Wasting time with available media

Living in an era where information is at an all-time high is wonderful. No longer do you have to wait until one can purchase the print version of a magazine/newspaper. Even the radio can seem a little slow in getting the information out to you. While there are lots of channels on the television nowadays, they still miss the mark in getting you the content you really want.

We live in a society where media access is virtually in the palm of our hands. We can communicate just about anything from where we are to virtually anywhere in the world within moments.

It happened suddenly, where this access to this widespread array of communication media became available to John Citizen - the man in the street, and without a plan; he's abusing rather than using it to any real benefit. The result is information clutter, where messages containing the same content arrives on your device from multiple sources, and depending on your device it is soon gasping with dying messages that there isn't enough memory to perform basic functions. This is often despite the installation of extra memory which often seems inaccessible.

Whatsapp has made everyone a comedian, news reporter, and preacher; often without credentials. Many people don't validate the information prior to sending it out. Sure there are others, but they are passive, in that information is not targeted to the individual, but is usually posted to one's personal site where others who so desire may visit and read at their discretion.

In days of old, fake news - as it is now deemed, had a purpose. The propaganda issued was to enable entire governments to gain supremacy over others. It was orchestrated and well coordinated. The channels through which the communication would flow seemed to be well designed so that everyone would move on cue.

Nowadays, we waste the opportunities to communicate with any purpose or effectiveness. The messages we send can aptly be described as junk.

When we spend money on the devices, are we so numb to the relevance of expenses that we are disinterested with reclaiming some of the money we have spent? For many of us, our lifestyles have changed since we have our own businesses, run charities, and involved in the organization at levels that our forefathers strove for and we now take for granted.

Before sending out random communication, decide on a theme, a purpose, even a mission. Identify who would rather visit you to get it and who you can send it to that really wants it. There should be a choice to opt in/out by the individual. If they follow you, then they have opted to be in. Decide if the information you're posting is taking you closer to your overall goals, aims, and objectives without annoying others. Remember, DO NOT SPAM!

Hope this helps you in streamlining your online communication. Time is too valuable to waste. You have a powerful medium in your hand, use it wisely.

Good manners with support systems

It seems that many people do not know their own name. Don't believe me? Just call anywhere and experience how many people on the other end loathe saying their name when identifying themselves and the organization they represent.

When working somewhere you represent a brand of the business; however, there's a personal brand as well. Some older business people who never went anywhere to study business had something about their personality that enabled them to interact with people. So skilled were they with people, that when anyone was referred to the organization they would also be asked to see that people who offered exceptional service.

Nowadays, service has gone the way of education and entitlements which have become so entrenched that the provider has lost sight of who is the customer and what they represent to the business that they should be representing; albeit in a woeful manner.

We seem to have put so much emphasis on catering to customer complaints that customer service has become a department for fielding the various complaints of customers rather than an area that permeates the entire establishment that plans and implements practices that enhance the customer experience. With more education and certification in the area, we have become more reactive rather than proactive; dwelling on problems rather than focusing on solutions.

Businesses, big and small, have lost their sense of good manners. We have developed a society where looking pretty/cool takes precedence over being sincerely helpful. Many of those who offer help seem to have an ulterior motive; they want to be paid for everything. No one seems to care about developing a sound reputation for integrity and honor.

Can we make a difference? Yes, we can! Constantly being mannerly can do you a world of good, and it can improve our environment significantly. Stop being just an expense and begin being an asset in your environment, and develop a reputation for great manners.

Thoughts on Caribbean Businesses

Whenever things in the economy get tight one of the first things politicians in developing countries do is turn their direction towards entrepreneurship. In many cases, it's hard to tell if this is genuine and the interests are for real.

Job gimmickry often comes to mind for a number of reasons. The key one being that this is a way of justifying job creation through lip service. My thinking goes this way for some of the various reasons I'll now highlight below.

• The processes entrepreneurs face is becoming increasingly bureaucratic since the government wants tax clearance certificates issued at every turn. The attempts at collecting taxes are becoming a nickel and dime process without a holistic approach that can make the entire process more simple. 
• Too many companies in Barbados and perhaps the Caribbean are not structured for growth. The general approach is to incorporate without the incorporation documents supporting the raising of capital via shares instead of debt financing. Consequently, too many businesses are limited by the opinions of the lending officers within banking institutions who may have never run a business and have no appreciation for what is required in the running of one. Most banks then represent their interests with a cookie cutter approach rather than truly examining the business on its own merit. 
• The accountants along with business advisory services and attorneys need to interact more in the advice that they provide companies so that their advice is more inclusive to the strategy that the business wishes to employ that would best serve its sustainability and survival. 
• The leaders of the business are ignorant of areas outside of their immediate scope of work since they do not read enough developmentally. Sure they know the technical information yet that often is not enough to grow to the levels of success that such an educated grouping of leaders should be meeting and exceeding. Hence the performance of Caribbean businesses remains constant for the most part with very little mobility in either direction. Once they are profitable, the incentive to stretch further seems to be non-existent as leaders setting into contentment with their levels of performance. They function completely oblivious to the competition from other world markets. 

This is by no means finished but serves the basis of getting the reader to think that perhaps more needs to be done. We need to get on purpose with business development, not only within our existing markets but seeking to expand into other markets and create opportunities future development. 

We need to develop our own unique model for conducting business and take it global thereby helping them to understand what it means to be doing business within our standards. Perhaps we should redefine what it means to be doing business@islandtime, and help them understand that we do business as a people the world over. 

Observation and Opportunity

Pictures are deliberately left out of this post so that you'd want to visit and experience it for yourselves! 

With the recent global events, media around the world has been providing us with stories where we were presented with the growing problems, the impact and challenges which many are facing. Just last week, I happened to be on one of my media channels where one of my friends, posted what he entitled, "a rough day at the office".

The pictures were wonderful! Even though I too live within the Caribbean, I had never seen photos like that; and I see quite a few. Picturesque and peaceful; I was immediately filled with a sense of calm.

So wonderful were the pictures that they generated lots of topics for me from a holistic standpoint which included business. I paused for a moment to think of experiences I've had in the Caribbean. How my thinking changed when I visited each of the places I've visited. As an aside, I pale in comparison to some of my dear friends who take me on excursions around the world with their camera lenses. I see other places up close without the help of National Geographics, and some of my friends become quite immersed in the places they visit, which make the pictures so much more appealing.

Then it hit me.

Most people in the world in experiencing stress, uncertainty, made to feel unappreciated despite their contributions to their "homes". There is major displacement. Tensions are high. Hatred is real. 

Though many would think as I once did that the Caribbean is similar, like I once did, they would be pleasantly surprised to experience the diversity of the Caribbean. They could visit for the next 10 years, just to pull a figure, and not have the same experience as they visit all the various islands within the region. From luxury to rustic, with foods that reflect global cultures with a Caribbean spin; this region has it all.

You can visit all the islands in the chain of the Caribbean islands, and then if you look from the sky, you'll see there's a pendant which was once a transshipment point historically and in some circumstances still functions as such today.

Whether you as I would say, "fly over, drive through, sail around or dive under", the Caribbean makes great memories.

The people are wonderful in their own way as well. Expressing love, affection, gratitude and hospitality in the ways they know best.

As a region, it's time to use the services of those trained and educated in the micro and macro levels of tourism, business development, events, and hospitality to create a travel plan for the visitors to the Caribbean. Not the stuffy programs that are known from the various tourism authorities, but the creation of a type of organic tourism which transcends politics, nationalities, ethnicity, and in some cases even tradition.

With the use of the social media, we can enlighten those who are feeling negative feelings of any sort to come and relax in our beautiful environs and just relax, learn, and enjoy that life is not all bad filled with high pressure; but it is wonderful and fulfilling.

When we think that what others have as screen savers of paradise is where we live. Can we not endeavor to share this with the world. They will thank us for doing so, I'm sure.

Communication Abbreviations and Productivity

Nowadays, all kinds of abbreviations are used in personal life and in business. It is as if communication is reduced to the stage where the writer in an attempt to be brief, not realize that they're doing themselves a disservice.

Saw this one recently in an article, and the more I thought about it, the more it troubled me. I'll show it below:

• TL;NR - Too Long, Not Read

The scenario then unfolded in my head about when communications came out prior to a meeting and when the participants arrived at the meeting, their behaviour indicated they were seeing it for the first time. In essence, they're unprepared.

There's nothing that rouses my ire, like another needless meeting that wastes time. Not every communication can be short and snippy. One would imagine that the writer would ensure that they are not being deliberately long to prove a point.

Some abbreviations also are quite rude. I wouldn't mention them here, but there's really no need to be that impolite in a professional environment. Freedom of speech does not clear one of responsibility in what's being communicated.

The 5 negative areas of impact within your business

There are a couple of things that go towards making a business successful; one of them is a constant flow of customers. The thing is, many businesses don't go beyond lip service when it comes to serving customers.

Daily we hear expensive commercials making promises that seldom deliver, and this is evidenced by the number of factors:

1. The staff is poorly trained in handling the product(s) / service(s). 
2. They may not have adequate knowledge about what they are offering for sale
3. The systems have not been adjusted to meet the increased demand in business, hence bottlenecks/shortages result within the operation. 
4. Incidences where the company can renege on its word which can lead to damaged credibility. 
5. An interdepartmental disconnect within the organization can lead to frustrated customers 

By now you get the picture of the myriad of things that can go wrong when interacting with customers without properly planned systems. 

When planning promotions for your workplace it is necessary to pay attention to the support systems that have to facilitate that promotion and its smooth running. All stakeholders need to be involved so that adequate discussion addresses any challenges that can take place; especially from a logistical/financial standpoint. It is key to ensure that all systems support each other adequately; serving the ultimate role of treating your customer well.

Too many organizations leave their staff in a lurch, forcing them to resort to the i.n.o. (I ain't know) situations. that adversely affect the objectives the organization is hoping to realize.

There are resources that can assist you in improving your business. Though not all free they are necessary in order for your business to become sustainable. Though we may not do business together, I can certainly point you in the direction of some that may be available.

Richie B. has been involved in business development for well over 23 years. He believes in a team approach to aiding businesses and can assist you in making contact with the resources necessary for taking your business forward. 

The benefits of treating your customers well

There are a couple things that go towards making business successful; one of them is a constant flow of customers. The thing is, many businesses don't go beyond lip service when it comes to serving customers.

Daily we hear expensive commercials making promises that seldom deliver; and this is evidenced by the number of factors:

• Staff are poorly trained in handling the product(s) / service(s). 
• They may not have adequate knowledge about what they are offering for sale
• The systems have not been adjusted to meet the increased demand in business, hence bottlenecks / shortages result within the operation. 
• Incidences where the company can renege on its word which can lead to damaged credibility. 
• Interdepartmental disconnect can lead to frustrated customers 

By now you get the picture of the myriad of things that can go wrong when interacting with customers without properly planned systems. 

When planning promotions for your workplace it is necessary to pay attention to the support systems that have to facilitate that promotion and its smooth running. All stakeholders need to be involved so that adequate discussion addresses any challenges that can take place; especially from a logistical / financial standpoint. It is key to ensure that all systems support each other adequately; serving the ultimate role of treating your customer well.