Business Essentials

It’s not called ‘the silly season’ for nothing. The end-of-year party is meant to be a time to celebrate and recognise a job well done. But a well-meaning reward could turn into a legal nightmare, warns Business Lawyer Tracey Mylecharane. When you add free-flowing booze into the mix, your business could well be facing repercussions the next day. Tracey provides examples of what could go wrong, if...

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...

UGRs or Unwritten Ground Rules, drive people’s attitudes and performance in the workplace - but they’re seldom talked about openly and you may have no idea what’s going on without your knowledge or understanding. Steve Simpson can help. He created the UGR concept and has been telling businesses for years that, good or bad, they’re fundamental to company culture and to success. Business Essentials...

Our preoccupation with making ends meet, paying the bills, the wages, sorting out stock levels and generally keeping the lights on may lead us to overlook the fundamental reasons why people do business with us. It’s our ASSETS, says Author, Trainer, and all-round storyteller Colin Pearce, and he means it in a very personal way.   Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.co...

Don’t have the time or inclination to help develop the people around you into leaders? Think again. As a business owner or manager, you've got an important role to play in helping those around you become leaders too. Your business will benefit! But there will be recalcitrant players among them. Anneli Blundell, co-author of 'Developing Direct Reports: Taking the guesswork out of leading leaders',...

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...

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...

There’s nothing good about bad bosses. Often, they are the reason a workplace is toxic, they can lead team members to suffer stress and mental health problems, and they’re the cause of staff turnover. However, bad bosses are not necessarily bad people – and they can learn to be good or even great. That’s according to workplace expert, Michelle Gibbings, who shares lessons from her book, ‘Bad Boss:...

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...

What if business owners and managers treated their staff like… humans? Well as far as Mark LeBusque is concerned, not enough workplaces run with humans in mind, expecting a more robotic type response. Mark is a Harvard-trained consultant, author and Founder & Director of The Human Manager. And he has 7 steps to become human managers, with the goal of enabling staff to shine and businesses to g...

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...

Everyone has a role to play in a winning team — and leadership is an important part of that. Having played 378 games for the Essendon Football Club, footy legend Simon Madden has proven his mettle on the field both as a player and as a leader. And now, as founder of Simon Madden Consulting, Simon advises organisations on how to build winning teams. He says if you can improve your people, you can i...

Colleen Callander is a self-confessed recovering workaholic. Indeed, her hard work, street smarts and passion for retail catapulted her to the heights of CEO at Sportsgirl and Sussan. But, on the way to the top, she had faced burnout by saying yes to everything and not giving herself a moment to stop and recharge. Today she understands the importance of setting boundaries to maintain physical and...

In 2005, Rachael Robertson gave up the comforts of home to lead a team of fellow expeditioners to Antarctica. After managing a small group for 12 months, in the depths of a dark, ice-cold winter, the research highlighted acutely that respect drives the highest performing teams. She outlines her thoughts and findings in her new book, 'Respect Trumps Harmony: why being liked is overrated and constru...

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 on discretionary goods, sending her business into a nosedive...

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...

Divorce can be stressful enough, but more so perhaps when running a business. Is there a way to separate without breaking up the business and without resorting to law courts? Yes, there is, says family lawyer Jennifer Hetherington. It's called collaborative practice – a mediation process for couples to finalise the legal aspects of their separation without court. It’s about meeting the needs of th...

Yes, we could all manage our time better. And the best way to do it? Kate Christie will tell us that we must stop thinking “management” and start thinking “investment”. Because time is a very precious commodity and we need to make sure we’re getting the best return on it. In fact, Kate, a time management expert and Founder and Director of Time Stylers will tell us that the investment approach will...

People do business with people they like and trust. That's why it's more important than ever to build your personal brand. Andrew Ford of personal brand building company, Social Star explains how to build your profile online to reflect your personality, credibility and to help you stand out. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omnystudio.com...

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...

No business is immune to cashflow issues. And now, many business owners are feeling the pinch more than ever. Cashflow specialist, Paul Roach draws upon decades of experience assisting SMEs to provide a practical guide to business growth and profitability. He offers simple changes and ways of working smarter, which are outlined in his book, 'Smarter Business Stronger Cashflow'. Reference: To purch...

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...

While the economy continues to take a pummelling and businesses struggle to forge ahead, is there any room for optimism? Former politician and barrister Victor Perton certainly believes so – in fact, he says it's undeniable that an optimistic attitude can lead to opportunity and, therefore, business growth. As Director of The Centre for Optimism, Victor shares his tips on how to be more optimistic...