Maybe you’ve been wondering how this podcast came about? A bunch of factors coming together resulted in Paul Sweeney wanting to create a podcast focused on helping small business owners. First of all, Paul comes from a small town where he saw first hand the implications of local businesses succeeding or failing. Success of failure […]
Are you guilty of mindless spending at work? Maybe you have cash leaking from your business and you don’t even realise it! Paul Sweeney (Pretium Solutions) explores some of the most common areas where money is wasted: Unused or under-used subscriptions Unnecessary licences Old subscriptions from past employees Automatic renewals These areas are often overlooked […]
Standard operating procedures (or SOPs) are about making things simpler at work and saving time. The work day is full of so many tasks and it makes sense to keep things as easy as possible. SOPs help you organise and streamline your activities to make the best use of your time. This is especially important […]
We assume accuracy is beneficial all of the time, but perhaps not always necessary. You can think of situations where accuracy might be sacrificed for speed perhaps, creativity, or just to get the ball moving on a project. Remember the saying by Catherine Carrigan, ‘Perfect is the enemy of done.’ But when is accuracy essential in business? Accuracy […]
Running a successful business is all about the profit, right? While being profitable is the ultimate goal of a business, one of the most important factors (and one of the biggest pain points) is management of cash flow. So what can you do to improve your cash flow? Paul Sweeney from Pretium Solutions explores some […]
Running your own business is amazing, right? The freedom, the power, the money – more like, the STRESS! Stress is something that everyone experiences, but for small business owners, it can feel extreme as you try to grapple with every problem imaginable and find solutions to please everyone. It’s an uphill battle that can leave […]
Sales is commonly listed as a problem area for businesses. But where to begin with fixing things? What can you do to improve your sales? Nathan Williams, founder of Customer Return, joins us to look at some of the biggest sales issues faced by businesses including: Developing the right pitch Creating a sales process that […]
It’s something that all businesses (and individuals) dread – a data breach. We all know by now how important it is to protect our data. But despite the tools and education available, these data breaches still happen. And sometimes, like the recent Optus breach, they are massive. This incident has led to many important questions […]
As part of our celebration of our 100th episode, we asked our listeners what topic they would like covered. The consensus was to do a compilation of the best business advice from listeners. So that is what you will find in this jam-packed episode! We heard from business owners and professionals about the strategies that […]
Delegation can be a great tool for business owners to use – but only if used correctly! Otherwise, employees can feel resentful (“I’m getting the jobs no one else wants!”) or overwhelmed (“This isn’t my job, why am I doing it? I have no idea what to do!”) Raj Nathoo from Keystone Active Learning shares […]
Do you need to know more about your customers or competition? What about trends affecting your industry? Or generational shifts in society? Successful businesses are all about providing great solutions to difficult problems faced by your customers. To make sure you are on the right path, it is crucial to have the right information to […]
Does your business rely on labour? An aging population and falling immigration rates already reduced our labour market and then COVID-19 made staffing challenges that much harder. So how can your business grow and prosper during these challenging times? Paul Cripps from PK People Solutions explores the issues around labour shortages and provides some ideas […]
Are you curious about starting a business? Do you want to learn more about the SaaS industry? Maybe you are interested in becoming an entrepreneur yourself? Listen in and gain some insight from our special guest, Stuart McLeod, co-founder of Karbon. Stuart has had many experiences as an entrepreneur. He started off in his early […]
The Melissa Caddick Ponzi scheme rocked the investment world when it came to light a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, this kind of fraudulent behaviour is nothing new or unusual and we all need to guard against it. Our special guest, Bruce Gleeson (Jones Partners), is the liquidator for Melissa Caddick and has been very […]
If you have a business in Australia, you may have noticed that lately the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is putting a lot of effort into recovering debt from businesses. This is because over the last few years, debt collection had been halted due to Covid and its many issues like lockdowns. We are joined by […]
The end of the financial year is swiftly approaching – so what does that mean for you as a business owner? What activities do you need to do to set your business up for the best start in the new financial year? There are two types of essential business planning that you should be doing […]
We are joined by our special guest, The Honourable Bruce Billson, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO). Bruce explains the role of ASBFEO and the different programs and services available to assist small businesses. Helping small businesses with dispute resolution A policy and advocacy space to help small businesses deal with governments […]
As a small business owner, have you ever thought about doing business with large companies and decided it was never going to happen because it was just ‘too hard’ or the differences between your business and theirs were just too great? Find out how to successfully bridge the gap between small businesses and larger businesses. […]
We are joined by Anna Ruth from Freedom for Humanity for an eye-opening chat about modern slavery. Freedom for Humanity is an organisation committed to creating a world where human rights are upheld, and all individuals can flourish and thrive. In this conversation we delve into Anna’s profound insights, her passion for human rights, and […]
More conversations to help your business grow and thrive We hosted The Business Behind Your Business Meet Up – a fun celebration for our podcast community. All of our podcast guests and listeners have been a special part of our podcast and we wanted to say thank you, plus hear from everyone about their business […]
One of the biggest issues for business owners is managing cash flow. Healthy cash flow is crucial for the success of any business. Cash flow is a term that is often confused with profit. Business owners often say, “My business is busy and profitable, so why don’t I have any money in the bank?” Find […]
We hosted The Business Behind Your Business Meet Up – a fun celebration for our podcast community. All of our podcast guests and listeners have been a special part of our podcast and we wanted to say thank you, plus hear from everyone about their business journeys. It was a great opportunity to network and […]
Business owners – here’s an important question to ask yourselves, “Do my customers actually know what I do for them?” We are joined again by Nathan Williams (Customer Return) to look at this crucial issue – and how the use of storytelling can help bridge the gap in understanding and build your relationship. You can […]
Knowing your business and providing amazing products or services is only part of running a successful venture. Another crucial aspect of business success is building positive relationships. From fostering business-to-business ties, to encouraging return customers, to keeping fantastic staff – how you manage relationships is integral to your business. We are joined by Jason Owen, […]
Events have long been a go-to strategy for businesses aiming to showcase their products or services. However, it’s not uncommon for these efforts to fall flat despite the considerable investments of time, effort, and money. In this episode we address the questions of: How can we turn the tide and make our events successful? How […]
In general, small businesses are not healthy. Here are some alarming statistics – Australian Small Business and Family Enterprises Ombudsman (ASBFEO) has found that 49% of small business owners make less than average wages, and two out of 5 micro and small businesses are not profitable. Interestingly, there are also businesses who are thriving in […]
What can you do to give yourself the best chance of success in your business? Following on from our last episode on business health checks, Paul Sweeney shares the 7 steps you need to take to create some positive changes in your business. What kinds of outcomes can you expect? Your business will be more […]
One of the accepted risks of running a business is being audited by the tax department. Nowadays, there are multiple government agencies that you and your business may need to deal with, apart from just the Australian Tax Office and possible income tax audits. With increased data sharing between government organisations, it has become much […]
What do you need to consider when choosing an accountant for your business? It’s an important decision – getting the right accountant for your needs can help you build a profitable and healthy business. Here are some key factors to consider: What services does your business need? What are your values? What are the qualifications […]
The 2023 calendar year has drawn to a close. For many, it was still a year of hangover effects from covid and poorer economic conditions. For many others, it was a year of substantial growth and increased profits. So what set those businesses apart? In this episode, our host Paul Sweeney reflects on some of […]
The Business Behind Your Business has had some incredible guests over the past year. I have been lucky enough to interview people from many different industries and share their stories and insights with our podcast audience.
What are your business and personal goals for the year? What plans have you made? How will you implement these plans? How will you assess if your goals are being met? If these questions leave you feeling overwhelmed, never fear! It’s NEVER too late to make a business plan. Find out the benefits of making […]
If you watched our last episode, you will have learned that it is never too late to make a business plan. In this episode, we look at some of the common mistakes business owners make when creating and using business plans. So look out for these 5 common business plan fails: Not actually making a […]
In this episode we’ll be exploring the transformative power of Three-Way Forecasting and how it can revolutionize your approach to financial planning and decision-making. Understanding Three-Way Forecasting: What exactly is Three-Way Forecasting? We break down this concept into digestible pieces, explaining how it integrates income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Learn why this […]
Does your business struggle with a constant turnover in employees? This is an issue for many businesses and the cost of hiring and onboarding new employees is high. Or perhaps you have some amazing employees and you want to learn more about how to retain them? We are joined by Paul Cripps from PK People […]
As a small business owner, do you fall back on your business credit card for everything? While using these credit cards is very popular, it’s important to recognise when there are better solutions. We are joined by Jason Smith (Capital Plus Finance) for a frank discussion on how credit cards can be misused by businesses, […]
