Is your business locked in competition warfare, defending a position that costs you blood, sweat and profit? That’s the red ocean: a race where every win costs you more and every race is ultimately to the bottom. It’s red because there’s blood in the water. Now imagine clear blue waters—an ocean of...
So-Called Non-Profits
Our world would stop without the not-for-profit groups. Literally, our regional communities and local economies depend on a small army of good people, mostly organised in non-profit associations (NFPs), to deliver a huge range of essential services. Aged care, childcare, disability services, youth services, public safety and emergency response, health,...
Pride of Place
Isn’t it fantastic to be a regional business owner? Sometimes we get bogged down in the challenges and we limit our own horizons. But here’s an invitation: lift up your eyes, and join me in celebrating what we have here! Local Connections. Regional businesses benefit from strong relationships with customers, high...
Grant Thornton – Rehabilitating the Third Generation
Grant Thornton Australia just released their 2023 family business survey, called Future-Proofing Your Family Business. It’s a very relevant title, because so many of the benefits of the family business model depend on longevity – the ability to take a “patient capital” view of business investments; the ability to create...
What It Means to Be in Business For Yourself
What It Means to Be in Business For Yourself Why are we in business? It’s not the easy road, but hey, it’s worth it. I’ve run my own businesses for most of this century, and I’ve made most of the available mistakes. But I wouldn’t work any other way. Again, why? We...
The Four Truths of Business Growth®
We trademarked that phrase because it’s central to how we plan our work with our clients. Here’s a quick overview. But first – why grow? Businesses don’t have to achieve world domination, or be “unicorns”, or generate billionaires, to be successful. A business that supports a lifestyle you love, while...
Branding vs Marketing
It's a common question in the business world- just what is the difference between branding and marketing? Both are important, but they have quite different purposes. Branding is communicating a promise to your potential customers, whereas marketing is how you reach them. Think of it like this, a brand is...
Time Management for Small Business Owners
One of the biggest struggles for small business owners (especially those on the start of their business journey) is managing their tasks and prioritising time. As new entrepreneurs we wear many different hats, and too often you can feel like you are working nonstop only to get to the end...
Tasks to Tackle During Business Downtime
There's no denying that the year tends to start off slowly for a lot of businesses, and business owners. Our clients are in recovery after a big month of spending in December, or are on holidays and not in need of our services. For many business owners, January can be...
What Does 2022 Have In Store for Business?
Let’s play the New Year guessing game. What is 2022 going to bring for us business owners? First, I don’t have a crystal ball and nor does anyone else. We will have to continue to manage our businesses through uncertainty and rapid change, even when it scares us sh*tless. Back...