The Ebb and Flow of Business

Nov 10, 2020

Over the years, as both a legal professional, as well as an entrepreneur, I have both seen and experienced the ebb and flow of business. In South Africa, life has not been easy for many people.   It, therefore, follows – what lessons can we share about how to survive an ebb and get back […]

Over the years, as both a legal professional, as well as an entrepreneur, I have both seen and experienced the ebb and flow of business. In South Africa, life has not been easy for many people.

 

It, therefore, follows – what lessons can we share about how to survive an ebb and get back into the flow. Foremost, I believe, building a resilient and successful business is a journey – not a destination.

 

Be consistent

Ensure that strategies are clear and implemented with consistent effort input. Keep your team motivated and connected. It is all about positive and healthy relationships.

 

Focus on cash flow – cash is king

Very important to identify any clients that are not paying their bills on time. Deal with the collection swiftly (if possible without having to involve an attorney) and then place the underlaying cause through an exercise of customer care and debt mediation.  It is crucial to ensure that you have the correct type of legal support in this process. You would need to distinguish between clients from which you must collect using the legal process and which ones you would alienate and achieve the opposite. The balance is very delicate and requires a mindful approach.

 

Keep an eye on expenses

Ensure that you have a budget in place and ensure that you negotiate key contracts mutually beneficially. Ensure that the shoe fits the foot – in other words, ensure that your binding contracts like lease agreements and supplier contracts are in place and are negotiated with the view of engaging mutually reasonably.

 

Focus on your Clients and Key Stakeholders – always

Truly being customer and network-centric is often the difference between good and great companies that withstand the ebb and flow. So, customer care and constructively dealing with complaints should be at the centre of all growth strategies. Again ensuring that contracts, systems and processes align to deliver on the promises to clients are vital.

 

In a nutshell, it is essential not to be swayed by the ebb and flow. To be robust, consistent and to ensure that whatever you promise you to deliver. Promises must be followed through on authentically.

author avatar
Nicolene
Share via:

You might
also like…

Taking the Magic of Christmas and Beach Sparkle into Your New Year

Taking the Magic of Christmas and Beach Sparkle into Your New Year

For me, a December holiday means a lot of sun, reading and beach time. So that is exactly what we enjoyed as a family. There is a sense of magic to it, the heat, the feeling of it on your skin and the sparkle you see on the grains of sand and in the water. It really is just magical. The problem is returning to the reality of the day-to-day. For most of us, this is difficult as we desperately try to hold onto that sense of peace and magic. But at some point, we need to return fully, and the experience of that is often one of sadness and a sense of loss. We leave something that we feel speaks to our soul behind. But I don’t think we should see it that way. We should fight with conviction to hold onto that magic.

Often, the more profound and fundamental issue is that we actually do not trust ourselves to make the changes required to fulfil these aspirations and bring that magic into the day-to-day. At its core, personal trust is about credibility. Without it, relationships falter, communication breaks down, and opportunities diminish. In a world where relationships drive success—both personally and professionally—trust is the currency of influence, collaboration, and fulfilment.  

The Art of Bonsai and the Growth of Business: Parallels in Patience, Precision, and Persistence

The Art of Bonsai and the Growth of Business: Parallels in Patience, Precision, and Persistence

Bonsai is more than just a small tree in a pot; it is a centuries-old Japanese art form that represents balance, harmony, and control over nature through careful nurturing. At its heart, bonsai is about shaping, sculpting, and guiding a living organism to reach its fullest potential, but this can only be done with immense patience, foresight, and careful attention to detail.
In many ways, growing and managing a business mirrors the process of cultivating a bonsai tree. Both require strategic thinking, adaptability, and a long-term vision. In this blog, we’ll explore the fascinating parallels between the art of bonsai and the world of business and how lessons from one can enrich the other.