Well, what a year it has been. A heck of a year… After Brexit and Donald Trump, I am officially giving up any hope of ever being able to predict the future. On local soil, it has probably also been one of the most ‘eventful’ years, politically speaking. From the opposition unseating the ANC in the major metros to Number 1’s continued scandal-ridden ride, South Africans have been holding their collective breath, hoping for real change. Maybe, that’s what the…
Beware the greed factor. You only get one bite at integrity.
We are all in business to make money. It may not be your main motivation for getting out of bed in the morning, but without profit you cannot operate. However, making money and being greedy are certainly not one and the same. We recently had a situation where an appointed contractor simply did not have the technical expertise to fulfil his contract to the client. He asked us to help out. Having known the chap for some time, and…
Mayor Mashaba – some service delivery please
So, the robots a major intersection on Main Reef Road is out. Again. It’s Monday morning and chaos reigns supreme in the southern and western areas approaching Johannesburg’s CBD. A few kilometres down the road two Metro Police officers lounge against their vehicle. They are ‘patrolling’ a dedicated bus lane, oblivious to the chaos unfolding around them, increasing by the minute. That singular out-of-order intersection has created traffic jams on almost every artery leading into town. Taxis are racing up…
Beware entrepreneurial burnout. Go on, have some fun
Highly stressful situations bring out the best, and worst, in people. True character is revealed when every cell in your body is screaming to follow nature’s hard-coded fight or flight response. Some people seem to simply cope better than others in tense situations. I always envied them. Things are pretty tense at the moment. We have just moved to a new factory and we are on deadline with a number of highly demanding clients. The work is technical and…
Human resources – no pain, no gain
Jeffrey has fallen off the wagon again and his hours have become as irregular as the quality of work delivered. Jones hasn’t had electricity at his house for three days and hasn’t been able to cook or bathe, making him moody and neglectful. Thabo’s girlfriend’s parents are demanding 10 cows for damages and lobola, turning a usually upbeat young man into a depressed soul. His work is full of small mistakes he would usually never make. Kekane is moving…
The silent sound of stress – cash flow
There is a strange silence in the factory at the moment. You almost jump when a machine is switched on. Most of the team is busy installing on site, leaving only a few hands to manufacture. At our work site, things are manic. Against the constant background noise of bulldozers landscaping, jackhammers breaking stone and our woodworking machines, the team is scurrying around, measuring, sawing, hammering, sanding. The pressure is on to deliver, and to deliver to the client’s expected…
Growing Pains – A tango in a quagmire
Plan, revise, execute; rinse and repeat. Almost every day, Cherryhill Woodcraft’s owner David Meyerowitz and myself spend at least 10 minutes talking about the big picture and the myriad of details it is made up of. Where is this business going? What do we need to do to keep growing? What is the status of current projects? Human resources? Suppliers? Cash flow? The list is quite long. And, there are few clear answers. That is why we need to ask…
Running for cover in Booysens
There is a drought. We fear the rain. Not that we don’t like farmers or enjoy rising food prises. It is because our factory’s roof leaks like a sieve. In fact, calling it a roof is quite generous. Its certainly made of corrugated iron and it goes over your head. But, alas it is only a roof in name. Cherryhill Woodcraft spent the first 18 years of its life in the same factory. In the beginning, owner David Meyerowitz,…
Our best craftsman is also our worst employee
Jeffrey* is our best cabinetmaker. He is also one of our worst employees. The man has a unique set of skills, which makes him a valuable member of the team. Not only does he have decades of experience when it comes to fine furniture manufacture, but he can also carve and operate almost any piece of equipment. More importantly however, he has a sharp mind. You simply point him in the right direction and off he goes. But, with his…