How to manage Small Business

 

Part – X

How to manage Small Business

Managing small business is not something very easy. With limited resources and most of the time single handed, owners has to look almost everything. Learning from mistakes, not to repeat the same mistake and to remain calm and consisting even after mistakes are some key factors behind successful business.

This need time, energy and lot of patience. Besides as this is not possible for someone to be perfect in everything so there are chances of incurring mistakes and this is natural.

Knowledge, Timing and Decision are the main characteristics for a successful entrepreneur. Doing right thing at wrong time or wrong thing at right time both are same and damaging.  Understanding of situation need complete knowledge and delay in decision or hurry in taking decision both are conditional to the situation and timing should be based on situation. There is nothing more important that Communication in any sphere of life.  Whether its relationship, job or business. Clear, concise and to the point communication makes healthy working environment.  Otherwise confusions brings conflicts and eventually gives damages to entire business processes whether it’s between management and employs, employs versus employs or with clients.

For knowledge, timely decisions and communications, it is important to focus on proper documentation and reporting tools. There are several on-line tools which are easy to use and helpful in tracking the on-going affairs anytime from anywhere.

Similar tools can be used to check quality assurance and team performance as well as for time management.

 With small manipulation of these tools, strategy, planning, responsibility and results can be architected and documented in way that anyone can understand easily and also can monitor with consistency. Simple spread sheets, Google docs, Trello are few examples that if use properly makes it easy to manage business. Scrum and Sprints should be taken as part of daily activity to avoid distractions.

Productivity measurement is important in services related business and this depends on Utilization, Capacity and Capability of team.

Utilization depends on time management, infract-structure and project/tasks management. Project managers and team leads have critical role in utilization.

Capacity and capability depends on hiring and training. Wrong hiring and improper training results in non-productive business environment that gives huge damage to business and unhappy clients which means negative impact on referral sales.

Above are just few factors and there are few more important factors that we will discuss in our next articles.

Let’s manage!

T-3, the way forward

by

Pakistan is one of the greatest and amazing countries with lot of resources. Till 80’s it was a progressing country its cities were on Top in the region. Karachi and Lahore were the best choice for Travelers. Unfortunately since last 4 decades Pakistan is struggling to bring its glory back.

Pakistan’s number one problem is that we are yet to decide what are our top most problems.  First we were focused on war against terrorism and now whole attention is towards anti-corruption.  With all efforts so far no change is visible in the life of a common man, in-fact it is getting more and more difficult.

Pakistan’s problem and opportunity both are same which Human Resource Development is.  We need to focus on Humans. Corruption erupts when incompetent persons occupy wrong positions. Similarly terrorism is a result of jobless and frustration among youth.  As Pakistan is successfully overcame the menace of terrorism and new government is passionate against terrorism this is the high time to focus on Human Development.

Pakistan is among few countries where Youth is more than 60% of its total population. This is a blessing and great opportunity for the future of Pakistan but if not tapped timely and in right direction this will become the devastating. Government in particular must address Human development in general and youth development in particular as its first and most important priority. Energy, time and money should be spent first for persons below age of 30. This should include education, health, jobs, training etc.

Yes, economy is important and required to implement anything. However, to bring economy back on track and to grow decisions in the right direction are important otherwise similar situation will remain persist and people will lost hope after listening same promises time and again.

Economy of any country depends on;

1.       Domestic Productivity

2.       Domestic consumption capacity

3.       Exports

T-3 is the concept that if implemented timely and effectively brings Pakistan economically strong with the help of its own muscles, the Youth. 

T3 is Training, Technology and Trade.

Pakistan with a population having more than 60% Youth and only 22% is using internet as per 2017 report.  By Jan 2018 there are 0.5 million unemployed graduates in the country (Ref:https://www.dawn.com/news/1383666) There are some 60 million Youth between age 18 to 30 Years. (Ref:https://www.indexmundi.com/pakistan/demographics_profile.html)

The economy of Pakistan is the 25th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), and 42nd largest in terms of nominal gross domestic product. Pakistan has a population of over 207 million. (Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Pakistan)

Pakistan is an agriculture based country and its economy depends on Exports.  Trade deficit is one of the major reasons behind borrowings.  Pakistan’s annual exports swings around 20 Billions US$ (Ref: https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/pakistan/total-exports-growth) and can be increased to 30 Billions (Ref: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1732381/2-pakistan-12-8b-untapped-potential-exports/)

Pakistan main exports are mineral fuels (19 percent of the total shipments), manufactured goods (19 percent) and beverage and tobacco (13 percent). Others include: food and live animals (11 percent), crude materials (11 percent), chemicals (11 percent), machinery (8 percent) and miscellaneous articles (8 percent). Main export partners are United States (13.6 percent), China (11 percent of the total export), United Arab Emirates (8.5 percent) and Saudi Arabia (8.5 percent). This page provides - Pakistan Exports - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Pakistan Exports - actual data, historical chart and calendar of releases - was last updated on November of 2018.(Ref: https://tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/exports)

With above figures this is clear that Internet, Youth and Exports have the potential to align and grow to impact the economy. The concept is simple Train the Youth to utilize Technology to increase trade specifically exports. There is a simple mechanism to implement the concept and this will be discussed in our next article. Food for thought is that One millions trained persons with facilities and a target of US$ Ten Thousand only can increase Ten Billions US$ Exports.

                                                                                                                                                             

ONLINE SALES DURING RAMZAN

Enduring around 30 days Ramadan is to remember the main disclosure of the Qur'an to the Prophet Mohammed. While there is a time of fasting, petitions and beneficent giving, it is likewise seen as the busiest period for online trade in the yea.

As indicated by Criteo online deals and activity expanded in the number one spot up to and amid Ramadan, yet declined amid Eid el-Fitr, the religious occasion that denotes the finish of Ramadan.

The information is separated from more than 8 million exchanges from 143 retail publicists situated in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore crosswise over work area, cell phones and tablets. Versatile deals incorporate deals on portable sites and applications. The gauge utilized for pre-Ramadan examinations period was April 2016.

Cross-gadget bits of knowledge were worked by examining buys on week 2 of Ramadan and glancing back at a 30-day window before buy.

The pinnacle online business happened amid the third seven day stretch of Ramadan and speaks to the greatest open door for retailers to connect with buyers when they are currently perusing and buying things for up and coming festivals. Amid this period, there was a normal of 67% elevate in online retail deals and 14% inspire in online travel deals.

Figure 1: Increase sales from apps

Source: Ramadan 2017, Criteo

The information likewise uncovered that Ramadan conventions impact customers' conduct for the duration of the day. To draw in with customers, retailers need to know when they are most dynamic on the web. Amid the fasting time frame in the day, eCommerce exchanges were bring down at 71%, contrasted with 76% for the period before Ramadan. In any case, in the wake of breaking quick, there is an expansion in eCommerce deals to 29%, from 24% pre-Ramadan, speaking to a convenient open door for retailers to contact customers.

With 37% of on location retail changes occurring on the portable application, retailers should contribute past only a versatile benevolent site to an instinctive application. Mold related things are the most well known amid this period, trailed by home and living items and hardware, toys and amusements.

Figure 2: Be mobile and device-ready

Source: Ramadan 2017, Criteo

"Quickly rising expendable wages, a developing craving for unobtrusive design, halal items and administrations imply that retailers need to enroll brilliant answers for connect with customers over all touchpoints and convey the most impactful substance at each point in the client travel. As customers invest energy with their loved ones after twilight and on Eid, they are more averse to peruse and shop on the web. Retailers must pick the perfect time and time of day to build their computerized promoting endeavors, so they can accomplish an uptick in online exchanges," said Alban Villani, General Manager, Southeast Asia, Criteo.

Other key discoveries from the report include:

•                     Website movement and eCommerce deals expanded from three weeks previously Ramadan and spiked amid weeks three and four, with an expansion of 110% and 77% individually.

•                     During the beginning of Eid el-Fitr, there was a decrease of 44% in online deals and 20% in site movement. Be that as it may, in the week post-Eid, online deals bounced back, expanding 35%.

•                     During weeks three and four of Ramadan, online mass traders were the greatest development driver – with an expansion of 87% and 52% individually.

•                     The cross-gadget travel – 46% of customers were observed to see items over numerous gadgets, with one out of four customers exchanging gadgets no less than 3 times amid their buying venture.

 “In addition, retailers need to embrace omni-channel marketing – as we continue to see the rise of offline-to-online and online-to-offline (O2O) shopping habits. Our data shows that during the period of Ramadan, shoppers are browsing in stores and purchasing online, and vice-versa. However, whichever way you look, mobile will still be the foundational building block and key driver in O2O retail. Half of the retail transactions in Southeast Asia are already taking place on mobile,” said Villani.

SMALL BUSINESS AS WE DO!

Part – IX

Financial Management

Cash flow management is the most challenging task for small businesses. Most of the time small businesses starts with small investments without much liquid money as back. Many hidden factors were not calculated in the initial plan and budgeting.  Small businesses also deal with similar small businesses or clientele and their cash flow issue also effects and this is kind of chain reaction. Poor resource management, inadequate sales and marketing efforts are also key factors behind cash flow issue.

To streamline cash flow below considerations are important;

1.       Budgeting

2.       Regular Profit and Loss analysis

3.       Efficient resource utilization

4.       Effective Sales and Marketing

In case of mismanaged cash flow following steps may help in managing cash flow.

1.       Expense cut

2.       Down sizing

3.       Increase in Price

4.       Short term loans

However, every step must be linked with business situation, sales forecasts and budgeting.

Most important of all is hiring a proper accountant and follow all accounting rules and processes.   Honestly speaking only two factors can make good stream of cash flow.

1.       Sales

2.       Profits

Strong, effective and realistic marketing strategy and result-oriented team to achieve sales targets is   important for business growth and at the same time pricing and payments terms must have detailed   consideration to cover all the costs, over-heads and enough profit margins that in case of any bad   times, organization should have cushion for back-up.

Without proper documentation, easy payment terms and leniency results in bad debts and hard to   receive from clients. This not only wasted lot of time but give further financial loss as resource   dedicated to receive also has cost.

Many small businesses follow pricing and other financial numbers as per market conditions or   market norms instead of their own calculations. This practice also resulted in less profits or no   profits. Every single business has its own circumstances and situations. This is right that one has to   follow market trends to compete in the market but considering own conditions is also mandatory to remain profitable and set adjustments accordingly. With proper budgeting, profit and loss calculations, sales targets achievements and resource utilization, this is not a big deal to remain and grow with reasonable profits.

Make Profits!

Writer, Shahid H. Qadri is Founder, CEO of PNTGlobal.com, small business dealing in IT enabled services since last eighteen years.

SMALL BUSINESS AS WE DO!

Part – VIII 

Project Management 

Project management does not apply only for companies giving services but this is equally applicable to other kind of organizations because Production or Trading can also be taken as short term or long-term kind of projects. These are activities to run business and to make money and these activities are linked with human resource and material resource and without a proper management, this is not possible to have smooth and efficient business flow that eventual grow. 

Standard procedures must be set-up and followed to run the business. Timely adjustments in the processes are must to keep moving. Reporting mechanism is important to see the results and to apply corrective measures whenever required. 

There are different kind of proven controls and processes available and applied without inventing the wheel again. 

Sprints, Scrums and use of White boards are some activities in use by almost all kind of companies to check and follow activities on daily basis with efficiency and less hassle. 

Efficient management need proper, clear Communication, documentation and reports. These are must. 

Every project has a start date and an end date. In between there are mile-stones and goals. Without making time-lines a part of commitment, this is unlikely that the organization will grow. This need clear understanding of scope of work. Jumping in to a task without understanding its nature and solution is most killing factor for an organization.  Pert Charts, Gantt Charts and use of proper project management tools help managing projects and without these project management may turn into a night mare.  

Engaging proper team for projects is the key behind successful projects. Proper hierarchy with clear understanding of roles and responsibilities are also very important and avoid misunderstanding and messing up of projects.  

This is always important to give enough time to plan project execution and get into pre-process activities before going to execute projects. Initial time spent in pre-processing can save lot of time, in case project get messed-up. 

Let’s Manage! 

Writer, Shahid H. Qadri is Founder, CEO of PNTGlobal.com, small business dealing in IT enabled services since last eighteen years.

SMALL BUSINESS AS WE DO!

Part - VII

Customer Relationship Management 

Sales and Marketing brings customers and clients and their satisfactions level decides the future of organization.  No organization can survive if there is without enough number of satisfactory clients. Quality of services and/or products is not the only factor required to satisfy clients. Pricing comparable with similar services and products available in market is also very important. However, the most important factor is communication. Availability to client is one of the most important factor. This allows the client to share his or her requirements or grievances and bring trust in the organization with a hope that he or she will get the proper product or solution from the organization.  

Strong touch-base with clients and proper follow-ups make it easy to build trust with clients. Be clear and honest with clients.  

Customer frequent feedback is very important not only to correct organizational weaknesses but to improve the quality of services and products. Instant feed backs as well as periodic touch base to get their opinion about your organization should not be ignored.  

Remember a satisfactory client act as the most effective marketing manager for your organization. Both positive and negative remarks of a client have long term effects in the market and hard to resist. Positive testimonials of satisfactory clients are like assets for any organization and construct a history that keep increasing the good well of the company.  

Similarly, negative remarks of clients become liability and need quick actions and corrective measures to get rid of this liability as soon as possible and listening and understanding the grievances of angry clients and giving positive solution to same may help converting the liability into an asset. This is not possible all the time because there are many internal and external factors to satisfy the client but attitude should always be to help and satisfy the client. 
Remain committed to your client for Cost-effective and Quality oriented efficient services
Let’s Care! 

Writer, Shahid H. Qadri is Founder, CEO of PNTGlobal.com, small business dealing in IT enabled services since last eighteen years.