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KEY DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

Watching the occasional game of AFL football on the television really demonstrates to me the level of professionalism that has entered the game, even over the last couple of years.

MARKETING CONSTANT & CONSISTENT

Marketing is another area of business that is often misunderstood.

The general attitude towards marketing is this – business is going well therefore I do not need to market. The flip side to that is business is not going well therefore I need to market.

ATTRACTION IN RECRUITING

In a previous article, I wrote about five critical elements to give you your greatest chance of attracting and retaining your team members.

What I’d like to look at this week is a revisit of the step before retention. That is attraction, how do you attract talent in the first place?

Before we discuss attraction, let’s do a quick review of retention.

CANARY RATIO INTRODUCTION

Welcome to another edition of Future proof. This month we’re exploring what we call the Canary Ratio.
Greg Smargiassi here from OURCFO with another edition of Future Proof. This month we are going to spend some more time exploring the issue of cash flow which is what we call the Canary Ratio.

KEY DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

Watching the occasional game of AFL football on the television really demonstrates to me the level of professionalism that has entered the game, even over the last couple of years.

MARKETING CONSTANT & CONSISTENT

Marketing is another area of business that is often misunderstood. The general attitude towards marketing is this – business is going well therefore I do not need to market. The flip side to that is business is not going well therefore I need to market.

ATTRACTION IN RECRUITING

In a previous article, I wrote about five critical elements to give you your greatest chance of attracting and retaining your team members. What I’d like to look at this week is a revisit of the step before retention. That is attraction, how do you attract talent in the first place? Before we discuss attraction, let’s do a quick review of retention.

BUY VS START

Generally speaking there are two ways you can get into business. You can buy a business or you can start a business. In comparing and considering the two options, I liken it to buying an established house versus building a house.

BRANDING

Experience tells me the vast majority of business owners do not understand branding very well at all. When I ask ‘What does branding mean to you?’ the reply is often ‘it’s my logo.’ Well that’s part of it, but not anywhere all of it.

ATTRACTING & RETAINING YOUR TEAM

In working with many businesses over the years, particularly of recent times, one of the biggest complaints we hear is that of attracting and retaining team members. As a side note, I say team members intentionally. Not staff members. Why? Because a team mindset will make a big difference to the culture of your business and the results that follow. To help you remember to use the term ‘team’ – tongue in cheek, staff do ‘staff-all’, teams build results. I digress..

NICHE

One the most common errors businesses make is attempting to be all to everyone and winding up being nothing to anyone.

MASTERY

Those that are the top of their game in any given sport, profession, creative vocation, performing arts or business have some key common traits that have largely contributed to their success.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

It not what you say, but how you say it John Maxwell, an American leadership guru states in his New York Times bestselling book ‘the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership’ that the true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.

DEALING WITH MARGIN PRESSURE

This week we're going to be talking about Margin Pressure. In fact we won't be talking about it just this week. We're going to be spending the whole month talking about margin pressure and how to deal with margin pressure for your business.

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 5 DIVIDENDS

Hey guys! Greg Smargiassi here again from OURCFO with another edition of Future Proof. Today we're going to complete the wrap-up with the Canary Ratio being the difference between profit and cash.

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 4 DEBT REDUCTION

Hey guys! Greg Smargiassi here from OURCFO with another edition of Future Proof. Today we're going to continue the discussion around the Canary Ratio and that is the difference between profit and cash flow. The item that we're going to cover today is debt reduction.

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 3 INCOME TAX

This week's episode of Future Proof is all about tax. Whilst it's not everyone's favourite subject, the reality is you have to pay tax but ensure you're not paying more than you have to as doing so can affect your overall cash flow.

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 2 WORKING CAPITAL

It's time to talk about Working Capital. Working Capital is the time lag between when you have fulfilled your obligation to your client and the time it takes to get paid. This has the potential to take money away from your cash flow and is one of the reasons why you will have a difference in your profit and loss report and your cash position.

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 1 BUSINESS MODEL

Welcome to another edition of Future Proof. We’re going to continue the conversation of Cash Flow and identify what the critical elements are that you need to get right in order to make sure your business is cash flow positive.

CANARY RATIO INTRODUCTION

Welcome to another edition of Future proof. This month we’re exploring what we call the Canary Ratio. Greg Smargiassi here from OURCFO with another edition of Future Proof. This month we are going to spend some more time exploring the issue of cash flow which is what we call the Canary Ratio.

THE BIG 3 NUMBERS

What are the Big 3 Numbers? What I would like to share with you today is the question I am asked the most about numbers. What kind of numbers should we be looking at to manage our business effectively?

THE VALUATION GAP

What is Valuation Gap? It’s understanding what your business is actually worth right now and what you would like it to be worth, the difference between the two represents the Valuation Gap.

THE CANARY RATIO

It’s time to talk about the Canary Ratio. The Canary Ratio is the difference between profit and cash flow. This equation is widely misunderstood in the business community. People think, I’ll have a look at my profit and loss report, then I will look at my cash position but realise that the two just don’t stack up...

THE METH EFFECT

We’ve come to the last of the three big numbers, the Meth effect. It is likely that your financial data is masking your financial reality. How does that occur? Well, there's a bunch of reasons it can occur and it is a very dangerous thing to have in your business.

THE EOFY PROCESS

What is your end of financial year process? If the idea of June 30th get’s you stressed then you’re probably in recovery right now.

MURRAY HADLEY GCO ELECTRICAL 1

GCo's electrical construction company, national based that specialises in delivery of infrastructure and industrial projects. We also offer services...maintenance services and asset support to our clients.

PROFIT VS. CASH

Having spent the first 15 years of my career as a tax accountant, there was a certain predictability about how a meeting would go when explaining a client’s tax returns to them. It would go something like this: ‘Mr Client, you had a great year last year, your business made a profit of $xx. Congratulations on your result. What that means is, after tax adjustments, your tax payable is $yy.’

REDUCING RISK

Last week we looked at the two key variables when it comes to increasing the value of your business. We also uncovered the most often missed opportunity for driving up the worth of your business.

CREATING FREEDOM FROM YOUR BUSINESS

I often ask people why they choose to own and operate their businesses. Why do we take on the challenges in place of something ‘more secure’ like a job? And in asking these questions of many directly involved in small and medium enterprise (SME) I have come up with the top ten reasons for entrepreneurship.

REVENUE GROWTH POINT

I’m often asked ‘how do I get more customers so that my revenue grows?’ Almost always, the answer is sitting right under the nose of the business owner, without he or she even realising it.

SALEABLE BUSINESS

For some owning and running a business is a real dichotomy in an unfortunate way. Let me explain. Have you ever got to the point where you feel it’s all too much? Working too many hours, barely enough reward for your efforts, you’ve lost your drive and you’re over it. ‘What do I do from here?’ you ask yourself. Then the answer quickly arrives. Sell. Get rid of this business and go and get a job, much easier.

TEAM ACCOUNTABILITY

There are a number of strategies that you, as a business owner can use to make your business less reliant on you.

THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS

Success at anything, at the very least requires an understanding of the fundamentals. One of the fundamentals that are the most misunderstood in my view is accounting. The use of numbers and financial strategy is very low amongst Australian small and medium businesses (SMEs). As a result, financial performance of the vast majority of SMEs is poor.

TO DON’T LIST

Do you feel like your business has you on a leash? You’d like to get away from it every now and then but just like a dog that bolts away from its owner, gets to the end of the leash and ping! A violent jolt backwards and the dog’s eyes look like they’re going to pop out of its head from the choker chain tightening around its neck.

TO SELL IS TO SERVE

Everyone in your business is a salesperson, no exception. How can that be you ask? Before we explore that notion, what comes up for you when you hear the word sales? When we begin work with business owners we so often hear of discomfort with the concept of selling. ‘But I’m not comfortable with selling, it’s manipulative, it’s underhanded, it’s just not me!’ is a common response.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

One of the greatest problems I believe that many small and medium business owners have is that they spend the majority of their time attempting to solve problems that do not exist. Now before you pick up the phone to call and give me a piece of your mind please read the rest of this article first!

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We are coaches, educators and communicators

KEY DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

MARKETING CONSTANT & CONSISTENT

ATTRACTION IN RECRUITING

CANARY RATIO INTRODUCTION

KEY DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS

MARKETING CONSTANT & CONSISTENT

ATTRACTION IN RECRUITING

BUY VS START

BRANDING

ATTRACTING & RETAINING YOUR TEAM

NICHE

MASTERY

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

DEALING WITH MARGIN PRESSURE

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 5 DIVIDENDS

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 4 DEBT REDUCTION

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 3 INCOME TAX

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 2 WORKING CAPITAL

CANARY RATIO SEGMENT 1 BUSINESS MODEL

CANARY RATIO INTRODUCTION

THE BIG 3 NUMBERS

THE VALUATION GAP

THE CANARY RATIO

THE METH EFFECT

THE EOFY PROCESS

MURRAY HADLEY GCO ELECTRICAL 1

PROFIT VS. CASH

REDUCING RISK

CREATING FREEDOM FROM YOUR BUSINESS

REVENUE GROWTH POINT

SALEABLE BUSINESS

TEAM ACCOUNTABILITY

THE LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS

TO DON’T LIST

TO SELL IS TO SERVE

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

TESTING WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

Time to talk about your business