I want to tell you how, whilst not one of us could imagine that a pandemic would strike, there are ways to explain it theoretically and that can act as a compass for professionals and their clients as we try to navigate the choppy waters together. In economics, a large-scale, unexpected, and disruptive event is often referred to as a Black Swan event.
Category: Business
MARKETING REVISITED: Do you need to change direction?
you down a rabbit hole that you never intended to go down. If you clicked on it by accident the Big Brother Algorithms that are hovering around you, will pick it up and you may be shown advertisements about bagpipe sheet music till the end of days! Consider some marketing strategies that won’t have you bailing out water from a sinking budget.
Are you struggling with a – uhmmm – ‘high maintenance’ employee?
Times are tough. Everyone is struggling. Businesses are under pressure. You need all hands on deck. And yet, there is that one employee you dread to deal with. Every day. Sounds familiar? How should you deal with challenging employees?
Dark days – when the country goes up in smoke around me, what can I do?
It pains me to have to write this. I hope it will bring some hope to some of my clients and, to others, a sober warning about why not having insurance or going the self-insurance route may not be wise. Obviously, the loss of possessions is distressing, but these are material things and can be replaced. What causes me more distress is what the events leading up to the unprecedented looting and destruction will mean in the longer-term in terms of the disruption of people’s lives and the businesses involved.
Have you heard the latest about scams?
FNB sent me a reminder to be careful about scams and what I should do if I encounter them. I am always grateful for their sustained efforts to combat these. It is sad that I have to write so often about them. They have become so common place, that people joke about the Nigerian General that is trying to overthrow the Government and needs your help whilst offering you handsome rewards.
2021 TAX SEASON: When does it start?
The South African Revenue Services (SARS) has announced that taxpayers will be able to file their tax returns from 1 July 2021. Be aware of important dates and what you need to do.
SCAM: an illegal plan for making money, especially one that involves tricking people – Cambridge Dictionary
Why do scams survive, without changing much, other than minor details? Here I am again, talking about scams. However, I would like to take a more philosophical view this time. Let us look at how and why people get caught. Again. And (sometimes) again!
I want to state that scams illustrate parts of the Human Condition we may not be too proud of. Added to that the novel situation we find ourselves in with the Coronavirus and the unprecedented acceleration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has made this worse.
Help! I need to draw more customers!
Many small business owners have felt the pinch (unless they are toilet paper suppliers) as customers seem to dwindle. You need customers, so that you can get the resources to invest in technology. Do not despair. There are some things you can do that are much cheaper than throwing the money you do not have into the dark…
Money in the bank
South Africans love to hate their banks. Many consider the banking industry to be aloof and hate the long queues that causes acute and a sudden onset of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out in Generation Z speak). Luckily the banks know this. Many are developing digital platforms as a solution.
A reputation cannot be built on sand
Facebook advertisements you pay for; Word of Mouth is priceless.
The bottom line to our bottom line is that we need to make sure our clients want and know how to refer others to us. There is nothing wrong with asking. We do not believe in playing games. Our clients know that if we grow, they also benefit.