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Excel Accounting Products
Excel Accounting Products
Monday, July 30, 2012
FIGG | Excel Accounting System to give you control of your finances with a click of a mouse!
8 Reasons Why You Could Be Up The Pole
8 Reasons Why You Could Be Up the PoleWhat do you do when owning your own business does not reap the rewards that you expected it to?
My business banker and I met the other day just as friends to chat and ended up chatting about people in business and what is and should be important to small business entrepreneurs.
Of course it must go without saying that selling is what it is all about, which will lead to a positive bank balance to be able to pay the bills and enjoy the lifestyle, which is what led us to wanting a business of our own in the first place.
But what happens when the small business owner does not reap the rewards that were expected? Some try something else, and others keep half killing themselves to sell more, and others stare at the wall and then collapse from exhaustion and disappointment.
And what if the small business can do even better and they know it but don’t know how?
Of course, my banker and I believe in financial management and have lived and seen the difference it can make between success and failure as well as success and more success.
Many entrepreneurs hand their bank statements, invoices and vouchers to their bookkeepers once a month or annually and their bookkeepers either do or don’t send them reports of any meaningful nature to make the difference between success and failure.
We bandied about ideas as to why some entrepreneurs (many who we know) do not accept that financial management must be an integral monthly if not daily task of small business.
And so we settled on the following ideas but I would love to hear from you if we have it all wrong (up the pole) and you can provide other ideas as to why some entrepreneurs don’t do their financials properly.
1. The idea of recording and analyzing the finances of your business monthly at least, is worse than staring at the wall and collapsing from exhaustion and disappointment.
2. Being so close to the business, knowing about every cent coming in and going out means that there is no need to analyze financial reports.
3. Spending money on a bookkeeping system is money down the drain.
4. The ease of use of a bookkeeping system is non-existent.
5. No time or inclination to use the reports to analyze where the money is coming from and not coming from, where expenses can be cut and so on.
6. Selling is their comfort zone and skill and if they are not selling enough, the firm belief is that no amount of bookkeeping is going to change that.
7. Perhaps entrepreneurs do not want to know what they do not know.
8. Not paying Income Tax, no need for a bookkeeping system.
Let us know what you think, would love to hear from you if our ideas are wrong or insufficient.
What could change your mind to lead you to doing your books as second priority only to selling?
An easy to use accounting system that allows you to see results immediately and not only after setting up a complicated system and entering mounds of data in 13 different places to end up with inaccurate information or nothing that makes sense anyhow. There is nothing more empowering to be able to manage your business using meaningful and easy to understand reports of your business performance.
If you agree with us, drop us a comment also and take a look at www.figg.co.za to begin fixing what is wrong and keep in touch. We will help you.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Gail Emmerick is Welcomed to the South Africa Business Network
Gail Emmerick Is Welcomed To The South Africa Business Network
GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA, July 19, 2012 /South Africa Business Network/ -- As a seasoned professional with over two decades of diverse experience, Gail Emmerick has accumulated extensive expertise in the areas of accounting and business operations training, staff management, fraud investigations, financial reporting, financial analysis, business management and development, due diligence and system implementations for start-ups and many other companies.. Nedbank It's My Biz
On 23rd of August 2012 at 17h30 on e-tv or on channel 134 on Dstv our business will be showcased. There is a repeat on at 12h00 the following Thursday 30 August 2012. The promo that shows a snippet of our episode airs the whole week before the 23rd 23 August 2012."IT'S MY BIZ" (PREVIOUSLY CALLED 'FIX MY BIZ') is a Nedbank Small Business Services initiative designed to communicate the "Banking and Beyond" strategy of this Nedbank small business division.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Join the FIGG Initiative
Call to invest in the FIGG initiativeSoon after the 2008 global financial crisis, Gail Emmerick began to dedicate her life to a dream of building a business with tools and service to help support less privileged, yet talented people, to start up and run a successful small business of their own. FIGG Excel Accounting Solutions was born and an incredible team of people have raised it to the summit of the dream.
Aside from the readiness to supply the amazing products with internet links for simple and fast downloading (after overcoming a failed attempt on the way), FIGG has achieved the status of Member of the Microsoft Partner Network, and has been selected for a 30 minute television show that showcases up and coming businesses and inclusion in the World Business Almanac as an honored member of the South African Business Network.
We are very proud to be in the position to make our first call to business and individuals to please join us in this initiative and e-mail gail.emmerick@figg.co.za for more information or to become an investor in small business to build our economy for ourselves and generations to follow. Please forward this call to any businesses and individuals you know, who can benefit from our offer.
It will be an honor to work for you toward our goals. Contact gail.emmerick@figg.co.za.
What do you get out of joining this initiative?
Level 1 contributor: R249.00 per month
- A sincere opportunity to contribute toward our economic survival and growth.
- A free link on our website to your website or link of your choice.
- Exposure on our Facebook, Linked-in and many other websites that we appear on.
- A free Household Accounting System for you to control and budget your personal expenses (market value R499, FIGG price R149)
- Your contribution will be invoiced to you monthly and considered a social contribution which in South Africa will contribute toward your own business BBBEE scorecard.
- A monthly update of the names and contact details of the people you have contributed to and updates of their progress as a small business.
Level 2 contributor: R999 per month.
- All of level 1 contributor benefits
- Free FIGG Small Business Accounting System. (Market value R2499, FIGG price R999)
- Exposure on our website page for Level 2 contributors which page link is delivered to thousands of people every day via Twitter and Facebook and Linked-in and many other websites that FIGG is linked to.
4. Free Typing, Proofreading, Transcription, Social media assistance to the value of R50 per month.
Level 3 contributor: R1499 per month
1. All of level 1 and 2 contributor benefits
- A free FIGG Full Financial Suite. (market value (R4999, FIGG price R1499)
- Exposure as a contributor in all our appearances across South Africa and worldwide.
Level 4 contributor: More than R1499 per month
1. All of level 1 - 3 contributor benefits
2. Let’s talk and negotiate additional benefits.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Accounting for non Accountants
Accounting for non AccountantsBy
Gaynor Paynter
AND
When I was approached by a friend to be a dealer of the new product he was supplying, I accepted, generally being pretty much game for anything. Then he said, “it’s an accounting software product.”
Oh.
I’m a business owner, a transcriptionist, a social media fundi. I’m NOT an accountant, nor a mathematician nor any good at anything that is more than say, 20 + 235. But he told me that the product is so easy you don’t have to be an accountant to understand it. “It’s in MS Excel,” he said, “and you understand that. “
Yes, I do. And I’d been doing my own invoices in MS Excel for years before. So here was an opportunity to use an affordable professional product, in a format that I understood, with the backing of professionals to make it work. And my friend took me to one side and explained the product from start to finish with me. Even I can understand a video tutorial, on Youtube, another platform that I understand. And I understood the product and have marketed it to other small business owners.
The line here is thin. Yes, you can hire an accountant to do your work for you, but that costs lots of money and FIGG doesn’t. Within FIGG there are video tutorials and explanatory notes – you can go through them at your leisure and you aren’t paying your accountant by the hour as he explains things to you. Part of what FIGG does, is encourage and assist businesses to grow – and every product they provide is geared to do this from the sales forecast (let’s face it, which small business owner even DOES a sales forecast, let alone uses a professional system to do it – and imagine the profits if we all did this properly) to the budget to the household accounting system, a product which you can give to your teenager to teach him or her about household responsibilities.
Gaynor Paynter is the owner of Typewrite Transcription and Typing Services CC providing a full virtual and online marketing suite of services from typing and transcription services to accounting solutions through FIGG Excel Accounting Solutions
Monday, July 9, 2012
Gail Emmerick Business Owner and developer at FIGG Excel Accounting Solutions CC
Gail Emmerick
Business Owner and developer at FIGG Excel Accounting Solutions CC
Shareholder at www.abafaziguesthouse.com
Business Owner and developer at FIGG Excel Accounting Solutions CC
Shareholder at www.abafaziguesthouse.com
Linked In Profile
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Growing Up
GROWING UP
Anyone out there who lives with the combination of a teenager and owning their own business may relate to this article. Even if you don’t have the teenager hanging on, you have been there yourself so in some way you will be able to relate.
Looking back on the teenage years, we remember the moments of confusion, frustration, ‘knowing it all’ then the realization that there is one huge world out there and you are one small fish.
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| Growing up - growing passion. |
Let’s take the analogy and apply it to your small business. Having a business that is your own can in many ways be like having that difficult teenager. There are times when all is hunky dory and the cash flow is great the customers love you and the world is your oyster, then comes along that difficult transaction that you know you shouldn’t have got into, that deal that has the potential to sink you and then it’s not that rosy out there. Well just like with many kids a good solid start in life goes a long way to weathering the storms of life especially when the parents are no longer there to guide and protect, and so with your business a solid grounding is vital to ensuring that your business weathers those tough times. By having your books in order, the legal side of things in order, a healthy relationship with the tax man, and a good idea of the financial health of your business will enhance your chances of making it through those rough times.
Gail Emmerick, a Forensic Auditor, Business Consultant and developer of the acclaimed FIGG Excel Accounting Solutions products had just this in mind when she developed the products that are now available to anyone who would like to better manage and control their business. She has a real understanding of the weak points and challenges that face small business owners, and has incorporated all the relevant tools necessary to ensure your business grows and strengthens. To do this she has focused on empowerment through educating. Many of the tools come with full explanations of what should be posted into which account, what x,y and z terms mean and why you need to do certain things in your business - quite remarkable when you think of it.
Like with the difficult teenager, it is great to have someone who you can talk to and have the tools available to manage that Teen challenge, and so as your business grows from the child phase to the teen phase and later the adult phase make sure that you give your business the grounding it needs to survive, and then make sure you use tools such as those developed by Gail Emmerick to turn your business into something that is strong and healthy.
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www.figg.co.za
Friday, June 1, 2012
THE GOOD
TIMES AND THE BAD
I was
inspired by an article that appeared in one of the local small business
publications that talked about the challenges that we as entrepreneurs face especially
during these more difficult economic times and of course that got me thinking..
BED OF ROSES
It’s
certainly no bed of roses, in the days when you may have been employed think of
all the decisions that the boss made without you having to even know about, now
you are the boss. And when people said
that it takes tenacity and hard work with incredible focus to get to the top,
did you ever really believe them? But
looking back I’m sure you can appreciate where you have got to and how far you
still have to go, but hey, that is why we are here, we’re in it for the long
run..
COMMUNICATE
…in it for
the long run, growing up as part of the X Generation we certainly grasped the
concept of instant gratification, that was what it was all about, get in the
car at a time when petrol was so cheap and go where ever you wanted, TV had
just hit the scene and in the 80’s many of the X generation were already being
fed TV as a staple diet, then came Mnet, Video Machines and Fax Machines and some
of us even had computers at school, we really got into the instant stuff, but
one thing that we missed out on was learning to communicate effectively, of
course a huge generalization but still quite accurate, and so the 30 somethings
like myself grapple with that.
All I can
say is force yourself, acknowledge your weakness and push through, but realise that if you don’t improve that
skill it will get you into stacks of trouble. Communicating clearly with
Customers and Suppliers is a challenge, I often sit back and think about some
of the mess ups I have made and I ask myself how much of this was as a result
of poor communication and people hearing but not listening. Do you hear or do you really listen?
FIND A MENTOR – SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST AND SPILL
YOUR BEANS TO (OH AND BE REAL)
We all need
someone we can trust to spill the beans to, both on the personal and the
business front, especially in small business the realms of personal and
business collide more regularly than in an office/ corporate environment where
the mighty board sit and spill their beans while the rest of the worker bees
buzz away at their corporate stuff keeping work at work and personal at home.
Running a small business means that in many
cases you are the business and in my case we are the business, and I have a
mentor that I can trust with my life, wow that’s few and far between but it
hasn’t been an easy ride. That trust
thing - not that simple, saying it as it is - also not that simple, but if it
wasn’t for my mentor and friend I think I’d be back buzzing away aimlessly as a
worker bee in the hive of a corporate company probably wondering what the
purpose of all this buzzing is. So
actively look for that mentor and learn to spew it out..
KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER WHAT EVER IT TAKES
Do you want
this, or has it got too tough? Sticking
to THE PROJECT your main business, your vision and your passion must be the
most difficult aspect of running your own business. When those big deals fall through and the
pending break though results in bitter disappointment, you need to ask yourself
‘Is this what I really want?’
Really
wanting this life of a small business owner, life of the small guy with big
dreams slogging at it with no results getting yourself so bogged down that you
forget to lift your head up, and see how much progress you have made and how
close you actually are to the big break.
Well at the end of the day it’s like that walk in the Drakensberg where
you see the destination ‘not far off’ while it is actually kilometers away, ‘they’
say 1000 days and ‘they’ are probably quite close to the truth, 1000 days of
persistence and growing and learning and experiencing something that more and
more South Africans are experiencing.
All I can say what a blast and what a ride … stick to it and work at it
you will start to see the fruits of your labour..
Brendon
Burmester
Follow on Twitter @figgexcel
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
New figg Excel Accounting Website
figg Excel Accounting Solutions have relaunched their website and it is now much more functional for the end user.
With enhanced features such as the ability to purchase these financial solutions from the website, you can download all SA’s easiest accounting system within minutes.
Finally an accounting system for small businesses in MS Excel which is easy to use and easily accessible. Download this Microsoft approved accounting system now.
figg Excel Accounting Solutions - now everyone can go figgure!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
figg Excel Accounting webinar
We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the figg Excel Accounting webinar being held on Friday 18 May at 10 am (South African time - +2 GMT)
Please click here: http://www.facebook.com/events/273769822717036/
This your opportunity to talk live to the developers and find out more about accounting for small businesses. Every small business needs a reliable, effective accounting system and our products include the full financial suite, the small business accounting system, business admin documents, trial balance, sales forecast and even a household accounting system for your accounting at home. Come along to hear Gail Emmerick, the developer of the figg Excel Accounting Products, talk about how best to engage with these systems in your business.
Finally an accounting system for small businesses in MS Excel.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
South Africa Business Network professional recognition
The South Africa Business Network recognises Gail Emmerick as an honoured member. The above named individual has qualified for inclusion in the 2012 edition of The World Business Almanac. Inclusion is limited to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership or achievement in their occupation, industry or profession. Gail Emmerick is the developer of the figg Excel Accounting products.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Accounting product trial versions now available
Download a 30 day
trial of the figg Excel Accounting products and video tutorials and begin using them today. The
trial is a full version, no difference. When you are happy with the accounting product/s
you pay for them and the conversion to a paid product is seamless, you can just
continue to work in them, you will not lose any of the data you have entered
into the trial.
The business was
started 13 years ago as a Business Operations Consulting service including
recruiting of staff for clients consulted to, implementation of ERP systems,
business re-engineering for mergers, acquisitions, new business divisions and
subsidiaries and fraud investigations.
The business evolved
into development of Accounting tools in MS Excel ideal focusing on simple steps
for data entry to deliver sophisticated tools for the management of Income,
Expenses, Assets and Liabilities of a business.
When the Excel
Accounting tools were approved by Microsoft and figg gained the status of a
Microsoft Business Partner, the tools were taken to market and can now be
downloaded from the website www.figg.co.za including
a trial version.
The business has 6
staff members http://www.figg.co.za/home/ourteam.htm
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Nedbank It's My Biz Show.
figg Excel Accounting Solutions has been selected for the Nedbank Sponsored It’s my Biz show. We have a 30 minute slot which includes:
1. 1st filming - An interview with me at our offices to discuss the business and where we want to take it (I asked in my initial application and interviews that followed for help with retail and then also corporate sponsorship to get it to small business who can’t afford it)
2. 2nd filming - A meeting with consultants who will advise
3. 3rd filming - A follow up interview with me at our offices I think 3 months later to find out if the consultants helped us.
We believe that this is a huge advantage since it is in Nedbank and the whole purpose of the show to help us to succeed.
Filming of the first interview is Thursday 3 May 2012. We will let you know when the show will be flighted but it will also be posted on
3. Nedbank’s You tube channel
Many thanks for your support to date, couldn’t have done this without our Customers and friends.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
figg Excel Accounting Solutions partner Brendon Burmester chats about what makes him tick
We spoke to Brendon Burmester, partner in the figg Excel Accounting Solutions business, about his views on being an entrepreneur, what drove him to start figg, and a whole bunch of other things!
You come from a training and teaching background, tell us something of your background and history that influenced where you are today.
Teaching and training have given me the types of people skills and organisational skills required to manage the business of figg. I’m in no way saying I’ve got all the skills but they both have provided me with an excellent base.
What motivated you to get figg Excel Accounting Solutions started as opposed to another business in another industry, and what skills do you draw on from your background in your current life?
This is one of the ironies of life – one of my pet bug bears has been accounting and numbers. Give me something highly creative to do and I’m there but accounting??? So when the opportunity came up to get involved in figg it was my opportunity to confront my fears but also to get involved in the creative side of developing a new product from scratch. VERY exciting stuff.
The name figg is interesting as opposed to something generic and descriptive, how did the name figg come about? Tell us something about figg.
Deciding on figg was a group effort. Firstly we spelt the name of the fruit incorrectly in order for it to stick in one’s mind and secondly we chose the figg because the word fits in well with figures –
What three pieces of advice would you give to others who want to become entrepreneurs?
Focusing on what you want to achieve – I speak from the experience of being everywhere and traditionally being multi focused. Live your product. The best form of marketing is word of mouth so every opportunity is a moment to sell and everyone is a potential customer. Plan carefully and source good reliable suppliers. If you don’t you can waste a lot of money.
What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ability to network, focus, stickability!!!
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
I have at times not effectively put my mind to a single task at a time meaning that in the past jobs get left undone, another failure has been that of effectively using contacts – a work in progress.
What motivates you?
Seeing this amazing brand growing into something that becomes the preferred choice for small businesses.
How far are you willing to go to succeed?
All the way!
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
I don’t have a greatest fear – fear grips one and paralyses one’s ability to look forward and to see a way out.
Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Nope, if there was then this would have been a walk in the park.
If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Hitler – don’t get me wrong at all, I certainly don’t follow the far right neo nazi movement or support any of the incredibly evil things he did, but what fascinates me about the man is his ability to have misled so many people and get into the hearts of so many Germans.
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
The freedom it gives one to expand your mind and grow in the direction life chooses for you rather than being dictated by the rules and regulations of a corporate environment.
How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Online Online Online, Facebook Promotions and competitions, Linked In and Twitter, and flyers – slow but effective – as with any marketing it is about consistency and shoving your brand into people’s faces so that you shout louder than the rest..
In South Africa, CSI has a big role to play. Do you see figg as having a role to play in corporate social investment?
Most certainly, in time we will grow that part of the business, the fact is that many South Africans need a helping hand a way out of their situation and a lot of it revolves around money and managing money effectively – exactly what figg is all about!
· Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most? Woolworths – I like their approach to business, the ethical, quality, ‘get into the hearts of South African’s’ approach
Join Brendon and his partner Gail Emmerick on Friday 4 May as they give a live online demonstration of their products.
Brendon Burmester is also the Director of the acclaimed Jozi Film Festival a one of a kind film festival in South Africa which aims to become the first stop in film for local and international Film Makers and Industry Professionals, providing a platform for up and coming South African Film Makers.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
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