Business

Whether you’re getting into investing for the first time, or looking at how you might expand your existing investment portfolio, it’s important to understand your risk profile. Once you have this key insight, discovering the kinds of investment that will help you meet your goals will be more straightforward.

What is investment risk?

The risk when you make any investment is that you wo

For many of us, the internet is not just an intrinsic part of our lives, it’s integral to how we do business. It enables businesses to connect to global markets and complete transactions in minutes.

As we take advantage of the opportunities the internet has to offer, online security becomes a priority. This means being vigilant about keeping sensitive data and information secure from hacker

A globalised and digitally connected world means that your business isn’t restricted to one country. Expanding your business overseas gives you access to new audiences and a little protection should anything happen to destabilise your home market.

But, as with all things in business, proceed with caution. While the saying ‘no risk, no reward’ holds true, it’s important to

The structure of your new business has repercussions in terms of tax, costs and the protection of your assets. When you decide on what structure you’ll use, keep in mind your future plans, because this may impact your decision.

There are three main structures you could consider.

Sole trader:

If you’re operating on your own, this may seem an obvious choice. It’s a quick one to se

When people talk about ‘brand’ they often think solely from a customer perspective. However, a strong 'employer brand' is also critical, in order to attract the right talent to your business. A company’s employer brand is twice as likely to drive job consideration as its company brand. With a shift in skill-set requirements across most industries, and Gen Y entering the workforce,

Small business budgets are empowering. They give you the knowledge and insight to eliminate wasteful spending and get to profitability faster.

When setting a business budget, you need good numbers. Don’t guess at what’s coming in and what’s going out. You could be making assumptions that just aren’t true. Take the time to look into your accounts and dig out the real figures

The best accountants can do much more than just tax and compliance work for your business. They’re troubleshooters and strategic advisors for small business. Basically, having an accountant means that you can operate your business with more clarity and confidence.

Whether you’re working to get a startup off the ground, or taking the reins of an established business, you’ll see va

Starting your own business is a BIG leap of faith. Will you find any customers? Will you make enough income? These are questions that any founder will ask themselves.

But with the right planning, preparation and support, you can set the best possible foundations for your new enterprise, and take some of the guesswork out of becoming a business owner.

Building the right foundations

So, if you&rsqu

LinkedIn can be a valuable networking tool for business owners and job seekers. Use the site to increase brand awareness, attract top talent, acquire new customers, promote events, and engage with influencers in your industry.

Here are five basic ways to use LinkedIn to create a business advantage:

1. Create a company page.
Help potential and existing customers and team members learn about your bus read more...

Networking can get your business noticed. It can lead to referrals, valuable business opportunities and increased sales. But it can be daunting to put yourself out there, and tricky to get right. Remember that professional networking is a social activity. It’s about building relationships – so leave the hard sell behind. Instead, be open and get to know people.

Here are 10 things you c

With more choice than ever in consumer goods, brands are turning to individuals who will promote products to their large social media fan base.

Each new trend is often an iteration of a previous way of doing things. Companies have long used celebrity endorsement to advertise their brands to customers, but influencer marketing is a bit different.

Made possible through social media, the influencer i

When we set out on a fishing trip or hike, we always check the weather forecast.

It’s no different in business. The forecast tells us if there’s bad weather (poor cashflow) in store based on the direction we’re heading.

Your forecast will tell you:

1. Whether you have enough sales in the pipeline to give you the desired level of profit you want for the year.

2. Whether your margin

The most simple and cost-effective way to grow your business is so often overlooked; happy customers become your strongest advocates. They talk to their friends, family, and associates and refer business to you.

Here are 10 ways to delight your customers:

1. Meet with your customers more often and take a genuine interest in how they’re doing.

2. Run customer events. Put on a few drinks, get in

Seasonal dips in income can be highly challenging when you’re a small business. But there are proactive ways to predict, plan for and overcome these dips in revenue.

The key to dealing with seasonal dips is to know when they’re most likely to occur, and to have measures in place to spread your income and revenue pipeline over the course of the year.

Understanding seasonality in your se

Salary sacrificing to super allows an employee to forego part of their salary or wages and have the employer contribute this amount to their superannuation fund instead of paying it as cash. It reduces the taxable value of salary or wages, and is therefore beneficial to the employee in both reducing tax payable and increasing superannuation.

Up until now, employers were allowed to calculate super

If you’re going to grow your company in the right way, pinning down your goals and having a clear vision for the business from the outset is vital.

You may want to increase profits and create an income that supports your lifestyle, or you are looking to increase market share and aim for hypergrowth. You may even be aiming to increase the overall value of the company to get the best return wh

We all know that cash is king when it comes to business success, but what exactly is ‘working capital’ and how does this financial metric help measure the health of your business?

Working capital is made up of the cash and assets that are available in the business to fund your operations and keep you trading. It’s worked out by taking your current assets (the things you own) awa

We would like to update you on our position with the developing COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation, and the preventive measures we are undertaking.

As COVID-19 continues to circulate, we are monitoring and actively changing required processes as needed, based on relevant recommendations provided by the Australian government.

We will continue our work as usual, and we have already taken

Over the weekend, more relief was announced for business including:
 

Deferral of Loan Repayments 
A little over a week ago, the Australian Banking Association announced a six-month deferral of all loan repayments for small businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
 
On the weekend, this relief has now been extended to all businesses that have loans of up to $ read more...

The NSW government has now pledged $750 million to help small businesses across the state deal with the economic impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The grants of up to $10,000 must be used for funding unavoidable business costs such as utilities, overheads, legal costs and financial advice.

To be eligible, businesses must be “highly impacted” by the Public Health (COVID-19 Rest

The JobKeeper payment is for businesses and not-for-profits that are significantly impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, and the measures in place to restrict it.

The government package will give eligible employees $1,500 per fortnight for 26-week period, running from 30 March to 27 September.

The treasurer has now released rules governing the scheme. We will keep you informed as these are update

From the fortnight commencing 11 May 2020, JobKeeper Payment eligibility for employees aged 16 and 17 years has changed.

If you have claimed, or intend to claim, JobKeeper payments for employees who were 16 or 17 years old on 1 March 2020, they need to have been independent, or not in full time study on 1 March 2020 in order to remain eligible.  

Your 16 and 17 year old employees will need to

Managing the gap between the receiving money into your business and paying money out of your business is vital for sustaining viability.

Debtor days is the average number of days taken for a business to receive payment for goods or services. Keeping track of the average number of days for a business to receive payment is important in understanding the cashflow gap you might experience and the impa