Xero has gone Gangbusters!

Online accounting software provider Xero has announced a $3.7 million loss for the six months to September, an improvement on its $4.7m loss in the same period last year.

The company says its operating revenue is up significantly to $7.9m, compared with $3.7m in the first half of 2010.

This was due to rapid customer acquisition, it said. Customer numbers more than doubled to 51,000 in the period.

More than 40 per cent of Xero's revenue now comes from offshore and it expects this to grow as the brand becomes established in large overseas markets, it told the NZX.

It has opened an office in San Francisco with key staff relocating there. It has also opened a second office in Canberra, with others planned for Sydney and the UK.

The New Zealand market remains its greatest source of revenue at $4.6m for the period, followed by Australia at $1.8m and the UK at $1.1m.

Xero continued to invest in product innovation, and in August it received a technology and development grant from the Ministry and Science and Innovation of $4m over three years.

The improvement in its revenue validated its ability to deliver a scalable SaaS (software as a service) business, Xero said. Large competitors such as Intuit, Sage and MYOB were still grappling with this, while smaller competitors lacked the scale.

MARIA SLADE www.stuff.co.nz 18/11/2011

Referendumb?

Don't know your MMP from your FPP? Here is the official word off the referendum NZ website, we hope it helps:

You will be asked two questions on the Referendum voting paper.

The first question asks whether you want to keep MMP (which is the voting system we use at the moment) or whether you want to change to another voting system.

The second question asks which of four other voting systems you would choose if New Zealand decides to change from MMP.

You can read a bit about MMP and each of the four alternative voting systems below or you can find detailed information by clicking on the links to the left side.

Read about each system below or you can find detailed information about MMP and the four alternative voting systems by clicking on the links above or the buttons to the left side.

THE MMP VOTING SYSTEM – MIXED MEMBER PROPORTIONAL

This is the system we currently use to elect our Parliament.

There are 120 Members of Parliament (MPs). There are 70 electorates, including the Maori electorates. Each elects one MP, called an Electorate MP. The other 50 MPs are elected from political party lists and are called List MPs.

Each voter gets two votes.

The first vote is for the political party the voter chooses. This is called the party voteand largely decides the total number of seats each political party gets in Parliament.

The second vote is to choose the MP the voter wants to represent the electorate they live in. This is called the electorate vote. The candidate who gets the most votes wins. They do not have to get more than half the votes.

Under current MMP rules, a political party that wins at least one electorate seat OR 5% of the party vote gets a share of the seats in Parliament that is about the same as its share of the party vote. For example, if a party gets 30% of the party vote it will get roughly 36 MPs in Parliament (being 30% of 120 seats). So if that party wins 20 electorate seats it will have 16 List MPs in addition to its 20 Electorate MPs.

Coalitions or agreements between political parties are usually needed before Governments can be formed.

THE FPP VOTING SYSTEM - FIRST PAST THE POST

There are 120 Members of Parliament. Each of the 120 electorates, including the Maori electorates, elects one MP.

Each voter has one vote to choose the MP they want to represent the electorate they live in. The candidate who gets the most votes wins. They do not have to get more than half the votes.

Large parties – and in particular the winning party – usually win a share of the seats in Parliament larger than their share of all the votes across the country. Smaller parties usually receive a smaller share of seats than their share of all the votes.

A government can usually be formed without the need for coalitions or agreements between parties.

THE PV VOTING SYSTEM - PREFERENTIAL VOTING

There are 120 Members of Parliament. Each of the 120 electorates, including the Maori electorates, elects one MP.

Each voter ranks the candidates – 1, 2, 3, etc – in the order they prefer them.

A candidate who gets more than half of all the first preference votes (that is votes marked “1”) wins.

If no candidate gets more than half the first preference votes, the candidate with the fewest number “1” votes is eliminated and their votes go to the candidates each voter ranked next.

This process is repeated until one candidate has more than half the votes.

Large parties – and in particular the winning party – usually win a share of the seats in Parliament larger than their nationwide share of the first preference votes. It is hard for smaller parties to win seats in Parliament, but votes for smaller party candidates may influence who wins the seat because of second, third, etc preferences.

A government can usually be formed without the need for coalitions or agreements between parties.

THE STV VOTING SYSTEM - SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTING

There are 120 Members of Parliament. Each electorate has more than one MP. This includes the Maori electorates. It is likely the 120 MPs would be divided between 24 and 30 electorates, each with 3 to 7 MPs.

Each voter has a single vote that is transferable. Voters either rank the individual candidates – 1, 2, 3, etc – in the order they prefer from all the candidates, OR they may vote for the order of preference published in advance by the political party of their choice.

MPs are elected by receiving a minimum number of votes. This is known as the quota and is based on the number of votes in each electorate and the number of MPs to be elected.

Candidates who reach the quota from first preference votes are elected.

If there are still electorate seats to fill after first preference votes are counted, a two-step process follows.

First, votes the elected candidates received beyond the quota are transferred to the candidates ranked next on those votes. Candidates who then reach the quota are elected.

Second, if there are still electorate seats to fill, the lowest polling candidate is eliminated and their votes are transferred to the unelected candidates ranked next on those votes.

This two-step process is repeated until all the seats are filled.

The number of MPs elected from each political party is about the same as the party’s share of all the first preference votes across the country.

Coalitions or agreements between political parties are usually needed before governments can be formed.

THE SM VOTING SYSTEM - SUPPLEMENTARY MEMBER

There are 120 Members of Parliament. There are 90 electorates, including the Maori electorates. Each elects one MP, called an Electorate MP. The other 30 seats are called supplementary seats. MPs are elected to these seats from political party lists published in advance and are likely to be called List MPs.

Each voter gets two votes.

The first vote is to choose the MP the voter wants to represent the electorate they live in. This is called the electorate vote. The candidate who gets the most votes wins. They do not have to get more than half the votes.

The second vote is for the political party the voter chooses. This is called the party vote. The share of the 30 supplementary seats each party gets is about the same as its share of the party vote.

For example, if a party gets 30% of the party vote, it will get about 9 List MPs in Parliament (being 30% of the 30 supplementary seats) no matter how many electorate seats it wins.

This makes SM different from MMP where a party’s share of all 120 seats mirrors its share of the party vote.

Under SM, one or other of the major parties would usually have enough seats to govern alone, but coalitions or agreements between parties may sometimes be needed.

Clear as mud right, still confused, view some clips online at referendum.org.nz that explains it sweet as! Good luck and don't forget to vote!

Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow is held at Easter every two years. The next show is from Friday the 6th to Sunday the 8th of April 2012. In addition, there are a wide variety of ground displays, aviation trade stands and market stalls, which complement the air displays and offer a wide selection of goods and memorabilia to purchase.

The air show includes formation flying, acrobatics, and displays of planes, helicopters and military vehicles.

Highlights of the 2010 show included:

• Four F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from the Royal Australian Airforce
• A rare Japanese A6M3 Zero, one of only three still flightworthy worldwide
• Jurgis Kairys, multiple-time world aerobatics champion
• "Wing-walking" display by German stunt-woman Peggy Krainz
• 40% scale model (3 metre wingspan) aircraft flight display
• Flight and parachute showcase by the Royal New Zealand Airforce

In total, over 60 aircraft attended Warbirds Over Wanaka 2010, performing in a range of scenarios designed to entertain and thrill, including wartime skirmish re-enactments just metres from the crowd.

The backdrop of the Wanaka hills makes a beautiful setting for this event. If you are in the region for Easter 2012, make it a "must do" activity.

Wanaka Girls Top in Business

A Mount Aspiring College all-girl business group was named top company at the Young Enterprise Scheme's southern regional awards in Invercargill this week.

Back Black Enterprise - comprised of year 13 pupils Elle Scurr (18), Abbi Ayre (18), Sina Schaal (19) and Ashley Campbell (17) - have sold thousands of their roll-on black and white face-paint sticks throughout New Zealand, capitalising on the popularity of the Rugby World Cup.

Back Black is one of 20 New Zealand secondary school companies to vie for the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme company of the year award at a national competition in Wellington on December 1.

The company is also the recipient of more than one excellence award, with which it will be presented at the December awards dinner.

Young Enterprise Trust spokeswoman Robin Borne said Back Black developed a "stand-out" product and demonstrated a "steadfast focus" on maximising sales by securing national distribution through major retailers.

"They've been very passionate about their goal and they've seen an opportunity and they've got very busy and active straight away at marketing and promoting ... " Ms Borne said.

By Lucy Ibbotson on Thu, 3 Nov 2011

Growing your business

The debate on whether the recession is on the way out continues, mainly it seems outside Hawkes Bay as local business owners are still not bullish about the future. Whatever the situation with the economy nationally, the time for sitting around waiting for the upturn has long since passed. We business owners have to learn how to cope with (and even thrive and grow during) extended recessionary periods as our future and prosperity is in our hands, and our hands alone – blaming others and this and that won’t help us in the slightest. So what are the keys things we can do to get on and take control of our businesses?

Set Goals. Having an attainable goal in life or business can be more important to success than almost anything that you do. Heard the saying that if you aim for nothing you’ll hit it with remarkable accuracy every time? Would you set out on a journey without knowing your destination?

Writing down your goals has been proven to be the best way to achieve success. At Harvard University in the US a survey discovered that in one particular class 3% of the students had written goals. 10 years later it was found that the net wealth of the 3% was greater than that of the other 97% combined.
It’s the difference between drifting and being reactive and taking control and making things happen. They say that millionaires look at their written goals every day but billionaires write down their goals three times a day.

What goals do you have? To retire early? To grow and sell your business? To have every Friday off? To live free of financial pressures? They’re all possible early if you set goals!

Planning. International research reveals that, on average, businesses with a working business plan achieve 63% higher revenue growth and 58% higher profit growth yet the average small businessperson spends more time planning their annual holidays than they do in their business.

Why did you go into business? More money? More time off? Be your own boss? Some people never attain their full potential in business, they just swop one job for another which often requires more hours and sometimes with less money! If you don’t plan & spend time looking at and working on your business you won’t maximise the potential and profits in your business.

The three questions you need ask yourself to plan are:

1. Where I am now?
2. Where would I like to be?
3. How am I going to get there?

Don’t just write a long business plan based on a borrowed boring template for its own sake – it will end up in the desk draw or gathering dust. My preferred business plan is one with short and succinct one pagers for each area of the business – operations, marketing, HR, management control and Key Perfomance Indicators, each with their objectives and accountability.

Accountability. What would make it easier for business owners to take action? More time, more resources, or more of a willingness to embrace change? One sure fire thing that works is accountability to another, which is something one gets when working for someone else. Unfortunately, when you start your own business, you lose the benefit of accountability – as you only have yourself to answer to.

Accountability has been defined as the obligation of an individual to account for his or her activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner.

There is nothing so motivating than knowing one is going to be embarrassed, be out on a limb or otherwise in trouble for not completing a task – business partners are good, spouses can be OK, even your older kids can turn out to be good sounding boards, but the most efficient accountability tools of all in a business scenario are Business Mentors or Coaches. This is because you are normally paying for their services and thus would be wasting your money if you didn’t do anything as a result, they are skilled in business and can therefore come up with ideas you didn’t have, they can immediately see things you can’t objectively, and importantly, they can help you see the bigger picture, set goals and help you reach them, getting you away from the day-to-day minutiae.

Written by: Nick Roberts | Posted on 28 October 2011.

Time Management

People that are self-employed often have a difficult time organizing their daily tasks, which is probably the single biggest thing that creates frustration and regrets for these professionals. That’s why it is important to talk a bit about time management and how to time management properly.

The work process is easily interrupted by unnecessary meetings, phone calls or other technological innovations, designed to ‘save’ you time. Even the highest-paid business owners or professionals experience difficulties in time management. Fortunately, all of this can be quickly eliminated, by following some very simple principles.

Here is a list of the six things that will influence your time management the most and enable you to quickly get your goals done, without any frustration or interruptions.

1. Go over your schedule
   What are you actually doing with your time? You should constantly be aware of what you are doing through your work day. Otherwise, it is easy to get sucked into tasks that do not matter and forgetting about time management. By being conscious of where you spend your time, you will quickly notice the times when you are being the most productive and the times where you seem to do things that do not matter and only dilute your work hours. You will also notice which the most important projects are and you will be able to spend the majority of your time on them.
2. Schedule your breaks
   Once you notice all the unnecessary things you do in order to distract yourself, simply schedule a time to do them in advance. By doing that you are creating ‘breaks’, which are necessary for you to replenish your energy and stay sharp. Also, notice when you are the most productive and when you do not really feel like working. For some people the mornings are the most suitable for work, for others it is evenings.
3. Check your email once per day
   For some people that is not possible, but for the majority of professionals spending a large amount of time checking and responding to mail is unnecessary. Set a time aside when you check and respond to mail and do not do it while you are working on other tasks. This will also reduce stress and anxiety that is often created by problem customers.
4. Focus on one thing at a time
   Most people cannot focus on what is actually important while they are talking on the phone or checking mail. Everyone who does that simply does not know how to time management effectively. Another common issue is trying to get two projects finished at the same time. The result is almost often the same – none of the projects get done.
5. Ignore what distracts you
   Do not be afraid to temporarily avoid or ignore colleagues or close your office door to avoid distractions. People will understand that you are busy, especially the ones that know how to time management themselves.
6. Give yourself rewards
   Getting anything done takes discipline and focus, no matter how good your schedule is. You should feel proud of yourself for completing the important tasks and being productive. Also, do not be hard on yourself if once in a while you slip up and you have an unproductive day – you’re only human and you cannot constantly think about time management. Most people underestimate the amount of commitment and hard work it requires to properly schedule your tasks and make an effective use of your time. However, in the long run it pays off.

If you do not learn to properly manage your time, the to-do tasks tend to pile up and you will quickly start feeling overwhelmed. This is especially true if you are dealing with tasks that do not ‘go away’ and which only you can complete.

Written by: Alex Wong | Posted on 21 October 2011.

NZ’s Southern Lakes named one of the world’s must-visit destinations for 2012

SOUTHERN LAKES, New Zealand (31 October, 2011) - Influential travel authority, Lonely Planet, has chosen New Zealand’s Southern Lakes region as one of the world’s Top 10 Regions to visit in 2012.
The Southern Lakes region of Queenstown, Lake Wanaka and Fiordland is the only New Zealand region to feature in the new book, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012 – the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year.

Queenstown and Southern Lakes is ranked eighth in the book’s list of Top 10 Regions for its year-round activities and spectacular scenery. An excerpt from the book reads, “There isn’t a bad time to turn up in the world’s top adventure playground. There’re nonstop outdoor activities year-round in the resort towns of Queenstown, Wanaka and Te Anau, as well as the surrounding mountains, lakes and parks… Where else can you ski in the morning and golf or water ski in the afternoon? Add excellent wineries and superb restaurants and what more is there to say?”

The Southern Lakes region is renowned as one of the most diverse and spectacular regions in the world, encompassing the tranquil beauty of Lake Wanaka, the international four-season resort of Queenstown and Fiordland’s dramatic landscapes, all surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

Lonely Planet New Zealand spokesperson Sarah Bennett said, “This news is hardly the shock of the century. Anyone who lives in or has visited the Queenstown region will back up this accolade. Words like breathtaking, jaw-dropping, exhilarating and stunning are grossly overused in the tourism industry but the Southern Lakes region has a right to them all.”

Tony Everitt, CEO of Destination Queenstown, said featuring in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012 would bring significant benefits for the region’s profile.
“To receive this kind of endorsement by Lonely Planet is priceless for Queenstown and the Southern Lakes as well as New Zealand,” he said. “Lonely Planet is a giant of the travel industry so making it onto their Top 10 must-visit regions for 2012 will give our region global recognition and provide inspiration for their readers to visit.”

Lisa Sadler, manager of Destination Fiordland, said the power of Lonely Planet could not be underestimated, “We are aware of the power of Lonely Planet in influencing the travelling community about where the best experiences are to be found, so the news that Fiordland has been acknowledged, along with our Southern Lakes neighbours as amongst the world’s top 10 leading regions is superb.”

Lake Wanaka Tourism general manager James Helmore said Lonely Planet communicates to a core audience that enjoys what the region has to offer. “With its diversity of activities, striking landforms and freedom to do your own thing in the ultimate alpine playground, Wanaka and the Southern Lakes is the perfect fit for the Lonely Planet reader. Appearing in Best in Travel 2012 will considerably enhance our profile and allow more international travellers to discover what everyone who lives here is so passionate about.”
Queenstown and the Southern Lakes shares the Top 10 Regions list with destinations such as Borneo, Sicily, Northern Kenya and Coastal Wales which tops the 2012 list.
Best in Travel’s recommendations are drawn from hundreds of ideas submitted by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors and community of travellers, bloggers and tweeters. Their suggestions are then refined by a panel of in-house travel experts, based on topicality, excitement, value and that special X-factor.

Posted by Jen Andrews 31st October 2011 QueenstownNZ.co.nz