While the rest of the world aims at 24/7 service excellence, our beloved Eskom has trumped everyone with their unique approach: 7/24 electricity delivery.
It’s not just the electricity supply to your office that is effected. A whole slab of business-critical infrastructure is also effected – the telephone system, the cell phone system, the internet access system, the traffic system, and with the strikes – even the government system (although much of that works better now that nobody is working),…
In fact, systems we small business owners rely on to earn enough money to pay our staff (who have more rights than our children), and the banks (who have financed our business efforts by taking custody of our homes, savings, everything else we used to possess before we fell into business ownership a little like a baby failing out of Mommy.)
Of course, if we neglect to pay for this service our suppliers are neglecting to provide, we close our doors with some brown stuff staining our financial records. Which makes it kinda tough to feed the kids.
Bottom line, it is TOUGH trying to earn a living in such a hostile environment. And the Warriors are deeply concerned.
I thought some truly Natal advice might be in order? There is a semi serious joke in the scubadiving fraternity about what to do when you see a large shark. You don’t have to swim at 200 knots. Nor do you need to race on water. You simply need to swim a little faster than your (about to be ex-) buddy!
It’s much the same in the small business world. Forget excellence for the moment. It costs too much to chase when your infrastructure cannot support it. And forget being the best in your field. For now, concentrate on being better than today’s competitors. (They’re even more hacked off than you are!)
Most of our stress comes from a feeling of helplessness – the feeling that it is out of our control. It is. But, you can control your own micro-environment by installing one of those generators that Eskom is recommending. (Warriors in the generator business are doing sterling work replacing Eskom in vast swathes of the country.)
Take a step back. Re-look at what needs to be done – which is usually not particularly aligned with what you’re used to doing.
And re-look at your market. If you’re struggling, so are they. When last did you get such a wonderfully clear invitation to reconsider the international market – especially since the Internet allows such a cost-effective way to reach it?
It looks like a long winter?