Business Essentials

With the summer holidays well and truly behind us, it's often now that key staff leave for another company. That's according to recruitment specialist Geoff Balmer of Richard Lloyd Recruitment, who explains why they might head out the door and what you can do to prevent that from happening. richardlloyd.com.au businessessentials.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Fiona Whatley and her husband James took over her parents' business, they hadn't fully planned for 10-fold growth in less than a decade. Springhill Farm makes and sells delicious bite-size treats under its own brand as well as manufacturing food – especially health food – for other brands. Its reputation has grown from lucrative partnerships with well-known companies, including Vi...

What's likely to drive customers away from your door, never to return? Research shows some underlying factors which will eventually mean survival or not for your business. Neville Christie uncovers the reasons why customers become cynical about who they buy from, and he suggests ways to make sure that cynicism doesn’t apply to you. It's all about innovating and ensuring you're implementing e...

You may not wish to taint a blossoming relationship by introducing lawyers at the courting stage, but a co-ownership agreement is worth its weight in gold. Andrew Henshaw and Scott McKenzie of Velocity Legal explain what a business "pre-nup" looks like and why you should organise one. And if it’s too late for a pre-nup, it's still a good idea to get an agreement in place in case things go pe...

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 a new book,  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...

Have you thought about your voice and how others might perceive you based on the way you talk? Like most business people, probably not. According to voice coach Anouska Taylor , we're so concerned with  what  we say, that we ignore the power of  how  we speak, which can influence the perceptions others have of us. Anouska provides examples and techniques for getting the most ou...

Property's a complicated beast at the best of times, but political upheaval certainly doesn't help. What is the current state of property as an investment option and how should you respond in a market under stress? To help answer those questions and more is property expert Andrew Fawell , who says a big challenge these days for investors is a tightening up from lenders. Borrowers need to jump thro...

Entrepreneurship is in Liam Ganley's DNA – he brought it with him to Melbourne from his home in Ireland. Liam now runs three successful pubs and restaurants in one of the world's most competitive and renowned foodie capitals. A city with shortages in hospitality staff – especially chefs – hasn’t stopped Liam expand his range of venues with a focus on craft beer matched with...

If you and everyone in your industry is slowly sinking to the bottom, how do you get back on top? By taking a radical shift in the way you do business. That's what Steve Layton , CEO of the Layton Group, has done as other furniture companies across the country discount their way to oblivion. Steve's new Sofa Brands company offers affordable luxury furniture to Australian and Chinese markets. Steve...

Kate Save and her business partner were struggling to grow innovative food business, Be Fit Food , until Kate fronted the sharks on TV's Shark Tank. She faced a grilling, but armed with the right answers Kate encouraged one of the sharks, Janine Allis, to invest a substantial amount of money. The TV exposure helped propel the business to greater heights, but the sudden growth invited a new se...

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...

Shopping centres and suburban shopping strips are separate beasts when it comes to retail, each with their own challenges for landlords and tenants. And changes are underway. Site selection expert Peter Buckingham has studied the retail sector for decades and he discusses the big changes confronting Australia’s fashion industry as local businesses succumb to cheaper imports, online sale...

Before you do anything, before you take out an ad or write a blog post, understand what your target market wants and needs. That advice is from marketing consultant Hunter Leonard , who has surveyed thousands of business owners and who shares more than 30 years of marketing experience by listing his seven key principles for marketing success. http://businessessentials.com.au See omnystudio.co...

A lot of business owners find it uncomfortable to provide constructive feedback to staff, and when they do it's often ineffective. Business and leadership coach, Mandy Holloway - who has examined numerous businesses across Australia - says feedback should not be about fixing someone. Instead, she says, it's about holding a mirror up to staff to make them aware of their behaviour. http://www.busine...

Millennials contribute significantly to the Australian workplace, and it behoves your practice to find and keep the key performers. That's according to Simon Dennis , Head of Partnerships at MYOB, who examines the advantages Millennials have by bringing crucial skillsets that you would otherwise have to train. The competition to attract these employees is getting fierce, and Simon outlines wh...

Achieving a turnover of $40 million in the first five years of founding Job Capital, Jo Burston is one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs. Her latest venture, Inspiring Rare Birds, is a global movement to help women grow their businesses. She says there are real bottom-line reasons why businesses benefit from engaging with female business leaders and entrepreneurs. And she provides her own...

Australian Rules football legend, Rodney Eade , has changed his coaching boots for the corporate sector, offering businesses lessons in leadership, especially around the area of change. Rodney's new venture is called Facing Change, and it's 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 brin...

Some of the best start-ups are founded by entrepreneurs who have experience and wisdom on their side. A champion for mature age entrepreneurs is business advisor Hunter Leonard who's written a book 'Generation Experience' to help older business people. As older people discard their employment strings, they turn to Hunter for advice on some practical steps in setting up a business. businessess...

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....

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 achiev...

Throw out the old ideas around consumer behaviour – in the modern world customers don't follow a pattern based on their age, gender, race or economic status. But what does it mean for businesses, and marketers in particular, when traditional market segments no longer apply? American author and acclaimed speaker Michael Solomon explores these issues and tells us why we need to radically...

Importers and exporters are keenly watching the new Transpacific Partnership.  Russell Wiese from law firm Hunt & Hunt puts things into perspective for business owners, highlighting the broad benefits of the TPP and setting it against the backdrop of a potential US-China tariff war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Becoming king of the digital marketing world takes ambition, determination and a highly focused client offering - and Sabri Suby ’s achieving a right-royal success. Just four years ago, Sabri Suby was working out of a garage with barely enough money to make cold calls. Today his digital marketing agency is winning clients everywhere, with a multi-million dollar turnover and 40 staff. How has...

If merging with another business is part of your succession plan, there’s a lot to consider and you need to plan carefully. Where do you start, what are the risks and how do you find a perfect partner? Mergers can provide a great solution for business owners looking at the next step for themselves personally and for the business they’ll eventually leave to others. But Nick Miller of Hu...

We've all heard a business is only as good as the people in it – so how do you find and keep great people? Recruitment expert, Warren Howard of Howardco, takes us through best hiring practices. Warren says one of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is not identifying what the business really needs. He advises on what you should consider when advertising for the position; and then how to...