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.

The Frustrated Business Man...

"Day in and out, I'm trying to make ends meet. It is worse than two big belly people trying to be intimate." The comment shocked me especially the last part of it which painted a very graphic picture in one's mind. I asked what happened to cause such a tirade of emotion. It was just at this point I remembered, "be careful what you ask for..."

"Do you know all that stuff that they taught us in business school? Well I'm about to give it an exit program!" It was after all this that the venting truly took place. I hope that I caught the gist of it since as I listened, I couldn't help wondering; how many others are affected by these circumstances.

Let's narrow the problems down as they were described.

• Clients / Customers 
• Suppliers / Vendors 
• Financial Institutions 
• Government 

That seems to be just about everyone, I quipped when he ran the list out. "Yes it is, and they all make it difficult to do business!" "Creating employment opportunities is hard and thankless.",,,,and they making it hard as...ahhh mmmm.....ever! 

I asked for him to tell me more so that I can better understand. Here are the responses:

1. Nowadays, clients / customers are asset rich and cash poor. They want to get discounts and pay late / never. When you call them to find out about when they'll pay, they act all offended and everything. Thing is they don't do it to the bigger businesses. Oh no, they just hide and let the phones ring. 
2. Suppliers / vendors, make promises that they'll deliver at certain times; then no show after you gave the assurance to the third party that you'll be there to deliver. Thing is, many of these suppliers / vendors want to collaborate with you cause things are slow. When they get action, they disappear faster than quail meals in the desert with Moses. 
3. The financial institutions are always working you over. Lots of adverts telling you to come on in for financial solutions and services, then they make you wait so long that the plan becomes extinct and you're ready for pension already. 
4. Don't get me started on Government! Not an incentive to get into business. They're lots of rules though, and it seems like our business too small to get a 1 - 35 year exemptions. We're not fit enough as entrepreneurs to carry / wear the sandals of some of the overseas competition. We get taxed to oblivion for everything. There's something about attorneys becoming Ministers of Government with portfolios for big dollars when they ran to study law and politics to get away from the numbers in mathematics, accounting, and economics  in the first instance. 

Don't get too discouraged. I'm sure that you'll get some things in place to get more business. With a further chat, he agreed that though it is possible, is certainly isn't easy. Attitudinal checks are necessary and should be frequent, if not instead of getting better one can get bitter. 

The outcome of our chat, in a nutshell, is as follows. Life will happen. Frustrations will be ever present. However be careful what you feed your mind. Keep a positive mind set and always put God first. Remember He has more experience in all aspects of our lives than we do. Though the faces and scenarios change, the stories remain the same. Draw on His experience and guidance. Surround yourselves with like minded progressive people, and you too will be a success. 

This article though fictional, may bear some resemblances to actual situations in your lives. Remember the stories are the same. You can take what's workable for you from this article. Share it with others and experience the great results. That way you won't become - The Frustrated Business Man. 

Richie B. lives in the Caribbean. Hailing from Barbados. He's been advising businesses and those who seek to advance their careers for a while now. More frequent updates are on Twitter just follow @richieb93. Give some feedback and if you like an article we'd love to hear from you. Have an awesome week and make it yours. 

Did you know? Our key asset is regional thinking.

For all the talk about hard and tough economic times, I still don't think we've learnt to think things through. Never mind our population has a high percentage of literacy, what are we doing to capture it? If I look at the answer, absolutely nothing.

I remember the days when we were students, our lecturers gave us projects which when we did the research and provided answers, we would never really see our projects again. It was those days when the lecturers were smart. We would get a grade and they would get paid, since the projects we received were real world.

Universities now have loads of computers and smart devices that can easily access the internet via the various hotspots on the campuses. Why aren't our economic challenges given as projects and the grades given are for solutions to real world problems. It would be a perfect match since students rather than just bragging of the level at which they got their various certifications can also speak about projects they actually did and their outcomes. Employers would then be happy to know they are hiring the best minds.

Emphasis would change from whether a candidate has the experience or not, to what their participation was in various solutions to challenges that society faces. Here are some examples of results from such exercises.

• The Caribbean enjoys the highest arrival of tourists due to their innovative programs for wooing customers to its shores. Our research shows we know what they want and how we can deliver it to them customized to their needs.
• The Barbadian [place your country here] were able to avert massive layoffs due to workplace innovations that the students researched and institutes
• The labour force expands not via the provision of jobs, but through the creation of needed businesses our future has evolved into a new era. 
• Local business examined and implemented cross border entry strategies that facilitated expansion of various categories of start up enterprises just over eighteen (18) months old. 
• Richard Branson recognizes the Caribbean as the worlds leading source of entrepreneurial enterprises. 
• Caribbean small businesses use OM to tighten their costs and revenue structures. 
• Customer service is not lip service in the Caribbean, they have taken practical steps to hone their skills as the worlds leaders in customer service excellence. 
• The Caribbean has solved airlift challenges; reducing inter islands travel costs and enhanced profitability for the carriers

Are you beginning to get the idea? Case studies can be real. Instead of a grade, be paid with tangible workable recognition that enhances your post student opportunities.