Managing Cash-Flow - Part 1

Managing cash flow – Part 1

 Managing Cash-flow – It is all about managing what is coming in and what is going out.

It applies to you, in your personal and business life, gone is the days you just had cash in your wallet to manage.

I had a client where the son had to step in for the father while he was sick. Staff was shouting “pay this”, “pay that” and it was a press of a button and they made the payments.

VAT was due in a few days! when I stepped in, stop!

Steps to managing your cash flow – Know what is coming in and what is going out.

1 – Make a list of all your debit orders and the dates that they get deducted from your bank account.

2 – Make a list of all your regular variable payments that you need to pay, e.g Telkom, Vodacom etc.

3 – Check the dates that they are due on.

4 – If you are taking on new debit orders, ask the supplier what payment dates are available.

5 – The same applies for regular payments, e.g school fees.

Remember as a sole proprietor and small business we don’t receive a salary or a fixed amount on one day.

Now that we have a list with amounts and dates, see a simple schedule is available at www.thebookkeepingcompany.co.za/business resource.

Check the due dates on all. If you are taking on new debit orders ask them what dates are available for payment. Even your regular payments, personal payments e.g school fees.

I had a client who would tell me on which payment run he was going to pay me. Ha? Yes, he set 3 payment runs, a month.
  • The first of the month – was for debit orders from the suppliers that insist your debit order go off on the 1st.
  • The 7th of the month
  • The 15th of the month
So, if I sent my invoice to him on the 5th he would pay it on the 7th, if I sent it on the 8th he would pay it on the 15th. He let his money rest in his account. He had paydays.

If you look at the due dates on Telkom and the City of Cape Town invoice they have a due date., schedule them to one of the above.

Read on next month, Tips to Managing your cashflow – Part 2.

Need assistance with managing your cash flow contact Cherine at The Bookkeeping Company.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DRIVEN PAST AND WONDERED WHAT'S INSIDE HERE?


The Art of Glass stained-glass shop in Kenilworth Station is set to move premises. But while the owners are off to a new location, they’ve lost nothing of the passion and drive that made them start the business 27 years ago in the old Post Office building, finds Lyn Staples, of Norgarb Properties.

 There’s something magical, even mysterious about the Art of Glass shop, which wouldn’t look out of place in a Harry Potter movie set. It’s got history – and it shows. It’s old and unkempt - yet the paint peeling from the walls, the cracks in the ceiling and the chipped floors do not detract from the beautifully crafted stained-glass pieces that have been painstakingly put together by two sisters who have mastered a centuries old skill.

While there are many happy memories here, Priscilla Ormond and Colleen Peacock are keen to expand their business, hence the need to move. They are sad to leave their Kenilworth base as it has a lifetime of memories. I am keen to find our more about why they have reached this decision…

 HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE STAINED-GLASS BUSINESS?

After school, I did fashion design and also helped out stained-glass master Peter Koehorst. When Colleen, my sister, left school she joined me and we moved into the old Post Office premises 27 years ago. We often get commissioned work and business from passers-by but a lot of it comes from word of mouth. As a stained-glass master, people think you would only work on church windows, but we create super modern stuff too. We do a lot of things from terrariums, to little gifts, corporate gifts, mirrors, 21st keys. We try to accommodate all budgets.

WHY ARE YOU MOVING? 

We need more space as a lot of people want lessons. We presently teach patients from the addiction clinic across the road how to do mosaic.

WHERE ARE YOU MOVING TO? 

We are moving to River Park Business Centre in Diep River, because it’s time for a change. We would like to have a coffee shop alongside our business, something like the Clay Cafe in Hout Bay. Unfortunately, our new premises do not have the space for that.

WHAT IS SOME OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE WORK?

We have many special memories at this venue. We did the stained-glass windows of the Hout Bay Castle and work for Eden Island in the Seychelles – they even flew us out. We also did some work for movies such as Tomb Raider and The Warrior. We have worked through the night sometimes to meet deadlines.

YOU ARE SISTERS – HOW DID YOU GET ON WITH EACH OTHER ALL THESE YEARS?

The main thing is we enjoy our work. We generally get on well and if we have an argument, we move on.

WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES HAVE YOU HAD?

Eight years in we had a fire at the workshop. It was ultimately a good boost for our business though as people wanted to know what was going on and how they could help us.

WHAT PERSONAL MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE OF THIS VENUE?

When we started, I was pregnant and when my little boy arrived I used to take him with me to the shop and put him to sleep in the drawer. There were many happy times where we would just stop working for a bit and play with him. To this day, customers still ask after the little boy who could fit into the drawer, but he’s an adult now and 7ft tall! Children just love this place as well.

We have had people bring us food. Some people come in asking us to fix their jewellery and glasses. We did not always know how, but always managed to figure it out.

The homeless people are going to miss us too. Some have already asked us whether there will be a station near where we are moving to so they can come and visit us.

We are going to miss the locals but will stay active in the community. We will still have a stall at the Harfield Community Carnival. We are sad to leave, but see it as starting a new adventure.



The Art of Glass is moving on the 30 October to: Unit 33, River Park, Diep River. For more information, Coleen can be contacted on 082 615 0625 and Priscilla on 082 644 5612. You can also follow the sisters on The Art of Glass’ Facebook page

www.harfield-village.co.za
www.facebook.com/harfield.village.community

Powered by Norgarb Properties your Real Estate Agents in the Southern Suburbs:
HARFIELD VILLAGE - KENILWORTH - CLAREMONT/ LYNFRAE - WYNBERG
Visit their website to BUY or SELL your home.


Should you buy a leisure home to share?

When you and your best friend are on holiday with your families and everyone is getting along famously, it might seem like a great idea to buy a holiday home together as a way to guarantee a repeat performance of the good times every year.

But is it really? Shaun Rademeyer, CEO of BetterLife Home Loans, SA’s biggest bond originator, says that on the plus side, it is certainly cheaper to buy a leisure home when you only have to come up with half the cost.

“On the other hand, though, you will then only be a half-owner – and what guarantee do you have that your friendship with your purchasing partner will stand the rest of time?”

Some positives to consider, he suggests, are the following:

• Buying with a friend means you may be able to get a better or a bigger property – closer to the beach, for example, or a house instead of an apartment;

• You’ll have someone to share the maintenance and operating costs;

• If you let the property during the times that you’re not using it, you’ll get a share of that income, as well as a share of the increased value of the property over time. You might not have been able to achieve that on your own.

However, Rademeyer says, buying any property with a friend should not be done on impulse – and should always be set up as a “strictly business” arrangement.

“For example, you need to consider that when you get a home loan with another person, you are relying on their ability and willingness to pay their share of the monthly instalment. What if they were to lose their job, go through a divorce, get sick or just decide that they didn’t want to do that anymore?

“You need to have a proper legal agreement prepared by an attorney that stipulates what would happen in such a case. Would the property have to be sold immediately, for example, or would you be able to take over your friend’s share? How would the value of that shareholding be calculated?”

In addition, he suggests, your agreement should stipulate

• How much time each of you gets to use the property per year – assuming that you may not always want to go there together;

• How you will split the proceeds / profits if and when the property is sold;

• What will happen if one of you wants to sell and the other does not;

• How exactly the costs of upkeep and maintenance will be divided;

• Who will be responsible for managing the property if you intend letting it out to other people.

Above all, Rademeyer says, you should not rush into such a purchase, but spend time honestly discussing every aspect you can think of with your friend, so that you can gauge whether you really are on the same page, or whether this is just a pleasant notion that you should put away with your happy holiday photos.

Contact us today and let’s get you into that dream home.

Anne-Marie Bamber

Home Loans consultant

Tel: +27 (0)21 851 3568 | Fax: +27 (0)21 441 1494 | Cell: +27 (0)82 071 1665

E-mail: anne-marie.bamber@betterlife.co.za


APRICOT CHRISTMAS PUDDING

APRICOT CHRISTMAS PUDDING

INGREDIENTS:

1PT Orange Jelly 
250gms dried fruit mix 
250mls fresh cream 
180mls boiling water 
1 can chilled evaporate milk 
Apricot halves 
125mls sherry 
500 mls apricot yogurt 
Mind for decoration 

METHOD:

Spray one large mould or two smaller ones with the capacity of about 2.5 litres, with non-stick spray. Add jelly to boiling water and dissolve. Cool and place in fridge until it begins to set. Mix dried fruit with sherry and heat until fruit is soft and plump. Cool completely. Whist milk until thick and creamy. Add jelly, a little at a time, beating continuously. Add yogurt to the dried fruit mix. Fold in evaporated milk. Whip cream until stiff and fold into the mixture. Turn into prepared mould or large serving dish and chill Until set. Turn out onto serving platter and decorate with apricot halves and mint.

Estate Agent
Cell: +27 (0)82 846 0739 | Office: +27 (0)21 674 1120 | Fax: +27 (0)21 774 4927
Email: lyn@norgarbproperties.co.za
Focus Areas: Kenilworth & Claremont Village


www.harfield-village.co.za

Managing cash flow – Part 2

Managing cash flow – Part 2

Now, you have a list, you have scheduled payment dates, made your paydays.

Cash -flow - Now we look for future changes because nothing stays the same. Surprises are stressful.

1 - Take note of the month your Annual Increase to your Insurance, security, rent etc. is in.

2 - Make a note when your Car Licence, Drivers Licence, Staff Drivers Licence is due and payable

3 - Add a note when your Annual Service Fees are due on your credit card

You will be able to determine what they are. Have a look at your Income Statement from the previous 12 months.

Saving for expenses 

I am reading a book by “Mike Michalowicz - Profit First”, which opens my eyes to the way my mom and Gran did things in the old days. My Mom ran the financial side of the business of my Dad's business - very well.

Instead of waiting to pay your salaries at the end of the month, and hoping there is going to be money to pay the salaries. Open a bank account (savings) and each week put away 25% of your monthly payroll or put a percentage away daily.

Your Credit Card, if you have one has two dates on it.
  • The Statement date, interest, and penalties will be charged on this day.
  • The due date for when payment is to be made.
Now if you have read, Tips to Managing your cashflow – Part 1.

You will have read that you need to schedule your payments, well you can manage your credit card too.

Contact your bank - Card division and ask them to change the date your credit card statement runs on. If your statement date is the 5th (the last day to shop for the month). Your payment due date will be 25 days after, so the 30th of the month. If you want to make the payment due date the 7th, ask them to change the statement date to the 12th or 13th of the month. Ensure you pay the full amount due on this day to avoid those lovely interest and penalties.

In Conclusion – spread your payments over the month – schedule them – it's your money-manage it. Tips to Managing your cashflow – Part 3 coming soon.

Need assistance with managing your cash flow contact Cherine at The Bookkeeping Company.

What does it take to forge a career as a neuroscientist?

School term is fast drawing to a close for another year – and while learners are thinking about their next steps – what does it take to forge a career as a neuroscientist? 
By Dr Samantha J. Brooks Ph.D.
Being a neuroscientist is about learning to accurately study the brain, how it functions in health and mental disorder, and designing experiments to collect data about the brain and write up findings for an international audience. Being a neuroscientist is an exciting job, and neuroscience is really important in South Africa. For example, a South African neuroscientist could study brain-related illnesses such as addiction and HIV-related cognitive problems that place a huge socio-economic burden on South African society. You don’t have to study medicine to become a neuroscientist, and you can start studying neuroscience at any age. But, like a medical doctor, you’ll need to prepare yourself for a few good years of studying – about 10 years to be precise! Don’t be put off though - after all that studying a wonderful career awaits! The last decade was coined the decade of the brain for good reason - there were many amazing brain-related discoveries, such as the invention of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). fMRI allows neuroscientists to look into the brain while a person is still alive! But we need more neuroscientists to keep making new discoveries!

Studying to become a neuroscientist typically begins with a Bachelor’s degree – finishing at honour’s level - in a subject like psychology, physiology, computer science, science, mathematics. Students with good matriculation grades in Cape Town can choose to study for an honour’s degree at various excellent universities including the Universities of Cape Town, Western Cape, and Stellenbosch. After gaining an honour’s degree, students will typically go on to study towards a Master’s degree in a science-related subject – which can be completed over 1 (full-time) or 2 (part-time) years. During Master’s study, a student will learn about neurons (brain cells), the way neurons connect (synapses, dendrites), the organisation of the brain (neuroanatomy), how the brain works (neuronal activation), both in health and disorder (e.g. neuropsychiatry), on a macro level (e.g. brain scans) and on a micro level (e.g. cellular systems, neurotransmitters, genes). Completing a Master’s degree (usually with a thesis and sometimes also exams) will equip a person with the necessary knowledge, writing skills and analytic thinking to continue onto doctoral level towards a Ph.D.

Gaining a Ph.D. in neuroscience typically takes about 3-4 years, and students are expected to conduct some novel experiments to test a question about the brain. This is exciting because a student – by doing a Ph.D. – can contribute to improving the mental health of people in society. Not only that, but a doctoral student gets to join a community of neuroscientist researchers, involving lectures, clubs, societies etc. After a Ph.D., students can train in clinical work or continue down the research route. Research after a Ph.D. is known as postdoctoral study, where further grants are often available to pay for salary and research costs over approximately 2 years or more, to deepen one’s area of expertise and to publish more work. There is an old adage in research – publish or perish – which perhaps sounds a bit harsher than reality! But essentially, it is good to learn early on how to write papers for the international neuroscience community, so that work in South Africa can become known and read all over the world!
                                                                                                                                                 
What else is there to say about a career in neuroscience? Well, it has taken me from a small farming village in the middle of England – where I completed my schooling (matric.) – to all corners of the world, working with different groups and presenting work with my colleagues on important issues to help people with mental disorders to get better. My colleagues and I work together to try to build international connections so that we can try to solve some of the brain’s deepest mysteries. Such as, what is consciousness and how does consciousness relate to mental illness? Where is the mind located in the hardwired physical brain, and what happens to the brain when the mind becomes disordered? How do we improve treatment for various psychiatric conditions? And what are the best neuroscientific methods to use to get to the crux of the issue of mental disorder? If you like meeting new people, working as a team, writing interesting articles, conducting experiments to test the hypotheses related to these questions, and to travel - then perhaps neuroscience is a career for you! Do get in touch if you would like to learn more, we are always on the look-out for research assistants and new students to join us! I hope to hear from you soon!

Dr Samantha Brooks is a neuroscientist at the UCT Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, specialising in the neural correlates of impulse control from eating disorders to addiction. For more information on neuroscience at UCT and to contact Samantha, see www.drsamanthabrooks.com.

Bringing Birdlife to Life

Bringing Birdlife to Life

There is nothing quite as peaceful as listening to birds singing first thing on a quiet morning, their gentle flutter and soft chirping a reminder of all that is simple and beautiful in the world. With rapid urbanisation, sightings of our feathered friends are not as frequent as they should be, and the need to bring birdlife back into communities and gardens is essential. Encouraging birdlife to frequent our cities, parks and gardens is simple with these three tips.     


Birds seek out new resting places where they can enjoy shelter, protection, and comfort. One of the first ways in which birds can be attracted to a garden is to plant inviting species. Interesting textures, colors, and scents attract birds and therefore including plants such as Watsonias, Aloes, Lion’s Ears, grasses, and grains will entice winged friends to frolic amongst them. Plants provide protection and shelter from the elements, as well as attract various insects and butterflies, which allow birds to feast to their heart’s content. Including climbers and trees in your selection of plants will create a natural habitat in which birds will feel welcome and at home.


Enticing birdlife with food is another simple way in which to draw them to a garden. Birds enjoy seeds and fruit, and providing nutrition for them in an easy-to-reach way will encourage a flock of visitors! Bird-feeders are the best way to offer food to fluttered friends and are simple to make. Covering a pine cone or leftover bread crusts with peanut butter and sprinkling them with seeds offers a natural, healthy option for birds to feast on. Alternatively, making a simple bird feeder by recycling a plastic bottle is equally effective. Cut four holes in the sides of a 500ml plastic bottle, ensuring the two holes align. Slide small wooden spoons through the holes, creating a ledge on which the birds can perch. Fill the bottle with seeds, and hang the never-ending sustenance in the trees for the feathered friends to enjoy.


A third way in which birds can be encouraged to frequent our gardens is by providing them with fresh nesting spaces. Birds enjoy making new homes for themselves, and once they feel comfortable and safe, they are in no rush to move on. Birds naturally find shelter in hollowed out tree trunks, or by building nests with reeds and twigs, but they also appreciate comfortable box houses that are sturdy and secure. Encourage birdlife to find shelter by removing old nests from the surrounding area, and placing birdhouses or boxes a few meters off the ground on a sturdy pole, or by securing them to branches. There is no need to place grass, twigs or reeds inside – birds will do the decorating and make their new homes comfortable in no time at all.

On 25 November 2017, Birdlife SA will be hosting the annual Big Birding Day with the aim of raising funds for bird conservation. A hope for 2017 is to break 2016’s record of spotting 654 species of birds, which will be made even easier by encouraging feathered friends to visit our spaces once again. Provided with a comfortable environment in which they can find shelter and food, birdlife will bring the greatest reward of their pleasurable company back to our parks and gardens in no time.

Norgarb Properties Agent Andre Ter Moshuizen who specialises in the Claremont area, shares some household tips and handy home hints with you every month.

Andre Ter Moshuizen: 082 602 1367 | andre@norgarb.co.za | www.norgarbproperties.co.za

How to be healthier than you are right now





THE CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CENTRE IS RUNNING A MASSAGE SPECIAL!





For the month of October 2017, all you have to do is print this article and present it at your next massage treatment to get R150 off!

How to be healthier than you are right now? 

The question of the hour….

And answering it is not easy – we still don’t have all the answers. Many different things impact your health and these things affect us all differently.

How can we reach our peak? Where do we start?

A good place that we can start would be the variables that are not optimal (or at least within the ‘normal’ range). E.g. If a parent suffered from diabetes and you have raised fasting glucose levels, your focus should be on preventing diabetes. But a word of caution: fixating on one factor or one possible disease can become counterproductive. And one of the nice things about health is that changes you make to one area of your life e.g. eating more vegetables, will have beneficial effects on MANY if not ALL other factors and disease risk e.g. reduced risk of heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, etc, etc.

Health can be complicated, but we do have some general answers. The funny thing is that most of the best recommendations regarding the improvement of health are surprisingly well known. A recently published research study looked at all the factors that will improve health and extend life. Millions of dollars and thousands of hours spent on it. The result? The top four factors:
  1. Eat better 
  2. Exercise 
  3. Don’t smoke 
  4. Drink alcohol minimally 
That’s it. The basis of a healthy life. It’s stuff your parents taught you (I hope). Of course it becomes slightly more complicated in the details e.g.

What makes eating ‘better’?
What exercise for how long? 

What about second-hand smoke?

But this study is not about giving us all the answers: this gives us a place to start – on which to build our health and our lives.

People love to overcomplicate things.

It is a combination of human curiosity, obsession and, unfortunately, the desire to make money that contribute to the quagmire of medical minutiae:

“Only eat this fruit – the others are bad.”

“Only do this exercise – the others will hurt you.”

“If you don’t sleep exactly 8hrs, you will spontaneously combust.”

All the teeny, tiny ‘tips’ and ‘tricks’ and even some of the ‘rules’ and ‘systems’ are based on some sort of logical reasoning process, and even some evidence (to varying degrees). But most of these are what’s known as “majoring in the minors”. So try not to worry too much about whether or not you’re eating this “superfood” (I mean, does it have a cape and tights?) or taking that “nutriceutical supplement” – just stick to the basics day in and day out and good things will happen.

Our next post will focus on more of the specifics – the meat & potatoes (a dirty word these days) of being healthier: Eating Better.

Thank you for reading. For more lifestyle advice on how to achieve optimal health, visit The Chiropractic Health Centre for a check up

Chat to one of our friendly receptionists to make a booking or follow the link to learn more about our services: www.chiropractor.co.za/our-services

Phone: 021 683 2996 (Claremont) or 021 439 8898 (Sea Point)

Email: claremont@chiropractor.co.za


SIMPLE SALMON PATE


INGREDIENTS
1 tin red salmon 
100gms butter 
Juice of half a lemon
Seasoning 
Parsley

METHOD

Strain and remove bone and black bits from salmon. Add juice of half a lemon, melted butter and a good pinch of diced parsley. Mash well and serve in chilled egg cups. Top with sprig of parsley.

Focus Areas: Kenilworth & Claremont Village

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