Wow, where did the first half of 2017 go? It’s really been a bit of a whirlwind. But, no rest for the wicked. Bring on the snow I say. I love winter in Canberra. The frosty mornings. Ice on the windscreen. Fog in the streets. Warm coats. Woolly hats. Gloves and heavy coats. Those temperatures that get down to close to -10 degrees Celsius … ok well, maybe not that bit so much. So, what does winter mean for business? Well, it harks the new financial year. A milestone for all of us that have the privilege of running a business. It makes us take stock of the year that has just passed and plan for the year ahead. It is the opportunity to take a breath and think about what is important in our business lives. An opportunity to set some goals for the year ahead. To look at your team and assess their performance and attitude towards your vision and direction. Sometimes this can be a hard and uncomfortable task and difficult discussions may need to be had. But don’t shirk this duty. It will come back and kick you in the butt twice as hard next year. Most importantly have a good long hard look at yourself. Are you being honest with yourself? Are you living up to your expectations? What are the things you can do to improve your performance? Sometimes these can be small steps and improvements. Sometimes it can be an attitude shift. Sometimes it can be major, life altering change that turns your current world upside down. So, use this time wisely and make those decisions that will lead to fulfilling your dreams.
Direct your tax dollars
One decision I would like to see this financial year is for more businesses to support local community organisations. Now, my view until recently is that we pay our taxes and charges and then the governments in their collective wisdom distribute that money to organisations to perform community functions that we can all enjoy. Maybe it’s my age and the ‘shades of grey’ thing, but I think all levels of government are tightening the purse strings and dropping the ball a bit more when it comes to local community not-for-profit (NFP) organisations. Therefore, if they’re not going distribute your taxes to local NFP organisations after you’ve paid them, then I highly recommend you do it first and claim the tax deduction. There are many organisations out there that desperately could do with another five, 10 or 15 thousand dollars. It could make all the difference for them. So, talk to your bookkeeper, accountant, staff, loved one etc and make a decision to support a local not-for-profit this EOFY.
Tim Benson, Publisher
Send all comments to: [email protected]