Why business is not always that straight forward

Sure it gets fascinating when people make such a big fuss about their business! Sometimes they even go into a huge spiel about what they are trying to achieve in their business and about the money they make. They might not tell you how much they're making, but they will definitely go on about how successful their business is. Make it sound so easy!

You’ll agree the bottom line is business is about making money, but it goes so much deeper than that. It's all the other small things that you have to do to get there. It's about having good management skills that will encourage your employees to be productive and work efficiently; it's about making your budget work; it’s about external factors that could threaten your company's survival and even keeping your employees happy in their work environment.

You could always go and buy a book or a business magazine and try and teach yourself the skills you might need to pursue business opportunities. But what I've found people saying is that they're looking for the practical experiences that will help them to make logical decisions easier. Who knows what works best. Maybe that gut feeling people talk about is based on past experiences. Either way, somehow we need a little push in the right direction to develop the skills we need to succeed in business.

Ways to help you learn could be to study online. There you could tap into a community that shares the same interests as you or even help you figure out where your place is in the business world.

To read more about how UCOL could be your online study partner go to our New Zealand Diploma in Business page for further information.

Customer Service Skills is an important Future Skill

Vision Manawatu's 2008 Business Retention and Expansion Survey identified that 71% of local businesses viewed Customer Service as a very important future skill requirement.

If you're looking to master the art of customer service, this qualification may be just what you need. It aims to equip you with the inside knowledge and practical skills you need to work as a customer service technician in a variety of professional settings.

For more information about this course please visit our Certificate in Customer Service Skills page.