Business Essentials

Beaumont Tiles is an iconic Australian brand, a business which has dominated the tile retailing landscape for years. And why has it been so successful? Well, Bob Beaumont shares the secrets behind Beaumont Tiles’ rise and rise, including hiring and keeping good people, goal setting, managing cash, and looking after your franchisees. At last count, it has 118 stores, of which 80 are franchise...

Karen Gately, CEO of Corporate Dojo, has seen some horror behaviour from employees who have exited a business. Sometimes, a disgruntled employee who is let go might seek revenge by exposing inner secrets of the organisation. That’s just one example. Karen says you want to make sure that any redundancy you do is handled well, with respect and within the law. Otherwise, the costs and reputatio...

You have great skills, you work hard and you’re respected - but you don't feel worthy of it. You feel like a fraud and that at any moment someone's going to discover your inadequacies. Welcome to the imposter syndrome. Suzanne Mercier is an author and behaviour change expert and says that a lot of business leaders feel this way and she examines it in her book “ Liberate Leadership: How...

Sales managers are often thrust into their positions because it’s the natural progression to their career. The problem is they’re often given little ongoing support and training in management. Sales and sales management are completely different things, says Sue Barrett, CEO of Barrett Consulting Group. She has identified 8 fundamental functions to give sales leaders the knowledge, skil...

Why settle for okay, when excellent is so much better for your business? Why, indeed? 'Why' is just one of Darrell Hardidge's ten commandments of customer service. Darrell, CEO of Saguity, has been advising Australia's leading businesses on delivering high-quality customer service for years, and he knows better than most how it can transform the bottom line of your business. He says every touch po...

Like everyone, leading economist Professor Neville Norman would love to make COVID 19 disappear. Short of that, we must continue to live with it and soldier on as best we can. For business, it is time – if you haven’t done so already – to get practical.  Neville highlights his virus-scenario-based economic forecasts, and you’d be wise to plan for a range of possibiliti...

A good night's sleep allows your staff to have energy and attentiveness at work, but is your workplace culture preventing them from getting quality sleep? Productivity and wellness advisor Thea O'Connor says those late-night work emails and online messages can interrupt your employees’ down-time in the evening and early mornings. Because we all have different sleeping patterns and work bette...

The B2B sector was experiencing changes well before the pandemic, but as in most business verticals, COVID intensified the change. So, what are B2Bs looking for from buyers and how can they innovate and grow in this new normal? SME Business Growth Specialist Michael Haynes, Principal Consultant of Listen Innovate Grow, explains. Reference Make sure your B2B customer strategy is on track, with SMB...

Digital health is one of the fastest growing investments sectors, worth $2 billion in the Australian market, $200 billion globally, and only set to set to expand drastically due the major catalyst, COVID-19. Nic Blair, Founder & MD of Midnight Health, explains how he tapped into this market, providing online solutions for men and women to access more sensitive health care products, discreetly...

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 th...

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...

Bob Beaumont is one of Australia’s best known entrepreneurs. He’s built Beaumont Tiles from a small fragmented operation back in the 1960s to an empire. Bob always aims high and generally succeeds, even if others think he’s chewed off more than he can manage. His story is remarkable, and he’s agreed to speak candidly to us about success, business principles – and neve...

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

Move over Gen X, Y and Z. There are new kids on the block, they’re called Generation Alpha, they’re the largest generational group that the world has ever seen – and we should take note of them if we want our businesses to thrive into the future. So who are they, what do they want, and how do we capture their thoughts and aspirations? Social researcher Mark McCrindle has been doi...

No business is immune to cashflow issues. And now, with COVID-19, 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 . Refer...

Business partnerships seem like a wonderful arrangement when everyone’s happy - complementary skills, the sharing the workload and resources, enjoying the wins, fun and friendship. But partnerships can turn from good to bad in no time when things aren’t going well - and that’s when the arguments begin. Lawyer Paul Brennan has seen it all and has some sanguine advice for those fac...

It’s so much easier and safer to isolate ourselves from the uncertainties and risks we face outside our homes, on the street and in the workplace. For a lot of people, working from home has been a safe haven and cushioned them from confronting their fears. But, as people go back to work, bosses need to be able to manage the fears of their staff. Workplace psychologist, Dr Amy Silver explains...

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 soundcarte...

Implementing a business strategy is important: it gives you and your team a clear roadmap to business growth; it outlines the responsibility for each team member; and it keeps everyone accountable and on track. Creating a strategy is one thing, but executing it effectively is something else entirely, says business coach, Mandy Holloway, co-founder and owner of Courageous Leaders. She outlines the...

If you don't have strategies to tackle the onslaught of incoming emails, you'll spend even more time trying to find the important ones and be distracted by the ones that are less so. Email expert Steuart Snooks, of Solutions 4 Success, has a tonne of tips to manage your emails and get more time back in your day. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 83...

Just where does the time go? Do you find that no matter how much you try to get on top of things, there’s just not enough time in the day? Productivity expert Les Watson sees a lot of people are wasting time on things they don’t even realise. Les – also known as the Time Lord – helps us identify seven time-wasting activities, so that we can get more time to work on the thin...

Whether you’re in business already, a student, or simply looking for a change, launching an online course could be a path to building your 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 t...

An Australian veteran business leader shares the lessons he's learnt from the rough and tumble of five decades of business life. Geoff Slade built Slade Group to Australia's biggest executive search firm through a combination of hard work and developing trusting and meaningful relationships. He's identified many truths along the way - his personal perspectives on what really counts to achieve succ...

Like all farmers, Chris Balazs understands how much tastier meat is from animals he slaughters on his own farm. For those and other ethical reasons, he and his team have built Provenir, Australia's first and only mobile abattoir. Provenir oversees the whole operation from purchasing livestock on-farm direct from their partnering farmers, to the on-farm processing and into their artisan butchery. I...

If you think about it, there are very few businesses that aren’t reliant on some form of technology or digitisation. And with the pandemic speeding up the process, the move toward automation isn’t so much a choice anymore, as much as a requirement, if you want to remain competitive. Alex Kain, CEO of Human Pixel, says “digital is just purely an evolution of business”, and h...