Let's talk business february 2014

Let’s Talk Business 1

Web: www.marketingmeansbusiness.com Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0451 184 599

Let’s Talk Business Back To Basics Business Solutions - Support for Small Business

Volume 2 Issue 14 - January 2014

Finding

New

Opportunities,

Products,

Services

Inside this issue

Cover Story - Finding New Opportunities, Products, Services

Business Snippets ...………..3

Your Business and the

Community

Dennis Chiron……………..4

Biz Tips For Small Business

Dennis Chiron …………….5

The Tyranny of Email

Dr Tim Baker …………..…6

6 Ways to Fight Distraction

Geoff Butler ……………….7

How My Millionaire Clients

are Different to My ‘Want’

To Be Millionaire Clients

Dan Buzer ……………........8

Do You Owe The Taxman?

Jo-Anne Chaplin ……….....9

Do You Own Your Domain

Name?

Karen Ahl ………………...10

Stop Interfering

PeterNicol………………...11

Disruptive Incidents in the

Workplace

Ron Court …..…………....12

Live Long and Prosper

Paul Gillmore ………….....13

http://www.marketingmeansbusiness.com/

mailto:[email protected]



Sometimes there are ideas that hit

us like a lightning bolt, but that’s as far

as it goes. It’s a fact that most creative

new ideas never reach the market place.

Even in today’s “tricky” climate,

business opportunities exist for the

astute operator.

An opportunity is an exploitable situation

or condition which the small business

entrepreneur can turn into increased

sales, profit or competitive edge through

some marketing action.

An important aspect for growth in any

enterprise is to find and exploit new

market opportunities. Even when

business is good, there is always a need,

and there are always opportunities, to

seek out new markets and new ideas.

New market opportunities spring from a

range of possible sources and vary in

their size, importance, and risk.

Flexibility and the speed with which

changes can be put into effect is one of

the key competitive advantages of the

small business.

Being flexible and willing to change is

half the secret. Gaining experience in an

field is a process of trial and error; and a

common mistake is being too cautious to

the extent that nothing ventured nothing

gained.

To survive in a competitive business

environment you must be prepared to

innovate and also take risks. In many

ways the whole principle of investment

in small business is a calculated and

controlled risk.

The trial and error principle is especially

important in marketing where new ideas

Conversely, sometimes a company

will develop a product and then try

to generate a need amongst

consumers. For example, we really

had no idea that we needed a

microwave oven or even an iPad,

until we were told and shown that

we did.

The small business owner who

does not evolve with the

marketplace runs a serious risk of

soon becoming extinct. Innovation

needs to be high on the list of

market opportunity for every small

business.

As a guide to where new

opportunities may emerge, the

entrepreneur should consider

examining some of the following

areas:-

The Internet

Product advantage

Changing lifestyles of the

market place and target market

Emerging technology

Market coverage

Discovery of new applications

Improvement in service

facilities

Cost/price vulnerability

Retail and Commerce

Regional / local tourism

The “Grey” market

*This article is an excerpt from an article

written by Dennis Chiron and printed in

the Hunter Business Review.

Finding New Opportunities, Products, Services

Bionic Ear

are essential to increase sales.

The small business owner who can

arrange his / her commitments to either

think through, or trial the options, plan

new products, or experiment and work

at anticipating shifts in consumer

demands, is in a much stronger

competitive position - simply because

he / she can react much quicker to

changes in the market place.

Efficient small business management

requires a quick response.

Some ideas will win and some will fail.

This means that any experimental push

into a new market must be planned to

minimise any potential loss.

There are always sources for new ideas

and new opportunities. Whenever you

see weaknesses or inefficiencies in the

market, and you believe that you can

improve that weakness or inefficiency,

then you have found an opportunity.

Many, many sources of ideas and

opportunities generate from existing

products or services, and one of the

most promising sources of ideas for

new business comes from customers.

Many successful money making ideas

first arise out of a need by your

customer .

Listening to customers is something we

should do continuously, in order to

understand what customers want, where

they want it, how they want a product or

service supplied, when they want it

supplied, and at what price.





NSW manufacturers appear to be

heading for a soft landing, and are

leading their counterparts in every other

State, according to the Australian

Industry Group (AIG).

An AIG / Telstra survey of Australian

manufacturing found that NSW achieved

stronger November/December/January

trends than all other States, with 44% of

companies reporting production

increases and 27% reporting declines.

The quarterly production and sales

performances reported by NSW

manufacturers were the strongest in

twelve months.

A Good Example

of Bad Research

The Pepsodent

Toothpaste Company mounted an

advertising campaign in South-East

Asia, promoting pearly-white teeth when

the user buys Pepsodent.

It turns out that many Asians darkly

stained teeth - particularly with women -

as being very attractive.

Industry Sector Growth

The fastest growing

industries in Australia,

according to a recent

Yellow Pages survey are:

Computer networking firms (up 48% in

the last 12 months); Hot food shops (+

35%); Arcade game suppliers (+39);

Massage Therapists (+41%); Mobile

phone outlets (+36%); Relaxation

Therapists (+31%); Training

organisations (+26%); Domestic safety

equipment (+27%); and Child Care

Centre (+21%).

Industry Sector Decline

The fastest declining

industries / products in

Australia, according to the

same Yellow Pages survey are: Arts and

Crafts; Video recorders; Calculators;

Dishwashing machines; Microwave

ovens; Refrigeration equipment

services, and Leather products.

Chinese Coke Options

Local soft drinks in China

are gaining a greater market

share while market leader

Coca-Cola is losing ground, according

to Market Research company Frank

Small & Associates. Asian Media

Magazine reports that the number of

Chinese consumers who say they prefer

Coke has dropped from more than 35%

to just under 30% in the last year. In

contrast, local brands are building up

their own base of loyal consumers. For

example, Asian Carbonated has

increased from 4% to 11% in the last

year.

And On The Same Subject

In China, the slogan “Come Alive With

Pepsi”, translates as “Bring your

ancestors back from the dead”.

Hearing Things

A company in the United

States is now producing

cans of beer that actually talk. The cans

tell consumers about real estate

purchases, motor vehicles, and clothing.

They even tell some lucky drinkers that

they have won a prize and how to claim

it.

Only In America!

Free, 12 months

Internet access is being

given away as

companies are rushing to link

prospects and clients into the

Internet. Hilton is leaving access

disks on pillows in guests’ rooms;

Volkswagon is putting them in the

glove boxes of new cars; Time Inc.

is inserting them into over 7 million

magazines; and MasterCard

International is mailing them out to

all their customers.

ATO Keeps Us On

Our Toes

A Beaudesert business

couple received a

strong letter from the

Australian Taxation

Office telling them they

had not lodged a tax

return for their business for over five

years, and they were liable for fines

up to $50,000 and 12 months’ jail.

The couple were obviously

concerned, particularly as they had

only been in business for 12 months.

After a call from their accountant to

the ATO, it turns out that it was the

old “computer error” story again.

Wonder how the ATO would react if

the shoe was on the other foot and

the business couple had made the

error?

Lord Laurie

Speaks

Swimming

coach and noted

business speaker

and motivator Laurie Lawrence was

quoted recently as saying:

“Perspiration is the lather of

success”.

NSW Leads

Manufacturing



http://www.aigroup.com.au/



Your Business and

the Community

Dennis Chiron Marketing Means Business

0451 184 599 www.marketingmeansbusiness.com

[email protected] Skype: dennis.chiron2

How does your business fit into

the community? Is there a

downside to usage of your

product? Can the community be

put at risk by using it?

Carlton United Brewery (C.U.B) is

spending literally millions of dollars

on advertising urging to be

responsible.

It begs the question … is it all too

late?

There is a massive movement on

now to try and prevent the “king hit”

or the “coward punch” as it is more

recently referred to - a violent

assault fuelled by alcohol.

McDonalds runs a lot of

advertisements promoting its

community work. Why? Because

junk food is constantly being

targeted by many pressure groups,

including the Australian Medical

Association (A.M.A).

However, McDonalds is investing a

lot of money in showing the general

public that they have a social

conscience.

You’ve seen the CIG advertisements

featuring clear, blue oceans and

happy, playful dolphins, but did you

know that CIG is the largest

producer of Freon, the gas used in

fridges and air conditioners? CIG is

also, reportedly, a major contributor

to the hole in the ozone layer.

And how’s this for ethical business

conduct. A multi-national diet

company based in the USA, sold its

entire mailing list of over 600,000

names to a direct mailing chocolate

company for a reported $1.5 million.

Unethical? Or is it simply good

business? We both know the answer to

that one.

So, over 600,000 unsuspecting, diet

conscious people are being invaded by

junk mail flogging off chocolates. All of

this without their permission or

knowledge.

However, there is no law presently in

existence to prevent it. … and even if

there was such a law, how many large or

multi - national firms seem to get away

with doing whatever they want.?

ADMA, the Australian industry body,

has recently prosecuted two of its own

members for unethical behaviour , but

ADMA (and any other group) is severely

restricted in their efforts to put the

“baddies” out of business because of the

limitations of the law.

Between 1 July 2013 and 31 December

2013, the ACCC received close to 3,600

complaints from small businesses. This

was an 84 per cent increase from the first

half of 2013. Enquiries from small

businesses also increased dramatically.

Franchising complaints rose slightly

from 286 in the previous period to 309

this period, while franchising enquiries

almost doubled.

ACCC Deputy Chair Dr Michael

Schaper said: “The growth in complaints

received by small businesses and

franchisees reflects the need to educate

and empower the sector.”

The Institute of Chartered Accountants

Australia argues that ethical conduct has

moved front and centre as corporations

are increasingly exposed to the glare of

public scrutiny.

In particular, there has been a

fundamental shift over the past few years

that requires a complete rethinking of

the functions of compliance,

governance and social accountability,

putting ethics into the daily vocabulary

of mainstream management.

“Australians are exposed to unethical

business practices on both the micro

and macro level, from the preference

of cheap foreign workers over long

standing Australian workers; the

selling of Australian mines to foreign

Governments; pollution cover-ups;

insider trading; to the bribing of local

Government councillors to approve

developments that are not in the

interests of the communities they

represent. All of these examples have

one thing in common; the use of

economic rationalism and little

consideration for social and cultural

impacts as having a societal value.” -

Vivian Roberts

“If you do not act with integrity … you

are not likely to enjoy the kind of

reputation that will keep good people

in your employ, or keep customers

coming back for your products or

services.” - John Ralph.

Nothing, it seems, will prevent the

shonks from preying on the

community, not even the law. The

only long-term hope we have is that

the public becomes more aware and

educated, and starts to lobby strongly

and vigorously against these predators.

Letters to the Editor

are most welcome

Please send you letters to

[email protected]



http://www.marketingmeansbusiness.com




BIZTIPS Dennis Chiron

Marketing Means Business 0451 184 599

www.marketingmeansbusiness.com [email protected]

Skype: dennis.chiron2

Protect Your Business

And Your Income

How many small

business owners take the

step to insure their

greatest asset - their

ability to operate their

business and earn an income?

Most people don’t think twice about

their need to insure their car, home

or even themselves when they are

travelling overseas.

Think for a moment about how

much you earned last year. Now

total your income over the last five

years, or since you started running

your business. Quite simply, if you

were to seriously injure yourself, and

be hospitalised or off work for a

number of months, or contract a

serious long-term illness, your

business could “fold” as a result.

There are numerous insurance

policies available for the small

business owner, and if you are

interested in learning more about

appropriate coverage and policies, I

suggest that you contact a local

insurance broker who can offer you

some sound advice.

Preparing Your

Business Plan

“Not another article on

Business Plans”

Although a good business plan is

vital to the success of your business,

only about 17% of business owners

throughout Australia actually

prepare one. Why? All sorts of

reasons are usually given, from:

“It’s too difficult” to “I simply

haven’t got the time”

People often spend more time in

planning for their annual holiday than

they do in planning for the future

direction and success of their business.

So, what is a Business Plan? Simply, it is

your Business Bible; your guide to

success.

The planning process allows you to put

your ideas down on paper, and this

becomes your Action Plan. Think of it

this way: If you intend to visit an

unfamiliar city, you would use a road

map or a Sat Nav, check your current

location, work out where you wish to go

and how you are going to get there. Then

you would use your map or Sat Nav to

get you to where you wanted to go.

A Business Plan serves a very similar

purpose.

Where are you with your business now?

You need to examine your current

situation, your resources, the size of your

market, your customers and market

share, your pricing structure, and your

competition.

What objectives do you have for your

business? Where would you like to be in

2, 3, and 5 years from now? How are you

going to achieve this? What strategies

will you adopt in terms of product

development, marketing, finances, and

human resources?

A Business Plan is not a document to be

put aside for occasional reference. It

should be used as a tool to keep your

business on the right road to prosperity.

Keep checking it to ensure you are

heading in the right direction.

Building Better Relationships

The importance in building

solid relationships with

customers (both internal and external)

has been talked about “until the cows

come home”. But I wonder how many

of us really appreciate the absolute

importance of this practice. Your

business will be successful if you

devote time and energy to building

customer relationships.

The first step towards better

management in this area is to identify

and have a true appreciation of your

weaknesses (and your staff’s) when

dealing with people. The small

business operator should vigorously

look for areas where these weaknesses

stop them from developing the best

customer relationships.

Once you have identified weaknesses,

a major part of the process of

overcoming them has been achieved.

If you have difficulty in identifying

any weaknesses - or perhaps you

won’t admit it to them - ask your

customers what do they believe you

could do better to provide total

satisfaction to them.

You will be surprised how helpful

your own customers can be. Because

they value the relationship that they

have established with you, they will

want to assist you in improving your

customer service.

Pay a visit to your competition, and

evaluate what they are doing in terms

of building better relationships. What

are they doing that you are not? What

are you doing right that they are not

doing?

Customer Loyalty is an important

aspect of any business. Do it right and

you have a customer for life. Do it

wrong and they are gone forever.



http://www.marketingmeansbusiness.com




How much time do you spend every

week attending to email? It's a question

worth answering. Although, I suspect

you won't like the answer one little bit.

I was asked recently to assist a company

to curb their chronic addiction to email

as its supreme communication medium.

Here is a sad example of typical

behaviour in this Australian-based

company.

Two Engineers working on a complex

project sat in a cubic opposite each

other. The only thing separating them

was a partition. One of the Engineers

was upset with the other over some

details in the project they were working

on together and fired off an angry

email to the other. He did this when he

could have simply got out of his chair

and had a conversation with his

colleague to share his concerns. The

other Engineer, very angry and

defensive about the email, fired off a

heated email response and copied in

the Project Manager!

Back to the solution this company

asked me to resolve.

I asked all 1, 240 employees to

anonymously complete a single simple

log for the week recording the amount

of time they 'invested' in reading,

writing and responding to email. I

collected the responses and calculated

the average time per week spend on

email. Guess how many hours of time

were devoted to this single activity for

each employee?

11.2 hrs!

Based on a standard 40 hour work

week, that amounts to 28 per cent of

the week. If we consider that while

people are attending to their emails,

they aren't devoting time to their core

tasks, we could reasonably double this

figure. Accountants refer to this as an

opportunity cost. Considering lost

opportunities, the time is really 22.4

hours per week per person.

With 1, 240 employees in this

company spending 22.4 hours of

time on email and nothing else, that

amounts to a total of 27, 776 hours

a week on email- related activity.

The average wage of a full-time

Australian workers in 2013 was

$72, 800 per year. Therefore the

average hourly rate for a 40 hour a

week employee is $35. Based on

these figures, email is costing this

company $972, 160 per year.

I have no doubt that much of this

time was well spent.

But let's assume that we could half

that figure with better email

protocol, that would save $486, 080

a year.

What does it cost you each year in

your organisation to use email?

This is an extract from Tim

Baker's newly released book - The End

of the Performance Review: A New

Approach to Appraising Employee

Performance.

Dr Tim Baker is an international

consultant who helps managers develop

productive workplace cultures. Tim

can be contacted at

[email protected] or go

to www.winnersatwork.com.au or

follow Tim on

Twitter @winnersatwork.

(www.winnersatwork.com.au).

Dr Tim Baker

Managing Director

WINNERS AT WORK Pty Ltd

www.winnersatwork.com.au

www.about.me/tim.baker

Telephone. +61 7 3899 8881

Editor’s Note:

Dr. Tim Baker is an international consultant, successful author, keynote speaker, master trainer, executive coach, university lecturer and skilful facilitator.

In a nutshell, he has conducted over 2,430 seminars, workshops and keynote addresses to over 45,000 people in 11 countries across 21 industry groups.

"“Dr Baker leads the world in offering an

innovative new approach to appraising

employee performance. His research and

energy in the specialised field of

performance management is evidenced

by his international profile as a

renowned speaker, management

consultant and facilitator". Stephen

Hartley, Australia’s leading expert on

project management and author of

"Project Management: Principles,

Processes and Practices.

The Tyranny

of Email



http://winnersatwork.com.au/




http://www.winnersatwork.com.au/

http://www.winnersatwork.com.au/

http://www.winnersatwork.com.au

http://www.about.me/tim.baker



Time management is critical to

business and personal success. Why is

it that some people achieve so much in

their day, and others seem to get

virtually nothing done despite

appearing to be very busy?

Every day you expect to get everything

done but halfway through the day you

find yourself checking your email for

the umpteenth time, looking at cat

pictures on Facebook, and trying to

tune out your co-worker’s loud

conversations. You start the day with

great intentions but did your

productivity live up to your aspirations?

Distraction is the primary killer of

productivity. According to studies,

workers are interrupted by distractions

roughly every three minutes. It can

then take over twenty minutes to get

back to the task at hand -- and the

things you think are helping your

productivity might be having the

opposite effect.

Here are some tips that might help

overcome some of these issues:

Focus on you. Set aside quiet time in

the mornings by showing up early and

doing some planning, the quiet

atmosphere will really help you focus.

With less distraction you can focus on

what matters and breeze through your

most challenging projects. Don’t be

afraid to shut your office door for a

little peace and quiet. This allows you

to centre yourself and focus more

fully on work.

Stop multitasking. You can either

get one task done well or a bunch of

tasks done poorly. Today we’re

living in a multi-screen world and

have become multitasking addicts. A

study showed 66 percent of people

use smart phones and computers

simultaneously, while 90 percent use

electronic devices sequentially

throughout the day. Every time you

stop a task to quickly check Twitter

or answer a text you’re breaking your

concentration. Put them on silent and

give your full attention to your work

for more productive results.

Kick your email addiction. Are you

really getting anything done if you

stop your work every time another

email pops up in your inbox?

Schedule specific times during your

day to check your inbox and only

check it then. Your phone still works,

so don’t worry about missing out on

something important.

Follow the 80/20 rule. Twenty

percent of what you do produces 80

percent of the results. Cut the

extraneous from your to-do list in

order to get the most out of your

efforts. If your list is too long odds

are you won’t get much done. Make it

manageable and put the most essential

tasks at the top. Focus your full

attention on the top 20 percent of your

work that will produce results.

Make tough choices. If you know

you’re a sucker for Twitter, it’s time to

say goodbye - at least temporarily.

Shut out distractions by being tough

with yourself. You know your

weaknesses - whether it’s messaging

with friends or looking at baby

animals. You’re the only one who can

manage distractions during your

workday.

Skip social media and pick up the

phone. Sometimes the quickest route

to information is to just pick up the

phone. Typical employees send about

43 emails per day and receive a

whopping 130 messages. Instead of

wading through a never-ending deluge

of emails, picking up the phone can

sometimes be a faster and more

personal way of getting the

information you need. Not only will

you be building connections with your

co-workers, you’ll be cutting down on

your inbox.

It can feel impossible to cut out

distractions and get back on track but

productivity is right around the corner.

Just learn how to say goodbye to

distractions and get focused.

Geoff Butler FAIM AP, MAITD

MACE

Principal/Business Improvement & Implementation Specialist

Business Optimizers

Mobile: 0414 943072

Fax: 3036 6131

Email: [email protected]

Skype: business.optimizers1

Six Ways To

Fight Distractions



http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324339204578173252223022388

http://www.google.com/think/research-studies/the-new-multi-screen-world-study.html

http://www.google.com/think/research-studies/the-new-multi-screen-world-study.html

http://www.theemailadmin.com/2011/05/35-interesting-statistics-about-email/




I spent an intensive ½ day with one

of my millionaire Clients last week.

After our meeting I offered to drive

him over to another of his business

sites. On the way back to my office I

took a moment to think about how he

and my other successfully wealthy

Clients are different to my not so

wealthy Clients.

Here’s what I came up with …

They’re not big users of

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and

other social media tools. They

have people manage those tools

for them (very well), but are not

into it themselves.

They’re prolific uses of the

phone, as are their friends. Their

phones are almost constantly

ringing. They use emails to help

lead into conversations on the

phone (which lead to business),

to transfer information and to

have documented records.

They spend their lives ‘solving

problems’. Nearly every word

out of their mouths revolve

around identifying, solving or

reflecting on the solving of a

problem of some kind. Problems

with tenants, staff, sales,

marketing, cashflow, supply,

product quality, efficiency, etc.

The number one difference!?

They are PRODUCTIVE! They

generally hate (and I know that’s

a strong word) wasting time on

fluff, crap and maybe’s. They

mean what they say and get

things done. If they need more

sales, they go and get them.

Full stop!

Lastly, they love leveraging by

using experts in their field.

They don’t see it as a cost if

the expert gets them the results

they want.

My millionaire Clients are also

passionate! They generally love

what they do. They’re products and

services are an extension of them.

They’re busy people, but they don’t

see it as work. If they didn’t work

in/on their business, they would be

busy doing something else.

They are also forward thinkers,

community aware and family

conscious. Some of my Clients

could comfortably (very

comfortably) retire and live off

their current income streams.

However many of them are driven

by the idea of leaving a legacy and

an ongoing opportunity for their

family, employees and even their

suppliers & customers.

My ‘not so financially successful’

Clients have some commonalities

as well …

They often get distracted by

bright and shiny objects, new

ways of doing things and

promises from other people

who are not successful.

They don’t know how to

accurately measure where they

are in terms of what results

they’re aiming to get, what

they’re progress is to achieving

results and how to get back on

track quickly without losing

momentum.

They use their time to save

money, rather than use money to

save time. They see spending

money as a risk because they

often don’t have past experience

to learn what to spend money on.

They sometimes get distracted

from the ‘learning experiences’

on their journey to getting the

results they want.

I asked some of my successful Clients

what their suggestion to those who

would like to be successful. They’re

answers were surprisingly similar.

“Learn to be the leader of a smart

Team. If you’re the smartest person in

your business, you’re probably doing

things harder than you need to be”.

I hope these ideas help you to either

identify why you may be achieving

your goals, or not. Mention this article

for your copy of the Profit Mechanics

Sales & Marketing Diagnostic

Questionnaire along with a 30 minute

phone chat to help guide you through

the tool and apply your business

objectives to it.

Remember … Business is More Fun,

When There’s Profit!

Dan Buzer

Profit Mechanics

Business Mentor

Dan Buzer Profit Mechanics

0414 567 188 www.profitmechanics.net/ [email protected]

“… How My Millionaire Clients Are Different

to My ‘Want’ To Be Millionaire Clients? …”





Jo-Anne Chaplin

Tax & Superannuation Professionals Pty Ltd

PH 07 3410 8116 / Mobile 0457 960 566

Email : [email protected]

Web: www.taxandsuperprofessionals.com.au

I am a qualified Accountant and will celebrate my 20th anniversary as a

Registered Tax Agent this year. During my time in Public Practice I have

assisted clients to achieve business growth and prosperity. My earlier career

included positions in banking, manufacturing, construction and retail. My

particular interest is in promoting a culture of using local industries and

business in order to build a strong community.

Do You Owe

The Taxman?

The ATO are currently owed $18

billion in unpaid tax liabilities. As

much as $10.6 billion of this amount

is reportedly owed by small business.

If you have an outstanding tax

liability which you are having

difficulty meeting, then the best

course of action is to speak to your

Accountant as soon as possible.

I suggest this for two reasons:

1. Your Accountant can check that

the liability is actually correct.

They can also then advise on the

various strategies which may be

available to address the problem.

For instance, varying future

PAYG instalments to reflect your

current income level, organising a

refund of overpaid PAYG

instalments, lodging outstanding

income tax return/s, or check

BAS statements to confirm they

have been correctly calculated.

2. They can liaise with the ATO on

your behalf. Tax agents have

specialised access to tax office

staff, so if your situation is a

complex one, it is best handled by

someone with experience in

dealing with the tax office.

If you prefer to handle these matters

personally, then be sure to approach

the ATO before the due date to

request an extension of time to pay.

These approaches are usually met

with a positive response. However

there are conditions:

All Repayments agreed to must

be paid on time.

All future liabilities &

lodgements must be completed,

lodged and paid on time

A general interest charge will be

imposed on the debt

Future requests for a repayment

plan may not be approved.

One more tip: always lodge BAS or

tax returns forms by the due date,

even if you are unable to pay the

liability. Late lodgement of these

forms will attract significant late

lodgement penalties.

We have found the tax office very

unwilling to remit a late lodgement

penalty without a really good reason

The best way to stay on top of GST &

tax liabilities is to account for them

periodically.

Use your cash inflow cycles to set

aside some cash in a separate bank

account specifically for this expense.

Depending on your type of business,

amounts between 5% - 10% of the

cash collected should be sufficient.

For example if your business is in

retail, where you are buying goods for

resale, then you will be paying GST

on those goods which can be claimed

against the GST that you are

collecting from sales. Hence, a

smaller percentage of turnover can be

set aside. If you business is mainly for

the provision of services, then you

will not be paying significant amounts

in GST on your expenses. Accordingly,

a higher percentage should be kept

aside.

The major benefit of doing this is that

you won't have a large cash outlay to

meet at a time when cash might be

short as the accumulated balance will

either be sufficient, or close to the

funds required to meet the tax liability.

This is known as cash-flow smoothing

as it recognises the GST expense at the

time of collection, rather than as one

lump sum from your sales once per

month, quarter, or annually.

Of course, any surplus funds are a

bonus saving.

A useful strategy to adopt is to move

from a quarterly BAS to a monthly

BAS cycle.

For some businesses the smaller

monthly payments are usually easier to

manage than the quarterly payment.

Particularly if cash flow is irregular.

In summary, if you have an outstanding

tax liability, its best to address the issue

promptly. In my experience the ATO

have been reasonable toward those

taxpayers who are genuine in their

requests for assistance.




http://www.taxandsuperprofessionals.com.au/



The ownership of a domain name

(website address) can easily be

overlooked. You know, you pay

your bill, your website works,

everything is hunky dory right?

WRONG. Between the multitude of

scams or businesses being sold and

bought…we are seeing a massive

increase in this. It is imperative that

you check who LEGALLY owns

your domain name.

Common Domain Name Scams

Back in 2010, the US Federal Trade

Commission stopped a group who

reportedly made $4,261,876US from

email scams targeting domain name

registrants (www.netregistry.com.au).

This alarming trend continues in

Australia.

Your domain name information is

publicly available. This makes it

easy to create unsolicited

correspondence.

There a number of domain name

scams that even the most diligent of

business owners still fall for… It is

the “Official Looking” emailed or

posted “invoice-like” document

requesting to renew an existing

domain by transferring to a new

supplier. Of course any business

owner or employee is fearful of

losing their presence online. Imagine

your website being temporarily (or

even permanently) “switched off”.

It is easy to protect yourself

1. Keep in touch with the company

who supplies your domain.

TELL YOUR OFFICE STAFF

THIS to ensure they get it right

also.

2. Keep a note of when your

domain is due for renewal.

(.com = yearly / .com.au =

every 2 years). This can help

prevent you paying a SCAM

invoice as well as help you

manage your budget.

3. Read all invoices and emails

carefully – if in doubt, talk to

your web designer.

4. If you want to change your

domain provider – compare the

price. A lot of these scammers

charge a premium and often

don’t even register your

domain. Remember, it is a

SCAM.

HERE ARE SOME OTHER

SCAMS!

Invoices for a web address that

you don’t even own. e.g: You

may own the .com.au version

but they are invoicing you for

the .com version.

Invoices where the domain

spelling is slightly different to

yours.

Offer of a free gift, like an ipod

shuffle, with your domain

name purchase / renewal.

WARNING: Rip off and good

luck getting your free ipod.

Bought or Sold a business?

Another way to lose sight of who

actually OWNS your domain is

when a business is sold.

Your first step is to visit

whois.domaintools.com, type in

your website address and check the

registration details. You must ensure

that this website address belongs to

the current owners, especially if this

is you. Your name, business name

and ABN should appear here.

If not, you are not legally the owner

of this domain name.

Having said this, it is usually pretty

easy to rectify. 9 times out of 10, it is

simply a matter of contacting the

previous owners, completing a form

(paper or online) and paying an

“ownership transfer” fee. This fee

can be anywhere between $80 and

$200, depending on the supplier of

the domain name. If you are the new

owners, check the Contract to see

who is financially responsible for

covering this fee…OR…just bite the

bullet, pay it yourself and get it

sorted. The last thing you want is the

old owners of the business seeing

how successful you have become

then deciding to enforce their

LEGAL right to sell/rent you the

domain name for a lot more than it’s

worth.

Speak with the company who

registered the domain or your own

web designer/supplier. Get them to

‘broker’ this transfer for you. This

can sometimes help where the

relationship between the previous

owners and the new, is not

harmonious.

A few minutes to check your records

and/or to speak to your web designer

can save you money AND even your

website.

For further information contact Web

-Sta Affordable Web Design.

Do You Own Your Domain Name?

Karen Ahl Bac. Bus (Mark, Man), TAE40110,

Cert IV IT Caboolture, Queensland

Ph 0415 142 178

www.web-sta.com.au [email protected]



http://www.netregistry.com.au

http://www.web-sta.com.au




Peter Nicol

Wisdom Marketing & Management Services

0417627097

www.wisdommarketing.com.au

[email protected]

STOP INTERFERING!

Whilst I have made my living of recent

years as a marketing person I still

demand that we test the idea in the

market by going out on the road and

seeing how it works with the

customers.

This takes me back to the 70’s when I

was a sales rep and was one of the tree

people. Tree people are the reps who

would grab a sandwich and eat it under

a tree to cool off.

No air conditioners or Maccas in those

days! Life in sales can be full of ups

and downs and we are judged on one

criterion only HOW MUCH DO YOU

MAKE. They were great days.

Good sales people are really hard to

find and when you do you have to put

up with their foibles.

No I am not saying long lunches or

short working hours are acceptable. I

am saying that if a sales person is not

so good on the paperwork then just

maybe you have to suck hard and put

up with it if the numbers are there.

So next time you feel you have an

issue make sure you have had a good

look at their results before you haul

them over the coals.

The other thing I have seen all too

often is the need for many people in

the office to want to control the sales

people.

They whinge and complain about the

fact that they are never there.

Duhh, they are supposed to be out and

about you know! If you have good

measuring systems and the results are

forthcoming I would suggest you get

them to temper their passion and take a

cold shower.

The next sure fire way of making sure

they do not make target is to have

meetings with them. Now this makes

those in the office feel very important

and as the person is important the sales

people turn up, drink lots of your

coffee leave, then ask themselves what

it was all about.

Less calls are made that day and then

you wonder why you had a bad week.

Sure one meeting a week is fine but

several is simply stupid and must be

stopped.

Set an agenda and get on with it. I

have seen in my lifetime in sales and

marketing people in offices hell bent

on simply wanting to control sales

people. Yup, I am gunna bring these

people who are often different into

line.

Make them conform; make them

understand the world is about control.

Usually it does not work; the sales

people become dispirited and

leave. Guess I showed them!

Have good measurements of

performance in place. Good

Position Descriptions.

Identifiable and easily understood

targets and last by no means least a

commission scheme. The number

of employers who I have met who

would rather slit their wrists than

pay a commission is large. No, it is

not meant to be a bonus for doing

nothing it is a way of getting

exceptional performance out of

people who are at the coalface and

it usually works out cheaper.

I am currently working on a

commission scheme for a

customer.

It will take time but the team is

worth it.

So leave them to it. Keep control

but do it with balance. Go out on

the road with them. The things you

will learn are incredible, not only

about them but from customers as

well.

That is not interfering it is good

management and that is what it is

all about. Bring out the greatness

in your team. If they like you and

you are fair and you know your

craft and can lead then do just that

and good things follow.

Cheers Peter



http://www.wisdommarketing.com.au



On the other end of the scale, a

catastrophe or disaster, such as a

major fire or explosion, flood or

earthquake may disrupt work. These

events require major disaster planning

and may involve the co-ordination of

emergency* services over an entire

geographical area.

A "disruptive incident" is somewhere

in the middle of these: serious enough

to disrupt work to the extent that

management plans have to be

activated to restore order and serious

enough to have long term effects on

the workers if not managed properly.

There may also be property damage

as a result of the incident.

Disruptive incidents do not include

incidents which occur as a normal and

expected aspect of the work, for

example, the type of incident

regularly dealt with by emergency

rescue workers, road accident police

and domestic violence workers. These

categories require a different level of

management because there is an

emotional and potentially traumatic

element inherent in the work.

Aggression towards people at the

workplace

Example: from customers who are

dissatisfied with a product or service,

Death or serious injury that

involves people at the workplace

This would include a fatal or serious

accident at the workplace, the sudden

death or injury of a fellow worker or

person well known to the workforce

(for example: the death of a work

colleague in a road accident outside

of work) or a suicide by a person on

Ron Court,

AMC Dip (Funerals) MQJA JP

OH&S Advisor

0419 679 619 [email protected]

DISRUPTIVE INCIDENTS

IN THE WORKPLACE

work premises.

The announcement of

retrenchments or organisational

restructuring

These may be disruptive if they are

sudden or more widespread than

expected.

The cost of disruptive incidents

Disruptive incidents are by their very

nature a cost to organisations

because they disrupt normal work

processes. In some cases work may

cease altogether for a period of time.

The impact of disruptive incidents

on workers can also cost

organisations in terms of reduced

morale, impaired performance,

absenteeism, sick leave and staff

turnover.

Communication systems

Effective communication systems

are especially important for people

who work alone.

Provide adequate resources

Employers should provide the

resources needed to manage

disruptive incidents from the

planning process all the way through

to the completion of the recovery

phase.

You can get information about your

OH&S obligations and other

valuable OH&S resources both in

hard copy and online from their

websites. http://www.deir.qld.gov.au

Always seek independent legal

advice on what is applicable to your

situation.

What is a disruptive incident?

Any incident that disrupts the normal

work processes and has an emotional

or traumatic effect on employees at a

workplace (It does not include

disasters or catastrophes, such as

major fires, explosions, floods or

earthquakes).

Disruptive incidents are likely to

occur in a variety of workplaces and

workplace safety and health planning

should take these events into

account.

Various forms of violence, personal

threats or other situations that are

unexpected and distressing can result

in lost production for the workplace

and long term emotional or

psychological reactions in workers

who are affected by them.

The approach recommended is to

identify potentially hazardous

situations, assess risks and

implement risk control measures to

eliminate or minimise the impact of

disruptive incidents.

Key risk control principles are

presented within the framework of

the hierarchy of controls.

To be effective, the management of

disruptive incidents should be an

integral part of the workplace's

emergency management system.

Disruption may occur on a small

scale, perhaps when an individual

has suffered some personal trauma

and that trauma has a detrimental

effect on the person's work, usually

dealt with by individual referral to

appropriate assistance.




http://www.deir.qld.gov.au



We are living longer!

It is not unreasonable to think that most

of us are likely to live to our nineties

on average. Indeed, for couples

reaching age 65 years, there is a 50%

chance that at least one of them will

live to age 98.

Many of us are becoming more health

conscious too. This is great because

more of us will lead healthy active

lives as we age.

This longevity is something we must

consider in our working lives because

whilst we might work for 45 years, we

are likely to spend 25 years or longer,

in retirement. However, chances are

that in the next quarter century, we

could well live longer still, on average.

We also know that the ‘Baby

Boomers’, the high number of babies

born in the post WW2 period, are

beginning to retire. Further, we know

that this places a disproportionate

demand on government resources to

fund pensions for this increasing group

of retirees – so, what should we do

about this, as a nation?

The Solution

In the early 1990’s the federal

government recognised that there was a

potential problem so they legislated

that employers pay 9% superannuation

for all employees. Recently, this has

been increases to 9.25%. Some

employers like local and state

government employers pay more as

part of their employment contract.

But there’s a Problem

Baby Boomers have not had

enough time to contribute and not

enough time for compounding to

increase their super. Some 85% of

people will retire with an income

of less than $500 pw and most will

retire with less than $500 per

month.

The Response

Governments have put an array of

assistances in place for people to

take advantage of in order to

provide for their retirements. There

are strategies ranging from Self

Managed Superannuation Funds

(SMSF) to Transition to

Retirement (TTR) strategies.

These all sound too complex and

too hard don’t they?

So what do we think? I know, my

business is my super, right?

O.K., allow me to ask, what if your

business goes under? What if

something happens to you and you

can’t run your business? What if

the world changes and your

business is no longer applicable?

What if you can’t sell your

business or can’t get the price you

hoped for?

The answer is: You won’t have

enough and will be ill prepared for

retirement.

However, what if you looked and

Paul GILLMORE DFS

Founder and Director

Southern Cross Financial Services

07 5429 5561

0402 685 032

[email protected]

said “My business is an income producing

saleable asset” and “My business

contributes to my retirement” ?

Then:

You would have separate money set

aside for later

This money would be Asset Protected

Your business could go under and you

would still have your retirement

savings

This could be available to you in

extreme financial hardship

You could save on tax and keep the

money for yourself

You could use it as a tax planning tool

You could invest it in a way best

suited to you (within the regulations)

You could have total control of your

retirement savings

You could have cost effective and tax

effective personal risk cover in place

You could use leverage within your

super

Your super can be protected from

market downturns ensuring that will be

there for you

It can assist in managing capital gains

tax (CGT) when selling your business

I could certainly go on but hopefully you

get the picture so what to do?

Engage Warp drive, Mr Scott !

To all business owners and employees

alike I say, ENGAGE with your super.

Take the advantages and take control,

NOW ! They are there for the taking.

But how ?

Contact an independent advisor for a

complimentary chat on what could be done

for you so you can . . .

Live Long and Prosper.

Live Long and Prosper!



Let's talk business february 2014

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