Archive for the ‘Angela Vithoulkas’ Category
Knew or new business ideas? was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
For so many small businesses, the start of the New Year is full of resolutions, plans, strategies, promises and commitment to change. It signifies hope. For just as many small businesses it represents a tough financial time, a realization of limitations and an in-your-face look at the shape of their business. It’s tough either way.
It may seem strange to label hope and plans for the future as tough, but resolutions don’t come free. When you say out loud what you wish for or where you want your business to go, be or achieve, you pretty much set yourself a benchmark that’s a yes or no situation. Its black or white, it’s a you did it or you didn’t. Suffice to say I’m not much for New Year Resolutions!
Ready, willing and able was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
When the words “disability” or “impairment” are mentioned in the workplace, many things happen. A noticeable shift takes place, people look away or shuffle their feet. They are not quite sure whether they should say something or nothing. Have our attitudes changed much regarding employing or doing business with people who have a disability or impairment?
I recently had the pleasure to interview Greg Standen from Hassle Free Marketing on one of my radio shows. He is the proprietor of the business and was coming on the show to talk about employing people in the workforce who may have physical challenges. It didn’t occur to me right away that he may have a challenge himself. When the thought eventually crossed my mind, I was too embarrassed to ring and ask him if he needed anything “special” from me.
Your health is good business was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
I don’t tolerate my own health weaknesses very well. Yet my major business decisions, plans and moves came from either my own health crisis or those close to me. Although I also acknowledge that I have a very short memory of these milestones and always believe it won’t happen to me….
I’m sure I’ve mentioned once or twice before that I have been in business with my brother all our business lives. We have grown up together literally in the hospitality world. We know what its like to have a health crisis in business and the effect it can have on those around you. And when the one thing that you have always relied on lets you down - YOU, it’s an eye opener.
Is green the new black? was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
November has been the month of green here at Women in Focus. The whole green topic has made me reflective, a bit out of the blue actually - no colour pun intended! I have paid closer attention to any mention of green or sustainability, and paid a lot more attention to what’s going on in the corporate world. For instance the 2030 Sustainability Plan for the City Of Sydney.
When I say reflective, I do mean reflective in my business - I haven’t quite got to the point of making this blog a “Dear Abbey” retro thing! It must also be this time of the year as well. As the year comes to a close plans for 2012 must be considered. I have begun to contemplate the position my business could find itself in, in terms of sustainability and being green. What if I can’t do more? Or am I concentrating too much on being green and forgetting the fundamentals of running and growing my business.
Royal green business was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
I’m really happy that November is the environment month for Women in Focus. I need the whole month just to get through some of what green business, sustainability and the environment means to me. Add to the mixture a royal event and a world record and I think I may need more than just November!
World record
In my other day job as a radio broadcaster for small business, I set a goal a few months back to have a completely green show - green guests (not in colour, although that would have been fun had I thought of it at the time..), green businesses and most importantly offsetting the whole show itself. This was a world first world record event. That’s what took place on Monday 14 November.
Is green the new business? was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
There is no doubt that being green in business has spawned a whole other industry or niche market. There are many new companies that have sprung up to advise, develop, resolve, promote and substitute our bad habits for good. The government and Carbon Tax fit in there somewhere as well.
I’m somewhat old school about business - I need to see a product or understand a service for me to be convinced that it exists. Climate change has become a commodity on top of a social enterprise on top of a divided scientific community. It’s a bit like PR when you think about it. Difficult to actually see a return on your investment but can you afford to not do it?
Your Actions in Business Matter was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
We hear the words “sustainable, green, environmentally friendly, climate change” just to name a few, and some of us may either be overwhelmed or confused. Personally I was dismissive as to how any of that mattered to my business. I understood on the personal front, but didn’t really have any idea as to how it would fit in with my business, affect my business or even be effective for my business. After all, my business and the environment didn’t really influence each other did they? WRONG.
During one of my moments of what the corporate world calls “strategic planning” but I call just plain thinking, I was of course drinking coffee. That’s what I do so nothing too mind blowing there. But it was out of a paper cup, and that got the thought process started. This in itself is a dangerous path as my team would attest. It usually results in change, and that is not what my team likes, it is what my business likes and therefore me. And all of us know that Business Actions mean growth, improvements and of course change.
Is winning everything? was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
Uh oh, I could be in trouble with this answer. Everything is pretty all encompassing, not a lot of wiggle room here. But I want to be clear and narrow this very broad sentence; I’m referring to awards and what they mean to a business and the owner. For me they have meant a lot, for others nothing. Would I describe it as “everything”? Yes.
Asking the question “is winning everything” will annoy some people, and rightly so. I’m not back peddling but I am saying that it’s not only winners who win. It’s what you do with it that matters and makes the difference.
Jobs for the Young in Business was first published on Women in Focus.
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
As an employer for almost three decades, it is safe to say that I have personally hired and fired hundreds of people – very young, young, middle aged, older than me age and a lot older than me age. They all had positives and negatives going for them in terms of interview, trial and hire. Is it different working with young people than same age or older than me people? Yes, and I think my world of hospitality is a great example of talking about youth in business since we work with apprentices a lot.
It’s true that many employers take on youth just because they are a cheaper option. I disagree with this strategy, but that’s just me. I have never employed anyone because they would be a less expensive choice. I hire based on attitude, and if you think that bad attitude and disinterest are realms reserved for the youth, YOU ARE WRONG.
Business Youth was first published on Women in Focus
Women in Focus is a recently launched website and initiative by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It is a place for women to be inspired, informed and connected with other women in business in Australia and around the world. Angela Vithoulkas, CEO of VIVO Cafe Group, will be the Guru on the Business Beat section and will be providing weekly articles on all things small business.
For me there are two types of youth in business; one is when you are literally a young age person in business and the other is when your business is young, perhaps just starting out. While one is about the person and the other is about the business, they do have a lot in common. I say that because I have always believed a business has its own spirit, its own identity often in spite of its owner. They both have a heart; they just don’t look the same.
Ah, I remember the early days of being a “young person” in business. The energy, the exuberance, the denial. I was 18 when I first started running my family business and 21 when I went solo. I really did believe I knew everything. Now just before you presume this is a young person bashing, its not. It’s a fond memory walk down a bitter sweet path of experiences that I could have done without on an emotional level, but were necessary on a business level. I look back at the young girl I was and wish I could wind back the clock and jump in with some wise words and a hug. On the other hand, I was tougher than I gave myself credit for.
What’s ahead