Should you do customer service? Not just recommended, but essential!
Sep 3 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
I’ve done so many different customer service jobs from when I started working. It’s been quite a whiz… but I think it’s much better to learn to work with people who are customers. So here’s the list:
- 1. part-time waiter
- 2. bookshop assistant
- 3. English Teacher
- 4. Boss of a business
- 5. Sales Consultant
- 6. Technical Consultant
Many of these jobs came about because I already some basic skills in working with people… so now I recommend all young people to spend at least some time working in a customer-fronted job where they can learn to interact comfortably, honestly and responsibly with customers, potential and real.
With many developed countries becoming increasingly people/service focused in the future, at least in terms of customer performance, most of the future job growth will depend on such skills. And not having such skills will put talented individuals at a distinct disadvantage in competitive terms for jobs, promotions, pay raises, and much more…
How do you screen employment candidates?
Jul 14 at 6:06pm by ObverseView
Our school recently tried to hire teachers for the summer, and we were met by a woeful array of candidates: the lady who smoked and was late, the ex-pilot who didn’t know what to do in the class, the top university candidate who assumed he was automatically qualified, the lady who wanted everything upfront without adequate training (or any), the person who was so impatient to get on with the job that he forgot about the learning curve needed … the list goes on and on.
If it’s difficult for workers, think about the employment screening issues that face most small companies like ours, where the right candidate can really make the company, and the wrong one can destroy it.
The reality is that finding suitable staff is a huge nightmare for us, one that requires a large output of effort to get a large failure rate of candidates, so we resort often to less formal means than advertising our position such as word of mouth, ads on our website, etc..
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Business Disasters: Environmental Abuse = Victim Abuse
Jun 23 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
Patients from Asbestos exposure looking for adequate Mesothelioma treatment, Victims from Bhopal looking for burns treatments, … the litany of environmental abuses go on and on. Wouldn’t it be just great if one day, we could speed up the resolution for these disasters so that victims are compensated faster. They’ll be able to get treatment, rebuild their lives, perhaps even just look after their loved ones!
Who knows how long those affected by the BP disaster will have to face before compensation allows them to pick up their lives again…? I just wish that the whole process of adjudication came more quickly for those who are unfortunate enough to be affected. What can we do?
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Vitamins = Kaching
May 29 at 8:08pm by ObverseView
All sorts of weird and wonderful vitamin pills are emerging some with very ‘clever’ marketing ploys. I’ve already looked at several on the market. Now, we’re seeing even an organic prenatal vitamin for expectant mothers… (and the fathers?).
Soon, I’ll expect to see organic 100% natural elementary school vitamin solutions for students who can’t study or watch too much TV… What about organic vitamins for truck drivers, nurses, or police officers all who have special working environments… think about it? A huge brand extensions… and $$$$
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Tips on Management: Make ’Em Toe the Line (if They Can Find It)
May 21 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
What have you learned to do less of? More of?
Easy. I have learned to listen to the people who work for me and talk a lot less. Just sit there and listen, with my fingers steepled, as they speak their minds. And keep listening as they run out of things to say and just begin talking to fill the silence. In the end, this will allow you to win the dispute as the other person defeats himself, which, in the end, is the only winning that matters.
Funny reading.
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My Own Building? Is it possible?
Apr 30 at 11:11pm by ObverseView
One of my personal dreams in Taiwan is to own a four to twelve storey building so I can rent out the lower floors and live on the upper floors without any neighbors above me.
You’ve already read the Flatulant Neighbor story… right? Well, anyway this idea has a lot of benefits:
- 1st floor: rent to a bank or post office on a bi-annual lease
- 2nd floor: rent to a larger language school (ours?)
- 3rd floor: rent as offices to companies needing floor space only
- 4th floor: my own personal floor!
- 5-7th floors: our living space(s); and
- 8th floor: a top floor roof garden with shaded areas, a vegetable patch, decent garden lights, and a space for entertaining or having dinner.
I don’t know exactly how I would be able to do this in Zhuwei as the buildings here are all either VERY big or VERY old or VERY small. And it would cost hundreds of millions more than I have in the bank. But it’s a nice idea.
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Starbucks Coffee Company: Overview
Apr 21 at 1:01am by ObverseView
I just posted an overview of this company at my coffee site, it’s too long to repeat here. Let me know what you think, if you decide to check out the story. It makes an interesting investing story, but I wonder how the company will face the challenges I outline in the article.
Starbucks Coffee Company: Past, Present and Future
Starbucks Coffee Company Today
Starbucks Coffee Company is the largest coffee company in the world with 16,635 stores in 49 countries, 11,068 of them in the United States.
They maintain a presence in more than 55 countries worldwide, with a variety of types of stores operating from small outlets to large scale premises in prestige locations. (Click to read the rest)
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Eye Wear Store Sells Us Ad Space, too
Mar 19 at 1:01am by ObverseView
If you look at the poster in our street advertising our business, you’ll notice that it is actually on the building of store that sells eye wear. We actually found that place because of the eye wear store, and we rented the sign.
It’s odd, because afterwards, I had my glasses all repaired and replaced at that self-same store afterwards. I lost my driving glass in Penghu … probably left them in the car rental; and needed to replace them. My second pair needed replacement lenses after my eyes had deteriorated a little since I bought them. And my third pair had scratched lenses.
I do recommend that you don’t wait as long as I did to replace lenses. Once a year at least! I left it too long because I was too busy. But eventually my eyes started to tire out using the PC, and I was sure that they were just suffering from too much glare.
Anyway, that owner made out like a bandit! He secured an annual advertising contract, and nearly $7000 worth of additional business, too! But I thought it was quite appropriate too that an eye wear store would also sell advertising space to catch people’s eye as they walked past!
In fact, that store probably has an additional $100000 of extra revenue just by virtue of selling its ad space! Of course, they reserved the biggest and best location for themselves.
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Took too long, but it’s worth it.
Mar 5 at 12:12am by ObverseView
During the winter vacation, we cleaned our school from top to bottom, then we painted it thoroughly. Some of what frustrated us, though, was that we didn’t know where to buy industrial equipment that would help us do the job more thoroughly and in less time.
Too often we were relying on tools and equipment that was designed for consumers, in other words, they were made too small, didn’t last long, weren’t well made, didn’t do a good job. An example: we needed to clean the floor, but we couldn’t find decent scrubbers or cleaners, so we had to resort to a traditional deck scrubber or hand scouring pad. Took me ages to do one classroom, and we had three other rooms waiting to be done. Inefficient.
However, once we were done, we were very happy with the results.
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How did I decide to start Amazon?
Mar 4 at 12:12am by ObverseView
I enjoyed watching this interview with Jeff Bezos who started Amazon.com. He talks extensively about how he decided to quit his safe job, and do something that he really wanted to: his big hairy audacious dream!
Have you ever made a tough decision like that? I quit several jobs, just when things were going well at them… and while I regret leaving one of them because the benefits were good, I don’t regret giving up the work that I had to do. Would I go back? Well, perhaps…
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