Business Essentials

A few years ago, Australian Rules football legend, Rodney Eade, changed his coaching boots for the corporate sector, offering businesses lessons in leadership, especially around the area of change. Rodney's venture is called Facing Change – a timely initiative as the world of business transforms as never before. Like team sport, he's found building a strong culture in the workplace helps bri...

Australian domain names are getting a major face lift. From March this year, you will be able to purchase the shorter and simpler “.au” equivalent of your current “.com.au” domain. You have until 20 September this year to do so before someone else does. Web designer Leigh Ericksen discusses the process and what you should do with the old .com.au. Business Essentials Daily i...

It’s extraordinary how nimble businesses have been in their response to the crises brought on by COVID, says strategist and facilitator Rosie Yeo. But the pandemic has also held businesses back from planning for the long-term. Rosie is author of ‘Go for Bold: How to create powerful strategy in uncertain times’. She outlines her three Cs to building strategy: creativity, clarity a...

Some of Australia’s best-known and largest companies are some of the worst exemplars of customer service. That’s according to Milton Collins, Principal of The Action Business Coach. He says one of the biggest mistakes is forgetting or ignoring what the customer wants. Milton discusses all this from his recently released book, ‘Delight, Disrupt, Deliver: Grow your business using t...

Mandy Holloway isn't a fan of your typical performance management appraisals which allow managers to hide behind a system. Instead, she says, managers should talk with their staff more often and in a meaningful way. Mandy outlines the seven types of conversations you should have with your team members on a regular basis to help motivate them and ultimately increase the business's performance. Busi...

Attracting staff in a hot jobs market is a huge problem for businesses across the country. The Asia-Pacific Business Coach for coaching network EOS Worldwide, calls it the “talent lottery.” Dan Williams says employers need to become more astute, find ways to engage new recruits and offer them something they can be part of. He says direct and friendly conversations with staff about thei...

This country of fire, drought and flooding rains has certainly lived up to its reputation in recent years, and according to scientists, things could get a lot worse. We hear a lot in the news about households that have been affected by natural disasters, but what about small businesses? The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Bilson, has recently toured Australia&rsquo...

The frontline of business is customer service. That's where we engage with customers and – hopefully – persuade people to buy. But, why do some frontline staff fail? It comes down to a lack of empowerment, according to customer service expert, Michael Carrick. When people feel empowered, they're much better at helping others. When we take care of our own people, Michael insists, our pe...

Accepting that you can safely delegate to trustworthy staff can be difficult for some small business owners. But not handing work over to your employees can actually hold a business back from attaining its true potential. That’s according to business coach Tristan Wright, who says leaving one’s ego at the office door and delegating tasks to others, can lead to better physical and menta...

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Be aware of Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams warns tech expert, Steve Sammartino. He says that scams like these are increasing as improved technology allows scammers to impersonate you and your business. Steve explains what they are and how to protect yourself from them. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

With an election looming, the federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered a budget focused on cost-of-living measures. Michael Jones of Mazars examines the budget from the perspective of family business and self-managed super funds. He says that budget time is always a good opportunity to reassess your own tax and financial situation with support, of course, from your accountant. Business Essentia...

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 construct...

Sure, most things today are done digitally and online, but when it comes to building relationships and sourcing quality leads, answering the phone can in in fact be the answer. James Smith, CEO at digital agency, Smith Brothers Media explains why businesses need to lift their game when it comes to picking up the phone. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3...

Many "new" ideas already exist in some form or other — does yours bring something better to the market? Business Adviser and Author, Alan Hargreaves, has three rules to test a new idea for success: Is it needed? Does it work? Can it be done better? Alan insists if your idea provides more convenience for consumers, it might be a winner. Reference: Find out more about the three rules in Alan&r...

Australians have one of the highest rates of burnout in the world. So, how do workers and leaders handle the emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress? Mark Butler, a specialist in workplace mental health explains how to prevent burnout, and what to look out for if you or your team are suffering. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundca...

Even though, as Simon Reynolds says, Pharmacists are scientists who are released into the retail world with no business training, he’s still managed to build a business that now groups together about one fifth of the pharmacies in Australia. Starting with his father’s two pharmacies in Western Australia, he’s spent the last 20 years building the extremely successful Pharmacy Alli...

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...

Business owners can be their own worst enemies if they have a fixed mindset. That’s the view of Tristan Wright, a business coach and founder of Evolve to Grow. He says the way we are brought up can give us a blinkered view of the world and our own abilities. Tristan also says self-belief, the development of good habits, thinking laterally and embracing challenges can all be ways to remove ob...

Your staff really are your number one resource, so to make sure you attract the best talent and are able to hold on to them, looking after them holistically is going to give your business a competitive advantage. Lyndal Hughes, is a senior executive at Q5 Partners, an international award-winning consulting firm that specialises in "organisational change". She explains why Wellbeing is so integral...

Borders may have opened and most COVID restrictions dropped, but sometimes drastic labour shortages are persisting for many businesses. With about 750 pharmacies to manage, as well as a head office of 65, Ann-Maree Chadwick has experienced the problem first hand. Ann-Maree is the manager of People and Culture for Pharmacy Alliance, which is one of Australia’s largest pharmacy groups. In this...

As much as we'd wish it, not all staff are high achievers. In fact, some people don't perform up to scratch. So, what can you do about them? Karen Gately, CEO at Corporate Dojo, has nine solutions to get those underperformers on track. It's about acting early, decisively and honestly, and it's about being able to handle an upfront conversation to deal with performance issues. Business Essentials D...

As a business owner, have you let the sales process fall by the wayside? If you’re like many others, perhaps what stops you from selling is fear. Well, according to sales guru Trent Leyshan, you need to regain your mojo. Afterall, he says, sales is the lifeblood of any company. Trent is founder of BOOM! Sales and author of two sales books, Outlaw and The Naked Salesman. He outlines the three...

While staff health is of vital importance as we head back to work, the health of your business is just as crucial. With the flux of the last couple of years, where are things really at, how are things really operating and how healthy is your organisation? Tom Leary, Partner and MD at Q5 Partners, an international award-winning consulting firm that specialises in "organisational change", discusses...

As a result of COVID-19, the big push these days is to go digital in our marketing and communication with customers. But are there inherent dangers in this? Are we forgetting how to interact with our customers on a personal level? Veteran marketing expert and founder of Marketing Focus, Barry Urquhart, says digital communications is just a part of a broader mix of building relationships with custo...