“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” (Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple) It is easy in business culture to start believing that more is more. Entrepreneurs…
“The really expert riders of horses let the horse know immediately who is in control, but then guide the horse with loose reins and seldom use the spurs.” (Sandra Day O’Connor, former Supreme Court Justice) For years you have been working in the industry of your choice and now you have decided to start your…
“What gets measured, gets managed.” (Peter Drucker) Financial reports, such as a balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, debtors reports and actual spend vs budget reports, provide an understanding of where your business stands financially at a certain point in time. They detail the business’s financial performance over a period and also raise red…
“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore.” (Andre Gide) All of the largest businesses in the world started small. Apple, Google, and Amazon were all famously founded in garages. Now these giant multi-billion-dollar companies occupy multiple office blocks that dwarf football stadiums. This happened…
“If you deprive yourself of outsourcing and your competitors do not, you’re putting yourself out of business.” (Lee Kuan Yew, Former Prime Minister of Singapore) Launching a business requires the small business owner to wear many hats. From marketing, to accounting and HR the small business owner needs to learn any number of skills to…
“All company bosses want a policy on corporate social responsibility. The positive effect is hard to quantify, but the negative consequences of a disaster are enormous” (English economist and academic, Noreena Hertz) Stimulating the SME sector is considered as one of the quicker ways to rejuvenating the economy. According to a 2020 survey by McKinsey…
“Now is not the time to increase taxes and put the recovery at risk! Accordingly, we have decided to keep money in the pockets of South Africans.” (Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana) The 2022 Budget Speech brought some good news and welcome tax relief to personal and business taxpayers, This is possible thanks to tax revenue…
“Any remedy is going to depend on having financial statements that are reliable” (Tom Foley) On the last day of February each year, many companies face their end of financial year or “EOFY”. Whether it’s referred to as the EOFY, Close of the Financial Period, Financial Year End or FYE, or simply ‘Year End’, this…
“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” (Albert Einstein) To many people the idea of working from home can seem like a dream. Just avoiding the daily commute makes it worthwhile for many, but add in the benefits that arise from being present for your family, and…
“At the heart of the strategy is a strong belief…that systemic problems require systemic solutions” (MIT Sloan associate deans, Fiona Muray and Ray Reagans) Businesses usually spend the last quarter of the year reflecting on how they have done and using the lessons learned in planning for the year ahead, while also keeping a keen eye on government’s financial…