Reports this week from the legal judgment on the failure of South Canterbury Finance (SCF) show how a big company that arose out of a small family business failed in part because the systems and processes in place didn’t work for a large financial company.
Brian Gaynor writing in the New Zealand Herald calls it “Hard lesson in how not to run a company”
A few weeks ago I wrote about how to manage electronic information on all the different devices we use in our business.
So I was really interested to read at the weekend a similar article in the Dominion Post about how to use Apple’s iCloud service to make our digital life easier.
Although this article was written along the same lines as mine, it focused on Apple devices and iCloud. Interesting reading and the message is the same. The “cloud” in whatever flavour (Apple, Android etc) can help you manage your electronic information and simplify your electronic business life.
Try it. It will be worthwhile. Remember to put some structure into your cloud storage so you can find the information you’re looking for when you need it. You can do that when you download our eWorkbook that gives you a full set of instructions on how to set up a filing system for your business.
It’s a good idea to get started now so you are ahead of the game in the new financial year.
If you can’t access the Dominion Post article though the link – contact me and I’ll send you a copy.
After many years of working with corporate and government organisations to organise their information resources so they are easy for staff to find and use, I’ve more recently turned to working with SMEs to assist them with organising their offices so that they can find the information they need when they need it.
When I started my business 10 years ago, the only advice I got was from my accountant who told me I needed to keep my financial records for seven years. Nothing about how to keep them, what else I needed to keep (eg staff files) or how long I needed to keep them (apart from the financials!).
Two years ago I did some research and found that the situation for SMEs was much the same as it was 10 years ago.
So I created this business stream and now I specialise in working with individuals and small groups of people so they can get their email inbox under control, organise their electronic documents and sort out those piles of papers lying around the office.
Up till now I’ve been delivering this service personally and with one or two other specialists who I have contracted when I’ve needed them. This approach is no longer sustainable unless I bring other people into the business.
It seems to me I have three options to grow my business and to give me an exit strategy.
I’m interested in your views on the options I’ve set out – are these viable? What other options could I consider? Please do let me know your thoughts.