Issue 11 - August 2011 - Your Money

6 YOUR MONEY
Your Average Joe: Men’s lives might
be simpler, but being a woman is much more fun
By Kim Murison
On shopping days
can I clearly get to
see the difference
between women
and men’s needs.
While my partner
casually tosses in
some toothpaste
for his toiletry
needs, I carefully
select vitamin
enriched shampoo
and conditioner,
facial scrub, rollon,
body spray and loads more. The toiletry
aisle really makes me realise how different
men and women’s needs are, but that’s not
where it ends.
“You really don’t need to pack three pairs of
shoes for a camping trip,” Partner moans.
“What if one gets wet or dirty? Besides, I have
different outfits for each day and the shoes need
to match them,” I say. Partner sighs deeply.
On said camping trip, I slather on sunscreen
and some hair protection serum against the
damaging rays of the sun for a trip to the
beach. Partner barely checks if his shorts are
clean. While I’m sporting a new sun hat for the
occasion, Partner is wearing mismatched flip-
flops because: “I didn’t have time to look for a
full pair.” I shake my head in amazement.
Then a much anticipated friend’s wedding:
the perfect opportunity for a new dress or
shoes, carefully selected after visiting several
different stores with the sisters for a girly day of
bonding. What does Partner do: ‘sniff-checks’
shirts and moans when I insist he wears some
cologne from the birthday gift sets he has.
Preparation for the wedding starts early as
well. Time is needed for hair, nails, make-up
and attire-selection. It could take anywhere
between one and four hours.
Partner starts his prep when I say I’m done and
does his thing in the time it takes me to walk
from the bedroom to the front door.
It seems so much easier to be a man and
definitely much easier on the pocket when it
comes to grooming and looking good. Part
of the fun of special occasions is in the pretty
dresses and colours of make-up, the selecting
of the right shoe and the discussion of said
shoe with friends...
Being a man might be easier, but being a
woman is much more fun.
Happy Women’s month!!
What does your personal brand
say about you?
By Michelle Campbell – Publicist and PR
Whether you realise it or not, you already have
a personal brand. It is out there and the people
who you interact with- whether it be on a daily
basis or as a once off, have already formed an
opinion about you.
In fact, this usually happens within 15 seconds
of first meeting someone. It starts off on a
subconscious level, but once they get to know
you better, this information is then transferred
to a conscious level. Personal branding is a
way in which you market yourself to the world
around you. Personal branding is unavoidable
and even if one lived as a recluse in the
Himalayas, you would still be branded- as a
‘recluse’- naturally so.
As people interact with you, whether it’s face
to face, on email, social media, telephonically
or any of the other ways we communicate, they
will automatically form mental associations
that connect you with certain labels. This
happens automatically as our brains are wired
to recognise patterns and form associations.
Thus the labels people attach to you become
part of your personal brand.
Our brands, can either work for us or against
us. We need to continuously monitor our own
brands and work on areas where we feel we
may need to improve. With sales people for
example- it is not their product or service that
the potential customer buys into, but rather the
personal brand of the sales person. If the buyer
successfully buys into the personal brand of
August 2011 - Issue No. 11 August 2011 - Issue No. 11
the salesperson, invariably the sale will take
place and the customer will continue on a long
relationship with the salesperson, provided the
salesperson maintains or improves the personal
brand which was bought into in the first place!
A quick way to monitor your personal brand is
to continuously ask those around to (without
putting too much thought into their answers)
best describe you in three words. This will give
you a good indication of how other sees you
and how they process your personal brand. You
should also do this exercise yourself from time
to time. How would you describe yourself in
three words if I had to ask you that question
right now?
Surprisingly you will find that your answers
will change quite drastically from time to time.
Take cognisance of how you communicate with
others (how quickly do you answer that email,
do you air your ‘dirty laundry on Facebook, do
you arrive for a function if you said you were
going?) and be aware of the fact that everything
you do, sends a message to others.
Remember, there is no such thing as reality,
only perceptions. What perceptions are you
creating?
Avoid Emotional Homebuying
By Kobie Potgieter, Owner of Remax Independant
Every year,
thousands of
people enter the
home market or
others decide
it’s time to
relocate and
buy a new
home. This can
be one of the
most exciting
times in one’s
life, full of
new beginnings -- as long as you buy the right
house for you.
Often, however, our emotions cloud our better
judgment and this can lead us into buying a
home that’s simply not right for us.
No matter how much money you have most of
us get emotionally involved with our decision
to buy or sell a home. There are many reasons
for this. Firstly for many of us it is the largest
purchase we will make and because of this it
can be tied to our ongoing financial security.
It is also the place you live, so even if it is not
one of your biggest assets, making the right
decision can dramatically impact your life.
Perhaps the biggest risk emotionally is
falling in love with the wrong home. Maybe
you fell in love with the fabulous backyard,
and overlooked the fact that there’s only one
bathroom for your growing household. Or
it could be the expanded family room that
caught your attention -- even though the house
is located on a very busy street. After all even
“Buckingham Palace” is on a main road.
When you get too emotionally involved in this
decision you can often make critical mistakes
that you may regret for a lifetime. It also can
dramatically impact your quality of life and the
lives of those you care most about.
It’s also easy to jump into the wrong home if
you’re relocating to a sought-after area and are
afraid that you won’t find another home close
by. And if you begin to equate a home with
your happiness -- imagining the “perfect” life
that the breakfast nook and bedroom fireplace
will create -- you’ve already lost control. As
tempting as it may be to assume that all of your
problems will disappear as soon as you get the
keys to your flawless abode, we all know that it
takes more than a house -- even a “perfect” one
-- to make us happy. And in time, the novelty
will wear off and you’ll suddenly see the things
you couldn’t with your rose-colored glasses.
Most mistakes when buying a new home are
emotionally based. So how do you stay in the
control when your emotions are going in a
million different directions, from excitement
to hope to anxiety?
You need to take the emotional tug-of-war out
of the decision and remember your priority list
of Needs and Wants. You are then much more
likely to make a decision that will satisfy you
and your family in the long-term.
Indeed, the best option is to approach homebuying
with as much logic and savvy as you
would any other major decision, and only
when you have removed the emotions are you
able to think clearly.
Little Walmer Golf Estate- Early R4 000 000
This grand, architecturally designed home is situated in the secure
and Upmarket Little Walmer Golf Estate. The front door opens into
a spacious double volume reception room with marble stairs that lead
up to the first floor. There are two bedrooms on the ground floor with
the remaining rooms and living areas on the first floor (which opens
directly onto the golf course).
The living areas are open plan and flow seamlessly through to one
another, with the sunroom and lounge both opening into the sunny
garden, which leads onto the green of the first tee. There are no fences
around any of the properties, creating a friendly and neighbourly
environment. Air conditioners in all the bedrooms and the lounge
ensure comfortable living conditions all year round.
The home is fitted with an armed response alarm system and there is a
security gate across the passage, allowing one to secure the first floor
bedrooms at night. An automated irrigation system in the front and back
feeds the garden and one has highly reduced membership fees for the
Little Walmer Golf Club. There is an access controlled entrance to the
estate with 24-hour guards and an electrified perimeter fence.
4 Bedrooms (2 En Suite), 3 Bathrooms, Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen
with Scullery, Sun Room, Double Garage on Remote, Domestic/Guest
Room with En Suite.
Kobie Potgieter 082 771 2578
Call for more info: 074 582 0319 Call for more info: 074 582 0319
YOUR MONEY
To BEE or not to BEE
By Lynn Erasmus
Having a black business partner is not
neccassary to obtain a good B-BBEE
scorecard. This is according to Yolandi van
Tonder, B-BBEE verification Specilist from
Emex Trust, a SANAS accredited B-BBEE
verification agency.
“There is a great misconception out there that
you have to sell a portion of your company to
obtain BEE status, this is not true. Companies
who’s turnover is under R5 million per annual
will be exempted and receive a level 4 B-BBEE
status,” van Tonder said.
Having B-BBEE status can improve business
opportunities and even give you the edge over
the competitor.
As from December, the new Preferential
Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA)
will be reconciled with B-BBEE, especially
with regards to the tender processes.
“The PPPFA states that you are awarded 10
points for being a level 1 BEE contributor.
If you were non-compliant you would get no
points. In order to win the tender your prices
need to be 10 points better than your competitor
who may be level 1,” van Tonder explained.
If the company’s turn-over is between R5
million – R35 million per annum, then they will
be classified as a Qualifying Small Enterprise
(QSE). This will mean that any four of the
seven elements can be chosen to be measured
on. Here ownership can be excluded under one
of the seven elements.
7
If the company’s turn-over is over R35 million
per annum, they will be classified as a Generic
Enterprise and will have to comply with all
seven elements as seen below:
• Ownership - black ownership /shareholding
of the company.
• Management and Control - Senior Top (e.g.
CEO) or Other Top management.
• Employment Equity – Black line management
who are permanently employed.
• Skills Development – Cost of training
provided to your black employees.
• Preferential Procurement – Goods or services
purchased from an entity with a valid B-BBEE
certificate issued within your measured
financial year period.
• Enterprise Development – Black owned
(more than 50% black owned) entity that you
have assisted for further development.
• Socio-Economic Development –
Contributions made towards your black
employees, or the greater good of black
beneficiaries.