SYDNEY - ISSUE 88 | NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017
BANKRUPTCY - IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN PAGE 18
WHY SELF-SERVICE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE MAY BE OF VALUE TO YOUR ENTERPRISE PAGE 20
9 STEPS TO EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY PAGE 24
POLITICS &
OPINIONS with David Clarke
The Presidency of Donald Trump & What It Means For Australia & The World
BiziNet Magazine
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Contents Cover Story
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Politics & Opinions with David Clarke
The Presidency of Donald Trump & What It Means For Australia & The World
Regulars
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EDITOR’S LETTER United for Success
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Dmitry Greku
BIZINET LIFESTYLE
CHRISTMAS: Jewellery Gift Giving Made Easy - How to Choose Well Chris Underwood, Underwood Jewellers
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Drive Thru Bankruptcies - Stop Press - Urgent Update
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Bankruptcy - It will Never be The Same Again Steven Brown, Etienne Lawyers
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Why Self-Service Business Intelligence May Be of Value to Your Enterprise John Howard, Smoothstream Business Intelligence
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How To Combat The Electricity Retailers Robert Theodoridis, Sydney Electrical Contractors
Bruce Gleeson, Jones Partners
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FEATURE
Protecting Your Business from SPAM and Email Forgery (Part2) Daniel Moisyeyev, BiziNet
BUSINESS GROWTH
9 steps to Effective Social Media Strategy
BiziNet Digital @ issue-88.bizinet.com.au
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Are You Ready For Single Touch Payroll Reporting? Leo Colgar, Bright Accounting and Taxation Services
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Marketing & Mobile Applications: Linking the Two
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Video Marketing
Alexey Prokopenko, Kite Union
Priya Mishra, Tech Consultants
Kym Heffernan, The Marketing Strategy Co
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Why Do 8 Out of 10 Businesses Fail? Ben Fewtrell, Max My Profit
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Editor and Publisher: Dmitry Greku
United for Success...
Cover Story: A. Charles Smith Contributing Writers: Steven Brown Bruce Gleeson Chris Underwood Ben Fewtrell John Howard Daniel Moisyeyev Kym Heffernan Leo Colgar Alexey Prokopenko Robert Theodoridis Art Director: Svetlana Greku
Dmitry Greku, M. Sc., Editor and Publisher - BiziNet Magazine This year we had some new members come onboard who took an active role in our growing enterprise and business community. Amway is one of them – and not just a new Gold Member, but also a venue partner for the Business Alliance Coffee Morning Information Sessions. We all already know Amway is a successful multinational business with thousands of representatives working on around the world selling their high quality products through a vast number of communities and networks. But, what about the huge volume of highly valuable business knowledge and business experience this company has collected during its many decades of operation? They are now not just playing a role of a great host and a business hub, but are also happy to share their skills and knowledge with the BiziNet audience and Business Alliance members. There are some big plans for 2018, where we will be working to extend BiziNet connections for the benefits of our contributors, advertisers and Business Alliance members. We will be building more relationships and alliance partnerships with government institutions, membership-based networking groups, educational firms, etc. Ben Fewtrell and David Carlin, partners of Max My Profit, are among the best business educators you can find. Their events are always highly engaging, informative and entertaining. BiziNet and Max My Profit have become Trusted Partners and will be delivering more business wisdom and great networking opportunities for their members and guests in the next year. Such alliances will provide growth and more business to our entire network.
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BiziNet would like to send our special Christmas wishes to all our readers, loyal members and contributors - Etienne Lawyers, Jones Partners, Smoothstream Business Intelligence, The Marketing Strategy, Underwood Jewellers, Lander Toyota, The Inflatable Event, Bartercard and The Hills Shire Council.
Cover Design: Elvira Cherry Cover Photo: Francesca Surace, Stilz Fotografika Executive Officer: Daniel Moisyeyev BiziNet Magazine is published by BiziNet Pty Ltd ABN: 76 620 577 184 www.bizinet.com.au Printing: Blue Star Group International Distribution Partner DHL Express Postal Address: PO Box 7519 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 Australia
BVBA Coffee Morning at Amway HQ I invite you to start working with us and become one of the Members of Bella Vista Business Alliance. Grab your membership pack before the end of the year and as a bonus, receive your membership until 1st February 2019.
International Standard Serial Number: ISSN 1837-199X Advertising Enquiries: p | 1300 889 132 (Australia) p | +61 2 9099 0795 (International) e | bizinet@bizinet.com.au w | www.bizinet.com.au
Get yourself and your business ready for 2018 now!
Copyright BiziNet Pty Ltd 2017.
e | dmitry.greku@bizinet.com.au
#88 Nov/Dec’17
The opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect and are not to be regarded as the official opinion of the editor, publisher or their agents. All information contained within this journal is provided for general information purposes only and on the understanding that none of the content herein constitutes professional advice. The editor, publisher or their agents accept no responsibility for any claim, loss or damages arising out of or in connection with any materials contained in this journal. Readers should not rely on the publications in the journal and seek appropriate professional advice in respect of their own circumstances.
LIFE ON PLANET EARTH IS GETTING BETTER, THANKS TO GLOBAL TRADE. Big businesses and small are helping the world’s economies to flourish. New found wealth brings better health (the average person lives one third longer than 50 years ago) and education (today 90% of kids in developing regions of the world go to primary school). This is the power of global trade. Of course there’s still a long way to go, but one delivery at a time, the more we keep on trading the better it’s going to get for everyone, everywhere. Read more online.
dhl.com/globaltrade
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Introducing Our Contributors
Bruce Gleeson
Steven Brown
Alexey Prokopenko
Ben Fewtrell
Bruce Gleeson is a Registered Liquidator and Registered Bankruptcy Trustee with approximately 20 years experience in assisting SMEs and individuals in financial crisis. He is a Director of Jones Partners Chartered Accountants. As an Insolvency Practitioner he believes it is vital that stakeholders (particularly directors and individuals) get the right advice from qualified professionals on the options available to them. Bruce is passionate to ensure that directors / individuals throughout the Greater Western Sydney area have access to quality advice and solutions.
Steven Brown founded Etienne Lawyers in 2003. They are best described as having an ‘International Reach with Small Firm Personal Service’.
Alexey Prokopenko, Managing Director of Kite Union Pty Ltd, is a successful IT expert with over 20 years experience in technologising businesses. He believes that mobile technology is the new way to improve your marketing campaigns and business development processes. He is passionate about delivering an expert, slick and professional IT service to businesses and their stakeholders.
Ben Fewtrell, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at MaxMyProfit and author of the Business Exceleration™ Blueprint, is a sought-after advisor, keynote speaker and trainer. He has been featured in ‘Secrets of Top Business Builders Exposed’, Virgins inflight magazine, Sky Business and many more. Ben is also the host of the popular Business Brain Food Podcast.
With qualifications from Sydney and Macquarie Universities, Steven has gone on to have over 30 years in the law. With his own practice and a passion to help others succeed, Steven is a total professional, informing and educating along the way. Steven specialises in all aspects of helping businesses to stay out of trouble and grow. He enjoys the cut and thrust of litigation and is a balanced negotiator for all alternative dispute resolution methods.
jonespartners.bizinet.com.au
etiennelawyers.bizinet.com.au
Bruce Gleeson p | 02 9894 9966 www.jonespartners.net.au
Steven Brown p | 02 8845 2400 www.etiennelawyers.com
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Alexey is always focused on providing the right advice and the best value for your business.
kiteunion.bizinet.com.au
Alexey Prokopenko p | 04 3283 3024 www.kiteunion.com.au
Having built several businesses from scratch, Ben knows a thing or two about getting a business off the ground. Ben’s presentations are always fun and educational and his Exceleration™ Programs have helped many Business Owners help build the business they imagined.
maxmyprofit.bizinet.com.au
Ben Fewtrell p | 02 9111 5000 www.maxmyprofit.com.au
Millennial 20/20 Sydney When:
14-15 November 2017
Where:
Carriageworks,
Bella Vista Business Alliance BAH When:
29 November 2017
5:30 - 7:30pm
Business Exceleration Conference When:
6 December 2017
8:00am - 4:30pm
Sydney
Where:
Cost: $450
Castle Hill
Where:
millennial20-20.com/sydney2017
Cost: $45
Bicentennial Park
bellavistabusinessalliance.com.au
Cost: $97
The Hills Lodge,
Speaker:
Ben Fewtrell
Waterview in
maxmyprofit.com.au/vip-event
Summer Series 2017-18 When:
December 2017 -
BVBA Coffee Morning When:
January 2018
January 2018
Where:
Summer Events Brought to
Cost: Free
you by the Hills Shire Council
bellavistabusinessalliance.com.au
TBA
Tickets Available Online summerseries.com.au
BiziNet Magazine
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PROUDLY PRESENTED BY
BIZINET
The Honourable David Clarke, LL B (Syd) MLC is a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, Parliamentary Secretary for Justice representing the Liberal Party of Australia since 2003.
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POLITICS & OPINIONS
POLITICS &
OPINIONS with David Clarke
The Presidency of Donald Trump & What It Means For Australia & The World When Donald Trump decided to run for President of the United States he had never held public office. In the Republican primaries he vanquished all his competitors and despite opposition from the grandees of the party won the Republican nomination.
is a far less dangerous place. It safeguards democracy, leads the fight against terrorism and those who threaten peace and it defeated fascism during World War II (19411945) and communism during the Cold War (1947-1991).
Despite having most of the media against him, he defeated the firm favourite, the smug and self-absorbed Hillary Clinton and became the 45th President of the United States.
What other nation has the strength and resolve to fulfil this role? There is no other such nation! Certainly it is not going to be a discredited body such as the United Nations.
How was it that this successful businessman and self-made billionaire, with no political background could achieve such a phenomenal feat? Already his Presidency is transforming America and reshaping the direction of the free world and the course of history. Like him or loathe him Donald Trump is a man who ignites great controversy. It is a fact of world politics that when America is economically and militarily strong the world
A strong America is of vital importance to Australia. We share the same values, we both have a free enterprise economy and we are and always have been strong allies. Our safety depends on the might of the United States and we are partners in the ANZUS Treaty.
“Drain The Swamp!” When Donald Trump was running for President he ran on a platform of ‘America First’. He said ‘Let’s make America great again’. He said he would ‘drain the swamp’
and mainstream America responded by electing him their President. Hillary Clinton, still in a state of denial at her defeat, had gathered a support base of those who lived off the taxes generated by the working people of America, those who lived and breathed ‘identity and gender politics’ and those who denigrated their own country.
Self-Anointed Elitists She was endorsed by the politically correct elites who snigger at patriotism and she had the support of the ‘Hollywood Set’, both of which are epitomised by the New York Times and Washington Post. Coming from the same political mould as Barak Obama she was the obvious choice to carry on his underwhelming eight year legacy symbolic of which was his last official act – the presidential pardon of two convicted traitors. The first was former U.S. Army officer
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PROUDLY PRESENTED BY
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Malcolm Turnbull and U.S. President Donald Trump in New York City, May 2017
Chelsea Manning who was serving a 35 year prison sentence for espionage and leaking classified military documents to WikiLeaks, thus endangering the lives of serving U.S. military personnel and the security of America itself. The second was Oscar Lopez Rivera who was serving a 55 year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. Government through violence.
Donald Trump’s Quest For Jobs Why did Donald Trump win? Firstly, because America was in bad economic shape. Jobs by the million were being lost by blue collar workers because of trade agreements which worked against America’s best interests and because corporations were building their factories off shore. The trade relationship between China and America was tilted heavily against America and its intellectual property was being stolen to the tune of billions of dollars annually. For America the end result has been a yearly
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trade deficit with China of over $100 billion. Symptomatic of this economic malaise is the once great industrial city of Detroit, now a shadow of its former self with a population shrinking by two thirds over the past few decades. Through its adherence to the Paris Climate Accord and all the green climate change theology that went with it, America’s energy industry was in free-fall with energy infrastructure growth curtailed by an unconscionable burden of Government regulation and red tape.
Identity & Gender Politics Political correctness was another issue fuelling American voter discontent with the submerging of America under the weight of ‘identity and gender politics’ and the trashing of Judeo-Christian values. A prime example was the legalisation of same-sex marriage, not by the vote of the American people,
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but by the legal manoeuvrings of activist politicised judges. Legalisation of same-sex marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision (with the pivotal vote being an Obama appointee) was a direct repudiation of the views of the American electorate, who have rejected by plebiscite same-sex marriage in 35 of the 50 states.
11 Million Illegal Immigrants Then there was the issue of illegal immigration which polls showed to be a major concern to over 70% of voters. Of America’s 11 million illegal immigrants, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that approximately one million have criminal convictions. Of those convicted of federal drug offences, 75% were illegal immigrants according to the United States Sentencing Commission.
POLITICS & OPINIONS
Another source of deep rooted discontent in the American electorate, which fed into the U.S. election were the activities of major crime syndicates such as the MS-13 gang comprised largely of illegal migrants. Some of these gangs have memberships of 10,00020,000 and together are responsible for hundreds of murders each year.
Trump critics ridicule and savage his use of twitter but with nearly 100 million social media followers he is not about to change… and why would he?
During the campaign Donald Trump promised to build a wall along the Mexican border to stem the illegal migrant tide. He vowed to reverse Obama’s Presidential Decree legalising the American residency of 11 million illegal migrants and furthermore to begin the process for their deportation.
A whole range of concocted reasons were raised to de-legitimise his first months in office. There were calls for his impeachment on a range of spurious grounds. There were riots in many cities because of a refusal to accept the validity of his election. Various do gooder health experts offered psychological counselling to those feigning mental anguish from Trump’s election.
Islamist Terrorism In America The problem of Islamist terrorism in America resulting in the death or injury of hundreds of its citizens in recent times, is a serious threat to America’s security. During his presidency Barack Obama was reluctant to even acknowledge terrorisms’ Islamist roots.
Fact Or ‘Fake News’ No wonder it was that Donald Trump won. He understood America’s discontent. He knew that something was stirring in America’s soul. He could read the signs and he knew what the American people wanted. While Hillary Clinton spoke at election functions hosted by her Hollywood friends, Donald Trump addressed rallies packed out by tens of thousands of mainstream voters at a time. When it came to campaigning he was smart and she was not.
Attempts To De-Legitimise Trump’s Presidency
Hillary Clinton went trawling on the television interview circuit decrying Trump as not ‘morally fit’ to serve in the White House. She had conveniently forgotten that her own husband had acted in a more sexually predatory manner than any other occupant of the White House. She had also forgotten that she was the chief verbal abuser of those women victims who had come forward to give testimony of their own harrowing sexual harassment by her husband.
Efforts to de-legitimise the Presidency of Donald Trump have continued unabated. Government leaks against him have occurred at a rate seven times greater than those against Obama during the same period he was in office, reflecting the extent of politicalisation of the Public Service during his administration. Democratic Congressmen filibustered and used delaying tactics to stall the appointment of Trump nominees so that after the first 6 months of his Presidency only 23% of his appointments had been confirmed as opposed to 69% of Obama’s appointments for the same period.
Trumps Record So Far What has Trump achieved during his first nine months? Has he kept faith with the American mainstream electorate who put him there? The answer is: yes he has! America’s industry and commerce sectors give credit to Trump for turning America’s economy around and restoring confidence following years of mediocrity under the Obama Administration. In his first nine months he has introduced more reforms to energise America’s economy than any other President since Harry Truman in 1948.
Trump campaig ning in Laconia, New Ha mpshire, on July 16, 2015
He overcame a hostile media and its ‘fake news’. According to an in depth Indiana State University survey those who comprise America’s media’s industry are by party affiliation 7% Republican, 26% Democrat with the rest unaligned but overwhelmingly from the ‘dyed-in-the-wool’ left. On average the major television networks gave 93% negative coverage to the Trump campaign with only 7% positive – the exception being Fox News which split 50/50. No wonder polling showed that of voters who had a viewpoint, 50% believed the media had been biased against Donald Trump with only 4% having the opposite view.
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Already, one million new jobs have been created and unemployment is at a 10 year low. Those in receipt of welfare food stamps have dropped by 1.1 million and the stock market is at its highest in history. America is experiencing its highest manufacturing surge in six years, corporate earnings are at their highest in 13 years, home mortgage applications are the highest in seven years and consumer confidence is at its highest since 2000. There has been a massive roll-back in economy stifling regulations saving over $90 billion. President Trump has successfully lobbied major corporations to rescind plans to relocate factories overseas and instead build them in the United States. This initiative alone has resulted in the creation of scores of thousands of new American based jobs. On a recent visit to Saudi Arabia he secured for America $350 billion of new military equipment and development contracts. The art of deal making is alive and well under Trump and paying big dividends for America’s economy. The Governor of West Virginia publicly changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican to acknowledge that a surge of new jobs in his state came about through the personal intervention of Trump. To blue collar workers in rust-belt states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Trump promised new jobs and factories and now he is delivering on that promise as well.
rke David Cla
Abbott with Tony
to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and has lifted restrictions on new energy infrastructure involving federal land and water facilities. He has accelerated the approval of new oil and natural gas drilling applications and new oil and gas pipelines previously vetoed by the Obama Administration and most importantly, he is reviving America’s coal mining industry to ensure a plentiful supply of cheap base load energy. Here in Australia as a result of a Labor/Greens alliance in Canberra totally subservient to extremist green ideology, Australians have seen their electricity bills more than double over the last decade. In Labor run South Australia, with the decommissioning of its last coal fired power station and an overdependency on hugely costly wind and solar power, it experienced the unthinkable – a state wide power blackout.
To deal with the unequal trade relationship between China and America which tilts against America to the tune of $100 billion a year he has established an Investigative Committee to propose remedial action, including the issue of theft of America’s intellectual property. He is now working to deliver the biggest personal and corporate tax cuts in America’s history.
It would seem Trump’s business acumen and pragmatism over green environmental ideology has inspired the Australian Coalition Government to take a leaf out of his book. It abolished renewable energy targets and subsidies. This will deliver more reliable and cost effective sources of energy for Australian families and businesses, by providing policy certainty encouraging business to invest in the energy sector as well as save taxpayers’ money, which was being fritted away propping up expensive renewable energy.
New Energy Initiatives
Trump’s Immigration Reform
To resuscitate America’s energy industry mutilated by Obama’s worship of green energy theology, he delivered on his promise
President Trump is delivering on his election promise to reform America’s immigration program. He has overturned Obama’s
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hn Howard rke with Jo la C id v a D
Presidential Executive Order legalising the residency status of 11 million illegal migrants and has accelerated plans to expand deportations. He has issued contracts for the building of his promised wall, with the result that there has already been a 40% drop in the entry of illegal migrants – the lowest level in 17 years. Trump has acknowledged that his inspiration for the wall is Australia’s own successful wall to stop illegal immigration – a sea wall guarded by the Royal Australian Navy. He is also reforming America’s legal immigration program using Australia as a model. Consigning to history the Green Card program, which accepts migrants on a geographical basis regardless of their skills. His new program will seek skills based migrants proficient in basic English who are financially self supporting, not likely to collect welfare and who do not displace existing job holders.
Defence, Foreign Affairs & The North Korean Nuclear Threat Trump has declared that he will no longer accept any more delays by the North Koreans in dismantling their nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Under Clinton and Obama this growing threat had been left to fester into what is now a precariously dangerous situation. Through his authority as President of the world’s most powerful nation he has successfully pressured the United Nations to impose tough new mandatory sanctions against the Kim Jong Un regime, and has escalated pressure on China to obtain the solution which he knows it is uniquely placed to achieve.
POLITICS & OPINIONS David Cla rk Gladys Be e with rejiklian
Lessons For Australia Trump treads where others have been too timid to tread and no more so than in stimulating America’s economy. As small business is the life-blood which makes Australia’s economy grow and prosper, we need to follow his lead in lifting from its shoulders the burden of red tape, over regulation and government taxes. It needs inexpensive and reliable power. It needs a level playing field and not be at the mercy of shopping centre landlords imposing extortionist rents and on the other hand from trade unions who shake them down for what they can extract.
Trump & The Future
Australia’s Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop has applauded President Trump for his leadership and credits him with achieving more to end the nuclear threat posed by North Korea than anyone else so far. He has ordered the biggest build up in America’s defence capability since the Reagan era of the 1980s, and has massively intensified the war to eliminate Islamist terrorism thus effectively destroying Islamic State’s Middle East ‘caliphate’. He and his Vice-President Pence have visited Europe extolling the values and achievements of Western Christian Civilisation, and in response have been lauded by the Governments of Poland, Hungary and the Baltic states and others throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
American public overwhelmingly supports his stand. When Trump slammed footballers who refused to stand for the American national anthem, polls once again showed the public massively behind him despite the displeasure of the left media elites. Whilst political correctness has for too long imposed itself on Australia, Australian political conservative leaders are taking heart from President Trump’s stance by counter attacking the demonisation of our nation’s heritage and history by politically correct elitists.
Nine months into his first term Donald Trump’s Presidency is in good shape. Internationally, he is providing leadership on issues such as terrorism and North Korea. Domestically, he is delivering on his election promises virtually all of which have been supported by the American electorate according to the opinion polls and he is making political correctness unpopular. Only a few weeks ago, The Washington Post – no friend of Trump – summed up the position when it published an article headed “Trump Is On Track To Win Re-election”. Donald Trump is rewriting the rules of established politics. He is cutting the elites out of the equation and appealing directly to the force that counts – Mainstream America.
In Asia, Trump has energised and revived America’s relations with allies such as South Korea, Japan and The Philippines.
Political Correctness In launching his broadside against political correctness Donald Trump has gone where other leaders have feared to tread. When the ‘Charlottesville Saga’ opened up the issue of the destruction of public monuments for politically correct reasons, Trump counter attacked and incurred the wrath of the leftliberal media. Yet opinion polls show the
Donald Trump is sworn in as president on January 20, 2017: Trump, wife Melania, son Donald Jr., son Barron, daughter Ivanka, son Eric, and daughter Tiffany
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Bruce Gleeson, FCA, FCPA, RITF Principal, Jones Partners Insolvency & Business Recovery
Drive Thru Bankruptcies Stop Press - Urgent Update In the July/August 2016 edition, I wrote about the prospect of 1-year bankruptcies being announced as part of the (1) Productivity Commission's Report to the Federal Government on 7 December 2015. The 1-year proposal was announced as part of the National Science & Innovation Agenda and then subject of a (2) Proposal Paper in April 2016. So, what's the update? On 19 October 2017 the Bankruptcy Amendment (Enterprise Incentives) Bill 2017 was read for a 2nd time in the Senate. I think it is likely the legislation will be passed and receive Royal Assent by the end of 2017 (absent of other major distractions for Federal Parliament!). Importantly this would likely see the start date to be around July 2018. Let's go through what this all means. • The bankruptcy period will be reduced from the present 3 years to 1 year. • Current provisions relating to vesting of assets at the date of bankruptcy will not change - thereby effectively maintaining the inability of an individual to continue to hold certain assets post-bankruptcy that presently exists. • The bankrupt will still be assessed for any potential liability for compulsory income contributions for 3 years - typically undertaken on an annual basis notwithstanding the reduction in the bankruptcy period. The Bill will introduce legislative amendments to require on-going assistance and compliance by the bankrupt during years 2 and 3 notwithstanding that they may have been discharged. Items 2 and 3 should provide some comfort to creditors to know that the Bankruptcy Trustee's powers to make recoveries for creditors has significantly not been undermined by the proposed Bill. That is positive. However, the reduction period still invokes much discussion about whether it is a sufficient deterrent for individuals that incur debt. What will it mean for an individual considering bankruptcy? In addition to the above points, the following
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aspects represent positive changes individuals that are in financial distress:
for
• They will only need to seek permission of their Bankruptcy Trustee for 1 year instead of 3 years regarding obtaining consent to travel overseas. • They will be able to re-engage in corporate activity sooner, by way of directorships and the like - i.e. after 1 year, should they wish to. • They will also be able to more readily make a "fresh start" because of the reduced bankruptcy term. For example, the accumulation of assets can occur after 1 year without concern that it will be viewed as an asset that could otherwise be available to their Bankruptcy Trustee.
was envisaged. For example, Part IX debt agreements which often run for 5 to 6-year periods do not provide the fresh start required by the individual. As a Bankruptcy Trustee, I have followed this reform closely and would welcome any enquiry about it or indeed other aspects of personal insolvency and how those in financial crisis can legitimately re-take control of their affairs by getting proper advice. (1 )http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/business/report (2)http://www.treasury.gov.au/ConsultationsandReviews/ Consultations/2016/Improving-bankruptcy-and-insolvency-laws
• It will also enable the individual to start to re-build their credit score and enable them to seek credit over the prescribed amount without obligation to actively disclose their bankruptcy. One aspect that is hoped to be achieved is that it will encourage more entrepreneurial activity. As previously highlighted, given that only about 25% of bankruptcies appear to be business related, I am not entirely sure that this objective will be met. However, importantly I do not believe that the changes will materially undermine the outcomes for creditors (in terms of recoveries), whilst at the same time achieving some reduction in the stigma that can be associated with bankruptcy and in the bankrupt re-establishing themselves. Hopefully such changes will enable individuals facing financial difficulty to be not as easily swayed by seductive and slick marketing material (print or on-line) into other alternatives which actually don’t always live up to what
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Jones Partners Insolvency & Business Recovery p | 02 9894 9966 e | bgleeson@jonespartners.net.au b | www.brucegleeson.com.au www.jonespartners.net.au
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Nov/Dect’17 17 www.millennial20-20.com/sydney BiziNet Magazine
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Steven Brown, B.Ec, LL.B, (Sydney), M. App. Fin (Macquarie), FAICD, Accredited Business Law Specialist, AIMM, FPIAA and Chairman of Etienne Lawyers
Bankruptcy - It Will Never Be The Same Again Bankruptcy goes back to Ancient Babylon. In England, the first recognised piece of legislation was the Statute of Bankrupts 1542. Bankrupts were criminals and the stated aim of the Act was to prevent "crafty debtors" escaping the realm. Under the Insolvent Debtors (England) Act 1813, debtors were bonded to their creditors. Though bonded, a bankrupt could request release after 14 days in jail by taking an oath that their assets did not exceed £20, but if any of their creditors objected, they had to stay in jail until their debts were paid in full. In the middle of the 19th century, attitudes towards bankruptcy changed. The law removed the criminal element of Bankruptcy. The stigma of losing everything remained. Whilst Bankrupt, a bankrupt can could not be involved in business and could not borrow money. Since 1542 the law has treated bankrupts as: • criminals who were jailed until their debt was repaid • kept in bankruptcy for 14 years • later six years and • more recently in Australia three years. There is set to be a further change. On the 19th of October, 2017, Senator McGrath said that the Government is looking to reduce the default period of bankruptcy from three years to one year. He said: "Our current personal insolvency laws put too much focus on stigmatising and penalising failure. As part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda, this reform aims to promote entrepreneurship and innovation and to reduce the stigma associated with bankruptcy. This reform is designed to foster entrepreneurial activity by reducing the negative effects that harsh bankruptcy laws may have on prospective entrepreneurs. Further, a reduced bankruptcy term will decrease the stigma associated with entering into bankruptcy by recognising the importance of giving bankrupts a 'fresh start'. This will encourage entrepreneurs to re-engage in business sooner and encourage people, who have previously been deterred by punitive
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bankruptcy laws, to pursue their own business ventures." The Government opines that one year is sufficient time for the administration of the vast majority of bankruptcies. Currently, where more time is required, a trustee can continue to administer a bankruptcy after discharge. Continuing administration may occur for various reasons, including: • ongoing investigations • assets to be realised • outstanding income contributions, and • incomplete distribution of funds. This safeguard will continue to operate to ensure trustees can properly administer a bankruptcy even after a bankrupt's one year discharge. Currently, bankrupts are obligated to pay income contributions until discharge where their income exceeds the prescribed threshold. Part 1 of the Bill contains measures that extend income contribution obligations for discharged bankrupts for a minimum period of two years following discharge or, if bankruptcy is extended due to non-compliance, for five
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to eight years. This will ensure high-income earners do not abuse bankruptcy laws by reducing their income for a year, hiding their assets and incurring excessive debt. The amendments in Part 2 of this Bill relate to the application and transitional arrangements. Commencement of these new provisions will occur six months after Royal Assent to allow trustees, debtors and creditors time to adjust to the new laws. It will give trustees time to object to discharge in cases of misconduct. We have come a long way from Debtor's Prison to a new era of the one-year bankruptcy. If you need more information on bankruptcy contact Steven Brown at Etienne Lawyers. Etienne Lawyers p | 02 8845 2400 e | sbrown@etiennelaw.com www.etiennelawyers.com
Owning a business isn’t easy, and it’s definitely not for the faint hearted! More than anything it takes belief, perseverance, rolling your up your sleeves and many cash-strapped sacrifices. It takes time, effort and constant dedication to stay on top, and many missed moments to make a deadline, close a deal or handle a curve-ball situation. Thankfully, Bartercard not only lets you bolster your business and attract new clients, but enjoy a lifestyle without the cash blowout– and isn’t creating those special moments what it’s all about?
Find out how you can Work + Play with Bartercard bartercard.com.au/bizinet
Call 1300 BARTER BiziNet Magazine
#88 Nov/Dect’17
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BUSINESS ADVICE
John Howard, Founder, Smoothstream Business Intelligence
Why Self-Service Business Intelligence May Be of Value to Your Enterprise In the previous edition of BiziNet we asked the question, ‘What Is Self-Service Business Intelligence and, Is It for you?’
Let us now then examine the major returns of Self-Service Business Intelligence and, leave you to determine ‘Is it for you?’ Business intelligence (BI) delivers critical performance analytics and insights to workers, empowering them to make faster and better business decisions. Enterprise-wide take up of Traditional BI is still surprisingly slow. This is partially due to many BI systems requiring skilled operatives to produce required reports. Misperceptions that business intelligence is costly, difficult to use and deploy, and slow to deliver real business value, has also lead to the slow uptake. “Self-service BI” is shattering these perceptions. It delivers low-cost, rapidly deployed decisionsupport, enabling any worker, regardless of job role, geographic location or department, to work from a reliable and up-to-date set of data, presented in a context and detail level relevant to job role and appropriate to data access privileges.
it from any angle. IT and Department Heads are Relieved from Being Overwhelmed Enterprise IT based data – such as Financial, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM and Manufacturing Executions Software (MES) usually resides in multiple computing systems that are often poorly integrated with data analysis reliant upon IT professionals. Users can’t make informed decisions because the canned reports from each system do not deliver a full view of business operations, and often do not provide the level of depth or interactivity that allows them to drill down into the details to uncover problems and new opportunities. When employees do request details in the form of custom reports, IT and finance typically bear the burden of fielding these requests.
Self-service BI is helping organisations of all sizes.
Because self-service BI integrates data from disparate systems and delivers rolled-up reporting to users, it frees up your finance and IT staff. Report delivery requires only a browser for access and eliminates the need to install, maintain and administer large-footprint clients on each user’s workstation.
All Levels of Employee Would be Enabled to Conduct Their Own Analysis Staff empowered with the data and tools to perform their own analyses will generally do it well, from feeling more contributively engaged. Self-service BI eliminates the need to contact IT to run special reports or to manually assemble data from different sources into spreadsheets. Everyone in your organisation – from the CEO to the VP of marketing to each individual sales rep, accountant, shipping clerk and machine operator – can gain rich, role-based analytical capabilities. Employees gain access to timely, accurate information and the ability to analyse
Decision Fatigue Is Eliminated The more decisions people must make, and the more effort it takes to make those decisions, the less likely they are to make the right ones. This “decision fatigue” leads to mistakes, missed opportunities and failure to correct problems. Self-service BI helps by easing the decision-making process. Self-service BI dashboards, reports and visualizations are designed to convert information into action quickly and unambiguously. In addition, the nearly instant response time to even complex queries will allow users to remain engaged in their analysis rather than forcing them to wait
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seconds, minutes and hours for spreadsheet or SQL queries to complete. Ends Disparity, Starts Analysing With data locked away in disparate systems, when businesses require rolled-up reporting, workers must often manually copy and paste data into spreadsheets, merge and transform it with crosstabs and spreadsheet formulas, and then present the reports to business decisionmakers. What often ensues is an argument over the veracity of the numbers. Organisations mired in this “spreadsheet morass” can spend
more time arguing over the accuracy of the data than they spend making the required decisions. With self-service BI, data from source systems is automatically extracted, transformed and loaded into a data model that resolves conflicts. Data is regularly updated. The result is a “single version of the truth.” Users can then set aside the debate over the veracity of the numbers and instead focus on collaboration, analysing promising opportunities, identifying root causes of waste and optimizing existing products and processes. Once departmental data silos and disparities are eliminated, workers find that data transparency, consistency and trustworthiness help them work smarter and more effectively.
• Delivering more accurate and more timely information specific to your business.
CUSTOMISED REPORTING TAILORED TO YOUR BUSINESS
• Improving efficiency & productivity. • A competitive advantage which pays for itself.
Business Analytics - Faster, Easier, Smarter
02 9871 4484 0419 424 968 smoothstream.com.au
Get at the Numbers behind the Tables and Graphics Self-service BI allows users to get to the right numbers, to identify trends and then drill down into the details to get to the root causes of problems or to isolate specific opportunities. Filter your data by entering a date range or selecting a category from a drop-down box and you will instantly have a more nuanced view of the data. Click on summary values to drill down to the transaction details behind that summary. This is a highly efficient and intuitive way to deliver business decision-making support. Cost Savings Because users can get up to speed quickly and require little to no training, support costs with self-service BI are significantly lower than they are with more complex BI solutions. Browserbased information access and analytics means users can access and analyse their data from practically anywhere, using software that is familiar and already installed. If you deploy SaaS-based self-service BI, you can also replace upfront server investments and ongoing maintenance costs with a convenient monthly subscription. In addition, self-service BI platforms scale seamlessly so that as adoption increases, additional server capability can be added without disrupting access or
requiring significant IT resources. In marked contrast to traditional enterprise BI solutions, self-service BI tools don’t require either a data warehouse or the associated database licensing costs. This alone can shave months if not years off of BI project timelines and it eliminates a considerable expense. The Enterprise Culture Shifts from Reactive to Proactive As your enterprise data “ages,” its usefulness diminishes rapidly. Self-service BI provides access to the most up-to-date data helping you gain insights as soon as new data arrives rather than weeks later. By working more proactively, organisations can increase market share by identifying underserved territories, discovering new placement opportunities, or expanding into new distribution channels. They can save costs by accurately identifying and discontinuing unprofitable product lines sooner. A more accurate picture of product costs enables companies to price products more profitably. They can more effectively manage promotional and incentive programs with fewer resources and less risk. As we’ve seen, there are plenty of benefits to adopting self-service BI. As more workers become informed and empowered by the ability
to analyse and explore their data, decisions are made faster and with greater confidence. Smoothstream Business Intelligence will be happy to assist you in exploring general Business Analytics and Self-Service Business Intelligence further.
Smoothstream Business Intelligence p | 02 9871 4484 e | john@smoothstream.com.au www.smoothstream.com.au
Business Analytics - Faster, Easier, Smarter
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CHRISTMAS: Jewellery Gift Giving Made Easy How to Choose Well Jewellery is a popular gift at Christmas time but how to choose can be challenging. Here are some tips so you can align just the right gift for just the right person and also get the most for your money.
DIAMOND EARRINGS: Everyone Loves Them! Diamond earrings are a no-lose choice. They hold value, are resilient, look great with everything and are a WOW!! factor gift. Starting price for small gold solitaire diamond earrings are under $200. Larger, high quality diamonds drive pricing upwards from there.
warranties vary so deal with a reputable jeweller and brand.
packaged, wrapped and ready for you to pop under the tree.
JEWELLERY SETS: Great Bang for your Buck
PEARLS: Timeless Gift
Jewellery sets are great value! Popular brands and established jewellers often offer beautifully packaged, matching pieces of quality jewellery at reduced package pricing going into Christmas. You will find it quick, simple and affordable with plenty of styles and price range options to choose from. Gifts such as the latest in sterling silver sparkling gemstone earrings with a matching pendant are often beautifully
Cluster diamond earrings can deliver bigger looks for much less cost than large single diamond earrings. Clusters can be quite spectacular and halo designs are very much the fashion of the day. For smaller budgets, gold earrings set with cubic zirconium gemstones are effective looks that imitate diamonds. Silver with a white gold finish (rhodium plated) and cubic zirconium gemstone options start for as little as $29 in reliable, quality brands such as ELLANI. Quality of manufacturing and
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Pearls are naturally occurring organic gemstones created by living creatures. So there are many variations, some of which are quite beautiful. Value and pricing of pearls is measured by a combination of factors. Those factors are partly objective with personal preference also playing a role. Lustre & Surface: Look for how light bounces off pearls. Higher quality pearls are bright and shiny – a measure of brilliance and reflectivity. A smooth surface is also a feature of higher quality pearls. Size: The size of a pearl has a direct bearing on price. Larger pearls command higher prices. Colour: There are a large range of pearl colours. Pearls in the same colour category can have much different looks and hues due to overtones. Colour choice is as individual as the person so here are some fashion comments that may be helpful: • Pinks are currently making a fashion splash with soft colour mixes and classic styles • White and cream colours are elegant and timeless • Black Tahitian pearls say sophistication and luxury. Shape: Pearls come in a wide range of interesting and unique shapes and in a variety of qualities. Perfectly round pearls are quite rare and therefore are relatively expensive.
BiziNet LIFESTYLE
POPULAR BRANDS: Exciting & Fun to Both Give & Receive Major brands such as PANDORA and THOMAS SABO are presented by professional teams that are experts at helping you style and select meaningful gifts. Charms personalize necklets, bracelets and bangles to capture memorable moments. Sparkling Christmas-themed pieces are fun, colourful, collectable treasures that become part of seasonal jewellery attire. A little package of sparkle goes a long way, bringing excitement and anticipation. Secret Santa and special-meaning gifts can be as little as $30.
UNI-SEX JEWELLERY & GIFTS: For that “Hard-to-Buy-For” Person Why not give him or her a quality writing instrument that they just would not spend the money on for themselves. Smooth to write with, elegant, stylish and beautifully packaged – great brands such as HUGO BOSS are all class. Usable and reloadable. The gift of a fine pen does not typically go unused and gather dust. Matching notebooks and compendiums are also available for smart, professional use. Branded USBs and keyrings are added luxuries. Starting at $129, this type of range are well-received and practical gifts.
Men and women’s pocket and pendant watches are a special gift that many people don’t yet have in their collections. An interesting item that many of us could use is a pendant ring holder. When you need to take your ring off your finger, not lose it and keep it close to your heart – you can slip it onto this loop pendant where it sits flat and comfortably, appearing to be a pendant rather than your ring hanging on a chain. This innovative piece of jewellery has a twist-on system to slip your ring through so it is secure. They are available in silver and gold, large or small, simple versions and diamond set. Don’t forget to check for retired watch and jewellery collections. There is often terrific value to be found at amazing prices across all brands and products.
SHOPPING: Wrapping it Up
Gift wrapping is a service that quality jewellers are happy to provide. Also ask your jeweller about their Christmas gift exchange policy, what finance options are available, the warranty period that applies and if they offer a free cleaning service on the products they sell.
Make your appointment with Chris Underwood – Master Jeweller, Registered Valuer, Designer, Antique and Estate Specialist – to discuss your precious jewellery. Designers Master Jewellers Valuations Custom Crafted Jewellery Consignment Estate, Antique and Pre-Owned Specialists Underwood Jewellers Main Store: 28 Phillip Street, Parramatta Tel: (02) 9689-1022 Shop 3063, 3rd floor Westfield Parramatta Shopping Centre
Now that has to be Christmas made easy! Summer collections of uni-sex pendants have just been released. Innovative pieces such as a black bullet with a twist off top, rose and black dog tags that look sharp and on trend and cross styles that are standouts for the price - under $120 with the chain. Italian leather bracelets are hitting shelves at pricing under $100. Some of the latest sterling silver designs are presenting with matching cuff, ring and dog tag. Classic, simple cuff links are a go-to in professional and evening wear wardrobes.
BiziNet Magazine
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23
BUSINESS GROWTH
Kym Heffernan, Director The Marketing Strategy Co
9 steps to Effective Social Media Strategy Having an effective Social Media strategy is an important marketing tool for any business or organisation wanting to boost awareness of their brand as well as maintain relevance in the fast moving digital world. Social Media is also integral to any digital marketing strategy as you need to reach people wherever they are searching online. Whether it be through conversations with their customers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or using these channels to market your brand. Many businesses want to maintain an active social media profile but are unsure of how to proceed and on what platform to reach the biggest audience. But it's not about the platform – it's about who your customers are, which social channels they are engaging with, how social media supports your other digital marketing tactics and your available time and budget to engage as well as connect with prospects and customers.
whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat or the myriad of other options. Focusing on getting engaged followers for one or two channels will get better results for your time and $ efforts rather than spreading your resources “thinly” over 5 or 6 channels.
9. Measure and Refine. Make sure you have systems in place to measure your social media engagement and response to see what times are best for posting, what kinds of updates receive the most traffic and to see what platforms your product/organisation receives the best feedback from.
That means unless your social media efforts are integrated into your overall marketing strategy and planned/scheduled frequently your efforts may be wasted. It also may even cost you money. Haphazard attempts at setting up a social media account, the occasional post or no followers will have a negative impact on a small business as it won’t reflect the superior quality of the business or service. When building a social media strategy these 9 steps will help guide you: 1. Create a List. List out the platforms that you think would suit your business. Here's a good place to start if: • your Business sells to Consumers or • your business sells to other businesses?
4. Be consistent online. Design all your social media accounts with all the same look, feel and “tone” as your website.
6. Allow Time and Money. Put aside time and/or budget to ensure there is a consistent flow of great content and comment in these selected channels to make sure your social media efforts create engagement and interest.
3. Limit your Platforms. Unless you have a large social media team, start with one or two social channels at a time. So long as you have done steps 1 and 2 – it doesn’t matter
7. Create a Schedule. Make sure you have a weekly and monthly timetable of what channels and content topics you are going to post about.
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Want to increase your Leads, Clients and Sales? The Marketing Strategy Co develops effective Marketing Plans and supports businesses with ongoing fixed price Marketing. Just contact us on (02) 9125 0520 or visist www. themarketingstrategy.co for an obligation-free discussion on our + Leads + Clients + Sales approach.
5. Be consistent offline as well. Compare your printed marketing material with your social media profiles as well and make sure they look the same.
2. Ask Customers. Call or send 20 of your customers a personalised email, list out the options and ask them which platforms they use (don’t ask which platforms they use for business – just which platforms they use). This is where you should start.
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8. Focus on Links to your website. Make sure your social media content links back to your website. That doesn’t mean you don’t share comments without links or don’t share link to other sites, but make sure at least 75% of your posts are going back to great content on your website.
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The Marketing Strategy Co p | 1300 676 448 e | kymh@tmsc.com.au www.themarketingstrategy.co
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BUSINESS GROWTH
Ben Fewtrell, Managing Partner, Maxmyprofit
Why Do 8 Out of 10 Businesses Fail? The business world these days is competitive and crowded. It’s not easy to establish a new venture, market it, attract customers and ensure it survives the fierce competition that is out there. Statistics show that 8 out of 10 businesses fail despite the business owners efforts to stay afloat and this is only getting worse as competition increases. No one goes into a business with the intention to fail and every entrepreneur is enthusiastic about their chances of success. This, however could come in the way of productivity. They start with the best of intentions but are often ill-equipped to become a successful business owner. Why Do People Start Their Own Business? Budding entrepreneurs start up their own businesses for many reasons. Most of the time, the reason they go into business is the cause of their failure. It is important to assess motivation and go into business with an open mind and a willingness to learn – and most importantly, get help where needed. New Business Owners often believe they have what it takes to make a business successful, ultimately giving them the time, freedom and money to enjoy life. It’s possible to achieve these things after the business is established and thriving, but it takes time for a venture to reach that level of success. It’s easy to underestimate just how much work, time and effort goes into establishing a business and it’s the biggest contributing factor towards failure. New entrepreneurs and start-ups have to deal with crazy work hours, poor cash flow, a substantial amount of stress, lack of freedom, little to no time to socialise or take a break and the ever-looming threat of failure. These realities often cause entrepreneurs to give up or lose control of their venture early in the game, which is why most businesses fail within the first few months of being established. Being "Good" Isn't Enough Entrepreneurs enter a business because they’re good at “something”. For example, a web designer might establish their own business because they’re good at creating awesome websites and their services are in demand. But
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being a good web designer doesn’t mean they will be good web design company owners. You need a different skill set to be a successful business owner. That’s the key difference between being selfemployed and being a business owner. A business has a set infrastructure, overhead costs, employees, office premises, etc. and, as a business owner, all these responsibilities fall on you. Being good at something provides you with a great foundation to start your business, but it doesn’t mean your business will succeed. A Great Product Doesn't Guarantee Success Many companies have great products, yet fail to make money, grow their business and succeed. For example, an excellent fast food cafe with reasonably-priced food and great ingredients will still not be as successful as McDonald’s or Taco Bell. It’s not the quality of the product that hampers their success, but their marketing and reach. If your prospective customers and your target market don’t know about the product, they won’t walk through the door. If there are no customers, there’s no cash flow and, of course, no profit. Having a good Marketing Strategy and Plan, and using that to enhance your brand is what will separate you from your competition and ensure success for your business. Passion And Enthusiasm New entrepreneurs are very passionate and enthusiastic about their products or services. They believe in their product or service and believe their target market and potential customers will also love their work or service. While this passion may stop a business owner from giving up it, cannot guarantee business success. Passion and enthusiasm are the motivating
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forces that keep business owners going when the business isn’t successful but that’s not enough. There are a number of other factors that contribute to success such as marketing, cash flow and profits. If these factors aren’t in place, passion and enthusiasm won’t help the business survive. The Formula Cash flow and Profit are the bare bones of a business venture, the most essential and fundamental aspects that help a business survive. Entrepreneurs need to keep a close eye on these two very important factors to make sure their business stays afloat. A successful business should have good balance between their cash flow and their profits. This formula (below) helps businesses determine their levels of success based on the correlation between profits and cash flow. Cash flow multiplied by profits equals a healthy and thriving business. For example, if you rate your cash flow at 10 and your profits at 1, the result is still 10 and not 100. This means your business isn’t succeeding like you hoped and it needs a boost. If you rate your cash flow at 1 and your profits at 10, the result is the same. A good balance between profits and cash flow helps a business survive successfully for a long time and provides the foundation for business growth.
Max My Profit p | 02 9111 5000 www.maxmyprofit.com.au
Promoting, connecting and advocating for the business communities of Ryde, Macquarie Park and surrounding regions
Riverside Business Chamber (formerly Ryde Business Forum and Ryde Macquarie Park Chamber of Commerce) is the voice of business in Sydney’s northern districts. As our region’s largest Chamber we can offer you more opportunities to meet with potential business partners, strong advocacy to all three levels of government on vital issues such as traffic and transport and other infrastructure, access to NSW Business Chamber products and services and much more. Our goal is to see your business grow. We know your share that goal. Join us and let’s work together on success.
riversidechamber.com.au
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FEATURE
Robert Theodoridis, Managing Director, Sydney Electrical Contractors
How To Combat The Electricity Retailers If I got a dollar every time I was asked by people “Why are my electricity bills so high?” I would be shouting everyone free electricity, however, it frustrates me to see us - ‘the consumers’ are generally not educated enough to know if we are getting charged the correct amount from our electricity retailers every quarter. I want to ask you an honest question, “How many times have you received your electricity bill and had a discrepancy with the amount you have used against the amount you have been charged?” From the study I have done with my clients this is almost everyone I have spoken too.
usually occurs approximately 2 weeks before you receive your bill, however if you contact your retailer they can give you this information. Once you have these dates put them in your calendar and set reminders or leave on the fridge for other family members to see.
If you think of how many homes are in Sydney alone, you would think there is a good chance that the meter readers could often make mistakes especially if your home still has an analogue ‘dial type’ meter. In saying this though digital smart meters are more common and have been slowly phasing out the old meters over the last few years. But who’s to say even the smart meters are 100% accurate with there calibration?
Following these simple steps can potentially give you the upper hand and really prove to you what you are using in your home or business. These results can then be matched with your quarterly bill to clarify you are being charged correctly and to ensure you are getting the savings you deserve.
I can almost guarantee all of us have been through this at least once, so what can we do to combat against this and be sure we are being charged the correct amount for your electricity every quarter? Well, I’m going to explain some very easy tips and solutions most retailers probably don’t want you to know because you will have a leg to stand on if you decide to challenge your next electricity bill.
Learn to read your electricity meter/s and record results. If you have no idea how to read your meter that’s completely fine as I can send a free information pack upon your request via email to show you how (info@sec24hr.com.au) Taking photos of your meter readings is also a handy and easy way to log and record your consumption.
Let’s start with the first few tips on how to keep track of your usage at home or business: Find out when your billing cycle starts and ends (especially when they read your meter) – this
Keep a log book at home or business and take note of your reading from your meter on the dates you have set reminders for. A basic log book should contain: date, time, previous
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Subtract the first number you recorded from the second number you recorded and that will give you your usage. Then, find out your rate cost per KWh (Kilo Watt hour). You can find this on your bill. Once you have established this you can simply multiply your usage from your billing cycle with this amount, so you know what you will be paying before you receive your bill and there’s no shocks! No pun intended. If you don’t wish to go the effort in spending 5-10 minutes to record your results every few months then there’s currently devices on the market which can do all this for you and monitor your usage from the luxury of your phone, tablet or PC.
Most consumers call to lodge a complaint to their retailers (your word vs theirs) but fall short because they don’t have enough evidence to back their argument and justify their consumption. If there’s any advice I can give to anyone first it would be to shop around for the best deals and rates all the different retailers have to offer. Because there’s so many electricity retailers currently In NSW you should let them work for you – not the other way around as the market is very competitive.
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meter reading and current meter reading etc.
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Sydney Electrical Contractors p | 02 8007 7215 e | info@sec24hr.com.au www.sec24hr.com.au
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Daniel Moisyeyev, B.IT, Web Developer and Software Engineer BiziNet
Protecting Your Business from SPAM and Email Forgery (Part 2) In my previous article (Part 1), I identified several different types of unsolicited email messages and the common methods used for their propagation. In this article, I will go into detail about how to prevent unsolicited email using up valuable business resources (a very important issue for employers that seek to maximise efficiency from their employees) and some technical steps needed to protect your business from email forgery (these do require an IT professional to implement properly). Start Fresh Please take into consideration that if you wish to minimise the amount of unsolicited emails that you receive, the advice below is most effective for new and well chosen email addresses.
(either by proprietary firms or the open source community), widely used, have access to large amount of sample data to learn from, as well as have live access to public and private blacklist databases of known sources of SPAM.
If you are already signed up for thousands of daily unsolicited messages, it's a bit too late and the best way forward is to gradually phase out your email account. Setting up a harsh filtering system to combat more extreme cases will, without doubt, junk a lot of genuine emails.
You generally have a simple choice with server side SPAM Filtering. You can either engage a cloud email hosing provider to handle your emails, or use a typical web hosting provider that offers SMTP/POP3/IMAP email services with the SPAMAssasin server-side filter.
Choose your Email Correctly This is the first and most important step.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both choices.
You want to choose email addresses with a full combination of first name and last name (e.g. firstname.lastname@yourdomain.com.au). Keeping only your first name (especially if it's common) in front of your domain is not the best choice. The same applies to common default addresses – info@, enquiries@, sales@, etc. Avoid these if you can.
With the first choice, you are completely handing over the wheel to an external provider. The SPAM filtering systems offered by these providers are usually effective, however they can be on the harsh side and often label genuine emails incorrectly as SPAM. While users of these systems are generally satisfied with the low amount of unsolicited messages that get through, there is a risk of losing business. Configuration and customisation options are usually limited. Privacy may be an issue as the extent of access to personal data by the cloud provider is not under control. On the other side, these systems are simple to use, don't require much in terms of setup and getting started. They usually provide high quality web based interfaces and additional business features such calendars.
If you already have an email address without your fullname, consider phasing it out. Keep Personal and Business Email Separate Keep a separate personal email address that can be easily discarded. Leave the business email address for business use only and sign up to offers or newsletters using your personal email address. Server-Side SPAM Filtering The most effective SPAM Filtering occurs at the email server, before the messages actually get to the Inbox on your computer or your phone. Server side SPAM Filtering works well because the applications that carry out this service are well-maintained on a regular basis
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The second choice is a better option if you would like to retain more control. Open source email filters such as SPAMAssasin are very widely used and offer versatile configuration options. This type of filtering software is generally not as harsh and uses a “scoring” system to determine the legitimacy of each email. Your choice of web hosting providers
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is very wide when using this type of software, as well as your choice of actual web hosting services – such as shared web hosting, virtual private servers and dedicated servers. Software like SPAMAssasin, however, generally requires an IT person with technical web hosting expertise to configure – this can often be done by the professional that takes care of your web hosting, such as your web developer. Client-Side SPAM Filtering In addition to filtering SPAM on the server, you can also choose an appropriate email application to filter messages again after receiving on your computer. This is generally not required and isn't relevant if you are using a cloud email hosting provider. However it may be of use if using server-side filtering tools like SPAMAssasin (see above) with loose filtering settings that let some SPAM messages through. There are many suppliers of client side email applications with in-built SPAM filters. A good example is Mozilla Thunderbird, which is a widely-used, free, open source and crossplatform application. The best case scenario is still to avoid clientside SPAM Filtering applications, as results can be inconsistent. You will likely have variations when using your email across multiple devices. This solution is often limited to personal use, a micro-business or as a temporary fix. It is not scalable for businesses with a large number of employees and email accounts. Email Forgery A little known fact - irregardless of how sophisticated cloud email service providers appear with their offerings, how much new development has occurred in the digital space in recent times…. all emails that you send
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BUSINESS ADVICE
and receive on a daily basis are handled via a rather archaic protocol known as SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) first defined in 1982. Unfortunately, it hasn't changed much since. It's simply too difficult to introduce major changes and improvements to such a widelydeployed protocol. The particular issue with this protocol is that it appeared during an era where the Internet was a bit of a different place. It's not that the protocol isn't secure – it's just that the way it's designed, it doesn't provide much in terms of sender authentication. The in-built limitations mean that anyone can easily send any email message on behalf of anyone's sender address – this can quickly become an important issue for your business if someone decided to forge email messages and use your good name for malicious purposes. It does happen, and I have indeed reported forged messages I have received to business owners myself on a few occasions, just to inform them as to what was happening behind their back. There are steps to minimise this. The limitations of the protocol still mean that there is no in-built method to eliminate this problem, however there are several standards that are currently used to check the integrity of an email message sender. SPF, DKIM and DMARC SPF, DKIM and DMARC are the 3 open standards that assist in verifying the authenticity of email messages. These standards are
applied to domain names and email servers. They are widely-implemented and you must ensure that your own domain name and email server configuration is in good order to ensure your messages are delivered as intended to your recipients and your business domain name is protected from forgery. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) – SPF defines email servers that are allowed to send emails from your business domain. Once SPF is configured correctly for your domain name, the recipients email server can check if email messages that appear to come from your business are indeed sent through an approved email server. To configure this option a special record needs to be added to your domain via your domain name hosting provider. DKIM (DomainKeys Identied Mail) – Another method of sender authentication, this standard relies on using cryptography to verify email messages. Your email server will need to be configured to automatically add a digital signature to each email you send, as well as your domain will need to have a special record added with a “public key” used for verification by the recipient email servers. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) – In simple terms, this is a special standard used to set rules for emails that fail verification. Once both SPF & DKIM are properly configured for your domain name, you can instruct conforming recipient email servers to automatically reject email messages that appear to come from
1О sets of 5ОО
your domain name and fail the two verification checks. For most users, configuring SPF records is sufficient. Some may prefer to go the extra step and set up all 3 standards for a more complete protection. Not all email servers abide by these additional standards, but this system is quite effective and is gaining widespread acceptance. Please note that proper configuration can be quite involved and external email applications that send emails on your behalf (e.g. CRM tools) can be affected if they are not taken into consideration. If you are interested in custom web design and development, please get in touch with Daniel Moisyeyev B. IT, Software Engineer, Partner.
BiziNet p | 1300 889 132 e | daniel.moisyeyev@bizinetmedia.com.au www.bizinet.com.au
business cards
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BiziNet Magazine
#88 Nov/Dec’17
1300 889 132
Your flyers personally delivered to every Office Reception Desk in Norwest Business Park and Macquarie Business Park + Lane Cove West
Norwest Business Park $480 + GST per run ($450 + GST per additional flyer) GWP MEDIAÂŽ info@gwpmedia.com.au www.flyerdeliveryguys.com.au
Macquarie Business Park + Lane Cove West $480 + GST per run
($450 + GST per additional flyer) Please contact Daniel
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BiziNetwork AUTOMOTIVE Lander Toyota 02 8884 4888 112 Sunnyholt Road Blacktown NSW landertoyota.com.au ACCOUNTING Bright Accounting and Taxation 02 8858 3242 33/9 Hoyle Ave Castle Hill NSW 2154 brighttax.com.au
GRAPHIC DESIGN GWP Media 1300 889 132 Logo design, business cards, flyers, booklets, web design, advertising gwpmedia.com.au INDUSTRIAL SERVICES Beralon Pty Ltd 02 9624 8011 Unit 1, 4 Bearing Rd Seven Hills, NSW 2147 beralon.com
BUSINESS SUPPORT
INSOLVENCY
The Hills Shire Council 02 9843 0324 Administration Centre, 3 Columbia Court Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 thehills.nsw.gov.au
Jones Partners Insolvency & Business Recovery 02 9894 9966 Suite 301, Level 3, 4 Columbia Ct, Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 jonespartners.net.au IP Krouzer IP 02 9680 8622 L2, Suite 11, 29-31 Lexington Dr Bella Vista NSW 2153 krouzer.com.au IT
CHARITY HeartKids 0423 938 354 heartkids.org.au Norwest Sunrise Rotary 0418 298 274 PO Box 7039 Baulkham Hills NSW Thorndale Foundation 02 9912 7800 thorndale.com.au
JEWELLERS Underwood Jewellers 02 9689 1022 28 Phillip Street Parramatta NSW 2150 www.uj.com.au LAW
Etienne Lawyers 02 8845 2400 Level 57 MLC Centre, 19-29 Martin Place Sydney NSW etiennelawyers.com
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NETWORK MARKETING Amway Australia and New Zealand 02 9854 8120 Suite 301, 7-9 Irvine Place Bella Vista NSW 2153 amway.com PRINTING GWP Media 1300 889 132 Next Day Print Order Online and Get Industry Prices gwpprinting.com.au REAL ESTATE
LJ Hooker Commercial North West 02 8814 1588 Suite 1:08, 29-31 Lexington Drive Bella Vista, NSW 2153 ljhc.com.au
ELECTRICAL SERVICES
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Worldwide Migration Partners 02 9415 2359 213/83 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove NSW 2066 worldwidemigrationpartners.au
Smoothstream Business Intelligence 02 9871 4484 smoothstream.com.au
Coleman Greig Lawyers 02 9895 9200 Level 11, 100 George Street, Cnr Smith Street Parramatta NSW 2150 colemangreig.com.au
Pattens Group 02 9476 1555 PO Box 838 Hornsby NSW 1630 pattens.com
MIGRATION
Coutts - Castlecorp 02 8883 4000 F126/24-32 Lexington Dr, Bella Vista, NSW 2153 coutts.com.au
Cubbyhouse Childcare Australia 0412 615 728 3 Columbia Court Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 cubbycc.com.au
GRANTS
The Marketing Strategy Co 1300 676 448 Level 13, 50 Carrington Street Sydney NSW 2000 themarketingstrategy.co
Pro IT Pty Limited 1300 727 553 12-18 Fairfield Street, Fairfield East NSW 2165 proit.com.au
CHILDCARE
Sydney Electrical Contractors 02 8007 7215 PO Box 85 Northmead NSW 2152 sec24hr.com.au
MARKETING
MTM Legal 02 9252 8824 PO Box R1866 Royal Exchange Circular Quay 1225 mtmlegal.com.au
#88 Nov/Dec’17
WEB DESIGN BiziNet Pty Ltd 1300 889 132 PO Box 7519 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 bizinet.com.au
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LAND A BETTER DEAL AT LANDER TOYOTA The Lander Toyota better buying experience starts from the moment you enter our stunning showroom. Our professional consultants will discuss your needs and present all the options available to you from the exceptional Toyota range.
3 Flexible finance options. Expert business managers on site
3 Service centre equipped with the latest Toyota technology
3 Large stocks of cars, SUVs, 4WDs and commercial vehicles
3 Fully trained service technicians 3 Accessory and parts department There’s a lot more on offer at Lander Toyota.
3 Over 100 quality checked used vehicles
WESTERN SYDNEY’S NO.1 DEALER Lander Toyota
112 Sunnyholt Road, Blacktown T 02 8884 4888 landertoyota.com.au Highland Autos Pty Ltd trading as Lander Toyota. MD20304
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BiziNet Magazine
#88 Nov/Dec’17
Toyota Finance Australia Limited ABN 48 002 435 181, AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 392536.
YPA2276