Business Essentials

With inflation the highest it’s been for decades and mortgages, grocery prices, and energy bills all heading north, employees might come to you demanding a salary increase. So, how do you handle the question? HR expert and CEO of Corporate Dojo, Karen Gately, explains how to communicate with your team honestly and effectively. At the end of the day, she says, as a business owner you have commercia...

Lawyer Tracey Mylecharane has had plenty of distressed business owners come to her with cease-and-desist letters, following a new product or service launch that’s infringed on existing registered trademarks. Tracey insists, that before launching a new offer, ensure that the words aren’t already registered by a competitor. She explains how to do your due diligence and the consequences if you do inf...

With just seconds to grab people’s attention and make an impact, intrigue marketing is one way business owners can cut through the daily advertising clutter. James Smith, CEO of digital agency, Smith Brothers Media, says any business can do this, just think creatively, be brave and give something new a go! Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See...

Gen Z exudes confidence while looking into darkness. That’s according to the latest Employee Sentiment Index conducted by ELMO Software. Their study of more than 1,000 Australian employees, reveals that 47% of Gen Z employees are remarkably optimistic, even as businesses contract and labour forces reduce. So, the assuredness of Generation Z could be misplaced, while older cohorts are proceeding wi...

There are four ways small businesses can benefit from a hit of growth capital. Anthony Healy, CEO and MD of the Australian Business Growth Fund, says swapping a minority share of your business for a large injection of capital can help SMEs accelerate their growth, open new business opportunities, free up resources and provide additional expertise and access to new networks. Business Essentials Dai...

Payroll tax returns for the 2023 Financial Year are due in July. It’s a big task, especially for businesses with staff around the country, because each state and territory has different requirements. Steve Baxter, National Indirect Tax Partner at Mazars, explains how payroll tax works, when it’s due for each state, and the care employers must heed when they prepare their payroll tax calculations....

Clients will more likely buy from you if they feel heard and understood. Sue Barrett, CEO of Barrett Consulting Group, says it’s incumbent on leaders to ensure their sales teams learn to develop long-term relationships with clients. As the world becomes more complex and products become commoditised, buyers are not just looking for solutions, she says, but looking beyond that. And so, it’s worth em...

Search Engine Optimization — or SEO — is crucial for any business with an online presence, but many business owners find it daunting. The Studio Hawke company specializes in improving SEO for its clients, and its General Manger, Lawrence Hitches, says there are plenty of things a business can do to rank higher on Goolge Search Results. He advises businesses to look at the structure and efficiency...

Do you know what you really stand for? Perhaps you’re too busy running your business to ask such deep-seated personal questions. But delve deep you must! says John Di Natale, mentor, keynote speaker and author, because these days it’s more important than ever to consider what you represent. It’s all part of personal branding, he says, it’s important for business, and by the way, it’s not just abou...

The vast majority of people read reviews before they purchase anything, particularly big-ticket items. And video testimonials or reviews, in particular, are much more influential on the final purchase. Ainslie Williams, CEO of Reel. Reviews, says it’s the visual cues, body language, tone and emotion that come through in video that provide a far more authentic and compelling argument, than from a w...

A. Raptis & Sons is your quintessential migrant-family business success story. In the 1950s, Arthur and Anna Raptis migrated from a Greek fishing village to South Australia, where they opened a fish and chip shop, with a wholesale fish area at the back. Three generations later, Arty Raptis, Arthur Senior’s grandson, is CEO of a multi-million-dollar enterprise with a fleet of boats fishing for...

Has growing your customer base stalled? Are you struggling to attract people to your website? Or maybe you have a tonne of online visitors but they’re just not buying. Whatever the case, it’s time to check for bottlenecks. Amy Miocevich, marketing guru and Founder of Lumos Marketing, has developed a framework, outlined in her book, ‘The Very Good Marketing Guide: How to Grow Your Business on a Bud...

A manager needs to embody a group of distinct archetypes if they are to reach their full potential, according to recruitment expert and Director of Talent X, Marnie Jones. From the pusher to the mentor, the trainer to the policeman, Marnie Jones explains her seven management archetypes and why embracing them all can lead to a better workplace, retention of staff, and higher profits. Business Essen...

How often have you sent an email unsure whether the person you sent it to would read it?  Most of us blithely type an email and click ‘send’ hoping for a good result.  Problem is, with so many emails in their overflowing inbox, yours might not ever be opened, let alone acted upon. Productivity and leadership expert Scott Stein, has five mini hacks to help guide the recipient to open and read your...

Building brand value rather than just brand awareness, and understanding algorithm requirements, is the secret to success on social media, says George Hawwa, Growth Director of social media agency, Attention Experts. George says the social media landscape has changed dramatically in the last couple of years, and that “likes” and “shares” are no longer a metric of success. To help foster business,...

Virtual learning has become a game changer for businesses, according to Sales and Negotiation Consultant Julia Ewert. With the rising cost of travel, companies are turning to what she calls ‘virtual engagement’, to increase productivity. She says smart businesses are upskilling their existing workforce rather than taking on new staff. And by approaching sales with humility and focusing on serving...

If you’re agonising over writing that report or a delicate email to a client, ChatGPT just might be the tool to save you the time and angst. It’s the artificial intelligence tool, which uses information it’s learned from training data, to follow prompts or instructions and provide a detailed response. Productivity expert and author, Donna McGeorge explains how to use ChatGPT in your business. And,...

An online brand personality helps build an authentic connection with your market. That’s according to Joel Gerschman, CEO of Digital Pilot and The Change Coach, who’s identified 12 personality archetypes to help businesses achieve growth online. Joel outlines the six components to build a successful brand strategy. References: Find out more about Joel Gerschman and his digital businesses at Digita...

Is your business an all-round nice-guy Tom Hanks type, a fun Adam Sandler, or maybe an elegant Cate Blanchett? Business coach and digital marketing guru, Joel Gerschman, reckons that adopting a Hollywood archetype can help you differentiate yourself from the competitive online world. Joel Gerschman is a leading business coach, best-selling author, co-founder of  Digital Autopilot and CEO of  The C...

As a businessman, John Wood built Fleetwood Corporation – the largest integrated company of its type in Australia, with caravan parks, park homes, lifestyle villages and much else in between. Then he walked away. Disillusionment set in, followed by a hiatus in John’s life as he explored what really matters in business and life. John discovered a transformative way of thinking. It opened his eyes t...

Sales calls – for some they come with a sense of dread, but what holds a lot of people back is not knowing what to say and a fear of rejection. Bri Williams is a behavioural specialist who’s studied the words that best hold the client’s attention and engage them naturally, to ideally, avoid the brush off. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See...

A core element to great customer service is a recovery strategy. It’s how you react to those times when, inevitably, your business makes a mistake. Often, businesses do the bare minimum to assuage their customers, when in fact they could and should go above and beyond to fix the error; which will help markedly in a creating a positive impression. That’s according to entrepreneur Roy Osing. He call...

One of the biggest barriers to expanding your business overseas is not knowing where to start. Well, according to Cynthia Dearin, Managing Director of Dearin Associates, you could be missing out on massive opportunities if you don’t give it a go. The key is not to rely on your gut feel. To truly achieve success overseas, she says, you need crystal clear vision, a powerful plan, momentum and the re...

No doubt there are some in your team who are facing money worries. Financial stress, like any forms of stress, can have a negative impact on performance and can lead to further problems, including depression. As a boss, you can help with support and education, says Jacqui Clarke, author of ‘Stop worrying about money – start planning now to secure your financial future’. She explains how you can en...

Too often we’re fixated on finding new customer leads. It’s what sales guru Tony Gattari calls “lead madness”. First and foremost, he says, you need to be able to accurately measure the different variables in your sales and marketing process: customers, transactions, and average dollar sales. If you increase the variables by 10%, you could potentially increase your profit margin by 61%, without ha...