Business

Surprising truth about what motivates us

This is a short but very insightful video on what drives and motivates people. Guess what, mostly NOT money. The animation is amazing. This video is by Daniel Pink, based on his book: Drive. See for yourself.

 

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Beyond Strategy

Beyond438 exists to translate the passion we have for solving business problems into profits for our clients. We do this in a thoughtful, “been-there-done-that,”  and “as-if-it-is-my-company” kind of way with our company principles guiding all our interactions.

We have a passion for business – for solving difficult business problems.

We have a passion for building world class companies – to grow beyond their current potential.

We have a passion for business leaders – to help them do the right thing in the jungle called the business world.

Our ultimate goal is to Wow! our clients and to take them to places where they’ve not been before. Places, such as, new revenue streams, South Africa and America.

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Best iPhone App ever – Consulting Rate Calculator

OK, I’m bias. I’m so excited about this that I’m giving away 2 $10 iTunes vouchers. See below.I spent most of my professional career calculating margins on consulting rates, including doing conversions between different currencies, calculating hourly, daily and monthly rates. Well, now I have a handy little iPhone App, called Consulting Rate Calculator that can do all this for me and more. Here is a screen shot:

Consulting Rate Calculator

Consulting Rate Calculator

There are 2 versions: A 2-buck version that you can find here, and a and a free or lite version that you can find here. Here is the description from the App Store: Consulting Rate Calculator enables you to quickly and easily calculate your hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rates and profit. The app offers an intuitive and simple interface with the ability to view, edit, save and email your rate sheets. Switch currencies with ease or updating any charge out rate or cost rate cell in the sheet to assist in determining the optimal rate structure for your next project.Key Features:>> Hourly, daily, weekly and monthly values all editable and visible in a single sheet.>> Multiple currencies with selectable base and comparable currencies (Limited currencies available in lite version).>> Exchange rates updated in realtime.>> Save rate sheets for later viewing/editing (Full version only).>> E-mail rate sheets in CSV format (Full version only).>> Configurable hours per day, week and month.Usage Examples:1. A consulting manager can save his/her team’s rates for quick lookup. Quickly lookup a consultant’s rate structure when getting a call at the airport for a specific position.2. The manager of a multinational consulting firm can enter the charge out rate in GBP and the cost rate in USD to review the profit of a US-based consultant working in the UK.The guys at Cobi Interactive in Cape Town, South Africa did an awesome job with these apps. They develop mobile apps for almost any mobile device, including: iPhone, iPad, Android, Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc. Post a comment and I’ll put you in touch with them.

Give-away

I have 2 iTunes $10 vouchers to give away. Here’s how it will work. Download the app, write a review on the AppStore and re-post that review in the comments below (including your email address as the contributor) and I will pick 2 random posts** and email you the $10 iTunes voucher.

iTunes giftcard

iTunes $10 giftcard

**Small print: I need at least 20 reviews to make the math work. I’m sure you’ll understand.
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It’s dangerous to walk on the pavement in America!

In a recent post I gave you some business words that have a different meaning in America. Below is a table with some common everyday words with different meanings. You can find many more in this blog: US2UK.

South African termAmerican equivalentExplanation
PetrolGasYou fill up at a gas station.
RobotTraffic lightTurn left at the second traffic light.
RoadPavementIn the US it is dangerous to walk on the pavement (in the road).
PavementSide walkUS equivalent is side walk
CrashCar wreckThe wreck on the 75 caused a traffic jam.
ManualStick shiftStick shift car.
License plateTagYou have to renew your car's tag every year.
BootTrunkI need to get something out of my car's trunk.
ChipsFriesHamburger and fries. Chips are called crisps.
CooldrinkSodaMy also be called pop in some US states.
Do you know of any other words or funny stories?

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Why you shouldn’t brag about your turnover!

Many South African businesspeople make the following common mistakes regarding US business English. I always enjoy seeing the reaction of Americans when a South African brags about their company’s turnover!

South African termAmerican equivalentExplanation
TurnoverRevenue or SalesTurnover in the US refers to employee attrition (not a good thing :-)).
SurnameLast nameFamily name
NameFirst nameIn the US most people have a middle name. So first name to distinguish from middle name.
LoanNoteA note is a loan agreement.
CA or AccountantCPACertified Public Accountant.
Managing Director (MD)CEO or PresidentBetter to refer to yourself as CEO if you are an MD in SA.
DirectorBoard MemberA director is usually a mid-level manager in the US.
Share SchemeShare PlanIn the US a scheme usually refers to something unsavory (even illegal).
RetrenchRIF (reduction in force) or Lay offLay offs are very common in the US as most states are work-at-wil states.
Diary (Schedule)CalendarIn the US a diary is a ladies' journal. You would typically say: "can we put something on the calendar".
PostMailIn the US: "I'll put the check in the mail".
Can you add to this list?

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Pingo – new way to make cheap calls via your iPhone to anywhere in the world

I’ve been using a great new service to make very inexpensive international calls from my iPhone. You can make calls from any phone. I’ve written about this before. Check this out. Pingo.com is the cheapest way to make international. A native iPhone app uses your iPhone contact database — very cool! Pingo EZ Dial also work on Andriod and Blackberry.pingoezdailYou can find all the rates here, e.g. 2cents p/m to call to UK landlines from the US.Do you know of another cheaper way to make international calls from your iPhone?

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