Your Questions Answered

I have listed the most common ones below.  So please have a look to see if your questions are here.  If you have others, please email me on jean@enviroaction.com.au or SMS 0416 905 109.  These questions and my answers will give you a clearer idea of how I can help your business.  The answers are below the question summary
Jean Cannon

Question:Will I need to take on an extra staff member to run my system? Question: How is this going to help my business? Question: Why should I think your program is any different?  I don’t want a useless manual sitting on a shelf  Question: How much time will this take me? Question: How much work do we need to do in our business? Question: What about Auditing?  Is it very expensive? Question: What if I get something wrong in my external audit? Question: What happens if something comes up and we need to drop out for a while?  Question: I have a really poor internet connection, how can this work for me?  Question:  Is there any funding help?  I really do want to get out of the overwhelm and get some good systems in place to increase my productivity and reduce my carbon emissions but I’d really struggle to find the cash-flow at this stage.

Question: I may not be able to get to all the teleconferences. What happens if I miss out? Question: I don’t know whether to do quality, environment or safety because I have a variety of regulators breathing down my neck?  Can I do more than one system?  Question: I have a quality system and I really need to have a safety system.  I would also like to do environmental but it all seems too difficult.  Is it possible to combine them?  Question: How does the training work? Question: What happens each week?  Question: We have a group of us from a special industry sector.  Can we work together on our own?  Question: We want to know more about the teleconferences.  Question: How much does it cost?  Question: How do we pay? I worry about using my credit card on the internet.  Question: Can I pay monthly?  Question: How soon do I get started after I enrol?

Question: Will I need to take on an extra staff member to run my system?
Answer: NO you do not need extra staff.  Your system will save you time!   Of course for around four to six months while you are putting it in place, it will take more time but as you move down the system path you will find that it SAVES TIME

Question: How is this going to help my business?
Answer: Your business will become more efficient, your staff and contractors will stop making costly mistakes, people will start to look critically at why things happened to they can prevent them in future and you will find you save time and money plus gain freedom.

Question: Why should I think your program is any different?  I don’t want a useless manual sitting on a shelf?   
Answer: Those people have not been involved in fully building their own system and do not “own” it.  I help you to build it yourself, to suit your needs and involve your people.  Your manual will be a useful and often changing document that summarises and reflects what is happening day-to-day in your business.

Question: How much time will this take me?
Answer: You have a weekly phone conference for one hour to answer your questions and around one hour of working through your training materials.  You can choose to do this while you are commuting by listening the audio files if this fits better with you than reading or watching the videos.

Question: How much work do we need to do in our business?
Answer: This does vary.  Most of my clients spend around 20 minutes per day but it depends on how much you already have in place and how big your businesses it.  You do not need a perfect system to become certified so long as you cover all the requirements of the Standard.  After time passes, you will continually improve. 

You will find that as you build your systems and involve your personnel, you will be saving time in areas where the systems have improved and this time saved will continue to increase.

Question: What about Auditing?  Is it very expensive?
Answer:  There are around 20 different certification bodies (CB) in Australia.  If you are a small business you will probably be better suited by a smaller CB that is used to working with small business.  Bigger businesses may prefer bigger and better known CBs.  The price varies with auditing bodies between around A$1200 to A$1800 per day. 

If your certification allows you to access tenders and contracts you could not get other wise or you have less inspection from bodies like the EPA, they the cost of auditing becomes very minor.  It may cost less that a couple of adverts but bring you more business.

At your certification audit you will find that auditors often make suggestions and each audit you will find that you learn several helpful things as someone with fresh eyes looks carefully at how your systems work.

Question: What if I get something wrong in my external audit?
Answer:  Most things are minor and you need to let the auditor know within 2 weeks what your corrective action will be.  If you have completed all the work ready for audit, then I will go on working with you by email at no extra charge to make sure that you are able to get certified

Question: What happens if something comes up and we need to drop out for a while? 
Answer: That is very easy.  You just slot into a later course and finish off then.

Question: I have a really poor internet connection, how can this work for me? 
Answer: Let me know, either by phone or email a week before the course starts and I will post you a CD with all the files you need including the audio files.

Question: I may not be able to get to all the teleconferences. What happens if I miss out?
Answer: Because all the calls are recorded, you will get the recording within 2 days and possibly sooner.

Question: I don’t know whether to do quality, environment or safety because I have a variety of regulators breathing down my neck?  Can I do more than one system?  
Answer: Quality, safety and environment are level 1 modules and we do them both together.  You will build a management plan for both and identify what resources you need to put this in place.  In Module 2, you will take those plans and resources and make them work fully integrated into your single system.  And yes, you can easily do them all at the same time.

Question: I have quality systems and I really need to have a safety system.  I would also like to do environmental but it all seems too difficult.  Is it possible to combine them? 
Answer: Yes.  More than half my clients have fully integrated two or more of these onto one practical and commonsense system.  The choice of modules makes it very easy to do this.

Question: How does the training work?
Answer: You receive a written chapter of your workbook each week plus any other files you need.  You also receive MP3 audio files where I talk you through the chapter and I have just added video files as well.  Some people learn best by reading and some by listening so we provide both.  All learn by doing and by teaching the rest of their workforce.  The workbook and audio files should be saved to your disk and can be used when you train others in your workforce.  Then you also have 4 teleconference coaching and problem solving session for every module.

Question: What happens each week? 
Answer: Each week you receive an email with links you can click on to download the materials you need. This is usually on Fridays then the following Tuesday afternoon there is a teleconference.  These times sometimes vary by agreement.

Question: We have a group of us from a special industry sector.  Can we work together on our own? 
Answer: Provided that you have a minimum of 4 participants we can do this and also choose times that suit your group.

Question: We want to know more about the teleconferences. 
Answer: These are held weekly and you are given a phone number for each capital city.  International people phone a Sydney 02 number.  The teleconferences take approximately 60 minutes and I record these and email the audio file within the next 2 days, usually sooner.  I do ask you not to use VOIP for the calls as it can become very noisy and hard to hear.

Question: How much does it cost? 
Answer: You will be surprised at how cost effective it is because you share the cost of your consultancy with other group members.  Go to http://www.enviroaction.com.au/priority-registration-for-your-sustainability.html  for the latest pricing details

Question: How do we pay? I worry about using my credit card on the internet. 
Answer: Most Australians pay by credit card and the site is secure.  Australian Banking regulations are very protective for Merchant Services.  International visitors use PayPal.  You can also post a cheque if this suits you better but this does need to be done earlier so that the cheque can clear in time to start the training on time.  I also provide a form so that you can safely fax me your payment details on 08 8311 5233 and then I shred these when the payment is finished.

Question: Can I pay monthly? 
Answer: Yes monthly payments are available although naturally they do cost slightly more

Question: How soon do I get started after I enrol?
Answer: You will be posted your welcome pack and books within 48 hours and will start with the group within a week or two

Question:  Is there any funding help?  I really do want to get out of the overwhelm and get some good systems in place to increase my productivity and reduce my carbon emissions but I’d really struggle to find the cash-flow at this stage. 
Answer:  YES – for certain industry groups, also turnover in some cases and for environmental systems:

•    If you are a farmer, fisher or fish farmer, you are eligible for Farm Ready funding of $1500 in any one year for an individual in a management level job. 

•    You can do a Self Paced ISO 14001 training program fully subsided by going to http://www.farmready.gov.au/ApprovedCourses/CoursePages/FRTC00772.html This includes 3 hours of assessment, feedback and support from Jean

•    Or you may choose to do ISO 14001 as part of a coached group  http://www.farmready.gov.au/ApprovedCourses/CoursePages/FRTC00774.html

•    Or even do just two modules to give yourself a robust system that is very different from the many “tick and flick” systems that do not give you the full business benefits. of a real management system. This link is http://www.farmready.gov.au/ApprovedCourses/CoursePages/FRTC00773.html

•    Your first step is to apply for the funding which can take up to 10 days from http://www.farmready.gov.au and when you finish, you make a claim for reimbursement.

•    Funding is also available for manufacturing, in the turnover range $2 million min to $100 million max ,
•    Regional enterprises $ 1.5 million min and
•    Creative is $750K min.  The link here is http://www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au/howtoapply/Pages/ClientGuidelines.aspx

If you really want to solve one of more of your problems and access tenders, manage your staff more effectively, defuse problems with regulators and neighbours and simply make sure that your staff do not make repeated costly errors but you still have anxieties about making a commitment to reducing your stress, gaining more time and accessing more clients, you can always “dip your toe in” gently with my Quickstart Blueprint Consultation for only $220. 

You fill in a simple questionnaire so that I understand your business better, send it to me by fax or email and make an appointment then I can give you far more than $220 worth of direction to help you and your business in a one-on-one private consultation.  Because I have been working with lots of businesses like yours for over 12 years now I can give you real down to earth practical help.