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Pain Points – Part 2
Part 1 covered the top eight ‘pain points’ (as ranked by SMEs in MYOB’s Business Monitor).
Here are the lower eight, again with my comments.
9. Doing monthly accounts including tax
I hate bookkeeping so much, I put all my papers in a box and spend one agonising day per quarter sorting them out.
I like words, not numbers!
10. [...]
Pain Points
Part 1 of 2
Megan told me about MYOB’s quarterly Business Monitor.
I’d not heard of it, but when she mentioned ‘pain points’ I wanted in.
Below is the latest ‘league table’ of 16 top business hurts.
1165 SMEs have ranked them from AAARGHHH!!! to meh…
I’ve added my thoughts on 2009-10. I hope you will too.
1. Marketing to get [...]
Cold Hard Fax
Dirty Fax
My print/scan/copy/fax unit has been insulting me.
First it said my black toner was ‘old’ (after all I did for it).
Now it says my yellow printhead ‘isn’t there’ (though it is).
What it really means is the printhead needs replacing (thank you Sonia).
Like the magenta one last year.
Are black and cyan next?
Seems I need a new [...]
The Money or The Box? Part 2
Read Part 1
Day 8
After a week, my fax, printer, photocopier and scanner were still down. As was my enthusiasm for online discount shopping.
No courier. No toner. Three phone conversations. Frustration.
I rang the customer service chap one more time. He promised to call back, but sent an email instead:
Im not sure how this hasent been delivered [...]
The Money or The Box?
Part 1 of 2
My toner ran out last week. This took down my fax, printer, photocopier and scanner.
A price check showed my usual bricks-and-mortar supplier was 25% off the pace.
Keen to save some loot and trusting a 1-3 day delivery promise, I bought online.
Big mistake.
Day 1, 2 & 3
I faithfully attended Empire House every day [...]
A Great Gift
At Christmas, my wife* gave me an amazing gift. The beautiful, rust-proof aluminium name plate you see in the photo. I loved it the moment I unwrapped it.
This plate has since proven its worth beyond anything we imagined. Here’s how.
Postie
Within days of the plate going up, our postie (mail delivery officer) accosted me from [...]
Kitchen Bitchin
I believe it’s beyond the power of humans to maintain communal kitchens. In every workplace and share house I’ve occupied, visited or heard about, there have been tea room or kitchen dramas:
One poor, abused soul does all the cleaning.
Emails fly about brown, furry things in the fridge.
People tip half-full mugs in the just-run dishwasher.
The cutlery [...]
Teabags, Toilet Paper & Tax
Over the years, I’ve peppered my accountant with (mostly outrageous) questions about what I can legally claim against my business income to minimise my tax. My learnings are summarised below.
With any luck, you’ll spot something you haven’t considered. Even better, you’ll table things I’ve missed. If we all contribute, we’ll create a comprehensive list [...]
Coming to Terms
When I founded the Empire, payment terms gave me more grief than my quest for clients. It was only my mentors’ patient advice that helped me resolve this angst and realise the world of business isn’t always fair. In these present interesting times, however, one client has pierced my cocoon of tranquillity. Should I lower [...]
