Business Essentials

Your staff look up to you for direction, encouragement and inspiration. Your leadership qualities will directly affect the way they work. So, how do you become a better leader? Corporate psychologist Rhonda Andrews examines the three characteristics which shape true leadership: emotional intelligence, social intelligence and technical competence. No industry has a monopoly on true leadership &ndas...

Former AFL footballer Wayne Schwass has spent decades dealing with depression and anxiety, so he knows first-hand the debilitating effects it can have on one's personal and professional life. Today, Wayne's a mental health advocate through his organisation, PukaUp, helping to spread the word and provide support about mental health issues in the workplace. He tells his own story and what can be don...

If you've never seriously considered "mums" as a potential market before, think again. You might be surprised by the spending power of this enormously influential group. Katrina McCarter says most businesses would benefit from having a strategy to target this powerful group of spenders. For example, women are starting businesses at much higher rates than men and are purchasing services and product...

Failure isn't something we should avoid at all costs – on the contrary, failure is a powerful force on the journey to success. Entrepreneur and key-note speaker, Gabe Zichermann, says if you don't feel the fear of failure, then you're not pushing yourself hard enough. In other words, fear often indicates you're on the right track. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundca...

Ebru Sak is an amazing entrepreneur and innovator with energy, compassion and enthusiasm for business and life. Her early life was a struggle as she was dragged out of school by her father and forced into an arranged marriage at 16 years old. With courage she divorced and paved her own way into the hair and beauty industry. With almost three decades' experience as a business woman, she reflects on...

Yes, it's true we can all learn from our own mistakes – but sometimes it's better to learn from others' mistakes. Alan Rodway has a list of common mistakes he sees in business. Alan takes us through poor choices that abound in decision-making and planning. A common thread in these mistakes is using a traditional and default way of thinking by avoiding new ideas, not engaging with different p...

Don’t give up - do it regularly and consistently and you'll reap the benefits. Just like an exercise regimen, prospecting for clients can be daunting - particularly the cold-calling side. But prospecting is more than just cold-calling, and if done properly it can be bring real benefits to your business. Ingrid Maynard knows - she’s had more than 25 years' experience in sales and she ad...

Bosses are often so focused on putting out fires that they neglect to recognise the good work done by their staff. HR consultant Karen Gately, at Corporate Dojo, says employees are energised when their achievements are noticed and then rewarded. And, no, money's not always the biggest motivator in the workplace, as Karen offers some smart and creative ways to reward employees. Business Essentials...

How do you get yourself heard in a market where competitors are all loudly banging the marketing and sales drum? Business advisor Darren Fleming has a few ideas – strategic tasks you can implement and share among your team over the course of the year. The great thing is they're low cost – even no cost – to the bottom line. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel sou...

Those sales people - they promise the earth but oh the disappointment when the results come in. Do you blame Sales and Marketing or is there an underlying problem? With 25 years of experience in helping companies turn their fortunes around, Adele Crane understands the reasons why sales fall short of the mark and what CEOs need to do to bring about change. And it’s all laid out in her new aud...

Australians should be proud for achieving what many would have said was impossible, and that’s continuing to work through 2020 as offices closed around the country and staff in their droves retreated home. So says Cheryl-Anne Laird of the HR and IR Division at Mazars. The question is: will employees now be happy to return to their workplaces now that COVID is, fingers crossed, behind us? In...

What does your business stand for and why do you do it? If you can understand that and convey that to people, it could be your best competitive advantage. Andrew Van De Beek owns an accounting practice, Illumin8, which is a bit different to other accounting firms. In fact, Andrew looks and behaves differently to many others in his profession – he has a full hipster beard, he has a dream to o...

Casey Mackinlay’s journey from bricklayer to CEO of an events company with 100+ staff is a tale of grit, determination and love for her son, Kingston. As a teenager, Casey was on the path to becoming a bricklayer when she fell pregnant. With no maternity leave available, and a partner who didn’t step up to the plate, she was soon a single mum on the way to building not one, but two suc...

Sales isn't just about turning up and relying on your instinct or other skills. Each customer is different with his or her own wants and needs, and you need to prepare for each one. Rachel Bourke of SalesSPACE says salespeople should go through checklists before even stepping into a sales meeting. Rachel's sales meeting preparation pack includes a personal checklist to ensure you look the part and...

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, sure, but don’t let the end-of-year party get out of hand. It’s been a year like no other and you and your staff deserve a celebration. But a well-meaning reward could turn into a legal nightmare, warns Principal and Director of Workplace Law, Athena Koelmeyer, who provides examples of what could go wrong if you’re not prepared. Busine...

To be a better and more productive team member, don't get distracted and don't disrupt others around you. That’s advice from Dermot Crowley, author of ‘Smart Teams: How to work better together.’ Two disruptive patterns we all create at work are emails and meetings. Dermot asks, do you really need to copy someone on a message who doesn’t need it? And, must you always drag so...

What's your story? Every business has one, and it will help you better connect with potential customers by telling it. Sales expert Colin Pearce says storytelling works if you want to build brand value. Stories move people and they’re a wonderful way to create memorable experiences about your business which will build loyalty and keep your customers coming back. Business Essentials Daily is...

Leading teams can be tricky – there are different personalities, a myriad of complex human behaviours and inevitable clashes between individuals and groups. Leadership expert Zoe Routh helps clarify how you see yourself, your people and your business with her five leadership archetypes: the elder, the warrior, the diplomat, the guardian, and the pioneer. Identifying your archetype will help...

When a customer is upset with product or service, it’s often the frontline staff who cop the complaint. To ensure a bad situation doesn’t get worse, it’s important to know how to deal with a customer’s difficult behaviour. Customer service expert, Monique Richardson outlines strategies businesses can adopt to handle customers in different challenging situations. Business Es...

Whether retirement is a long way off or just around the corner, it’s something you should always be planning for. But, retirement can be complex. You need to consider investment assets, tax implications, downsizing, superannuation and whether your money will last. Noel Whittaker, Australia’s most trusted finance writer, explains what you need to consider when investing in your future....

So you think you’ve got a brilliant idea for a new business – and it’s going to make you a billion dollars. Well maybe it will! But much can happen between an idea in your head and a product in the market place – and plenty can go wrong in the process. So why not take a few cues from entrepreneur and digital marketing leader, Darren Moffatt. He knows just what’s invol...

Rapid advances in technology have delivered us much better access to ideas and human capital than ever before to help grow our businesses. Futurist Steve Sammartino encourages businesses to embrace a collaborative approach to business growth. You don't have to invent new stuff – instead, some of the fastest growing companies are combining existing tools and technology to be "architects of th...

Getting the right balance for your staff's remuneration can be tricky, so what should you be thinking about? It's not as simple as matching your competitors, insists HR and management consultant, Karen Gately. You should consider other factors, including incentives for salespeople, as well as non-monetary compensation. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +61 3...

Are you sick of not charging enough for what you do – but you don’t dare jack up your prices in case your customers desert you in droves, then sit back and listen to some salient advice from Australia’s number one business author, Andrew Griffiths. Enough’s enough, he’ll tell you. Be brave and take a leap into “expensive” territory. It’ll transform y...

As people spend increasing amounts of time online, it's worth being strategic about how your business uses social media and other online tools to target potential customers. But, how much time do you really need to invest in making it work? That's one of the biggest misconceptions about using social media, says business consultant, Nicola Moras. Author of a new book, 'Visible', Nicola says you don...