Write a great job ad
Tips for writing the most successful job ad, employing the right person for the job and keeping everyone happy.
Tax Update October 2012
Our regular monthly tax update for individuals and businesses.
Tax Update August 2012
Read the latest news for your business tax planning.
How to save money in your business NOW
Let’s face it: it’s currently a buyers’ market... and despite your initial reaction, believe it or not, this is actually great news for your business. Why? Because to all of your suppliers, YOU are the customer – and you can start using the current market conditions as an opportunity to flex your buying power and start reducing your business expenses right away.
Cashflow in a crisis - Top 4 survival tips
Sadly, even profitable businesses can go broke if they do not effectively manage their cashflow during the recession – and it's happening across the country right now. Not surprisingly then, cashflow is one of the biggest challenges currently facing business owners, with some 92% reporting that they frequently experience stress due to cashflow concerns. If you're like many of the business owners we've talked with recently, you may have had to reduce the scope of your operations, source additional funding, take a pay cut, or even make long-standing staff redundant.
Online corporate identity fraud
In the last decade, identity fraud has grown from being a problem for individuals, to an epidemic affecting a wide range of businesses. Advancements in technology have allowed fraudsters from within Australia and overseas to target anyone with an online identity.
Effective email management
A quick check of your emails first thing in the morning can turn into time consuming, unproductive waste.
The importance of estate planning
Estate planning is more than just having a will. It is about ensuring that a person’s estate is passed on to their beneficiaries in the most tax-effective and financially efficient way possible when they are gone.
Get a head start for the next financial year
Preparation is the key to efficient and effective financial planning for the 2012-2013 year ahead.
End of Year Tax Tips for Businesses & Individuals
Use these tips to help with you prepare your business for end of year 2012.
Tax Focus - GST Debt
Taxpayers that are finding it difficult to meet their GST obligations on time should be contacting the ATO as early as possible.
Conflict in the workplace
While conflict is not always negative, more often than not, particularly in the workplace environment, it can have a detrimental effect that if left unmanaged can spread internally and externally. Sometimes however, it is unavoidable and taking into account that no two individuals are the same, it is important to find ways to manage conflict.
Business Tax Planning: Are you on track?
Effective tax planning needs to not only make financial sense and be consistent with overall business objectives; it must also not run foul of either specific or general anti-avoidance provisions of the tax legislation.
Do you need more assurance than just insurance?
If you live in Australia or New Zealand, you'll no doubt have witnessed the devastating impact and unpredictability of Mother Nature - with earthquakes, droughts, fire, flood and cyclones all occurring in the past year alone. While these natural disasters ravage communities, the impact on local businesses can be equally devastating. But it doesn't always need to be that way. Why is it that one business can recover from a disaster, whereas another similar business may be forced to close its doors?
A lifestyle spring clean
Many SME owners crave a better work/life balance and dream of one day growing their business to the point where they can either scale back their hours, or have someone take over the reins so they can retire completely. For many, this freer lifestyle doesn’t always come to fruition, but for those that seek out professional help and set their mind to it, the pipedream can more easily become a reality.
Small business depreciation rules
The Government recently released exposure draft legislation proposing to make several tax law amendments in relation to depreciation rules for small business. The proposed amendments will apply to small businesses that have an annual turnover of less than $2 million for an income year from the 2012 - 2013 income tax year....
Stress management tips for business owners
Stress is something we all experience and unfortunately cannot be eliminated altogether. However stress doesn’t have to be an entirely negative emotion – after all, it’s generally what gets us motivated to take action! A certain amount of stress can actually be healthy, so long as the symptoms of it don’t affect our day to day life.
New rules for Director Liabilities
The increasing number of companies going into liquidation and administration has triggered a proposal by the Government to increase the liability of directors for failing to meet their obligations as employers.
Bonus or cash? What's the difference?
With Christmas fast approaching, now is the time for employers to consider their end-of-year plans....
Prepare for the New Year
As many business owners would agree, now until the start of the New Year is an incredibly busy time. Other service businesses can be equally overwhelmed. For retailers, 50% of their sales may come from this period.....For others, the year end can be one of the slowest times of the year. Clients might be away, employees aren’t around to finish projects and the phones don’t ring. That makes this a perfect time to take care of some end-of-year tasks.
Crowdsourcing for your business
‘Crowdsourcing’, the practice of making open calls to a broad community to help solve problems, either through competition or collaboration, can often prove more beneficial to a company than hiring an employee or contractor to perform the task.
Wanted for hire - only the best will do
"Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine." - David Ogilvy, Advertising Icon
Tax Update October 2011
Keeping businesses informed with tax office news.
Good leadership defined
Are you a leader just because you run a small business? No. But you need to be.
Why hire Gen Y?
‘They are lazy, selfish, overpaid, arrogant, spoilt, demanding and over-confident!’ But....
Tax Update August 2011
Read this tax update and keep informed about the latest news from the Australian Taxation Office.
Case of mistaken identity...don't let it happen to you
One of the truths of modern business is that there is almost nothing that your competitors can’t duplicate. If you have a great idea, you can be certain that somebody will copy it, fake it, cheapen it or just plain rip-it-off. They may even be able to do a better job selling ‘your’ product or service at a lower price. But what they can’t do, the one thing you’ll always have going for YOU, is your brand.
Is your business flying?
We hear about Tiger Airways being grounded due to safety concerns. We hear about Qantas share prices plummeting after our spate of natural disasters – but how much do rising airfares and troubled airlines affect small business?
5 ways to hit back at the July wage increase
With natural disasters, the dollar at an all-time high, petrol prices going through the roof and energy costs sky-rocketing – what else can happen to harm small business? To add insult to injury Fair Work Australia has approved a $19.40 raise to the minimum wage, taking it to $589.30 after 1 July this year.
Every business needs a system
A business without a system is like a car without wheels. Whether you are a one man band, employ 50 people or are somewhere in between, every business needs a system and that means Marketing and Sales, Operations, Finance and Human Resources.
Save time and money with VoIP
When it comes to business communication, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) has become an invaluable and popular tool for businesses around the world. With impressive features including video conferencing, file-sharing, screen-sharing and call forwarding, businesses are able to communicate both internally and externally for much less than they were paying for their old, traditional services.
How to spend less
6 great tips to help you reduce your business costs ....
Procrastinating in your business?
7 Things you may be lacking & 7 ways to fix them
Leaders unite for best results
No matter what business you’re in or how big you are, there is one measure that is universal across all businesses everywhere. That is?... results. It is no use pointing the finger at external factors or the fact that ‘this is how we have always done it.’ The cold hard fact of the matter is, that if you’re not getting results … you’re just not getting RESULTS.
Require a hand in a financial crisis?
If you are involved in a business that is showing signs of trouble, act quickly......
Ready....Set....Goal!
Make 2011 really count by setting realistic goals now for business success and following a carefully planned path to achieve them.
Imagination in cutting business costs
Here are some strategies that can be implemented that can help you save money and reduce the stress involved in running a business.
Buying an established business
Buying a business? Follow these steps before you sign the purchase agreement of an existing business.
Tax Update November 2010
The latest news and tax advice for every business.
Deadline for investment tax
Tax break deadline for small business purchases.
Tax Update October 2010
The latest tax updates for you and your business.
Benefits of a healthy work environment
A major influence upon the success of your business is your staff. They represent the engine of your business and so to keep the business moving forward all components need to be working at an optimal standard.
Why budget for small business?
How Budgeting is the tool by which you organise your company and plan for possible future circumstances.
Improving your small business credit
As a small business entrepreneur it is easy to get distracted from sending out invoices or paying bills. The appeal of focusing on sales instead of the return can get you into trouble with your credit rating and history.
Tax Update September 2010
Read the latest from the ATO with our September tax update.
The How-To's of Increasing Your Cashflow
Proper forecasting is essential for the long-term success of your business – particularly when it comes to cashflow.
Tax Update August 2010
Keeping our clients up to date with tax developments and ATO rulings for August 2010.
Stop being stood up with this one simple tool
When you’re in business, it’s very easy for prospects/contacts to conveniently forget about a scheduled meeting. If you’ve ever been in the situation where someone was unexpectedly ‘out of town’ when you were supposed to be seeing them, you’ll know what I mean. Or, darn, they’ve gone and double booked themselves again. Sometimes, the less creative prospects will just have their receptionist give an excuse as to why they can no longer meet with you and won’t even speak to you themselves.
The 5 marketing mistakes you must avoid
Most business owners have the best intentions in the world when it comes to their marketing, but often, they get so excited with the ‘big picture’ of how many new leads a certain campaign is going to bring in, or the creative execution of a particular piece of collateral, they come unstuck by falling into at least one of the five following pitfalls – read on to find out what they are and how YOUR business can avoid them.
Year End Checklist for Business 2009/10
Get your businesses tax planning underway with this Year End Checklist for Business.
The ten for 2010: Fool_Proof New Year's resolutions
A new year, a fresh start. Last year had its ups and downs, but your business pulled through and now you’re pumped and ready to face the unknown challenges of the year ahead. You’re determined to make next year better, and you sit down to write a list of the things you will do differently so that 2010 will be a stellar year.
All I want for Christmas is ....a holiday
Summer is here, and it’s time for that one week getaway that you’ve been planning for months. Destination these holidays: the coast, where else? You’ve packed your sunscreen and your beach towel. Oh, and don’t forget your camera. Maybe you should bring your Blackberry. And might as well bring your laptop too...
Sell smart to increase your profits - Pt4: Cross Selling
We’ve already covered up-selling, down-selling and packaging in our Sell Smart series, and this month we cover one of the most lucrative selling strategies of them all – cross-selling.
Performance Standards
Question: “I'm noticing that some of my key staff are beginning to come in later than they should. It's not by much, sometimes half an hour late. However, these same staff members are known on occasion to work back. The thing is, other staff members are noticing and are beginning to creep in a little later than they should. Should I address this with both parties, or just those who haven't put in the extra hours?”
Tough times require an even tougher mindset
There’s such a doom and gloom focus in the media at the moment that it can be difficult to retain a positive, proactive perspective – especially if times have been tough in your business.
Team time balance - 168 hours!
Just 168 hours per week... Question: “I'm struggling to keep up with life! My business continues to demand most of my time, and there's just not enough hours in the week to unwind or socialise with family and friends. Any tips on how I can strike a balance, without it costing my hip pocket?”
Communication strategies to enhance your team performance
Redundancies, restructuring and closures across all industries are making staff members jumpy across the country. In times like these it is more important than ever to be responsible about your communication style - so that you don't cause your team members undue stress or negatively impact their productivity.
Raising Finances
We take a look at the steps to improve your chances in raising finance with potential lenders for your business and the importance of the right professional advise.