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For small business owners aiming to foster both their personal growth and that of their businesses, the roles of Accountants and business coaching cannot be overstated. The journey toward becoming a more confident and skilled individual not only benefits you personally but also has a ripple effect, improving your team's performance. Putting your personal growth first will likely make your workers more engaged, which will possible help your business succeed in the future. Let's explore some widely recognized strategies for scaling up your business. Challenges in Client Acquisition Management Recent research indicates that traditional advertising methods may need to be complemented with additional approaches, such…

Written by Catriona Pollard The only car accident I've ever had was when I managed to reverse parallel-park into a telephone pole on a busy Sydney street. As I'm due for a new car, I was quite excited when I saw an ad showing the Ford Focus Titanium reverse parallel-parking by itself. I started doing my research online. Like all the major manufacturers, Ford has a "book a test drive" feature on its website and on the face of it, it's a very clever marketing tactic. Ford is fulfilling the potential buyer's needs without them having to even pick up the phone or walk into…

                By Jim Collins 1.  Quality Executive Leadership Leaders have Personal Humility Leaders show Professional Will, almost fanatical Leaders show Workmanlike diligence – more plow horse, than show horse Leaders are Ambitious for the company, not themselves  2. First Who, Then What Getting the right people on the team comes before vision, strategy and tactics Get the right people on the bus Get the wrong people off the bus Put your best people on your biggest opportunities, not the biggest problems 3. Confront the Brutal Facts (But Never Lose Faith in the Potential for Greatness) Impossible to make…

  To successfully react to windows of opportunity, regardless of the focus — innovation, growth, culture, cost structure, technology — a new methodology of change leadership is required. Thirty years of research by leadership guru Dr. John Kotter have proven that 70% of all major change efforts in organisations fail. Why do they fail? Because organisations often do not take the holistic approach required to see the change through.   However, by following the 8-Step Process outlined by Dr. Kotter, organisations can avoid failure and become adept at change. By improving their ability to change, organisations can increase their chances of success, both today and in the…

By John Russell – July 2013 There are many people who think they know what the cloud is. Truth be told, the majority of these people would have absolutely no idea how to describe what is becoming a buzz word in business technology – and a concept potentially annoying to all those supposedly against it. I want to lay a few silly rumors to bed today and tell you the five things you should know about the cloud – and no, not the fluffy white things in the sky – the technology that will help us move forward as a society into the next stratosphere.…

  By Lorna Brett With over 70 percent of all Aussie businesses owned and run by families, it's vital policies and systems are put into place so a feud between family members doesn't have the power to bring the business down. According to Family Business Australia CEO Philippa Taylor, avoiding a bitter family feud in business can be as simple as implementing some clear governance practices, similar to what publically listed companies use. "There have been several high profile cases of feuds in family businesses recently, which may have been avoided if plans and policies existed from the outset," she said. "It's an important step…

By Adam Franklin While social media has been stealing headlines for years, the humble website is very often where you are best off focusing your initial efforts. I'm not talking about a website re-design, really just an audit of what you've got already. There are six essential elements to a successful website that we'll discuss below. When it's your own website, it's easy to fall into the trap of obsessing over the "look and feel". Try to suppress your constant yearning to freshen up the design. Remember it's only you who looks at your website every day, so it's unlikely that anyone else is bored…

Is your business performing at the level you believe it is capable of? Do you spend your day putting out fires instead of building for the future? Do you have a hard time hiring people who are "good enough" to do the job? Do you find yourself working for the business instead of the business working for you? Are you lacking a clear, measurable action plan and a structure to fulfill your goals? Are you a workaholic? Is your business based on the experience and expertise of a few individuals (you among them) rather than on well-documented systems? Do you still have to create a…

By David Olsen   Who doesn't want (or need) to be more productive and more efficient? Certainly, as CEO of an SME, staying productive means we all get to come to work another day. As a country, Australians apparently work very hard, although it's still odd to me that the whole country seems to shut down for half of December and almost all of January. I guess it means we have to work that much harder for the other 47 weeks of the year. So, how can we be more productive? Well, there are lots of things you can do to not only stay afloat…

By Lynn Hunsaka "Just talk to your customers" was the resounding answer to: "What's the best way to learn best practices for customer experience management?" — a question I posted on several business-focused social media sites. Yet less than 60% of companies have a formal voice of the customer program.1 Why? Because we often assume we already know what customers think, or what they "should" think. Somehow it seems straightforward to cater to whoever is enabling our pay — everyone knows it's foolish to do otherwise. In reality, though, this catering may be uncommon sense: have we forgotten that it's actually customers — not managers…