Business Essentials

How can you turn the fantastic customer experience you offer into a goldmine? We’ve heard from Darrell Hardidge, CEO of SAGUITY, before about striving to provide a 10 out of 10 experience for your clients. He says that accurately documenting the results of extreme client loyalty is significant when you want to sell your business. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcar...

In recent years, a massive spotlight has shone on the ethical behaviour of banks and other Australian financial institutions. The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry uncovered cases of corporate greed at the expense of their ethical responsibilities. At the heart of the problem, says Karen Gately, CEO of HR consultancy Corporate Dojo, is...

The federal budget is around the corner, our debt blowout is mind-boggling, the vaccine roll out is stumbling and interest rates remain stubbornly low. What does it all mean for us as we steer our businesses through 2021 and beyond? Neville Norman, Professor of Economics at Melbourne University, has warnings and watchouts for us all. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcarte...

All the best intentions in the world won’t fix problems down the track if you’ve failed to do proper due diligence. As a lawyer, Jennifer Irwin-Persson has seen a lot of business relationships left in messy and costly break-ups — most of which were avoidable if proper planning was considered in the first place. Jennifer is Principal of JIP Legal, and she explains what small busin...

It’s much tougher to get your message heard these days among all the other messages vying for customers’ attention. Harry Mills, CEO of The Aha! Advantage, says your messages must pass the SAUCE test to pack the punch needed in these days of information overload. It’s detailed in his book, ‘Secret Sauce: How to Pack Your Messages with Persuasive Punch’. Your sales mes...

Barriers to growth are many - none more so than finding capital. Small businesses in particular struggle to find extra money to fund growth because of a lack of time and resources. John Di Natale, Director of Equiwealth, offers some interesting alternatives to the traditional means to raising capital. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omny...

Divorce is stressful enough but add the additional element of a family business to the mix and the complications can be hugely magnified – especially when an amicable arrangement can’t be reached by the warring couple. What’s the best way to reach an acceptable resolution – and one that won’t trigger tax issues for either party down the track?  Tax specialist and...

The old rules of selling won’t cut it any more as consumers become more savvy and far more cynical. CEO and sales guru, Harry Mills of The Aha! Advantage offers a technique which aims to have consumers persuade themselves to buy. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3 9882 8333 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How are you supposed to make money from your savings in this ridiculously low interest rate environment? That’s a question many investors have been asking themselves when they look at the measly returns they get from term deposits or money in the bank. Wise investors could be looking elsewhere and our wise advisor Greg Keady suggests where. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCart...

As painful as it is, like ripping off a Band-Aid, sometimes you just need to have a chat with a difficult staff member. It’s never easy to confront an employee with an ongoing problem, but putting it off could lead to the issue worsening over time. Marita Ryan, Director of Marita Ryan Consulting, has some useful tips on how to conduct a critical conversation, which can actually help build tr...

Former Westpac CEO, Brian Hartzer, has spent more than 30 years in financial institutions in Australia and overseas observing and applying lessons on how to build highly engaged teams. He’s developed a five-point framework which he outlines in his new book, ‘The Leadership Star: a practical guide to building engagement’. He shares what he’s learnt to help businesses increas...

The labels marketers use to describe consumers no longer serve the purpose they used to. That’s according to customer engagement expert, Michael Solomon, whose new book, ‘The New Chameleons’, outlines how consumers defy the categories in which businesses often put them. The world today has made our lives more complex and so too the job of the marketer. Michael says the first step...

Writing down your goals is one thing, but following through on them to achieve success is quite another. You could do worse than follow the advice of entrepreneur Matthew Michalewicz. He has developed and grown several technology companies in the US and Australia, his last achieving revenue from start-up to $20m in just 7 years. A much sought-after speaker and now co-founder and managing director...

After 30 years of experience, one of Australia’s best real estate agents knows exactly how to navigate the "fee reduction?" question. If you can explain why your service is better than your competitors, you shouldn’t have to compromise on price. James Tostevin’s passion for his job and disciplined work ethic helps explain why he is so good at what he does, which translates into p...

Those mavericks in your business who do their own thing might be just the people who make changes for the better. Darrell Hardidge of SAGUITY calls them 'positive deviants' and if you think you don’t have any in your business, you might be surprised. Once you find them, Darrell says, you first need to properly engage them to make the most of their talent. Business Essentials Daily is produce...

If you’re considering retiring in the next few years, will you be passing on your business to the next generation? If so, now’s the time to start the process, advises Greg Griffith, CEO of Family Business Australia. FBA in partnership with Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has developed, ‘Download ‘An Introductory Guide to Family Business Succession...

Promising your employees bonuses or promotions, but never following through is known as “breadcrumbing”. The term originates from modern dating, where someone is being led-on with small morsels of interest, like phone calls and texts, but nothing eventuates. Karen Gately of Corporate Dojo says breadcrumbing in the workplace is dishonest, disrespectful and unfair. A more effective way t...

The bigger the project, the harder it can be to stay focused – but there are strategies to tackle procrastination. Productivity expert, Dermot Crowley, walks us through those exercises. He says learning how to reduce or eliminate distractions will help keep you focused. Dermot insists on having a plan, otherwise you might be tempted to react to whatever or whoever comes your way. Business Es...

Getting advice and direction can be hard, especially for resource-poor small businesses. Extra pairs of eyes from outside can be invaluable to the growth and success of a business. But many smaller companies worry about the costs of external direction. Business coach and leadership expert, Alan Rodway, says there is a middle road: a cluster board of diverse experts to help with your decision-makin...

How effective is the annual performance review? And is there a better way? Timely and targeted conversations are much more effective ways to help your staff perform their best, says Anneli Blundell, co-author of ‘Developing Direct Reports’. She takes us through a three-step process on how to handle continuous conversations with your team, so they can develop their skills throughout the...

If you haven’t started planning yet, now’s the time. That’s according to Kerry Boulton, Founder & CEO of The Exit Strategy Group, and author of ‘Million Dollar Pay Day – How To Get Rich And Get Out…Creating The Perfect Exit Strategy and Life After Business’. Kerry has walked the walk when it comes to selling a business – she built up and sold Fr...

Risk taking should be encouraged if you want to see your business innovate. That’s the message from Amantha Imber, CEO of Inventium and author of ‘The Innovation Formula’. In the book she highlights fourteen science-based keys to business innovation and she discusses some very practical ideas that business leaders can immediately implement. Business Essentials Daily is produced b...

Business leaders need to find better ways to influence others to navigate the world these days, but how? Gone are the days of ‘hard power’ of command and control – it just doesn’t work in business. ‘Soft power’ of engaging and consulting is better, but takes time. Author Yamini Naidu says a powerful way to influence and inspire staff and customers is through sto...

How does a busy business person slow down and take back control in a world of constant noise and interruption? Occupational therapist, Angela Lockwood, addresses those issues in her book 'Switch Off: How to find calm in a noisy world'. She has espoused everyday activities to cut out the clutter and bring focus back into our lives, including breathing exercises, outdoor play, healthy eating, laughi...

Selling your business can be difficult and stressful enough without the minefield of issues that can catch you out if you’re unaware. Directors, Andrew Henshaw and Scott McKenzie of Velocity Legal take us through some of the pitfalls during and after the sale agreement has been signed. It's surprising how often problems can occur, they say, and it's best to be prepared for them. Business Ess...