A fresh perspective is needed

Psalms 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 

Facing the challenges of people in business can be a daunting task. In business development, it means that I daily have to grapple with the challenges and problems that people present to me about their situations. Often they are related to their business, however, there are instances of some personal issues they need to address that often impact their businesses.

2018 has been a particularly rough year, it seems that bad news was just coming in from all directions. Averting foreclosures, turning around financial situations, dealing with all the challenges in business within an environment of uncertainty were all old hat to me or so I thought. The bigger the problem people had the more I enjoyed the challenge of successfully solving it for them.

This year, sure it may have been going on before, but I hadn't noticed it with this intensity. Lots of people I know died, and quite unexpectedly and at a rapid rate. It was at such a rate that I couldn't even attend all the funerals. Many were younger than I am.

'“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”' Ecclesiastes 1:2

I managed to recognize it earlier last evening when depression was trying to grasp me. Having heard others describe it, I never once experienced it before. Along the way, I wondered how many others have to grapple with this thing called depression, especially when everywhere they turn there is bad news. Reader, we have tried to compartmentalize our lives using human standards of understanding, and we are wrong. Life is intricately intertwined.

Of late, there are many who want to put God in a box, only calling on him when there is a tragedy. I have read comments by those who know better, it would appear, who post seemingly careless thoughts about what they think about God.

Well, thank God for my relationship with him, since you can really get some really negative thoughts coming at you that if left unchecked can result in a loss. It is important to have a default position. Mine is with Christ. The opening statement of this article sums it up to an extent.

How many others have to grapple with this with changes and challenges to their equilibrium with regards to work, family, lifestyle, country, and other aspects of living to which they have grown accustomed. Yes, the only thing constant in life is change, but are we prepared for these changes?

We can't rely on the government for assistance, but the government has to rely on us as we are facing a most dire rebuilding process given the magnitude of the situations we face. There are many who don't have a mechanism for coping. We have to be our brother's keeper. It is necessary for others to experience the joy of their salvation. A fresh perspective is needed.

Money...it's not always the problem

Often, when I engage with entrepreneurs they invariably think that inadequate funding is the source of their problem. On the surface, it may appear true; but when we take a real look examining the various aspects of the business, we find that there are some aspects of the business that if money was engaged the business would be far worse than it is without the funding.

The most cliched statement, "money follows management" is not just a cute sound bite. It's actually true. With good management, a business operation can address the issues that can cause it to flounder.

Surefire ways showing how the finances will be utilized are presented, often along with the marketing paint brush that includes the following:

• We are operating in a $x million/billion industry. Just 1%.....
• The SWOT does not allow for addressing real situations that were previously thought would never happen (Do we really need to say what kind of streets the business can end up on?)
• Big titles/bunches of keys, and no real resources to back up the rhetoric
• Inexperienced individuals who don't have the support of a more experienced team (see the previous point, since it is easy to deconstruct that there is no difference between the owner and the management. If incorporated, you'd find you can prepare job letters for employees to get loans, but you cannot get any for yourselves. 
• NO DISCIPLINE, sometimes you get funding for entities who then misappropriate the funds like it was a huge payday and not something to be used as the plan prescribes. They party spending the money more on entertainment than business. 
• No governance, who is going to ensure compliance with the plan within the entity? 
• We are going to use Social Media in our marketing. When probed, there's no real plan. It does not work by throwing enough mud against the wall hoping for some to stick. 
• Many are unable to answer operational questions of all types. 

I think you're getting the picture. Business is a team activity. Lone Rangers would be seen as owning a job and not having a business, they must work to generate income. Again no systems are in place. 

Many are operating in a red ocean of activity, often competing on price rather than looking at their unique positions to identify what their real model of operation is going to be. 

Take a serious look at your business, get help as needed to assist you in realizing the true potential of your entity. Should you require assistance, visit us at www.bladesandbladesconsultancy.com and we'll at the very least point you in the right direction if we are unable to help you ourselves. 

Have a wonderful remainder of the week. 

Barbados' 5 considerations in a dynamic business environment

Barbados is in an environment that it never really experienced before. Yes, we have had tough times, but there are some new elements which have become newsworthy which are entirely new to us, and the scale at which they took place the majority of Barbadians have never witnessed before.

The island, like many other jurisdictions, has placed a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship. For many, the learning curve will be quite steep, since they would have gotten into business based on a skillset. As we have learned over time, having a particular skill set does not equip you for running a business.

Against this background, the rules for being involved in businesses are changing most rapidly with factors that are outside the range of control for those who are in business. What does this mean?

1. Businesses have to consider more than ever how they can become export ready. 
2. They have to establish and maintain statutory compliance. 
3. All businesses must be aware of their environment at micro and macro levels, noting how the actions of people in key roles can impact them in ways they have no control over.
4. Sources and usage of funds/funding since everything and everyone will be under scrutiny. Know your customers well!
5. Develop and implement strategies for navigating this environment from marketing, finance and investment, operations, and legal standpoints. 

There is a need to demonstrate a higher level of maturity when operating in business. Those in business advisory roles must step up to the plate upgrading their knowledge, skills, and abilities that would enable their entities to cope. 

Ineffective Telecom Usage

Mobile phones have become mainstream in most societies. Virtually everyone has access to one for their usage on a daily basis.

Recently, I was driving through Wildey and saw a business promoting their power tools, and I got to thinking that there were mobile phone units that cost more than these tools. Neither the power tools nor the mobile units were cheap.

Then my mind took me to the thought of how they were used. The power tools were used for the specific purpose for which they were intended. The mobile phone has the main characteristic of communication, however, I don't think we do it very well.

Many of us seem to have the daily ritual of sending good morning messages, jokes, and bad news/warnings. Often the recipient gets the same message at least 4 times; a conversation with the sender may reveal how hard things are for them, yet they never sent a tip out as to how they may have been able to help someone in need. The thing is many are in business.

Since most phones are priced higher than some desktop/laptop computers, how can we make them a productivity tool that aids us in advancing through this life we live? When we think about it, we can be:

• mobile
• productive
• informed
• administrative
• researched 
• and so many more things, all from the palm of our hands. 

Why are we not living better as a result? It may be due to not having goals as it relates to our usage of the mobile phones.
E.g.s

• Do you have standards where those with whom you interact know when they can expect feedback from you when the contact you via one of your many communication methods available on your mobile phone? 
• Are you one of those people who feel immediately pressured when the phones rings or dings that you have to mindlessly jump to respond to those on the other end, even when you have your day scheduled? 
• Do you even have a schedule for when you interact with others via your mobile? 
• Do those with whom you interact know your preferred media for when they wish to communicate with you on a business-related matter? 
• Do you feel compelled to have more than one mobile to handle your business related/personal calls? 
• Do you feel overwhelmed and underproductive? 

You are not alone since many people face this dilemma daily across the globe. The thing is, what are you going to do about it to regain control over your life? Make the plans and then adhere to them. This is key for gaining control over your most important asset - TIME. This also helps you have better controls over your expenses in terms of costs/earnings. 

The Best Advice Ever....a true story

I've been consulting & training for many years and daily I come up against some situations that are "new" not only to me but to many others. I love what I do since boredom is seldom my reality and for my clients, the solutions seem endless since we've had some seemly impossible situations that we've had to deal without any of them being something from which I could draw from a template.

There have been times, more often than I care to remember, when I have had challenges within my own work environment that I literally did not know how I was going to survive each one. Depending on who you ask, seeking help was a sign of weakness / strength. The thing is, those who offered help most willingly were those who were off island and knew nothing about me - The offices of Zig Ziglar, Les Brown and others were really great with their assistance.

My clients enjoy a high percentage of success when working with us. They have:

• received significant "impossible" funding through preparations of documents 
• turned around their entities from a losing position to start earning revenues and profits within short time frames
• streamlined their operations after completing audits 
• seen results of training programs in as little as 24 hours / shortly afterwards 
• made significant strategic contacts, programs, and moves that encouraged them to have sustainable entities

There are more benefits that I would not elaborate on here, but here's the thing. 

In many instances, I did not know where to begin. Sure we have the formal education, the degrees, the courses, but even when internships are involved it does precious little to prepare you for the actual situation. 

No one that I knew of, and my network's huge, had experiences in many of the challenges my clients had so that I could even subcontract their services. (Subcontracting's not a problem for me, since I believe that it's better to make 1% of a million dollars, than 100% of $1,000). So I did what I have always done, which has worked 100% of the time. I put the entire set of situations before God. 

Yes, I have been working bonafide in consulting and training since 1995, but God has way more experience than I will ever have. The results were / are always phenomenal! Often happening at speeds that I did not fathom before. It has gotten to the stage now that because of this expectancy from having walked the path before with God, I can now offer solutions quicker than most. It is like being able to think multidimensional, seeing action and outcome almost at once. Daily I give God thanks for this gift and the help that others receive through it. It is humbling to see situations that were really challenging being solved.

Am I living on purpose? I really feel so. 

If you ever get to use our services and think to yourselves - This is The Best Advice Ever - then give God thanks for granting me the necessary insight and oftentimes experiences.

About me

Richard Blades is a Business Consultant & Trainer with Blades & Blades Consultancy Services.  As a Senior Founding Partner, he remains committed to high standards and being well researched. He loves to have a fun time while working since work occupies a great percentage of your life. Known in most circles as Richie B. he has a wealth of experience in consulting and training which he candidly shares. Find our more about our services and if you require them fill out our surveys for business advisory services and training.