Business
that they would not bring in
any bad work habits to your
organisation. On the other
hand, having experienced
staff means they would
already know how to perform
the duties that are required
and you would be able to serve
your clients better right from
the start. However, without a
formal background they may
not have the fundamentals
required.
I would advise you to go for
a majority of qualified staff
as the organisation would be
more respected. Take them
through a thorough induction
programme
and
review
their performance in short
intervals to start with. Hire a
few experienced staff to carry
out the work and encourage
them to embark on formal
training. Having said that, it
all depends on the industry.
I have given general advise
based on the information you
have provided.
Dear MG,
I own a domestic services
agency in Monrovia. When I
first started 3 years ago no one
else was doing this here. But
now everytime I turn around
someone else has started the
same business. It is a small
market, so this is making
business very competitive.
What do you think I can do
to leverage my services over
the competition? Someone
has suggested that I go into
a partnership with one or two
of them. Do you think this is
a good idea?
Dear Jeneba,
In business, there will always
be competition.
What you
need to do is have a competitive
advantage over the others.
Carry
out
a
marketing
analysis which will provide
you with the information
required for you to recognise
that advantage and use it to
ensure that you are ahead of
your competitors.
Porter's five forces analysis
and generic strategies would
aid you in this venture.
Partnering
with
another
organisation is a good idea
as you would have access to
more resources to enable you
to compete against the others.
The phrase "two heads are
better than one" applies here,
however, it is also one that
requires a lot of thought as
"too many cooks spoil the
broth". You need to ensure
that the owners of the other
company have the same values
and vision as you or else you
may end up sabotaging your
business.
You might even consider a
different strategy for your
business e.g. instead of
trying to provide services to
the whole market, you could
standardise
your
service
for an industry or two and
ensure that the quality of
service you provide is of the
highest standard. Market
your company well and rely
on favourable references from
your clients.
Jeneba T. Monrovia. Age 31
: /JobSearchinSierraLeone
46 GOWOMAN SEPTEMBER|2013
GuruSpeak:
Porter's five forces analysis this is a framework that can
be used for industry analysis
and to develop a business
strategy. It uses the
following forces to determine
how competitive the market
is:
nn Threat of new entrants
nn Bargaining power of
customers
nn Bargaining power of
suppliers
nn Threat of substitute
products
nn Intensity of competitive
rivalry.
Are you starting a new job?
Are you a new business
startup? Is this your first
experience of being the boss?
Are you having problems
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