Business Essentials

One of the biggest differences between professional football and business is football's focus on talent and teaching. As an AFL CEO for close to 25 years, Cameron Schwab saw first-hand how elite sport focuses almost entirely on the players and how they work together. Now, as Founder and CEO of designCEO, Cameron reckons that a lot of business leaders don't go deep enough to improve the performance...

Stress has become an unavoidable part of modern life, affecting nearly everyone. Prolonged exposure leads to headaches, poor sleep, irritability and reduced mental clarity. The antidote can be found in nature, says Dr Jenny Brockis, a lifestyle medical practitioner and author of ‘The Natural Advantage: How more time outside reduces stress, improves health and boosts social connection’. Time spent...

On the 29th of October this year, 3G technology in Australia is shutting down. According to Bruce Billson, the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, the final switchover to the 4G network could cause serious disruptions to the small business sector, if older, internet connected devices aren’t on the 4G frequency in time. Bruce highlights the potential impacts on small, rural and regional...

What happens when the person you’ve hired isn’t performing as you’d hoped? It’s important to have an onboarding process that continues well after the employee’s first day, says workplace expert Michelle Gibbings. Without it, their underperformance could be a result of not properly communicating your goals and expectations. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel.com.au +6...

You know what it’s like when your phone vibrates or a message pops up on your computer screen. Your attention is piqued. It’s like a dopamine hit – you want to stop what you’re doing and check out the message. But for the sake of your business, you can’t afford to allow interruptions take you away from the important stuff. Productivity expert Les Watson has some timely advice on getting back contr...

Did you know that just 7% of businesses achieve annual revenue of $2 million? There’s a lot of books written and advice given to businesses starting out, but few cater to established businesses looking to scale up. Strategy advisor Jenny Stilwell explores why businesses falter as they approach $2 million and beyond. She outlines the reasons and provides solutions in her book, ‘The 7% Club: How to...

Hiring top-tier candidates is as difficult today as it’s ever been. The post-COVID era, with its focus on work-life balance, has led organisations to rethink their employer branding strategies to attract top candidates. Recruitment specialist Richard Triggs says there are three key options to source candidates: referrals, advertising and headhunting. When it comes to headhunting, LinkedIn has been...

Employers who fail to respond to a formal flexible work request within 21 days, can find themselves being taken to the Fair Work Commission. Paul Cott, Principal at Law on Lydiard, discusses this new rule change to the Fair Work Act. Employees can formally request changes to their work patterns, such as altering hours, location, job sharing, or splitting shifts. These requests must be made in writ...

It might be that you meet someone that comes across as your new best friend, but the charming behaviour of a sociopath is merely a front for their own selfish intentions. The best thing you can do, says Professor Gary Martin, is not hire them in the first place – but it's not always easy to spot someone with sociopathic tendencies. Professor Martin, CEO of the Australian Institute of Management in...

One of the best sales opportunities that's too often ignored is customer enquiries from inbound phone calls. Colin Pearce explains how to win long-term loyal customers with his six-P's approach. When the phone rings in your business, Colin insists, be prepared to answer promptly. And then, be positive from the outset, be precise when scheduling an appointment, be personal, and – most importantly –...

In a world of increasing uncertainty, it’s not enough to just keep one eye on change, you need to know how to adapt quickly and effectively to stay in the game. Adam Bennett, a former CEO and big-4 bank CIO, has written a book on how to turn your plans into reality: ‘Great Change: The Way To Get Big Strategy Done’. He says there are three key tasks leaders need to undertake in order to make change...

The fear of being left behind is driving AI adoption without businesses having a clear understanding of it. Brad Kasell, Principal Technology Strategist for data experience platform, Domo, says ChatGPT for example can provide powerful capabilities for analysing data, but that many businesses only use it for basic tasks. He says, using unstructured AI data can expose hidden biases and deficiencies,...

Retailers that are looking to open to new shopfronts are being hamstrung by huge construction costs and a lack of builders. Business is going so well for Dr. Vivek Eranki’s Cosmetique that he is planning to open 30 new beauty, injectables and laser hair-removal clinics across the country in the next 12 months. The problem is that construction time and costs are blowing out. He says he prefers buyi...

A lot of businesses have a 12-month plan, but if you want to achieve quicker and more focused results, you’re better off combining that with a hundred-day rolling business strategy. That’s according to Michael Fingland, CEO of Vantage Performance, which helps turn around underperforming businesses. He says the 100-day strategy focuses the team on what they should be prioritising for the quarter, w...

By employing what she calls her “Critical Alignment Model” for both herself and her clients, Remi Pearson has built an expanding, international coaching institute. In one of her many books 'Disruptive Leadership: Four Simple Steps to Creating the Winning Team', she explains how to question the status quo, to build better businesses. Business Essentials Daily is produced by: SoundCartel soundcartel...

Customer service is not for the faint-hearted – it requires everyday attitude, mindset and commitment. So how do you find the right frontline staff and nurture them to be their best? Customer service expert Monique Richardson says it comes down to you and your leadership ability. Monique is author of ‘They Serve Like We Lead: How to take care of your people, so they take care of your customers’. S...

To be a successful negotiator, it’s not so much about what you say, but how you say it. Negotiation specialist Glin Bayley’s new book, 'The Negotiation Playbook', offers practical strategies to help you boost your communications skills in everyday situations. She says there are five keys to being a good negotiator: understanding value, analysing data, recognising leverage, embracing discomfort, an...

There are two types of buying behaviours that reflect the modern online shopper: planned and impulsive. When people plan to buy something, they turn into detective mode, using technology to scour the internet for reviews and recommendations, especially for expensive or complex items. But technology also has a sneaky side, luring us into impulsive buys with ads tempting us to reach for our credit c...

Andrew Ford, Founder of Social Star, has turned the elevator pitch on its head with his own pitch structure which aims to be more conversational. The standard elevator pitch, he insists, is one-directional and lacks true engagement. With practice, your pitch shouldn't feel like selling; instead, it should feel like you're providing answers to someone's questions. The challenge Andrew sets out to s...

If you want your team to be fully committed to your idea, first it's worth spending time with them to connect and develop a level of trust. That's according to Simon Dowling, business coach and author of ‘Work With Me: How to get people to buy into your ideas.’ You’ll achieve the best results, he insists, if you have a team who’s as enthusiastic and willing as you are about your idea. Business Ess...

The swings and the roundabouts of running a business can be stressful at the best of times. But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to business consultant Roger Perry. He advises his clients to build business resilience by concentrating on two key aspects of their enterprise: what he calls organisational fortification, and organisational adaptability. Business Essentials Daily is produced by...

Kimlligraphy’s humble beginnings in 2017 as a calligraphy and mindset workshop has grown exponentially to a nationwide calligraphy agency. Husband and wife team, Kim Tran-Flores and Mark Flores have refocused from purely educational offerings to live calligraphy personalisation, providing services such as point-and-pen calligraphy, hand lettering, and digital techniques. Their work has attracted l...

Do you begin your day feeling stressed and overwhelmed? The solution is a simple, science-backed method that involves asking five key questions each morning to prime the brain for a more positive, focused day. The 5Qs Formula, devised by global business psychologist Simi Rayat, helps business owners stay focused, gain energy, and accomplish much more. She outlines it in her new book, ‘Productivity...

The levels of stress, burnout and mental illness are increasing rapidly, societally, but also within the workplace. It’s more important than ever for business leaders to be able to talk with their staff about their mental health. Wellbeing leadership expert Fleur Heazlewood says despite providing psychologically safe and mentally healthy working environments, leaders lack the skills and training t...

If you want to motivate your team, retain good talent and create an environment where everyone is performing, it’s important to take the time to get to know your team members individually. Michelle Gibbings is a workplace expert and author of award-winning ‘Bad Boss: What to do if you work for one, manage one or are one’. She says people thrive under different circumstances; for some it’s the flex...