Nikki’s Tip of the Week – week-ending 28th April 2018 & some Opportunities
What a memorable week I’ve had. Firstly I had my 3 month post op appointment with my doctor and he is super pleased at my progress. So that’s a good one.
Then I’ve had some meaningful discussions with several bodies about work, that’s another good one and then . . . well the wheels kind of came off a bit . . . just a bit you understand.
It’s about people and soap boxes - two of my least favorite things in the world, especially when you’re networking.
When there’s seriously limited time and it just about covers a 30 second ‘elevator pitch’, but the person second from the front gets on their soap box and goes on and on and on until the buzzer goes for the end of the session and you can’t even remember what the first person who introduced themselves said.
For me, it’s not only very annoying, but it also extremely disrespectful to everyone else at the table and the reality now is that I am reluctant to introduce the person to anyone.
Just don’t do it . . . be mindful of the time constraints and remember that you are not the only person there to tell your story, everyone has a story and they are also entitled to tell theirs too.
Anyway . . .
After the Weekly Blog Tip, there is also some exciting news/information/opportunities from the following people:
- Colleen Larsen’s Gender Mainstreaming Awards and a Newbie award.
- Peter Carruthers is facilitating his “Cash Proof Your Business” again
Here’s the deal . . .
Please feel free to engage with me, or not. Please feel free to send me your own snippets of information, early warnings, appropriate funnies and what have you, to share with other like-minded individuals, entrepreneurs and start-ups.
I hope and trust that you will enjoy the journey with me.
This weeks’ Blog:
The Art of Conversation
By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd.
At so many Networking meetings that I have attended, there is always the person who hogs the conversation and who drones on and on about how fabulous they are and how wonderful they are. You know the type I am sure. It’s the person who, no matter what you’ve done or you’ve accomplished or where you’ve gone and what you’ve seen, they have done it all and what’s more – they have done it better and faster and. . . . ja – we are all well versed with this type of individual.
It’s one of the quickest ways to empty a room though and to be quite honest, I no longer even entertain these individuals, I have been known to just walk away mid-sentence!
Sure it’s great to keep the conversation flowing, sure it’s great to help the newbies who are too scared to open their mouths and sure it’s great to assist the introverts who would prefer not to say anything at all.
Fact is though that if everybody is not taking part in the discussion, all you are doing is standing on your soap box as you deliver your soliloquy. How sad is that?
Fact is, everybody is there for the same reason, everybody wants to engage with like-minded people, everybody there wants to start building relationships and everybody wants to tell people about what they do and who they are.
Breaking the ice to get the conversation going is really great, but talking for the sake of talking will be the death of any kind of relationship that you hoped to get going.
So find the common ground - interesting, light hearted things to get going and everyone included in the conversation – you’ll be so glad you did.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or [email protected] or https://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
What’s Happening in the Life of Colleen Larsen & Business Engage
Herewith notice of two additional categories for the 6th Gender Mainstreaming Awards.
INCLUSIVE LEADER AWARD
Nominate an individual for the Inclusive Leader Award.
Nominated by a subordinate, or group of subordinates, this person (male or female) demonstrates business leadership qualities that are aligned to the ethos of gender mainstreaming.
They have ingrained into their leadership style a recognition of the provable benefits to their business that diversity brings, with special emphasis on gender.
The nomination is made by a person or group of people who know the nominee very well, primarily in a business role, and the nominee accepts the nomination in writing.
Visit https://www.genderawards.co.za/…/…/134-inclusive-leader-award for the criteria for nomination.
POSITIVE ROLE MODEL AWARD
Nominate an individual for the Positive Role Model Award.
The nominee will be a female role model who is acknowledged as a person who is changing the face of gender mainstreaming in her own way; by her actions, deeds, utterances and general mannerisms.
The nominee is nominated by a person or group of people who know her very well, primarily in a business role, and the nominee accepts the nomination in writing.
Visit https://www.genderawards.co.za/…/135-positive-role-model-awa… for the criteria for nomination
Kind regards
Col
084-353-9865
www.womencorporatedirectors.com
What’s Happening in the Life of Peter Carruthers
When I first began teaching business owners how to CrashProof a business the only way to was to gather a group of people in a room.
This presented challenges. The word crashproof implies impending doom, doesn't it? I lost count of the calls I got asking if such and such a person would be there.
My first response was to ask why this might be important. It turned out they were scared their biggest creditor might see them learning to protect themselves. (Most of us confuse protecting ourselves with screwing our creditors.) They're very different.
Anyone in business has the constitutional right to protect themselves from business adversity. That's why the law allows us to set up companies.
Banks and creditors wage a lifelong battle to pierce our protection. They do this each time we borrow money. Signing a personal surety - just one - wipes out all the protection your Pty or CC offers.
If you trade as a sole proprietor or partner you don't have any personal protection from business debts anyway. You, your home, and your life savings are in play when things go wrong.
Donald Trump became President of the United States by protecting himself en route. He never traded as a sole prop or partner. (Although I will not claim to be able to help you reach the Presidency.)
But I sure as well will help you cover your bottom when things go wrong. (The best time to start preparing is today. Before things go awry.)
Below are questions this course covers. And answers. Action steps you can start taking right now.
But only 30,000 people know this. (I know because I trained them.) That leaves another 600,000 exposed :-)
Please share this email with a business owner you know. Whether they're facing imminent business demise or otherwise.
If I knew this stuff three months before my business closed I wouldn't have had reason to devote the rest of my life to teaching you how to survive. As it is, I think it's a worthwhile task. Since nobody else wants to take it, I'm up to it.
And, frankly, I'd love to kick the bottom of a few banks.
You get this R1497 course for the intro price of R497 if you act before midnight April 30, 2018. You save R1000. (It's "intro" because this is the first time I have presented this course in this online format.)
The CrashProof your Business Online Course
The links below do not open the individual lectures. They're open only to students.
1. Introduction, Plan for the Best AND How to Prepare for the Worst
We look at what can go wrong, and how it goes down, and how often it happens.
We look at the banks' most popular products for business and why they're the most dangerous for us.
3. Why Accountants are Dangerous
We look at how accountants' advice hurts you personally even if it is good for your firm.
We look at why lawyers don't offer complete answers to our questions. And how to fix this.
5. Why Your Business Structure is Crucial
We look at how your choice of business structure can save your home. Or lose it. Your business structure should protect you like a shield protects a warrior.
6. Why Sureties are Fatal: Introduction
We start to study the most dangerous contract you will ever sign. Just sign one surety contract and you nuke all the legal protection your business structure offers.
7. Why Sureties are Fatal: The Devil Lurks in the Detail
We analyse the key clauses in a suretyship contract. What they mean, and how they play out when things go wrong.
8. Why Sureties are Fatal: The Toxic Fallout
We look at what happens when a firm closes and how sureties will cost you ten years of pain and all your assets.
9. Sureties are Fatal: How to Not Sign Them
We look at how to change our financing approach to keep business risks locked inside the business. This ensures closure won't result in complete personal financial failure.
10. How to Replace Your Business Overdraft Without Signing Sureties
Overdraft is the most common way banks finance small business. And the most dangerous. We look at how to replace it with the same funding but without the risks and costs.
11. Avoiding Sureties: Restructure Business Assets
We look at financing assets without the risks of sureties.
12. How to Get Get Old Sureties Back
When you've adjusted your approach to financing your firm it's time to cancel old sureties. This needs perseverance. Banks hate to give them back. This should tell us how important they are to the bank. And why we should cancel each one.
13. How to Clear your Slate and Start Clean Again
We look at how to rewind the clock and negate out all previous suretyship contracts. (Yep, there is a quick way out, but...)
14. How to Protect your Life Assets from Any Exposure We look at a structure to protect your assets from any life adversity, especially business closure.
15. How to Protect your Life Assurance When your Business Struggles We look at why life assurance does not often survive business closure. And how to correct that.
16. How to Restructure Your Banking Relationships So You're Never at Risk
How to spread your banking across multiple banks and products to slash chances of your banker behaving badly.
17. Next Steps - Your CrashProof Action Plan...
We work on an action plan you can start now. Exactly what needs doing depends on your history. But each small step makes a huge difference when things turn sour.