Small Business Tips

Posted on July 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

small business 2If you’re planning to have your own business or be self-employed, or if you already own a small business, I highly recommend you learn all aspects of running a business.  You won’t be able to rely on your accountant, solicitor or staff for all the expertise you’ll need to run the business successfully.  You need to know all the basics of business including how to make money.   So keep reading and I’ll tell you how.

Be a Salesman.
Setting up a business is relatively easy however marketing it to potential customers is another story. Many business owners think their great ideas will be enough to keep the business profitable — but there’s more to it than that!   You need to be a good salesman too. You must know how to sell sell sell!!!

You need lots of planning including good advice on how to capture your market, create leads, convert them to buyers, and then make them want to come back and buy again. Collect as much contact information as you can (not just from people within your social circle or existing clients), but realise you’ll also need to learn how to talk to strangers and exchange contact details with them.

Build Your Client List.  You need to build your list because “no list equals no business”. If you’re not a born salesman, learn how to improve. Otherwise be prepared to hire a good salesman or get a marketing company to help you promote your products and services. I wish I’d known that when I set up my first business because I never had a proper marketing plan.

marketing successI thought it would be like having a dress shop where customers would simply be walking by, see the lovely garments in the shop window and pop in to buy my product. What I was thinking back then? For the first month I struggled to get a single customer to walk in to my gym. Thankfully my nephews helped me out by doing house to house flyer drops and my business soon picked up.

Your client list can be the equivalent of ‘going the extra mile’ if you know how to use it properly. You can use Word & Excel mail merges to create free, easy to send customised emails to customers on your client list. Regular promotions, reminders or follow ups to all your clients can result a ripple effect when they refer your products and services to others. Make sure your list or database is working for you and not just sitting idly in your computer.

Keep Costs Low.  My business was my new baby. I got excited and pampered the premises with brand spanking new office furniture and appliances – not good! Learn how to skimp on costs when setting up a business especially when you don’t yet have a cash flow.

Learn to source second hand office furniture from recycle shops or go on TradeMe or Ebay. Look for bargains and avoid unnecessary expenses. Start simple and basic, buy only what you need to get your business running. You can buy other stuff later once you’ve got steady cash flow week after week.

Don’t Discount – Add Value.  I thought I could attract and retain more customers if I gave them discounts – big mistake! New people only came when we had special promotions offering a range of discounts. We ended up attracting seasonal bargain hunters which was not good for the long term viability of the business. That’s where good sales skills are needed. I was good at talking to people but too soft at asking them to pay the full value for the great service we offered.

Test and Measure.  You need to track the results of all promotions so you can repeat the ones that work and dump any unsuccessful ones. For instance why keep advertising in the local newspapers if your email marketing is providing you with the bulk of new customer walk-ins. Look at the trends and respond accordingly.

Be an Entrepreneur.  Always keep thinking about new ideas to increase the number of your customers and increase your income. These days it can be quite easy – if you can’t think of anything yourself – simply Google it! You’ll be surprised what ideas you can get.

Learn it first or get a Coach.  There are so many things we don’t know when starting a business and it can really clutter your mind trying to figure it out for yourself. Before you set up your business, go on a business course.

You don’t need to do a 4-year university degree – there are block courses lasting from several weeks to several terms available in tech schools or you can look for something online. But if you’re not fussed about learning this yourself, get a coach or business mentor. Sometimes you can get these services free from a government funded group.

Beware of Shafters.  When you’re new to the small business industry you’ll be approached by lots of people offering to help your business. Always step back before you sign up for something. Do your research first, ask lots of questions, ask other businesses, ask for references and I’ll say it again – use Google to find out more about the company or service being offered to you!

Been there done that! Yes we have been shafted a few times and it hurts! You can’t always avoid them, they’re always lurking in the background, just waiting for an opportunity. And they will approach when you are vulnerable. So always step back and do your homework – Due Diligence Rules!

If you ask me whether I’d have a business again, my answer would be YES!
But this time I’d be much better prepared because I’ve learned from my mistakes, I know what I need to do and I’m smarter. I found this article called 10 Tips for a Strong Start by Brad Sugars, which is very useful for self-employed small business owners because it’s simple and easy to understand. It’s great advice!

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Finding a Job

Posted on August 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

Yes, I’ve mastered job hunting!  If you need a change of job, or if you’re new or going back to the workforce, you’ll find some useful tips here. Finding a job is not easy. You will have plenty of competition out there and you need to make sure your application stands out. Everything I share with you here is based on my own experience. Here are the basic tips that you need to know and follow when job hunting.

JobsJobs are everywhere. There are plenty of jobs out there. Most people tend to search for these jobs via advertisements in the newspapers or online. Most people don’t realise that many small businesses don’t advertise job vacancies through these outlets and instead rely on referrals from family, friends and existing employees.

When you are looking for a job it will be worthwhile going from door to door amongst your local businesses or asking people you know if someone may need your services. You’ll be surprised what you get when you ask. I got three jobs through referral and they were good jobs. However be realistic about what you’re capable of.

Simplify Your Name.  If you are applying for a job in countries such as New Zealand or Australia where people are not familiar with your home country’s alphabet or phonetics, keep your name simple. In some countries “J” sounds like “Y” or “C” sounds like “CH”. Only write the name you would like to be called. There’s nothing wrong if you put a shortened nickname instead of your long full name.

If you have a very complicated name such as some Asian or other European names, these can be difficult for people reading your job application. You can shorten or write a preferred name that is easier for others to pronounce (give your full name later when you’ve been offered the job). Some of my past employers have been reluctant to phone applicants whose names they can’t pronounce easily – and remember you’ll have plenty competition from people that have ‘normal’ English names. You may think this is discrimination but it’s not really. It’s just what happens.

Right Font to Use on your CV.  Avoid using complicated fonts that are difficult to read, or even italics. Those CVs generally go straight into the bin without even being looked at. You should use fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri or Verdana which are easy to read and look professional.

Using colour can look good when you create your CV on the computer, however you need to think about whether or not your application is likely to be printed in black and white by your prospective employer. With this in mind avoid using light colours and stick with dark colours that will print out clearly even in black and white. The size of font you choose matters too. Use a minimum font size of 10 – 11 throughout your document so it can be read easily.

Letter of Application.  I’ve always made a habit of asking people who’ve employed me why they considered my application, and the common reply has been that my covering letter stood out. Every cover letter is unique to the particular job application. Always put the company name and address on your heading if you know what it is and never use Sir/Madam if the name of the contact person is provided. Learn to sell yourself and summarise the key information they want to know about you onto one page. Employers won’t waste their time browsing your CV unless they like your letter. For a sample cover letter click here.

No Generic CV or Resume.  You can create a master CV listing all your work experiences and skills but only use this as a template to then trim down to information relevant to the job you’re seeking. It’s a fatal mistake to try and use a generic CV for each job application. Like your cover letter, you need to make it unique to each employer.

I am an engineer by profession but when I applied for a different career direction (for instance as an Office Administrator), I deleted all references to engineering from my CV. You don’t want to scare your future employer into thinking that you’re over qualified. Make the CV relevant to what you’re applying for and limit it to four pages maximum – unless you’re applying for a really major role such as Director/CEO of the company in which case you’ll need to prepare a proper portfolio of documentation and most likely you’ll need an agency to help you with that. To see my personal sample CV click here.

Work Experience.  Like students, some of you might be new to the work force and companies will totally understand that. So what can you include in your CV? There are a number of things such as your achievements at school, any volunteering roles you’ve had, looking after your siblings (live-in nanny) or anything else that showcases your qualities and capabilities.

Company Research.  Always do your homework and research material about the company (if you know the name of the company). Understanding as much as possible about the products and services of the company and the values important to it will help you to prepare a more relevant and focused CV, and if you get a job interview, will be essential background information.

Be Confident.  Once you’ve passed the “CV” stage, it’s very likely the first contact will be a phone call from the company. It’s important that you always feel confident about yourself. One of my tips for if I get called by surprise and I’m feeling a bit panicked is to buy myself enough time to compose myself. What I normally do is excuse myself for a couple of minutes by pretending I was in the middle of something.

I’ll use the time to grab a pen and notebook, jump up and down a couple of times to get my blood flowing and keep warm and then grab a glass of water in case it’s a long phone interview. If I’m near a mirror I’ll face it and make sure I’m always smiling (as this conveys a better impression to the person on the other end of the phone). Then it’s a matter of being yourself and enjoy the experience. You’ll only get better.

Great Attitude.  If you don’t get the job, don’t sulk!  It’s not the end of the world and it’s not going to change the outcome. Move on, realise it’s not meant to be and hopefully another job opportunity will come soon.

Its’ all about the Numbers.  The more jobs you apply for, the more chances you’ll have of getting a job – it’s a statistical fact. Don’t apply for just one or two and think that you’ll get offered a job the next day – well, unless of course you’ve mastered the process like I have. But while you’re mastering it — keep applying!

Job Interview.  When you’re called to a job interview there are a couple of things you need to prepare before you go. As I mentioned earlier, do your research so that you can answer questions with a reasonable understanding of what the company does. Practice wearing your attire and make sure it’s appropriate for the job you’re applying for. For instance if you are applying for a receptionist role or a frontline staff role – wear your best outfit and shoes, and ladies wear make-up and tidy your hair. But if you’re just going to be working in an office environment, any smart casual attire is recommended.

Make sure you are comfortable and warm.  I always put on loud fast music that I enjoy on the way to the job interview. And when I’m at the site I rub my hands so my blood is flowing. Sometimes a couple of jumps works for me too which I can do in the powder room. The last thing you want to feel is being cold and shaky because you’re so nervous. I find the music and exercise lift my spirits and makes me feel much more confident.

Be yourself.  Being yourself is easy because you don’t have to pretend to be someone else. Listen carefully to all questions and answer and clearly and confidently. If you are not sure, tell them something like “I haven’t heard of that, but I can find out later” — or “if you show it to me I’m confident I can learn it quickly”. Most employers hire people for more than their latent talent – they’re also gauging if you’re capable of doing a given task, are trainable and willing to learn.

Have Fun.  Again, it’s all about ‘attitude’ and it is very important that you have fun while finding the right job. There’s always something to learn if you don’t get offered the job and with more experience you’ll get better. Always charge it to experience!

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Living in NZ

Posted on August 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

I came to New Zealand from the Philippines in March 1996. Was it my dream to go abroad? NO!  When I was young I hated having to speak English because I couldn’t express myself properly, as it was my second language. I did my best to avoid visitors from other countries so I didn’t have to talk to them in English.

Then one day, I met a group of engineers from a high-tech phone factory and one of them named Alex talked about going to New Zealand to live. I just said ‘good luck’. However a few months later in February 1995 I received a letter totally out of the blue from an immigration consultant inviting me to calculate my points to see if I qualified for permanent residency in NZ.

The funny thing was that at the time I didn’t even know where NZ was and thought it might be one of the Scandinavian countries in Europe. When I found out that NZ was near Australia I became more interested because a lot of my cousins live in Melbourne and I thought NZ could be a stepping stone to residency in Australia. So I applied straight away, lodging my application in May 1995 and receiving permanent residency in September 1995.

Everything happened so quickly, taking less than a year. I had Alex to thank for initially alerting me to NZ’s existence, and for helping me find a place to live when I arrived. Now after 19 years I’m still here happily married to John and with 2 lovely dogs in my family.

Restarting life abroad whether in NZ or somewhere else is not easy especially when you have kids and I really admire people who have made the commitment. I’ve heard some great stories and some not so great stories of families relocating. Whenever I meet a fellow Filipino here for the first time I always ask them how long they’ve been in NZ and in most cases they’ve only been here a very short time. I’ve mentored many who had been having difficulty finding work, mostly with great success.

Here are some of my tips on how to thrive living abroad.

Strong Determination. Do you have what it takes to live abroad? Moving abroad is not easy especially if you are cut off from your family and close friends – there’s no place like home. But when you make a decision to live abroad you’re making a decision to leave the familiarity and comfort of family and friends. You need to be able to move on, start a new home, find new friends, a new job and relish the opportunity to experience new adventures.

You need to begin with the end in mind. When I went to New Zealand I didn’t really have a plan B – I was determined to make the move work for me. Many people come abroad with a plan B lurking in the back of their minds which is almost like saying it’s an option to fail. You need to remove these options from your thinking.

Technology Makes It Easy. It is much easier now to keep in touch with family and friends using Skype, Viber or Facebook. Nineteen years ago, I paid hundreds of dollars on overseas calls, stamps and trips just to lessen my homesickness. Do your research before migrating so that you’ll have a good idea how much it will cost you to maintain your own internet or mobile data, particularly for the first six months. This will help you to feel more at home in your new environment.

Master the Language. If you’re going to NZ, Australia or USA – you need to master English! If you’re going to Italy, it makes sense to learn Italian. It always surprises me that some immigrants come here without learning English first. What doesn’t surprise me is that they then struggle to find work and get out and about in the community, and meet new friends. Then they feel sorry for themselves and feel they’re being discriminated against. I struggle to understand their reasoning. I can understand that a refugee desperate to find a home in a new country won’t always know the language, but it doesn’t make sense for anyone deliberately moving to a new country not to speak the language.

Networking. I was really fortunate that my first 5 years working in NZ were at Sky City Casino, as it’s very multicultural and a great place to practice speaking English. It was almost like having all my Facebook friends in one building – the networking and social aspects were fantastic! I was always open to meeting new friends – never predetermining who would or wouldn’t be a friend – after all, we’re all the same and we love to have friendships. I participated in all sorts of activities, from football, rugby 7’s, volleyball, parties, yum char, top teams etc. I hosted lots of parties including for children and dogs. We had lots of fun and many unforgettable experiences.

I’ve discovered that some of my fellow Filipinos lack confidence in speaking English which is one of the reasons why they only network with other Filipinos – which does nothing to improve their English and hinders their social interaction with non-Filipinos.

I attended a party where I met Maria who was an accountant and worked in one of the large banks in Singapore. In NZ she was working in a factory with lots of other Filipino workers – hey, don’t get me wrong, that’s perfectly fine, but her English got worse and she lost the confidence to find a better job. She did however put plenty of energy into widening her network by attending parties and other social functions and that’s where she met me. I spent a little bit of time mentoring her, and not long after she phoned to say that she got a job in one of the banks in NZ. So if you wish to move forward — do your networking!

Keep Your Life Balanced. When I first arrived in NZ, I found it so easy to get what I wanted – easy to get a car, credit cards, goods on hire purchase etc. It’s easy to get over-excited about buying lots of things that used to be out of reach before. I’ve seen people competing to buy the biggest TV or the best car but they had to work 3 jobs. I knew a guy who collapsed at work because he was doing incredibly long hours and only getting 2-3 hours sleep a day just so that he could deliver on his wife’s wish to have the biggest TV in town.

I feel sick when I see things like this. There’s so much more to life than having a 60″ TV, and here in NZ there are so many sights to see and things to do that cost very little – so why would you even want to be sat in front of TV? My advice is to keep things simple, and look for a good balance between work and play.

Discrimination. One thing I’ve learned is to accept who I am and where I’ve come from. If you think people are going to discriminate against you, the chances are you will be discriminated against. I’ve learned to have an open mind and send out good vibes to everyone no matter the colour of their skin.

I’ve been disappointed that sometimes discrimination has come from my own fellow countrymen. I was at church one day and a lady called out my name. I’ll call her Shona, she’s a good friend of my sister and a former school mate. I was so excited at the time to see someone in NZ that I really knew. When she invited me to attend her birthday party I asked if I could bring my boyfriend. She told me that if he was white, he wouldn’t be welcome. Whoa!!! I wasn’t expecting that. So I made a choice to stop seeing her because I don’t want to be surrounded by people with that kind of attitude. It’s awful, right?

There was another Filipino I met who was a nursing graduate back in Manila and who’d been in NZ for around 15 months and couldn’t get a job, even in nursing home. Let’s call her Hana. Hana walked into a nursing home to apply for a job near her house. A Filipino working there shooed her away telling her aggressively “no vacancy”. Perhaps this lady was having a bad day, but it’s sad to think a fellow countryman wouldn’t try and help her. As a result Hana lost her confidence. I spent some time mentoring her and showed her how to apply for a job with the same nursing home, and a few weeks later she got a job there. I’m happy to say that I helped her regain her confidence.

Help and share. If everyone helped each other, even in a small way, this world would be a much better place. We don’t necessarily need to give money to help others, it could be sharing your time or even sharing your life experiences. I’ve made it my mission to always have time available to help anyone who needs it. Even an hour a week can make a huge difference to someone’s life. Try volunteering for community events, you never know who you might meet. And remember too, it pays to help yourself before helping others. As our parents always say ‘charity begins at home’.

Can Do Attitude. When I first came to NZ, I brought with me a CAN DO attitude. I did what it took to get a job, and was prepared to do any reasonable job to have food on the table and send money back home. I was prepared to be a cleaner, a janitor, a rubbish collector. You need to accept that your qualification back in Philippines may not guarantee similar employment here in NZ – at least not straight away. Getting any job to begin with is a foot in the door and can lead to better and brighter things.

Travel. When I lived in the Philippines, I never traveled to the popular tourist spots such as the South Islands. For some reason it was much harder to earn enough money to enjoy leisure activities there. Here in New Zealand, if you live sensibly, it’s much easier to save enough money to travel around inside the country and abroad.

Life is too short, do things now while you have your health and mobility, take lots of selfies and laugh out loud!

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Sustainable Weight Loss

Posted on July 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

Weight loss is everyone’s dream nowadays. But most people don’t know how to do it by themselves. So they join weight loss programmes like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, where results are guaranteed BUT is it sustainable or affordable long term and can you keep it OFF forever? Most people end up in a YOYO situation fluctuating between gaining weight and dieting.

I wasn’t looking too overweight (5’1″ – 59kg) but I realised I had this big “puku” (tummy) or as some people call it, ‘love handles’. In short, I was kind of fugly (fat & ugly) and had all these excuses – age, weather, hormones or simply ‘well, that’s the way it is’. Some people blame it on having had kids or perhaps more appropriately eating their kid’s leftovers, or having no time for themselves – it’s easy to find lots of ‘justifiable’ excuses.

Well, I was content with the way I was until January 2015 when my friend Sue and I were walking along the main street in Devonport and saw these amazing clothing boutiques. There were all these amazing original designs which I just couldn’t wait to wear BUT none of them fitted me – I looked terrible! Sue and I made a deal to lose 10lbs in just 6 weeks. I got motivated and went back to my old fitness foundation notes and also consulted Google – and I found that you can still enjoy what you eat but you need to learn when to eat and how much to eat. It’s all about timing and portions.

I decided I needed to change my approach.

So now it’s DIY (do-it-yourself) for me. In the weekends, I plan my meals for the week so I can avoid buying food at work. Every day I bring my own filtered water and my thermo flask with green tea. I have a banana smoothie for breakfast; fresh fruit or dried fruit & nuts, or crackers & cheese for snacks; and eat mostly protein for lunch – such as roast chicken or other meat left over from the previous night’s meal, or tinned tuna or salmon which I love.

I should mention that I don’t eat vegies so I take nutritional supplements every day to get a good balance of vitamins and minerals – in your case you might like salads (avoid too much dressing) or God Forbid, you might actually like those dreaded vegies. I also decided to eat less sugary foods after watching a programme on TV which showed how much sugar is in most processed foods and how easily it stores as fat in our bodies.

After 6 weeks I lost 2.5 kg (5 lbs) – not bad huh! I’d never lost that much in 5 years previously. Then I decided to start doing regular exercise. I’m the kind of person who needs motivation to maintain an exercise regime, so I set a goal to do a full marathon this year. In my first 8 weeks of training I lost another 1.5kg, which is not much but my total weight loss is now around 4kg so far.

I’ve discovered I can now eat more carbs to fuel my energy needs. I’m losing weight slowly which the experts say is the best way. I still enjoy eating rice and other Filipino food – but all in moderation. If I can do it, you can do it. I’m not saying you need to run a marathon,but with regular exercise such as walking or jogging and being more selective with what you eat you can get great results which are sustainable. Now I enjoy shopping for smaller size clothes that fit me well plus I’ve got more pocket money by not buying my lunch at work.

Lesson here…… It’ all about making choices – no one can make it happen for you – You can make it happen!

Make a list of all your alibis, reasons why you didn’t stick to your programme – and realise that they’re all excuses!!!

Here’s some free basic tips I can share with you on my journey to weight loss sign up below

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