Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Don't ask me to celebrate what I don't agree with!

 



My go to response to confronting ideas has been " I don't mind what you do as long as I am OK"
That was my response to same sex marriage, the changing od my mothers funeral plot, etc,,,,
It conveniently got changed by those selectively hearing to "wayne doesn't mind" and that surely was the case until two great events of 2019/2020.
I was asked to a same sex wedding - I was asked to celebrate something I personaLLY DIDN'T LIKE. And I had to make a choice that those close to me don't understand.
the next occasion was the passing o my brother - it was proposed that my mother be shifted so my brother could be interned in her place allowing for the sister-in -law to be added later... it was represented that "wayne doesn'r cre what is done" but my sistern did... to an extent that she was "univited" to the funeral.
Now I was reminded of this by the post to Facebook by my brother -in-law Sebastion [Bob] Cocivera, who I have to say, is more forthright than me. I will post his picture that stirred me up. #WatneMansfield,#PowerRead,#EperienceOracle,#Done,#Rebootology

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

It can't be that long - can it?

 I am on my daily morning walk and decided that the sabatical has been long enough!

So, the start is writing my thoughts.... do you know it was over 3 months ago since I have done this... over 3 months!


No wonder I am out of sorts... even though I am fully functional I am apparently not... just what has 2020 done to us all? I spoke with a friend [Bernard K] and he said the biggest hassle with "retirement" was relevance... and after 18 months of the chang and then in hibernatione I have to agree.

Cruise speaking was the plan but 1 month of it saw me unsatisfied then the Covid-19 situation saw cruiing stopped... so anyway you slice it, it didn't work out... it is unsatisfying but maybe I need to talk to the audience[?] than in hibernation?

[ for those not up on this I did 1 month on Spectrum of the Seas on its maiden vovage from Barcelona to Singapore]

Ah well 2021 should be better [?]

#Reboot,#WayneMansfield, #Experienceoracle, #PowerRead,#Done

Friday, August 14, 2020

The tide is turning!

 

You can only be "offend" for so long before it comes back to bite you.

Check latest news on:

Ellen

Black Life Matters

Epstein

etc..


Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Chicken Soup for Soul series...



Mark Victor Hansen - it is unusual who you meet in your life... one of those people was MV Hansen who I meet maybe 40 years ago and he was promoting a Doctor of Life... so to get a Dr beofre oyur name, all you had to do was make a list of your life achievements and of course pay the fee... so the person I met was Dr Mark Victor Hansen and I wasn't impressed at all. 

I met Mark again when I went to Los angelos for a conference with  Jay Abrahams... he had dropped the "Dr" by now and was just getting started with the Chicken Soup books. Again he didn't do it for me but hey who am I to say... so MVH is one of the world's greatest known Personal Motivation Gurus and he didn't do anything for me... I have also met many others who have left positive impressions... like Denis Waitly, Zig and Art Linkletter... to name a few.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

The Value of a Rescue dog!



On my daily [ 7 days a week ] I see many people walking dogs and a significant number are, their owners tell me, "Rescue" dogs... it seems companionship is the gift they give and it is very much appreciated.

Today the rain was heavy enough to cause new smells everywhere so so mch sniffing and little walking was had... but the ownwea seemed happy enough.

Isn't it strange how we reward dogs more than people?

Monday, July 27, 2020

How long can Daniel Andrews Last?



As Victoria continues to get more COVID-19 cases, I wonder how immune he is to the fact he has lead a government that has stuffed this up?

For some reason, he seems to be coated in teflon... nothing seems to stick!

It will be interesting to watch...

At least it isn't the Big V crushing us in AFL footy!

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Is Retail Dead?

Recently I returned to a weekly ritual of steak and a red for lunch.

Only one of my previous haunts has returned to offering a lunch special [ $14.50 for a RumpSteak ] whilst the other two are charging $38 for a steak running through to $50.

The good place is 2 Forty 3 in Coventry Village Morley.



There is no table service so all three missed out on the sell up of coffee, an extra wine and maybe a extra course... and even when asked they missed the cue... you have to go up and order! Even when each venue has a wireless POS machine... are well, when they go broke I wonder what the excuse will be?

Saturday, April 18, 2020

How much of your investments are in Cash?

In about 2008, I was with a client in Doha, Qatar  and he asked me a question that sticks in my mind:
"How much of your investments are in cash?"

Now I know that I am a high risk investor and that nearly all my invested capital was in my businesses that I reasoned I had 100% control but "she who must be obeyed" had all her investments in bank accounts [cash] so I said "about half"

My client was happy with the answer with him saying "that's good I am about the same."

Fast forward to 2020, my buinesses have had their values stripped to zero by The Donald, The Virus and "The Black Dog" and "She how must be objeyed" has all her CASH but is bitterly complaining about the lack of interest she is earning.

The last share I bought were in Bond Corporation because I truly believed he could walk on water, but they [The Bond Corporation shares] sank to zero very quickly and Alan went to jail... The good part of the story it cured my share buying days instantly and permanently. I haven't purchased shares in a company that I had no influence on the management team since.

Earlier this week I asked whether you thought we would "snap back" and there was a 50/50 split and some very deep and meaningful answers. Personally, I think we are going to hell in a hand basket BUT sometime things will get better - different but better!
Now, I say all of this from a position of complete ignorance and uncertainty. Nobody knows what’s going to happen next, or how long this pandemic will last.
But to simply expect that everything will return to normal in a few weeks-- and willfully ignore the countless other possibilities-- seems a bit foolish.
Worldwide, the number of deaths from Covid-19 reached 150,000. That’s more than double the number of deaths from 10 days ago. So it’s still growing.
Singapore was initially successful in controlling the virus outbreak. But they’re now experiencing a nasty second wave of infections.
In the US alone, more than 20 million people have lost their jobs so far, and the government’s $350 billion program to bail out small businesses has already run out of money.
It’s great to hope for the best. But let’s be realistic: there are a lot of reasons why the economic consequences of this pandemic could be long-lasting.
And that’s what brings me to real assets.
If the negative consequences linger, it’s reasonable to expect that governments and central banks will shovel piles of cash into their economies at a feverish pace.
Most developed nations have started this already.
Here in Australia, the government has passed at least $130 billion in stimulus measures so far-- a princely sum in a country where the population is just 25 million people.

What will happen in the future? I think nobody knows.

On my morning walk, I snapped 12 For Lease signs that weren't there a month ago - that is 12 buinesess and maybe 120 jobs that will never come back. The owners just took the opportunity to walk away rather than sign up for a new lease and go into hock for another 5 years. Many clients are saying they would love to take the packages that the Government have on offer and throwign at them BUT not when they are loans which will hve to be paid back so they will "milk" the system until it someone asks for a signature and then they will hand back the keys.

All this sounds doom and gloom but the World Economy recovered from WW1, WW2, the Cold War, the Great depression, The Spanish Flu, 9/11, the GFC etc and I have no reason to believe this won't be the same... there will be many "Motivated sellers of distressed businesses" and not many willing purchsers, so there will be bargins a plenty and I feel that there will be a generational change in wealth and I am planning I will be on the right side of the shift.


Project 2025 was born in better times but it is now more likely to succeed... you should allocate some risk funds [the money you throw at the ponies or buy lotto tickets with] and jump on board... the ride will be fast, bumpty but ultimately rewarding.

Do you want o join me in Project 2025!?

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Do you think The Economy Will "Snap Back?"



The big story over the last few days has been ‘reopening the economy’.
And that’s certainly a nice idea. Countless people have been living in despair over the last month, and the prospect of everything going back to normal soon feels really great.
I certainly hope for the best.
Have you read about James Stockdale talking about how he cultivated the mental strength to survive 7 torturous years as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam.
When asked, “Who didn’t make it [out of the POW camp],” Stockdale replied,
Oh that’s easy. The optimists. They were the ones who said, ‘we’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And then Christmas would come, and Christmas would go.
And then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And then Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving. And then it would be Christmas again.
And they died of a broken heart.
“This is a very important lesson,” Stockdale continued. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose– with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
There’s clearly been a lot of positive data lately showing that the growth rate of the virus seems to be slowing [flattening the curve], and that the mortality rate is lower than originally estimated. [At the time of writing Australia's death toll is just 63!]
This is all good news.
But I'm seeing a lot of ‘Stockdale optimists’ right now who only look at the good news and refuse to confront brutal facts. [PM Morrison saying we will "snap back!"]
Many of the world’s most prominent financial markets have been bitten by Stockdale Optimism; stocks, for example, are way up because investors believe everything is about to return to normal and the economy will experience a ‘V-shaped recovery’.
(This means that the economy will bounce back as quickly and aggressively as it stalled.)
But anyone with the discipline and emotional courage to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality realizes that ‘normal’ is still far away.
Here are a few things to consider:
1) Hardcore PTSD
We’re now living in a world where hugging is considered an act of biological terrorism.
It would be silly to think that everyone will come out of hiding and go back to normal… packing bars, airplanes, shopping malls, elevators, offices, etc. like we used to do.
There’s going to be some serious, worldwide Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Millions of people will permanently change their behavior, reduce consumption, stay home, and avoid contact with others.
And this is clearly going to have a lingering economic impact.
2) RIP Small Business
Countless small businesses ‘temporarily’ closed last month. Many of them will never reopen. Have you noticed all the For Lease signs?
Others have had to make deep cuts and lay off a number of employees in order to survive.
But even when economic conditions finally start to normalise, many small business owners will realize, “Gee I didn’t actually need some of those workers.”
They’ll do the maths and determine that the business can be more profitable and efficient without all the employees. And some of those temporary job cuts will become permanent.
3) Big business downsizing
Ditto for big businesses. A typical medium-sized or large company can ditch at least 10% of its workforce with minimal impact to operations.
And so a lot of big companies who have laid off their workers will not hire everyone back.
Big companies now have an opportunity to shrink their overhead further by reducing their office footprints.
Executives now realise that many employees can work from home. And frankly, many employees prefer it. Previously, they didn't trust people to work "at home."
This will likely reduce demand for office space, causing a steady increase in commercial property vacancy rates.
4) Retail was dying before this started. . .
Let’s be honest-- retail stores were already dying before this pandemic; the entire industry is being swallowed up by likes of eBay and Amazon.
A number of major retail chains (JeansWest, Roger David, PToys are Us, etc.) had surrendered well before the pandemic started. Plenty of others are on the ropes.
And now with so many places on lockdown, many of them simply will not survive. [Have you walked through a mall lately]
Between the continued rise of e-commerce, the lockdown consequences, and the lingering PTSD that could keep millions of people from visiting stores, physical retail is in pretty serious trouble.
Retail makes up roughly 10% of the work force in the Australia alone, so it’s not hard to imagine a million jobs lost just from this one sector… not to mention the impact to the real estate market of so many shops and malls going under.
5) Additional outbreaks
While the social distancing and lockdown measures have reduced the rate of contagion, it’s important to remember that some places (like Hong Kong and Singapore) already experienced a second wave of outbreaks after they loosened their restrictions.
Yet the ‘V-shaped recovery’ fantasy completely ignores this very real possibility… and the huge economic consequences it would have.
In fact, any of the five points mentioned above could have a nasty impact-- to the unemployment rate, financial markets, GDP, real estate prices, corporate earnings, government deficits, etc.
But they’re all being ignored.
The prevailing narrative right now is that we’re out of the woods and the economy is about to come roaring back.
And that would certainly be nice.
Staying positive is great. Like Stockdale said, we know that we will prevail in the end.
But it’s important to be realistic-- to confront the most brutal facts of our reality. And our reality is that the consequences of this pandemic could last much longer than many people are choosing to believe.
Let me know what you think!

Wayne Mansfield

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Not in my life time

Have you been so sure you are right and you make the statement "Not in My Lifetime!"




I have irrational feeling about petrol especially when it was $1.69 a litre but this week [ end of March / early April 2020] I saw it at 87.9c/litre and todays paper says it might get to as low as 70c/litre

Thursday, April 09, 2020

There is a bear in there!

From SBS: "Seeing bears in the windows of our neighbours’ houses is a signal of friendliness and warmth. A bear in the window is like the friendly smile and nod you give to a stranger. It’s a way of telling others that you are no threat."

There is a bear in there!!




From early morning walks...

Tuesday, March 03, 2020

Yes I remember that!


Pride of place in thousands of homes WORLDWIDE
Did your family go without to have a full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica ?  Mine DID!

On sunday, when killing time as I sometimes do, I wandered around a local Flea market and there was a full set of EB for $5.00 which I am sure was more for the book case than the books.

A simple question: What else did you have that now no longer exists in any meaningful way... like a film camera or a fax machine for example.

I was contemplating what will disappear due to our reaction to the Coronavirus?

Over to you?

#WayneMansfield
#SMM2020
#AussieIcon
#Coronoavirus

Sunday, March 01, 2020

Jack Ma of Alibab fame says the current crisis is a time to retool, reflect and prosper!


Jack Ma, the co-founder of Asia’s biggest company by capitalisation, said the coronavirus epidermic in China presents an opportunity for entrepreneurs to retool themselves and prepare for the growth that lies ahead when the outbreak subsides.
Ma, the retired chairman of Alibaba Group Holding and principal of the non-profit Hupan College  in Hangzhou, told students to “find a direction amid crisis and change” that is besetting the country.

“Reflect on what you really want, what you have, and what you need to give up, or stick to,” 
Ma said.

Ma told students to “learn digital working methods” and “adopt internet technology.” Alibaba launched its Taobao online shopping platform in 2003 when China was locked down during a nationwide outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars.

Taobao  
is now the world’s largest e-commerce website, reporting 3 trillion yuan (US$428 billion) in transaction volume in 2017 with its Tmall.com sibling site.

Ma then channelled Kyocera Corporation’s founder Kazuo Inamori, whose management and leadership turned the television component maker into one of Japan’s largest companies.

At the age of 77
 in 2010, Inamori – three years into his retirement at Kyocera – was asked to become the chairman and chief executive of Japan’s flag carrier Japan Airlines as it headed into bankruptcy protection. The carrier was restructured, and re-listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in November 2012.

Inamori had five strategies for companies during times of recession, according to Ma:

Strategy One: Every employees should turn to sales

Every employee should turn to sales, to arouse latent demand among clients, Ma cited Inamori in saying.
“Even in a company with tip-top technology, selling a product is still the foundation of the company’s operation,” Inamori said. “It is impossible to get orders during recessions if employees lack the spirit in making all-out efforts for clients.”

Strategy Two:
 Spare no effort to develop new products

A recession is a golden opportunity for companies to innovate and expand sales.
“Clients are too free during a recession. They will also propose new ideas after listening to yours. This would create orders that you never imagined before, so that you can expand your business.”

Strategy Three:
 Radical cost cuts

Recession is the only chance to cut costs, as every employee would strive to make it happen, Inamori said.
“You need to lower the break-even point of the whole company by making efforts to reduce production costs,” Inamori said. “If a company can maintain profitability when the turnover is halved, it would be even more profitable when sales returns to normal.”

Strategy Four: 
Maintain high production rate

Companies should maintain their usual high productivity rate even in times of recession, by reassigning excess labour from the production line to other tasks to maintain the cadence and vibe of the work cycle. “Once productivity drops, it would not be easy to restore,” Inamori said.

Strategy Five: 
Establish favourable interpersonal relations

“The most important thing for managing a company is the relationship between the manager and employees,” Inamori said, adding that employers must “love and protect” employees, while employees need to understand the manager, they need to help and support each other.

So, it is time to build on the opportunites that will surely come in the next few weeks and months...

All the best and may you prosper!

#JackMa
#WayneMansield
#CoronaVirus
#SMM2020

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Holden Toast?


The last of a line!

General Motors, apparently the world's leading motorcar brand, just announced that it will cease supporting ANY right hand drive car markets [ 25% of the market ] anywhere in the world. That means by the end of 2021 there will be no Holden branded new cars in Australia or New Zealand. and brand equity of about $2 billion will be flushed down the toilet. Ahh well it is only money.

But wait what about people with Holden in their DNA - well they will get over it! But there will be pain!

Number 1 always falls over but ALWAYS!

IBM was number 1 until it wasn't, Pan Am was number 1 until it wasn't... Ansett was number 1 until it wasn't. General Motors in Australia was number 1 until Toyota grabbed the crown and just wait it won't be number 1 forever. Who says Hyundai or Kia will grab that crown??

The Law of Nature is at work everywhere!

#Holden, 
#Number 1, 
#Commodore, 
#2020, 
#Wayne Mansfield, 
#AussieIcon, 

Thursday, February 06, 2020

Cockroach upsets virus quarantine victim SERIOUSLY[?]

There are many concequences of the coronavirus scare from China... the Australian Government has flown back GRATIS many Australian Citizens from China and put them into quarantine on Christmas Island... and the press is having a field day.. with one lady compaining that there was a cockroah in her accomodation... compared to being in lock down in Wuhan china where 20k already are positive to the virus.




The econmic consequences for Western Australia will be severe - for each $1 of iron pricing per tonne, the Government getts $83 million in tax... and already the price is down $13 a tonne, or in revenue, nearly $1 billion give or tak a few $$$$'s OUCH that might hurt.

Yesterday, I was looking at real estate to take advantage of the downturn... a unit in the Eastern Suburbs where the owner was offering 3 years settlement with possession in the meantime... it was shit - poorl;y built, by a builder who cut corners, and has now folded... but hey it was cheap!

It reminded me of a previous client, let's call him Rod to protect the innocent, who tripled his inome in Real Estate during one of the previoous busts in Perth real estate... he said the change came from swivlng in his chair so he looked at properties in South Perth which were in the millions from where he was selling, Vic Park, where propertis were in the $100k's. He said to me, the deals were the same just a few more 000 on the asking price BUT he still had to leand the purchaser the $10 to make the contract legal...

So, I think I will swivel my chair a bit.



{ as I just said to my agent... I am looking for a snatched back bentley rather than a clapped out commodore [ do they make them any more?]



So, ther e must be some great bargains at the big end of town? I am thinking!

Thursday, January 16, 2020

...and another one bites the dust - JeansWest calls in administrators

 with the future of its 146 stores uncertain.



The company employs 988 staff in stores across all states and territories — including 40 stores in New South Wales, 32 stores in Victoria, 28 in Queensland and 23 in Western Australia.

Administrators from KPMG have been appointed and say Jeanswest will continue to operate as they consider "all options for the restructure or sale" of the business.

"Like many other retailers, the business has been challenged by current tough market conditions and pressure from online competition," said James Stewart from KPMG.


Jeanswest opened its first store in Perth in 1972 and expanded to the east coast.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

On Line 2020 Version


Long ago, maybe 20 plus years I remember getting on the internet with a dial up modem - 14,400 KBps is all you will ever need said the sales guy - from a kitchen in a hotel in Ireland and everybody stared... this morning, I am in a shopping centre using free wifi and nobody is giving me a second glance... usually I use the wifi at the coffee place but I found this is more private - because nobody notices!

Home is in a state of flux... we had a power outage on Friday evening and our modem decided not to reconnect - try licving ina place where everything that can be is connected and then suddenly it isn't... you realise how much has changed since the internet was a "human right"

So, before I do the rest of my walk I will do some contemplation here where the wifi is free.

#WayneMansfield
#AussieIcon
#Project2025
#SMM2020