Its all about business.

Archive for September, 2008

It’s risky, get over it and move on…

Sep 23

Posted by Steve Gray in Finance, Franchisees, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room | No Comments

I have seen a range of TV current affairs shows recently pointing out businesses (reasonable sized ones on occasions), going under and taking investors with them. If you invest in a business it is risky, any sort of business (and I don’t care what glossy brochure or figures they show you…)

So there are risks involved and you can lose money, you can also gain $$ to, and of course that’s generally the aim for an investment. Look I feel sorry, deeply sorry for anyone that loses hard earned cash in a business deal of some kind, and perhaps there should be a leaflet that people have to hand out in any transaction that may involve risk to explain there may be a risk.

The thing is let the buyer beware (Caveat Emptor) but also understand that people are losing day in day out, and the opposite is also true! In a capitalist society like ours the aim therefore is to have more wins than loses.

So guys, harden up, the road ahead is loaded with potholes and challenges, don’t get angry, get smart and find better ways of evaluating a deal or investment in terms you can understand.

Think Globally, Act Locally

Sep 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Growth, Leadership, People!, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | 1 Comment

I have just been to see WALL•E the animated film, it was fantastic, the graphics, the story, the whole concept was exceptional. So the environmental message? Yep there was one, and as such I figure on a local basis we can be doing things to prevent a “Wall – E – World” from happening… (hey that’s not new is it…)

I know our “Local Authorities” have a long term plan, is it all about growth or does it take into account looking after things,  being the guardians of the planet at a local level. If “all hell broke loose” Could our region survive? Would we have enough of the “right resources” to keep going?

Chances are the long term plan is laced with “Innovation” and “Leadership”, “growth” and the such like, yet down on the ground realistic local action that I can tangibly say “Yep they’re doing something…” is not visible.

Lets take it to our businesses, do we have the ability to diversify in a way that gives us a support base if things go bad? A Debt Reserve Fund of some kind? A range of other “business interests” that allow us to fully serve the wider community? Mostly… No.

I figure that if I went to the local “Planning guide for the next 50 years” created by local authorities and searched in there for business “goals” or “ideals” to assist my business I might go away a bit befuddled by the academic language, the jargon and the rhetoric, however I probably should be silent until I see the “beast” and let it prove me wrong, (or right…)

I urge all business people to act responsibly and find ways they can make positive impacts at all levels of “stake holder interaction” (there’s my chunk of jargon for the day… :) ) so our future can stand the test of time.

If I fail will the Govt pick me up?

Sep 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Finance, Growth, Risk Management, The Board Room | 1 Comment

So what were the Risk Managers telling the management at Lehmans bank… maybe they should be fired… GROSS Negiligence perhaps? or did their “leaders” not listen…???

I have often said that organisations should have a “Debt Reserve Fund” large or small, if they had a range of assets (cash is a start) then they would have been able to say “Our core business is falling, but our back up foundation is solidly in place.” Instead the US Government comes a ridin’ in, all guns blazin’… “Yahoo! here comes the cavalry!!!”

So if my business fails will the Government give me $$ to prop it up? Hardly, and I barely call the aged pension a payout for years of challenges and ups and downs.

So fellow business people ask yourself what are we putting away to buld a foundation in case of challenges like this, and I don’t mean insurance…

Finacial markets in meltdown…

Sep 17

Posted by Steve Gray in Finance, Growth, Planning, Risk Management, The Board Room | 1 Comment

The USA banks, the market slide, you name it the financial markets are taking a battering with trillions of $$ in value lost… The media is alive with speculation, and sensational headlines.

WOW the guys with the money seem to be in a squeeze, now watch as the rest of us suffer in the aftermath.

But hey, I remember hearing (back when Australia had the “recession it had to have”) that since the “Great Depression” (what was great about it?) That financial markets world wide had a range of stop gap measures in place to avoid a meltdown… Oops it looks like someone failed to read that section of the operations manual, oh well what’s a few trillion lost…

The banks are able to gear themselves to the hilt, meaning they have little cash and a lot on the “never never” so they are in a great but precarious position. Anything they make in profits seems to go into real estate (check out their multi-storied head offices) or CEP perks (I’m just jealous!). Yet little seems to build their “cash reserves” to be able to handle challenging times like these.

The same of smaller businesses, many are only a few weeks of “challenge” from real disaster and have to hope that their strategy of “run on a wing and a prayer” will hold up if things go bad (now try and tell me that’s not the case with your business?!).

Really we are all in a similar boat, never far from the dirt we eke a foundation from.

Probably the one thing that rings true in the fullness of time, is clarified by my memory of migrants that saved their pennies and stashed them in tins in the back yard, they paid cash for everything and probably still do. These guys know that a slight breeze can bring down a  house of cards, and as such  have an insurance plan to cover it, a real one… CASH, not a trumped up piece of paper with terms and conditions designed to trap the unwary.

The sprung leader…

Sep 12

Posted by Steve Gray in Chill out!, Excellence!, Growth, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, The Customer Service Dept | No Comments

Following on from the spring cleaning theme… is your leader leading the charge? did they “twig” to the change of season? did they come in the door with a renewed spring in their step? Well if the answer is no, maybe you should take the lead and remind them.

Get them focused – ask them to be flexible – give them support and watch them flourish (if not just run the show yourself and do your bit to make the Biz better.)

You see, often it’s the small stuff which happens that makes a difference, and people notice. In a retail setting, pull things off shelves and give the place a great wipe down. In the office, get in a tad earlier and clear out the “crusty” bits from around your area, in the lunch room, in the client areas… make a difference, do it for you and of course you are doing it for “them” the customers.

Reframing, renewing, refreshing it’s all good, so make the most of it.

It’s spring…

Sep 11

Posted by Steve Gray in Chill out!, Excellence!, Growth, Innovation and Creativity, Personal Development, Planning | 1 Comment

With spring just 11 days young, it’s time to clear out, clean out, seek out, innovate, create, get nasty with “stuff” and make way for fresh ideas, colours, thoughts and so on. Explore the ether, the space, the things I know little about (well to some degree).

It’s fine for me to feel this way but what about you? Does the onslaught of “Spring” give you that edge to want to do things, do more, be more, have more and so on? If so where do you start, is there a system you follow, or is it more of a I know the goal and to hell with how you get there?

Whatever way you decide to do things, make sure it’s going to work for you. Think big, explore and enjoy the results.

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