Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 34

Thread: Business Problem Areas

  1. #21
    Diamond Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    6,329
    Thanks
    426
    Thanked 978 Times in 795 Posts
    Dave, I can't manage even if I tried, and I can tell you I have. It's taken me a very long time to see what I am good at and what I am not. My brother is a brilliant administrator, but a k_k technical guy. I can't put systems in place. I will spend 18 - 19 hours a day farming with a technical issue but for the life of me I don't know how to put the systems in place to supply my existing customers. I hate having to deal with people and their issues and I also don't like dealing with admin. I am quite at home with the machines.

    I am one of those technical people that went up the ranks, good technical guy, great technical guy, project leader, kak manager, out. I don't want to do it. You sell the product, tell us what you want, sort out the admin, etc, and we'll make it happen. Like I said, the products are good, we simply stumble around in the dark chasing all the opportunities that come our way. You know, I honestly don't want to deal with it. man I tell you, I am so tired of having to try to do things that I can't.

    Now people would say that if you could dream it, you can do it, rubbish. My brother is a brilliant bank manager and I give him credit forr it, but I sure as hell can't do it, but I can spend 8 hours trying to figure out why the damn CNC won't cut a 0.001 mm step-over nicely - but he sure won't do it.

  2. #22
    Diamond Member Blurock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Durban
    Posts
    4,151
    Thanks
    758
    Thanked 886 Times in 735 Posts
    Blog Entries
    7
    Quote Originally Posted by Kevinb View Post
    So perhaps in some cases it is "bad management" but in most of the cases it is not ! So yes you need to manage them all, but at the end of the day you have to get rid of the "bad staff" !
    That is management! It is surprising how many businesses do not have a disciplinary code. Lay down the rules of the game and maintain fair, just and consistent discipline, at all levels of employment. What goes for the staff, goes for management.

    Too often managers complain about bad staff, but they do not give clear instructions, do not follow up on instructions and do not apply disciplinary actions when things go wrong.

    Verbal warnings, written warnings, dismissal. The FIFO rule applies in my book. Fit in or...FO. That goes for management too. Bad staff will poison your whole organisation and should be disciplined or worked out to improve the workplace for the rest of the staff.

    A Company should undertake to maintain disciplinary and appeal procedures which are fair, just and equitable for all its employees, irrespective of race, creed, sex, religion or job category. The main purpose of the disciplinary procedure is to provide guidelines in correcting unacceptable behaviour or unsatisfactory performance by any employee.
    Excellence is not a skill; its an attitude...

  3. #23
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Johannesburg
    Posts
    893
    Thanks
    8
    Thanked 61 Times in 54 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Blurock View Post
    The FIFO rule applies in my book. Fit in or...FO. That goes for management too. Bad staff will poison your whole organisation and should be disciplined or worked out to improve the workplace for the rest of the staff.

    .
    You've just said it - FIFO .............. so you do get bad staff which can poison your organisation !! I fullly agree ........... sometimes it takes a while but the bad ones must go !!

  4. #24
    Email problem mother's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Northwest Province
    Posts
    333
    Thanks
    31
    Thanked 45 Times in 35 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2
    Well, technically, managers are also members of "staff", and therefore the comment "bad staff" is 100% correct!

  5. #25
    Email problem KimH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    362
    Thanks
    167
    Thanked 63 Times in 52 Posts
    My business is now going into it's fourth month of trading and I am now at the stage where I have reached the limit of clients that I can handle on my own (billable hours worked in September has reached 170) - so now I'm faced with the decision whether to hire staff or not.

    Pro's:
    I can grow my customer base
    I can make more money (see cons)
    I can actually get to the hairdressers once in a while or maybe do a bit of retail therapy

    Con's:
    Staff issues (I come from the telecoms industry where I was the HR/Fin Manager and spent the greater part of my time at the CCMA or chairing hearings or dealing with general staff issues) - do I really want to go down that road again?
    Right now I am always available to my clients, they receive that personal touch that larger companies cannot provide - hiring staff means that I won't work as closely with all of my clients anymore,
    Will have to rent premises, buy more office furniture, more computer equipment, another adsl line ad nauseum.... which means making more money is a myth, unless of course I drastically increase my fees,... hhhmm no I don't think so.
    Travelling to work in the traffic every day
    Did I mention hiring staff and dealing with sick days, personal baggage, drama, mood swings, crappy work that I have to spend hours fixing...

    If I keep things the way they are:
    I earn enough to be comfortable, just wish I had an extra hour now and then to do personal things *mental note to self* take a lunch break once a week
    I only have to walk down the passage to get to my office
    If I want to work at night I don't have to worry about my safety
    I don't have to wear uncomfortable suits and heels everyday
    A snoring, smelly, farting bulldog lying at your feet while you work is normal,... isn't it?

    So,... let me think about this. Well that wasn't a hard decision, guess I will be staying right where I am.

    I've had this question at the back of my mind for a while now, just haven't had the time to actually work through it all - this post actually made me take the time to consider, so a big thanks for that Singh.
    "If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you."

  6. #26
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    Quote Originally Posted by KimH View Post
    My business is now going into it's fourth month of trading and I am now at the stage where I have reached the limit of clients that I can handle on my own (billable hours worked in September has reached 170) - so now I'm faced with the decision whether to hire staff or not.

    .... which means making more money is a myth, unless of course I drastically increase my fees,... hhhmm no I don't think so.
    Maybe not "drastically", but my suggestion now that your billable hours are fill would be to steadily increase your fees...
    Or the day it becomes worth your while to spread your wings will never come.

    ps - Congratulations. Sounds like you're truly up and running
    Many a start-up never gets to that stage.
    Last edited by Dave A; 28-Sep-11 at 09:44 PM.

  7. #27
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,346
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 254 Times in 209 Posts
    my pet hates...being the boss...and paper work.

  8. #28
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Johannesburg
    Posts
    893
    Thanks
    8
    Thanked 61 Times in 54 Posts
    @ Kim ........ sounds like you are doing a fantastic job - you go girl - I always believe that if you have a winning formula - dont change it.
    I have seen a few businesses up here grow, move and then go under - never sure why that happens - can only put it down to a winning formula where people know where you are, happy to come to you on those premises, happy to pay those prices, can see you are doing well with a full restuarant for example, therefore you must be good at your job. Perhaps sometimes when you grow and move you lose sight of good service and sometimes get a bit greedy. I am not generalising here, just surmising what some people go thro.

  9. Thanks given for this post:

    KimH (29-Sep-11)

  10. #29
    Email problem mother's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Northwest Province
    Posts
    333
    Thanks
    31
    Thanked 45 Times in 35 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2
    Well done, Kim! Awesome! And to think you got there in only 4 months ... really awesome!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by KimH View Post
    Did I mention hiring staff and dealing with sick days, personal baggage, drama, mood swings, crappy work that I have to spend hours fixing...
    And let's not forget to add maternity leave to this list! I know, I know, I'm a woman and I should be sympathetic, I should understand ... oh, I understand, but I don't care about the merits. Maternity leave is a killer!

    On the topic of: a winning formula. I am very weary of labelling anything a "winning formula". Markets change daily, technology evolves radically, and consumers are well-informed of the alternatives available to them. A winning formula often breeds complacency and a false sense of security that things do not need to change. And no business can afford to keep doing what they're doing exactly the same way, indefinitely. Remember, your competition is watching you, and will probably copy and improve on whatever it is that you are doing right, so that they may gain some market share. Take for example (the music industry again, hehehe): Madonna vs Cindy Lauper. Their careers launched more or less at the same time, and their popularity at first was pretty much equal. Over the years, Madonna moved and changed her brand image and product, to keep up with (and sometimes even create) changing needs of the market. Madonna held an enormous share of the market for nearly 3 decades. Cindy Lauper never changed, and her success lasted only a couple of years (if that).

  11. #30
    Diamond Member wynn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    east london
    Posts
    3,338
    Thanks
    548
    Thanked 625 Times in 524 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by KimH View Post
    Con's:
    Staff issues (I come from the telecoms industry where I was the HR/Fin Manager and spent the greater part of my time at the CCMA or chairing hearings or dealing with general staff issues) - do I really want to go down that road again?
    Is it not possible to outsource work to others on a commission basis?
    First train them to your standards?
    Then weed out the under performers, that way you don't get snowed under but still get a healthy portion of the extra income !)
    "Nobody who has succeeded has not failed along the way"
    Arianna Huffington

    Read the first 10% of my books "Didymus" and "The BEAST of BIKO BRIDGE" for free
    You can also read and download 100% free my short stories "A Real Surprise" and "Pieces of Eight" at
    http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/332256

Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Problem claiming UIF
    By Dave A in forum The Whistleblower Forum
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 25-Aug-11, 07:55 PM
  2. [Article] Cable glands for hazardous areas
    By Master Electrician in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 22-Aug-10, 06:13 PM
  3. [Article] OHS Act and hazardous areas
    By Master Electrician in forum Electrical Contracting Industry Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 22-Aug-10, 05:24 PM
  4. HSPDA problem
    By Dave A in forum Technology Forum
    Replies: 41
    Last Post: 11-Feb-08, 09:11 PM

Tags for this Thread

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •