What would you do?

A recent article in the Otago Daily Times told how a survey conducted by the Lotteries Commission showed that only 4% of winners chose to retire while 66% stayed in their same jobs!

The following day a report in the New Zealand Herald claimed that 60% of Kiwis hate their jobs or could care less about their work as long as they got a pay cheque....ouch!

My question is how many people who hate their jobs are buying Lotto tickets? These possible glass-half-fullers don't imagine they could win?

How many of the 40% of people that are loving their jobs, are not so stoked to be working with the folks who don't wanna be there?

Are the folks that won filling jobs that someone else could have when they could be off seeing the world or volunteering?

Why aren't we as a nation seeking job satisfaction? Food for thought!

What we could learn from Air New Zealand

As a company that likes innovation, smart new ideas and customer care we would like to draw your attention to our trusty airline, Air New Zealand. It would be fair to say that this company encapsulates all that it means to be a bloomin' great Kiwi company. Let's take a look and see what we can learn and apply to our business!

Rob Fife

Rob has proven himself to be an incredible leader. He has nursed Air New Zealand through some tragic times with grace, true professionalism and he has become the genuine human face of the company. He gets amongst the people, speaks so well and is savvy businessman with an impressive CV.

Leadership is everything; culture, tone and execution filters from the top down in a company. Worth taking a look at who is holding the reigns huh?

Rico - Beating Off the Track

Oh boy, have you met Rico yet? This cheeky little chap has become the airlines unlikely ambassador. Created with help from The Jim Henson Company, Rico's tongue-in-cheek naughtiness has met mixed reviews. Take a look here.

This seems very Kiwi to me, pushing the boundaries and definitely doing what no-one else is doing. It is also about playing to your strengths and using what you have. Take one aspect of the company brand or personality and use it in a concentrated form?

Cuddle Class

Now this has never been done before and shows true innovation. Air NZ introduced Cuddle Class in 2010 and it has been a clever way to improve economy seat section instead of the common investment in improving business and first class. Basically if there are two of you, you can purchase the third seat at reduced cost. The seats fold out to create a couch, perfect spooning arrangement for the long haul flights!

Look for areas in your business that are not the most obvious places for improvement. Look for opportunities that nobody else has seen, then stand out from the crowd.

Paperless check in

The paperless check out counters are awesome. This makes the process of checking in, dropping bags, changing seats, all so easy. No more forgetting tickets! There are friendly staff there ready to help you. There is even a nice little iphone app, that will hold your boarding pass ready to scan, brilliant!

Look for ways that technology can streamline your business, but be there to help!

Safety message

There have been two exceptional safety messages delivered from Air New Zealand. Currently the clip features the All Blacks, loads of rugby puns and ties in the fans and the national culture and love for the sport in a very big rugby year. This is so well done, even the AB's seem relatively comfortable with the acting. And the other is the naked "Bare Essentials of Safety" a nudey vid where all the staff are have their uniforms in body paint.

Consider what people care about and tap into it. If you can identify something that means a lot to people, use it as a tool to communicate in a meaningful way, your message will have more likelihood of landing.

Delivery

The stewards and stewardesses are dressed in Trelisse Cooper, they look great and the service is superb. They have on-board ovens so they can serve pizzas, burgers and eggs how you like them mid flight. Great snacks, entertainment and staff makes almost every aspect of this company stunning.

Every little part of your business must measure up to create the entire experience for your clients, how the phone is answered, what staff wear and even the cleanliness of the foyer. It's all important!

Air New Zealand are a fun business to watch, they have our national identity embedded beautifully in their culture, marketing and delivery. A tip of the hat to you Air NZ!

What's Up Duck?

Here is a wee list of the deductibility of entertainment expenses. Worth keeping in mind as you wine and dine out there!

Entertainment Expenses: 50% DEDUCTIBLE
Friday night drinks for team members or clients in the office
Friday night drinks for team members or clients in the pub
Hire of a launch to entertain clients
Restaurants providing food and drinks to team members at a social function in their restaurant
Sponsoring local sports teams and receiving tickets to their corporate box in return 50% of the value of the tickets would be deducted from the total sponsorship
Sponsoring a sports team by providing a meal for the team at their grounds after each game
Staff Christmas party on or off the business premises
Taking a client out to dinner while you are out of town on business in New Zealand
Taking a client out to dinner

Entertainment Expenses: 100% DEDUCTIBLE
Dinner for Sales Rep while out of town selling and no client present
Donating food to a Christmas party in a children’s hospital
Employee's salary package includes a taxable allowance for entertaining clients
Golf club subscription for business owner paid by the Company
Gym membership for team member paid by employer
Providing a meal for a journalist while reviewing your business for their column
Providing morning and afternoon tea for your team
Sandwiches provided at a lunchtime meeting of supervisors
Sponsoring a local sports team
Taking a client out to dinner while you are out of town on business outside New Zealand

We hope this comes in handy, enjoy!

Our packages

We have given our pricing system a little overhaul so that we can tailor make your accounting package to you and your business needs. We have wrapped it all up into a neat monthly fee option so that you will know what your package includes and what you will pay. We hope the new design helps business owners to manage cash flow and to drive their businesses forward.

You would have already heard us talk about Crunch. Crunch is our on online accounting system where you hold the reins. It is an easy way to get your end of year accounts or tax return completed online. You can log on to generate your own up front quote, pay securely online with your credit card, supply us with your information and we get your accounts back to you within 10 working days. It really is that simple. Check out www.icrunch.co.nz

Our Cruise package is simple. It's designed to be a basic package with a minimum monthly cost. This service offers basis accounting compliance and preparation of financial accounts and tax returns. The Cruise makes sure you are all up to date with the tax man but this package has no business advice component and is designed to be simple and easy. Read more more about Cruising here.

Now if you are ready to see your business grow, then a Boost package is the one for you. Our aim is to give you the tools to drive your business to the next level. With bench mark reports and tax planning we look to strengthen your bottom line and give your business a clear direction and pathway. Read more about the Boost package here.

Crank is where we can really take your business to the next level. This hands on role makes us available to you as a virtual chief financial officer. We strategically identify areas of growth in your business, set goals and plan aggressive activity to achieve them. To Crank your business read more here.

If you have any question or want to talk to us about designing the right service package for you and you business please drop us a line or give us a call on 03 443 4417

Free Business Recovery Advice 03 443 4417

Here in Wanaka Findlay and Co Chartered Accountants are banding together with other lawyers and insurance advisers in our area to offer free advice to business owners who need help to get back on their feet.

HOW
We have set up a phone line that you can call to discuss any aspect of your business that you need help with. There is no charge for this and we are happy to work with your existing professional team of lawyers and accountants to keep things running and get you the right information.

WHAT
We can provide you with advice about what the government is doing to help, how to handle the insurance claims, manage HR side of your business and help with cash flow and planning.

THINGS
We also have available resources here for you. This may mean a physical space, technology and staff to help you. We will help you find the things you need.

WHERE
We can help to find you billet type accommodation should you need to come to Wanaka for a few days to sort things out. We will also make trips to Christchurch to sit down with you and help you make the steps to recovery, just call to set up a time.

WHY
We want to help and the most useful thing we have to give is advice. Please touch base if we can be of any assistance; if it is not our area we will find you the people you need to help you. Please be assured we will work with your professional advisors to get you back on your feet.

Our thoughts are with you Christchurch.

Call 03 443 4417

Six Smart Cookies

Six smart NZ men make up the brains behind Pacific Fibre, a start-up looking to lay submarine fibre-optic cable to link New Zealand, Australia and the US (where about 85% of the internet data New Zealanders consume originates from).

A high calibre team made up of Rod Drury (Xero CEO), Stephen Tindall (The Warehouse), Sam Morgan (Trade Me founder), Lance Wiggs (tech entrepreneur), Mark Rushworth (ex Vodafone smarty) and John Humphrey (networks expert) have put their heads together and their money where their mouth is on this HUGE project.

The idea born through seeking the actual end result; fast internet with better data capabilities and capacity.The project kicked off following a meeting with the government imploring them to invest in the technology and insisting the investment would be sure to make a return. To which David Cuncliffe, the former technology minister stated "if the numbers stack up, why don't you do it your self". So they started to check it out....and Pacific Fibre was born.

So here is what they say they are going to do:

We propose to run a most-direct cable from Australia and New Zealand to the USA, delivering lower latency which will provide significant competitive advantage for financial services sector and better browsing experience for all. It will enable easy connectivity to the Pacific network by providing access at major CBD POPs for customers, eg. Sydney, Auckland, Wellington, Los Angeles.

So all eyes are on the boys as this pala comes to fruition, it is an almighty dream and one we will be watching closely. A tip of the hat to you all!

RSS?

Have you heard the term RSS bandied about and wondered what the heck? It's a simple little tool that isn't as complicated or techy as it sounds. RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or sometimes Really Simple Syndication.

In basic terms it is an update feed of the latest content on a website or blog. Essentially it saves you having to check back in on your favourite news sites or blogs as new content is sent to you without having to sign up for a newsletter. It's is easy to subscribe and you usually just have to push a little orange button like this one and follow the steps. Here you can practice with ours, bottom right hand panel. This way when we publish a new blog, you'll be first in best dressed!