Business and Money Tips

You wouldn't believe this: as much as 60% of small and medium enterprises are struggling to survive in Singapore when the economy is growing at 3% to 4% this year.  In fact not just SMEs some bigger companies (including MNCs) are also doing badly.  People often asked me: are there ways to turn around this? Companies that do well usually exhibit the following 6 attributes: They treat their staff well, not just in salaries but also in development and opportunities for growth They allow people space , i.e., they don't squeeze until the last drop of juice.  They make sure people work hard but are not workaholic They invest in marketing and sales , for they know that having the best products will not sell unless the selling and marketing are good They tapped into the expertise of outside vendors, like trainers and consultants.  They use their expertise often and multiply their intelligences multi-fold They are not in sunset industries (e.g. traditional printing) or in in

As a person that has gone through many formal (e.g. MBA) and informal training, I realize that very few teach us how to manage the business in a downturn. Turn open the newspaper and you'll find talks advocating "how to build a brand that lasts", "how to increase sales easily" etc. Most of them are talking about how to do things in a normal economy. But we know that currently the economy, especially Singapore, is in decline. There is no growth in the July to September 2013 Quarter. In short, hang cheng pai or 行情坏！ In bad times, here are the 5 things you must do to manage your team: Need not use money as a motivator - because everyone is cutting bonuses, if you just maintain last year's bonus, you're already paying higher than market!  Leadership is most critical . In good times, even if you have a lousy or absent leader, the business will still grow. But now if your managers are a little ineffective, you can see all the ill effects in the business.