Issue 101

Grassroots with passion 11

How can business owners better prepare themselves for economic downturns? “Make hay while the sun shines”! It is important that businesses have their radars tuned into the trends and indicators of business and market cycles, so that they are more agile in realigning and re-steering their business plans to be more productive and controlling costs. Carl Becker said, “The past is a kind of screen upon which we project our vision of the future.” This reflects that the history and trust that we have built with our customers may become a litmus test in our darkest hour. Hence the importance to connect and value your customers through all your listening posts. The other aspect is to examine if their current business processes are robust eg., technology, CRM, analytics, human resources etc to withstand the forces of an economic downturn and to thrive in ordinary times. Employees often bear the brunt of a poor economy. What are some ways that they can best protect their job and livelihood? Self-development is important to stay relevant in any business. This is ongoing, to see life as a learning journey, to be proactive versus reactive. Be on the lookout for niche

competitors. The better solution is to find ways to sell, add value, and package the whole experience that differentiates you and draws the right crowd in. Finding the differentiator requires an understanding of your customers needs, working on your loyal customer base, to discover what excites them to feel better about themselves. Tools like focus groups, customer surveys, and data analytics are opportunities to drill down to the differentiators. Another is retrenchment. It is inevitable that when push comes to shove, it may be necessary to retrench. However, is this the first reaction or have other considerations been made to manage costs? Losing good people can cost the company in the long run. If this is an opportunity to cut "dead wood", than the question is, how did it get to this stage? Have we failed to nurture our people to be productive? Step into a business outlet and gauge for yourself, are staff "order takers" or are they "order makers"? Are you impressed with their skills? The knee jerk response is to cut down on training, but what are the skillsets and competencies that will make staff resilient to ride the downturn? It is important to invest in people, as they are the face of the brand.

Muslim

Delights

MUSLIMDelights needs little introduction. Voted Singapore’s Top 5 “Nasi Padang Restaurants” by a local radio station, the halal restaurant is made famous by its fabulous offerings of nasi padang Indonesian style such as ayam masak merah, sotong hitam, sambal goreng and much more. Also known for its Halal catering services, MUSLIM Delights was the choice of Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah whose recent wedding party in February 2015 hosted 3,000 guests, as well as Radio DJ Syah Ibrahim who hosted 6,000 guests at his wedding on November 2014. MUSLIM Delights at TGC will provide theme parties such as Penang Fair, BBQ Fiesta, Arabian Night and much more. So if you are planning a function or seminar at TGC, choose from our corporate packages for seminars, company retreats, annual dinner & dance, even kids’ birthday parties.

96330261

For booking or event enquiry please call

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