Behind every successful small business story there’s a lot of hard work and, yes, administrative effort. To really make your business prosper, brilliant ideas are only half the answer – you also need to ensure that your company is solid from the ground up. One way of establishing a solid business base is through good record keeping. While this may not be entrepreneurship’s most glamorous aspect, it is nonetheless a prerequisite to consistently good results. Read More

Knowing how the profitability of individual products and services can help you make decisions to improve your bottom line. You may want to discontinue products and services that aren’t as profitable, while promoting ones that improve your overall results.  Read More

Productivity problems often creep into the business over a period of time and often businesses don’t realize just how extensive they have become. Here are six common causes of productivity problems. Read More

The silly season is around the corner and while recovery from the global financial crisis is, well, not exactly in full swing… we thought it was time to deck the halls and address the vital question of what it takes to start a new business.
Much like the larger-than-life gift-wielding icon from the North Pole, many people question whether or not starting a new business on the back end of recession is a good idea … or the figment of over-excited entrepreneurial imagination?  Read More

Thinking about death is uncomfortable in itself - coldbloodedly sitting down and working out scenarios to deal with what will happen in the event of it actually happening is even more traumatic. That's part of the reason why succession planning goes to the bottom of the 'to do' list for most business owners. Read More

The average age of the workforce is steadily increasing. For employers, that means the average age of their workers is steadily increasing. Baby Boomers, who make up the majority of the workforce, are now aged 45 to 62 years. Over the next few years more and more of them will be retiring turning a trickle into a torrent. In the past new hires would be found easily enough to replace them. In the future the shortage of replacement workers from among the younger generation, the so-called Gen-Y (currently aged 16 to 31 years old), may make finding the right, or any replacement a lot more difficult.  Read More

Every business has its share of high maintenance customers, but not every business subscribes to the 'customer is always right' philosophy and feels they have to go on supporting them no matter what. In fact, some businesses will actually 'fire' a customer they no longer want to work with and often report being happier and financially better off once having done it.  Read More

Well, the Credit Crunch is well and truly at our door.

And to ensure we are in the best position to continue to provide you with the knowledge to help lift the performance of your business I would be grateful if you would complete a short 5 minute survey. We have commissioned the survey in conjunction with the RAN ONE Network.  Read More

There may be any number of costs lurking in your everyday activities and procedures that just don't get noticed simply because they aren't big ticket items. But that doesn't mean they can't add up to a significant spend nonetheless. Look around and see if these tips can help drive down costs before making any drastic decisions that may come back to haunt you later. Read More

If you spend any time at all online you can't have failed to notice a whole set of new technologies that make up what is being referred to as 'Web 2.0' - wikis, blogs, rss feeds, podcasts. More and more, these are finding application in business. Here's a simple explanation of two of the most common Web 2.0 technologies being promoted as useful to small business, blogs and wikis. Read More