this way" or "that way". There are innumerable versions of planning templates, ideas and opinions and the one that suits you is the one that is going to serve you best. You know the old saying: "Two Consultants - Five Opinions"
• DON'T keep attending seminars and courses and incessantly reading books on the topic. These become convenient procrastination excuses because it is easy to say "I am still researching it so I can't do it yet"
• DON'T think of it as a "necessary evil". Or something to do "for the bank manager"
• DON'T keep changing it without very good cause. Moving the goal posts continually means you won't reach them with intent. They will also weaken and collapse. You won't be able to kick as well if the goals are moving. If you can't kick the goals because the posts are mobile or fallen over, how will your employees ever do it?

Now for the POSITIVE stuff:

• DO Keep it simple
• DO relate it to your personal goals and expectations
• DO treat it as a living document that should be reviewed and carefully considered on a regular basis. One of my most successful and satisfied clients reviews his business plan at least every 3 months. If there is a real need to change it, then do so but KEEP the superseded version and a documented record of WHY and HOW you changed it
• DO consider the Business Plan the hardy root stock of the flourishing plant that is your business. A rose or tomato on a lousy or weak root stock will struggle at best and die prematurely at worst
• DO consider its implications in all business initiatives and activities. This will force you to look at it and review it. It will also make it easier to focus consistently in all the activities of your business

We are happy to assist you with some simple and effective techniques to achieve an effective business plan. Please drop me an email at AskUs@HarmonicBiz.com.au and we will gladly reply to you. There is a query form on our home page at www.harmonicbiz.com.au which you may find more convenient.

Cheers and keep smiling - Business and Life should be FUN!

Roger

GFC? GEC? Who Keeps it Going?

What a negative view the world has on business! Now all we see is “job cuts”, “unemployment”, doom and gloom. Businesses need an overall plan to PROSPER in down times rather than STRUGGLE. This may include temporary cutbacks but the publicity on that aspect alone is way overweighted.

It amazes me incessantly that all I see is doom and gloom. I see every day many opportunities that businesses are passing up to soften the blow of the "GFC" and they ignore them.

Upselling and host beneficiary programmes are perfect for these times to strengthen business positions but only a small percentage of businesses actually take them on as part of their sales and marketing armoury.

My clients are fighting against the pressure of the current times by strengthening their positions and avoiding layoffs and cuts. Sure, cuts may come but they will be part of a bigger more encompassing package and will have a positive thrust.

Success is a function of loyalty, leadership and teamwork. That is what I develop in the cultures of my clients. It is in fact easier to present a unique selling proposition or point of differentiation in tough times to grow market share for two reasons: Firstly, customers are looking at higher value offerings, so it is not hard to present them with one and secondly, most of your competitors are digesting the garbage that is promulgated by the irresponsible mass media and lose focus on the opportunities.

The media intentionally feed the downturn through their publications because that behaviour creates more news. There are thousands of businesses that are doing well. I come across some almost every day but do you see the media seeking those out? Not on your nelly, mates! Because if they create a positive environment that encourages consumption (very easy to do), they will curtail the "GFC" which is feeding them with the current array of sensational and disastrous headlines! The media can resolve the GFC faster and more effectively than any amount of government liquidity injections. But they won't for their own vested interests.

Cheers and keep looking at the growth opportunities!

Roger

www.harmonicbiz.com.au
Roger@HarmonicBiz.com.au