(China dropshipper) Is Interim Management for You?

April 1st, 2010 admin Posted in retail |

By Antwan Richardson

Interim management isn’t the career for you if you don’t like challenge and change. But for those of us who love both, it brings a rich variety of enhancing and intensive experiences: exposure to different industries, products and processes, and a variety of organisational structures, and cultural styles and the opportunity to establish an outstanding “track record for delivery”, added to which interim managers love not having to go through rounds of appraisals only to be told that: “unfortunately budgets for salary increases are limited”.

Show Me The Money

In fact, performance can probably never be more directly linked to pay. Even new interim managers can raise their fees for the next assignment as much as they like - providing the market thinks they’re worth it. Enough said you might think, but operating through a limited company also reduces tax costs if more remuneration is taken through shareholder dividends. And don’t forget that the cost of IT, office furniture, consumables, some utilities, vehicle running costs, and indeed VAT, can be borne by the business.

No Such Thing As Job Security Even in a “Permanent” Role Whilst even the best executive interim managers can be hit hard by an economic downturn, arguably there’s no such thing as a “permanent” line management role any more. Anyway, even in downturns can’t interim managers just drop their fees to become more saleable? Well the truth is, it doesn’t always work that way. Nevertheless, many interims feel more (not less) secure, in the knowledge that their career has more longevity than the corporate alternative.

Interim Management Lifestyle - More Choice

It’s true that an interim management lifestyle means greater choice: flexibility between part-time or full-time work, working at home or on site, the frequency and duration of holidays. It also means that because of the objectivity that comes with not being a permanent employee, during assignments organisational politics are less of a grind.

Interim management also means that a great career doesn’t have to come at the expense of unsettling the family by relocating every three years or so. But it sometimes means working away from home perhaps for four or five nights over a long period, which isn’t easy for young families. And don’t forget to start pulling your weight around the home and talking to your spouse over dinner after spending nine months on your own in a hotel!

Yes executive interim managers have more flexibility to spend quality time and extended holidays with the family between assignments, but realistically it isn’t always spent on a beach somewhere. Between interim management assignments the role morphs into “Sales Director” and interims become relentless networkers. So if you’re not good at self-promotion or not keen to become good at it fast - give it some thought. And then there’s the tedious administration: paying bills, filling in VAT returns.

There is however a somewhat perverse upside to invoicing!

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Is No News Good News?

By Antwan Richardson

Not long ago, after consultations with others in an association I represent, I made a partnership pitch to another organization with similar interests. If the idea had been accepted, it would have radically changed our organizations.

So, you can imagine my impatience when I didn’t hear back from the person to whom I’d made the proposal. She had welcomed the idea, but a decision would be made by a council within her organization.

Given the importance of the decision to their organization, I didn’t expect a quick response. But, I would have liked at least a phone call saying the council had accepted, rejected, or was still considering the idea.

Then, I had a “Eureka” or maybe I should call it a “Whoops” moment. I realized I hadn’t reported back to the people in my organization either. That made me guilty of the same lapse of communication as the lady in the other organization. With that recognition, I made amends by sending out an email and followed up with a report at a meeting.

In taking an analytical view of this incident, I realized that nothing can be something when it comes to communication.

The idea that nothing can be something seems counter- intuitive. But, you may remember the famous Sherlock Holmes’ observation about the dog that didn’t bark (the fictitious detective solved a baffling case by noting what did not happen, rather than what did happen).

You can probably come up with several ideas about the importance of communicating, too, even though nothing has changed. That’s especially true if you’re the one who didn’t hear from someone else.

First, you may have made plans that assume either a change or a continuation of the status quo. Perhaps you’re holding off on holiday plans until the issue is resolved one way or the other.

Second, at least you know an anticipated decision or event hasn’t yet occurred, and that you didn’t miss something (for example, as I write this I’m waiting for a client to confirm some information and it would be nice to know that I haven’t missed a callback or an emailed reply).

Third, if you’ve received an update telling you nothing has happened, you don’t need to contact that person and ask if there have been any developments. Similarly, you can advise the people who look to you for information.

One other note: This might be a variation on what I call the Everybody Knows syndrome. That’s a decision not to communicate, based on the assumption that others know what I know. For example, I might not tell anyone the office will be closed between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day because I think everyone should know that, which is likely a bad assumption on my part.

In summary, if the issue is important, communicate frequently, even if nothing has happened. Something is nothing when you or others wait impatiently for news.

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Automate Your Hair

By Roberto Garabell

In pre-computer days, POS (Point Of Sale) systems used to be easy to buy. They were called cash registers. As the high-technology revolution that started in the late 1970s brought us ever faster and more capable computing and communications, POS systems modernized right alongside the PCs and iPods. Today there is a wide selection of systems - standalone devices, software you can run on generic or specially-built PCs, Web-based tools, etc. - and there are enough vendors in this business sector to produce specially-configured ones for restaurants, bookstores and other kinds of firms. Whether you plug in a pre-made solution or develop it yourself, you have a lots ways to automate your hair and nail salon with a POS.

Perhaps the most common way to get a POS system set up in a hair and nail salon, especially when time is a critical factor, is with an all-in-one solution. With this kind of prepackaged system you can handle all the credit card processing, electronic calculations, automated billing, inventory control and other daily activities with just a few clicks of a mouse. Many owners use these “salon systems” as they help simplify transactions, benefit from the speed and accuracy of barcode scanners when selling packaged items, and can be set up easily to produce various reports at the end of the day.

Easy does it

All-in-one salon POS systems begin with the hardware, typically a PC and often one that has all the drives, parts and ports encased in the monitor (or on the rear like a backpack). What makes it a functional POS system, of course, is the software. There are many salon POS systems available today but you should make your buying decision with the same amount of thinking and care as you would give to any other major purchase. In this case, you will want the flexibility to add/remove items, adjust prices or even schedule a future appointment - all while the customer is paying, and taking no extra time.

Making change (by the way, you can have a cash drawer connected and controlled by the POS system, or a standalone one) is not all your system will be doing for you, not even in just the area of transactions. A comprehensive system will also offer invoicing options, customer tracking and order history, while keeping customer checkouts fast and accurate. You will also want a system that is easy and intuitive to use, one that has been customized sufficiently to operate easily, even for people who are not computer-literate.

Price considerations

Cost is always a concern, as it should be, but the fortunate thing is that there are several firms making good POS systems specifically for salons. The competition has been good for product development and keeping prices down. A salon POS system that has multiple functions, first-rate components and customized/customizable software is just not that expensive, and the challenge is not finding a good deal, but finding the right combination of performance, price and potential personalization. Off the top, of course, data entry should be straightforward and convenient, the reporting features robust and expandable, and transactions simple to edit or cancel.

Salon POS systems can also be used to automate some of your most tedious business functions and protect your business from theft and inventory loss at the same time. With these functions in place, the bottles of conditioner the customer buys while paying for their haircut can be deducted from your inventory in the time it takes for their receipt to print. This integration with other business tasks is done in hair and nail salons, tanning spas, day spas and other businesses that sell products, perform service and also maintain appointment books for customer visits.

Don’t just automate, enhance

By buying and customizing the right salon POS system you will be able to conduct a lot of business-building functions that will let you offer improved customer service and client-friendly operations. You should consider what kind of barcode scanner you want with your salon POS system, as there are different types. The single line scanners need to be oriented in a particular way to work correctly, while omni-directional units can read the barcodes at any angle. In-counter scanners, of course, are omni-directional.

Using a salon POS system is pretty much a no-brainer. You can process credit card transactions, keep records and issue receipts on every sale, have an accurate appointment book, link to customer records, maintain accurate inventory, log employee hours as needed and customize the system to get exactly what you need from it. Naturally, you need to do a little homework to find out just where you will get the best hardware, software, personalized attention and advice - but once you find the right source for your salon POS system, you are on the verge of taking a truly giant step for your business.

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