Business Essentials

As a productivity expert, Donna McGeorge has heard all the cliches. For instance, ‘hard work will get you ahead’, you need to be ‘more productive’, and you should aim to do what’s ‘urgent and important’. They’ve become well-worn cliches, as Donna explores what you really should be doing with your workday to feel less overwhelmed. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.co...

Too many companies focus on the products they provide. They tinker with the price, and they highlight the features. The problem is that it’s harder to differentiate your product from everyone else’s. To standout, insists entrepreneur Roy Osing, you need to deliver dazzling, astonishing customer-service, moments that take your buyers’ breath away. Triggering the most valuable marketing of all – rav...

Fleur Heazlewood reckons that our race for more is reducing ourselves too less. Our health and wellbeing is the ‘less’, while the ‘more’ is the endless cycle of being busy. The answer, she says, is to prioritise our own wellbeing; if we do that, everything else will fall into place. Fleur shares some practical tips from her book, ‘Resilience Recipes: Making space for wellbeing that works’. Busines...

With thousands of government and other grants being offered at any one time, applying for funds can be a fast way to expand small businesses, or keep them thriving. However, with thousands of businesses applying for each available grant, the process can seem intimidating. The Founder and CEO of The Launchpad Co, Ruchi Gupta, says the key to success is to know where to look for available grants, an...

A self-entitled employee is someone who thinks they should be paid more, who always wants promotions, the best opportunities, bonuses and take holidays only when it suits them. Often, a self-entitled employee is not particularly good at what they do, they do less work than their peers and add less value. So, how do you handle them? Workplace expert Michelle Gibbings says you need to address their...

In recent years, there has been a real shift in society with calling out bullying and harassment at work. The Fair Work act prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace, and there is now an onus on business leaders to take steps to prevent unwarranted behaviour. Mazars’ HR advisor Yan Flageul joins Greg Halse, Partner at Mazars, to discuss the issue and to share their ideas on what you can do to e...

Since the pandemic, the rate of people recording psychological distress has increased massively. That’s according to Kerry Howard, corporate mental health advisor, and author of, ‘How to heal a workplace culture: Tackle trauma, foster psychological safety and boost happiness at work’. She explains what trauma is and how to help minimise the traumatic impact in the workplace, through understanding...

How we communicate matters very much to business success. It has the potential to influence awareness, understanding, trust, respect and engagement inside the workplace and ultimately staff’s willingness to collaborate. That’s according to Karen Gately, CEO of Corporate Dojo, who outlines her four key priorities to effective communication. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soun...

The days of sipping gin in business class on your way to a nice interstate hotel are coming to an end. That’s according to sales and negotiation consultant Julia Ewert, who is warning companies to polish their video conferencing sales skills if they don’t want to lose competitive advantage. She says higher costs are making businesses think twice about travel, so salespeople need to dedicate more t...

There are four key questions that a business owner needs to ask themselves about why their customers choose their business. That's according to Dan Williams, who is the Asia Pacific Coach for EOS Worldwide, a global network of business coaches. Dan explains how studying your customers can lead to insights and increased profitability. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcarte...

The federal budget is imminent, and the big question is whether the government will break its promise and increase taxes. Labor must be tempted to use its relative electoral strength at the moment, according to our regular economics commentator, Melbourne University, Economics Professor, Neville Norman. Prof. Norman says it’s likely company tax won’t be touched, but there may be harsher treatment...

Lawyer Tracey Mylecharane feels that we’re in a crisis of knowledge. Countless business owners, she says, are simply not aware of some of the legal issues affecting their own business and their customers. There is a lot of risk that could be avoided by doing due diligence and risk management. She insists that businesses have the right legal documents that are tailored to their circumstances, the r...

A combination of ego, overconfidence and, at times, ignorance, can lead to business blind spots. That’s according to Tristan Wright, a business coach and founder of Evolve to Grow. He says the way to find your own business blind spots is by becoming humbler and speaking directly to every member of your workforce. And he says asking for ideas for improvement and graciously accepting constructive cr...

If you haven’t already, it’s time to automate the repetitive tasks in your business. That’s according to Elise Balsillie, Australian Head of Thryv Small Business Software. She says most Australian businesses are missing out on sales and growth because they spend too much time on tasks that could be automated. And she says that although the thought of automating might be daunting, the costs of not...

We’re living in a quick and changing world; and the rate of uncertainty has made it difficult to plan for the long-term. But plan we must, says an optimistic Nigel Collin. You must find the right balance of planning for the future with the flexibility of shifting course when storms approach. Nigel, who’s weathered many business squalls over the years, offers some guidance for others in business fo...

How do you explain to a member of your team that they have body odour? It’s a delicate conversation – you don’t want them to feel terrible, but it’s important to let them know. For help, we turn to HR guru and CEO of Corporate Dojo, Karen Gately. Body odour aside, most businesses require a certain standard of appearance, particularly in customer-facing roles. Is it okay to expect staff to cover th...

More than a third of all businesses in Australia are female-owned – a significant proportion, with the vast majority being mothers. Incredibly this demographic is an audience that remains largely untapped. Kate Christie is a time management expert and author of five books, including her latest, ‘The Life List: Master Every Moment and Live an Audacious Life’. She discusses what business can do to e...

Business Coach Dan Williams says he can chalk up most business failures to weak processes. An Asia Pacific business coach for coaching firm EOS Worldwide, he says successful firms need to have strong processes at their core, otherwise their possible growth and ability to scale will be hobbled. And he says strong processes will lead to fewer people leaving the company. Business Essentials Daily is...

The end of pandemic repayment breaks from the tax office is crippling many small businesses who are struggling to keep up with their existing liabilities. Sandra Blake, who is a financial counsellor for the Small Business Debt Helpline, says 90% of callers can’t meet ATO demands. She says that it is, however, possible to find ways through the impasse, and that the free helpline’s qualified counsel...

The good old days in agency land saw long lock-in contracts, mark ups on media buying and the money flowed. At a time when there are more ad, digital and PR agencies than ever, James Smith, CEO of digital agency Smith Brothers Media, explains why there’s a shift in monetization strategy across the industry. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 Se...

Australia has had a series of ten consecutive rate rises to the official cash rate to 3.6%, which is the highest since May 2012. Businesses are faced with a higher inflationary pressure from a rising cost of doing business. Mazars’ Financial Advisory Partner, Owen Dingle, says budgeting is important for business owners to stay on top of cash flow. And if you’re looking to refinance, it’s worth dev...

Are you constantly distracted by those voices in your head. You know the ones, urging you to check emails or social media, but you really need to concentrate on something else, or they keep replaying a memory or a fear of yours. Or perhaps you’re trying to break a habit, like over-eating or drinking. Well, behavioural scientist Darren Fleming has come across a solution so that you can have more co...

There’s a goldmine of extra income a lot of businesses are missing out on because they don’t follow up effectively. Sales expert and founder of BOOM Sales!, Trent Leyshan, reckons businesses haven’t implemented a proper follow-up process or structure. Trent explains how to follow up, using both traditional and digital methods. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.a...

Many businesses are being held back because their owners either can't, or won't, identify what they are bad at. That's according to Dan Williams, Asia Pacific Business Coach for EOS Worldwide, a global network of business coaches. Dan says it is crucial for business owners to identify what they "suck" at. He says that by slowing down and taking stock of everything you do, it's possible to identify...

Google has become almost synonymous with the internet. For many people, it’s the first place they go to find out about a business’s product or service, especially Google reviews. But, what can you do if you receive a bad Google review? Marketing consultant Jessie Weatherley goes through the steps, depending on whether it’s a legitimate or fake review. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: Soun...