JUNE 2012
FEATURING
CHALLENGES FACING BUSINESS EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND GROWING GREAT RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU THE WEAKEST LINK? ARE YOU ON BOARD WITH
MARKET SHARE?
Contents
PAGE ONE
Start here As a serial entrepreneur I certainly understand the ups and downs, ins and outs of starting and running a new business. I certainly love the passion and drive many Kiwis have, to set up and own their own business, however seldom do most new business people seek the knowledge and insight required to run a successful and sustainable business. Most just don’t know what they don’t know. This unfortunately leads to many unforeseen problems, problems with their finances, their business, for their staff, their families, their health and eventually the economy. Do we really understand the consequences of having businesses fall over? How does this issue really affect our economy? I was somewhat taken back when recently I read Glenn Baker’s introduction in the NZ Business magazine as he explained that there are around 6000 new businesses start up in January and February each year. Now we’ve all heard the stats that suggest that about 80% of new companies fail within the first two years, so by my reckoning, those figures suggest that around 4800 new companies will fail each year.
As the creator of Market $hare, New Zealand’s business strategy board game and the editor of Market $hare magazine, I can assure you that we want to grow our economy through business education, help New Zealanders build better businesses and increase the financial literacy of our next generation. I hope you will gain value from the articles and ideas shared in this issue of Market $hare magazine. We aim to add value to you by producing valuable content. I’d like to encourage you in your endeavours and if I could give you any advice it would be to become a proactive reader, seek advice from those who have journeyed before you and develop an attitude of life long learning. Continue to be bold in all you do. MARKET $HARE MAGAZINE
Nick Hindson nick@marketshare.co.nz
PUBLISHER NICK HINDSON
PAGE TWO
So, again I have to ask “What is this doing to our economy?” Having talked recently with many people involved in business and education there seems to be a real move toward improving the financial and business literacy of New Zealanders and it would appear that this will be crucial if we are to remain competitive and commercially viable on the world stage.
I believe we must continue to grow in our understanding of finance and business along with developing our ability to innovate and deliver our ideas and products to the world. I’ve heard it being said many times, that business people don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan and planning for a successful future will require that you have a clear understanding of what needs to be done, when and by who. This is where business education enters the scene and I must commend those who have been involved in the introduction of business studies into the New Zealand high school curriculum.
nick@marketshare.co.nz
GRAPHIC DESIGN JULIAN HINDSON KATE HINDSON julian@titanium.net.nz
7 Essential Reasons your Brand Needs to get On Board with Market Share. 1. Establish your business as the premier brand in it's industry. 2. Strongly associate your brand with positive social engagement. 3. Educate your future customers about your brand in an engaging and meaningful way. 4. Communicate your corporate social responsibility. 5. Grow our economy through increased business literacy. 6. Help New Zealander's build sustainable businesses. 7. Increase the financial literacy of our next generation. Become one of the leading brands on New Zealand's premier business strategy board game.
Call us today to discuss getting on board.
LEARNING BUSINESS SKILLS WHILE HAVING FUN
Nick Hindson 027 444 7286 0800 BIZ GAME (0800 249 4263) nick@marketshare.co.nz
www.marketshare.co.nz
Growing great relationships
Article by Yvonne Godfrey
Social Media is a masterful tool for connecting people but it takes more than ‘accepting’ a friend on Facebook or LinkedIn to grow a fulfilling relationship? Who should we invest in and how do we do it?
some people are in your life for a reason, others a season and a few are for a lifetime Defining a HEALTHY relationship
1. Realistic expectations - what do both parties want the relationship to be? 2. Mutually beneficial - both parties must gain value. 3. Conflict and change - a healthy relationship copes with both. People Skills - attract others to you
1. Use their name often- our name is the most important word in our vocabulary. 2. Smile and use positive body language. 3. Go into their world - ask them about themselves - talk about their interests. 4. Listen ‘actively’ - Don’t interrupt. Remember; if you do all the talking in a conversation you wont learn anything because it’s all stuff you have heard before! PAGE FOUR
5. Be agreeable wherever possible and not deliberately argumentative.
William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were great leaders who accomplished much in their terms as Prime Minister of England. They were also intense rivals. But what really separated them was their approach to people! A young woman, recalling her dining experience with the two men, on consecutive nights, tells the difference. When asked for her impression of them, she said, 'When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.' Disraeli took the spotlight off him and put it onto the woman. Grow and sustain the relationship
• Have the character and qualities that you expect from others. • Don’t look for perfection. Understand their faults and overlook the unimportant. • Don’t look for others to ‘fix’ your problems - they have enough of their own. • Be consistent and remember important dates.
Relationships change - some grow, some fail miserably and others simply fade away. Statistically 80% of our relationships will change over a 5-year period! The old saying is true - some people are in your life for a reason, others a season and a few are for a lifetime. Here’s a loaded statement: If your friends are not changing - then you are not growing! Test the future of the relationship using the Layering Technique
You have limited resources so value and prioritise your relationships:
‘A list’ - Who are the most important people in your life? Spend 60 - 70% of your time, energy, money and emotions here. ‘B list’ - Buddy but not everyday mate. Spend 2030% of your resources here. ‘C list’ - Casual or acquaintance. Spend 10% or less here.
Only increase the level of commitment and intimacy based on the following criteria. • Do we bring out the best in each other? Are we both growing as people? • Do we share common morals and/or ethics? • Does this relationship have a purpose or a future?
Bio on Yvonne Godfrey
Yvonne Godfrey helps parents and teachers prepare their young people for adult life. She is passionate about equipping the emerging generation to be ‘Competitive with Character”. A talented and award winning speaker, Yvonne cleverly weaves humour, wisdom and stories into her leadership principles. To contact Yvonne to speak at your school or conference: (w) 09 413 9777 (m) 027 249 5444 (e) yvonne@miomo.co.nz
PAGE FIVE
Are you the weakest link? Some of you might remember seeing the film Vertical Limit that was directed by New Zealander Martin Campbell. The story starts with a dramatic scene, where a brother and sister are mountain climbing with their father when disaster strikes. A climber above them falls, pulling the people immediately beneath them to their doom and leaving the three barely attached to rock. The father, who is below the brother and sister, convinced that three people cannot survive in the perilous situation, orders his son to cut the rope-in effect, sacrificing himself to rescue his children and his son only agonizingly complies after great soul-searching. How selfish are you?
The act of selflessness that the father committed led to the sacrifice of his life to save his children’s. This would be seen by many to be the ultimate sacrifice that a parent can make. It is impractical to expect you to give up your life for another, but the question to raise is “What are you willing to sacrifice for the good of the team?” Is that an offering or a sacrifice?
The story goes that a pig and a chicken were walking by a church where a charity event was taking place. Getting caught up in the atmosphere, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make an offering. “Great idea!” the chicken replied. “Let's offer them ham and eggs!” “Not so fast,” said the pig. “For you, that's an offering. For me, it's a sacrifice.”
Article by Elias Kanaris
PAGE SIX
Are you the weakest link?
4. Am I Attracting The Right People To Me?
When it comes to leadership, here are five simple questions that you can ask yourself to help you determine if you are carrying your weight or pulling the team down:
The Law of Magnetism states the “Who you are is who you will attract.” If you don’t like who you are attracting, start off by analysing yourself. Make a list of qualities that you are looking for in people and ask yourself, “Do I possess those qualities?”
1. Am I Adding Value? 5. Am I Aligned With The Vision?
Do you add value to others on a daily basis? Are you looking to give first before you get? Find ways that you can add value by asking “How can I serve here?” 2. Am I Exhibiting A Winning Attitude?
Having a positive attitude is just the start. You may need to rewire your brain for permanent change. A good book read on this subject is “The Winner’s Bible” by Dr. Kerry Spackman. 3. Am I Able To Lead?
The truest measure of sacrifice is often seen through a person’s character. O.P Clifford summarised this as follows, “The altar of sacrifice is the touchstone of character.” Take care & start lifting the lid on your potential!
Elias Kanris (W) 09 280 4418 (M) 021 615 449 (e) elias@eliaskanaris.com
PAGE SEVEN
I love John Maxwell’s quote that “Leadership is action, not position!” The first person that you have to lead is you! You can’t lead effectively without self-discipline. You can start by valuing excellence, not settling for average; go the second mile & demonstrate consistency; and display integrity & sound ethics whilst showing genuine respect for others.
Put your vision into words. If you can’t capture the vision on paper, then you probably haven’t defined it well enough. Ask yourself, “Is my vision appropriate for my current team?” If not, then figure out if you need to adapt your vision, your team or yourself!
Article by Colleen Sluiter
Is your reputation strong enough to rescue you? Not too long ago, a very successful eatery making millions per annum woke up one morning to pending disaster. They were headline news. And it wasn’t good. The media were attempting to pin on
Was it fair to blame Mc Donald’s for some customers’ overweight status? Regardless, their reputation was at stake - and it could have destroyed them. But it didn’t.
Reputation is invisible, intangible and easy to forget. them the blame for the woes and obesity of a portion of their customers. There were threats of lawsuits against them because of overeaters devouring too much of their products and suffering bad health.
They survived because they understood the power of a strong reputation legacy, and immediately swung into rescue mode, countering the accusations with facts and solutions. How ready are you?
You probably remember it - it was McDonalds. Today McDonalds offers healthy salads on their menu and advertise completely natural beef in their burgers. They recognise that a healthy reputation is as important as a healthy burger.
Reputation is invisible, intangible and easy to forget. Until a McDonald’s scenario hits. Protecting your reputation should be part of your business plan. Ignore it to your peril because what gets measured receives focus and attention.
PAGE EIGHT
1. Purposefully build the reputation capital you want. This intangible asset, when invested into and managed well, returns far above average yields. 2. Decide how you want others to see you. Character and reputation go hand in glove. Both are tied up in your values and ethics. Window dressing doesn’t fool anybody for long because incongruence will always surface.
How solid is enough?
Many companies scarred by scandal never fully recover - particularly when they had very little reputation capital to begin with. Protect your reputation. It can crumble very quickly without a strong legacy. A company with a solid reputation will
3. Without trust there is no sale. That makes trust an essential success building element for long term business growth and viability. Your reputation will make or break customer trust.
• Interest more customers. • Retain employees longer. • Attract better employees. • Generate higher profit margins than the competition.
4. It is non–negotiable to inculcate your chosen values and ethics into each and every employee, so that your company speaks with a single aligned voice. A wounded reputation is not easily nor quickly repaired.
A strong reputation also allows you to rebound faster from a crisis situation. Develop a solid reputation of your choosing. It’s worth investing in.
PAGE NINE
5. The customer experience is the easiest place to undermine reputation. Poor customer service is more common than we admit. The result is customers who vote with their feet and a damaged reputation, sometimes too costly to mend.
Colleen Sluiter (W) 09 422 0420 (M) 021 838 831 (e) colleen@bigbusinessinsight.com
Creativity in New Zealand secondary business education A number of readers will be familiar with Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk from 2006 ‘Do schools kill creativity?’ It was a rhetorical question with the answer one of secondary educations’ worst kept secrets. Sir Ken Robinson’s work (and Mark Treadwell’s excellent ‘Whatever 2.0’) have both left an indelible mark on my thinking around teaching in the new millennium. In July 2011, looking to broaden and deepen my knowledge, I was awarded a Teacher Fellowship from the Royal Society of New Zealand to look at how creativity and innovation can be introduced into the entrepreneurial business classroom for secondary students. My thinking was fuelled by the idea that in order to prepare our young entrepreneurs for often heard ‘uncertain world of exponential change’ we need to find and adapt a model of delivery or facilitation (depending on your view of the role of a teacher) to allow a more creative approach to our teaching of Business.
PAGE TEN
I had considerable academic opinion on my side as I began my research. The shelves in Massey University’s library whose Business and Management faculty sponsored my sabbatical were groaning under the weight of books from as far away as Sweden, the USA and Singapore looking at ways of being creative in business especially as a differentiating strategy in a crowded market place. (Apple’s current share price and record market capitalization is a reflection of their ability to innovate.)
Article by Lloyd Gutteridge Photography by Julian Hindson
Daniel Pink in his book, A Whole New Mind infers that more companies in America are looking for graduates with Masters’ in the Arts (MA) than the more traditional MBA to allow managers to add value for their shareholders. This ability to be creative – which Sir Ken Robinson defines as the ability to create a new product or service which adds significant value in the eyes of stakeholders – is now the mantra in boardrooms which was once dominated by terms such as ‘returning to core competencies.’ Finland (with its respected and flexible education system where there are no school inspections or national standards) intrigued me as I discovered “Angry Birds” created by the small Finnish Business start-up Rovio – the most popular app in the world as of February 2012. I began my Fellowship with enthusiasm to find a model of how the secondary classroom facilitating Business education in NZ could be transformed. Evidence of creativity in the Primary Education sector was also in abundance. (My own 12-year-old son at Intermediate in NZ is using Mine Craft to build a virtual town and economy, which allows him and his friends to trade and develop enterprise - an inquiry approach to develop understanding of basic economics and commerce.) I visited a number of primary and intermediate schools across Auckland and the same story of creativity and self-directed learning was evident.
Lloyd Gutteridge at Diocesan School for Girls.
Inspirational Teaching for Inspirational Learning by Ian Gilbert – one of two essential reads for any teacher wishing to discover how transformational teaching could take place - from the UK regaled stories of pre-secondary students creating businesses at the age of 10 and being entrepreneurial not just in their financial literacy lessons but in their science classes as well. Being creative was not just being confined to business. It was apparent from my early research that creative thinking should be considered as a transferable skill
in Business. I approached the secondary sector with some trepidation. Could I complete the trifecta? Well no. I was filled with a number of questions but of course the most important was why? Why the discontinuity from the Primary to Tertiary sector? It was almost as if the student’s educational and creative journey was being ‘detoured’ at the age of 13 only to rejoin the traffic at 18. As Sir Winston Churchill wryly noted. ”My education was only interrupted when I was at school.’
as students get older their creative capacity diminishes or to use the New Zealand terminology competency, which could be used across the curriculum. It was a skill that also needed to be regularly exercised. As Sir Ken Robinson has indicated in his superb follow-up YouTube Clip ‘Changing Educational Paradigms,’ as students get older their creative capacity diminishes as they pass through the education system
PAGE ELEVEN
The Tertiary sector was also playing its part. The ‘Ecenter’ at Massey University has created one of 8 incubators in NZ, which allows under and post graduates to develop and germinate their creative ideas. Massey is now positioning itself as the ‘Innovation Campus” and has one of the few undergraduate programmes dedicated to Creativity
At first I thought the lack of evidence of creative practice was an oversight on my part. However, as I researched further, I found that despite the overwhelming evidence that in these times of exponential change in the new millennium given the pace of global and technological change, (outsourcing anyone?) our thinking in delivering a secondary business education remains decidedly last century. Or at worst no better than with the introduction of NCEA a step back to the times of F.W Taylor and Scientific Management. This approach was instrumental in preparing industrial workers for an industrial world in 1915. But is this traditional approach fit for purpose for our emerging entrepreneurs in 2015?
Sir Ken Robinson argues in his TED speech that we should treat creativity with the same status as we treat literacy. My own research argues that if Business Education is to be of meaning it will need to equip our students with further tools to survive in the global market place – curiosity, resilience, risktaking and courage to act. The corner stones of the key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum.
generation have tried to force creativity and have instigated an Edward de Bono provocation such as NO FOOD on market days. The cries of despair from students used to the status quo can be heard from Bluff to Kaiatia. (Why do students looking to raise money for overseas trips still continue to use the ‘Sausage Sizzle as one of their may forms of fundraising?
So why the inertia?
Can they not think of anything else?
Maybe we have to teach creativity
Given the experience of creativity in the Primary and Tertiary sectors, I am looking to develop a new creative approach to the teaching and learning of Business in the secondary sector. I will need to show resilience, risk-taking and the courage to act. The research indicates that I need to model the qualities I wish to see in my students. I anticipate that this will be no easy task, however, I feel NZ needs to replicate what is happening in the meeting rooms, or should I say ‘on the pool tables’ of Google’s offices - but that is for another article.
and thinking skills.
As a teacher of Business in the secondary sector I have often asked students to think of an idea for a business start-up. Brainstorming is the inevitable next step. How long can students keep this going before the inevitable ‘freeze or stalemate?’ A few good ideas may trickle in, but then it becomes too hard to think creatively, so many go back to the default position, the tried and tested: The Cookie, The Bake Sale, The T-Shirt and The Friendship Bracelet. These are not the creative ideas that will provide the students with potential sustainable businesses we in NZ need so desperately. Some teachers in NZ recognizing this lack of spark or freezing of idea
Many studies in NZ confirm that entrepreneurial ability ‘is in our DNA’ across many cultures. The challenge now is to release this ability and opportunity in our secondary business classrooms. Our economic and cultural sustainability will depend on it.
PAGE TWELVE
HELPING NEW ZEALANDER’S BUILD BETTER BUSINESS OUR GOALS • Grow our economy through business education • Help New Zealanders build better businesses • Increase the financial literacy of our next generation
www.marketshare.co.nz
NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS STRATEGY BOARD GAME
An interview with Lucas Remmerswaal
Interview by Nick Hindson
“What inspired you to write your series of 13
“Financial literacy gets talked about but
Habits books?”
have you found people receptive to your www.13habits.org cause?”
“The pain the agony in retired investors eyes, after the collapse of Bridgecorp in 2008 Lucas Remmerswaal asked himself a simple question “What can I do about it?” He noticed that most retired investors that put their life’s savings into Finance Companies had little understanding of the risks involved, they lacked financial literacy. Remmerswaal realised that the problem of the “Global Financial crisis” would reoccur in time. After thinking about the “What can I do about it?” question for 2 years Remmerswaal was inspired after attending the funeral of a client he realised that there was nothing he could do to help! Except teach the grandchildren of the victims’ financial literacy.”
“Yes it started in March 2010 meeting Prof. John Hattie, he just LOVED the project! On YouTube “13 Habits that made me Billions” (230,000 views) Hattie, a Professor of Education, Director of Visible Learning Labs, says “These ‘big and rich’ habits can be understood by even the youngest of children. To see children afire with ideas and questions after hearing the story and to see them make connections to their lives – these are the art of a true story teller." The Ministry of Education is supportive and gave us a link to our website www.13habits.org in December 2010. Financial literacy is not taught in New Zealand
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Sir Isaac Newton (1676)
“On your journey over the last 15 years, what would you say are the highlights of what you have learned?”
PAGE FOURTEEN
“Standing on the shoulders of GIANTS a dwarf can see further. By standing on giant shoulders of Buffett, Munger, Jobs and Gates, you can see what a continuous learning machine can do with a multi-disciplinary approach to seeking wisdom. Buffett spends half of all his time awake reading, and the other half talking to highly intelligent people he likes and trusts.”
Schools, but 96% of people believe that it should be taught in schools. At the moment financial literacy in school is a bit of a postcode lottery. It tends to rely on "hero" teachers. But nothing in the world can stop an idea whose time has come. The media & social media are very supportive of the project, this will continue to create a change in thinking. We can see evidence of this, Financial literacy has been included in the latest copy of New Zealand Curriculum.”
Photo provided by: Whangarei Leader, Fairfax Media NZ
Lucas Remmerswaal with students at Kamo Intermediate in Whangarei.
“I heard you traveled the length of New Zealand visiting schools and talking with teachers and students, how have they
through 5); Read the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders letters, by Warren Buffett; “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger.”
responded to you and your books?” “Do you have any advice for a young person
“With open doors welcoming me into their schools & homes. Teachers had me sharing my stories with students most days of the week. The students enjoyed my formula for “You can be whatever you want to be.” they recorded some of the time I spent with them on video and created a YouTube blog on www.13habits.org. On weekends I focused riding my father’s 40 year old Raleigh bike, It took me 58 days and visited over 75 schools. I travelled like a swagger without a sleeping bag or tent. Friends, family, and strangers welcomed me into their homes.”
wanting to make a difference for their financial future?”
The best way to get what you want in life is to deserve what you want . Avoid macro-economic predictions, sometimes the tide is with you sometimes it’s against you. Treat success and failure just the same, keep your head high, keep on plugging, do the best you can!” “I understand you have received some support from the business community, how
“For a teacher in a New Zealand school now
do you see business being able to help make
faced with the opportunity to teach
a difference for the financial literacy of our
financial literacy, how would you encourage
next generation?”
and advise them?”
PAGE FiFTEEN
“Get my books “The Tale of Tortoise Buffett” and “The A-Z of 13 Habits” visit and use the resources on www.13habits.org share the books with students on active boards. I would encourage teachers & students to watch YouTube: Warren Buffett MBA talk part 1; Steve Jobs Stanford commencement speech 2005; Charlie Munger Speech at USC - May 2007 (parts 1
“By ‘adopting a school’ I am enormously grateful to Fidelity Life who have sponsored Kamo Intermediate 650 ‘books in Northland homes’. A small step to sow the seeds to start conversations “between young entrepreneurs and their parents” so the message will, start to create change to develop a culture where more school leavers will become entrepreneurs rather than looking for a job.”
Market Share at school Diocesan school for girls Each month we like to visit a different high school and play Market Share with one of the business studies classes. In April we had the privilege of visiting Diocesan school for Girls and playing Market Share with two
Article by Nick Hindson
Once again we received valuable feedback from the students and the ever so popular question “When can we buy a copy?” Well, the answer is Market Share will be available for Christmas 2012.
“When can we have a copy of Market Share?” classes being taught by Lloyd Gutteridge, Head of business studies for the school. We always receive a warm welcome from the teachers and students and this occasion was no different. The school with its modern facilities and architecture that demonstrates an exquisite eye for detail is an inspiration.
In the meantime we will continue to play Market Share with different schools around Auckland, to help encourage students to really engage with Business Studies and help increase the financial literacy of our next generation.
PAGE SIXTEEN
IGNITING PASSION FOR BUSINESS IN YOUNG NEW ZEALANDER’S
OUR GOALS • Grow our economy through business education • Help New Zealanders build better businesses • Increase the financial literacy of our next generation
www.marketshare.co.nz
NEW ZEALAND’S BUSINESS STRATEGY BOARD GAME
The importance of
graphic design in business Graphic design is the discipline of artistic presentation and visual communication, designers utilise various methods to create and combine words and imagery to effectively communicate their client’s desired message or story to the public. Designers do this across a broad spectrum of mediums, such as advertisements, packaging, magazine layouts, outdoor media, vehicle graphics, websites and the like.
PAGE SEVENTEEN
What differentiates good design from bad design is the effectiveness of the communication in delivering it’s message to the audience in the right tone and manner, whilst also increasing the brand’s value or the message/story’s credibility. Great graphic design is important in helping your message stand out amongst the media saturated environment we live in today.
Article by Julian Hindson
To create increased cut through of your message it is important to keep things as simple as possible to aid with legibility and speed of delivery to the audience, as attention spans are getting shorter whilst competition for eyeballs is increasing. As a rule of thumb you only have three to four seconds to capture someone’s attention before they move on to the next point of interest. Creativity is an extremely effective way of communicating your message whilst reducing overall marketing spend to create a similar impact as a more traditional and staid approach. In a world where audiences are exposed to thousands of messages a day and only remember one or two of them by the end of it it’s important that your message is the one that stands above the rest, this is where creativity wins.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO VIEW OUR PORTFOLIO
09 279 3433 021 354 383 julian@titanium.net.nz www.titanium.net.nz TEL
MOB
Protecting your family’s future It isn’t pleasant to consider the possibility that you may not always be around to provide for your family, or what might happen if you aren’t there to take care of your loved ones. Unfortunately that is one thing that we do not have control over or that we cannot change. Things happen and things do happen to good people as well. Sometimes we forget that the biggest asset that we have is our ability to earn and provide for our families. We take the time to insure our cars but we do not sit down and consider the importance of insuring the biggest asset in the household, the ability to earn every month. The question that you need to ask yourself is what is the cost to me and my family if we do not insure our income or the opportunity to earn an income? Should you ever be unable to work due to sickness or injury, even if that is temporary, you’d want the peace of mind that comes from knowing your family’s financial situation and lifestyle will be protected. To provide a roof over your family’s head is one of the most important aspects of financial planning that you need to address.
PAGE EIGHTEEN
Whatever you’re trying to protect in life, there’s an insurance solution to match. And so whether you need to protect your income and lifestyle, family home, children’s future or livelihood to run your own business, we would like to journey with you to help you and structure your own unique plan to address your situation.
Life insurance is a vehicle that we use to help you address your unique situation in a cost effective way to ensure sustainability and affordability in the future and for the right reasons. Life insurance is possibly one of the products that many of us will ever own, and buying the right kind of life insurance is one of the best ways to protect your family’s future. You’re paying for a substitute of income or to replace the caretaker’s responsibilities or protect your family against the premature death of the breadwinner. The people that primarily need life insurance or disability cover are those who have others depending on them for support. Kingdom Financial Services offers simple solutions 100% of the time. With many years of international experience we have a dedicated team that will listen to you and with the knowledge and vision that we have we will make sure that your unique situation are reflected in the level of insurance that you consider and that you and your family benefit from your long term decisions.
Article by Braam Swanepoel
The reality is that 75% of families with dependents will run out of money within 12 months without the main breadwinner in the house. The need for life insurance is not an easy discussion to have; it’s a very important one. We’re with you to provide a range of insurance options to suit you. And we can help make certain your family is secure in the future - no matter what happens.
It is all about the RIGHT amount of money in the RIGHT hands on the RIGHT time! Braam Swanepoel (w) 09 440 9029 (m) 021 546 436 (e) braam@kingdomfs.co.nz SIMPLE SOLUTIONS WITH VISION
PAGE NINETEEN
You may already have your insurance needs sorted, but did you know there’s a smarter way to pay premiums so you make significant savings in the long term or you are not sure that you have the right level of cover for your unique needs, please, don’t hesitate, we want to make a difference in your life.
Whatever your circumstances may be, it’s important to review how your insurance needs may have changed. So whether you’ve had a new baby, moved home, been promoted at work or are preparing the kids for high school; it’s important to talk to Kingdom Financial Services about revising your insurance strategy. Give us a call today!
Moving well in the workplace Article by Dr Alex Rodwell
Every organisation wants to maximise its staff’s focus, motivation and productivity. And when we get to the heart of the matter, every committed employee wants to contribute the most that they can to their organisation. The art of moving well is one of several important ingredients in maximising human potential. It decreases stress levels, improves focus and brain power, and encourages an active approach to work and life as a whole.
Beliefs = Behaviour = Result When it comes to maximising productivity in the workplace, many workplaces do not actively promote a culture that encourages employees to have a look at their belief systems around movement and preventative health. Beliefs = Behaviour = Result
When we are at work, we should insure that our workstation seats have adequate lumbar support. If they don’t, old chairs should be scheduled to be recycled, and replaced by a chair with three levers that will allow the chair to be adapted to the needs of each individual.
PAGE TWENTY
Moving well and getting enough daily movement is not only important for the health of our spine, but also our heart, and our overall health, energy and vitality. People of all ages would greatly benefit from making a habit of moving well, having periodic postural checkups, as well as make sure their ergonomics are tailored to meet their needs in the workplace.
Research shows that most people in the western world are not getting enough movement in their life each day. Published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2004, F.W. Booth stated that “anything less than 30 mins of brisk exercise daily is a causative factor for abnormal gene expression”. So what are the end results of reduced movement or sedentary living patterns? Not only are they a big contributor for poor spinal health, unnecessary muscle tightness and tension, low energy, poor sleep, reduced relaxation, loss of focus, motivation and productivity, but they also account for a significant part of our nation's rising obesity, type II diabetes, and depression statistics. It is not all gloom and doom. The new science of ‘epigenetics’ as promoted by Dr Bruce Lipton, PhD, is showing us that our choices today, will impact our genetic expression of tomorrow, and that it is indeed not our Genes that are the end determiner of our health, but that it is our Environment - specifically the Choices that we make in our Lifestyle on a Daily, Weekly and Monthly basis that will determine which genes are switched on and which genes are switched off. All organisational and individual change must come from within. Anyone can be motivated externally to make changes in their life, but true long lasting change, or what i like to call transformation only comes about from a shift in the core beliefs of the individual. The desire to change and improve must come from within. Do each of your employees embrace an active lifestyle? Do each of your employees have good posture? Do you have systems in place to encourage and inspire people to embrace change? If not, speak to me to discuss the unique needs of your organisation. Dr Alex Rodwell Chiropractor and Wellness Enthusiast Contact me to run a ‘Lunch and Learn’ workshop for your workplace in the Auckland Area! The Chiropractice - A Creating Wellness Centre www.thechiropractice.co.nz or email info@dralexrodwell.com
PAGE TWENTY ONE
Effectively managing your IT Being an IT support partner is so much more than fixing and installing computers into a company. We get the privilege assisting organisations to effectively and efficiently design, configure and maintain their IT infrastructure in a way that is most effective for them and the job they are trying to accomplish. Over the years we have been able to learn a few things that enable our customer’s greater functionality increasing their productivity which ultimately helps empower them to make more money or for non-profits to have a greater impact. There are a lot of factors to weigh up when planning or making changes to your infrastructure and this is just as relevant for a one or two PC based organisation as it is for a large one.
Article by Jordan Russel
The person who is using that computer, what is their time worth per hour to the organisation? Now that computer could hang several times a day due to being under resourced or poorly constructed, causing that person to lose productive time. Now add that cost of unproductive time onto the price of that computer. Over the space of a year that computer can now be costing the organisation thousands in lost productivity. Did they really save money in investing in inferior hardware? Somehow over time people have developed the mentality that computers are just an expense rather than an important tool. This mentality needs to be changed, as your infrastructure when properly
Did they really save money in investing in inferior hardware? A common situation is when someone buys a cheap computer they feel like they got a good deal, and in some cases you might have but in most cases it is old stock that is only just adequate for today’s requirements. Brian Tracey says “Disruptions will make you lose focus, concentration and will interrupt your creative thinking process. Studies have shown that it can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes after a disruption has occurred for a person to gain back the momentum they had before the disruption”.
designed enables you to make the right investments rather than just reactive decisions. The payoff being that it can actually save you a lot of money and increase efficiency. I know of a warehouse that is being run so efficiently that the man power required is less than half a warehouse of its size would normally require. The warehouse staff and management can retrieve stock information up to the minute. The initial investment may have been high, but the long term payoff would have surpassed that by now.
PAGE TWENTY TWO
This highlights the most important of all tasks when managing your IT infrastructure, planning. Planning your IT infrastructure is essential, even when you are a small business with only a couple of computers you need to know what you are doing and why you are doing it. Computers are at the core of almost every organisation and we often only value them based on the dollar sign on the tag when we bought it. So here are some things that you will want to consider when planning and investing in your IT; - How easy is it to find people to support this system? - If you want to get rid of your IT support company will you be able to replace them easily? Or is the system that they are putting in so specialised that only they will be able to support it.
- What is the warranty on this system, and if parts have to be replaced how easy is it for the drivers and software to be recovered?
- If my building caught fire tomorrow, or a laptop got stolen or lost, what is the cost of that? Would your data be able to be recovered? - How easily can my employees get hold of data? Do your people need to go back to the office every time someone requests something different to what they expected? Do sales meetings have to happen more than needed, once to sound the person out another to present options and a third to close the deal? What would be the improved productivity of cutting one step out? There are obviously many more but these are a few of the common things I see people overlooking when investing in IT.
PAGE TWENTY THREE
- Your support partner should be helping you plan, & design your system not just fixing technical faults.
- If a user lost their PC tomorrow, can they continue working? If not how much productive work time will I lose and what is the cost of that to your organisation? What can I do to minimise the impact?
Article by Dean Payn
Generating online results Website conversion - it can feel like a bit of a struggle! However, building an effective website is so much more than technical capabilities and attractive layout. At its heart, your site needs to be delivering a sales message to visitors. Here’s a quick diagnosis you can run on yours to discover areas of improvement. 1. A Critical Problem
The internet exists to solve problems. How clearly does your site communicate the problem that you solve? For your site to turn an enquiry into business, the problem needs to be critical, not just a general sense of discomfort. You will gain credibility depending on how well you articulate this problem. If you demonstrate that you really ‘get it’, visitors will assume you know how to fix it. 2. Unique Promise
In other words, a unique selling point or proposition. Time for a cold, hard truth here - your current USP may not even be unique. If you’re still trying to differentiate your business on vagueries like customer service or quality, then it’s time to get a new USP! Another question to ask is whether people really want the solution you’re offering. The good news is, if you’re prepared to honestly answer these questions, it’ll put you ahead of 80% of other businesses. From a design & layout point of view, make sure your USP visible ‘above the fold’ (ie. the top half) of your homepage.
3. Compelling Proof
Claims without proof are a huge problem. There are many different forms of proof you can use, and things like testimonials or reviews are probably the most common, but there are many others. You can use Guarantees, case studies, scientific studies, statistics, logos & certifications, awards, before & after photos. In the meantime, just remember that you don’t need proof, you need COMPELLING PROOF! With so many people making so many unreal claims, authenticity is worth its weight in gold. 4. Irresistible Offer
The thought process you’re hoping to stimulate is one that leaves the visitor with the realisation they would be stupid not to act now. A simple way to achieve this is to ensure the product you’re offering is worth more than the asking price. For more complex products, removal of risk becomes even more critical. 5. A Reason to Act Now!
Lets be honest, this can be difficult to get right, but unless you’re prepared to try a few things, potential customers will fall into inertia and then you’ll never hear from them. A few techniques you can use are scarcity (make sure it’s believable!), deadlines, stepwise price increases or waiting lists. If you do use any of these techniques, be sure to stick to your guns! If you extend the timeline on your ‘special offer’ or magically discover you have more units available, the extra sales you get won’t make up for the credibility you’ve lost. Dean Payn wants to transform the way your company does business online.
So many New Zealand companies are online now, because everyone knows, it’s just what you have to do! Unfortunately, very few of those companies are seeing any return on their investment and become frustrated and disappointed.
Dean Payn Onlineresults.co.nz 0800 333 510 (e) dean.payn@onlineresults.co.nz
PAGE TWENTY FIVE
What you need is someone to bridge the gap between technical know-how and sales & marketing expertise. With over 15 years experience, Dean and the Online Results team will show you how to make your online presence a lead generating conversion magnet!