5 Ways to Get Your Business Organised For Christmas

Management Strategies, productivity Comments

Guest Contributor: Lorraine Pirihi

The holiday season is filled with excitement, parties and good cheer. The next few weeks will speed by and before you know it you’ll be sitting down having Christmas Dinner.  If you’re unprepared and don’t get your act together early enough, you could miss out on golden opportunities to increase business because you’re so stressed out trying to keep up. Read the rest…

7 Winning Ways to Work Productively From Home

Business Strategies, Life Support, Management Strategies, Work + Family, productivity Comments

Guest Contributor: Lorraine Pirihi

One of my clients used to run his own successful accounting practice from home. With pre-school children and trying to grow his business, he and his wife used to get very frustrated with the fact that they could never remove themselves from the workplace. They felt their business totally overwhelmed them and caused many challenges which affected their personal relationships. We were able to identify exactly where their time was being spent and found that there were simple ways they could do more in growing their business and still have a life. Three years later with the growth of their practice they have had to move their business to new premises.

Here are seven ways you can successfully work from home and enjoy the benefits… Read the rest…

Imitation book lacks two vital ingredients

Business Strategies, Management Strategies, Marketing, Social Debate, Women Business Owners Comments

Recently, whilst shopping in K-Mart, I was a bit surprised to see one of the oldest and well known national women’s magazine’s name appearing on the cover of a book titled ‘Just Four Ingredients’. Now I might be wrong but didn’t the concept and idea of cooking with 4 Ingredients originally belong to bestselling authors from Qld’s Sunshine Coast, Rachael Bermingham and Kim McCosker? It’s also the concept behind their new TV cooking program currently showing on the LifeStyle Channel. Read the rest…

‘9 Ways to Make Your Meetings Productive and Profitable’

Business Strategies, Career Development, Human Resources Issues, Management Strategies, Training, Workplace Issues, productivity Comments

Guest Contributor: Lorraine Pirihi

Some time ago I facilitated a VIP Planning Day for a small accounting practice. During the course of the day we reviewed the progress they had made since  the Planning Day we had the year before. As we were reflecting on their achievements before planning the future, one of the partners made the comment on how crucial their weekly meetings were. Read the rest…

FREE Online Tool for SMEs

Business Strategies, Finance, Free Business Tools, Management Strategies Comments

The new tax year is off and running and we’ve found a new online tool being offered by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) which could make life so much easier for small business owners in regards to organising their tax obligations for the year ahead.
 
If you’re sick of not knowing when everything for your business is due for lodgement with ATO, take a look at the ATO’s new Small Business Tax Calendar. It’s a program that allows you to input the start dates and frequency of your tax obligations. It also asks a number of questions about the nature of your business. Read the rest…

Lipstick Business Planning

Business Strategies, Business Trends, Management Strategies, Women Business Owners Comments

For the 60 percent of business owners who don’t currently have a business plan, the line ‘if you leave something in your tray long enough it will disappear’ could be the truth. When it comes to developing a business plan these days the old SWOT analysis as we once knew it seems irrelevant. Read the rest…

How to banish your sales phobia

Business Strategies, Management Strategies, Sales Comments

If you’re in business then bascially you are in sales. Regardless of what industry you work in the sales process is in play every day. So if we are all making sales why do so many of us have an issue with selling? And what strategies can help with overcoming all the phobias that accompany the sales process? Read the rest…

Say goodbye to slow payers

Finance, Management Strategies Comments

Ask any business owner to nominate the most frustrating thing about running their business and cashflow quickly comes up in the conversation. Running any business successfully entails maintaining a positive cashflow. Even in the most buoyant economy, let alone one that’s floundering, cashflow can be a challenge. Considering the poor current financial climate we asked debt collection expert MICHAEL TODD to share his tips on creating positive cashflow.

Collecting overdue accounts can be a major issue for small to medium businesses but the impacts of not staying on top of debtors can be devastating. As a small business operator you are under no obligation to extend credit. After all, payment is expected at the time when an airline flight or a hotel room is booked and if any small business chooses they can do likewise. There is no need in the current economic climate to be exposed to the risk of bad debts. But if you are extending credit and chasing slow payers you will find these tips very helpful. Read the rest…