Business Essentials

Making important decisions in an uncertain environment can not only be crucial to the success of a business but it can also play havoc with the decision-maker’s personal state of mind. Management Consultant Roger Perry explains how to lessen stress when it comes to making important decisions, and how decision makers should stand back and look at how they go about the process. Business Essentials D...

As the pandemic swept the nation and Melbourne became the most locked-down city on Earth, one small businessman managed to retain his five CBD eateries. Michael Togias — the proprietor of the landmark Mr Tulk café at the State Library in Melbourne — is actually in the process of opening a new CBD café while so many other city businesses have closed. So how has he managed to keep his head above wat...

A lot of people in leadership positions, including business owners, don’t learn to be good managers. They just get on with it. But, how do you know if you’re a good manager or, heaven forbid, a bad one? Dr Dominic Loughlin has been researching this topic for many years. He outlines some of that analysis in his highly practical book, ‘Be a better manager in 5 minutes a day’. Business Essentials Dai...

The acronym UGRs stands for Unwritten Ground Rules. UGRs 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 behind your back unless you actively check those UGRs out. 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 c...

Despite rapid changes going on all around us, many businesses still cling to the 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday routine of full-time positions. Part-time employment can be a boon not only for employees but also for the companies that employ them. Flexible work specialist Belinda Morgan wants to change the reputation of part-time work, and not only junior roles – she reckons someone in a senior position...

Sales can be the hurdle some owners just can’t surmount. There are many reasons why people can find sales difficult, but according to business coach and evolve to grow founder Tristan Wright, it all comes down to the sort of confidence that can only come with knowledge. He says knowing a potential customer’s pain points, their market position and how your own product or service can meet their need...

Whether you’re in business already, a student, or simply looking for a change, launching an online course could be a path to building you’re own entrepreneurial empire. That’s according to online course guru, Tina Tower, who has written a practical, step-by-step book on the process, ‘Million-dollar micro business: how to turn your expertise into a digital online course’. As the title suggests, you...

For a lot of businesses, there’s a big difference between what a new hire should understand and what they actually understand. That onboarding debt, as Brad Giles describes it, manifests itself through low retention and poor company culture. But, a proper 90-day onboarding process has proven to help improve the productivity and bottom-line of a business. Brad Giles shares his lesson from his book,...

Being your own boss is a dream for a lot of people. But are the shackles really removed? Leanne Faulkner, Founder of Fortitude at Work and a small business mental health advocate, explains how to balance the power you have to ensure you don’t alienate customers, clients and staff, while not losing yourself in the process? Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61...

We all have the same hours in the day, but some highly successful people are able to use that time better than others. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber wanted to learn more about productivity, so she interviewed hundreds of go-getters on her podcast, ‘How I Work’. She’s just written a book based on the podcast, called ‘Time Wise’. In this episode, she shares some of her podcast guests’...

After spending seven years at university studying science and engineering, Michael Togias took a major life turn, setting up his first small business enterprise — a lottery shop on Melbourne’s urban fringe — in the year 2000. Since then, he’s followed his heart into hospitality and his beloved CBD, and now owns six cafes and eateries. Working from his flagship establishment, the landmark Mr Tulk C...

Playing the long game pays dividends, particularly in tough times. Carving out time for learning and connecting with other business owners is not only important for information gathering, but for your mental health. Leanne Faulkner is a small business, mental health advocate and the Founder of Fortitude at Work. She’s a small business owner, researcher and is completing her PHD in the mental healt...

Do you have a narcissist in your business? At first glance, they may be just the cool and confident go-getter you’re hoping for. But, if it turns out that their supposed confidence is pure arrogance, and they’re putting others down to inflate their own ego, you’re probably better off without them. HR expert and CEO of Corporate Dojo, Karen Gately, explains how to recognise a narcissist and how to...

The pandemic has certainly changed the working landscape, with CBDs almost becoming ghost towns thanks to the huge number of employees working from home. But should business owners be fretting about whether their workforce is actually working? The answer is a firm “no” according to the founder and CEO of the Evolve to Grow consultancy, Tristan Wright. He says that any leader who is worried about p...

What are the most important things in your life? Do you have enough time to do those important things? For many people they don’t, because they spend too much time on other things that don’t matter. If that’s you, you need to learn how to set limits, and that means saying “no” to things and people that suck our energy. That’s according to productivity Donna McGeorge, who offers her 5 tips on creat...

At this time every year University of Melbourne Economics Professor, Neville Norman joins us to look back at the year that was, so as to dig out any possible positives that businesses can build on for the year ahead. It’s a big challenge in 2022, which saw a doubling in consumer price inflation, a huge rise in interest rates, a sliding dollar and the shock of both widespread flooding and the war i...

The tidal wave of the Great Reshuffle has seen a lot of people start their own businesses, many going all in on their side hustles. But of course, starting any kind of business is hard, it’s like running a marathon, made up of hundreds of sprints. To keep momentum and feel like you’re achieving things along the road to success, Alita Harvey-Rodriguez, Managing Director of the MI Academy, an award-...

As the economy staggers from worldwide inflation, supply issues, the war in Ukraine and more besides, how is the Aussie stockmarket behaving? Investment expert and founder of Spotee Consulting, Elio D'Amato, says despite the turmoil things aren't that bad. In fact, we’re off to a surprisingly good start to the financial year, compared to a disappointing 2021-22. Also, Elio provides his 'stocks to...

Who’s the Goose to your Maverick? The person who’ll be there no matter how close you fly the plane to the control tower? A Goose is someone with whom you have mutual trust, someone who won’t try to fix the situation but just hear you out. Leanne Faulkner is a small business mental health advocate and the Founder of Fortitude at Work. She says that having someone listen without judgment is a fantas...

A business owner spends many years of long hours, hard work and sacrifice to build the business. After all that effort, how do they ensure they get the best price when they’re ready to move on and exit? Well, it mostly comes down to planning properly and avoiding costly mistakes. That’s according to Lawyer Joanna Oakey who details the selling process in her book, 'Buy, Grow, Exit: The Ultimate Gui...

Despite there being no changes to superannuation in this year’s federal Budget, it’s a good opportunity to think about your own super and – particularly SMSF members – to prepare your fund balances to manage tax today and for any possibly future changes. That’s according to tax specialist Michael Jones who discusses some of the current super items, including downsizer contributions, SMSF members’...

Since the lifting of lockdowns, the ideas around how we work and indeed why we work, have been thrown into question and rather than ‘The Great Resignation’ it’s actually the ‘Great Reshuffle’ Alita Harvey-Rodriguez, Managing Director of the MI Academy, an award-winning digital marketing and customer experience consultancy, has noticed five recurring themes that require business owners to shift foc...

It’s not so much what you say, but how you say it – a good lesson for communication in general, and certainly when it comes to delivering a presentation. Dan Williams, Asia Pacific Business Coach for coaching network EOS Worldwide, suggests that people can receive the same presentation quite differently from each other. So to ensure you reach as much of the audience as possible, great content is i...

The latest Working Capital Research report from American Express delivers some of the harsh realities, that people are really hurting out there.  Leanne Faulkner, small business mental health advocate and Founder of Fortitude at Work, says it’s important to understand the nuances of small business and not lump the issues into the same bucket as large businesses. References: Find out more about Lea...

Many of us are so wrapped up in work, that we don’t have the space to think and breathe. That’s not good, not only for our physical and mental health, it doesn’t bode well for our businesses either. Productivity expert Donna McGeorge has five simple things you can do every day to give yourself more capacity, the benefits of which are often felt in the future. Business Essentials Daily is produced...