Many people have written about how to work remotely.
In fact, remote work is so commonplace these days that I would bet everyone knows someone that does it from time to time.
It is no longer the scary frontier it used to be. Employees and employers alike have embraced the efficiencies it brings, from cost to time savings. No desks, no commutes, less sick days, etc.
Managing a business remotely however is something different entirely. …
Everywhere one looks there is signs of change. Construction is happening near the Garden Route Mall, Chinese shops are popping up everywhere, “coming soon” bus stop signs are scattered all over the landscape, and the papers are full of stories of new investors entering the region.
I see many comments in the papers and on social media channels of people objecting to proposed developments, citing concerns that the ‘garden’ must not be lost from the garden route.
We often hear people say we must buy local, or support local business. Is this just a tactic these people use to get us to buy from them instead of their competition?
Sometimes yes, but let’s look at the underlying benefits.
Buying local really means supporting a local small business, and most often, a family-run business. Supporting these businesses means that the profits stays here, and gets spent here as well.
Non-local business are typically big chains with a branch in the area but their head office in a big city somewhere. Their profits are typically sent back to head office, where it is used or pocketed by the shareholders.
In our area new small businesses are one of the biggest single threats to survival of other small businesses. We are our own worst enemy.
I have seen the same thing repeat itself over and over again. It works as follows: Someone uses his hard earned talent and experience to set up a small business offering a highly skilled service. Once the idea has proved itself as a successful venture others sit up and take note. Then the copycats pop up and the industry is ruined for those that offer real craftsmanship.
Big business is coming to town. I am referring to the shiny new Builders Warehouse that have opened up next to the Garden Route Mall, as well as all the other big box retailers scheduled to join it in the coming year or two. It opened with much fanfare and publicity, but like a tsunami, it will leave a trail of destruction in its wake.
George is open for business. Open as long as it is not a public holiday, the day between the public holiday and the weekend, an actual weekend, too early, too late, or any other time the business owner feels inconveniences him or her.
One place where service to customers still has a significant way to go is our local municipality. Their attitude of entitlement and power does not help to breed trust or engender goodwill. We are all quick to tell horror stories of long queues and useless officials. Unfortunately they are not alone; our town is full of local businesses that operate in the same way, some even complaining just as loudly about the poor service they get from the municipality.
Small town thinking is like a glass ceiling. It can trap you and stop you from getting those big deals just out of your reach. Getting out of that small town mentality is easier than it sounds.
All it takes is a little bit of faith, and no, I am not talking of the religious kind. I am talking about faith in your fellow business owner.
You would think that living in a small town business owners would be keen to work together, but this is definitely not the case. I have seen countless examples of deals passing us by because a joint venture could not get off the ground or one party pulled out at the last minute.
This fear of commitment is typical of small town thinking. In the big cities companies do joint ventures at the drop of a hat, and generally it is as successful as any other business deal.
Small & large businesses in George suffer equally when it comes to requests for sponsorship. Countless times a year someone knocks on my door looking for a sponsorship for a local football team, a school sports tour or the like.
Note that sponsorship and donations are two entirely different things. Sponsorship is marketing and a business expense. Donations is a decision often made without logic being involved, and is only a business expense as far as the SARS rebate goes, when applicable.
Now how does one know whether a proposed sponsorship will be worthwhile from a marketing perspective? Let’s take an example.
It is my pleasure to present this report to the membership of the George Business Chamber. The Chamber has enjoyed a very positive term resulting in increased visibility an enhanced community profile and services provided for the members. The organisation has successfully developed its internal capability, providing a strong foundation for continued growth so much so that the secretarial role within the Chamber has been expanded and become a full day function.
The Chamber welcomed 8 new members for 2013 during November of 2012 and 10 new members during February of this year.The growth of the Chamber continues to strengthen the Chamber’s voice in providing advocacy for the business community.
From the George Herald, 19 Dec 2012
GEORGE NEWS – A plan to kick start the economy of the region on a sustainable basis, using smart city technology has been taking shape over the past few months.
Citizen connectivity, environmentally friendly transport, sustainable natural resource management and a knowledge economy is all part of the master plan.
The brains behind the concept – George Business Chamber President, Imel Rautenbach and technology strategists Rudie Shepherd & Nathan Jeffrey – will in mid-January be tabling their roadmap plan for Outeniqua Smart City Corridor (OSCC) at a joint session with the four mayors of the Garden Route, and the Western Cape Finance and Tourism Minister Alan Winde.
Central to the concept is the idea that when the towns in the Outeniqua Corridor from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay join forces to tackle common regional issues, the opportunity arises to gain the benefits of Smart City designs and technology – otherwise reserved for the mega cities of the world. “We should not wait until we develop the problems of urban sprawl, pollution, traffic congestion and technological apartheid. Now is the time to design the future place we will all love to live in,” said Shepherd.
“We already have had significant buy-in for our plan, and believe this collective thinking power can be put to use, for it is our intention that this master plan for making us internationally competitive must be refined and be implemented – as soon as possible,” said Rautenbach.