Business Essentials

With so many wellbeing and mental health support apps in the market, could some of the more traditional self-help apps be limited in their offering? For Founder of SafeWatch™, Shane Muller, the answer is yes. For him, the focus should be on the human component of care. Which is why he developed the The SafeWatch™app, a wellbeing companion, based on the core idea that ‘it takes a village’. As a res...

Are you suffering from AI FOMO? There are so many potential benefits from adopting artificial intelligence, but is it just hype? Aaron McEwen, Vice President of Research and Advisory at global research network, Gartner, gives a grounded, down to earth assessment. He discusses the potential benefits small businesses could gain from adopting AI and he highlights how smaller enterprises may increase...

Simone Tsigolis saw a gap in the home-cleaning market: time-poor and exhausted families returning from overseas trips. That was just before Covid hit. She then pivoted her high-quality cleaning service, Jetlag Remedy, and has seen sales soar beyond $3 million. She puts it down to the quality and dedication of her 45 professional cleaning staff, whom she hires with a unique onboarding process. The...

The small business retail sector is collectively holding its breath ahead of this holiday shopping season. The economic indicators don’t look good. So how about some practical advice to keep your head above water? CEO of Fifth Dimension Research and Consulting, Lyndall Spooner, shares achievable strategies to help businesses stand out during this competitive time. From offering higher-quality prod...

The convenience of listening or reading almost anything from your hand-held device is convenient, simple and it’s big business. Steve Potash is CEO of OverDrive, the largest distributor of ebooks and audiobooks to libraries in the United States. OverDrive began in the mid-1980s by digitising reference books and documents for law firms. Today, as he expands overseas, including Australia, he discuss...

As if the economic situation for small businesses wasn’t bad enough, an enormous number are now facing closure due to soaring insurance costs. Sometimes it is seemingly not available at all. Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Bilson, addresses the burden of rising insurance costs, exacerbated by a hardened insurance market due to pervasive natural disasters. Bruce offers solutio...

There are indications that this holiday season will be far from a happy one for many small businesses. With Australians feeling the pinch from inflation and rising living costs, Deloitte's 2024 Holiday Period Survey reveals a tightening of consumer spending, with 90% of consumers planning to stay home and cut back on holiday shopping. Deloitte Partner Elise Shapley shares her insights from the sur...

Some people come to work full of beans ready to take on the world, while others can’t get going without beans – coffee, that is. Productivity expert Les Watson encourages bosses to take their employees’ chronotypes into consideration when it comes to their peak performance. Early birds work best in the morning, he says, while night owls are better later in the day. Les is a big believer in setting...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made himself abundantly clear: credit card surcharges will be banned. But what does it mean for small businesses? CEO of the new Australian Restaurant and Café Association, Wes Lambert, discusses the current inquiry into credit card surcharging and merchant fees, and how it could significantly impact businesses. In an increasingly cashless society, the associati...

The CEO of Hatch Brands, Todd Foot, is carving an impressive niche into the e-commerce landscape. With his focus on acquiring and investing in ‘Mum-and-Dad’ small businesses, particularly those in the homewares space, Todd discusses his strategies to help these businesses thrive in the digital age. He emphasizes the importance of e-commerce and highlights common pitfalls and missed opportunities i...

Business owners who choose to deliberately underpay workers will face criminal charges from the first of January 2025. The new criminal measures are the latest to take effect, after the Federal Government’s “Closing the Loopholes” legislation passed at the end of 2023. But businesses shouldn’t be afraid, according to Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth. In this episode, the Ombudsman reassures business...

Many companies today are struggling with a skills shortage, forcing them to offer perks as they attempt to ramp-up hiring. The problem is that relying solely on perks as a lure leads to high dissatisfaction and disengagement. That’s according to HR specialist Roxanne Calder, who says perks alone won’t keep employees. To be effective, benefits must resonate with individual employee needs and align...

What do Kim Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, Serena Williams and Victoria Beckham have in common? Aside from being mega-rich celebrities, they are all fans of entrepreneur Olivia Carr’s brand Shhh Silk. Olivia didn’t have a huge marketing budget when she launched her online marketplace of silk pillow cases; instead, she harnessed the power of public relations. For instance, she flew to Los Angeles to pers...

The majority of organisations are too myopic in their sales strategy, pushing monthly or quarterly goals. Sales teams need to understand and embrace the company’s long-term strategy for effective sales. That’s according to Roy Osing, former president of Canadian telco TELUS, who introduced a ‘customer report card’ to refocus sales teams on nurturing the customer rather than foisting pushy sales te...

When Paris Cutler left the corporate world to pursue her own start-up dream, little did she know she’d be the undisputed champion of high-end cakes. Her internationally-acclaimed Planet Cake enterprise has created cakes for mega-star celebrities, and developed its own high-rating TV show. When the GFC hit, fewer people were splashing out discretionary goods, sending her business into a nosedive. B...

Too often the role of HR is undervalued, if it exists at all in some businesses. The reality is that people make the difference, despite the benefits of your product or service, you need great people to develop your brand, sell the product, create experiences and connect with your audience. For Ilona Charles, CEO & Founder of HR Specialists, shilo people, she’s seen the impact on countless bus...

Jason T Smith started as an “accidental businessman,” running a small physiotherapy practice from his carport with the sole aim of paying the mortgage. After five years of running the practice, it became a scalable prototype, and they expanded rapidly. Over time, Jason grew the business into a major franchise, launching practices across Australia and New Zealand, eventually selling it for $100m. H...

If you’re looking for customer service inspiration, a large telco probably wouldn’t be your first port of call. But, there is one little-known teleco brand whose customers are raving: Macquarie Technology Group. New York Times best-selling author and customer experience expert, Dr Joseph A. Michelli, has built a career analysing the secrets behind world-leading brands. He’s published best-sellers...

Inflation and cost-of-living pressures have contributed to a tightening of household budgets, which leads to employees scrutinising their pay packets. Some feel they should be getting paid more. If a staff member asks you for a pay rise, rather than dismissing them out of hand, it’s wise to give sincere consideration and be empathetic to their request. That’s according to Karen Gately, CEO of Corp...

Great leaders are there to serve their staff and be of service to others. That’s according to customer service specialist Monique Richardson, author of ‘They Serve Like We Lead’. The more you care for your people, she says, the more they will care for your customers and provide a better experience.  Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omnyst...

Successful businesses place people at the core of their strategy, recognising HR’s role in workforce engagement and performance. That's according to Ilona Charles, CEO of shilo.people, who says while HR can be a significant cost for small businesses, its value in attracting, retaining, and optimising talent becomes critical as companies grow. She says, misalignment between HR and business strategi...

Effective leaders stand apart by focusing on people rather than just managing processes. As uncertainty grows, leaders must provide clear communication, even when they lack all the answers themselves. This includes reinforcing the team’s vision, purpose, and expectations. That’s according to communication specialist, Leah Mether, who says leaders must demonstrate care while setting clear, realisti...

If you're hiring new sales staff – or anyone for that matter – don't be lax with on-boarding them, insists sales expert Colin Pearce. A proper induction process is important to get the best out of your sales team, and it's one of the training programs that Colin provides through his Colin Pearce Academy. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See o...

How often do you think about the way you look, the clothes you wear, the way you sound, and even the way you walk, stand or sit? These are all elements of your personal brand, that can help you make a strong impression with your audience. Personal brand consultant Emma Duzhnikova shares some of her secrets when developing a personal brand and discusses why authenticity is more important than ever....

One of the biggest differences between professional football and business is football's focus on talent and teaching. As an AFL CEO for close to 25 years, Cameron Schwab saw first-hand how elite sport focuses almost entirely on the players and how they work together. Now, as Founder and CEO of designCEO, Cameron reckons that a lot of business leaders don't go deep enough to improve the performance...