I say mystery because you hear every business owner saying that they need systems. Everyone knows that they need them and that healthy productivity of the business depends on them. Problem is, few know what they really look like or how they work.

So, we can begin with the definition of a system. In business, a system is a way of getting the same result or outcome repeatedly. Continue reading →

Whenever I ask my clients to think about the worst hires they ever had in the past, and why they were not right, the reasons generally come down to one, or a combination of, these seven classic hiring mistakes. Continue reading →

Hiring the right people, for the right reasons, is an important step in making your business a success.

When you run your own business you can’t live in a vacuum. Not if you want to build a successful business.

You must have on board the right people who are engaged in the process and the vision and bring them along with you. Continue reading →

Growing your business can seem a daunting task, but if you have some strategies to work with, it can be a lot easier.

When we last left off, we talked about the possibility of your hiring an accountant, or bookkeeper, to help in growing your business. Here are some tips…

How do you know when your business is at this stage?

Aneta Pazeski, Director – SME Centre, CPA Australia, says the point at which a business decides to employ an in-house accountant will differ depending on many variables including the size of the business, the rate of growth and the strategic goals.

“There are no set criteria as to when a business should employ an in-house accountant,” she says.  “It largely depends on how the owner wants to grow the business and the rate at which they want it to grow.” Continue reading →

Growing your business can seem a daunting task, but if you have some strategies to work with, it can be a lot easier.

In this two part series on growing your business, I share with you some effective strategies.

Who can help?

As your business grows, it should begin to take on a life of its own.  Unless it’s structured to do this, its ability to grow will be limited. If you have structured it well, it will need less and less of your input in the day to day technical work. Your capacity to be everywhere and do everything is no longer as important as it was in the early stages – and indeed your recognition of this is one of the factors that will allow the growth.  Your role becomes more one of providing direction and identifying and developing the management skills your people need, in order for you to focus on the more strategic elements.  It becomes critical that you think ahead and plan, and your planning needs to include the resources upon which you can draw. Continue reading →