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Transcript of Let's talk business april 2015
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 1
Let’s Talk Business Back To Basics Business Solutions - Support for Small Business
Is This The End?
103 stores and 550 jobs are on the line
Inside this issue
Homeart Closures ….............2 Five Conversations Leaders
Must Have Dr Tim Baker …..….............3
Biz Snippets …………….......4 Biz Tips ………………….….5 Are You Stuck in the Rut?
Dennis Chiron………...........6 Almost No One Does This
Angie “Speedy” Spiterie ….7 What’s Holding You Back?
Geoff Butler ………………..8 How You Can Get Out Of
Doing All The Things You Don’t Like Doing In Your Business
Dan Buzer ……..…………..9 Google’s Changes & What
They Mean For Searches Karen Ahl ……..………….10
End of Financial Year Tax
Planning Jo-Anne Chaplin …………11
7 Mistakes Appliance
Retailers Make When Planning a Sale Amy Roche …………….....12
Ethical Investing Paul Gillmore……..............14 Better Get Into The Digital
Space Peter Nicol ………………..15
Performance Management
Denis Keating …………… 16 Where Are You Going To?
Betty Zsoldos …..………...17 Organisations’ Strategic
Compass Andrew Csaszar …..….…..18
Editor’s BizTips ……….….19 LTB Objectives …..........…..20
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 2
Homeart, so it must seem to all of us,
has been around for many, many years.
Previously known as Copperart,
Homeart was founded in Melbourne in
1979 and is one of Australia's largest
specialty retailers.
However, in January 2015, PPB
Advisory in Sydney, were appointed as
the voluntary administrators of
Homeart.
Since then, media articles regarding the
closures of individual Homeart stores
have been popping up all over Australia,
and on February 6th, Smartcompany
reported: “The administrators of
collapsed homewares retailer Homeart
are in the process of closing 13 stores,
including six in the retailer’s home state
of New South Wales, with nearly 50
staff set to lose their jobs as a result.
Daniel Austin Walley, Phillip Carter
and Mark Robinson of PPB Advisory
were appointed administrators of
Homeart after the iconic retailer was
placed into voluntary administration on
22nd January .”
At the time of the appointment, the
Homeart chain had 116 stores
nationwide, with around 600
employees, but no longer had any
franchises.
As a result, 13 stores are closing
nationwide, including six in NSW, four
in Victoria, two in South Australia and
one in Western Australia.
A total of 46 employees have been
made redundant, including 18 causal
employees, 22 who work part-time and
six who work full-time. PPB Advisory
says it is working closely with the
affected staff and their representatives
regarding entitlements, and will assist
them in identifying potential re-
employment opportunities.
However, on the 25th March,
SmartCompany’s Andrew Sadauskas
reported: “All 103 remaining Homeart
stores to close – 550 jobs lost”.
SmartCompany understands the only
Homeart stores still trading in Victoria
are the outlets at Broadmeadows and
Northland, with all other stores closing
and their staff made redundant as of
Wednesday.
Staff were told by store and state
managers that administrators PPB
Advisory had not found any buyers for
the chain and have decided to close all
its stores in Australia.
Along with a redundancy letter,
employees were given an information
sheet from the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission about
insolvency.
“We advise that your store has ceased
to trade and the company no longer
requires your services under your
contract of employment. Accordingly,
your employment is hereby terminated
as at the date of this letter,” the
redundancy letter said.
“Your payment summary will be
forwarded to you at the end of the
financial year.”
One of the chain’s Victorian
employees, who asked not to be named,
told SmartCompany yesterday was her
last day with the company.
“Just before the administration our pay
was late, which we realise now was
probably due to a lack of funds and we
were receiving emails telling us to pre-
bank as much as we could during the
day so that our pay would go through,”
the employee says.
Ironically, as far back as August 2012,
Homeart, throughout all of their stores,
have been advertising “Closing Down”
Sales, and one consumer in Goulburn
HOMEART 103 stores nationwide set to close and around 550 staff to lose their jobs.
NSW, wrote: “I just bought a
CookWell Dehydrator for $29.90
from HomeArt in their "Closing
Down Prices" sale. They're not
closing down, it's just the name of
their sale.”
A bit tricky? …. and it seems that
whilst many consumers truly believed
that Homeart was indeed “Closing
Down”, it was just a “gimmicky”
statement to attract consumers
thinking they would perhaps get a
better deal on many products. OR,
perhaps Homeart bosses saw the
‘writing on the wall’ way back in
2012.
Earlier this month, the Sunshine Coast
Daily reported: The Sunshine Coast's
last surviving store, at the
Maroochydore Homemaker Centre,
was holding a massive closing down
sale which was due to end today.
The employees said they would be
without work.
A staff member who asked to remain
anonymous said they had been
advised last week all the stores were
to close.
PPB Advisory could not be reached
for comment.
The employee said she had worked for
the company for more than 12 years.
While she was optimistic she would
be eligible for a redundancy package,
she was frustrated that under Fair
Work laws she was entitled to less
compensation than a colleague who
had only worked there for eight years.
"Under Fair Work, if you've worked
eight years you are eligible for 14
weeks' redundancy payment, but if
you've worked more than 10 years,
you are only eligible for 12 weeks,"
she said.
"There is no reward for loyalty."
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 3
Organisations
are conversations. At its heart, the life
of any organisation exists in and is
sustained through the conversations
that are taking place inside, around
and about it. But I hear people tell me
that their organisation is not ready to
have meaningful conversations. Or, to
have meaningful conversations, they
need training (Imagine telling your
parents that you are being trained to
have conversations at work; I think
they would be bemused!). Or, we
don't have time for meaningful
conversations, we are too busy. I think
we are fast losing sight of the power
or conversations and their importance.
Here is a framework I have put
together of five conversations that I
think every manager ought to have
with each of his or her team every
year. In fact I argue that the Five
Conversations Framework is a
replacement for the archaic
performance review.
Climate review conversation
A climate review is about determining
the current atmosphere in a particular
workplace. It is mainly concerned
with employees' job satisfaction,
morale and communication. Although
people's opinion about these matters
can - and often do - fluctuate over the
course of a year, it can be useful to
take a snapshot of the business
occasionally. By having a
conversation with direct reports about
the state of the current climate,
managers have a handle on the current
state of the business, and what needs
to be done to improve the
fundamentals of satisfaction, morale
and communication. Listening and
responding to this feedback is a good
place to start.
Strengths and talents conversation
Most appraisals are fixated with what
is going wrong; in other words, they
focus on weaknesses and by-pass
strengths and talents. Tom Rath in the
# 1 Wall Street Journal bestseller:
Strengths Finder 2.0 underscores the
value of a conversation on this
subject:
Society's relentless focus on people's
shortcomings has turned into a global
obsession. What's more, we have
discovered that people have several
times more potential for growth when
they invest energy in developing their
strengths instead of correcting their
deficiencies
Apart from being an edifying place to
start discussing performance after the
organisational climate, this
conversation capitalises on people's
innate talents. As the positive
psychology movement has preached
for two decades: Building upon
strengths has a higher payoff then
working on overcoming weaknesses.
Opportunities for growth
conversation
This conversation invites an
opportunity for employees to consider
how they can improve their own work
performance in key result areas. By
doing so, the potential for both to gain
a common perspective on areas for
improved performance is possible. A
dual understanding of current and
expected standards performance is an
important first step.
The second step is to discuss and
agree upon some tangible ways and
means of improving the employee's
performance to match expectations.
Thirdly and finally, this conversation
is important in aligning performance
expectations will the strategic
direction of the business. Some
opportunities identified can be put
into practice straight away. And
others can be adopted with more L &
D support later.
Learning and development
conversation
Conversations about learning and
development capitalise on the
previous two conversations. What
leaning experiences can assist in build
upon strengths and lift performance in
critical areas. Learning experiences
can be technical, personal
development, or problem-based. All
three dimensions are important for an
eclectic approach to HRD.
Innovation and continuous
improvement conversation
This conversation is about practical
ways and means of improving both
the employee's own efficiency and
effectiveness and the business in
general.
What can I - and what can we - do to
improve? is the focus here. Imagine
for a moment the power of this
conversation occurring across an
organisation during a particular
month. Some of the ideas that surface
will undoubtedly be too costly or
impractical. But some would also be
worth considering.
Each of these five conversations ought
to take about 15 minutes. Some go
longer. Being thematically-based, they
are focused and therefore need not
take a considerable amount of time.
Being more relaxed and
conversational compared with the
rigid appraisal regime, this new
approach minimises the power
dynamic of the manager-employee
relationship. The manager still asked
questions to guide the conversation.
But in this framework, the manager's
role is converser and facilitator, not
appraiser and assessor. This approach
shifts the emphasis from appraising to
developing people at work.
Dr Tim Baker
Managing Director
WINNERS AT WORK Pty Ltd
www.winnersatwork.com.au
www.about.me/tim.baker
Telephone. +61 7 3899 8881
Five Conversations
Leaders Must Have
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 4
much of a has-been, but more of
definitely won't be."
"This young lady has delusions
of adequacy."
"Works well when under
constant supervision and
cornered like a rat in a trap."
"When he opens his mouth, it
seems that this is only to change
whichever foot was previously in
there."
"He sets low personal standards
and then consistently fails to
achieve them."
"This employee should go far-
and the sooner he starts, the
better."
A Smart Salesman! A neatly dressed salesman stopped a
man in the street and asked -"Sir,
would you like to buy a bottle of this
mouthwash for $200.00?"
Aghast, the man said, "are you
NUTS?, that's robbery!"
The salesman seemed hurt and then
tries again -"Sir, since you are a bit
irate, I'll sell it to you for 1/2 price at
$100.00?"
Again, the man replies bluntly - "you
must be crazy pal, now go away!"
The salesman then reaches into his
briefcase and pulls out 2 brownies
and begins munching away on one of
them.
He tells the irate guy -"Sir, please
share one of my brownies since I
have annoyed you so much".
Unwrapping the brownie, the guy
takes a bite; suddenly, the guys spits
it out and says: "HEY," he snarled,
"this brownie tastes like crap!"
"It is," replied the salesman. "Wanna
buy some mouthwash?"
HUMOUROUS
BUSINESS CARDS
& SIGNS
Things You'd Love to Say at Work!
And your crybaby, whinging
opinion would be...?
Do I look like a people person?
This isn't an office. It's Hell with
fluorescent lighting!
Sarcasm is just one more service
we offer.
If I throw a stick, will you leave?
Errors have been made. Others
will be blamed.
I'm trying to imagine you with a
personality.
Stress is when you wake up
screaming and you realize you
haven't fallen asleep yet.
Nice perfume. Must you marinate
in it?
Chaos, Panic, and Disorder ... My
work here is done.
How do I set a laser printer to
stun?
Job History A lady comes in for her interview
with the human resources department
of a large company and hands the
executive her application. As the
executive begins to scan her resume,
he notices that she has been fired
from every job she's ever held.
"I must say," says the executive,
"your work history is terrible. You've
been fired from every job."
"Yes," says the lady.
"Well," continues the executive,
"there's not much positive in that."
"Well, " says the woman as she stares
at her interviewer. "At least I'm not a
quitter!"
Employee Evaluations Quotes taken from actual employee
evaluations:
"Since my last report, this
employee has reached rock
bottom and has started to dig."
"I would not allow this employee
to breed."
"This associate is really not so
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 5
Since it's your most popular
customers who are receiving your
message, your deal is both welcomed
and likely to produce dinner
customers that evening.
Notice this scenario depends on two
pre-requisites: one, that you've
already developed an email contact
list; and two, that it contains only
qualified people who know and truly
enjoy your establishment.
The first pre-requisite is easier to
achieve, since it only involves some
effort on your part. But how about
the second? How can you build a list
of qualified customers who look
forward to hearing from you?
The answer lies in your most
obvious, yet overlooked source…
your existing customer base. In fact,
many business owners don't know
how to leverage the incredible
potential tied up in their current
customers. Building a Just-In-Time
email list is one of the best.
All you need is a sufficient incentive
for people to give you their email
address.
As people pay at the cash register,
have your staff ask "Would you like
a free gift certificate for your next
purchase?" Chances are the answer
will be “Yes!”…in which case you
ask them to fill out a card listing their
name and email address.
Now you have your list. Be sure to
follow up periodically with a nicely
designed certificate for a discount.
You'll not only generate return visits
from your best customers on a
regular basis, but also the next time
your business is in need of a Just-In-
Time sales boost, you'll have the
tools to make it happen.
Emails are Valid and
Legally Enforceable
Legal ramifications associated with
emailed correspondence are often
overlooked, but the growing instances
in which emails are relevant to legal
disputes suggest we should be paying
more attention; reports Dynamic
Business
An agreement made via email could be
valid and legally enforceable – if a
contract’s key elements are included., a
lot depends on whether or not a legal
disclaimer at the bottom of the email
provides any sort of protection.
Colin Porter of Dynamic Business
said: “We see those disclaimers all the
time nowadays on all sorts of emailed
correspondence wearing terms and
conditions like a golden shield. But
does it cover you?”
Brendan Tomlinson, Special Counsel,
Technology and Intellectual Property
at Ash Street Partners, said that
protection afforded by a legal
disclaimer usually depends on the
terms of the disclaimer and the
circumstances in which it is used.
There are 6 legal concerns often dealt
with in a disclaimer: confidentiality,
employer liability, contractual rights,
viruses, legal/regulatory compliance
and marketing.
Corporate Psychopaths
In Volume 2 Issue 20 - July 2014 Page
6, Geoff Butler wrote about Corporate
Psychopaths in the Workplace. Recent
research conducted in Australia
indicates that over a quarter of all
workplace bullying is carried out by
just one percent of the workforce - the
Corporate Psychopath.
This same research has highlighted the
tell-tale signs for an astute employer to
to stay alert for if they think that one
of their employers might be a
Corporate Psychopath.
Wikipedia defines it as follows:
Psychopathy in the workplace is a
serious issue as, although
psychopaths typically represent only
a small percentage of the staff, they
are most common at higher levels of
corporate organizations and their
actions often cause a ripple effect
throughout an organization, setting
the tone for an entire corporate
culture. Examples of detrimental
effects are increased bullying,
conflict, stress, staff turnover and
absenteeism, reduction in
productivity and social responsibility.
Ethical standards of entire
organisations can be badly damaged
if a corporate psychopath is ’let
loose’.
Just-In-Time Marketing
Many of you are probably familiar
with the manufacturing technique,
Just-In-Time or J.I.T. This technique
helps factories become increasingly
efficient by processing and delivering
parts to their assembly point at the
exact moment they're needed.
So what does this have to do with
marketing? Often, the best time to
implement marketing efforts can be at
the last minute - just in time, when
customers are highly motivated to
respond.
Say, for example, you own a
restaurant and your Sunday whiting
entrée was a less-than-huge success.
Now it's Monday and you have a lot
of whiting you need customers to eat
NOW. ……. What do you do?
If you're properly prepared with a list
of your most loyal customers' email
addresses, you send out a midday
email promoting a too-good-to-pass-
up Whiting Special that evening
ONLY.
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 6
Are You Stuck In The Rut Of Thinking Small?
Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business
0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com
[email protected] Skype: dennis.chiron2
“Business is like a person rowing a boat upstream. They have no choice; they must go ahead or they will go back.” Louis Peirson
Do you find that sometimes you are “stuck” thinking small?
Like most small business owners, we all wear many hats, and in the hustle and bustle running our business; ensuring orders get filled, customers get served, staff are performing well and morale is good, answering the phone, and bills get paid, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking small.
Many of us never reach the level of accomplishment that we have set our goals on, mainly because of thinking “small”.
Thinking big is a habit that we can develop and adopt, if only we can get the time to focus. It is a habit that allows us to stretch our imaginations and expand our personal potential.
However, thinking big will never become a reality for some of us if we continue to stay caught up in the following limiting habits that ironically force us to think small:
Procrastination holds you back and pulls you away from moving forward in your life.
Short-term thinking denies you the ability to see solutions that lie a few steps ahead
Solving insignificant problems distracts you from what’s most important and from the BIGGER picture.
Over-analyzing things wastes time and energy on small matters that are of little significance.
Sometimes it seems that the small business owner is forever running their business in reactive mode,
constantly responding to one phone call or crisis or emergency after another. ….. Is this YOU????
It’s a fact that when we’re doing the same thing, day in and day out, it’s hard to break out of routine thought and encourage our minds to think beyond the here and now.
Alec Lynch, Founder and CEO of DesignCrowd.com.au offers 5 tips that he suggests will get you out of the rut and start thinking and growing your business:
1. Think big. Whether you’re planning a new business or running an existing business: think big, think global.
2. Never stop testing. If you never stop testing new things and your website, your business will never stop improving.
3. Faster is better than slow.
4. If you have an idea, start today. It’s never been easier to start a business. All you need is a laptop and a credit card.
5. Never, never, never give up on your dream.
David Lonsdale, President, Allegiance Capital https://twitter.com/@MiddleMktMandA says: “Failing to take the time to challenge small-business attitudes is a sure-fire way to miss out on
the growth your company could easily be ready for.”
David suggests there are three major attitude shifts needed :
1. Invest in Quality Support Staff: We should make the choice to invest in quality employees. A small company generally can’t afford full-time professionals in key support positions. Midsize companies know they can’t afford not to.
2. Turn Customers Away: When you start running a company, it feels like you have to take every order a customer is willing to give you, no matter how small - and sometimes, you do. But when you start getting $10,000 orders, you should be turning away the $1,000 ones.
3. Expand the Management Team: If you want to successfully transition to being a mid-size business, it is essential that you stop to assess whether your ownership and management have the right attitude towards your company’s growth. If it’s time to take it to the next level, you’d better start making business decisions like midsize companies do.
Whilst I may not necessarily totally
agree with the above, the best advice I
can offer is that we should all be
willing to at least consider change. If
not, then growth, advancement and
expansion are impossible.
In order to open your mind and
prepare yourself to reach a new level,
you will have to accept the changes
that will happen as a result.
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 7
people 4 weeks off a year) = Ready for it?
…. You are going to feel sick…
$15 360 per annum
What could you do with $15 360!!!
Employ another person Part Time?
Go on a holiday???
Pay off your mortgage???
Now $15 360 is the basic cost… I haven’t
factored in…
The 9600 minutes in time… Which
translates to 20 days!!
The opportunities and tasks you are
not getting too when you continue to
allow your time to be cannibalized!
All the extra hours that are done after
hours and on weekends to try to get
core business done
All the indirect costs incurred to run a
business longer hours
All the direct and indirect costs
incurred when projects are not
undertaken in the time they are
expected to take
Now I hate to make the obvious obvious
BUT the above figure can only increase IF
you have more people and your average
income is higher… and you allow more
than 1 interruption per hour.
Whoa!! UGLY!
And even worse… I have only talked
about 1 common time stealing habit in this
newsletter!!!!
"BUT!", you say "these interruptions need
to be dealt with"… and my answer to you
is YES and NO.
There’s a certain law… let’s call it
TimeEqualsMoney
Angie 'Speedy' Spiteri Business Efficiency Specialist
www.timeequalsmoney.net.au
Ph: 0403 970 732
http://www.facebook.com/time.equals.money
“Speedy’s law for managing low
priority interruptions and
empowering your staff” that says if
you don’t answer all the interruptions
the instant a person wants to interrupt
you, some of these interruptions will
get resolve themselves.
There’s another law… Let’s call this
one “Speedy’s law of getting things
done faster and with more
accuracy” … And it goes like this…
when you do the same type of work
in one batch you give it your full
attention, you make better decisions
and you work faster and with more
accuracy.
So, if you are brave enough, do a
calculation for your business and ask
yourself is this price worth
continuing to pay??
Or better yet… if I was saving this
time and money… working more
efficiently, what could I do?
Try our free tool the Instant Profit
Calculator . The Instant Profit
Calculator will help you achieve all
your goals, meet your deadlines,
perform better by pinpointing exactly
what you should be doing and what
you should stop doing. This tool will
point you in the direction of more
time and money to enjoy life more.
**Angie Spiteri, works with time poor, tech
challenged entrepreneurs who need to calm
their administrative challenges and
eliminate unnecessary chaos so they can
make more money with the limited time they
have.
To connect with Angie visit
www.timeequalsmoney.net.au
Do you ever take a moment to work
out how much Low Priority
interruptions are costing you??
Often, when delivering solutions
around managing interruptions that
could wait rather than be answered
immediately, participants offer the
following comments…
I don’t mind being interrupted
I’d rather be interrupted
Interruptions are no problem to me
If I don’t answer calls or emails
straight away I’ll lose the
opportunity/clients
What they are not saying is that they
want to be free to interrupt others as
and when I like too.
I’m here to tell you allowing ALL
interruptions to interrupt you all day
long costs you in time and money. I
figure, you know this. But let me show
you how much how it is costing you…
Let’s say you work in an office of 5
people who earn on average $40 000 a
year and who work 40 hours a week.
40 hours a week = $19.23 per hour
= .32c per minute
There’s a statistic that says the
average person is interrupted 7 times
an hour and that each interruption
lasts between 2 to 5 minutes.
Let’s say these people are interrupted
once an hour and that this interruption
lasts 5 minutes.
.32c per minute x 5 minutes x 8
(because we generally paid for an 8
hour day) = $12.80
x 5 people = $64.00
x 5 days a week = $320 a week
x 48 weeks a year (because most
companies in Australia give their
Almost no one does this…
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 8
‘It’s not what’s in front of you that’s stopping you. It’s what inside of you
that’s holding you back’ - Mork from Ork I just happened to walk into the lounge
room the other day and heard this pearl
of wisdom in a repeat episode of the
inimitable ‘Mork & Mindy’ as Mork
was delivering his weekly report to
Orson. It struck me how profound the
statement was, and how if we all
learned from it what a difference it
would make to our lives, both business
and personal.
You see it’s a researched fact that the
biggest cost to business has nothing to
do with the economy, our team or any
external factor. It all comes down to
three little letters: ‘F.T.I’ or ‘Failure to
implement’.
We all spend a great deal of time and
money planning how we want our
businesses and lives to be, but then end
up just sliding back to do pretty much
what we have always done. It’s not
that we don’t want to make the
changes, but when things start getting
difficult we just tend to slide back to
our comfort zone.
One of my favourite management
gurus, who actually left school at 14
and became a pastry cook is Tom
O’Toole, the infamous Beechworth
Baker. I really like Tom because he is
not an academic but a person with more
common sense than most, and one of
my favourite quotes of his is ‘You will
never find what you’re looking for in
your comfort zone.’ If you haven’t
seen Tom (sometimes called John
Cleese on Speed) do yourself a favour
and Google him or get hold of one of
his books.
When it comes to business, my
experience is that the management of
change, and the art of communication
are actually the major factors that
affect the long term success of any
venture.
In essence, having developed a strong
set of future objectives and strategies
to support them, communicating the
change and building belief (including
your own) is the first step successful
change management. Then there are
three critical stages to implementing
change. Of course each of these can
be broken down into a number of
smaller steps, but essentially they are:
The first is to unfreeze the present.
This involves consciously and
conscientiously letting go of the
existing situation and readying the
business for change. This is a very
tense time for all if not well managed,
and there will be a need strong
leadership and support of all involved
to ensure they have the necessary
human, physical and financial
resources to make the change;
The second is to make the change.
Now having built the rapport and
confidence it is time to make the
planned change using detailed
planned and measureable objectives,
along with delegations and
accountabilities for all involved; then
Lastly, and most importantly, it’s
time to refreeze at the new reality.
My experience is this is where most
businesses fail in the process no
matter whether if it’s a major change
management process or something
relatively minor.
You see if you don’t spend sufficient
time refreezing at the new situation
the first time things start to get tough
or unexpected issues arise, the easy
option is to slide back to where you
started from and all the effort and
evolution will be wasted. You’ll just
end up doing what you have always
done.
This is a very simplified description
of change management and in the
end it will all depend on your internal
self- belief. Change is hard, and
doing nothing is nearly always an
easy, if somewhat uninspiring option.
But remember fair weather never
made a great sailor, and we need to
constantly challenge ourselves and
our team to overcome our self-
limiting beliefs.
No successful person ever had it
easy, but they had a gut full of
determination and an unfailing belief
in their ability to achieve, and were
able to convince the right people
to join them on the journey.
Geoff Butler FAIM AP, MAITD MACE
Principal/Business Improvement &
Implementation Specialist
Business Optimizers
Mobile: 0414 943072
Fax: 3036 6131
Email: [email protected]
Skype: business.optimizers1
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 9
At last! Here’s how you can get out of doing all the things
you don’t like doing in your business!
I don’t know about you, but there are
some things I just don’t like doing. In
fact, there are some things I am down
-right ‘dangerous’ at doing.
For example … You do not want me
fixing the brakes on your car, or
wiping everything on your computer
and re-setting it for you or putting
together a website. These are not my
areas of expertise!
However, I have businesses with
vehicles that need mechanical
equipment serviced, computers that
need regular updating and a
considerable online presence.
A possible solution for you …
Business Partners!
Now before you start rolling your
eyes and looking for something else
to read because of the horror stories
you may have heard or even
experienced, here me out!
I too have had some negative
experiences with business partners.
However, I also have some amazing
experiences. It’s just taking some
common sense steps. believe when
Now befe
1. Only partner with someone
who has experience ‘owning a
business’
I have sold the best franchise
outlet in the country, out of 40+
outlets, to the manager who was
experienced at running the very
business she bought from me.
She went partners with her older
sister and they promptly sent the
business broke. A great race
horse can be killed by a bad
jockey!
2. Only partner with someone
who really knows your
industry.
Both of my current business
partners, in separate businesses,
have vast experience in the
industries we are involved in. One
of my business partners has a
database of 3,000+ loyal Clients
that he has been building and
nurturing for over 14 years.
That’s a good track record that
shows he has experience in the
industry. If not for him I would
have fallen into many pit-falls that
I have since avoided, thanks to his
experience.
3. Split down the middle
Keep it simple. Share the risk and
rewards evenly. Remember to
split ‘all’ risks, including
financial, time with family, doing
the jobs you don’t like doing and
more.
4. Look at the support structure
behind your potential business
partner
Meet their personal partners,
family members, pets, etc.
Experience how they live.
Are they clean tidy and organised?
When times get tough (and they
usually do) what do their current
surroundings tell you about the
resources they have to support
them?
5. Personal Cash Flow
management
Is your potential business partner
able to weather any challenging
financial dips? Having access to
financial funding so they can
uphold any end of the bargain
you require them to is important
to consider.
6. Legals and insurances
Get professional advice! Meet
with legal people with your
partner and individually.
Get things documented. Plan for
the worst, hope for the best! Have
a worst case scenario strategy to
fall back on and review it as your
venture grows. Have a regular
communication session and
discuss ‘everything’ that comes
to mind.
Summary
Having business partners can be one
of the most harrowing or rewarding
experiences of your business life.
However, it can take a little practice
and maybe even a little luck.
Business is personal! Take your time
and truly get to know the person
you’re considering to get into
business with. Make it fun and keep it
professional.
Ultimately … be prepared! Get help.
Go to www.profitmechanics.com.au
or call Dan Buzer 0n 0414 567 188
for your complimentary Profit
Mechanics Diagnostic Phone
Meeting.
Remember … Business is More Fun,
When There’s Profit!
Dan Buzer
Profit Mechanics
0414 567 188
www.profitmechanics.net/ [email protected]
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 10
THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE
– this a legitimate update.
It is important to maintain your
Google ranking so please be aware
FROM GOOGLE’S MOUTH:
“Starting April 21, we will be
expanding our use of mobile-
friendliness as a ranking signal.
This change will affect mobile
searches in all languages
worldwide and will have a
significant impact in our search
results. Consequently, users will
find it easier to get relevant, high
quality search results that are
optimized for their devices.”
Google is always changing!
It is their job to evolve to ensure the
integrity of their search results so
that they remain the No. 1 search
engine.
It is simply up to us, as businesses
owners, to keep up.
If your website is older than 3 years,
it is very likely it will not be
compliant. It is important that you
get this checked.
As Google has actually changed
“what they look for” in a mobile
site, many older sites are most likely
NOT be compliant and therefore,
may be penalised in Google
searches.
Previous techniques and software used
by many web designers and developers
would have been more than enough to
keep Google happy, however, these
recent changes has forced most web
companies, including mine, to
introduce new procedures and to learn
new technology.
How do you check if your site is
okay?
You can simply ask your website
provider OR you can check it yourself
by going to:
www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
mobile-friendly
Type in your website address to see
what Google comes back with.
Who pays for it?
Unfortunately, you do. This is no
different from your POS system
software being updated, a new piece of
machinery coming out or the latest
upgrade on your bookkeeping
software.
If your existing web developer
wants to charge you a lot of money,
make sure they justify why and
check what other work they have
done before.
If you are still not confident, shop
around!
What now?
If your website is 4 years or older
site it is most likely created in
HTML (just check for the .html at
the end of your website address
when you visit a page within your
website.
If this is the case...it is very likely
that you will need to upgrade your
website.
For many of our long-term clients,
we are offering a discounted rate to
rebuild their websites using the
newer software and technology.
By doing this, there are a bunch of
other fantastic benefits that
businesses will be able to enjoy.
If you have a content management
system (CMS) like Wordpress or
Joomla then the update/s required
may not be as extreme and
hopefully quite affordable.
For further information, please feel
free to email Karen ~ The Webgirl.
Karen Ahl
Bac. Bus (Mark, Man), TAE40110, Cert IV IT
Caboolture, Queensland
Ph 0415 142 178
www.web-sta.com.au
Google’s changes and what they mean for Searches
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 11
Jo-Anne Chaplin
Tax & Superannuation Professionals Pty Ltd
PH 07 3410 8116 / Mobile 0457 960 566
Email : [email protected]
Web: www.taxandsuperprofessionals.com.au
I am a qualified Accountant and I have celebrated my 20th anniversary as a
Registered Tax Agent this year. During my time in Public Practice I have
assisted clients to achieve business growth and prosperity. My earlier career
included positions in banking, manufacturing, construction and retail. My
particular interest is in promoting a culture of using local industries and
business in order to build a strong community.
This is the perfect time of year to
begin thinking about tax planning for
the 2015 financial year. If left too
late in the year, there may not be
enough time to put strategies into
place before June 30.
Where do I start?
Once the BAS for March is done,
you will have a set of trading figures
for the financial year to date. Review
what income your business has
coming up in the next few months.
You can glean these figures from
contracts in progress, or last year’s
trading figures. Now estimate the
costs against that income, i.e. wages,
materials, rent etc.
What’s next?
Make an appointment with your
Accountant to discuss where the
business is now, and make some
projections or estimates for the
balance of the year. From here
appropriate tax planning can
proceed, having regard to your cash
flow position, what expenditure
needs your business has in the next
few months, what business and
personal goals you haven and what
new tax rules are currently in place.
What is ‘tax planning?
Tax planning is applying strategies
which can legally reduce the amount
of tax you pay. It is a process that
examines what profits your business
you have all the required
substantiation for your work
related expenses
Make purchases for work related
expenses prior to June 30
If you are an investor in the stock
market, and have made significant
capital gains this year, review your
portfolio for underperforming stocks
that can be sold at a loss. The capital
loss will reduce any capital gains
made in the income year, and
therefore reduce your liability to
capital gains tax.
If you invest in rental property
market, review your properties and
make any purchases for repairs and
maintenance prior to June 30. Take
care that the expenditure is for
repairs, and not improvements to the
property. Depreciation claims can be
maximised by arranging for a
building valuation report.
Finally
When looking at strategies for
saving tax, it’s really important to
remember not to spend just to
receive a tax deduction. You will
need to consider whether the
expenditure will benefit your
investment or business from a
wealth creation view, as well
provide you with a tax effective
return.
is expected to make, and what expenses
are available to reduce the taxable profit.
If you are a Small Business Entity, items
such as the prepayment of regular
expenses such as rent or advertising will
be deductible. Other items that you
should consider are:
paying staff superannuation prior to
June 30
purchase required materials,
stationery or replacements that you
will need in the few months
following the end of June
invest in new equipment
prepay lease arrangements
write off any stock which is
unsaleable, and write down the
value of stock which is not in top
condition
contribution to personal
superannuation up to the
contribution cap limit
I’m not in business – does tax
planning apply to me?
Yes, tax planning applies to everyone. If
you are an investor or an employee, you
could review your investment income
for the current year, to see where savings
can be made. Items to consider are:
Extend maturing term deposits to
mature after 30 June
If eligible, contribute to
superannuation
If you are an employee, make sure
End of Financial Year
Tax Planning
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 12
7 Mistakes Appliance Retailers Make When Planning a Sale
Amy Roche, Director
Retail Rockstars
m: 0410 815 852
w: www.retailrockstars.com.au
Amy is a self-confessed appliance nerd, customer experience advocate and author of the book, "Retail Rockstar, the 5 game changing steps to becoming a highly profitable, memorable & locally famous retailer" to be released June 2015. She has over 18 years experience in the appliance and retail industry and a real passion for technology, marketing and experiential retailing.
1. Reinforcing the “I’m only as
good as my price” ideal through
advertising: While this is the
'norm', think of a better idea,
come up with an in-store
experience or theme that gives
them a reason to come back to
your store.
Constantly baiting customers with
price-only offers reinforces their
ideals that all you want is a sale.
Be a friend, be an advisor, be an
educator, be an entertainer and
wrap some great deals and
products around that idea.
Tell them a story, give genuine
helpful advice on how to make the
best party food and they will learn
that you are more than just a price
machine. Your profit will slowly
increase and you’ll have more
money to create better
experiences.
2. Not making a BIG deal about
your Showroom: Contrary to
what our digital marketing experts
say, people don’t have deep and
meaningful “experiences” online.
Sure, they have an overall
positive, negative or neutral
feeling about how their shopping,
recommendations and checkout
went, but they are on a computer
or phone and it’s transactional
based.
However, humans have a deeper
and more emotional connection
with and more emotional connection
with other humans; we were just
made that way. Online-only
competitors are banking on the idea
that your in-store experience isn’t
remarkable.
If we continue fulfilling their wager,
there is no reason stopping more
customers from migrating to price-
only, online transactions. Your
online-only competitors don’t have
the amazing opportunity you do!
They don’t have the luxury or the
opportunity to create experiences
from human to human.
They can’t settle a customer’s
nerves about a large purchase with a
roof over their heads, a conversation
or the heavy feel of a better quality
product.
Having the financial capacity to
have a showroom is a game changer,
so don’t think about your wonderful
showroom as a huge expense – think
of it as an opportunity to connect, to
educate and create value in your
customers’ lives.
3. Reacting to a competitor’s crazy
pricing by planning a Sales Event:
Let’s face it, the amount of people
who saw your competitor’s advert
last weekend in the paper is
probably a lot smaller than you
think. As retailers, we trawl the
papers noting all the prices so we
can be prepared when a customer
says, “I saw that at ‘Cheap
Appliances R Us’ for $100 less!”
While our Rainman-like
recollection of pricing and models
within a 50k radius is rather
impressive, it’s not a normal
pastime for consumers who are
looking to buy their next fridge.
Studies show people start online
first, but please don’t throw the
baby out with the bath water.
Maintaining a sustainable profit is
important – develop a sale on your
terms, to suit your customers, your
market and your profit margin.
4. Falling in love with Suppliers &
Products and not your
customer: Your number one love
affair should be with your ‘ideal
customer’. While there are
amazing appliances out there that
have wonderful features, always
ask yourself, how does this change
my customer’s life?
How can I leverage the genius of
this product and create a real story
about how it helps my ideal
customer?
*Continued on following page
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 13
We all know from the mass
consumer surveys that price
normally falls into the top 3, but
almost never appears as the
number one reason for
purchases. Service, caring, and
being helpful always trumps
price on the list.
Make your sale day about your
ideal customer. Are they food
enthusiasts? Technology
adopters? Think of some of your
best ideal customers and make
your sale day all about them,
then wrap your best products
around this idea.
5. Merchandising and a ‘Chance
to Win’ does not constitute a
Sales Event: Don’t get me
wrong, I LOVE a good
promotion & theme!
However, from a customer’s
perspective (and this is where we
should spend our time) the
thousands of dollars spent on
elaborate prizes &
merchandising has nothing to do
with their need for a new ‘XP11
dominator oven’.
In fact, most of the customers
you want can’t be bothered with
filling out forms or registering
online. WHAT do they want?
They’ve hopped into their car
and drove to your wonderful
store specifically to see the new
XP11 dominator oven, and they
are wondering if the magical
sales day purposes. There is tons
of global data supporting a
migration of consumers from
nationalised big retail brands to
more localised buying.
Countries like the UK and USA are
already combatting this by putting
stores within a store, popup shops
and other strategies because people
are increasingly moving away from
BIG and moving towards
personalised, bespoke and smaller
runs.
In appliance retailing we don’t
have the option of having our
product localised, however we do
have the opportunity to personalise
our stores, our staff and our offers.
In America in 2011, Macy’s
started, ‘My Macy’s’ which offers
10-15% unique stock for its own
local area along with other local
area marketing initiatives.
Starting out as an experiment in
only several stores, they quickly
realised that ‘My Macy’s’ stores
outperformed their older
counterparts in some instances by a
whopping 48%. To survive, big
retailers are adapting to look
smaller and be more personalised.
Having localised events and
experiences unique to your store
during a national sales event, is just
one of the many ways to achieve
this.
Happy Retailing!
**Rockstar Acadamy: Are you a food
blogger, tech consultant or in the cooking
industry? Do you have an amazing SHOW
to share with the world, Rockstar
Academy can have you up and performing
in just 7 weeks
Please click HERE for details
machine they’ve read about online
and saw at their friend’s house is the
right oven for them.
They HEAR you are having a sale,
so they are hoping to get some
money off, but they have really
come to see or buy their new oven…
hopeful that it will cook meals by
itself and clean the dishes too.
You are already discounting your
products for ‘the SALE’, so further
outlay for giveaway products or
vacations to giveaway is just a
waste. Who, besides the loser who
fills out every chance to WIN
something, is going to shop at one
store over another for the CHANCE
to win something?
6. Sale, What Sale? Advertisement,
What Advertisement?: This one is
pretty well known, but surprisingly
still happens all the time. If you are
going to get involved in any type of
advertising whether it be online or
through traditional advertising,
please for the love of everything that
is good and decent, tell your staff.
Or, at the very least advise them to
say something like, “Yes, I did hear
about that, but can I just get some
more details and be right back?”
7. No one buys from a nationalised
store, they buy from their
favourite local store. This is
something near and dear, with a
whole chapter dedicated to it in my
book titled, “Retail Rockstar”, and
I’ll have a go at simplifying here for
*Continued from previous page
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 14
Ethical or Socially Responsible
Investing (SRI) has experienced
demand driven growth by investors
who refuse to allow their funds to be
invested in businesses with practices
they do not wish to support.
Typically they are industries and
companies such as gambling,
alcohol, tobacco, munitions,
exploitation of labour including child
labour, environmentally
irresponsible activities, religious
beliefs, corporate behaviour and any
principle about which an investor
may feel strongly.
It’s not always about where investors
choose not to invest, they often
simply prefer to direct their funds
into areas such as renewable energy,
medical research or simply
sustainable living.
These approaches are commonly
referred to as Negative, Positive and/
or Restrictive screening for
investments.
The term ‘Impact Investing’ is used
for investing directly into markets,
individual companies or
communities (often through direct
financing of projects, seed capital
etc) to deliver impetus to the desired
outcome. Investors and fund
managers often utilise a combination
of these methods.
Many people have not heard of SRI
but it is a real growth area of
investing experiencing some 51%
growth in funds under management
(FUM) in 2013 calendar year.
Clearly, this type of investing is
becoming a force to be reckoned
with.
** Reference: Global Sustainable Investment
Review 2014 - http://www.ussif.org/Files/
Publications/GSIA_Review.pdf
And yes, it is different from
donations which are essentially
funding for Non Government
Organisations (NGO’s) to provide
assistance in areas of need, SRI is
an enterprise designed to assist
with raising of capital for specific
investments which compete and
exist sustainably. But do they
under-perform comparable assets
for the investor?
Shareholder Advocacy
-is an interesting development
where investors communicate their
ideas, wishes and concerns to the
boards of directors thereby
exercising their right as part
owners of the assets to the
utilisation of capital – potentially
by utilising pressure such as direct
communication, educating the
public and other shareholders,
filing resolutions for voting at
AGM’s.
However SRI advocates generally
allow the directors and managers
sufficient freedom to deliver a
Paul GILLMORE DFS
Founder and Director
Southern Cross Financial Services
07 5429 5561
0402 685 032
positive result – after all, they ARE
investors.
ESG Criteria
-are simply Environmental, Social(ly
responsible) and (corporate)
Governance minimum standards that
investors can use to benchmark.
Is it Difficult ?
-to invest with SRI principles ? It
takes a little more research but no, it is
not difficult to invest ethically. You
may also seek out an advisor whose
principles and beliefs align with
yours.
Do SRI Investments make money?
Yes, indeed they do. However SRI
funds seem to underperform funds
without the same limiting criteria but
not in all cases:
This can create a dilemma if you are
saving for your retirement, for
example, because the compound or
cumulative effect of investing for a
lower outcome or return can mean
less money to retire upon.
Solution
You may choose to invest part of your
portfolio in SRI thereby achieving the
best of both worlds. Naturally you
would seek advice for your individual
situation but you may be in a position
to invest ethically.
Ethical Investing
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 15
Peter Nicol Wisdom Marketing & Management Services
0417627097 www.wisdommarketing.com.au
Better Get Into The Digital Space
About two weeks ago I was asked to
do a talk on marketing and sales to a
group of business owners in a
relatively small regional centre in
South East Queensland.
It was a favour I owed the community
for their support of another program I
am involved with.
It was promoted as a Marketing
Workshop with a bias toward digital
platforms.
At my age (70) I consider myself
competent to deliver a course like this
but, I know there are far greater minds
than mine who can talk about this
“space”.
I have a young friend of many years
who has grown a phenomenal business
doing programming, building websites
and doing digital marketing across a
number of Social Media.
He has a thriving business and employs
about 6 people. We have worked on a
number of projects over the years.
I took him with me.
The format of the evening a four-hour
workshop (attended by 32 business
owners) was in two parts.
1. I started with how to write
persuasive copy and, how to turn
features into benefits. Not many
people know the difference and,
indeed this reflects in the poorly
written copy you see on most
websites.
No point in putting up a lot of
money for a website if you do not
know how to write copy. Pictures
are not noted when it comes to
Search Engine Optimisation
(SEO). People have to write in
such a way that the relevant words
are embodied in their copy.
It takes time and many people
think that employment of a web
builder is the end of the story.
How wrong.
It is you the customer that has to
write the words. So my bit was
sobering and I have since had
positive feedback.
2. Next my young friend took the
floor and went about doing his
thing. It was well presented and
gave useful and powerful ideas as
to how to use the Internet and
Social Media platforms profitably.
You could see the interest levels
rising.
What came next was a complete
surprise to me.
It was the high calibre of questions
asked by a large number of people.
They all had web and social media in
their business.
The dollars that some were making
was outstanding. Now please realise
these folk were self-taught in the main.
The Town where they had their
businesses was by no means large.
Probable population of under 10K. Yet
one was using E-Bay and had a
Postage bill each month of over 4K to
all parts of the world.
That is a lot of product and for
everyday items that I would have
thought were a thing you
purchased in your own town.
Her copy and technology skills
were honed over several years and
now she was reaping great
success.
She and my young friend met the
next day and he was able to help
her with a few ideas that will
translate into business for them
both.
What can we learn from this?
I learned that it can and is being
done no matter the size of the
business. Give it the time and learn
the skills and give your business a
boost.
This age of digital commerce is
here to stay. Get with it or get run
over.
Have a great safe Easter.
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 16
Denis Keating
Everest Resources
Brisbane, QLD
HR and WHS Protection for Your Business
Mobile: 0419 029 606
Fax: 07 3112 4072
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.everestresources.com.au
Skype: denis.keating1
Performance management is the fourth
part of the National Standard HRF
101:201 Human Resources
Framework, and is arguably the most
talked about, and frequently
controversial, component.
Having established our policy and
procedure systems and ensured our
compliance with HR, IR and WHS
legislative requirements, we are now
ready to build on the strengths of our
people, by examining their
performance.
Dr Tim Baker is our ”in-house”
specialist in this area and his article
last month, “The Five Conversations
Framework in a Nutshell”, is
particularly relevant. His five
conversations, if used well, should
provide a base for forward-looking and
positive performance improvement,
rather than the traditional backward-
looking and (very often) negative
performance review.
Typically, too many conversations in the
workplace between managers and
subordinates are around negative events
– what has gone wrong, what has been
done incorrectly or not as well than it
could have been done. Catch your people
doing something good, and give them
PRAISE! This should be the prime focus
of good people management.
When things do go off-track
However, there will be times when
things go wrong. This is where decisive
management action may be needed, and
when it’s a relatively serious issue, you
as manager need to be careful with how
you approach the issue, and the records
you keep.
This is where my “Three levels of
conversations” become important.
1. For minor matters, which
nonetheless need to be mentioned, a
low level “Day-to-day
conversation” is appropriate.
Discipline breaches such as minor
concerns over lateness, absenteeism,
productivity, quality, etc. can be
dealt with using an informal
conversation, usually able to be held
at or near the employee’s physical
work-station (e.g. on the factory
floor, in the shop, or at the desk). If
handled well, this will often be the
end of the matter.
2. For the next level of less-than-
acceptable behaviour, use the
“Checkpoint Conversation”,
whereby you take the employee
aside (typically into your office)
and address the matter at an
appropriate level. Keep a record of
the conversation, and advise the
employee that you are doing so.
Again in many cases, this should be
the end of the matter, though you
might also agree that there is a
necessary review process in order to
monitor progress towards the
desired behaviour.
3. When there is a serious breach of
workplace behavioural
expectations, you need to have a so-
called “Difficult Conversation”
with the employee in concerned,
always in a suitable venue where
confidentiality can be guaranteed.
As a manager, it is your right and
responsibility to do this. Seek
professional advice beforehand if
necessary. Stick to the facts, give
the employee an opportunity to state
his/her case, and take your time to
reach a decision. Formal
disciplinary action may result.
Remember to document everything!
If you have in place robust policies,
procedures and processes, and have
clearly explained these to your
employees, then none of the above
conversations should be a surprise to
them. They will know what behaviours
are expected and how you will handle
matters when there is a need to do so.
Performance Management
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 17
Betty Zsoldos CRISES COACH
Trainer, Master Coach, NLP Master
email: [email protected]
web: www.diymindsurgery.com
Having arrived at the end of the era of
“over”-s (that is, overproduction,
overconsumption, overpopulation,
overgrowth – just to name a few) it is
inevitable that we have got to the
limits of growth.
Being at the brink of collapse makes us
experience vast crisis in every major
field from micro to macro level. And
even if we know that crisis indicates
that the old way of operation cannot be
maintained any longer, yet we smartly
apply a quite diverse tool-set of the
defence mechanism to numb ourselves
not to feel the collective guilt and
despair.
“What's wrong? Just keep smiling and
be positive.” - one might advise, but it
won't help any more. Why?
To better understand the context we must
clearly hear the cultural myth, the
continuous mantra of our scientific-
industrial world, which is about the story
of self, the separated being in a cold and
indifferent universe where it is
imperative to fight to survive.
In this myth everything that is not “me”
is detached and disconnected that
threatens my own being. Thus, I must
strive to take control of everything: from
dubious human relationships to the
arbitrary and whimsical forces of nature.
It is enough to take a glance at the
business to see the dog-eat-dog world,
the rat-race, the so-called “non-
cooperative” game of only one winner,
the continuous and endless fight to rule
the market.
The players' position in the pyramid, the
hierarchy of leadership shows how the
power is taken by those who have
succeeded to get to the top.
Meeting someone new, asking: “Hello,
what's your name and what's your job?”
suggests that we want to nose out
quickly and implicitly the person's place
in the pyramid.
What's wrong with that?
The answer is irrelevant and that really
makes no difference any longer. We are
from the same atoms, and we are in the
same crumbling world.
During the coaching processes of
working with clients from all walks of
life I find it fascinating that they display
remarkably identical symptoms.
They experience their pain, anxiety and
fears as well as uplift, as if these were
solely their own individual issues;
however, we equally share them all!
Even the forms of their expressions are
akin, too: they feel their doubts,
questions, complaints, etc. so personal
as if it belonged only to them. But:
“What is most personal the most
universal.?”
What makes us different lies in
somewhere else. Words give people
away. Listening to clients I can hear,
someone has a “job” or a “profession”
or a “mission”.
That is, some are busy to do something,
anything to get money to survive.
Others try to do their duty at a high
standard. And few are the ones who
answer the calling! That's what makes a
difference!
It all boils down to these questions: Are
you a helpless victim of the turbulences
of present times or are you the
Responsible Creator at the dawn of the
New Era?
Where are you in this Transition? Do
you make your way to the highest level
of the Maslow pyramid to be a
transcendent man?
How do you contribute now when the
whole Earth is in labour, when
something coherent and consistent is
emerging giving way to our deeper
longings?
And most importantly: WHO ARE
YOU? Can you take off your mask and
come off-stage?
Can you change the game? Can you
take your part in the rebirth of the
Revolutionary Transition of the
evolutionary process?
WHERE ARE YOU
GOING TO? “If you aren't making a difference in other people's lives,
you shouldn't be in business.”
(Richard Branson)
Being a breadwinner and a mother of 4,
I have worked as an English teacher, a
global educator, a personal
development trainer and a coach for 20
years.
Taking a closer look on the nature of
barriers delaying goals, working out a
better and faster way to get to the
destination excited me most. This
professional history of mine, my
husband?s early death, the challenges of
my four daughters’ upbringing and my
original curiosity drove me into
passionate studies of various
communicational and personal
developmental methods. The range is
wide on the following
fields: psychology, NLP (Neuro
Linguistic Programming), System-
thinking, Moving- and Dancing
Therapy, Conflict Resolution,
Mediation, Human Rights,
Sustainability, Development Education,
Coaching and Mentoring.
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 18
Andrew Csaszar
AUROPE Enterprises
0402942402
www.aurope.com.au
Development of an organization’s
strategy requires great effort. It always
comes first before we go into the
details. Once the main principle has
been taken shape in a mission or vision
statement, you are tasked to work out
the fundamental structure. This big
picture, usually referred as strategy,
will then hold together the cogs in your
vehicle.
The other day I read about
organizations strategic alignment in
Norman Chorn’s great book. Wow, I
was amazed how everything just fell
into place with the model described in
his book.
Efficiency is key to sustain long term
competitiveness on tough markets, and
to achieve it requires masterful design.
Just like a reliable compass shows
direction out the sea, making sure the
three major areas are strategically
aligned with the operating
environment of the organization will
greatly increase your chances for
success.
Strategy, organizational culture and
leadership, the three primary fields
have to be harmonised in a common
logic. Sounds very basic, right?
Although, it’s not always easy to
achieve. Culture, for example – “the
way things are done here” – is not an
easy thing to regulate with policies.
The question: “How to best serve my
client?” has to be neatly planted in
every head.
To achieve coordination throughout
your organization, four archetypes
have been introduced. They describe
four typical customer behaviours.
These four stereotypes and needs are:
Pragmatism (be responsive),
Administration (be consistent),
Divergence (be surprising) and
Integration (be understanding). This is
called the PADI model. Every
subsequent strategic level has to match
with the same archetype, most proper for
the given clientele.
So when it comes to e.g. a pizza
delivery, you are expected to be quick
(it’s a P type). Even quality is submitted
to this expectation.
You cannot ponce around to accurately
divide your pizza into equal slices or
nicely chop up the ham and olives and
decorate it like you would in a fine-
dining restaurant.
Everything has to be ticking like a Swiss
watch and the pizza delivered while it is
still hot. Why? Because your market
audience here is most probably the
always busy and impecunious uni
students.
The archetype typical to the business
has to impregnate each strategic level.
That’s what strategic alignment basically
means. The same characteristics have to
appear each level: either in strategic
documents like the business model, in
organizational culture like your Code of
Conduct or in leadership like policies
and procedures.
Although I’m only listing documents
here as examples, you have to make
sure that your whole organization is
humming the same rhythm from top to
bottom.
What helps you to achieve this? Strategy is usually in the hands of the
CEO, and the bigger the organization,
the greater effort is required to
implement full alignment. More
precisely, to get everyone sincerely
accept these principles. And so the fifth,
personal level, comes into picture.
It is all taking place in the subconscious.
Employees’ intrinsic drive must meet
with organizational goals. Just then
they can be satisfied, work
enthusiastically and be loyal. This is the
invisible field that links all the others
and provides a solid frame. Individuals
have to identify themselves with the
mission, agree on the strategy, share the
culture, and honour leaders acting on
the same foundations. This is the
“Alpha-and-Omega” of organizational
alignment.
As business coach I proceed with the
personal level: encourage clients to
exploit compelling inner forces and
align them with corporate goals on each
strategic level. I work on forming strong
relationship with the organization as
well as building bridges to clients’
needs.
Organizations’ Strategic Compass
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 19
Grants available for your business
- Online search tool
Grant Finder helps you locate the
grants and assistance programs most
relevant to your business for free!
Grants and other funding
programs are available for
businesses from the Australian,
state and territory governments,
and in some cases from local
councils.
You can search through a wide
variety of grants in many
categories, including developing
your business, innovation and
education.
Click here for more information and
to launch the search platform.
Are You In The “Dreaded Rut”
Many small business owners are
realistically concerned about
expenses which seldom go down.
On the contrary, there are always
price rises and they are always much
too often, and you need to
constantly make efforts to keep your
business profitable. It shouldn't be
that way, though.
There are numerous ways to
increase your revenue. Whether it be
increasing a current revenue stream
or creating a whole new one. There
are always many possibilities.
However, the problem is, that we get
into the rut of doing the same things
day in and day out, focusing mostly
on our primary source of revenue.
That’s not so bad, but it tends to
limit us for looking around for new
opportunities.
There are always underperforming
products and services or
underutilised resources that you can
against by her employer for having
morning sickness.
VCAT senior member Ian Proctor
ruled the employer, Telco Business
Solutionsfailed to make "reasonable
adjustments" to accommodate the
pregnant worker’s severe morning
sickness, which he ruled was in fact
a “disability”.
Stephanie Bevilacqua, who had
been diagnosed with a severe form
of morning sickness, alleged
managers at Telco Business
Solutions had made comments
relating to her pregnancy, sick
leave, lifting boxes, sitting and toilet
breaks that amounted to
discrimination.
Bevilacqua told the court she
suffered migraines, back pain, ankle
pain and foot pain as a result of her
condition.
The VCAT ruled “If someone is
adversely affected by being
pregnant, businesses are required to
make such adjustments to
accommodate those changes.”
The Report that’s designed to
make your life cheaper and easier.
The Competition Policy was handed
down yesterday. The first report of
its kind in over 20 years, it outlined
areas in competition that could be
improved so consumers can get a
better deal and better service. Chief
among these are recommendations
to tackle the taxi industry,
pharmacies, retail trading hours,
intellectual property, energy and
zoning.
In other words, life is about to get
sweeter. (We will see)
use to generate new and different
revenue streams.
So pay attention to details, ask
questions to yourself, be proactive,
and the opportunities will come your
way.
Tax Cuts for Small Business
- Here at Last
It’s been a long time coming and it
looks like the small business tax cut
might actually have an impact.
Small Business Minister Bruce
Billson says the promised 1.5% tax
cut for SMEs will apply to all small
businesses, not just those that are
incorporated.
Eloise Keating SmartCompany
Deputy Editor reports that as part of
the small business package that will
form part of this year’s budget, small
businesses that are incorporated and
sole traders, as well as businesses that
operate within a trust structure, will
receive tax relief.
The mechanisms by which this will be
achieved is still being finalised, but
both company turnover and taxable
income are being considered. Billson
says the final policy will depend on
the definition of small business
adopted by the government.
Billson says there is "no silver bullet"
to encouraging small business, but the
policy puts the government on the
right track.
Morning Sickness is a
Workplace Disabiltiy
A female worker in Victoria has won
a civil lawsuit against her employer
after the Victorian Civil and
Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
found she was being discriminated
Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business
0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com
[email protected] Skype: dennis.chiron2
Let’s Talk Business
Volume 3 Issue 29 - April 2015 Page 20
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