TAMAKKAN KNOWLEDGE HUB
(As published in Tempo magazine, July 2012) By Ian Mason The Tamakkan Knowledge Hub is a roundup of tips, hints and advice for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. It also keeps you updated on Tamakkan activities. Team Building and Training Summer is an ideal time to consider training and team building in your business. Some people may be on vacation but quite often there is downtime for the employees that work through. Business should pick up quickly after Eid al-Fitr so this is the perfect opportunity to upskill your staff or give them new skills in readiness for the busy period. Perhaps they need a customer service refresher course, an update on how to answer telephones, some sales training or a workshop on business writing. There are many courses available to ensure your team are fully skilled to meet the business challenges of the post-summer period. Similarly, if your team needs a lift or you have had a number of staff changes, perhaps a departmental team building event can lift spirits and generate some office cohesion. Team building is a great way to introduce new team members or improve communication between departments. This is also the right time to start planning executive retreats, those essential strategic planning getaways for management, in preparation for the new financial year which will come quickly once Eid is over. Social Media Keep in touch with the latest in entrepreneur and SME news. Follow Tamakkan on Twitter @tamakkan and don’t forget to send us tweets about what’s happening in your business. We’d love to retweet them to our followers. You can also read business articles for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses on our website at www.tamakkan.org Tamakkan seminars The popular Tamakkan seminars are currently in summer recess and are scheduled to re-commence in September. If you have any topics you would like covered at a future Tamakkan seminar or have suggestions for guest speakers, email me at ianmason@brandmoxie.com Tamakkan 2 Minute Talks Have you read the Tamakkan 2 Minutes Talks on the website? Tamakkan has taken two minutes to interview some successful entrepreneurs about a current business topic. Soaud Al Hosani, President of Nexus Business Services, talks about setting up a business Manar Al Hinai, Founder of Lucky Nooni, talks about marketing Hermoine Macura, CEO of Straight Street Media, talks about leaving full-time work Melissa Rancourt, Managing Director of Greenlight, talks about managing projects Faisal Al Hammadi, Co-Founder of Slices, talks about dealing with finances Read the Tamakkan 2 Minute Talks at www.tamakkan.org HIGHLIGHTING: Branding Many people new to marketing think that branding is a logo. A logo is an element of branding but it is not...
CSR: Companies helping the community
(As published in Tempo magazine, June 2012) By Ian Mason One of the buzz words in public relations these days is ‘corporate social responsibility’ or CSR. CSR is not a new concept but it seems to have gained momentum in the past decade to counter sustained criticism of corporate greed. As a public relations activity, corporate companies can point to their community efforts to show they are not the ‘bad guys’. In many philanthropic regions, CSR is a vital part of a company’s DNA.
2 Minute Talk with Manar Al Hinai, Founder of Lucky Nooni
Topic: Marketing for SME’s 1) What are the best marketing channels for start-up entrepreneurs? Never underestimate the power of word of mouth. Tell everyone about your new business. You will be surprised at the opportunities that would arise. Also, social media networks are the best channel nowadays. Your reach is limitless, and it’s what everyone is tuned
2 Minute Talk with Chris Bradley, Partner at Keyhole
Topic: Sales skills 1) What are some tips when prospecting for new business? Time is money for every small business owner and one of the biggest pitfalls is made by not narrowing the prospecting focus from the beginning. The result can be undue frustration and a cost of time and
2 Minute Talk with Souad Mohamed Al Hosani, President of Nexus Business Services/Nexus Agencies
Topic: Setting up a business 1) What types of documentation do start-up businesses and entrepreneurs need to consider? It really depends on the type of company they are establishing. If it is a branch of a foreign company, they will need documents such as the Mother Company Commercial License/ Registration Number, the Board resolution to set up the office in the other country and the appointment of a General Manager to finanlize the paper work. All these papers need to be attested and authenticated at