Rise Up In Business

Send us Fan Mail Money is not a dirty word. I have found that there is often discomfort when discussing money in business and, as a result, business owners will frequently delay having important conversations.  I am here to tell you that asking for money is not selfish.  In this episode, I discuss practical tips that you can use to address getting payment for your goods and/or services in your sma...

Send us Fan Mail When conducting a small business, trouble receiving payment is unfortunately a reality. We can’t control everything and delays in payment can cause cash flow problems that can significantly impact your business.  In this short episode, I discuss the reasons behind why a client may be withholding payment and how you can address them without going to court. It is vitally important t...

Send us Fan Mail Retreats are a really wonderful way to connect with clients, create special experiences for participants and establish lasting relationships. Managing the expectations of both parties from the outset can go a very long way towards creating a positive experience for everyone involved.  In this episode, I discuss Retreat Terms & Conditions, what they are, what they should includ...

Send us Fan Mail Digital courses can be a fabulous way to grow your business and genuinely help your clients by providing more accessible services. We’re seeing more and more businesses providing digital courses due to the nature of what’s been happening around the world.  Before you go ahead and launch your digital course, it’s vital to have bulletproof Terms & Conditions to minimise the risk...

Send us Fan Mail Having spent the first 12 years of my legal career in Litigation and Dispute resolution, I have experienced first hand how litigation can affect businesses, people, and relationships and how it ought to be avoided at all costs if possible. In this episode, I share my observations of what can go wrong and how small businesses can navigate their way through making the decision on wh...

Send us Fan Mail Starting out as a small business owner can be daunting, and I notice countless preventable mistakes that happen time and time again.  In this episode, I discuss the five most common mistakes I see business owners make when starting out, from a disorganised business structure to not having the right team of business advisers to support them. I share some tips that will help you lay...

Send us Fan Mail With the increasingly conversational topic of trademarking among small businesses, many are under the false impression that everything needs to be trademarked right here and right now.  So, how do you decide what actually needs to be trademarked? In this episode, I share my thoughts, tips, and tricks about the decision-making process when deciding whether to apply or not to apply....

Send us Fan Mail Dispute is a topic that is second nature to me but I’m well aware that it’s not that way for most small business owners. If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you will know that for the first 12 years of my career, I spent the majority of my time in court acting for clients in litigation matters and dispute resolution.  In this episode, I’m talking about what to do...

Send us Fan Mail Cash flow is the cornerstone of any small business so what do you do when outstanding invoices accumulate? There seems to be a theme of late as I’m increasingly talking to my new clients about invoices or payments that are outstanding for them.  In this episode, I’m diving into the topic of what to do when you haven’t been paid. I share my tips for what to do and outline the proce...

Send us Fan Mail Do you know who you’re doing business with? I’ve seen a number of cases where business owners get into difficulty down the track when they haven’t properly verified the individuals and businesses they are transacting with. As a small business owner, this step is absolutely vital. In this episode, I discuss the importance of verifying the business that you’re building a relationshi...

Send us Fan Mail Cash flow is the cornerstone of any business. No amount of skill or passion can substitute for this when it comes to sustaining a profitable business. Setting up a well oiled system for getting paid from the get go will give your business the best chance for success. In this episode, I discuss the three areas at the core of cash flow in business. I talk about the importance of pro...

Send us Fan Mail Something that arises with my clients, especially those running small businesses in creative industries, is that things can often change throughout the duration of a project.  So what do you do when you’ve done the right thing by providing a service agreement to your client and now the project is changing or the client wants to add on extras?  In this episode, I discuss the proces...

Send us Fan Mail Outsourcing in your business is brilliant. There is so much that can be gained from hiring the right people with the right skills, to help you move your business forward. However, if the right agreements aren’t in place, it can cause more problems than it is worth sometimes. In this episode, I outline why written agreements are so powerful in setting clear expectations, deadlines...

Send us Fan Mail Entering into a commercial lease is such an exciting time for a business owner. With your vision finally coming to fruition and the fit-out to manage, it’s not uncommon for business owners to get caught up in the fun part and not set aside the time to fully understand their legal obligations. In this episode, I discuss some of the most common things people miss when entering into...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve listened to previous episodes, you would have heard frequently talk about the importance of having your legal documents tailored to suit your business. There are a host of reasons why this is the case, and today I hone in on the importance of Terms & Conditions and how they work in conjunction with your business processes & systems. In this episode, I discuss why...

Send us Fan Mail In this season of the podcast I’ve been focusing on sharing practical examples of how the information and content I’ve shared in previous seasons applies in real life.  If you’ve been listening for a while, you’ll have heard me speak of how vital it is to tailor your business legals to suit your individual business. This includes your Website Terms & Conditions and in this epi...

Send us Fan Mail In this season of the podcast, I’m focusing on giving you real-life examples of my clients to help bring some context around the recommendations that I’ve been making throughout the last 2 seasons. A lot of these clients unfortunately engaged my services when they found themselves in sticky situations but hopefully, their experiences can help you avoid the same pitfalls. In this e...

Send us Fan Mail A question I get asked a lot is on the topic of agreements. Do I really need to have them in writing? My answer is always absolutely, without a doubt, yes. I can’t stress highly enough how vital it is to make sure you have your agreements in writing and to make sure they are crystal clear right from the outset. In this episode, I hone in on the importance of partnership agreements...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode of Season 3.  In seasons 1 and 2, I discussed in rather broad terms some of the vital information that business owners should be aware of. Moving forward, I’ll be diving a bit deeper into these topics, sharing real-life case studies to add context to the information I’ve already delivered. In this episode, I discuss the all information topic of busines...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the final episode of season 2. As I conclude the season, I thought it fitting to discuss the topic of selling your business and I bullet point some really important steps you need to take before signing on the dotted line. Selling a business isn’t a quick operation and in this episode, I talk about the importance of long term planning and surrounding yourself with a tea...

Send us Fan Mail In previous episodes, I’ve talked a lot about setting up good foundations for business, discussing what you need to know, why you need to know it and how to go about doing it. In this episode, I talk about how you can build on those solid foundations to keep your business running well. I share my top 5 tips to help your business stay well, including the all important business lega...

Send us Fan Mail In previous episodes, I’ve talked a lot about building solid foundations for your business and making sure that all the necessary framework is established right from the word go. In this episode, I discuss a very important topic for when it’s time to start building your team. Today I talk about the difference between employees and contractors. I discuss why it’s so important to un...

Send us Fan Mail At some point, every business owner encounters a sticky situation. Whether it be a client dispute, a misunderstanding with a business partner or landlord or difficulty with a supplier, it’s inevitable that things go wrong sometimes.  Having spent the first 12 years of my career in litigation and dispute resolution, I know all too well the loss and heartache that can follow these s...

Send us Fan Mail Going into business with a friend can sound like a really great idea and many people do it successfully. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it time and time again where misunderstandings, life changes and frustrations lead to the breakdown of the business and also the friendship.  The good news is, these breakdowns are often avoidable with the right preparation and a rock-solid iron-clad ag...

Send us Fan Mail Things are constantly changing in life and in business and for business owners, it’s imperative that these changes are reflected in your legal documents. The start of a new year is a great time to have a look at which things may have changed in your business and to make sure your important documents are up to date. In this episode, I discuss some common areas where things change i...