Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose.

Getting prepared for (possibly the weirdest) End of Financial Year

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 30 June 2020

You may have been distracted by a couple of international crisis’ in the past few months but here we are again; end of financial year! Hopefully 2020 will keep moving this quickly so we can get back to some semblance of normal small business life but in the meantime your requirements haven’t changed as a small business.

Single Touch Payroll reporting, super obligations, BAS deadlines and wrapping up your end of financial year finances and still there, whether you’ve bounced back from this weird economy or not.

One positive aspect of experiencing a slow down is we can all focus a little more on your admin and bookkeeping and what the EOFY requirements are from the ATO.

Joining us today is Andrew Watson, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Small Business Experience, Small Business, at the Australian Tax Office. He’s going to share with us what the ATO expects, supports and how they assist if you’re one of the many many businesses experiencing hardship.

Welcome back to the show Andrew.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• What should small businesses do to prepare for Tax time 2020?
  • Record keeping and who’s responsible for this?
  • Increase in digitising of document and record keeping - recording and reporting are getting faster
    • Mention of e-invoicing
    • How does e-commerce feed into this? Digitised businesses are more likely to keep on top of their obligations
    • New developments in the business platform
  • Typical errors we in EOFY processes inc - apportioning incorrectly business/private especially home office expenses
  • How is this different due to covid.
  • STP Finalisation - how is this different from the old payment summary for the first time
  • Instant asset write-off timings - installed and ready to use rather than when it was ordered and paid for - beware of self assessment. The affect of the supply chain changes
  • Give examples
  • Shout out to bookkeepers & accountants for their help with bringing the legislation to small business

• What do small businesses need to know about the stimulus packages and EOFY?
  • Coding the stimulus measures on your tax return - Jobkeeper / Cashflow boost credits / talk to your accountant about the state based payments

• What if a small business is impacted by multiple disasters (i.e. bushfires, COVID-19, and drought)?
  • ATO relief and support thats available - deferments, PAYGI drop to NIL but bear in mind you can’t amend once the next quarter’s BAS is generated
  • Switching from quarterly to monthly
  • Debt relief
  • If they’re not happy with the service then escalate, and of course

• So how do businesses access this assistance? Through the Business Portal? I’ve heard about myGovID changes. Do Businesses need to use myGOVID to access the Business Portal?
  • Extension to availabilities of the ATO - giving 1800 number out, which is for tailored, specialised support and available indefinitely at the moment. Struggling with different issues like losing homes, losing records
  • Changes to MyGovID system

To find out more go to their website: www.ato.gov.au

About our Speaker:

Andrew Watson is an Assistant Commissioner for the Australian Taxation Office in the Small Business line. He is currently responsible for understanding how small businesses engage with the tax and super systems, collaborating with small businesses, industry groups and government agencies to shape the client experience and drive improved digital services. His area also helps small businesses manage cash-flow and digital readiness so sustainable and viable businesses can thrive, and advocates for small businesses within the ATO.

Statistics - How can small business access, digest and use the ABS data?

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 23 June 2020

As small business owners we are often reminded to learn who our ideal client is and research this with gusto until we have a perfect image in our minds as to who they are and what makes them tick. We normally gather this info from anecdotal experiences and conversations with other business owners or mentors. 

But what about the ideal location, B2B details, demographic, political persuasion, customs and habits, and social media use? This would be great info to help with your marketing strategy but where can you find it?

Luckily there’s a government department who are real boffins when it comes to collecting, analysing and delivering this sort of data right into your lap.

Its there for the taking and today we welcome John Shepherd the General Manager, Industry Statistics Division at ABS to explain how and why we should tap into this goldmine of data.

Welcome back to the show John.

Topics we’ll be covering:

The ABS has been doing a lot of new and interesting things recently.

• What sort of changes has the ABS made in response to COVID-19?

Here John will highlight some changes (ie Rapid surveys, modifying work programs)

• What is the ABS hoping to achieve with these changes? (eg collecting data from small businesses owners, getting a pulse on Australia to understand how they are being affected)

Here John will highlight some key findings from the COVID19 surveys, general impacts on small businesses and how the info has been helping decision making

The ABS collect data from a range of businesses. Can you run through the processes with how it’s done with small businesses?

John will be highlighting and running through the following:

• How ABS collects data (ie: Sending out letters with login codes, what it looks like)
• Letting businesses know how they can find out if the letter is legitimate
• Detailing why it is important for small businesses to complete surveys – this includes touching on sampling, provider burden
• Answering the questions “Do I have to do this?”

What insights does ABS data provide about small businesses?

This is where John can highlight some findings that ABS data highlights from various surveys including:

• CABEE (Counts of Australia Businesses, including Entries and Exits)
• COVID
• Business indicators
• Other relevant surveys

What sort of data and statistics are available for small businesses to use?

Here John can go over high-level info that ABS collects and how small businesses can use it, which will include things like:

• High level overview of what data ABS collects – ie demographic, business
• Give “high level” examples of how businesses use data – CPI for to adjust for inflation etc
• Overview of where small businesses can find more info – ie on website (including points of interest), social media
• Then go into detail about HOW small businesses can use the data through “data story examples”

To find out more go to their website: www.abs.gov.au 

• All about the ABS - https://www.abs.gov.au/about?OpenDocument&ref=topBar
• ABS response to COVID-19 - https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/ABS%20responds%20to%20COVID-19.
• A handy calendar that lists statistical releases for the coming six months - https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/webpages/ABS+Release+Calendar

 

Our Guest: John Shepherd

John Shepherd is the General Manager leading the Industry Statistics Division. The Industry Statistics Division is responsible for developing, compiling, analysing and disseminating statistical information across a range of sectors including Agriculture, Environment, Building and Construction, Transport, Tourism, Financial Institutions, Innovation and Technology. The Division also produces Main Economic Indicators including Private New Capital Expenditure, Retail Trade, Business Indicators, Building Approvals, Job Vacancies, New Motor Vehicle Sales and Housing and Lending Finance. The Division includes the Statistical Infrastructure and International Branch, encompassing the International Relations & Regional Statistical Development section, the Business Register Unit and the Statistical Standards and Infrastructure section. The Division is focussed on working with its partners to provide a strong information base for policy development and evaluation. John joined the ABS in June 2019 after a lengthy career at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

At the ATO, John held a number of senior roles in his 28 years, including leading significant change programs and projects focused on improving the client experience. John’s most recent role was leading the implementation of the Single Touch Payroll (STP) initiative, enabling employers to report their tax and superannuation information for their employees at the same time as they paid staff. STP aims to streamline business reporting to government and support better tax and super experiences for all employees. John also played an active role in superannuation reform, including leading the implementation of SuperStream and a number of other superannuation reform initiatives including online superannuation account consolidation.

John is a passionate Movember ambassador and fundraiser for men’s health initiatives.

John holds a Masters of Taxation from the University of NSW and is based in Canberra.

2020’s Top 5 Tech products to get you remote working like a pro!

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 23 June 2020

Last time we ran a show all about top tech products it was hugely popular so we’ve invited a TechHead back to Small Biz Matters to learn what his favourite tech products are for 2020.

Tech is there to support your business through improved productivity, efficiency and right now, work remotely. But you can waste a lot of time testing out time wasting tech too.

In the words of Ferris Bueller “The world moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to take a look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So, time to bring in Carl Robertson, the Sales & Marketing Director for Cat Rugged Phones, to share some industry knowledge on the best tech products to help you with remote working.

Welcome back to the show Carl.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• In today’s environment, what are top 5 Tech Products you’re using right now to improve efficiency, productivity and save time working remotely?
  • Cloud Based Computing.
    • Office Suites - Microsoft Office Suite or G Suite
    • Accounting Software
    • Book Keeping Apps
    • Customer Relationship Marketing Tools
  • Team Communication Tool
    • Skype
    • Slack
    • Google Meet
    • Pragli
    • Zoom
  • Note Taking Apps
    • Evernote
    • OneNote
    • Google Keep
    • Rocketbook cloud connected notebooks for pen and paper users
  • Smartphones
    • Choose a device that matches your work and lifestyle
    • Look for well known brands sold through reputable channels
    • Warranty and commitment to security updates
  • Video-based education
    • YouTube
    • Businesses should be making videos to become the authority
  • How to research technology products before buying
    • Product websites
    • Google Reviews
    • YouTube Videos
    • Facebook Pages
    • Expert Reviews
  • What are the essentials for a tech savvy home office?
    • Mobile Phone reception. If it is poor look at enabling Voice over WiFi on your device.
    • Good Internet - check if you are in an NBN supported area. If your office is in an area of the house you can look at wifi boosters
    • Dedicated Workstation with Printer/Scanner/Tools of the Trade set up
  • Do you have any recommendations around cyber-security?

About our speaker:

Carl is the Sales & Marketing Director for Australia and New Zealand for Bullitt Mobile, the manufacturer of Caterpillar Rugged Mobile Phones. Carl is a technology professional with over 10 years experience in telecommunications and consumer electronics and has launched multiple brands and new technologies to market.

Cat Rugged Phones are phones that are built for tough environments. Cat Phones are innovative, strong devices that won’t let you down in tough situations. Durability is at the heart of every Cat product and Cat Phones are no exception.

To find out more go to their website: www.catphones.com

Pivot, Pirouette, Adapt and rewrite your business story

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 16 June 2020

So do you remember when you first started a business and everybody was telling you it would be a really good idea to find your niche? And now we find ourselves in this weird world where we suddenly been asked to pivot away from that!

So what exactly does that mean? Do you have to throw your original business idea out with the bathwater and start over? Or is it a matter of lateral thinking and tapping into new skills you never thought you had! It could be an opportunity to find a new passion.

Today we are joined by Stu Lloyd, an expert in pivoting; he’s even written a book on it! He’s going to be sharing with us some excellent ideas on how to tap into your own potential and perhaps shifting your business in a new, more positive direction.

Welcome to the show Stu.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• It’s a crisis and a recession. Should small business owners and entrepreneurs be panicking, or what can they do?
• Pivoting is a buzzword in this crisis, but what does it actually look like in practice?
• Any good examples of small Aussie businesses pivoting successfully?
• Where and how do small business owners start with pivotting?

To find out more go to:

Website -  www.hotheads-innovation.com

LinkedIn – Stu LloydStoryteller

Twitter: @RealStuLloyd

About our guest:

Born in Zimbabwe, Australian citizen Stu recently celebrated 30 years at the intersection of creativity and commerce.

As an advertising guy with a psychology background, he was a creative director for agencies such as Ogilvy& Mather, Saatchi & Saatchi, Bates, etc, before co-founding integrated agency, LloydMartin, in Singapore, which he successfully built up into a $20 million dollar company and sold it to US-listed group DraftFCB.

Apart from a psychology and mass communications degree from Macquarie University, Stu has certifications in Neuro-science and Neuro-marketing from Copenhagen Business School.

He has published 13 books that have sold over 100,000 copies, on topics such as questioning skills, entrepreneurial mindset, and disruptive challenging (plus travel, military history, etc).

Little known fact: he was once contracted to Warner Music as a songwriter. (Taylor Swift had little need to be nervous!)

Stu was a founding lecturer at the Singapore Institute of Advertising, has addressed a UN WTO forum on innovation and trends, and MC’d a TEDx event on Creativity & Collaboration.

As Chief Hothead @Hotheads Innovation, Stu helps Fortune 500 companies like Citibank, Adidas, Pfizer, DaimlerBenz, Cargill, GE, Intel, etc to turbocharge their creative thinking skills and innovation capability.

Does working online mean you need to charge less... even remotely?

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 16 June 2020

I’ve heard way too many times in the last few weeks of small business owners heavily discounting their rates simply because they were delivering their services online. So I asked myself, why was this occurring? You still have to prepare, research and deliver the same skills, experience and content.  Nothing has changed apart from the vehicle of delivery.

Sure, budgets are being slashed all over the place and many of our corporate clients are running scared for their own J O B s and asking for temporary discounts for services. But why are we so quick to accept? Is it because we are used to discounting as soon as we are asked? Or is it that we’ve had our own self worth devalued in this covid world.

In the studio we welcome Tim Hoopmann, Founder of Spinn Business Solutions & Beyond Blue Speaker who is once again share his wealth of knowledge and experience to help us navigate this weird world.

Welcome back to the show Tim.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• Valuing your online content as much as the delivery in person - tips on having that conversation with clients and collaborators
  • I will start here and talk about the importance of strong self-worth and how this increases your confidence.
  • Understanding the different way you may now be delivering your services and the impact this will have on your clients.
  • Online will often mean it is recorded and available ongoing
  • Be clear upfront with clients
    • firstly on their expectations and their budget. How have things changed for them?
    • Secondly how your business has been impacted and that your fees have not changed
    • Often there is pressure to discount in this challenging environment
  • All these conversations are easier when you have a strong sense of self worth.
  • That's not easy and it’s important to focus on your mental health to ensure you are as resilient as possible

• Losing your content and licencing issues
  • remember that when a presentation is recorded you lose control of who has access to that; so in fact you should charge more since this grows the audience!
  • How will they be using your content now that it is online?
  • What control will you have over it once it is recorded and distributed
  • Have the difficult conversion up front and do no assume that their ideas are in line with yours
  • Letter of engagement and clarify of terms and conditions is vital
  • g - clients ask of Tim his hourly rate

• But on the other hand everyone is expecting a discount and the reality is budgets are not what they used to be. Are we all expected to tow the discount line, or will some of us thrive in this environment where others fail?
  • Everyone is experiencing financial hardship differently
  • We all need to be honest and upfront on the impact it has had on our business and those around us
  • Some have been impacted severely while others are doing very well.
  • Before providing a discount a better understanding is required of each business situation

• Resources available on Beyond Blue & Headsup website
  • Beyond blue for support if you are struggling wiht mental health. Plus lots of COVID19 support information around work and teams
  • Headsup for resources for business - including all levels within the organisation.

To find out more go to their website: https://www.headsup.org.au/healthy-workplaces/for-small-businesses

Top Tips for Nailing Online Meetings

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 9 June 2020

It’s been a brand new world where we collaborate, communicate and interrelate with everyone from family members to key stakeholders in our business on a screen. Those of us who’ve moved quickly to adapt to online meetings are fine but there are probably practical things you can implement to make it a better experience for the person you’re interacting to.

From the tech you use to the background to how you present.  Ask yourself, what professional impression does your audience leave with after this online encounter? Yes being online clunky and impersonal but there are tricks you can easily use to engage on a more personal level with the person sitting at the other end?

Who better than to give advice on presenting online that a professional master of Ceremonies. For years Greg Ward has been moderating the content of hundreds of events from week long conferences to round table discussions. He’s funny and entertaining but importantly he’s ENGAGING. And now with taking his own business completely online he’s here to share his secrets.

Welcome to the show Greg.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• Top strategies to improve your online meetings
  • Tech - what simple devices can a small business owner use to improve their audio and visual
  • Noise
  • Dress & background - why are these important?
  • First impressions - how to introduce yourself to the attendee (waiting rooms, your name on the screen, other)
• What about taking it to the next level - is there really a difference between what you use and the typical small business owner can use?
• What has this massive change meant to your own industry - that of events?
  • Adapting to online
  • Is this change going to continue?
  • The ongoing impact to small business community not being able to learn, participate and network at events in the near future.

To find out more go to their website: www.gregwardspeaker.com

About Greg:

How you present yourself on screen has a significant impact on the effect you wish to achieve – and in this brave new world, the truth is, you don’t know, what you don’t know.  With the move to working from home, and with the challenges of effective remote connection, Greg Ward (Vice-President Professional Speakers Association NZ, MC of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, World Class Speaker Awardee, ) wants you to know what he knows:  That with a few simple modifications to your physical environment and online setup, and a focus on how you sound and appear on camera, you can make a profound impact in how you and your message is perceived.

Bio: With more than 20 years at the forefront of conferences and events, Greg Ward is a keynote speaker, virtual & live event MC and in-demand corporate performer.

Small businesses’ top technology challenges with remote working

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 9 June 2020

Small business, with all it’s adaptability and pivotability were generally able to move quickly to our new cosy, home based locations to run our businesses. But did any of us realise this would throw up a whole truckload of problems which we would need help with? Bandwidth management, cybersecurity and adapting the ways we collaborate are just some of the problems universally faced by small business with the shift to remote working.

How do I maximise my internet accessibility from home? Am I more vulnerable to cyberhackers in this new location? And does this change my relationship with key stakeholders like employees, contractors and clients?

CISCO has been supporting small businesses for years with these issues but they too had to evolve at full speed to keep up with the pace of this change, working alongside businesses to understand their needs and how to solve them. 

Luke Power brings with him a deep understanding of SMBs as the Head of Small Business Aust & NZ at Cisco and he’s here to share with us some practical strategies which will help you move past these remote working problems and get back to what you do best.

Welcome to the show Luke.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• The evolution of tech - tech has up until now been about solving individual problems. Now it’s all about moving forward and tech leading the way to help them grow. Now big companies have had to pivot to understand the entire platform which needs to be offered.
• Now it’s all about Collaboration. How do SMBs communicate internally and with their clients?
  • They’re on the run, how do they use the tech platforms to solve their problems?
  • COVID meant everyone had to scramble to get organised to work from home. Banking, hardware, internet connection
• How did CISCO quickly adapt? How did the enquiries change? Essentially, they behaved like a small business.
• Bandwidth management - what are the simple controls and infrastructure you can implement to ensure there are systems in place
  • Well managed network - updating your legacy technology. Prioritise your computer over other devices
  • Learn how to manage your device online when offsite
  • Think about where your wireless technology is located
  • The reality the tech and platform has improved compared to a couple of years ago
  • Example is a mesh network which allows for better coverage
• Cybersecurity - Have we seen an increase in cybercrime activity? Mobile devices, reduced focused, remote working has increased our vulnerability.  BUT we’ve learned a lot in the last few years
  • The fact is Firewalls are not good enough because other users have access.
  • Visibility is crucial Two step authenticators (e.g. Duo)
  • Has there been a shift in the way small business is being attacked? No, it’s all about the data. Ransomware is still a large risk.
  • Look into data loss prevention
  • Cyber hygiene - are you using the same laptop as others in the household? Be aware
• Collaboration - what’s some of the advice you’re giving the small business
  • Take a step back and ask yourself how can I be more efficient and collaborate better? Think about the new customer journeys. Reflect on how you’re communicating with them?
  • Who exactly do you collaborate with in my business circle? Go through each of the pathways and map it out?

 

About Luke Power

Luke Power is the Head of Small Business & Distribution of Australia and New Zealand.

As part of his role, Luke is accountable for the overall vision, strategy and operations of Cisco’s high-growth Small Business segment within Australia and New Zealand. Ultimately, working to deliver the best technology solutions to small businesses, with Cisco’s IT solutions that are secure, simple and flexible.

Luke has worked as a Sales Leader for 20 years, starting his career in a local computer store helping people with their IT issues, and since with experience from companies such as Intel Security, Avaya, Nortel Networks, Cisco Systems, Acer and Silicon Computers.

When did you become an importer exporter? When you started dealing in Foreign Exchange...

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 2 June 2020

Do you know what FOREX stands for? Do you watch the Australian Dollar go up and down and not truly understand what it means? Do you think your small business is unaffected by minor fluctuations in the Aussie Dollar?

Think again.

Even those of us who DON’T have an e-commerce site or deal with international clients or corporates paying invoices in USD, are affected by changes to the dollar. Without realising it you’re actually having  an effect as an exporter importer. How? Think about your suppliers - digital subscriptions paid in USD, goods or services bought on ebay or those clients you sell to overseas … it all adds up to changes which can potentially have big impact on your cash flow.

So let’s really find out how the foreign exchange rate (that’s FOREX) affects your small business and what you need to know to keep an eye on it. Rylan Dawes is the VP of FX for Airwallex and he’s here to teach us all we need to know about FOREX.

Welcome to the show Rylan.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• What is foreign exchange risk, and what are some of the ways small businesses mitigate that?
  • Forex is simply when you conduct a business across borders. The risk happens when the exchange rate changes between when you make the transaction and when the funds are settled.
  • Small business need to be aware of things like
    • lag times
    • Invoice dates
  • This has a huge cash flow impact
• What types of products should small business know about to mitigate risk
  • Broadly how do
  • Banks (traditional) vs other, newer options
• An example of volatility has been the the FX market in COVID-19?
  • Why does small business need to keep an eye on that volatility?
    • You can make a loss in a matter of days when there is extreme volatility
    • Purchases included like software subscriptions - subscription creep
  • Jan - lowest level of volatility and within 2 weeks, a spike not seen since GFC
  • How do you keep an eye on that volatility?
    • Examples of tools - price alerts to buy FX to offset the volatility in costs from FX movements
    • It works on both directions - sales and marketing
  • What is the impact of currency volatility on small businesses today?
  • What is your advice to small businesses who do not have any dedicated finance teams or large finance teams to still be kept educated on FX movements? Who can you have on your side to support you?
    • STRATEGY:
    • Be aware of what you buy and sell in other currencies
    • Be prepared if you have a large transaction coming up in say, 30days time
    • Educate yourself in the tools you can use (alerts about exchange rates at a certain rate)
    • Establish if you’ve got any natural hedges (revenues or costs in USD). Rather than converting all of these immediately
      • Reduce the FX risk but you may have additional costs with moving money around
      • And that’s when you should seek the help of an expert...

Rylan Dawes Bio

Joined Airwallex: 2017

Role: Responsible for end-to-end provision of FX product, including internal risk management

Biography:

• Deakin University graduate (BComm/BA, Finance / International Relations)
• Joined Airwallex was as a product manager in April 2017, promoted to VP – FX Product in January 2018
• Previously employed by ANZ as a Senior Business Analyst and has FX experience with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs

Areas of expertise and insight:

• FX
• Risk management
• Fintech product delivery
• Financial markets
• Customer experience and integration management

Overview of Airwallex

Airwallex was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2015 with a simple goal - to push the boundaries of global financial services capabilities in an increasingly borderless world. Airwallex has since secured over  $360 million USD in external funding, supported by top-tier investors including Tencent, Sequoia Capital China, DST Global, Hillhouse Capital, Horizons Ventures, ANZi Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Gobi Partners and Salesforce Ventures. The company’s core strength lies in its proprietary tech-driven infrastructure to enable low-cost, high-speed and transparent international collections and payments (accessible via API), its business account and borderless card which helps businesses grow both domestically and internationally. Airwallex has grown to over 420 employees across 10 international offices (Melbourne, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, Singapore, London, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Bangalore).

To find out more go to their website: www.airwallex.com

The two flaws in our democracy revealed by Covid & the impact on small businesses

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 2 June 2020

Australia’s response to the pandemic has been one of the most effective in the world. But ironically that success shows us how broken is our democracy. Today we’re in conversation with Jeremy Goff, an expert in Strategy, Communication & Investor Relations and he’s here for what’s likely to be a robust chat about the two main flaws in our democracy revealed by the Covid response - and the impact on small and medium businesses.….

Welcome to the show Jeremy.

Topics we’ll be covering:

The first flaw is ideology - in particular the cult of the budget surplus. When people’s lives depended on it in the pandemic, that went straight out the window because - as any householder with a mortgage will tell you - debt is good if it’s helping you invest in your future. But the pandemic response has been the exception. Throughout the last 23 years of economic growth there hasn’t been nearly enough government investment in creating the industries we need to support small business innovation.

If governments had invested much more in supporting clean energy enterprises over the last twenty years, a regional port like Eden on the NSW far south coast could have become home to new sectors like wave power generation manufacturing. The flow on effects of an industry like that can be massive for a wide range of small businesses from welding and electrical engineering to services like catering, hospitality and facilities maintenance. But today those jobs are nowhere to be seen.

The second big flaw in our democracy is the power of big business - in particular the coal and gas industries. As the Podcast Hot Mess reported just last week, for over thirty years those industries have deliberately muddied the waters by funding false scientific research to throw doubt on the science of climate change. They also currently have three former executives as senior staff in the PMs office. This has slowed or stalled sensible, rational market based responses to ever growing climatic impacts on human society.

The results for many small businesses across Australia will be dramatic. We’ll start to feel them in the next decade, with more profound effects by 2040. There will be lower commercial fish stocks for our commercial fishers, longer more frequent droughts for our farmers, and the probable disappearance of meaningful winter snow in the alpine regions. All of that is devastating for small businesses across those regions.

What can we do about it?

1. Ban all corporate political donations.
2. Disclose all individual donations in real time
3. Mandate that all parliamentary staffers paid for with public money must be career public servants. If you want a career political apparatchik you pay for it with Party funds.

You can chat to Jeremy more via his LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-goff-a08b7332/

What can a local, Australian based sales platform offer my business?

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 26 May 2020

Setting up an e-commerce website can be daunting so many online businesses start by using a marketplace or an online platform to do it all for them.  But like all things Internet, the list of choices for this service grow by the day.

So how do you choose the best option for you and your business? What questions should you need to ask so you can hit the ground running with online sales? And are there any Australian options out there who do good?

This week we learn about a new app called Sipora which is taking on the Buy Now Pay Later culture head on by encouraging saving whilst spending and supporting small business along the way. Plus an added bonus; it’s an Australian concept.

How does it all work? We chat to the founder Jonathan Despinidic to find out more.

Welcome to the show Jonathan.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• Sipora offers a different type of platform for small business to sell their goods and services – what are some top tips you can give for them when they engage with online platforms generally?
  • What should a small business be looking for in the contracts they sign?
  • What’s a reasonable expectation for the marketing of your products?

• One aspect of platforms is the issue of transparency in the relationship with small business? What should they be on the lookout for
  • Contracts & fine print
• To stand on their own small business needs to replicate the power of larger platforms and their marketing. Is this where platforms like Sipora; smaller niche platforms; offer that without all the costs associated with the Big Boys?
• What are the concerns of small business when it comes to selling online on someone else’s platform?
  • Banking connections concerns,
  • Cybersecurity
• What is a round-up app and what makes Sipora different?

To find out more go to their website: https://www.sipora.com.au/