Issue 123 February 2017

With the new-year upon us and hopefully a chance to rest and recuperate we have a unique opportunity to reflect on how our business is going and what we can do to improve it. While we all have a feeling on how our business is travelling without some accurate figures we are really working in the dark. Are our management...

Life for Rose Pisano was great. She was 40, happily married and the kids were growing up nicely, doing what kids usually do…. Then she began noticing that she was exhausted every day, her speech was slurry, and she was tripping when she walked. Holding a pen felt strange as she could no longer sign her name or write properly....

The success of business-to-business relationships between customer and supplier depends on many factors. From speed of response & quality of delivery through to return on investment, every little bit counts in an increasingly competitive commercial market. And as our calendars get busier, so does our reliance on digital channels as a preferred method of communication. But with our increased use...

Inspire success on the rooftop of Australia at a conference destination with a difference. The Thredbo Alpine Hotel offers endless conference options year round away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Host your corporate event in the heart of the Kosciuszko National Park and give your guests an invigorating environment to clear the mind and focus on an...

HorizonOne Recruitment's Canberra Employment Market Update 2016 saw a steady, consistent growth in recruitment activity through most of the year lead predominantly by the Government sector. However, November and December saw a big surge in activity across all sectors. Buoyed by the 'book end' of a looming Christmas break and big plans for 2017, December was a record month for...

Every business owner is aware of the importance of keeping costs low while continuing to offer customers the best service possible. Equally, that no matter how profitable your business is there is always a bit of fat that could be trimmed away to reveal a faster, leaner, more effective operating model.Rapid advances in technology are making this balancing act much...

Darko Reljic, founder and director of Empreus IT Support, is a young man, on the way up in the IT world, with a great story to tell. Darko is 22 years of age. He was born in Bosnia in 1994 and moved to Australia in the early 2000. At Daramalan College he started to focus his attention on IT. "I...

Many SME owners struggle to differentiate between profit and cash flow. If asked to produce a cash flow forecast, most will revert to producing a profit forecast. But profit and cash flow are definitely not the same. GROWTH IS NOT NECESSARILY A SIGN OF SUCCESS For example, did you know you can actually go broke if your business grows too...

The growing importance of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) roles due to globalisation and business complexity has led to the need of increased expectation for CFOs to become business strategists. Equipped by technology advancement, the role of a CFO is now transforming. Conventionally, CFOs are required to direct the company accounting, ensure the financial information accuracy, and monitor the financial health...

Despite the fact that people care more about the result of the final Saturday in September than the goings-on in Parliament, the AFL does not wield governmental power (though the AFL might wish otherwise). How then did James Hird allege that he was denied procedural fairness when the question of whether he breached the rules was determined? While those proceedings...

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. It is all about timing - the books and outlook can be good, but many small to medium businesses experience cash gaps between delivery and payment. Slower debtor payments or extended payment terms inhibit a business's ability to invest, exploit larger opportunities or simply manage day-to-day costs. Increasingly, new and growing businesses...

Insider threats, or threats from your own users, are the number one concern for Australian organisations according to the 2015 Australian Centre for Cyber Security (ACSC) survey results. Organisations are increasingly losing control of high-value information. Extenuating factors include bring-your-own-device (BYOD) usage, the sending of sensitive information to external people, and the use of cloud applications and collaboration tools. These...

Most business owners would likely understand that failing to pay amounts due to the ATO can be the start of a rocky road to ruin. However there appear to be some, along with their advisors, who routinely underestimate the level of risk associated with ignoring the revenue Czars - and now the focus has shifted to superannuation guarantee entitlements. A...