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Deloitte just published a large-scale survey of Millennial employees (and 1,844 Gen-Z workers) that revealed critical gaps in skill development.
In the study, respondents listed job skills they felt were essential and how well they felt their employer fared in helping them develop those skills. Here's where the four biggest gaps are, and how to start closing them: 1. Interpersonal skills 2. Confidence and motivation 3. Critical thinking 4. Innovation and creativity So help close these skill gaps and maybe you'll stop-gap the outflow of young talent. Source: Inc.com Raising fund? Pitching? Listen to what she has to say ...
If you want your business to work smarter and faster, cloud accounting software is a wise investment. Working in the cloud will give you a better overview of your finances, and improve collaboration with your team.
Accounting software shouldn’t be a chore to use Small business accounting software that’s not available via the cloud can be tedious. Traditionally, it can suck up far too much of your business’ time and effort. This doesn't add value, and takes the fun out of being in business. Cloud software can save your business time and money. So what is this thing called the cloud? Think about when you use internet banking. Every time you access this data, you’re using the cloud. The cloud is a platform to make data and software accessible online anytime, anywhere, from any device. Your hard drive is no longer the central hub. Problems with traditional accounting software The data in the system isn’t up-to-date and neither is the software It only works on one computer and data bounces from place to place. For example, on a USB drive. This is not secure or reliable. Only one person has user access. Key people can't access financial and customer details. It's costly and complicated to keep backups (if done at all). It's expensive, difficult and time-consuming to upgrade the software. Customer support is expensive and slow. Why the cloud and accounting software are the perfect match You can use cloud-based software from any device with an internet connection. Online accounting means small business owners stay connected to their data and their accountants. The software can integrate with a whole ecosystem of add-ons. It’s scalable, cost-effective and easy to use. In the cloud, there’s no need to install and run applications over a desktop computer. In the cloud, there’s no need to install and run applications over a desktop computer. Instead, you pay for the software by monthly subscription. Cloud security is world class As a small business owner, you might be concerned about a cloud service provider storing your data. But the cloud is one of the most secure ways to store information. For example, using cloud software, if your laptop is stolen, no one can access your data unless they have a login to the online account. With cloud software, this is where the data lives – as opposed to on your hard drive. In the event of a natural disaster or fire, being in the cloud means business productivity doesn’t need to be affected because there’s no downtime. All of your information is safely and securely stored off site. As long as you have access to any computer or mobile device connected to the internet, you’re back up and running. In addition to this, if you invite users to view your data, you can control the level of access. This is much more secure than the old-fashioned way of emailing your files or sending out a USB stick with your data on it. Cloud-based software companies ensure that the security and privacy of data about you and your organization is always airtight. If you use online banking, then you’re already primed to use cloud accounting. Five ways cloud software benefits your business 1. You have a clear overview of your current financial position, in real-time. 2. Multi-user access makes it easy to collaborate online with your team and advisors. 3. Worry-free maintenance means you can spend more time doing what you love. 4. Everything is run online, so there’s nothing to install and everything is backed up automatically. Updates are free and instantly available. 5. Upfront business costs are reduced – version upgrades, maintenance, system administration costs and server failures are no longer issues. Instead, they are managed by the cloud service provider. Work smarter with accessible data in the cloud The beauty of this software is the flexibility it gives you to run your business from work, home, or on the go. You can be confident that you have an up-to-date picture of how your business is doing, no matter where you are. Software updates can be developed and delivered faster and more easily in the cloud. This means you don’t need to worry about installing the latest version and you’ll get access to new features instantly. With cloud accounting software, you have the option to run your business remotely, from anywhere in the world. When data is fluid and accessible, the possibilities are endless. Reproduced from: Xero Small Business Guides China’s biggest e-commerce company is going public. With a valuation that could reach USD200 billion, Alibaba could be the second-largest Internet company in the world, behind only Google. The man behind Alibaba is Jack Ma, a former English teacher.
There are many management and entrepreneurial lessons to be learned from Jack Ma. Check out this interesting article: Billionaire Jack Ma teaches you how to be successful in life and business. The journey of Jack Ma in Alibaba can be viewed in this movie (full movie coming soon): Crocodile in the Yangtze. Here is Jack Ma, who delivered the closing keynote address "China 2.0: Transforming Media and Commerce", hosted by the Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, on 30 September 2011. Why do people feel so miserable and disengaged at work? Because today's businesses are increasingly and dizzyingly complex. Traditional pillars of management are obsolete. “The real battle is not against competitors. This is rubbish, very abstract. When do we meet competitors to fight them? The real battle is against ourselves, against our bureaucracy, our complicatedness.” “Now, in front of the new complexity of business, the only solution is not drawing boxes with reporting lines. It is basically the interplay. How the paths work together. The connections, the interactions, the synapses. It is not the skeleton of boxes, it is the nervous system of adaptiveness and intelligence. You know, you could call it cooperation, basically. Whenever people cooperate, they use less resources.” The key is collaboration. We should not put employees into boxes, who tend to protect their own turfs. Collaboration is essential in business management. The 6 rules to simplify are: 1. Understand what your people do 2. Reinforce integrators 3. Increase total quantity of power 4. Extend the shadow of the future 5. Increase reciprocity 6. Reward those who co-operate "Blame is not for failure, it is for failing to help or ask for help" Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO Lego Group. Watch this refreshing and engaging TED video by Yves Morieux to learn more: It is not what you say that counts, it is how you say it. So, be creative and think outside the box. It can really make a huge difference in business and in life. This short video cleverly sums it up. The use of animation (or cartoon) can be a powerful and effective mean of communication. It is fun, interesting and attention-catching compared to old-fashion writing. A simple animation about HTC Evo vs iPhone 4 has gone viral with more than 15 million views. Give it a try - use animation to promote your business, create a movement or simply spread a message.
You can use any of the user-friendly cloud-based animation software such as Go Animate and Xtranormal. Basic features are free. Just log in and be creative. I created this simple animation in less than 2 minutes: If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status. Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface - Sir Ken Robinson |
