When tragedy strikes the death knell

If you've ever been involved with supporting a cause, you will be familiar with the zeal that goes into it when everything is new and the uncertainty is high. Everything seems to be a life-or-death decision on which everyone's decisions hang. There's an urgency, especially when the individual is young and vulnerable. 

Over time, as the years pass by, the individuals who are impacted live. Complacency sets in and can become entrenched until something tragic happens. In other words, we lose the edge. 

Yes, people are ready to support you as always. However, the reality is, people burn out. Particularly the leadership. 

If this reflects any organizations with which you are affiliated, then there's a need for a change. It is lives that are in jeopardy and therefore the situation is too tenuous to play around with the decision-making and support processes. 

What can get in the way? 

In short form: pride, ego, fear are some of the broad headings that come to mind. These and their derivatives serve to hinder an organization's progress and stop the realization of the objectives of the entity. 

Take action now! Put your house in order and so you wouldn't have to wait until tragedy strikes. 

Why do I have a business and does it serve me and others?

 If you have stopped by because of the title then you too may be wondering, where is he going with this. There are many people who are getting into the businesses but they never ask the really defining questions that may bring clarity. 

If I had to be really direct then we can examine, did you seek God about what to do, or just consult yourself on what you believed you like doing? Many of us do the latter and then pray that God blesses our efforts to help us succeed. We get it backwards. 

Here are some questions you need to consider before you get into business. They may help you redefine your business if you're already in business. 

1. Why should one get into business? [Gen 2:15]
2. What should that business be about? [Gen 2:16]
3. Is it in alignment with our core values? [Gen 2:17]
4. How can it be made sustainable? [Gen 2:18]

These can be answered in your time through your own investigation. I have put some passages beside each question as points of reference which through your own investigation will reveal to you more information about the business you are seeking to invest in as well as if it would be blessed and sustainable. 

You are given the scope of your business and the possibility of success should you act based on the information that you have. Will you have challenges? Yes. However, you will have divine guidance since you first committed your plans to the Lord. [Prov 16:3 & Psalms 20:4] 

Do we really give creative thought as to what, who, why, where, when,  and how we really serve by being in business? It seems sometimes like we get into business without that clarity which then leads us into the avenues of fear, stress and panic when we don't have sufficient information. Shouldn't business be easier? I think so. 

Ensure that you take every step to be clear about your business. That clarity should cover every element of your business so that you make mistakes on paper rather than with paper. 

Get a business team together one thing is certain. You can't think of everything. You don't know everything. There are organizations that can provide you and your entity with technical assistance. These programs can provide consultations, training, webinars and seminars. 

The help will permit you to access funding, growth, and revamp operations.  Consider who really owns your business and perhaps that will help you with your approach to the business entrusted to you. 

A new direction - carefully being researched

It's a new day and there are new developments. There's quite a bit of "newness" going around. On this blog, we too will be making some changes. 

The research is going on and I encourage you to stay tuned. There is another way of doing business that ensures they thrive. 

I firmly believe that God blesses those who have the capacity to manage. This first became known to me through Dr. Myles Munroe's sermon from many years ago. It got me thinking. Then others offered supporting information from within the Bible - The Living Word. 

I won't say more at this stage but encourage you to stay tuned. It won't be long in coming. I don't have all the answers, I'm just letting God use me as an instrument of his grace. 

Looking forward to sharing how we can all function better in the marketplace with more wholesome businesses. 

We will learn of the challenges and sacrifices of being in business and situations that can come against you. Hopefully, we will prayerfully be able to share answers that offer relief. 

There is an urging by the Holy Spirit that this is necessary. I am required to be obedient to Abba God. May His will be done. 

Who do SMEs really help?

Ever so often we need to take stock of what we do. We often hear of the benefits of SMEs being touted online, but I really need to beg an answer to this question. Who is really benefitting as a result of what has been dubbed entrepreneurship? 

At the micro level, it is a way of helping people develop gainful self-employment, which enables governments to boast about how many jobs were created. However, for those who work within the sector and are observant, it is hard to recognize that the technical assistance entities need to be more holistic in their approaches to SMEs. 

The result is that many entities open and operate as SMEs throughout their entire existence growing to a certain level and no further. The majority function as trading as/general partnerships and those who incorporate are unaware of their strategy for doing so. They also don't have an exit plan that would enable the business to survive beyond their lifetime. 

Too many entities are dependent on the most expensive way of raising capital which is through the banking system and few, if any, really look towards creating equity finance opportunities where investors can participate meaningfully. 

Still others are not up on the information required for good governance and in some cases where to turn to find it. Many entities cannot hire the talent they need on a full time basis and many are concerned that they cannot afford the fees of outsourcing. 

Trainnig should be on-going and many your entrepreneurs fine the pressure of down time being adequate for them to participate in such continuing education. Therefore they drop behind. It is for that reason that those of us who do train must keep updated with technology so as to better provide solutions. 

So does having a SME really help? The answer is really up to those who have benefitted and continue to benefit. 

We need to do better for our entrepreneurs as running a business has a lot of moving parts, and we don't learn them all in business school. 

Keep checking back for more posts or recap some of the older ones on this site. 

Have a great week ahead. 

 

Crisis mode

 I was recently chatting with a colleague and as we spoke some similarities in the issues we came across were common between our entities. We are finding that clients are staggering within the business environment. The pressures are quite great for many and many are finding the conditions to be overwhelming. 

Well...someone's got to handle it. We can't all run the opposite direction. 

• Indecision
• Lack of discipline
• Poor budgeting 
• Inadequate planning
• Disorganizeed 
• Insufficient preparation
• Fear of failure 
• Not enough knowledge 
• Inexperience 
• No team 
• Weak systems 
• Limited access to financial information, funding, and technical assistance 
• Undesirable people skills

These are all reasons that businesses experience challenges and these listed are from within. They don't really include factors beyond the skills and abilities of the business that impact externally. 

Can we ever be prepared for the unforeseen? 

As we know, it is virtually unrealistic to expect one person to be on the ball with every aspect of the business. It is for this reason that business functions best when there's a team involved, but you must be selective. 

Who we have on the team is important to the success(es) that the business is likely to encounter. All of these areas can be delved into further should you decide to book a planning session should you need help in these areas. Should we not have the talent in-house, we can connect you with those in our network who have those competencies. Either way, there's always a solution. 

Check back often for updates and read/reread our articles based on your business needs. Have a phenomenal day! 

Understanding business numbers

 

Across the globe, many have found numbers to be intimidating. I used to think that numbers communicated quite clearly everything except emotion until I saw someone win the lottery or get a fine. 

In business, there's a requirement to have the entity's performance represented in numerical reports called financials. Despite this, the full potential of the information the numbers represent is seldom communicated in whole or understood by the reader. 

This may be one of the reasons why businesses grow to a certain performance level and then stagnate - neither growing nor declining. 

The numbers are able to describe matters pertaining to the following areas:

• The asset base and the level of liabilities
• The profitability of the entity
• Cash flow 
• The earnings per share 
• Share value 
• Units in production 
• Internal cost controls 
• Ratio analysis
• Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis 
• Forecasting methods
• Operations budgeting 
• Cash management 
• Capital budgeting 
• Tax planning

The bulk of these elements seldom forms a part of the discussion at yearly AGMs/management meetings if they are held. 

In short, we leave money on the table, even when professionals are paid to guide us through the process. These numbers can and should be used as a means for setting goals and then reviewing to see how close we have come to realising them. 

It is time to stop playing business and get the necessary professionals on your team to help you navigate what you don't know. No one knows everything. Some of the best use of the business' resources is to invest in the use of professionals to which you have access to enable you to make and save your business' money. Too many people are seeking to do business on the cheap, which isn't budgeting by any stretch of the imagination. 

If you don't understand some of the areas listed above, then please seek out your professionals to enable you to obtain clarity. Learn how to make the numbers of your business work for your benefit. 

Could rabbits save us foreign exchange?

 Rabbit has grown in popularity in various parts of the world where is it welcomed for a variety of reasons. There are so many who find rabbits appealing, some want trinkets [see https://everythingbunnyrabbit.com/]. However, it must be noted with keen interest that for many, rabbit meat is considered a food source. If you need to learn about rearing rabbits there is information that you can consider below: 

Rabbit Consumption

So how popular is rabbit meat? It is heavily consumed in countries like Italy, Spain, France, and China; people in these destinations consume approximately 8kg per person of rabbit meat. 

Among the reasons given is that meat is cheap, healthy, and environmentally friendly. Rabbit is entirely white meat. There are some 89 countries that import rabbit meat and this is their consumption levels that seem quite high, along with the reasons. [https://www.nationmaster.com/nmx/ranking/import-of-rabbit-or-hare-meat-and-offal]

Rabbit Breeds in Barbados

Within Barbados, there are breeds of rabbits that are desired by those who live in the island for a variety of reasons. There are as follows:

• New Zealand White
• New Zealand Red
• The Californian
• The English
• The Flemish Giant
• and The Chinchilla

In terms of meat production, the popularity stays with The Flemish Giant and The New Zealand Red. 

Interested in Cuniculture

Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their meat. Rabbits may be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Safety where you can further get advice on care and maintenance. This information was made available in GIS Barbados which cited Cathy Lashley, October 19, 2021.  

Now that you know that you have access to a readily available resource. It appears to be a low entry point into the market and the product is in high enough demand. Why are we not capitalizing on this opportunity to boost our exports and make the linkages to tourism where we market to some of the same countries that readily include rabbits in their diets? It's an alternative which can be included in our menus, which brings me to the culinary elements. [See https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/recipe-collections/rabbit-recipes-15016] 

With the amount of existing and emerging food service entities, why are we not using our culinary creativity? We have award-winning chefs, foodies and some great creative minds within the field of agriculture. We have a hospitality institute and a number of culinary schools; why isn't our creativity shining? 

I hope that you explore the links within this article for thought joggers as to how you can differentiate yourselves within the market. Are there other elements to consider? Yes there are, but we can discuss those when you book an appointment with us. Thanks so much for allowing me to share with you. Have a phenomenal day. Visit us at bladesandbladesconsultancy.com