Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine Issue #59 - October 2013

GWP M a g a z i n e s

S yd ney

®

B u s i n e ss

SYDNEY - Issue 59 | October 2013

M a g a z i n e

S i n c e

2 0 0 5

Labor’s Worst Nightmare - Anthony John Abbott MP Page 16

Borrowing within an SMSF the Tips and Traps!

Page 20

Coaching - Can it Work for Business or Should it be Kept to the Sports Field?

Page 24

Paul Brennan...

We’re just good at bringing people together and fostering success!

T o b e c o m e a c o n t r i b u t i n g w r i t e r i n B u s i n e s s R e s o u r c e & L i f e s t y l e c a ll 1 3 0 0 8 8 9 1 3 2 Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Editor and Publisher: Dmitry Greku Cover Story: Adrian Payne Contributing Writers: Charlie Lynn Angry Anderson Kris Cilia Darryn Fellowes Stephen Frost Lynette Eyles Ben Fewtrell Art Director: Svetlana Greku Executive Officer: Daniel Moisyeyev Director of Public Relations: Angry Anderson Cover Design Xabier Goñi, XDesigns Photography: Francesca Surace, Stilz Fotografika Printing: Pegasus Print Group Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine® is published by GWP Media® and GWP Magazines® ABN: 82 096 352 064 www.gwpmagazine.com.au Office Address: Unit 31, 7 Hoyle Avenue, Castle Hill, NSW 2154 International Standard Serial Number ISSN 1837-199X Advertising Enquiries p | 1300 889 132 e | info@gwpmagazine.com.au To Subscribe w | www.gwpmagazine.com.au

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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.

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

CONTENTS

CONTENTS 18 10 Cover Story 10 Paul Brennan...

We’re Just Good at Bringing People Together and Fostering Success!

22

Regulars

Business Advice

Local Government

30 Web Hosting and Domain

18 Congratulations Norwest

Names Daniel Moisyeyev

Business Park The Hills Shire Council

Society & Life

Adrian Payne Business Advice

Regulars Editor’s Letter

9

Five Points are Always Better Than Six Dmitry Greku

leadership

Phoenix Rising

Angry Anderson

20 Borrowing within an SMSF –

the Tips and Traps!

Darryn Fellowes

22 Business – the Old

Fashioned Way Kris Cilia

28 Is Your Brand Bland?

16 Labor’s Worst Nightmare –

32

Ben Fewtrell

Features

24 Coaching – Can it Work

for Business or Should it be Kept to the Sports Field?

Lynette Eyles

26

What’s in a Title?

Stephen Frost

Anthony John Abbott MP Charlie Lynn

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Winners read Business Resource & Lifestyle

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

editor’s letter

Five Points are Always Better Than Six Dmitry Greku, M. Sc. - Editor and Publisher - GWP Magazines®

Election time is always a very important and sometimes an exciting time for the informed sector of the population. Results are everchanging – sometimes disappointing as in the case of 2007, sometimes disappointing and frustrating as happened in 2010 and finally it was good, but not great in 2013.

2. I have two questions to ask before raising my next point – Are we living in a free democratic society or not? Why does everyone have to vote in this country? People must have a chance of choosing not only between more than a hundred political parties but also if they wish to vote for them at all. Under these circumstances, only the carefully thought through votes should be considered. Give a people this chance and the left side of politics will be doomed and substituted with many prosperous years ahead.

In my view there were some frustrating and sometimes annoying circumstances which can’t be right. Here is my five-point report. Sixth point could become too difficult to digest and result in the total collapse of the whole political system.

So let’s keep it simple.

3. The betrayal of Kevin Rudd didn’t make us wait for too long, the betrayal of his country, people, his Labor party and even his closest party comrades. We, the people on the right side of politics, couldn’t expect anything else from this bloke. He sabotaged the Australian mission to the G20 summit with his “If I’m not going, nobody’s going” attitude. His Foreign Minister wasn’t a person of great interest for other international officials on his last day at work. Rudd was so happy when he didn’t loose his seat as he had another chance to prove to himself and everyone else that he is Number One Kevin. And last, but not least, the betrayal as he dumped people who brought him back to power when he declared his resignation as the Great Leader of the ALP.

1. The election system itself is far from being perfect. It may have worked well a hundred years ago, but today it does not match up to the social and political environment. It can’t be right when the majority (meaning most Australians) vote for one party and those who missed out simply move people’s votes from one account to another as they usually do with tax payers’ funds in between the elections times for their own benefit. They don’t even need to build any official political alliances to do so. It’s all for the sake of occupying those comfortable highly paid parliamentary jobs and a chance to look important for the next three years.

4. The Coalition chose to forsake its supporters in Greenway and it was an embarrassment.

Six-pointless Jaymes Diaz has become an embarrassment for the whole area. Those people who voted for him at the pre-selection should be ashamed and maybe checked out by an anti-corruption body. I’m probably not the only one who would like to know how this guy could get through. The list of Diaz’s stuff-ups is endless and could be quite funny if it wasn’t about the future of this country. But I had to mention that particular one. His posters in some weird language (not English) were placed all over polling places on Election Day. How little respect

It’s a no-brainer to figure out why the results should be considered good. Finally the country has got a slight chance to recover from the sixyear negligence of the Labor-Greens alliance and business will hopefully get back on track.

But the question remains …

Was this last election fair as we all would like it to be? I agree with Clive Palmer – No, it wasn’t.

they (him and his family) must have for this country and its people to do such a thing.

5. Liberal Fiona ’Sex Appeal‘ Scott – what a stuffup! Candidates like this one can only win when their opponents totally annihilate themselves as politicians. David Bradbury is a great opposing side to have; you’ve got no chance of loosing a campaign against him. Such people with limited life experience from areas where ’streets and hospitals are clogged with refugees shouldn’t represent their communities in the Federal Parliament. They keep smiling for cameras, while showing an absolute absence of people skills and total disrespect for others in real-life situations.

This ‘appeal‘can only last for one term.

Let’s be good citizens and start thinking when we make choices for the future of our country.

Is it about the future of criminals and radicals coming here in their thousands? Is it about the future of someone somewhere in some less fortunate country which they are demolishing with such passion? It’s not about the sex or any other appeal, not about a guy wearing glasses who thinks that he is smarter than the guy on a bike and it’s not about a convenient sex change which might help to get someone onto the front bench to get the gender balance right. It’s about this country’s today and tomorrow.

Let’s just vote honestly knowing what and who we are voting for.

Have a great day. Take care of yourselves and your clients. G

e | editor@gwpmagazine.com.au

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Proudly Presented by

Paul Brennan...

We’re just good at bringing people together and fostering success!

P

aul Brennan was born in a private hospital in Strathfield. His parents were Irish immigrants living in Concord, so his roots were firmly planted in Sydney’s Western Suburbs. In telling his story, Paul skipped over his childhood days including time at a school in Strathfield and ‘landed’ his thoughts on his early career days, where he remembers having a range of jobs, including work in Korea and Indonesia. He learned the ways of business in different cultures there, an experience which he now believes stood him in good stead for the business life that was to unfold for him in the coming years.

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

by Adrian Payne He spent time working for Microsoft and TNT as state manager of their logistics business. With the acquisition of TNT by Toll Paul was offered a position of general Manager in Toll’s logistics division. He was later headhunted to lead another transport business, one that offered new challenges as the ‘freight’ as he puts it “loaded and unloaded itself”. Not quite as high-tech as it sounds, the business was Westbus.

It was here that Paul began to work more closely with community groups, like schools in the provision of everimproving bus services for students. For him this was a change from loading and unloading freight that didn’t have

great australian Business People

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Proudly Presented by an opinion! It was also the time where the bus industry was to plan for its most testing time ever.

The 2000 Sydney Olympics. This was challenging in the extreme, but Paul also found it enjoyable in the mix of the CEOs and executive staff of many bus companies in NSW and interstate.

Westbus was later acquired by a British bus company. The British moved some of their own executive team to Australia and as a result Paul and some of his executive team were made redundant.

His next move was into the plastics manufacturing business ASP Plastics. He had met ASP’s Chairman, and an offer to lead the business was ‘too good to refuse”.

Having started in 1960 under the name of ‘Automatic Springs Pty. Ltd’, it was eleven years later in 1971, that they branched out into plastic moulding. After a fire destroyed the plant in 1990, ASP moved into their current premises in St Marys in 1991.

When Paul joined the company it was in the process of restructuring. It was his job to take it through to the next phase and beyond. He notes that it wasn’t an easy task. It was a small business and technically, one he had to get his head around... a huge change from the corporate and transport world that he knew well. He realised that in a small company there was no room to make a

This photo shows the fully automated blow moulding of four small sharps containers at a time. In the foreground you can see four streams of hot plastic waiting to be picked up by the mould and blown into shape. In the background you can see four containers that have just been moulded and are about to be transferred to a cooling station

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

Paul Brennan and Councillor Jim Aitken representing Penrith businesses wanting to sell into China in Kunshan, China mistake. Larger business could be more forgiving, so the challenge was testing.

He divided the company into three distinct businesses. The first is a tool-making company that they acquired as an opportunity. In itself it has been challenging. While they have managed to grow the tool-making business, the industry had

no real succession planing in Australia in recent years. Today, the company’s few highly skilled tool-making staff, are often travelling overseas to supervise the manufacture of projects, where the facilities and skills don’t exist here. This has presented many of them with new opportunities.

The plastics business moved on from simple

great australian Business People injection moulding. Under Paul’s guidance they stood back and saw the business differently.

They projected a different technological profile into the market-place as manufacturers of ‘metal replacement parts’. They moved away from what their competitors were doing at the time, creating for themselves new skills and techniques and a unique selling proposition that separated them from the rest. In some instances their customers were able to replace stainless steel parts that cost a thousand dollars and more, with parts made of hi-tech plastics for twenty or thirty dollars.

In the poker machine sector they researched and produced plastics that could replace metal parts, but also be resistant to fire, would not drip under high temperatures, nor transfer fire. This market is now worldwide for their business. There are many other opportunities that have developed either with plastics with special properties that they develop themselves, or better application of specific plastics that have been manufactured elsewhere.

In the mining industry and in particular for tunnels carrying waste water, previously high-tensile steel bolts were used to strengthen the tunnel walls.

They would rust out in about ten years and need replacing by scuba divers working underwater.

ASP’s ‘high tensile’ bolts developed using a specially compounded plastic, will last for a hundred years ... longer than the working life of most mines.

Presented with a University of Western Sydney Partnership Award on behalf of the PBA

Constantly on the lookout for good ideas, ASP recently responded to an opportunity from two young people. Now after ASP development and manufacture, it is in trials as a plastic fence that hides the rubbish bins in front of blocks of apartments. This product not only improves the look of the urban landscape, but the plastic material has been developed such that paint won’t stick to the surface. Graffiti just washes off!

Furthermore, it won’t burn. Somehow, no one had thought to build high quality fences out of plastic!

In 2005 ASP Healthcare Pty Ltd, was spun off as the third separate entity. This business began in a partnership with NSW Health in 1989, as the public health system began to take action in response to the spread of Aids. ASP developed and patented the world’s first personal ‘sharps’ container. This initiative was to become the first of over a hundred and fifty products produced in the fight against the spread of blood-borne viruses. ASP Healthcare now exports many of these products around the world.

The Group employs around a hundred full time staff. But Paul realised some years ago that they could use the services of some part time people.

His strategy was to use schools as a contact point for mothers who had a few hours available Paul being presented with two Western Sydney Industry Awards by the Hon Dianne Beamer

Paul Brennan in ASP Plastics factory in St Marys

The same blow moulding process as above left. On the left side there are four streams of hot plastic about to be blow moulded, and on the far right you can see four moulded containers exiting along a conveyor line Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Proudly Presented by

Signing of the MOU between the PBA and the President of the Gangseo Chapter of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mr Jin Soo Song in Penrith around their responsibilities caring for schoolage children. Some of these mothers have since become permanent full-time staff as their children grew up and they could be released for longer periods in the day. These were skills that might otherwise have been lost.

Another deliberate HR strategy has been to approach suitable members of their full time staff and offer to help them set up their own businesses and work from home. As part of the strategy, they would work for ASP and others, ensuring that they had a reliable core-contract to grow their own business from home. Clearly for the right people and for ASP, this is a good win-win arrangement.

China to match quality they may need several more people to hand finish the item as it comes off of the machine. ASP is geographically close to their customers and doesn’t have the costs and delays often experienced when importing from overseas.

the principal centre of outer Western Sydney, attracting a wide range of retail, commercial and professional services serving Penrith, Hawkesbury, the Blue Mountains, Central Western NSW and other parts of Western Sydney.

He says it’s just a matter of doing it better – producing higher quality. While returns from overseas customers have been lower since the Global Financial Crisis, their markets have not dried up – and the expectation is that while upward movement is slow still, returns are beginning to improve.

Penrith continues to experience significant growth in what is known and recognised as the Penrith economic corridor. “It strengthens Penrith’s position as one of Sydney’s prime locations to invest” says Paul.

Paul’s philosophy is to hire and encourage people with enquiring minds and he proudly declares that he has a proactive team with a “can do” attitude.

He also says that more than half the people working in Head Office speak more than two languages, which is invaluable in global trade.

He encourages his team to give time out in the community, some lecture at TAFE, others lead industry associations, and he leads by example.

Paul Brennan is also the Chairman of the Penrith Business Alliance (PBA). Penrith has truly consolidated its position as a Regional City and

The eight kilometre ‘corridor’ runs from St Marys in the East to the Nepean River in the West and accommodates such strategic assets as the Penrith Health and Education Precinct and the Penrith Central Business District. The corridor also spans from Penrith Lakes in the North to the Riverlink Panthers Penrith proposal which would become a significant lifestyle and recreational precinct.

Significant projects are also being undertaken to help accommodate the regional population which is estimated to grow from two to four million people over the next 25 years. The Business Alliance extends a warm welcome to visitors, residents, businesses and investors alike and invites them to

Paul says that ASP is a ‘staff focused’ company, taking staff out to lunch on their birthday, and supporting ongoing education from apprenticeships through to masters degrees. He says “it doesn’t cost much to respect your staff ... then you get that extra out of them and they feel that they are able to contribute.”

Only days ago ASP announced that they have signed contracts to create employment for around twenty people with physical and intellectual disabilities on site at their St Marys head office.

This is a decision that will do much to highlight the company’s interest in engaging all facets of the community. At the back of Paul’s mind is the possibility that if this proves successful, it may encourage other businesses to adapt to employ reliable, willing workers with ability.

Meeting the Gangseo Chapter of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mr. Jin Soo Song and other officials in Gangseo as well officials of Gangseo municipal government

In talking about ASP’s overseas operations, he observed that Australians are a very adaptable people. While the vast manufacturing ‘machines’ in Asia can make a million of something, if the need is only for ten thousand, it is cheaper for a flexible business (ASP) to manufacture small quantities in Australia, even if they are then exported to China for their domestic use.

Paul points out that in competition with say China in manufacturing, the machines he would buy are the same that China would buy for the same job and each would pay the same price. Electricity is about the same price, raw materials are a similar price. He says that to manufacture a plastic item in Australia at high quality, he needs only a few staff, whereas in

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

Signing of the MOU between PBA and the President of the Gangseo Chapter of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mr Jin Soo Song in Penrith. In the background are Cr Greg Davies, Mayor of Penrith and Dr Hyun-Song Ro, Mayor of Gangseo

great australian Business People

One of ASP’s executives modelling a product in CAD software

consider Penrith as a target for investment. Under Paul’s guidance, the Penrith Business Alliance stands ready to offer assistance with investment strategies to take advantage of fast-developing opportunities in the area.

A sample being physically inspected for size and quality

PBA has the support of both sides of the political spectrum, being in itself completely apolitical.

They have escorted several delegations of local business people into Asia notably China and Korea, and introduced them to people interested in investing in Australia. Many of these people have serious dollars to invest; they were talking about looking for opportunities in aged care, shopping centres, and kindergartens to name a few.

Speakers and delegations from overseas have also been fostered by the Alliance. Notably a government executive from Nashville in the USA came and spoke about identifying their city as being ideally located as a hub for transportation and distribution around America.

They concentrated efforts on the special needs of the pharmacy industry for the distribution of sensitive freight that includes drugs and temperaturesensitive products.

Paul and hi s wife Joanne abou t to embark on a flight while recent ly in Europe. Pau l as a Pilot and S enior Flight Attendant

Premier Barry O’Farrell has become a ‘fan’ of the Penrith Business Alliance and has been talking to other NSW Councils, who in turn have been asking the ‘bellwether’ - Penrith Business Alliance to come and explain just how they do things in the promotion of Western Sydney.

What advice does Paul have for other businesses?

Don’t focus on what you can’t influence ... the downturn of the economy, the unfavourable Aussie dollar ... focus on how to get around the obvious problems. Focus on things that others can’t do, as ASP saw what China couldn’t do, so went ahead and manufactured products that they wanted and sold them into China’s domestic market! Have an eye to the future, competitors will soon notice a new good idea and follow on with their own version... we all have to put energy, effort and imagination into the next thing and not cling to whatever is the current good idea!

The future? ... in five years time Paul says that ASP won’t be doing what they’re doing today. It’ll probably be a series of different things that have yet to be written on a local Chinese restaurant tablecloth. What is certain is that ASP will continue to work and live locally while thinking globally. G

Moving through an automatic station where the containers necks are trimmed and the containers are pressure tested for integrity

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Leadership

Labor’s Worst Nightmare – Anthony John Abbott MP The Hon. Charlie Lynn - Member of the Legislative Council

Labor’s real nightmare is not the lost battalion swept from office or their lowest vote in history. It is the emergence of the man they did everything to destroy - Tony Abbott MP.

Perhaps if they had spent more time governing the country for the people they were elected to represent, and less time trying to vilify Tony Abbott as a homophobic, a misogynist, a radical catholic, a divisive conservative or whatever else they could lay their tongues to the result may have been closer.

When this failed they turned to KRudd - the narcissist nerd responsible for destroying the Labor brand with his embrace of climate change, illegal immigrants and a record number of thought bubbles. A narcissist needs to be loved and these two issues set hearts aflutter in academia and inner city wine bars. He sought love amongst the tweets and twits in the social media. But he ignored the everyday workers in Western Sydney because he figured they would always vote Labor.

But something was happening. Labor’s forgotten people in Western Sydney were struggling to pay their power bills. The backbone of the Western Sydney economy, small business people, were being harassed by union thugs and wilting under cost pressures brought about by government waste and mismanagement.

And they were appalled at the obscene amount of taxpayers’ money being wasted on illegal immigrants.

Polls began to predict a political bloodbath for Labor in their heartland area and future leaders such as Chris Bowen, Jason Clare and Tony Burke were under threat of extinction.

Fortunately for them they were saved by the same players in the Liberal Party who denied Tony Abbott victory in 2011.

Western Sydney is now neutral territory for both major parties. Ultimate victory will go to the party that represents their concerns and implements

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

policies that allows them to prosper. These will generally be diametrically opposed to those espoused by the inner-city chattering class.

Political success in will be conditional on the quality of candidates offered by the major parties. Both will need to introduce reforms that neutralise the centralised power of factions and the influence of local powerbrokers within the industry of property development and their connections to political lobbyists.

Reform should start with candidate selection at local Government level. The political party that excludes property developers, real estate agents and lawyers associated with conveyancing will lead the way in proving they are sincere in governing for all their constituents rather than for vested interests.

The next major step in the reform process is to empower their membership by opening up the selection of political candidates to plebiscites which give all local party members a vote in who they believe would best represent their interests.

Western Sydney will fall to the Party brave enough to introduce these key reforms.

In the meantime Labor’s worst nightmare is proving just that.

Tony Abbott’s unsung commitment to indigenous advancement has earned the respect of former ALP national president, Warren Mundine.

Abbott has pledged to maintain his long term commitment to teaching in remote indigenous schools each year while Mundine has been vilified for daring to endorse him.

Other aspects of Tony Abbott’s frugal character are evident in his decision to live in hostel accommodation with Australian Federal Police recruits for a year while the Lodge is renovated.

His Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop, has decreed that public servants will no longer spend $32,000 of taxpayers’ money on a First Class air fare to New York. They will travel business class.

In the meantime Labor is learning the true cost of recruiting Kevin Rudd to salvage enough Senate votes to sabotage Tony Abbott’s agenda in their alliance with the Greens. The system Rudd demanded as part of the deal to rescue them from oblivion under Julia Gillard is a veritable minefield.

It almost guarantees that neither candidate will

enjoy the support of both the caucus and the membership. Voters will be reminded of Bob Hawke’s observation that a party that cannot govern itself cannot govern the country. The only certainty is that neither of the two contenders for the leadership, Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese, will ever be Prime Minister of Australia.

Indeed it is possible that the next Labor Prime Minister might not even be a current Member of Parliament!

Notwithstanding the disappointing result in Western Sydney, the Liberal Party has an abundance of talent in its ranks. The frontbench is formidable with the likes of Julie Bishop, Joe Hockey, Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull, Arthur Sinodinos, Andrew Robb, Christopher Pyne, Greg Hunt and a host of others tasked with cutting government waste, eliminating our debt and getting our budget back into surplus. It won’t be easy but they are more than equal to the task.

The backbench is awash with talent with the election of successful business executives, Rhodes Scholars, medical professionals, military commanders and community workers.

Perhaps the most heartening aspect of Tony Abbott’s character is his pledge to govern for all.

Those who know Abbott well will testify to his inherent sense of fairness and his respect for his fellow man – and woman. G

For more topics and to contact Charlie Lynn, please visit www.charlielynn.com.au/blog.

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1300 889 132 Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

17

LOCAL Government

Congratulations Norwest Business Park

The Hills Shire Council congratulates Norwest Business Park on being named as one of New South Wales’ top five developments of the past 50 years.

financial services, providing jobs to thousands of people who want to work close to home, and attracting leading businesses.”

The accolade was awarded by the Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW as part of the organisation’s 50-year anniversary. Norwest Business Park, developed by Mulpha FKP and The Hills Shire Council, took out the prize for the development of the 1990s, with award winners described as having had a ‘resounding impact on the urban development landscape in NSW’.

“The North West Rail Link is Sydney’s most important investment in public transport and, with the arrival of the rail, Norwest will become an even more attractive place to work and do business in Sydney,” Dr Byrne said.

Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, said Norwest Business Park has achieved a lot in a short time.

“Norwest Business Park is a gem in our Shire – we are very proud of our world-class commercial centre that integrates seamlessly with our homes and lifestyles,” she said.

“Norwest has become a hub for professional and

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

Dr Byrne said that she expected the Business Park to continuously evolve over the next few years.

“Clearly, we will see some big, significant and very positive changes in The Sydney Hills in the future, with Norwest leading the way.”

Relocate or expand your business to Norwest Are you looking to expand or relocate your business? A Norwest Business Park address can offer many benefits including: • Strategic positioning to serve growing markets in Sydney’s west and south west • An investment that will outperform the market

• A skilled local workforce looking for employment close to home • Two future underground stations on the North West Rail Link • A fast-growing region with 100,000 new residents by 2036. G To discover even more benefits, or to book a tour of Norwest Business Park, contact The Hills Shire Council’s Economic Development Team on 9762 1108.

The Hills Shire Council p | 02 9762 1108 e | enquiries@sydneyhills.com.au w | www.sydneyhills.com.au

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Smart Start is a FREE program developed by The Hills Shire Council specifically designed to show new businesses how to get known, get informed and get connected.

If you’ve recently started a business, Smart Start is just right for you.

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To register your interest, email smartstart@businesssydneyhills.com.au For more information contact 02 9843 0324

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Register your interest To register your interest in a Smart Biz consultation, email smartbiz@businesssydneyhills.com.au For more information contact 02 9843 0324

“get the Business Facts that matter about the sydney hills” Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013 www.thehills.nsw.gov.au

19

Business Advice

Borrowing within an SMSF – the tips and traps!

Darryn Fellowes, Wealth Adviser - Skeggs Goldstien

In the 1986 Tom Hank’s comedy “The Money Pit” a young couple, Walter and Anna, desperately want to purchase their first home and are tricked into buying a dilapidated mansion, that from the outside appears to be their dream home. They soon realise that they have bitten off more than they can chew and the audience is taken on a wild ride of renovation disasters and relationship stress as the couple struggle to find money to keep the repairs going.

The hurdles that Walter and Anna faced make for an entertaining adventure on the silver screen, but who would want to face a similar situation in real life especially if you are borrowing funds to purchase property inside a Self Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF)?

Property has long been a favourite of Australian investors and changes to Superannuation laws have now made it easier for investors to “borrow” within their Self Managed Superannuation Funds to purchase property.

Over the last 18 months we have seen a significant increase in the popularity of borrowing within Superannuation to invest into property. In April of this year, the Investment Trends “SMSF Investor Report” estimated that the number of SMSFs borrowing within their funds grew around 10 per cent from the previous year.

Whilst this can be a complex strategy, there are a number of benefits. However, it is important to get it right and the following checklist, whilst not exhaustive contains some important points to consider when deciding if this strategy is right for you: 1. Initial steps • Review your SMSF trust deed to ensure the fund is able to borrow and the structure of the trustee. Is it an individual or corporate trustee?

• Once you are satisfied that the fund can borrow, the Trustee needs to seek advice to ensure the strategy to borrow fits within the overall investment strategy of the fund and suits

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

all of its’ members. Most importantly the strategy needs to ensure that the fund is able to meet its cash flow and liquidity requirements to ensure the fund can meet its current and future liabilities.

Holding Trust or “Bare Trust” is established prior to signing a contract of purchase.

2. Identify and assess the investment

• Ensure the property is purchased in the correct entity and the deposit should be paid from the SMSF Bank account with evidence kept on file.

• Once you have made the decision for the fund to purchase the asset, and it has been identified, as the Trustee you will need to answer a few further questions: i Is the asset one that the SMSF is not prohibited from investing directly in? ii Are there any charges over the asset? iii Has the property been valued by a qualified valuer if purchased from a related party?

• Is the property able to satisfy the “single acquirable asset” rule? In simple terms, any loan within a SMSF can only be secured by one asset.

This can become problematic for purchases in strata buildings where the car space is on a separate title to the apartment.

5. Purchasing the asset

6. Whilst owning the asset • A commercial lease needs to be established by the SMSF to collect rent and should be on an arms-length arrangement.

• Appropriate insurance should be considered by the SMSF Trustee such as Life/TPD insurance to assist in repaying the loan if any members of the fund dies or becomes disabled and Landlords Insurance and Property insurance

3. Obtaining finance

• Once the loan is repaid, the asset typically transfers from the Bare Trustee to the SMSF. At this time, Stamp Duty issues may arise but may differ from state to state.

• SMSF Trustees are encouraged to understand what is available in the market and the features of each product. Banks will be conservative on their assessment of the property and typically won’t lend for vacant land or rural property.

As the awareness of regulations surrounding borrowing within an SMSF continues to rise, it is expected that more trustees will be seeking advice on whether or not this strategy is appropriate for them.

• Borrowing within an SMSF can only be done on a limited-recourse basis. This means that the lender’s recourse against the SMSF Trustee is limited to the asset being acquired. They typically impose more conservative loan to valuation ratios for this type of loan (up to 65-70%) plus they will impose a premium interest rate compared to normal home loans.

As with any investment, it is important to look at your objectives and seek professional advice when considering a strategy that includes borrowing within a SMSF to avoid the hidden traps. G

• Check for other requirements of the bank such as establishment, legal and ongoing fees, guarantor requirements and other documents such as a Financial Advice certificate and sign off from a lawyer.

4. Setting up the Security Trustee • The property cannot be purchased in the SMSF but must be owned and held in a Special Holding Trust whilst the loan is being repaid. The SMSF is a beneficiary of this trust. The SMSF Trustee must therefore ensure that a Special

The specialist advisers at Skeggs Goldstien can help you every step of the way, from setting up your SMSF through to more complex strategies.

Skeggs Goldstien Associates p | 1300 753 447 e | admin@sgapl.com.au w | www.sgapl.com.au

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1300 889 132 Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

21

Business Advice

Business – the Old Fashioned Way Kris Cilia, Senior Consultant - The HR Department

Not so many years ago when you needed assistance, service, parts, or information you would call on one of your network of trusted suppliers to provide this for you. If it was something new you might ask a colleague, peer or business acquaintance for their assistance in finding what you needed.

Yes, it was time consuming but in most instances the response provided you with an answer that someone else could vouch for.

Today’s business world is one of instant information and access to services and tools.

With the advent of the internet and search engines knowledge and goods are but a click away. You can download just about anything from the internet and herein lies the problem.

The challenge is in knowing when to use the speed of electronic information and when to find a trusted answer. Information can be a dangerous thing, for example, if you are not feeling well you could ‘Google’ your symptoms and find you are suffering from a common cold or dying from an unpronounceable disease. The problem is you aren’t able to discern the difference because you are not a doctor. The same line of thinking can be used when considering tools, goods or services you can use in your business.

There are so many templates, forms, checklists, instructions etc that you can download to help you in your business but are you able to select the correct one that best suits your business needs?

22

Your business is your livelihood and also the livelihoods of others and for this reason most business owners are risk averse. However business owners sometimes fail to see the false economy in buying generic templates, tools, goods or services.

We believe that business templates, tools, goods or services should be tailored to meet your specific business requirements.

The internet and access of information is certainly a great step forward in saving you time and money but there are some things that can’t be replicated with an online solution.

So let me ask you a question – If you were having major surgery would you trust a surgeon using an online diagram to inform them on how to operate on you? I think your answer might be “No”.

Don’t put your business at risk by downloading documents for use in your business with little knowledge of whether they are the right tool, the most current version, legally compliant and/or covering all that needs to be covered.

Most businesses don’t exist in a vacuum and rely on relationships with suppliers, customers, employees and competitors. There’s nothing better than good old fashioned business relationships for sustaining and growing your business. Whilst they take time to develop and maintain they are worth their weight in gold.

It is very easy for companies or organisations to sell their product range of generic tools online as this provides them with an ongoing income and little accountability. If the products or services are low cost people will buy them and if they don’t work discard them without thought. Surely we have all bought a bargain only to throw it away when it failed or was too cumbersome to use.

The same thing occurs with generic business tools that don’t quite fit your needs.

These business relationships enable you to find people who can support you in the areas of your business that are not your forte. Working with someone who knows your business can help you take care of the necessities of running a successful business by either doing it for you or developing tools suited to your needs that will do it for you. That way you focus on your strengths and let someone else focus on the things you may not be across, don’t like doing or simply don’t have the time to do.

The major difference in this is the risk to your business when using them.

Before you contemplate internet and online options consider the following:

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

• Do you have enough knowledge or skills to make the most appropriate decision for your business • Do you know where to look • Do you know how to discern good options from the choices available • Do the available options meet your exact needs or are you compromising before you buy • Will you have follow up support available

The internet and access of information is certainly a great step forward in saving you time and money but there are some things that can’t be replicated with an online solution. G Managing your people is just one example of where a trusted advisor can support your business exactly as you need. The HR Department team take the time to get to know your business and how to best support you. We have many examples of how our support and advice has not only saved businesses money but in some instances has saved the business itself.

Call us - we would be happy to come out and have a coffee with you so you can decide if you would like to build a relationship where we could help support your business.

The HR Department p | 02 8850 6124 e | elly@thehrdepartment.com.au w | www.theHRdepartment.com.au

You can focus on your core business HR SUPPORT AND ADVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST

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The HR Department was born out of the realisation that there are thousands of small to medium business without dedicated human resources professionals to help. Statements kept arising which made it clear businesses needed help.

“I spend so much time on staff problems I don’t seem to have any time for my own work” “I go home every day feeling like I’ll never catch up” “I need to reduce my costs but I can’t see how” “ I want to go back to my core business”

The answer was not to put on a permanent staff member for many reasons · fear of increasing risks in employing permanent staff · not getting the broad experience needed in the budget you can afford to employ a permanent employee

OUTSOURCING IS A PROVEN STRATEGY TO MAXIMISE BUSINESS EFFECTIVENESS

It helps: save money improve process limit exposure to risk access high level expertise ensure compliance with employment legislation

P: 02 8850 7124 The HR Department | Suite 515 | 2-8 Brookhollow Ave | Baulkham Hills | NSW 2153 www.realiseperformance.com.au Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

23

Feature

Coaching – Can it Work for Business or Should it be Kept to the Sports Field?

Lynette Eyles - Manager, WSI Business, TAFE NSW –Western Sydney Institute

I work in education so I think a lot about imparting knowledge by teaching, mentoring and training.

These are also things which I believe should be on the agenda for managers. Leadership is undeniably one of the most important qualities of a manager, but what about coaching?

There are many definitions of coaching. The one I relate to is about partnering with people in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.

Coaching is a sounding board, a truth teller, supporter, questioner, reflector, and morale booster. Coaching is about counselling in some ways, but as suggested by Mansell1 , counselling should be used when there are personal problems affecting work performance. Coaching should be used when there is a lack of skill or knowledge about the role or team behaviour, not for personal problems.

Coaching is not about therapy, consulting, being an expert (although you do need to be well versed in the area), or mentoring.

I often thought of a coach as a mentor. But a mentor is more like a consultant, that is, someone who has a specific set of experiences that he or she will bestow on the person being mentored. A coach on the other hand offers support in critical decision making, direction, encouragement, information, knowledge, insight, clarity, co-planning and challenge. Coaching is focused on individuals and what needs to be done to encourage them to perform to achieve work goals.

Since the 1980s, coaching has grown as an activity that includes life coaches, business coaches, change coaches, executive coaches, leadership coaches and leader coaches.

Improving leadership skills via coaching principles is certainly well documented but it is also a quite structured approach. For example, each coaching session should be one hour in a neutral meeting room or office and focussed on relevant work issues. In these sessions, the coach

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

should ask probing questions and periodically summarise the meeting issues.

The Australian Graduate Management Consortium2 notes the use of neuroscience in the coaching process.

Key learning points from neuroscience are that the brain changes physiologically as a result of experiences. Therefore learning is acquired more easily during certain windows of opportunity and learning is strongly influenced by emotions.

Because the brain processes information in milliseconds, we often act without reflection.

These impulsive responses are stored in the brain and are connected to triggers. For example, many people remember what they were doing when they saw news reports of a disaster. Amazingly, people have connected things they heard, saw, smelled or touched during that time to a disaster, and when in the future they see or hear something similar, they have strong feelings associated with the disaster. Many examples came from the terror attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.

Perhaps you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news on this.

These are also great skills to be held and used by business leaders. So I think that coaching can work in the business world. G In developing these skills I can highly recommend the business management qualifications that WSI offers through the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGMC).

The AGMC is a joint venture between Charles Sturt University and TAFE NSW. It was originally established to design and operate a new and innovative style of Graduate Certificates in Management that would meet the needs of busy managers. Qualifications include the Graduate Certificate in Management (Professional Practice), the Graduate Diploma of Management, and the Master of Management. All of these courses are offered at Blacktown College. For more information on these programs, call 9208 1845.

1. Mansell, V (2009), The Focused Executive, Leadership and Management Skills in Challenging Times, pp 124-131 2. Australian Graduate School of Management (AGMC) notes, Senior Leadership Development Program

Why is this being mentioned in relation to coaching? It is important to remember that our brain and behaviour are strongly linked to emotional interpretation.

Research in neuroscience talks about a rule called 5 to 1. We need five positive cues about someone or something to counter one negative cue. On the other hand, one negative insight into someone can undo 5 positive insights. I think this answers some of my questions on why, when I give a lot of praise, it all seems to come undone with one small criticism!

So to answer the question whether coaching should be left on the sports field, it is good to note some of the skills and strategies that the coach utilises. The sports coach puts in one-onone coaching time to gain the confidence of the team. He or she knows how to conduct half-time meetings and knows when to take control and give feedback quickly. The sports coach knows how to conduct strategy meetings while taking a far less dominant role and he or she knows when the team needs to socialise and develop team camaraderie.

TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute offers professional programs in management and organisational strategy, structure and culture workshops, through its WSI Plus professional development program. For further information visit www.wsi.tafensw.edu.au.

TAFE NSW - Western Sydney Institute (WSI) p | 02 9208 9573 e | Lynette.Eyles@tafensw.edu.au w | wsi.tafensw.edu.au

Uniqueness: because one size just doesn’t ďŹ t all!

We understand that your business needs a tailored approach to workplace training and broader business solutions.

We can evaluate the unique needs of your business and customise the right blend of training and solutions for you.

Scan the QR code to see how WSI has partnered with O-I Glass to customise a training program for their workforce.

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For more information (02) 9208 9421 trainingsolutions.wsi@tafensw.edu.au www.workforcedevelopment.edu.au Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

25

Feature

What’s in a Title?

In Particular I am Referring to “Employees” or “Staff” vs “Team”.

Stephen Frost, Managing Director – BREED Inc

I try to always refer to my organisation as our “Team” working in partnership with each other. Whilst each team member may have been engaged to perform tasks to deliver outcomes for a particular division or function of the organisation, they are primarily engaged as a team member of the organisation - not a division.

assist in rationalising the peaks and troughs of the business cycle.

For this to work the team members must feel that they are part of the organisation team and not in competition between the divisions and other team members. Team members need to have a working understanding of the objectives of each division of the organisation and there needs to be a mechanism in place of sharing a currency of what each team member and division is working on.

Whilst working to deliver divisional outcomes, team members are encouraged to consider how what they are doing can benefit other divisions. Would it be beneficial to work with a team member from another division/s on a task to deliver multiple benefits across the organisation?

For this to work the team members must feel that they are part of the organisation team and not in competition between the divisions and other team members. Team members need to have a working understanding of the objectives of each division of the organisation and there needs to be a mechanism in place of sharing a currency of what each team member and division is working on.

The benefits of the “Team” philosophy was reinforced to me when I recently had to take unscheduled extended leave from my MD’s position without time to brief the Team on tasks and projects I was currently working on. To my extreme pride of the Team, upon my return to the office I found that they had worked together to continue to advance the tasks I had been working on as they were aware of the “currency” of my work. Collectively the Team not only carried on with their own tasks and shared my work load, they continued to grow the business by identifying and tendering for new contracts and entered our organisation into the Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence for which we were named finalists in three categories.

If they were treated as “Employees” or “Staff” would they have worked across the organisation or worked in the silos of their “job” or “division”?

The “Teams” and “Partnerships” approach does not have to be confined within an organisation.

Working in partnership with neighbouring organisations, even your competition, allows you to share physical and human “assets” which can

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

Working in Partnership with schools and the general community can also be of benefit to organisations.

Reported benefits include: •

•

•

•

•

team members are more likely to be proud, loyal, and satisfied with their jobs the opportunity to gain experience communicating and working side by side with the next generation that will be entering the workforce in the near future, as well as your potential future customers the opportunity to build a talent pipeline by equipping youth with the skills known to be required for workplace success a major contributor to long-term business and / or shareholder return as a result of team member satisfaction and decreased turnover a more positive image of your product or company by consumers when the organisation supports a cause they care about. G

If you want more information or assistance in developing a partnership with local schools or community groups contact your local Partnership Broker listed below.

Members

Blacktown www.breed.org..au p | 9853 3200

Parramatta www.aussip.com.au p | 9633 7100

Aus SIP

explore.inspire.engage

Stephen Frost is the Managing Director of BREED Inc, with the philosophy that Education + Employment = Economic Development. BREED has been managing a variety of youth, education and business programs for more than 20 years.

Penrith www.schoolsindustry.com.au p | 4725 0310

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27

Business Advice

Is Your Brand Bland?

Ben Fewtrell - Director, Action Coach

Have you ever run a marketing campaign and then wondered why the phone didn’t ring? Or why hundreds of customers didn’t come rushing to bash down your doors to buy from you?

Reality is, the response rate to ‘direct response’ marketing is lower than any of us would care to know. We are optimistic by nature, and when we place an ad, do a flyer drop or run a radio campaign we spend the week leading up to the campaign working out how we are going to handle all the extra business it will create, only to be disappointed when the phone only rings two or three times…

So should you even bother spending your money on marketing? The short answer is a resounding Yes! The key is to understand how to make it work for your business.

Have a think about the last time you got so excited about an ad, flyer or radio/TV commercial that you dropped everything in a mad panic to get to the phone and buy whatever it was they were advertising. However, I am sure you could sing a jingle or two of your favorite brands.

Now, I’m not saying that direct marketing doesn’t work, what I am saying is it rarely works as well as we expect, statistically, 80% of marketing fails.

For this reason, it’s a trap for many businesses and to maximize your return on investment there are some important factors to consider before launching any marketing campaign.

There are two very different types of advertising, Brand Building and Direct Response Marketing.

I’ll kick off by saying that ‘Direct Response’ marketing needs to make you enough profit from the campaign to pay for itself, and also add some profit to your bottom line to be considered a ‘success’. It may not necessarily happen in the first sale but the lifetime value of your new customers has to outweigh the cost of the campaign otherwise why would you bother? This type of marketing is what I call ‘salesmanship in print’ and needs to compel the reader to take action now. Don’t expect a high response rate unless you are willing to offer a deal too good to miss. I am sure you’ll remember the classic “but wait, there’s more” ad campaigns, offering

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

a set of steak knives, along with money back guarantees and 2 for 1 deals. Your offer has to compel your market to act now!

Now let’s take a look at the latter, Brand Building.

Brand building is all about ‘Trust’ and ‘Credibility’.

You will always feel comfortable buying from someone that you trust and has credibility, no matter how good a deal is, if you do not ‘trust’ the seller then you won’t buy. Marketing guru Seth Godin says it’s about being a “Purple Cow”. It’s about being the one purple cow in a paddock of brown cows. Also known as your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). If you are not different from your competitors then you’re destined to compete only on price, and competing on price is one of the quickest ways to go broke!

Having strong branding can and will make the phone ring, it can make customers walk into your store, it can create loyal customers and it can get people to buy from you. Many of the ‘big’ players have proven this time and time again. So how do you go about building your brand?

Look Smart You only get one ‘first impression’, you wouldn’t show up at a job interview in a tracksuit and bare feet would you? Your brand needs to represent you and your company in a way that builds trust and credibility. Have a professional designer create your brand and logo rather than trying to do it yourself, you may save money in the short term by doing it yourself but it will cost you more in lost business in the long term!

Make it unique You need to be truly unique to position your brand for success. ‘Satisfaction guaranteed’ and ‘friendly service’ are far from unique, and if that’s all you can come up with to clearly define your difference then you’re wasting your time. You need to be able to position yourself as the industry leader and offer something your competitors cannot.

Support a cause Sometimes building your brand can be as simple as supporting a cause, the rock band Midnight Oil did it, as did the ‘Body Shop’ with their policy of ‘no animal testing’ and their ‘save the whales with Greenpeace’ campaign. Studies have shown that people will switch to your brand if you support a good cause.

Create a ‘WOW’ factor Remember the last really good movie you watched, how many people did you tell about it? Make your business an ‘experience’ your customers will rave about. People will not remember the offer, the product or what you said, but they will remember how you made them ‘feel’.

Decide how you want your brand remembered and make sure that a positive impression is made on every customer and potential customer.

Have a clear vision Your vision needs to enroll and inspire you, your team and your customers. Get everyone excited about your brand and what it stands for. Get clear on your company’s core values and make sure everyone on the team knows what they are.

Of course, branding goes far deeper than an advertising campaign or a logo. Every aspect of your business is under review every time a customer or potential customer deals with you, Successful branding is ensuring your branding is simple, like-able, and able to adapt to every part of your business. G Special offer for Business Resource & Lifestyle readers: go to www.marketingpack.com.au to get your free Marketing Toolkit now! Hurry, this is a limited offer.

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02 9111 5000 benfewtrell@actioncoach.com www.actioncoachnorthryde.com.au Business Coaching Sydney ActionCOACH Corporate Australia

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29

Business Advice

Web Hosting and Domain Names Daniel Moisyeyev, B. IT – GWP Media

Eventually, every business owner will have to register a domain name and apply for a web hosting account.

These services are a source of much confusion - and they can also grind your business to a halt if you are not careful with choosing your service provider.

Domain Name Registration The first step is to register a domain name. Here are some key points to ensure you take the right steps: • Always use a reputable Australian-based domain name registrar. Saving a few pennies by using an overseas registrar is riskier and may lead to issues when you need to update your domain name information. Lack of customer service is the most common problem that arises with the use of overseas providers.

• Do not register under an American top-level domain unless you have a valid reason. A “.com” domain will rank below local “.com.au” in search engines and will do you a disservice by misleading potential clients into thinking that your company is foreign.

• Always register a “com.au” top-level domain as the first priority and “.net.au” as a second choice.

Do not register your business under “.org” unless you are a genuine not-for-profit venture and avoid top-level domains such as “.biz”. If your business is well established, it may be a good idea to register all common variants to prevent unscrupulous operators from passing off as your business.

• Ensure you have a trademark that matches your domain name by registering it with a reputable trademark attorney. You are always open to complaints from business owners with similar domains.

When you register a domain name, you only have one capability with your domain name registrar - to change the domain name servers. These domain name servers point to your web hosting provider, where they offer you a distinct service called Domain Name Hosting.

Web Hosting The term Web Hosting includes a number of services:

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

• Domain Name Hosting/Parking • Website Hosting • Email Hosting • Database Hosting Domain Name Hosting is a necessary service that allows your domain name to resolve to specific servers. For example, this service is responsible for directing your domain to your mail server for receiving email.

Website Hosting is the service that allows your clients to see your website. Software applications such as Apache and Microsoft IIS allow this process to take place.

Email Hosting refers to the provider that handles your email. For example, Google (GMail and Google Apps) is a type of a separate email hosting provider. There are dedicated applications offered for this service - they include Microsoft Exchange and Sendmail.

Database Hosting is required by most websites that make use of Content Management Systems (CMS), Shopping Carts and Blogs. Database Hosting is offered by all web hosting providers. mySQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle are some of the types of databases developers may use.

Shared Hosting Shared hosting means that a single physical server is shared across a number of clients. The amount of client accounts allocated per physical server by the web hosting provider directly reflects how well your website will perform for your end users.

The amount of clients’ accounts per physical server is a result of a balance between the resources allocated to the physical server (e.g. processing power, bandwidth) and resource requirements for the particular accounts that will reside on it.

Unscrupulous web hosting providers can cram an obscene amount of accounts onto each server to ensure maximum profitability. This kind of practice is common with low-tier providers - this will have a negative effect on the performance of your website.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) A Virtual Private Server is the next step up from shared web hosting. This service will allow your business to lease a portion of a physical server with dedicated resources allocated to your account.

Virtual Private Servers are separated from other

customer accounts, hence you will never have the issue of a rogue web hosting account consuming resources, or worse - crashing applications on the server where your website resides. This situation is quite common.

Virtual Private Servers are significantly more expensive than shared web hosting accounts.

Dedicated Hosting Dedicated hosting involves your business allocated a whole server in the web hosting provider’s data centre.

This option also guarantees the maximum in security and is also the most expensive type of web hosting you may purchase. Very few businesses will have a legitimate need for this service.

SSL Certificates These certificates are an option that most web hosting providers offer you to purchase. They are issued by Certificate Authorities (CA) - a trusted third party.

They enable your website to carry out secure communication with end clients.

Their most common use is to secure credit card transactions for online shops.

Extensive information for this subject is available under topic “Public key cryptography”. Your web developer will let you know if you need to purchase one of these certificates during the course of website development. G

Does your business need professional web hosting?

GWP Media offers business web hosting packages and can offer both professional shared web hosting accounts and Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting.

Our services start from $295+gst per annum.

GWP Media p | 1300 889 132 e | daniel@gwpmagazine.com.au w | www.gwpmedia.com.au

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Society & Life

Phoenix Rising Angry Anderson

The tattoo that covers the centre of my back is a Phoenix; the mythical, magical bird that lives to a great age.

When the time comes for it to die, it prepares a wonderful nest in which to self-cremate and then is magically reborn or rebirthed from its own ashes.

The powerful symbolism held here is that only through death can we be reborn.

that macrocosm that my thoughts now turn to.

Spiritually speaking, we can be reborn as many times as we want or need. Life grants us the ability and the opportunity to ‘die and be reborn’ many times depending on our level of consciousness and enlightenment and in keeping with the universal laws of all things, i.e. that all spiritual matters manifest themselves in a physical sense and correspondingly all physical matters manifest themselves in a spiritual sense. The same can also be said of our physical life as well.

I believe this to mean that we should never lose sight of the fact that we are part of a bigger whole but that our focus should be on our own sphere, our needs, our comfort, our welfare, the wellbeing of our own people and our own way of life.

I chose the Phoenix for my centre back piece for precisely that reason, knowing that at different times through my life I would need to ‘die’ in an effort to be ‘reborn’, spiritually speaking.

I am currently going through that very process, as is my world around me.

In recent days we voted in a federal election and we changed our government. The conservative coalition government was elected to govern over the labor/green government that held government for the previous six years. I ran as candidate for the National Party for the safely held Labor seat of Throsby. I didn’t win.

The next phase of my own personal journey has begun. Where do I go from here? Do I continue with what we started? We did reasonably well according to most! Do I go back to where angels fear to tread? I believe that life will show me the way forward soon so my participation at the moment is to get on with life the best way I know how and by doing that I am consciously inviting life to take me where I need to be. I have the faith.

I will keep the faith.

If my personal life is the microcosm of my existence then the larger life I am involved with, the world at large, is the macrocosm and it is to

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Change is all around us. That can be said of the world as a whole and of course, right here in Australia. While, like most people, I am mindful of the sufferings that face so many others across our truly troubled world, I have become aware of some truths, in recent years, that grow in me with deeper meaning every day.

I hark back to the great wisdom ‘think globally but act locally’.

I am absolutely sick off the ‘holier than thou’ among us who try to make the rest of us somehow feel that we should be feeling guilty if we dare to be concerned with ourselves in any way. They seem to equate this with us not being compassionate towards our fellow man in other countries that are suffering. I am saddened by the plight of innocent children who suffer because of the stupidity, greed and indifference of their own governments. I am deeply saddened by the news of millions of refugees around the world who have been driven from their homes by violence and oppression. I am a compassionate human being who wants to ease their suffering but I also know that their suffering is not of my making. I will do what I can with whatever is in my power but I will temper that with common good sense and proportion it within the light of reason.

Above all, I will not be frightened into thinking that somehow I am a lesser person because I will not obey the campaign waged by those that would cower me into submission through their weapon of choice…Fear.

Fear is one, if not the oldest, weapon of propaganda!

I was not frightened into believing that the world is in danger of dying in our lifetime; if we didn’t go back to tribal living; if we weren’t willing to give up electricity; if we didn’t pay that outrageous Carbon Tax! (As if that alone was going to change human behaviour!) Education is what changes or influences human behaviour, not regulation.

Changing human behaviour through education

takes time and the greedy people of the world want their money now!

I did some research of my own and together with what I’ve read over the past years I was able to come to the conclusion that the same powers that were behind the push for Global Warming Guilt were of course the very same powers that have been driving the world economy and world affairs since banking began, sorry since modern civilization began. Did I say banking? Must have been a Freudian slip!

World wars, civil wars religious and class wars are used by these immoral and unscrupulous people to further their own ends; their thirst for power and their hunger to rule.

They have been preying on the young and naïve and too many supposedly enlightened people for centuries and they are really good at it. They are better at it than any of us can imagine; no crime too ghastly; no secret too dark; no plot too extravagant; no evil is beyond them.

In Africa we see the purposeful starvation of millions. In Iraq, the manipulation of fuel prices, war and the imposing of dictators through military coups over democratically elected governments resulting in thousands being detained tortured and killed. The same situation existed in Cambodia and several countries on the South American continent; the gassing of innocent civilians in Syria. Some even say that corruption existed in the election of certain American Presidents.

Laugh this off as conspiracy theories, of believing in bogeymen but what if it is true? What if there are people who will stop at nothing to achieve what they desire?

What do they look like? Wouldn’t they look just like you and me? Wouldn’t they hide themselves in everyday life? No! They wouldn’t! But their agents would!

More…much more on this later.

Find your God, trust your faith, live your truth.

Your friend always, Angry. G Follow Angry on Twitter. @angry_angrytat w | www.angryanderson.com

Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 59 | October 2013

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