More customers, longer hours and an increased workload can add up to festive fatigue for your team. Here’s your guide to looking after your staff members to help avoid burnout over the Christmas and New Year rush. While the Christmas carols tell us our days should be merry and bright, the reality can look very different for small business owners...
If you’re a business owner, it’s important to understand your obligations to provide a safe and healthy workplace. This includes keeping up with changes to health and safety legislation. The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has introduced new Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws for Western Australia. Here are seven things to know...
Tendering is the process of creating a formal offer (or ‘bid’) to supply goods, services or works as requested by a government agency or private organisation. Procurement and tender specialist Celia Jordaan also sees tendering as an opportunity to work out what you do well in your business and use that to your competitive advantage. Through her...
Family-owned and operated business, Leaf Bean Machine, has spent more than a decade taking their love of a good brew to the next level by focussing on being more than just a coffee roaster. Fleur and Brad Cassidy, the husband and wife team behind Leaf Bean Machine, created a three pronged product focus which gave rise to its trading name. They...
Pricing your products and services can be challenging at the best of times – and it’s easy to make mistakes along the way. The good news is that with careful planning, research and the right pricing strategy in place, you could feel more confident with your pricing decisions. One of the SBDC’s experienced business advisers, Steve McLaren, has seen...
Great news! You don’t need to provide an on-site video arcade, unlimited holidays or free pet-sitting to be an employer of choice. With these simple ideas, you could create the kind of workplace and culture your team will love. You might spend a lot of time and effort attracting customers to your business – but how much have you invested in...
Deciding to raise your prices can be a big step for your business. The next crucial step is to make sure your customers know what’s changing, why and when your new pricing takes effect. If you’ve decided it’s the right time to increase your prices, it’s important to invest time in planning how to share the news of your new pricing. Our small...
A new form of paid leave has been introduced nationally to assist employees who are experiencing family and domestic violence. We outline the facts about the scheme and how it affects small business employers. What is family and domestic violence? According to 1800 Respect, domestic and family violence happens when one person in a relationship...
Small business owners with a business tax debt are encouraged to work with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to help manage it. Dealing with financial stress while running a business can be difficult. It is often tempting to brush it aside and deal with it at a later stage, or panic and try to resolve your debt through a short-term solution...
At this time of year, it’s common for businesses to take on extra staff to help them through the busy festive period. We asked our business adviser, Gudrun Gilles, for tips about hiring casual staff over the festive period. Here are Gudrun's top tips to help you make the most of hiring casual staff for your business. Tip #1: Be prepared Taking on a...
If you’re like many business owners, you might find yourself putting off certain tasks, actions or decisions until after the Christmas break. Here’s your festive inspiration to take action now. We asked our business adviser, Peter Frey, for his thoughts on what kind of actions business owners tend to delay at this time of year – and what to do...
While some businesses have their peak season over the Christmas and New Year period, other businesses experience a lull or schedule a shutdown. If December and January are usually quiet for your business, you can plan ahead to make the most of your downtime. At the end of a busy year, it’s important to take some time to relax and recharge when...