B2B Magazine Issue 120 October 2016

120 OCTOBER 2016

COVER STORY (p.19)

Women with SASS

RSM Australia is launching an initiative empowering women to move forward with confidence.

Announcing two new What can XERO tell you directors at Blumers about leadership?

Personal Injury Lawyers Tailored Accounts explains (p.16)

(p.27)

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Preserving wealth, values and wishes.

• Wills • Testamentary Trust Wills • Guardianship guidelines • Self-Managed Superannuation Nominations • Enduring Power of Attorneys • Superannuation Binding Death Benefit Nominations • Enduring Power of Attorneys •Advance Care Planning Contact Lisa Barlin, Partner or Erin Taylor, Senior Associate from Aulich Civil Law

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erin@aulichcivillaw.com.au

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CONTENTS

ISSN 1833-8232

19

COVER STORY

RSM Women with SASS

RSM

PUBLISHER'S NOTE 7 Get rich quick...

by Tim Benson SMART BUSINESS TIPS 7 3 key steps to success

by Smart Business Guardian UPFRONT 8 Gender equality – generating innovation and commitment in the workplace

by PCA people 8 What do SMEs require in order to do business with government?

by SME Gateway 10 Do you really need a court order in relation to your children?

by DDCS Lawyers 10 Canberra property “shake up” in full effect

by Strata Community Australia 12 Income protection – why it’s important

by Gillespie Group 12 Christmas hampers from ‘The Local Larder’ FEATURE 14 Lifetime Achievement award for assisting businesses 16 Two new directors spring up at Blumers ...

ADVICE 27 ACCOUNTING Behavioural Insights at work

by RSM 27 BOOKKEEPING What can XERO tell us about leadership? (Part 1)

by Tailored Accounts 28 BUSINESS LAW Shareholders Agreements – your company’s first aid kit

by Bradly Allen Love Lawyers

28

CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS Love your invoices – they’ll reward you for it

by Fifo Capital 29 CYBER SECURITY Incident History - to inform or to guess

by Cordelta 29 INSOLVENCY The Liquidator and the Family Court – friends or foe?

by Vincents chartered accountants 30 INTELECTUAL PROPERTY Be COOL when selling and exporting food or wine products

by Moulis Legal 30 RECRUITMENT Skills Index shows Australia failing to meet demand

by HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide 31 STRATA MANAGEMENT The age of the career strata manager

by Vantage Strata 31 WEBSITES The 7 deadly sins of SEO

by Synapse Worldwide A2B: ASSOCIATIONS TO BUSINESS 32 Local businesses honoured for export successes BUSINESS NETWORKING 34 B2B @ Australian Computer Society Annual Conference 2016 35 B2B @ Actsmart Business Sustainability EXPO 2016 36 B2B @ thinkBIG 2016 37 B2B @ Classic Cruise Camp Quality 38 B2B @ SCA ACT Professional Development Luncheon 38 B2B @ Comcare Annual Conference 2016

EDITOR / PUBLISHER Tim Benson editorial@b2bmagazine.com.au 0402 900 402 02 6112 8175 PUBLISHED BY Man Bites Dog Public Relations ABN 30 932 483 322 PO Box 4106 Ainslie ACT 2602 b2bmagazine.com.au ADVERTISING B2B Magazine advertising@b2bmagazine.com.au 0402 900 402 02 6112 8175 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Termeh Garmestani termeh@b2bmagazine.com.au 02 6112 8176 DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY

Kasra Yousefi kasra.com.au 02 61128195

Page 4 & 13 illustrations designed by Olga_spb / Freepik

LEGAL NOTICE Man Bites Dog Public Relations (‘MBD’) owns the copyright in this publication. Except for any fair dealing as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwth), no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of MBD. MBD has been careful in preparing this publication, however: it is not able to, and does not warrant that the publication is free from errors and omissions; and it is not able to verify, and has not verified the accuracy of the information and opinions contained or expressed in, or which may be conveyed to readers by any advertisement or other publication content. MBD advises that it accepts all contributed material and advertisements contained in this publication in good faith, and relies on various warranties and permissions provided to it by the persons who contribute material and/or place advertisements. Those warranties and permissions include that neither the material and/or advertisements are misleading, deceptive or defamatory, and that their use, adaptation or publication does not infringe the rights of any third party, or any relevant laws. Further, MBD notifies readers that it does not, nor should it be understood to endorse, adopt, approve or otherwise associate MBD with any representations made in contributions and/or advertisements contained in the publication. MBD makes no representation or warranty as to the qualifications of any contributor or advertiser or persons associated with them, and advises readers that they must rely solely on their own enquiries in relation to such qualifications, and be satisfied from those enquiries that persons with whom they deal as a result of reading any material or advertisement have the necessary licences and professional qualifications relating to the goods and services offered. To the maximum extent permitted by law, MBD excludes all liabilities in contract, tort (including negligence) and/ or statute for loss, damage, costs and expenses of any kind to any person arising directly or indirectly from any material or advertisement contained in this publication, whether arising from an error, omission, b2bmagazine.com.au misrepresentation or Facebook: @B2BmagazineCBR any other cause.

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE

GET RICH QUICK …

3 key steps to success

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s there such a thing as a get rich Most ‘overnight sensations’ are the result quick scheme? Yes of course there of years of training and are thousands of them. Just type it into the search engine of your choice experience, hard work, trial and error … and then or answer your phone and talk to the nice person that start their conversation ‘hey presto’ overnight with the words ‘I’m not trying to sell you sensation.So yes there are ‘get rich quick’ schemes anything’. It must be so easy to ‘get rich but the punter isn’t the quick’ because there are apparently so many ways to do it. But hang on. If these one that gets rich. schemes are the ticket. Then why are these people working in call-centres (modern sweat shops) in Brisbane (South East Asia) and not sailing around on their luxury yachts with supermodels feeding them grapes? Good question. But ‘what the hey’ thousands of well-educated Australians ‘invest’ their ‘hard earned’ money into dopey get-rich-quick schemes and, surprise, surprise! They lose the lot. I generally live my life by the rule that ‘If it looks too good to be true, it is too good to be true’. Unless you are a chinless wonder born with a silver spoon in your mouth most people’s wealth comes from hard work over a long period of time. Most ‘overnight sensations’ are the result of years of training and experience, hard work, trial and error … and then ‘hey presto’ overnight sensation. So yes there are ‘get rich quick’ schemes but the punter isn’t the one that gets rich. Which leads me to another quote I lead my life by: ‘Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell … and advertise’. Thanks for that one Ted Turner. So, when you see someone that is successful or wealthy, or just has that watch, car, house, boat etc. that you aspire to have: don’t be jealous.

Don’t be envious. Don’t wonder how they achieved their wealth – and don’t ‘wish’ you could have that wealth or know what their ‘secret to success’ or ‘get rich quick’ scheme was. Instead. Work hard and save your money … and of course take advantage of every elbow and opportunity that comes your way.

Tim Benson, Publisher Send all comments to: editorial@b2bmagazine.com.au

Kristin Miller General Manager Smart Business Guardian We start out in business enthusiastically because we have a good idea for a service or product we want to offer. We are also often the best and most experienced in our field as well. Why then do so many small business fail? This usually has nothing to do with our expertise but more around our lack of general business skills.

To help we have identified some areas most business owners can improve which will positively affect their chances of success.

1. Be super organised • Manage your time, prioritise and be focused • Use your calendar • Avoid unnecessary distractions 2. Actively manage your cash flow • Have an extra savings account to put money aside for your BAS and super • Create a budget to help track your income and expenses • Review expenses to look for savings • Manage your debtors to ensure prompt payment for your services 3. Get online • Use online accounting software and embrace all its time saving features • Implement other Add ons to streamline business processes such as rostering, payroll, POS systems, workflow tools, CRMS, etc • Take time to investigate and learn what other online tools are available that can save you time (02) 6162 1928 49 Phillip Avenue, Room C205, Watson, ACT 2602 smartbusinessguardian.com

UPFRONT

Gender equality – generating innovation and commitment in the workplace

By Sandy Gibbs

T

here is no doubt gender equality is good for business, but to truly achieve it, is a different matter.

Authentic gender equality requires a shift in the contemporary paradigms of work and caregiving. It demands the reinvention of what we consider work to be, what it looks like and how we organise, measure and reward it. Above all, it must be founded on the principle of diversity that is often quoted as part of corporate strategies although often elusive in practice.

So, how can we achieve it? In July, DFP Recruitment and the Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability Research Unit (GLASS) at Monash University conducted a forum to progress gender equality in the workplace.

The aim being to generate innovation and commitment to building gender equality in

the workplace beyond ‘flexible work options’ such as working from home or varied start and finish times. Although commonplace, these initiatives have not delivered the necessary equilibrium.

Here are some daring ideas pitched by our panel experts, Samone McCurdy, Michelle Dixon, Mark Briffa, Katie Briffa, Bianca Hartge Hazelman, and Simone McLaughlin, to help bridge this gap: • Interrogate assumptions about gender; question everything. Asking ‘why’ and challenging assumptions is essential to better equality. Take an active stance and challenge others.

• Make employees financially literate. What do I mean by this? Provide information on the impacts of caregiving and work-life balance strategies. Make financial literacy training part of induction for women and men. Knowledge is power; encourage informed decision-making.

• De-gender flexible work practices and make it easier for fathers to take on a primary caregiving role through part-time work, dad leave and bonus systems. Many policies have come a long way to supporting caregiving but the problem lies in encouraging men to take it up. Allow roles to be redesigned to part-time, make working flexibly a

team-based decision-making process, and encourage men to use these options.

• Use job sharing beyond helping working mothers! Transition it to retirement, talent development and succession planning. Job sharing is working smarter not less and ensures retention of corporate knowledge!

Repurpose job sharing and flexible work practices and “de-gender” it.‘ There is a vast difference between a gender sensitive organisation and a gender equal one. In the not too distant future, only the latter will survive’ (Samone McCurdy). What ideas or strategies has your organisation implemented to help achieve true gender equality? Are your policies aligned to gender equality?

Sandy Gibbs Branch Manager PCA people a division of DFP Recruitment

T: (02) 6257 1010 http://www.pcapeople.com.au/

What do SMEs require in order to do business with government?

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ne of the many challenges of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is having the infrastructure, intellectual property protection, relationships and communications capability to do business with government. Many SMEs have become specialised in one or a few of these aspects, however it is unusual to find one which has encompassed them all.

Stuart Althaus, CEO The challenges are many: everything from providing a written response to ensuring insurances are current, resources have been appropriately briefed and confirmation of rates. For a SME, many of these aspects are complex and require definition over a protracted timeframe. Examples of this include the complicated application of payroll tax for each state particularly where there are a number of entities involved in the contractual trail.

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Many aspects of the daily ensure that this capability business of SMEs are now is acknowledged and that “SMEG provides that required to provide significant support mechanism visibility is achieved at the compliance evidence. This highest possible level,” to help its 350+ SME absorbs a great deal of time that Stuart said. members succeed most simply do not have as they Networking functions, in doing business are consumed with actually meetings with senior with government, doing the work or providing government and political managing over $30m support to those that are. individuals and participating in contracted services “SMEG provides that in significant and strategic this year alone” support mechanism to help workshops shaping its 350+ SME members procurement and the policy succeed in doing business with government, of government and Defence are all part of managing over $30m in contracted services the remit for SME Gateway on behalf of this year alone,” says Stuart Althaus, CEO of their members.

SME Gateway.

To discuss any of these aspects of SMEs The relationships and engagement with doing business with government, Stuart can government is key, with these connections be contacted directly on 0411883203. being an important component of getting that voice heard. All too often, SMEs are not noticed due to their size or speciality and they do not get the attention required.

“Allowing politicians and government SME Gateway Pty Ltd officials know the capability depth P: +61 2 6295 7111 and breadth of SMEs is critical for the M: +61 411 883 203 continuation of innovation and the further Office Suite 101A, First Floor, development of Australian industry. SME Riverside Plaza, 131 Monaro Street, Gateway takes this role for, and on behalf Queanbeyan NSW 2620 of, the many member organisations to www.smegateway.com.au

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UPFRONT

Do you really need a court order in relation to your children?

By Alison Osmand

M

ost separated families function quite well without the need for a Court Order about where the children will live and how much time they will spend with each parent.

Sometimes, however, it is helpful, and important, for parents to write down and have a record of the arrangements for the care of their children. They may, however, feel that a Court Order is not the way they wish to document these arrangements.

Instead, it is possible to document the arrangements for your children in what is known as a “Parenting Plan”. A Parenting Plan is provided for under the Family Law Act. Like Court Orders about children, Parenting Plans can include details about where the children will live, who will have parental responsibility, how much time the children will spend with each parent and how they will communicate with their parents.

It can also include important statements about each of the parents’ concerns including their hopes, goals and wishes for the children’s future.

A Parenting Plan is not enforceable in the same way a Court Order is about the children’s arrangements. However, a Court can, in later proceedings, have regard to a Parenting Plan when making orders about the children and what is in their best interests.

A Parenting Plan can be utilised to vary existing parenting orders, where there is agreement but the parties do not wish to take the step of having to re-draft a set of Court Orders or nor do they feel the need to go back to the Court to have the changes to the orders approved by the Court.

Parenting Plans can be useful in circumstances where arrangements for small children are being trialled or where there might be a requirement by a third party or authority for the children’s arrangements to be expressed in writing but there is no requirement for a Court Order.

Traditionally, the language used in Parenting Plans is less legalistic than that of Court Orders.

If you would like advice about whether or not your parenting arrangement would be

Canberra property “shake up” in full effect

assisted by documenting your arrangements for your children in a Parenting Plan, then please contact DDCS Lawyers on 62127600 for expert assistance.

Alison Osmand is a Senior Associate of the firm.

18 Kendall Lane, New Acton, Canberra phone (02) 6212 7600 mail@ddcslawyers.com.au www.ddcslawyers.com.au

By Chris Miller

Legislators put mixed use developments under the microscope, hoping to improve development outcomes

D

evelopment across the ACT has seen a significant increase in mixed-use buildings incorporating commercial, retail and residential use in recent years.

This trend is set to continue if not grow, with a number of new mixed-use buildings under construction or soon to be released to the market.

Unique to fully commercial or residential communities, mixed use presents a different range of challenges to legislators and it’s something that is finally being addressed.

The ACT Government has recently announced plans to establish a pilot program in order to find the right framework to support increasing mixed-use development as Canberra continues to grow as a vibrant, activated city.

Strata Community Australia (ACT) has been invited to participate in a reference group of key stakeholders that will work with relevant ACT Government directorates to develop the pilot program.

The group will first meet to canvass the key issues and concerns for mixeduse developments, and will then provide important feedback on the proposed 10

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legislative framework and also discuss potential properties and locations where the pilot program may best apply.

The first stakeholders meeting is scheduled to occur Chris Miller, President of Strata in October 2016 Community Australia (ACT) with the agenda to initially focus on key issues that have been identified, including Governance, Access to Shared Services & Facilities, Buyer Disclosure & Protection and Staged Developments.

Another subject that has been squarely in the spotlight recently relates to noise generated in urban areas arising from commercial uses, in particular in entertainment precincts.

Entertainment spaces are an important part of Canberra’s culture and economy.

Furthermore, Time to Talk Canberra 2030 consultations in 2010 showed that more Canberrans want to live—and are already living—in areas that offer entertainment as well as residential accommodation.

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The ACT Government has released a discussion paper that aims to consider the planning framework for everyday noise arising from restaurants, licensed premises, music venues and one off events in mixed-use areas.

A copy of the discussion paper can be found by visiting https://www.yoursay.act.gov. au/urban-sounds Comments and submission from the public are encouraged.

Email: EPDImpact@act.gov.au Mail: Urban Sounds Impact Team Environment and Planning Directorate GPO Box 158, Canberra ACT 2601 Comments submitted in response to the discussion paper are considered public and may be reproduced by the ACT Government unless requested otherwise.

Strata Community Australia will endeavour to keep its members updated on the progress of these initiatives.

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UPFRONT

Income protection – why it’s important

By Julie Peters

O

ur most important financial asset is our ability to earn income yet all too often we take this for granted.

Most people will insure their homes, cars and other valuable assets however alarmingly few consider insuring their income.

If you became sick or injured and were

can’t work due to illness or injury. It generally pays up to 75% of your monthly income for your chosen benefit period or until you are fit to return to work thus providing assurance.

Being sick or injured can be stressful enough without having to worry about how the bills are going to be paid.

People who are self-employed, in particular, may be putting themselves at financial risk by not having income protection insurance. If you are the business and you are unable to work, what income is available to you? unable to work, even for a short period of time, how would you pay the mortgage or rent, feed the family and pay the bills?

• WorkCover – you are only covered if the illness or injury occurred during the normal course of employment.

• Sickness Allowance - you will need to undergo the asset and income test, there may be a waiting period depending on your situation and the payment rate is $527.60 per fortnight for a single person – would this be adequate to meet your needs?

Income Protection provides cover if you

Anyone who earns income through employment should consider how best to protect it. The decision to have or not to have income protection insurance will depend on numerous factors including, your financial situation now and in the future, employment and remuneration conditions, income-earning assets, occupation and any lifestyle pursuits (e.g. sports played) People who are self-employed, in particular, may be putting themselves at financial risk by not having income protection insurance. If you are the business and you are unable to work, what income is available

to you? Income protection insurance should really be an integral part of your Business Plan.

Because there are many products available with many additional extras, finding the right income protection policy can be a daunting prospect. At Gillespie Wealth Management, we can take the hard work out for you and help you find the ideal policy and the best possible price.

As with all insurances and financial products, income protection should be considered as part of an overall financial plan.

For all your life insurance and income protection needs contact Julie Peters on 6260 4994 or at julie.peters@gillespiegroup.com.au 68-70 Dundas Court Phillip ACT 2606 gillespiegroup.com.au

Christmas hampers from ‘The Local Larder’

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anberrans, sear the name ‘The Local Larder’ into your brain. It is the creation of Julie Nichols and Rachel Evagelou, founders of Shop Handmade and the Handmade Market.

After closing their Shop Handmade doors in late May they have been planning the opening of ‘The Local Larder’.

The Local Larder will open in coming months, in the space opposite Glebe Park, previously occupied by Rivers.

The Local Larder will be a café, cellar door, retail space and tourism hub in the heart of Canberra.

“We are creating a beautiful dining and retail space to showcase the best of the Canberra region’s wines, food, produce and designers,” Julie explained.

The Local Larder aims to be one of Canberra’s leading advocates for all that is great about the region.

“By providing a beautiful and central location to showcase and sell local & regional produce, design, wine & services we seek to establish the most creative and innovative tourism experience in Canberra,” Rachel said.

But you can get a Shop Handmade fix, and a taste of what is to come at The Local Larder, by ordering your local produce Christmas hampers online from The Local Larder’s new website.

“Over the last few years with Shop Handmade we identified that there was a gap in the market for Christmas and all-occasion hampers that focused on Canberra, local produce, Australian or handmade items,” Julie said.

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Rachel and Julie found themselves producing hundreds of such hampers for all sorts of customers, parents, schools, Government, private business and conferences.

“Since we haven’t yet opened the doors to The Local Larder, “We are creating a we still want to have this service beautiful dining and available, so we are releasing a selection of hampers, ranging in retail space to showcase the best of the Canberra price from $30 to $200, where you can choose from selected region’s wines, food, themes or design your own,” produce and designers” Rachel outlined.

All you need to do is view the hampers online, decide what you want, get in touch with Rachel and she will look after the rest.

Hamper orders will close mid-November so please head over to the website www.thelocallarder.com.au to see what is on offer. Or you can email Rachel directly at rachel@thelocallarder.com.au.

An early Christmas present

Book a 3 to 6 month campaign and save 20% (Conditions apply*)

*Book before 1 December 2016. 20% off B2B rate card.

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F E AT U R E

Lifetime Achievement award for assisting businesses

P

am Chilman and AMC Training Centre were recently recognised at the recent MYOB National conference at the Gold Coast. Pam joined a small group of individuals with receipt of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award. The 2016 MYOB Top SME ACT Sales Award was also bestowed upon Pam, an award she and AMC have received annually since its induction in 2006.

“I feel proud and deeply honoured to have been awarded this special recognition from MYOB. ‘The Lifetime Achievement’ award, introduced 5 years ago feels akin to being inducted in to a Hall of Fame,” Pam said proudly.

Having worked with and provided input in to MYOB’s SME product range since its introduction in the early 1990’s, Pam says this has provided her with product insights and the opportunity to make a real difference, helping businesses to automate and understand their financial systems.

“This year’s conference had a fresh new look unveiling MYOB’s updated branding to reflect that the way we now do business and engage with others has changed. MYOB continues to make business life easier, by evolving their product to reflect the way we

“I feel proud and deeply honoured to have been awarded this special recognition from MYOB. ‘The Lifetime Achievement’ award, introduced 5 years ago feels akin to being inducted in to a Hall of Fame” now work,” Pam explained.

AMC have recently licensed training materials for one of the reporting add-ons to help address the need for key financial reporting of changed funding models faced by many not for profit organisations.

“I continue to be delighted with how advances in technology can really assist organisations connect and increase efficiencies to best position themselves’ Pam stated.

With advancements in technology and resulting reduction in costs, many more organisations are able to link their systems with other solutions.

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Pam and her team are excited to be able to source and integrate the best solutions for clients to automate processes, stating that they are able to significantly reduce the duplication of tasks and resulting errors.

“Technology has revolutionised the way bookkeeping is now carried out and no longer has the high price tag, or need to have the extensive IT skills, that were required previously,” Pam said.

Understanding the tools and services that can improve bookkeeping processes are AMC’s focus, with their popular MYOB News Channel providing key updates each month to bookkeepers around Australia. Pam, who heads up the team at AMC gets excited when initiatives such as National e-invoicing standards are announced, that will provide further time and cost savings for business, and the potential to save the economy as much as $10 billion per year!

The AMC News Channel initiative provides such updates on the industry along with how features in MYOB can assist with running their businesses, delivered online, providing easy access for all to keep up to date. AMC supports bookkeepers, who often lack regular support and training, providing quality classroom and online sessions on the latest technology to provide important, cost effective help during this time of significant change in the profession.

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AMC Training Centre Background The AMC Training Centre is a productivity specialist centre based in ACT providing support nationally for small to medium business as well as government departments and agencies. AMC is a Registered Training Organisation dedicated to quality, relevant training having been recognised with a number of national and local awards for their commitment to increasing productivity since 1992. AMC’s range of courses include MYOB, Xero, Quickbooks, Reckon, Calxa and the Microsoft Office suite such as Excel, Word, Project, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access and Visio.

AMC Training Centre offers services to support users to be proficient and efficient and can be contacted via www.ausmanagement.com.au or 02 6285 4888.

AMC Training Centre carry out Financial Systems reviews, which they have kindly offered B2B readers a special rate.

Contact the team at AMC for more details on reception@ausmanagement.com.au or 6215 9710 Or visit their website to find out more about their services and other awards: www.ausmanagement.com.au

For further information contact: Pam Chilman AMC Training Centre Australian Management Control Pty Ltd 32-38 Townshend St, Phillip ACT Phone: 02 6285 4888 (direct 6215 9713) 0412 056 888 Email: pamc@ausmanagement.com.au Web: www.ausmanagement.com.au

Design : Tim Benson + Kasra Yousefi

F E AT U R E

Amy Burr, Noor Blumer and Phil Schubert

Two new directors spring up at Blumers ...

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n 1 July 2016 Mark and Noor Blumer, welcomed two new directors to Blumers Lawyers for the first time. Amy Burr has worked for Blumers since 2001 and Phil Schubert since 2008.

“We were really spoilt for choice when we wanted to expand Blumers and take on new

“Because we specialise, lawyers can feel confident sending their clients to us, because we won’t be trying to take over the rest of their business. There is also the assurance that we offer a specialised and high quality service,” Mark said.

Amy Burr is an ANU graduate who started with Blumers after experience as a paralegal

“Because we specialise, lawyers can feel confident sending their clients to us, because we won’t be trying to take over the rest of their business. There is also the assurance that we offer a specialised and high quality service” directors,” Noor Blumer said.

“It’s great to have a sense of renewal and for younger lawyers to bring new ideas and energy to the firm,” Mark Blumer said.

Mark and Noor came from Griffith NSW in 1998 and by 2000 were the proprietors of Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers, a boutique firm dedicated to pursuing claims for Canberrans injured in accidents.

From taking up half of one floor at the top of the AON building on London Circuit, Blumers Lawyers has expanded to two floors.

“We love where our office is – right across the road from the courts.”

“It is gratifying that a large percentage of our clients came to us by personal referral.

It reflects a high level of satisfaction by our clients,” Noor explained.

Blumers also get many referrals from other professionals.

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and then as a solicitor with another firm.

There is not much Amy hasn’t experienced in that time.

“I have been part of the Blumers ‘family’ for so long now that it felt perfectly natural to take this next step,” Amy said.

Phil Schubert graduated from the UNE but also has a Master of Laws from ANU, and originally started his legal career in the public service.

“I really love to help deserving people. I have seen the firm grow and am excited to be part of the next chapter,” Phil stated.

Blumers Lawyers use the highest quality practice management software available, which has meant they have been pioneers in the use of technology.

“We became a paperless office on 1 January 2007. No more of those great bulky files of the past, where things tend to get lost.

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All our files are entirely kept on our system, and it makes it much easier to ensure that files are being properly run and allows any of our lawyers to pick up easily if someone is away,” Noor said.

Blumers continue to play a leadership role in the ACT and National legal community.

Noor Blumer served for two years as ACT Law Society President and has previously been President of Australian Women Lawyers. Mark Blumer served a year as National President of Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) and has also been an ACT Law Society Councillor.

Amy is a member of the Complaints Committee of the Law Society and the ACT branch of ALA. She has also served on the Young Lawyers Committee, ACT Women Lawyers Association committee and as Chair and Secretary of the ALA's local chapter.

Phil Schubert has been on the Council of the ACT Law Society since 2013 and is an active member of the ACT Law Society Civil Litigation Committee, as well as being a current member and past Chair of the ACT branch of ALA.

(02) 6208 2600 (02) 6208 2626 blumers@blumers.com.au Level 12, 15 London Circuit Canberra City ACT 2601

Canberra's strata management innovators Strata Community Australia (ACT) 2016 Award Winners

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Winner - Innovation of the year Vantage Strata Award sponsored by Schindler

Finalist - Strata administrator of the year Meg Lynch, Vantage Strata Award sponsored by Territory Horticulture

Vantage Strata congratulates all other winners of the Strata Community Australia (ACT) Awards.

kasra.com.au -16-2

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COVER STORY

Women with SASS RSM is a progressive and diverse firm of audit, tax and consulting experts with offices all over Australia and the world. As an integrated team, we share skills, insight and resources as well as a client centric approach that’s based on a deep understanding of our client’s business. This is how we empower our clients to move forward with confidence and realise their full potential. This is the power of being understood.

Photography: Kasra Yousefi Venue for photography, courtesy of QT Lounge , Canberra.

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COVER STORY

RSM Women with SASS

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30 per cent of small businesses are owned by women in our country’s capital. Women make up 39 per cent of sole traders. These numbers are growing.

local initiative being launched

by RSM Australia called mily is a Senior Manager in Risk Advisory ‘Women with SASS’ (Strength, Services with a specialisation in Internal Ambition, Sophistication Audit and Assurance Services. After moving and Smarts) is creating a stir. It has been to London and traveling through the developed from the grassroots level and Middle East and Europe, Emily returned is aimed at empowering women to move to Canberra with a renewed passion for all forward with confidence, whether it be in things assurance. “Moving overseas was a big business or government. part of my five year plan after leaving high Probably the most universal challenge school, along with completing University, that women face in their professional life, gaining a graduate position, and completing is confidence – confidence in themselves, the chartered accountants program. What their own abilities and competencies. it really gave me was an opportunity to RSM want their clients, staff and determine what I wanted to be and where I members of Women with SASS to wanted to be.” embrace their ambition and success and “I came back to Canberra with not help others along the way. only more confidence but also a drive to RSM’s Women with SASS is a whole make a difference.”

EMILY BOWD of firm approach to drive diversity of thought and ideas to bring better outcomes through the provision of networking opportunities. our Firm. A key strategic focus for our Executive Team is diversity Through quarterly networking events, RSM aims to spotlight and we will be investing in this area with a range of initiatives and recognise role models and current leaders, promote clients and including this one”.

Canberra businesses and challenge and encourage work life balance Frank Lo Pilato, Canberra Managing Partner says that, “When and flexible work arrangement initiatives. the Women with SASS proposal was put forward, it was something Jamie O’Rourke, National Chairman of RSM Australia says “whilst that our partnership group whole heartedly supported. RSM’s Women with SASS has started as a local initiative in Canberra we focus is firmly set on attracting, retaining and advancing women. believe there is a broader applicability for initiatives like SASS across We are conscious that gender balance is critical to any high

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JENNIFER BRENNAN 20

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ennifer has spent over 20 years in HR with a focus on professional services, she specialises in leadership development and is a qualified executive coach.

As National Director of Learning & Development at RSM, Jennifer has a unique opportunity to enact real organisational change through the professional development program the firm undertakes.

“My team work with the business to develop learning programs around technical, business, leadership and management skills.

I am really proud of what we have been able to achieve and the recent recognition of everyone’s hard work by being awarded the winners of the Australian Accounting Awards Professional Development Program of the Year last year. We have again, been announced

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as a finalist for the 2016 awards with the winner being announced mid-October.”

Jennifer truly believes it is a privilege to do what she does. She is passionate about developing people and it gives her great satisfaction to see them realise and attain their career goals.

“I am particularly passionate about mentoring young women. Women with SASS will provide me with a forum to share my experiences with others but also, grow from their perspectives and stories. To spend time and find mutual support in and through likeminded strong and ambitious woman is a wonderful and exciting opportunity.”

On the weekends, Jen can usually be found outdoors, “I love to be active whether it is riding a bike, walking, hiking or going to the

“Whilst Women with SASS has started as a local initiative in Canberra we believe there is a broader applicability for initiatives like SASS across our Firm. A key strategic focus for our Executive Team is diversity and we will be investing in this area with a range of initiatives including this one” Jamie O’Rourke, National Chairman of RSM Australia

SALLY COLQUHOUN Deep down Emily prides herself on being passionate, honest and authentic. She strives to bring diversity of thought to everything she undertakes. Having spent over 11 years in professional services firms there is one thing that sticks out in her career, that being the lack of senior women in leadership positions.

“Understanding that need for diversity, and not just gender diversity, is a complex challenge facing most organisations,” she believes these challenges can be faced through many avenues. “This was why we created Women with SASS, to empower our team and our local community to stand up and challenge the status quo.”

“I feel extremely lucky to have the amazing career and opportunities that I have. I would

have never thought in a million years that I would be where I am today…. let alone where I will be in the future. With this in mind, I am passionate about providing the same opportunities to others, particularly other young women and country kids.”

“With RSM, I get the opportunity to work with, and in, my local community.

Canberra has such an amazing diverse range of industries with people from various backgrounds.”

Outside of work, Emily is a keen water skier in the summer who enjoys travel adventures with her patient husband and values time spent with family and friends no matter where they are.

performing business.”

“We as a firm are working hard to challenge gender bias by employing various strategies nationally. In these economic times organisations are forever being asked to do more with less, simultaneously innovating whilst building a workforce for the future. RSM sees gender equality, flexible work arrangements and diversity of thought as critical to becoming a service provider and employer of choice” To officially launch Women with SASS, RSM are holding a launch event on 10 November 2016, with a panel of guest speakers such as - David Morrison AO, the 2016 Australian of the Year, Kate Carnell, Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman and Louise Curtis, Owner of gift companies gym. I am a regular at the beach and enjoy Lollypotz and Hamperesque. water sports including scuba diving.” After RSM in Canberra is at the coal face recently returning from a trip to Hawaii, Jen of business growth in the marketplace, had the opportunity to scuba dive over a and in working closely with their WWII wreck and swim with turtles which clients, they understand the challenges she strongly recommends to anyone looking that women face as they aspire to for adventure. move forward in their careers. Apart A dedicated supporter of worthy causes from access to finance and funding, such as Snowy Hydro and Red Cross, business women are often balancing Jennifer is a regular face at many of the local primary carer responsibilities with work charity events. commitments. Women are often doing “I have always loved a challenge! Whether it this alone and report on the lack of be a designing a new project or implementing female mentorship and support from a strategic initiative into a business.” within their organisations.

Jenifer’s philosophy is that one of the pillars Emily Bowd, Senior Manager in to a successful business is well supported, RSM’s Audit and Advisory Division, developed and engaged employees. says that, “Since joining RSM, through various discussions with the

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ax is an inevitable part of life.

Fortunately, there are people like Sally who love to nut out the complexities of our tax system, thriving on helping clients get the best outcome possible. A relatively new starter with RSM, Sally brings over 10 years of accounting and tax experience to RSM from both Big 4 firms as well as smaller practices. She loves working with the Canberra business sector “Although I started my career working with large publicly listed companies in Sydney, I find that the diversity of the Canberra market provides a wider variety of work and gives me the opportunity to really make an meaningful impact to their growth and financial outcomes. It’s what keeps my job exciting.”

As a mother of five children, Sally can certainly empathise with other women and mothers who are striving for a successful career or business whilst having a family.

She believes it is possible to achieve in both areas with the right support. “I hope that RSM’s Women with SASS group will offer a support network to women in business as well as provide some coaching and tools to help them be the best they can be.” The mantra of “doing your best in everything you do” is something that she strives for personally and hopes is one of the key messages she has taught her children.

Sally can also be found each morning at various gyms around Canberra instructing either Body Pump or RPM. “Although the 4.40am starts required to organise the house for the day can be a drag, I find that both the workout and the interaction with my classes gives me the real boost I need to fit so much into my day”.

Outside of work Sally likes to travel (yes, with her children in tow), having lived overseas twice, and in quite a few locations across Australia. “Canberra is home for us now and whilst I have met and worked with so many amazing people, I look forward to expanding my network through Women with SASS”.

“When the Women with SASS proposal was put forward, it was something that our partnership group whole heartedly supported.We are conscious that gender balance is critical to any high performing business.”

Frank Lo Pilato, Canberra Managing Partner

EMMA MOLLOY

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ith close to 10 years’ experience in professional services, Emma has developed a knack for humanising a corporate brand in the market place.

While her background sits mostly with events, digital marketing is her passion.

“The digital medium provides you with real-time feedback on what people are responding to and engaging with, which, as a marketer, is exactly what you need to know to drive business decisions.”

Emma gets a kick out of helping businesses convey their messages clearly, concisely and skillfully, allowing them to get on with what they do best.

Emma says “my work ethic has always been to work hard and get the job done right”.

Emma brings this vitality to her role within RSM’s Women with SASS group by ensuring the team’s thoughts are translated into meaningful action. “What I am looking forward to the most with Women with SASS is the opportunity to share and bounce ideas off other likeminded business women.”

When she is not busily maintaining her fitness regime which includes a mix of functional fitness, yoga and weekly “bridge to bridge” jogs, Emma can be found enjoying all Canberra has to offer with her family and friends.

Emma is a huge advocate for Canberra and the opportunities it provides and is very excited to see what growth and changes our City has in store for us during the next few years.

When time allows, she can also be found behind an easel or in an art room conjuring up an abstract creation. “While only a hobby, painting provides me with a creative outlet and is something I really enjoy. I do take a few commissions from time to time, which often challenges me to expand on my preferred or natural style.”

She has recently come across Amy Cuddy’s philosophy of “fake it ‘til you become it” and hopes that Women with SASS will be a forum for empowering women with similar ideas.

partnership group and other wonderful women in the firm, the Women with SASS initiative was born. I have been truly humbled by not only the support, that the partnership group have shown towards this initiative, but also the passion behind the team of women who are working alongside me in turning this idea into a reality.”

“We believe that RSM's Women with SASS will provide a platform to empower business women and women in government to move forward with confidence. We hope to use it to influence the discussion on diversity, within RSM, our community and in the industries and sectors participants operate. We are incredibly excited for what is to come’” says Emily.

It is easy to see why gender diversity continues to keep boards up at night.

According to Workplace Gender Equality Agency August 2016 statistics at a glance, women hold 14.2% of chair positions, 23.6% of directorships, as well as represent 15.4% of CEOs and 27.4% of key management personnel in Agency reporting organisations.

One-quarter (25.1%) of Agency reporting organisations have no key management personnel who are women. The average superannuation balances for women at retirement are 52.8% less than those for men. Whilst the winds of change may be in motion with the Australian Institute for Company Directors (AICD) revealing that women account for 40.0% of new appointments to ASX 200 boards in January 2016, there is still a lot of work to be done. The AICD has set a target for all boards to ensure that at least 30 per cent of their directors are female by 2018.

According to the Australian Bureau Statistics, 30 per cent of small businesses are owned by women in our country’s capital. Women make up 39 per cent of sole traders. These numbers are growing. In some industries and sectors in Canberra, such as community services,

LEAH FURLAN

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eah has worked in the financial industry for almost 20 years, she began when working for a local Physiotherapist using manual ledgers to complete their accounts.

Since then Leah has developed a passion for financial planning. On top of being a single parent and working as a Para planner at RSM, Leah’s spare time is often spent studying for her degree in a Bachelor of Business, with a major in financial planning.

For years now Leah has had a keen interest in women’s wellbeing, she has been involved in organising events, women’s conferences and networking groups. “I just love it when women get together, whether it be for an event, to listen to a speaker or simply to share a cup of tea” there is a shift towards female executives and board representatives, however in other areas, female representation is lagging significantly.

Professional services firms have struggled in recent years with diversity and equality, with a large proportion of senior leaders, whether they be partners, directors, or principals dominated by white middle aged men. The larger firms have been putting work into ensuring that there is

“I have been truly humbled by not only the support, that the partnership group have shown towards this initiative, but also the passion behind the team of women who are working alongside me in turning this idea into a reality.”

Emily Bowd, Senior Manager, Audit and Advisory Division

ALICE LEE Having had personal experience in a domestic violence situation, Leah has a special interest in helping women in need.

On completion of her degree, Leah plans on assisting women who have themselves, left a domestic violent situation get back on their feet through financial advice. “In such a difficult time, finances play a significant role as abusers tend to use finances as another means to exert control over women. I want to empower women to be in control of their own finances.”

Leah’s role within RSM’s Women with SASS group is strengthened by her passion for empowering women and her experience in event planning. “I am looking forward to working with other women in business to share ideas and come together as a group within the business community” Leah is excited to see the opportunities for women in business grow in the Canberra region.

When she can, Leah will make it a priority to visit friends and simply enjoy a meal together and chat. “Connecting with my friends is a must, I would be lost without their support and friendship.”

Leah shares the belief that “we are stronger together than apart” and believes that Women with SASS through bringing like-minded business women together will empower women within the business community.

more diverse memberships in their partner and executive groups through various strategies which is having some success.

RSM want to take these initiatives one step further – in addition to focusing on internal drivers such as providing flexible work arrangements, RSM is investing in our local communities to empower women to break down these invisible barriers and helping them achieve all they can.

RSM intends on providing tailored support to women in business including financial advice, coaching, mentoring and workshops as well as connecting with local communities and charities to drive innovation.

Stay tuned for more on RSM’s Women with SASS initiative as it evolves.

RSM intends on providing tailored support to women in business including financial advice, coaching, mentoring and workshops as well as connecting with local communities and charities to drive innovation.

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fter graduating from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Laws and Commerce, Alice embarked on her graduate year with RSM in the Restructuring and Recovery team in 2014. Now as a Senior Analyst in the team, Alice assists with the implementation of insolvency solutions for small to medium enterprises and individuals with unmanageable personal liabilities. Alice says “I am passionate about working with my clients through what is usually a really tough time, and demystifying relevant areas of the corporate law which can be largely overwhelming.”

Alice recognises that it can be challenging for women to thrive particularly in the insolvency profession, being a largely male dominated arena. In many ways this further drives and motivates her ambition to achieve.

However, she says “I am very fortunate to be part of a professional firm so focused and committed in empowering women in the workplace. Particularly within a male dominated leadership group, RSM’s Women with SASS initiative is all the more impressive.”

She is optimistic that through the initiative she will be able to connect and work with other like-minded business women in an effort to promote and develop female talent identified within and outside of RSM. Originally hailing from Auckland, Alice admits that Canberra life has truly grown on her. “Canberra has seen tremendous change even in the last seven years since I have moved here. With the constant additions of new restaurants and cafes, Canberra is also a bit of a foodie’s paradise.”

When not manically studying for the Chartered Accountants program, in the warmer months Alice enjoys frequent visits down the coast with her unruly Labrador Benji and slightly less unruly Fiancé.

Despite the animosity that she may receive, Alice “will forever and always remain” a strong supporter for the almighty All Blacks.

COVER STORY

“Understanding that need for diversity, and not just gender diversity, is a complex challenge facing most organisations.”

“In such a difficult time (domestic violence situation), finances play a significant role as abusers tend to use finances as another means to E M I L Y B O W D exert control over women. I want to empower women to be in control of their own finances.”

“I am particularly passionate LEAH FURLAN about mentoring young women.

Women with SASS will provide “I am very fortunate to be part of me with a forum to share my a professional firm so focused and experiences with others but also, committed in empowering women grow from their perspectives and in the workplace. Particularly stories. To spend time and find within a male dominated mutual support in and through leadership group, RSM’s Women likeminded strong and ambitious with SASS initiative is all the women is a wonderful and more impressive.” exciting opportunity.”

JENNIFER BRENNAN

ALICE LEE

If you would like more information on how to get more involved please contact Sally Colquhoun on 02 6217 0323 or email sally.colquhoun@rsm.com.au.

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“What I am looking forward to the most with Women with SASS is the opportunity to share and bounce ideas off other like-minded business women.”

EMMA MOLLOY

“I hope that RSM’s Women with SASS group will offer a support network to women in business as well as provide some coaching and tools to help them be the best they can be.”

S A L LY C O L Q U H O U N

ADVICE ACCOUNTING

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Behavioural Insights at work

BOOKKEEPING

27

What can XERO tell us about leadership? (Part 1)

BUSINESS LAW

28

Shareholders Agreements – your company’s first aid kit

CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS

28

Love your invoices – they’ll reward you for it

CYBER SECURITY

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Incident History – to inform or to guess

by Dr Robert Holmes, RSM

by Harry Hoang, Tailored Accounts

by Mark Love, Bradley Allen Love Lawyers

by Jane Lombard, Fifo Capital

by Eric Flis, Cordelta

INSOLVENCY 29

The Liquidator and the Family Court – friends or foe?

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 30

Be COOL when selling and exporting food or wine products

RECRUITMENT

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Skills Index shows Australia failing to meet demand

STRATA MANAGEMENT

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The age of the career strata manager

WEBSITES

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The 7 deadly sins of SEO

by Tony Lane, Vincents Chartered Accountants

by Shaun Creighton, Moulis Legal

by Jim Roy, Hays Recruitment Experts Worldwide

by Chris Miller, Vantage Strata

by Sam Gupta, Synapse Worldwide

ACCOUNTING

by Dr Robert Holmes

Behavioural Insights at work Have you ever looked up as you entered your local super market? There’s a whole host of banners and posters up there. Have you wondered why the local bakery at 11am smells like pies instead of baked bread, like it did when you got your coffee at 8am that morning? There are a lot of things like that, sitting in the background of our daily lives. They go unnoticed by our conscious brain perhaps, but not by our more primal unconscious.

It has not only noticed, but in many cases it has been gently nudged in a certain direction. Now that I’ve mentioned it, there’s a chance You can use Behavioural Insights you’ll notice it next time.

When it first came out, ‘nudge’ in two ways: first to stop being theory was an instant hit. It remained in the realm of academic manipulated, and second to pleasure and experiment until nudge others in your direction. governments started to see the value. In this realm it came to be known as Behavioural Insights (BI). First they applied it to decision making – such as opt in and opt out choice for organ donation. Then they applied it to roads and transport, figuring out how to get fewer trucks on the CBD roads at peak hour. Now at last BI has entered the popular world of business.

Even though nudge theory rests on psychology (individual behaviour), sociology (organisational behaviour) and economics you don’t have to know those fields to use it. You can use BI in two ways: first to stop being manipulated, and second to nudge others in your direction. In the first place, all you have to do it become awake and aware of your surroundings.

Start being watchful of how subtly your surroundings are moving you.

For example at my local airport there are huge glass walls at the entrance. It’s hard to see where At work you can use nudge the sliding entry doors are. Some theory in your marketing and numpty decided to contrast tiles the concrete, with dark communications. Become aware against tiles in two diagonal stripes leading straight to… the solid glass. It gets of the affect your choice of me every time. Thump. images, font, word choice and At work you can use nudge theory in your marketing and layout have on the reader. communications. Become aware of the affect your choice of images, font, word choice and layout have on the reader. Notice how you feel when entering different offices… how does green or blue or pink or black affect your mood? Become aware of your body language and what it might transmit to others: arm crossing, leg folding, eyebrow raising, fake smiling and nodding all nudge and influence the person you are speaking with. I guess, in the end, learning nudge theory is really about awareness.

Self-awareness, conscious watching of others and our surroundings, and then using this information to our benefit. Happy hunting!

Dr Robert Holmes is a Senior Manager in RSM Australia. He leads the People and Change practise, which is part of the Consulting Division. Please feel free to contact Robert on 02 6217 0300 or robert.holmes@rsm.com.au should you wish to discuss anything raised in this article.

BOOKKEEPING

by Harry Hoang, IPA

What can XERO tell us about leadership? (Part 1) Coming back from XEROCON SOUTH in Brisbane, I kept asking myself about what have we learnt from the event. In the past, we tried to figure out the most suitable accounting software for our business and clients.

XERO was the best choice. When at XEROCON SOUTH and talking to XERO has envisioned the my colleagues, I realised that XERO is embarking in a leadership position in cloud accounting, which has never future of cloud accounting been taken by other big players. and encouraged the I was keep asking myself about what we have gotten from the partnership of bookkeeper event. I asked staff to write a accountants to leverage our few words about their personal feeling so we can consolidate to innovative ecosystem. a good article for B2B this month.

Personally, as a CEO of an accounting practice, I am thinking more about the direction, the leadership of the accounting industry in which XERO play a very important part of the Eco system. 10 years ago we all know that MYOB, QuickBooks are the most popular accounting software for SMEs and Accountants.

These days, people are still comparing the pros & cons between different softwares including XERO, MYOB, and QuickBooks to figure out which the best solution for their business. A single article will not be enough to compare all these accounting software. However, from my experience at XEROCON, it is clearly to me that XERO is taking the leadership role which has never been taken before!

XERO has envisioned the future of cloud accounting and encouraged the partnership of bookkeeper - accountants to leverage our innovative ecosystem. XERO has successfully gathered more than two thousand bookkeepers and accountants at once. It is a significant act of leadership. XERO has proven that we accountants could change the world, just like Apple with its innovation novelty has introduced us to iPhones. Apple believes that iPhones are more than just mobile phones, and that is the reason Nokia and Sony have lost their market leadership role to Apple. Similarly, XERO software provides us more than a tool for accounting. In fact, it is the inspiration for growth.

In five years, there may be better integration amongst platforms, products, applications, and add-on features. Automation could eliminate the resource waste and improve the work accuracy. The gap between the known and unknowns may slowly but surely disappear.

When you are in doubt of direction, you should connect to XERO. You could realise the direction where we are all heading. XERO is an inspiring leader that inspires us to excel in whatever we do.

Harry Hoang is CEO of Tailored Accounts "The Accounts Department of Small and Medium Business" www.tailoredaccounts.com.au

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BUSINESS LAW

CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS

by Mark Love

Shareholders Agreements – your company’s first aid kit

Love your invoices – they’ll reward you for it

When it comes to a company, the corporate “constitution” is often assumed to be the most important document when it comes to governing its day-to-day affairs and operations. In reality, there are a range of issues which are not covered by a constitution and implementing a Shareholders Agreement can be key; giving certainty and clarifying shareholder “rights”, expectations and procedures. These become particularly useful in the event of a dispute or relationship breakdown. Shareholders Agreements cannot remove a shareholder’s statutory rights.

Consider the following issues which can be covered in your Shareholders Agreement: • Management Structure: the process for appointing directors, board composition and the general management and running of the company; • Decision making: allocating different types of decisions to different classes of people to approve them. Relatively minor day-to-day company decisions may require only a majority vote of directors, but bigger decisions affecting the core business of the company (such as a merger or winding up) could require approval by a special resolution (75%) or unanimous decision of directors and shareholders; • Share transfers: provisions relating to the transfer of shares form a crucial part of the overall Agreement. These clauses cover a multitude of situations, including first rights of refusal, price valuation mechanisms and the right (or obligation) to buy or sell in certain circumstances. These can work to resolve voting deadlocks between shareholders; • Restraints: imposing obligations on existing shareholders and directors to refrain them from starting up a competing business next door, or poaching employees or clients from the company for their own benefit, ensuring they dedicate their time and efforts to ensuring that the business is a success; and • Dispute resolution: despite best efforts, disputes with business partners are all too common, so it is important to have a pre-agreed dispute resolution process in place at the start of the venture, so that disagreements don’t disrupt the entire operation.

The risk in not having a Shareholders Agreement is that a dispute or stalemate between the decision makers could jeopardise the operation of the business or payment of creditors, leading to a deterioration of the business’ goodwill and value. Absent a predetermined resolution process, the only way to resolve a dispute may be litigation, which in turn can lead to the winding up the company by the Courts.

Ideally, your Shareholders Agreement can be drafted and filed away, never needed because the business and the parties are working well together. If, however, you ever get caught up in a dispute, you’ll be glad you’ve got a safety mechanism in place.

Mark Love, Legal Director, Business Law 9th Floor, Canberra House, 40 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra ACT 2601 E: mark.love@ballawyers.com.au T: 02 6274 0810 | www.ballawyers.com.au

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by Jane Lombard

We all need to get paid… but for many small businesses, getting invoices out and money back in, can become an ongoing issue. We have five top tips to get your invoices working hard.

1. Systemise The more you can automate the invoicing process, the easier it will be for you (and your team) and the more transparent it will be for your customers.

Sure, it takes a bit of time upfront to get things set up – whether you use a software program or simply an invoice template. But once you have your templates and related client detail in place, the task of preparing invoices won’t be quite as daunting. Plus, it’s a good opportunity to double check that your invoices include all the necessary detail – total, balance due, dates, the GST component etc – as advised by your accountant.

You might also like to consider mapping out your invoice-month. For example, when do you need to prepare invoices and send them in line with your payment terms, and when do you need to follow-up to avoid the potential for cash flow hiccups?

2. Client clarity Are your payment terms working for your cash flow needs? Are they clear to your clients? Agreed upfront? Whether you expect payment in 7 days, 14, or on the 20th of the month or other, being clear with your clients upfront and then supporting your payment terms with clear invoicing timeframes makes a considerable difference to cash flow health.

3. Reward and remind Client relationships count and of course you don’t want your payment terms to be a deterrent to working with you. But there’s nothing wrong with a bit of structure that shows you mean business. Consider things like late payment penalties, or on the flip side, prompt payment discounts.

If agreed upfront, these structures can be very effective in driving good payment behaviour with clients.

4. It’s all about timing Need we say more? Don’t expect to be paid within 14 days of delivery if it takes you 10 days to send out the invoice. The more promptly you get your invoice to the customer, the greater the chance you will be paid on time. Simple, but often a struggle for time poor SMEs. 5. Plan timely reminders With some structure in place (see point 3) you should be able to reduce the number of late paying clients. But the reality is that it’s unlikely that everyone will be perfect payers every invoice.

Map out reminder dates for late payers and consider how you want to go about following them up. You might be happy to take on the task yourself, or choose a team member, or even outsource it. The key is to have some form of process in place. Every late invoice is a hole in your cash flow.

We’re happy to help if you have any queries. Getting the basics in business right, reaps rewards down the track.

P 0408 226 841 E jane.lombard@fifocapital.com PO Box 3269, Weston Creek ACT 2611

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CYBER SECURITY

INSOLVENCY

by Eric Flis

Incident History to inform or to guess

by Tony Lane

The Liquidator and the Family Court – friends or foe?

Many organisations spend large amounts of money hiring outside consultants to analyse risks to ICT systems. Surprisingly in almost all cases, consultants working in IT Security do not have access to all relevant data, including history of previous incidents, which is particularly important when conducting risk assessments. The lack of access to such data makes it extremely difficult to make an accurate assessment of risk, as this data directly informs the likelihood of a security event occurring.

The assessment of risk is based on the formula: Likelihood + Consequence = Risk. Without any insight into likelihood consultants, and the final assessment, are missing an essential piece of the equation.

There are numerous reasons why this data may not be provided or available including: Fear of disclosure – Many companies and government departments tightly guard information about security incidents that have occurred in their ICT environment. There are likely a number of factors at play here such as damage to reputation and financial impacts if such information is made public.

Lack of capability – Many organisations may lack the capability to detect, prevent and track incidents within their environment. These deficiencies can span any number of areas including technology, financial, people and The lack of access to such governance arrangements. data makes it extremely The issue of disclosure is a complex one which is currently difficult to make an accurate being discussed as part of assessment of risk planned mandatory disclosure laws. Though some organisations choose to disclose breaches, many do not.

Lack of capability is a challenging issue. Any assessment or technical implementation undertaken in this area must be done by an expert that has a deep understanding of incident detection, prevention and reporting processes and tools. An expert will be able to ensure that the proper framework is developed and communicated within your organisation, allowing incident reporting work to be done accurately and efficiently.

Additionally, a consultant with relevant expertise in the implementation and configuration of monitoring and detection controls is critical. Controls must be properly configured to ensure false positives are kept to a minimum and that the incident detection, response, and reporting processes do not have a significant impact on the ability of your organisation to carry out its daily business.

Once your organisation has both the governance framework and technical capabilities in place, your incident reporting will start to more accurately inform the likelihood of security events occurring within your ICT environment, maximising the value for money of risk assessments and incident prevention.

The Cordelta security team can assist you with finding your weakest points and ultimately reducing your risk exposure. Contact us for further details.

In this column I have previously opined on how independent financial experts, such as insolvency practitioners, add value in Family Law property disputes. During the past decade, amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (FLA) and Bankruptcy Act 1966, have largely aligned procedures between the two jurisdictions, where one party is a bankrupt.

However, no such accommodation exists for the Corporations Act 2001 (CA), resulting in liquidators and administrators of insolvent companies tending to give the Family Court of Australia (Family Court) a wide berth.

Reasons for this are cited as including perceived a lack of confidence and certainty as to available remedies, a general unavailability of costs orders, and (no doubt with suitable respect) an apparent unacquaintedness with commercial realities, as compared to the more familiar surroundings of the State Supreme Courts and the Federal Recently, however, there has been Court of Australia.

Recently, however, there has been a a rise in reported cases from the rise in reported cases from the Family Court in which liquidators of insolvent Family Court in which liquidators of companies have sought to actively insolvent companies have sought to participate in proceedings between separating couples. actively participate in proceedings Such circumstances generally, but not always, arise where the separating between separating couples. parties are co-directors/shareholders of a subject insolvent company, and one of those parties seeks to involve the company’s liquidator in Family Court proceedings in respect of disputed asset ownership.

However, section 75(2) of the FLA provides, amongst other things, that in taking account of matters regarding maintenance (and therefore the distribution of property as between the parties), the Court shall take into consideration “the effect of any proposed order on the ability of a creditor of a party to recover the creditor’s debt…” Furthermore, section 79 of the FLA enables the Family Court to make orders affecting the property of parties to the marriage in some circumstances in favour of creditors of one or another or both. This contrasts with the traditional approach taken by liquidators of seeking the exercise of the Family Court jurisdiction in the CA – often a far more difficult prosecution.

These FLA provisions prove useful where the impugned conduct of one or both parties may fall outside of the ordinary limitation periods attached to the claim under the CA. The range of remedies available to liquidators in proceedings before the Family Court also generally avoid issues of attachment to and execution against personal property usually associated with Liquidators proceeding against individual respondents.

Experience suggests the Family Court is particularly attracted to remedies addressing shortfalls in employee entitlements not otherwise addressed in the winding up.

Eric Flis, Principal Consultant Level 1, 72 Dundas Ct PHILLIP ACT 2606 T 02 6162 4112 | security@cordelta.com

Tony Lane is a Registered and Official Liquidator at Vincents Chartered Accountants.

For more information, contact Vincents on (02) 6274 3402 www.vincents.com.au

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

RECRUITMENT

by Shaun Creighton

Be COOL when selling and exporting food or wine products

Skills Index shows Australia failing to meet demand

Labels assist consumers in distinguishing one product from another.

Domestic industries protect their home turf against imported products that make ambiguous claims about origin of products. Laws at both the international and domestic level enforce a differentiation between local and foreign products.

There are two broad categories of labelling laws you need to keep in mind when selling into any market: • country of origin labelling (COOL), which relates to where a product originates from or where it is manufactured (eg “Made in China”); and • geographical indications (GI), being protection of a regional name for goods under intellectual property and international trade laws.

When importing or exporting goods to or from Australia, suppliers need to be aware of COOL and GI laws which apply. Laws vary depending on the type of goods and requirements of the relevant country. Below are examples of COOL and GI requirements in the food and wine industries.

COOL food Australia’s food labelling regime has the objective of assisting consumers to understand where food is grown, produced, made and packed. Imported goods must have a country of origin label. The legal basis for this COOL rule is the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016, being a standard made pursuant to Australian Consumer Law. Other countries adopt COOL rules, with the same objective, but almost always in different ways. If professional advice is not obtained, your consignments risk being impounded. This may result in media comments re “non-compliance”, tarnishing the value of your brand in the market concerned.

There are limits to how a country can legislate for COOL – especially those under the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement. Compliance rather than defiance is preferable in the first instance.

GI and IP A GI is a specific type of intellectual property which has legal force under the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS). The protection afforded to a GI arises from a quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good which is attributable to its geographic origin.

TRIPS provides mechanisms for governments to refuse to register a trade mark if it misleads the public as to the true origin of a product. TRIPS gives private rights to your competitors to hold up your imports at the customs border if they are not GI-compliant.

The validity of GIs can be hotly debated. For example, is champagne a specific type of wine originating only from the Champagne region, or is it a general term for sparkling white wine, irrespective of where the wine is produced?

The value of GIs for Australian producers is highlighted in the legal proceedings by wineries to be included in the Coonawarra GI (thereby permitting use of the valuable “Coonawarra” name on wine labels).

For a more detailed article in relation to COOL and GI matters, please refer to our October 2016 newsletter article on the Moulis Legal website.

Visit or contact us at W: www.moulislegal.com E: shaun.creighton@moulislegal.com T: 02 6163 1000 or 0430 22 78 62

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by Jim Roy

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The 2016 Hays Global Skills Index has been released, highlighting Australia’s talent mismatch between the skills unemployed workers possess and those employers want to hire.

The report, published in Despite an existing pool of labour, collaboration with Oxford Economics, shows that despite an employers in high-skill industries such existing pool of labour, employers in high-skill industries such as IT, as IT, accounting, healthcare, life accounting, healthcare, life sciences sciences and professional services and professional services can still find it difficult to fill jobs that require can still find it difficult to fill jobs that highly-skilled professionals.

As it takes time to undertake require highly-skilled professionals. the training necessary to work in these industries, it makes them more vulnerable to skill shortages since the number of people qualified to start work cannot be changed quickly.

This is creating a talent mismatch.

Meanwhile Australia’s increase from 5.0 to 5.1 on the overall Index shows increased pressure in the job market – i.e., it’s slightly harder to secure the right talent now than it was a year ago.

The Index is calculated through an analysis of equally weighted indicators. Key indicator scores include: • 4.5 for ‘talent mismatch’, up from 4.2 last year and 4.1 in 2014. The increase in this score shows that there has been a drop in readily available candidates who possess the skills employers want.

• 8.0 for ‘wage pressure in high-skill industries’, unchanged since 2014.

This suggests that Australia faces a shortage of highly-skilled talent in high-skill industries since wages in high-skill industries are rising much quicker than those in low-skill industries.

• Despite this, the ‘overall wage pressure’ score of 6.7 is still in the middle of the banding, suggesting that most employers are not yet using salary to compete for talent overall. As our 2016 Hays Salary Guide shows, employers for the most part remain cost conscious despite mounting pressure from those with the skills in demand.

• There are also many positives for our labour market. Our education system is well equipped to meet future talent needs (as indicated by the ‘education flexibility’ score of 4.1), there are now more people in work or looking for work (‘labour market participation’ score of 3.8), and our labour market legislation is fairly flexible (‘labour market flexibility’ score of 4.6).

Given sentiment you’d expect commensurate salary pressure, however employers instead remain cost conscious. It remains to be seen how long this anomaly will last; already turnover is rising and the shortage of highly-skilled candidates in high-skill industries is leading to wage pressure.

While far from a universal trend, this suggests that employers must not be complacent in the face of the increasing shortage of highly-skilled talent.

The Hays Global Skills Index is available at www.hays.com.au/global-skills-index.

Jim Roy, Regional Director A Level 11, 60 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra D 02 6112 7663 | E jim.roy@hays.com.au

STRATA MANAGEMENT

WEBSITES

by Chris Miller

The age of the career strata manager On Friday the 7th of October 2016 Strata Community Australia (ACT) held its third annual awards night at the National Museum of Australia. As President I had the honour of addressing the crowd with a few thoughts on the preceding year.

Reflecting on the past twelve months was a timely exercise for me personally following a hectic period at the helm of a relatively new business.

It was an opportunity to consider what it is about the strata industry that has kept me so engaged for over a decade.

I have mentioned previously in my advice Strata is not second column (sometimes to the agitation of my professional colleagues) that the strata fiddle to its better industry doesn’t always get a good wrap.

Some of this is misplaced, and some of it is known cousins in the deserved. The greatest contributing factor to less than exceptional service stems from our real estate business. industries challenge in attracting and retaining In fact it is now rightly quality people.

As with any business, people come and being recognised as a people go. Usually they move sideways or upwards within the same industry. The strata viable, lucrative and industry has been dogged with an often respected career path. revolving door of good people exiting our industry. The reasons are many and varied, and changing this pattern has been the central focus of every industry leader over a number of years. As I sat and scribbled down my speech notes in the days leading up to the awards, a light bulb went off.

Something has changed.

Slowly but surely over the past 3 – 5 years I believe the perception about this industry has started to catch up to the reality. Strata is not second fiddle to its better known cousins in the real estate business. In fact it is now rightly being recognised as a viable, lucrative and respected career path. This is evident not only by the massive improvement of industry retention, but also by the quality and skill set of new entrants into the strata sector.

2016 was/is the year of the strata management career. Anyone considering a future in property that overlooks strata does so against their own best interests. Few if any of our property counterparts gain the same depth and breadth of experience and exposure across a wide range of disciplines. Fancy yourself a numbers person? The strata industry is for you!

Interested in facilities / asset management? The strata industry is for you!

Want to become a master negotiator? The strata industry is for you! This is far and away one of the best places to flex your grey matter when it comes to project management, people management and application of legislation to name but a few aspects.

I am pleased to say that although the strata industry door revolves no more, it certainly remains open to welcome skilled and talented people in. If you are considering the next stage of your career I have one simple question for you – is the strata industry for you?

For further information, please contact Chris Miller, Managing Director M 0400 376 208 or 1800 878 728 The Griffin, Corner Giles & Jardine Streets, Kingston PO Box 4259, Kingston ACT 2604.

by Sam Gupta

The 7 deadly sins of SEO Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is the science of adjusting and fine-tuning a website’s content and structure so that it can rank better on search engines for one or more keywords. The idea is simple. If your website ranks high on search engines such as Google, more people are likely to find you, contact you and eventually buy from you. So, it’s important to get this right. Yet, time and time again, I see people make silly SEO mistakes.

1. Block search engines: One of the most common sins is to block search engines from indexing your website. It happens more often than you think, mostly by mistake. Make sure your website is visible to search engines.

2. Too many keywords: Wouldn’t What you think people are searching it be great if your website was ranked #1 on Google for anything for and what people are actually even remotely related to your product or service? Well, this is a searching for, could be two different typical mistake businesses make when they first get started with things. Choose your keywords SEO. They get greedy and try to rank for anything and everything. carefully and strategically.

Don’t do that. Start small. Try to stick to 1 to 3 keywords per page.

3. Choosing wrong keywords: What you think people are searching for and what people are actually searching for, could be two different things.

Choose your keywords carefully and strategically.

4. Over stuffing webpage with keywords: This is another classic mistake I come across all the time. Someone told the business owner; “if they repeat the keyword lots of times on their website, it will be ranked on top”. No, it doesn’t work like that. Don’t unnaturally try to fit in a keyword in every sentence or paragraph. Remember 100% of your customers are humans and it should make sense to your customers.

5. Too little text: Google-bots can’t look at images and admire how beautiful your website looks. Too little text can create problem with optimisation.

6. Keyword to Text/Copy Mismatch: Sometimes, I come across websites that are well presented and the website copy (text) reads well, but it doesn’t relate to the targeted keyword. Make sure the copy of your web page is related to your keywords.

7. Relying too much on SEO traffic: Traffic is one of the factors search engines consider for ranking. Generally speaking more traffic is better.

Quality of traffic is equally important. Don’t just rely on organic traffic when you are trying to rank higher. Try to promote your website consistently on different mediums including Social Media to drive traffic.

The list goes on, but these are the 7 mistakes I often come across. Hope this helps. Let me know if you require further details on SEO.

Sam Gupta is the managing director of Synapse Worldwide.

Sam would love to hear your thoughts on this advice column.

Tel: 1300 785 230 Email: admin@synapseworldwide.com Web: www.synapseworldwide.com

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A2B

A S S O C I AT I O N S T O B U S I N E S S

Local businesses honoured for export successes ROBYN HENDRY . CEO . CANBERRA BUSINESS CHAMBER

T

he achievements of twenty-five local businesses have seen them recognised as finalists in the ACT Chief Minister’s Export Awards and they will battle it out for the title of 2016 ACT Exporter of the Year later this month.

Exports from the ACT have grown steadily and today there are a large number of local businesses doing extremely well overseas.

These awards honour companies making a name for themselves, and our region, on the world stage.

Finalists in 13 categories were unveiled in September at a cocktail event at Vibe Hotel.

Winners in each of the national categories will represent their business, and the Canberra Region, at the Australian Export Awards later this year.

The awards highlight how strong the local businesses sector is and how much demand there is for the excellent goods and services produced in the Canberra Region.

Each year the number of entrants in the Awards increases, reflecting the growing number of successful local exporters.

For example, one finalist – Bottles of Australia – currently exports to 22 countries, including the United States, Canada, Russia, South Korea, France and Germany.

“People sometimes question a globalbrand being based in Canberra, but the region has most definitely contributed to our success,” Bottles of Australia (BoA) Director, Anton Pemmer said.

ACT-based iSimulate, also a finalist, has developed iPad simulation technology to assist in the delivery of Advanced Life Support training to the medical field without the cost of expensive equipment. This technology enhances training by providing practical experience through simulated medical scenarios. iSimulate currently exports to 10 countries.

An interest in improving athletic performance lies behind the development of local company Kinetic Performance’s flagship product, GymAware.

GymAware was developed in response to the need for an accurate measurement device for the weights room. GymAware is a system designed specifically for measuring bar speed and athlete performance. It provides real-time feedback, ensuring that it is easy to measure progress, motivate athletes and train for performance. The system utilises an innovative iOS App and cloud-based subscription software.

GymAware experienced a 43% growth in export sales for 2015-16. Many professional sports teams, leading sports institutes and universities across the world currently benefit from using GymAware. Customers include the New Zealand All Blacks, Manchester United and the Australian Institute of Sport.

Anyone who enjoys a special culinary treat from time to time is probably already aware of Patissez – home of the famed Freakshakes.

Patissez, a young but burgeoning, franchised restaurant chain, was established in June 2015. It has recently opened new, franchised locations in Singapore and Kula Lumpur, with both new stores maintaining the same characteristics of the initial Canberra store.

Congratulations to all the finalists and good luck for the Awards night!

2016 Annual Gala Dinner Join us at this year’s Annual Gala Dinner to celebrate the business achievements of the Canberra Region over the past year. Hear from Daniel Flynn, one of Australia’s most innovative and inspiring social entrepreneurs and co-founder of Thankyou Water.

DATE: Thursday 27 October 2016 TIME: 7:00pm to 10:30pm VENUE: The Ballroom, National Convention Centre, Canberra To register, visit www.canberrabusiness.com

ACT Categories • Royal Australian Mint • Cogito Group Exporting Government • IE Asia Pacific Solutions • Eggler Technology Training

Exporting to Asia

• TelSoft • Intelledox • Patissez • Kokonut Pacific Pty Ltd • WildBear Entertainment

Emerging Exporter Category

• Dilkara Essence Of Australia • Patissez • Airpocket

National Categories

Agribusiness

• StumpJump Foundation • Kokonut Pacific Pty Ltd • The House of Alpaca • Shaw Vineyard Estate

Business Services

• Intelledox • Cogito Group • Seeing Machines • TelSoft • Collaborate Consulting

Creative Industries

• WildBear Entertainment • Red Robot Pty Ltd

• iSimulate Pty Ltd Education and Training • Eggler Technology Training Health and Biotechnology

• iSimulate Pty Ltd • Aspen Medical • Austranter Medical Pty Ltd

Digital Technologies

• Seeing Machines • Cogito Group • GymAware • mHITs Limited

Manufacturing

• House of Alpaca • Bottles of Australia • Red Robot Pty Ltd • Kokonut Pacific Pty Ltd

e-Commerce

• mHITs Limited • Red Robot Pty Ltd • Airpocket • GymAware

Regional Exporter

• Shaw Vineyards Estate • Kokonut Pacific Pty Ltd • The House of Alpaca

Small Business

• IE Asia Pacific • Red Robot Pty Ltd • Cogito Group • Telsoft • GymAware • Bottles of Australia

ART AUCTION AN EVENING OF: SUPERB FINE ART GOURMET FOOD GREAT ENTERTAINMENT GREAT LOCATION

CANBERRA MUSEUM + GALLERY

Masked Soirée

Corner London Circuit & Civic Square, Canberra ACT

Saturday 22nd October 2016 6.45pm - 11.00pm P re s e n t e d b y t h e m a s t e r o f a l l t h i n g s c e re m o n i a l

PA U L M c D E R M O T T C A P O PAT R O N

Works by Jan Brown, Robert Foster, Ann McMahon from 2015’s auction

2016 SPECIAL EVENT

Bookings by phone CONTACT MARILYN GRAY 0407 512 296

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OnLine Tickets available at

capo.org.au/auctions/auction-tickets/

Client: Project: Previously: As of 5th Sept 2016:

Luton Properties SEO for luton.com.au Page 3+ on Google.com.au - Ranked #2 for "canberra real estate agency" - Ranked #3 for "real estate agents canberra" - Ranked #3 for "real estate agency canberra" - Ranked #4 for "canberra real estate agents" - Ranked #6 for "real estate canberra"

We deliver results. synapseworldwide.com | 1300 785 230 Proudly a Canberra Business

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As a John Maxwell certified coach, I can offer you workshops, seminars, keynote speaking, and coaching, aiding your personal and professional growth through study and practical application of John Maxwell’s proven leadership methods.

Working together, I will move you and/or your team or organisation in the desired direction to reach your goals.

My Services are not bound by location, I am capable of reaching any organisation anywhere.

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