From the category archives:

Small Business

Business Plans – Questions to Consider – Part 21

July 26, 2010
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We’re up to number 21 in our series of posts on questions to consider when preparing a business plan. You can access previous entries from the sidebar on your right or via the Series Page.
Exports
Some more food for thought… questions that should be considered in reviewing Exports as part of the preparation of a business [...]

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What if your business partner dies?

July 20, 2010
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What would happen if your business partner died suddenly?
Indeed, what would happen if you suddenly died?
Planning for the death of a partner in a business must be looked at from both sides of the equation.  What are the needs and expectations of the survivors in the business and the members of the deceased estate?
Contingency plans [...]

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Talk To Your Customer Not Above Them

July 19, 2010
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One of the biggest things that turns off prospective clients is when someone is talking way above their heads.
It’s insulting, it’s confusing, and it shows the client that the business person doesn’t care about them or their feelings.
I know that accountants are often guilty of this when we use industry jargon and acronyms that nobody [...]

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Are You Preparing for a Stop/Start Boom?

July 18, 2010
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The MYOB Business Monitor Report released in April 2010 summarised what 1,000 SME operators had identified as the main pressures on business owners in the next 12 months. These included:

 fuel prices
 cashflow management
 price margins and profitability
 interest rates
competitor activity
customer late payments

The survey indicated that “54% of business owners surveyed by MYOB expect economic recovery to begin to [...]

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Do You Have a Will?

July 17, 2010
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How long is it since you reviewed your Will?  Do you even have a Will? 
There is also some basic information that you should be summarising to assist in the administration of your affairs in the unfortunate event that administration is required. This would relate to trade secrets of the business and agreements reached with key suppliers [...]

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7 Essential Teleseminar Tips For Success

July 10, 2010
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A couple of months ago we touched on the 6 Business Benefits of Teleseminars and Webinars.  Here are a few things you can do to guarantee the success of your teleseminar.
Plan Your Presentation
Before sending out invitations, make sure you’ve already a clear idea of what your presentation will be for your teleseminar. Figure out the [...]

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Training Grants for Mature Age Workers

July 9, 2010
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On 1 July 2010 the Australian Government launched a new suite of services designed to support mature age Australians who want to stay in the workforce.
Through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Experience Plus program, employers may be able to access grants of $4 950 to train workers aged 55 years and [...]

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Planning for the 2010/11 Financial Year

June 15, 2010
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June is a great time to take time out and think about the challenges you may face in an economy that is presenting many challenges for a large number of small businesses. Some of the challenges include:-
Business Goals – The debate on the Resource Super Profits Tax has highlighted not only the projected difficulties for [...]

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Do Your Customers Recommend Your Business?

June 14, 2010
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Okay, it’s question time:

Do your customers say “WOW“?
Do they recommend your business to their friends and associates?
Do you acknowledge long-term clients for their continuous support of your business?
Do you send letters to new customers thanking them for their patronage?
Do you encourage customers to give you referrals to their friends and associates?
Do you ask clients for [...]

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Early Stage Commercialisation Repayable Grants

June 13, 2010
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To be eligible for the Australian Government Early Stage Commercialisation Repayable Grants, applicants must have ownership, access to, or the beneficial use of any intellectual property necessary to carry out and/or commercialise the project being funded by Commercialisation Australia.
Grants are available to undertake activities focusing on enabling a new product, process or service to be [...]

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Stress and the Small Business Operator #2

June 11, 2010
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In the post titled, Stress and the Small Business Operator #1, we listed some of the common causes of stress for small businesss owners.
These include:

Inability to find workers who do the job as well as you do;
Employees not always turning up – leaving you with more to do;
Insufficient earnings; 
Long hours;
Inability to get away for a break or holiday [...]

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Building a Cash Cushion

June 9, 2010
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Building a financial cushion for your business is never easy. Experts say that businesses should have anywhere from six to nine months worth of income safely stored away in the bank. If you’re a business grossing $250,000 per month, the mere thought of saving over $1.5 million dollars in a savings account will either have [...]

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Are you a business in the textile, clothing or footwear industries?

June 9, 2010
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The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Strategic Capability Program (TCF SCP) offers grants to businesses that will boost innovative capability and help provide growth in these industries.
The minimum grant size is $250 000 and funding must be matched on a dollar for dollar basis.  
Round 1 of the TCF SCP closes on 6 August 2010. To assist [...]

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NSW Payroll Tax Changes

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The NSW Treasurer has announced changes to Payroll Tax as part of the 2010 State Budget.

From 1 July 2010, the payroll tax rate will reduce from 5.65 per cent to 5.50 per cent.
From 1 January 2011, the payroll tax rate will reduce from 5.50 per cent to 5.45 per cent.
From 1 July 2010, an exemption [...]

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Apprentice Bonus for Small Business

June 7, 2010
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Small businesses who hire young apprentices and train them in traditional trades identified as experiencing a national skills shortage may be eligible to receive a Government bonus.
I oringinally report on the Apprentice Kickstart Bonus back in November last year. This has now been extended to cover the periods from 12 May 2010 to 12 November [...]

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