26.5K
Downloads
246
Episodes
The new Small Biz Matters program is all about People, Policy, Purpose. It is conversational and chatty and dedicated to empowering small businesses and their advisors to engage with policy and advocacy. Why? Because what Government does very much Matters to all Small Biz. Good and bad. A labour of love, in 2014 Alexi Boyd started broadcasting to give back to the local small business community. She knew information and support was lacking. Now with over 220 podcasts, the show is sought by PR Agencies and Government departments for its rich, informative content. Media Partners include universities, the Australian Tax Office, ASBFEO, COSBOA and international fintechs. Sponsored by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman’s office, each week we sit down with experts, advocates, business leaders, policy makers and politicians to dive into specific areas of government policy that affects your business and clients. We’ll give you a heads up on what’s coming down the policy pipeline, find out who’s fighting in your corner and empower you with ways you can influence those decisions which affect your business every single day. The program is broadcast weekly on Tuesdays live on local community radio Triple H 100.1FM, through the Community Broadcasting network, and wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Tuesday Dec 08, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #188 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 19 November 2020
Small Biz Matters is proud to announce our ongoing collaboration with the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman through regular updates from Kate Carnell about all ASBFEO is doing to advocate and support small businesses.
In the third of the series Kate Carnell will update us about ASBFEO’s response to the crisis facing small business. This week we’re updating you on:
- Insolvency changes and access to funding for small business
- Access to funding
- What’s the Australian Business Growth fund and how can small businesses access this resource?
- The latest update on the Business Funding Guide - further improvements thanks to the learnings from COVID; the changes to trading conditions and a practical HOW TO pathway to becoming financially fit
Kate Carnell, as an independent advocate for small business owners, has the legislative power to influence our nation’s lawmakers, ensuring legislation and regulations are put in place to help small businesses grow and in these times, survive.
Welcome back to the show Kate Carnell.
- Insolvency changes and access to funding for small business
- Why is it so important that small businesses are aware of these changes and the associated timelines?
- What do the reforms mean to the way you structure debt when you are restructuring or winding up a business
- Who is at risk of failure?
- Access to funding
- How has ASBFEO assisted with encouraging Federal policy makers to make it easier for small business to access finance?
- What’s often at risk when increasing funding
- What’s the Australian Business Growth fund and how can small businesses access this resource?
- Why was this established and who is eligible?
- Where has this model come from?
- The latest update on the Business Funding Guide - further improvements thanks to the learnings from COVID; the changes to trading conditions and a practical HOW TO pathway to becoming financially fit
- Commercial tenancies - who’s helping who here?
- Insolvency laws and what it means to be trading insolvent right now
To find out more go to their website: https://www.asbfeo.gov.au/
About our Guest:
The Ombudsman - Kate Carnell
"In this role I will seek to bring together the many voices within the small business community in a way that promotes growth in this vital sector."
Kate Carnell is the inaugural Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO).
As the ASBFEO, she is an independent advocate for small business owners. Her office has the legislative powers needed to effectively influence our nation’s lawmakers, ensuring legislation and regulations are put in place to help small businesses grow.
The ASBFEO office also provides small businesses and family enterprises with assistance should they find themselves involved in a business dispute.
Small businesses are the engine room of the economy; it’s a big reputation to live up to, so we need to do all we can to ensure they have the freedom to innovate, employ and thrive well into the future.
About ASBFEO
Australia is a nation of small businesses and family enterprises. It’s a dynamic and exciting sector that allows people with an entrepreneurial spirit to pursue their dreams.
One of the fastest growing in the economy, the sector presents many opportunities – and challenges – for those who dedicate themselves to pursing a small business venture.
The ASBFEO's role is to support small businesses and family enterprises to enable them to grow and thrive.
The ASBFEO was launched on 11 March 2016 and has two key functions: to assist and to advocate for small businesses and family enterprises.
ASSIST:
We understand the challenges facing small business owners. We provide access to dispute resolution services for those who may be involved in a disagreement, so they can try and find a solution to their problem without having to go to court.
ADVOCATE:
There are a number of different activities the Ombudsman may conduct in fulfilling the role of small business advocate. Broadly these include:
Conduct inquiries and research
Work with other arms of government
Contribute to other inquiries
Promote good business practice.
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #187 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 19 November 2020
In the world of small business data is everything. It helps us to control cash flow, maintain client relationships, streamline basic and complex processes and give us the confidence to know the decisions we make are based on real, up to date information.
And the explosion of cloud based accounting software is what has given small business a power of on-demand financial data to be used in ways we could not have dreamed of only a few years ago. In fact, in times of crisis it’s been a saving grace - the one true source of truth.
But what other ways, beyond how YOU process data, does it have the power to drive change?
I’m delighted to be joined today by Trent Innes, Managing Director of Xero Australia & Asia to talk to Small Biz Matters about the power of data not only to drive the direction of your business but how it guides Govt policy and influences key decision makers all the way to the top.
Topics we’ll be covering:
- Can you tell us about the Xero Small Business Insights program and the reasons for establishing it? To whom do you deliver the info and how does this powerful data guide policy?
- What trends have you been observing in small business in recent months?
- What do you believe to be the role of software companies when it comes to the power in this data and an advocate role?
New September data indicates positive signs of revenue and jobs growth in Australian small business
Xero, the global small business platform, has today released new data on the health of Australia’s small business sector in September from its Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) program, in partnership with research firm AlphaBeta (part of Accenture).
Based on anonymised and aggregated data of hundreds of thousands of customer records, the latest XSBI analysis shows the small business sector experienced its fastest revenue growth in six months and a jobs increase after a two-month pause.
Revenue growth fastest in six months
Small business revenue grew 5.2% year-on-year, the fastest pace since March 2020. This is just above pre-crisis average annual revenue growth of 4.6% (July 2019 to February 2020).
Victoria, where lockdowns continued in September, recorded a 0.4% year-on-year revenue rise for the month, which was a significant turnaround from the 6% year-on-year decline recorded in August. Victorian health care (+10%), manufacturers (+8%), professional services (+9%) and retail trade (+8%) underpinned this year-on-year revenue growth result.
Despite the rise in revenue in Victoria, the state is still lagging the rest of Australia with revenue growth almost five percentage points lower than the nationwide outcome.
Jobs growth after two months pause
After largely flat results in July and August, small business jobs rose 0.8% in September and have now recovered around two-thirds of the losses experienced when the crisis hit.
As with revenue, the national result was helped by Victoria, where jobs rose 0.9% in September after falling 3.6% between end June and end August.
Despite the rise in small business jobs in September, the Victorian labour market situation is by far the most challenging across Australia. Victorian jobs are still 10.9% lower than they were prior to the pandemic.
The most positive news around jobs in September was the rise in the two hardest hit sectors so far, with hospitality (+3.2%) and arts and recreation (+2.5%) both recording a growth month-to-month. Although both sectors are still well below pre-crisis jobs levels, at -12% and -15% respectively.
“It is encouraging to see national revenue figures returning to pre-COVID levels and industries that were hit the hardest – hospitality and arts and recreation – experiencing a growth in jobs. While small business has been showing a promising recovery, there is still a lot of support needed by the sector to continue this upward trajectory and ensure it can sustain any further turbulence. The September data also provides optimism of a steady rebound in Victoria as restrictions continue to ease,” said Trent Innes, Managing Director Australia and Asia, Xero.
Casual jobs led the downturn but are now leading the rebuild
XSBI data shows that casual employees were hit hard by the onset of the pandemic, when small business casual jobs fell 25% in late March and early April. From June, casual workers began to be rehired and employment of casuals has risen by 24% since the trough of late April.
There is however still some way to go to return to pre-pandemic small business casual employment levels which remain 5.7% below pre-crisis levels. This is a bigger shortfall than the overall job situation, which has small business jobs 3.9% lower than pre-crisis levels.
Payment times remain faster than pre-crisis level
In April and May average payment times rose slightly with small businesses waiting on average a day longer in April to be paid than the 25.4 days they waited in February. However, this trend reversed in June and by September, small businesses reported that average payment times were 24.1 days or 1.3 days faster than before the pandemic crisis.
"Continued improvement in payment times to small businesses will be pivotal at this time. This can ease the strain the pandemic is placing on cash flow and boost confidence for businesses to rehire. This month is a critical one for small businesses and their employees with various government support measures either coming to an end or getting adjusted. The XSBI October data will provide early indications of how small businesses are adjusting to the new policy settings,” added Innes.
To find out more go to their website: www.xero.com/small-business-insights/
About Xero Small Business Insights
The Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) program provides analysis on the sector’s health, with its metrics based on anonymised, aggregated data drawn from hundreds of thousands of subscribers. The result is a picture of business conditions that’s more accurate than most private surveys, which typically have a far smaller sample size, and more frequently updated than much of the data on small business. Xero is currently producing a series of specialised monthly metrics, providing a view of the impact of COVID-19.
About our Guest:
Trent Innes is the Managing Director of Xero in Australia and Asia, the global small business platform. Guided by a strong people focus, he has developed and grown Xero's teams around a common purpose: to help small businesses to thrive. Passionate about the power of using data to help policymakers make informed decisions, Trent launched Xero Small Business Insights in 2017, the first true snapshot of the sector’s health. Since launch, the insights have helped to shape thinking on the Australian small business economy. Trent is also passionate about fostering a thriving technology industry in Australia, and using collaboration to bring this to life. In 2017, Trent was named Managing Director of the Year by CEO Magazine.
Tuesday Nov 17, 2020
Tuesday Nov 17, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #186 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 17 November 2020
It’s all about Local right now. Shop Local, Buy Local, Support Local - it’s everywhere! And it doesn’t get more local than your local council. Their role in the community is constantly evolving - it’s not just about Rates, Rubbish & Roads these days; we have an expectation that our local representatives understand how we operate not only as citizens but businesses too, and support us in that journey.
Some councils achieve this brilliantly and others not so much. But could that be because you’re not telling them what you need from them as a small business? But how are they supposed to represent you if you don’t actually communicate what you need?
Bottom line is you’re not allowed to whinge about the problem unless you’re part of the solution. So that means explaining what’s wrong and how they can fix it. What do you need as a business to grow, create jobs and, as they say, keep it local.
Joining us today is Steven Head, the General Manager of Hornsby Shire Council to explain how you as a small business (and community leader) can communicate what you need. They’re open and willing to help!
Welcome to the show Steven.
Topics we’ll be covering:
- There’s a bit of confusion about what role Council in general plays in small business compared with State and Federal Government. So, can you explain how does Hornsby council currently support and consider small business in it’s approach to each of these:
- Waste
- Environment
- town centre planning
- (others?)
- Tell us about the economic development strategy which is currently being considered by Hornsby Shire Council. What’s going to change and get better?
- What would the council like to hear from the small business community to make things better for them?
- Contributing to strategies when they’re available for consultation
- Chat to your local representative
- Call the council and ask for help!
To find out more go to their website: https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/business and to https://hornsby.localised.com.au/.
About our Guest:
Steven Head has been general manager of Hornsby Shire Council since 2018. Prior to that he was Head of Network Sydney at the Roads and Maritime Service. Most of Steven's career has been in local government, including time at Ku-ring-gai, Parramatta and Willoughby councils. He is a passionate supporter of the role of local government in improving local communities.
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
Tuesday Nov 10, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #185 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 10 November 2020
I realised recently that I haven’t had a real life disruptor on Small Biz Matters before. Someone who recognises early the potential, uniqueness and well, the magic of their idea. Coupled with a desire to make true change, disruptors are a special type of entrepreneur.
Carl Gough, the Founder of MeetMagic is one such individual. Listening to him you can’t but get swept up in his excitement in making real change in the events and conference industry. He’s a passionate disrupter.
Along with all the corporate execs, software partners and the Starlight Foundation he supports, he is like a bull at the gate, ready to make you rethink your preconceived ideas and bring you along for the ride.
Welcome to the show Carl.
Topics we’ll be covering:
What do you think is inherently broken about the business growth market?
- So before all this why did people go to conferences
- Has COVID broken the conference system or was it broken beforehand?
o The disingenuous lunches & conferences, speed dating
o Time waster & time is becoming more and more precious
o The badge scanning & out bounding marketing process
o The huge cost, the ego stroking and the missed opportunities
- This is the structural shift
- COVID is the Closing ceremony of the industrial revolution
- Other examples happening now – remote health, remote learning,
Did you recognise quickly that your business was going to be disruptive? What advice would you give a small business on the cusp of being a disrupter?
- Recognise it because people try and shut you down and through this they show you their fear
- Recognise quickly who you’re disrupting and keep it from them
- You need to have some background knowledge if you’re going to disrupt
Do you need to be lean to be a disrupter?
Partnering with a not for profit – how has this benefited your business growth?
- Talk me through the passion for purpose model – its not just a line on your balance sheet, you need to be genuine
- How do you build a relationship with the charity – your key stakeholder. Look at existing fundraising models or build your own?
- 50/50 model
- What’s your story?
- The inception, and what motivated Carl to start meetmagic.
- How we engage and are received by the tech community (vendors who purchase our meetings).
- What motivates executives to pledge their time to meetmagic.
- The importance for charities to have an alternative stream of funding, especially with the current climate of covid and the resulting charity fatigue experienced by the public.
To find out more go to their website: https://www.meetmagic.org
About our Guest:
Carl Gough - meetmagic Founder and CEO
Carl is a fundraiser, a social entrepreneur and an enterprise sales & business development executive. Hailing from Nottingham, the land of Robin Hood, Carl holds over 17 years experience in Business Development in the IT industry globally. After making the leap from the IT industry to the non profit space, Carl realised the uphill battle that is fundraising. Combining his understanding of the challenges faced by both charities and tech vendors, Carl applied his innate ability to open doors for people to build the brainchild that is meetmagic. He is an inspiring motivator of people and has a hands-on practical approach to making business work. As a rapid new business growth specialist he is the unending energy force behind the success of meetmagic.
About MeetMagic
meetmagic started as a way of disrupting how charities raise funds sustainably by helping the corporate world make better connections. What we do is simple. We curate meetings between executives and problem solvers from leading global tech companies. Vendors get instant access to corporate leaders and leaders gain access to the best problem-solvers for their company's current and future needs. Execs donate 45 minutes, vendors purchase their time, and 70% of the meeting price goes to charity.
Tuesday Nov 03, 2020
Tuesday Nov 03, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #184 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 3 November 2020
As we hurtle towards the middle of the 21st century small businesses are becoming more and more environmentally conscious and good habits are beginning to emerge. Whether it be reducing our carbon footprint, investigating our supply chain, going paper free there are many strategies we can implement to reduce our impact not only as individuals but as business consumers.
But have you considered food waste and the relationship your small business has with this element? How do you and your staff consume it, source it and ultimately, dispose of it. Haven't thought about it yet? Well, considering food security is emerging as a major global issue, you might want to rethink that.
There are programs in place that you can access to reduce your small business’ food print. Here to share with us the mindset to rethink your small business’ relationship to waste, great practical strategies plus a little bit about the reality of the start up world is Donny Chien, the Founder of yWaste.
Welcome to the show Donny.
Topics we’ll be covering:
- Food waste & food security
- What can small business do to reduce their food waste
- The circular economy - through the vehicles of donations vs sales
- Look at food as a resource rather than a commodity
- Our changing relationship to food.
- Who and when do we consider food to be waste?
- The economics of food security
- Change in perspectives of consumers
- What has changed - Changing behaviours, it’s making sense to the broader community, it’s no longer a trend or fad, it’s a bit more of a reality
- Could this concept help you grow your business?
- Building trust in the local community
- Turn waste in customers- and environmentally value drivenlocal customers
- Targeting the environmentally conscious consumer and how businesses can better address the “green” expectations
- yWaste’s start up story
- Telling it like it is as opposed to the San Francisco Garage Startup Drea
- Startup newbies - it’s not all warm and fuzzy - beware of engagements being personality driven, PR, “greenwashing”
- It’s not just a dream - its very, very hard and requires a strong why and drive and patience
- But, there’s lots of like-minded people to collaborate with - the collective moving in one direction
To find out more go to their website: https://ywasteapp.com/
About our Guest:
Donny Chien is a long term Local Ku-ring-gai Resident( not sure if this is a founder), 2nd Generation Taiwanese Australian and co founder of YWaste. Y Waste was founded in 2017 as a way to help restaurants, takeaway shops and cafes across the country reduce food waste. “A third of food produced in retail goes in the bin simply because it’s unsold at the end of the day. That’s a lot of food being wasted, and being the son of Taiwanese immigrants, where his father lost his parents when he was four, and he suffered from food insecurity, so I grew up learning never to waste food. Ywaste is an crowd sourced App that serves a digital platform to effectively solve the first worlds dumbest problem in food waste and a response to his anti food waste values which as part of his upbringing by connecting those who have surplus unsold food to the local community of waste warriors and want to support the local businesses who support these values.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ywaste.com.ywaste&hl=en (Android)
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/ywaste-reduce-food-waste/id1265599631?mt=8 (iOS)
https://m.facebook.com/ywasteAU/
Instagram ywasteau
Tuesday Oct 27, 2020
Tuesday Oct 27, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #183 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 27 October 2020
Time to get excited about statistics. No, really!
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 if all this ideal info like location, B2B details, demographic, political persuasion, customs and habits, and social media use was already easily and freely available.
Well, guess what… it is!
There’s a government department full of real boffins who are passionate about sharing this wealth of knowledge and when it comes to collecting, analysing and delivering this sort of data they’ve made it accessible and useful to small business - and now have a brand new website too!
Its all there for the taking and today we welcome back John Shepherd the General Manager, Industry Statistics Division at ABS to explain how and why we should tap into this goldmine of data.
Topics we’ll be covering:
Sharing the latest ABS updates for small business
- COVID business survey)
- Patterns and trends
- Jobs and wages info (from 700,000 businesses) which can be broken down by sectors
- Latest retail trade survey
- Business conditions updates
Why check out the new website?
- Easy to digest info
- Start with business snapshot then go and explore the main page
- Jobs and wages info (from 700,000 businesses) then breaking down by sectors > how can businesses use the data
Upcoming developments in the pipeline to help small business
- Building on success on STP and exploring ways a business can report survey data through their software
- Making sure the data is safe, aggregated and ready to use
- Email address to be involved for beta testing to help make this useful
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
About our Guest:
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.
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #182 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 13 October 2020
The annual CEBIT conference is a must on the small business education calendar. Always covering a wide range of interesting, thought provoking subjects, this year’s online version - the SMB Digital two day Conference held on 20th and 21st October is no exception. And it’s all free!
Topics will include Data management, Digital transformation, Finance and HR software & technology, Marketing platforms & automation & Security.
There are some CRACKING panels up for grabs and today’s guest joins us for a sneak peak at the quality of experts you’ll experience at the conference.
Danielle Owen Whitford is the founder of Pioneera) and today we’re chatting about ~ Using HR & talent management software to help navigate the new work from home environment and Braden Voigt, Founder of Lynkz, is with us to chat about the latest developments in software which small business needs to know about.
Topics we’ll be covering:
Tell us about changing the way we work & manage others
- It’s not just about shifting the exact way you were working previously and shifting it online
- Example – back to back meetings, longer hours, workshops to engage different audiences. Bare in mind not everyone is comfortable to answer online – online meetings are different.
- Easily distracted too.
- Tactics to minimise distractions and being more clear about your expectations
This is obviously a very dynamic time with many businesses being thrown unexpected curveballs. What do you think are some of the ways that SMBs can meet the current challenges while continuing to find ways to build their business?
With respect to the myriad of technologies and tech solutions out there, what are a few areas that you would suggest SMBs focus on in order to get the best results.
- Why its so important that in the era of COVID that small business owners need to keep updated with the latest trends, tech and software to make their business more successful
So make sure you register HERE ~ bit.ly/3nC5Ojl
SMB Digital, powered by CEBIT AUSTRALIA, will take place virtually on 20-21 October, 2020. This two-day event is for small-and medium-sized companies and will appeal to IT decision-makers and professionals, CEOs and Managing Directors and CXOs. The event will be a forum for business owners to better understand how they can utilise new technology to fortify their organisation for the future. Watch and interact during live presentations, panel forums and Q&A sessions. Register for free at www.smb-digital.com.au
About our Guests - Danielle Owen Whitford
Former Corporate Executive that moved into Start-ups in 2018. A boundary pusher throughout her career, she’s constantly challenged the notion of “we can’t do it differently, so we live with what we have”.
Using technology and curiosity to create a new normal, Danielle founded start up Pioneera to tackle the crippling issue of workplace stress, using the simplest of approaches – our words and behaviour. Pioneera’s AI platform combines technology with psychology to predict and prevent workplace stress and is gaining strong traction across both corporate Australia and small businesses.
Danielle speaks regularly on stress, AI, women in technology and leadership and stress and wellbeing.
“Indie” by Pioneera
Covid-19 has changed the way we work, interact and live. Suddenly everything we knew to be true about our people and workplaces is uncertain. Employees working from home have different stresses and over time, decreased resilience. The frequency of mistakes increases, as does missed deadlines. Language can become more negative and emotional. Action is required and Indie by Pioneera improves mental wellbeing and encourages productivity and greater quality of work.
How do you construct an environment where your people are engaged, and you know where and when you need to help them be at their best?
We rely on our senses to connect
When your people are with you, you feel like you know what is happening because of what you see and hear. We rely on our senses to understand and connect with our people. Now, with remote working, or a blend of remote and onsite working, we lose even these simple indicators. So, we struggle to do our best.
Indie does the sensing for you
Pioneera’s bot “Indie” integrates into your communication systems (eg. Email, chat channels) and uses language to help you sense and manage behavioural indicators in real-time. Indie recently helped one of Pioneera’s clients identify that their regular Covid-19 briefings were causing team stress. As they were able to identify this trend in real-time and take instant action, stress immediately reduced and productivity improved. Indie does the sensing when you can’t.
About our Guests - Braden Voigt
Braden has been in the IT industry for nearly 20 years and is the CEO of Lynkz – a wholly Australian-owned software development company – founded in 2017. Lynkz specialises in the delivery of data using machine learning, artificial intelligence and cognitive services. Prior to starting Lynkz in 2017, Braden was the Co-Founder of SixPivot – a software development and solutions company. While at SixPivot, he built the ‘Cloud Control’ product which provides a multi-cloud billing management platform.
Due to the outstanding nature of his work, Braden and his companies have been presented with the following awards: Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Technology (Business News Australia) 2017, 2018 and 2019; Start Up of the Year – Merit Award – 2017; Top 20 Most Innovative Companies in Australia – May, 2017 (Anthill) and Coolest Company – Start Up –2017 (Anthill). He holds a vast array of certifications including multiple Microsoft technologies and is a member of the Azure Advisors program and a member of the Australian Institute of Management.
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #181 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 13 October 2020
An ABN is an Australian Business Number which is required for anyone to be conducting business activities in Australia. It’s an unique 11-digit identifier issued by the Australian Business Register (ABR) which is operated by the Australian Taxation Office.
We all know this, right?
But what you might not know is the incredible mechanics behind maintaining this huge database used by businesses, advisors, government agencies all over the world.
Did you know the ATO conducts regular audits of these numbers and cancels them if they’re unused over a period of time? Or that the integrity of this system is a fundamental part of the australian financial landscape?
So let’s get it straight from the ABR and the ATO themselves: Michelle Crosby is the Deputy Registrar for the Australian Business Register & Deputy Commissioner, Commonwealth Business Registry Service, ATO
Michelle will talk about the work the ATO is leading to build a modernised registry service and transform the way that businesses interact with government. She’ll also share new requirements for company directors and discuss how registry information helps governments provide support to businesses and the community.
Welcome to the show Michelle.
Topics we’ll be covering:
What’s changed recently and how is the government modernising in regards to the use of ABR data?
- There is a shared responsibility to keep ABR up to date and accurate, so it can be utilised in times of crisis
- Modernising Business Registers program will create a single business registry
- Chat about the Deregulation Agenda, self service, tell-us-once approach
- State based agencies like Service NSW have been using ABR data to provide a range of support options to small businesses
What are Director Identification Numbers and why are they being introduced?
- What are the recent changes to the ABN system?
- We want to help Australian businesses and those who want to do the right thing, and equally we want to make it difficult for those who try to do the wrong thing
- What does the ATO consider the right and wrong things – give examples here?
- Director Identification numbers will be provided to all directors, enabling us to try and do this from next year
- Why?
- How is this going to be implemented?
You are the Deputy Registrar of the Australian Business Register, what does your role entail?
- How to the various Govt agencies communicate about our data
- Looking after the ABR – the data is an important national asset and is vital to help us support businesses
- I want to strengthen the ABN system and ensure our data is used to unlock social and economic value - ABN registration insights reflecting challenging business environment and uncertainty due to COVID-19 & ABR data to various levels of government through events like the recent disasters
To find out more go to their website: www.abr.gov.au
About our Guest:
Michelle Crosby, Deputy Registrar, Australian Business Register & Deputy Commissioner, Commonwealth Business Registry Service, Australian Taxation Office
Michelle Crosby is the Deputy Registrar of the Australian Business Register (ABR) and the Deputy Commissioner of the Commonwealth Business Registry Service business line within the Australian Taxation Office.
As Deputy Registrar, Michelle helps businesses manage their Australian Business Number (ABN) registrations, undertakes activities to strengthen the ABN system and assists government agencies to access ABR data.
Michelle is currently leading the Modernising Business Registers (MBR) program, which is a transformative program of work across multiple agencies to build a new registry service. The MBR program will also deliver the director identification number initiative, which will help address illegal phoenix activity.
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #180 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 6 October 2020
We talk a lot on this program about advocacy and how you, the listener, are a leader. You’re passionate about small business whether that’s you being more successful in your own business, leading others by example or mentoring someone less experienced.
So, thanks to all of you from your small business community.
But what if you took it to the next level? What if you made advocacy your core work and grew a successful business from the foundation of looking after others?
Our guest today has done that not just once, but six times over. Amanda Rose is a columnist, TEXx speaker and the Founder of Small Business Women Australia.
Topics we’ll be covering:
- Tell us about your work with the Small Business Women Australia and how this advocacy strategy has supported specifically this group of small businesses?
- Why did you decide to support women in western Sydney in particular?
- What have you learned from your recent COVID survey results conducted on your Small Business Women Australia group?
- Why is real time data crucial for policy makers and how can it be used more effectively?
To find out more go to their website: https://www.smallbusinesswomenaustralia.com.au/join
About our Guest:
Amanda Rose is Australia’s foremost Strategic Connector, Founder of Small Busi-ness Women Australia, Publisher of Business Woman Media and Founding Director of Western Sydney Women, Western Sydney Executive Women & Managing Partner of Western Sydney Advisory.
As one of the most influential people on LinkedIn, Amanda Rose (#BossLady) is quoted as an “internet winning blogger” by TIME.com and contributes regularly to ABC The Drum, HuffingtonPost, Sydney Morning Herald, Greater Sydney Living Magazine, AFR & SkyBusiness.
Amanda has a weekly #BossLady careers column in the Daily Telegraph.
A passionate keynote speaker, Amanda Rose works with The Australian Defence Force, CPA Australia, Law Institute, UTS, UBER, ANZ, Western Sydney University and the Royal Australian Navy on the areas of confident leadership, conflict resolution & relationship building via connection.
Amanda has a degree in Business majoring in Marketing & Psychology from Macquarie University, a Masters of Communications Management from UTS & Post Grad in Educational Leadership from Macquarie University and is a non executive director at Excelsia College.
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Small Biz Matters – #179 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 6 October 2020
So, What is Neuro Linguistic Programming and how can mindset help you achieve in small business? It’s certainly not a topic many are thinking about right now as small business in Australia finds itself in the deepest crisis since crisis’ were invented.
But it is exactly that - mindset - which might help you dig your way out of that hole we all find ourselves in. And mindset or mindfulness can come in many forms. Self talk, being thoughtful about how we communicate with others, believing in yourself and the programming that occurs as a result of all these conscious changes are all examples of NLP.
Even those of us who don’t prescribe to this method of growing our business are utilising it without even realising it.
So let’s acknowledge it as a valuable business tool and start putting it to work.
Anne McKeown, is a highly regarded Master Coach & Trainer who empowers women to turbo-charge the results in their life and business, so they can enjoy more success every day.
Welcome to the show Anne.
What is NLP?
- Neuro, Linguistic, Programming. NLP - Neuro (our thinking), Linguistic (the language we use (self-talk) and communicating with others), and Programming (our behaviour that comes as a result of our thoughts and language).
- In the 1970s Grinder & Bandler wanted to uncover what made some people extra-ordinary/ successful and others not. They discovered it came down to 3 main things : Their beliefs (it is possible). Their mindset (open and positive). Their strategies (action plan).
- Every thought creates an emotion, this emotion triggers a reaction (verbally and/or physically). Successful people ACT they do not REACT. Understanding the power of the mind is key.
- Awareness around your use of the language is very important. Especially if it’s negative self-talk. We are often harder on ourselves than anyone else would ever be! We kill our own confidence and sabotage ourselves with negative self talk. If we split this word in two lan and gage – it is interesting because this word alone tells us that we can gauge what a person is thinking and feeling by the vocabulary they use eg: I can’t get any sales ... I will try... I must… I should… I ought to… VERSUS I can get two sales… I will... I choose to…. I want to… I have decided to. (giving self permission and power to achieve).
- Think of yourself as a communicator. What is your verbal language and body language telling the world?
And what about the mindset and its impact on beliefs and success?
- Answer : Carol Dweck, prof at Stanford University coined the phrase ‘open/closed mindset’
- Closed = black or white, right or wrong, we’ve always done it this way etc. NO GROWTH, NO CHANGE, NO PROGRESS.
- Open = I’m open to learning and growing, I will listen then make up my mind, people are entitled to their views and opinions.
- The person with the most flexibility will enjoy more success.
- NLP teaches that our perceived limits are not our actual limits.
Is there a difference between the Conscious and Unconscious Mind when it comes to achieving our goals?
- Answer : Yes. The CONSCIOUS mind is our goal setter. It likes to be in charge of logical, conscious processes. It responds well to SMART. (Specific. Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed). When I read the words: goals/targets/aims they make me think of football, archery and darts! Each of these sports encourage the player to focus in one direction. All with the same result in mind – to score! NLP teaches that if you don’t focus your thoughts on what you want to achieve - your mind will quickly fill with unnecessary worries and you will feel overwhelmed, exhausted and confused before you’ve even started to shoot (for a sale!)
- Our UNCONSCIOUS mind is our goal getter because of the part of our brain known as the reticular activating system – RAS for short. Your RAS takes instructions from your conscious mind and passes them on to your unconscious. You may have played spotto with your kids (start looking for yellow cars and they seem to be everywhere) that was what your conscious mind was focused on so your unconscious mind, did what it was told, and delivered what you were focused on. This is why you should be careful what you wish for, if you only focus on your needs and wants, your unconscious mind will find you more needs and wants!
To find out more go to their website: http://www.annemckeown.com
About our Guest:
Anne McKeown, www.annemckeown.com is a highly regarded Master Coach & Trainer who empowers women to turbo-charge the results in their life and business, so they can enjoy more success every day.
Anne is the owner of 2Mpower.co and has created a step-by-step proven ‘Process for Success’ that empowers women to take full control of their life and business by shifting the psychological barriers that hold them back.
She incorporates NLP techniques when coaching or facilitating individuals and teams because she knows it’s not enough to tell people what to do - it’s essential to show them HOW to do it.
Anne is also a published author and the founder of Sydney Women’s Self-Empowerment Meetup which has over 500 members.
https://www.meetup.com/Sydney-Women-Self-Empowerment-Meetup/