Xero In

Most small business owners and entrepreneurs don’t have the time to step back from work and assess their goals and their lifestyle, much less take a holiday. So what would your business look like if you also made time for yourself? In this episode of Xero In, hosts Rob Stone and Jeanne-Vida Douglas chat to Brett Kelly, senior client director at Kelly + Partners, about why taking time out and reflecting on your personal goals is as important as working on your business. Brett also shares his thoughts on how to set a positive example and why he takes 16 weeks of leave every year, at the same time as running a thriving business. “If you’re not energetic you’ll attract people that aren’t energetic,” he said. “Your employees are a read out on who you are. So, if you don’t treat people well, you’ll attract people that don’t treat you well.”

When you’re taking a business from startup to grown up, there’s a lot of processes and moving parts to consider. So how do you grow successfully at the same time as retaining some level of control? And how do you implement large scale processes to streamline your workload and keep your business moving forward? This week Rob and JV are joined by Declan Lee, co-founder and facilitator of stuff at Gelato Messina. Declan shares insights about implementing new processes, growing from a startup to grown up, and how technology and cloud accounting have changed the face of gelato in Australia. “We make gelato. It’s really what we do in the end and it’s the one thing that we’re really really good at. I like businesses that don’t try and be everything,” he said. “Even at that high level we’ll bring in people that we just think are really good people, have some skill in the area, and then we try and work it out together.”

Predicting the future is a challenging, but necessary, part of running a functional small business. So what will 2016 hold in store? And how can you look at past trends to make future predictions? In this episode of Xero In, futurist and innovation strategist Anders Sorman-Nilsson drops by to chat to Rob and JV about the year ahead. By considering past trends, current demographics and ongoing patterns in technology and disruption, Anders discusses a few of the major changes set to rock the small business scene. “By the end of this decade what you'll see is that 90% of IT budget will be controlled by non-IT business functions,” he predicts. “You're also going to see a lot of small to medium sized businesses going out of business in the next few years as a result of not adopting technology or not adapting. It's simply not a choice if you want to stay in business.”

Your accountant should be one of the most reliable, supportive people in your network when it comes to building and running your small business. So what exactly makes a good accountant? And does such a thing exist?In this episode of Xero In, Brett Kelly, founder of Kelly Partners, drops by to chat to Rob Stone and Jeanne-Vida Douglas about how to know when, and why, you need an accountant. Brett also shares insights into the accounting needs of growing small businesses and what you should expect from your accountant beyond the expected norm.“A great accountant is somebody who can help you get to where you want to get to, who can ask the questions that don’t occur to you,” Brett told Rob and JV. “If they don’t want the best for you and they don’t want to help you, you’ve got a big problem.”

We all do a lot of things in business, in our lives, in our everyday working that we actually don’t need to do. How can you identify what needs to change - and then change it? Growthwise Founder Steph Hinds reckons you eliminate, automate and delegate, starting with an investigation into how your business is doing, and how it’s being done. In this conversation with Steph, Xero In hosts Rob Stone and Jeanne-Vida Douglas talk about her unique approach to helping small businesses make better use of process and technology to fulfil their potential.

It’s a competitive market spanning boutique to mass market, amateur to global production. So how can you make your mark in the world of wine? Andre Eikmeier, co-founder of wine-buying group Vinomofo, reckons the answer is by building and maintaining a loyal following. Using social channels to share bespoke and user generated content, Andre has taken Vinomofo from garage to global with his ‘tribe’ along for the ride. Andre chats with Xero In hosts Rob Stone and Jeanne-Vida Douglas about his journey from wine fan to small business owner, his authentic approach to storytelling, and the importance of keeping it real.

Value-based pricing is a little understood strategy for SMBs. Discover how losing the hourly mindset increases margins and improves customer satisfaction.

Sometimes the hardest thing in business is to make those gutsy moves. This is one of the core lessons learned by entrepreneur Sally Hill, founder of digital experience and events outfit Wildwon. Sally describes how it was a bold move to start the business, but laments not backing her entrepreneurial purpose early enough. She says her greatest business learning came from taking risky leaps. Two-and-a-half years since launching, Wildwon now hosts innovation festivals for large corporate firms like financial services company AMP. Sally credits the calibre of Wildwon’s clientele to their keen and successful efforts in social media marketing and content marketing. She offers social media advice to other small business looking for a fresh marketing incentive. Listen in to discover why anger and frustration is the perfect recipe for a unique business purpose and why wherever there’s lemons, there’s lemonade.

It’s easy to become complacent when your business is the only player in a particular market. Dean Ramler, CEO of Milan Direct, Australia’s largest online furniture retailer says it was incoming competition that pushed his business to innovate and stay on top. In its infancy, Dean decided to test his product’s popularity by putting furniture up for auction on Ebay. He soon discovered a huge market for his furniture and used the profits to build his very first business website. Xero In hosts Valerie Khoo and Rob Stone talk to Dean about how Milan Direct expanded into Europe and the UK and why Google’s online tools are integral to his overall business management and success.  He also reveals the key to providing customers with an online shopping experience they’ll never forget.

Building a business that scales and stays profitable is easier said than done - just ask this week’s guest Glen Carlson. Digging through the accounts he found out why his company wasn’t profitable: unchecked spending. The entrepreneur and MD of a growth accelerator had made a habit of buying organic macadamia nuts instead of white mints for his events. As the business grew, the annual nut tally hit $15,000. Xero In hosts Valerie Khoo and Rob Stone talk to Glen about how Key Person of Influence expanded across the globe and why it’s important you find a great accountant. He also reveals the keys to success for small business owners looking for growth beyond the early “struggle zone”.

How much are you worth? It’s a big question for entrepreneurs and small business owners who must decide, and often limit their income. Adam Theobald, Founder and CEO at Beat the Q offers sage advice on this week’s show, admitting it’s been tough to earn less than your market rate as a startup business. Xero In hosts Valerie Khoo and Rob Stone talk with Adam about his lessons starting a company that lets consumers pre-order and pay for cafe purchases. They cover everything from bootstrapping an idea, to developing a clear business strategy - and most importantly - dealing with the issue of how much money is enough.   It’s a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and established small business owners alike. 

How do you set up your thriving startup business for long term success? Aleisha Haslemore, four-time world championship figure skater turned entrepreneur, reveals how she’s learnt from mistakes, developed business systems in the cloud, and drawn inspiration from volunteer work in Cambodia. The New Zealand-born founder and managing director of Ultimate Edge Communications chats with Xero In hosts Valerie Khoo and Rob Stone about the benefits of paying it forward, her passion to succeed, and the value of working with a business coach.   Tune in to learn about the tools she’s using to make the switch from Excel to the cloud.

It’s an exciting time for women in business, with more women starting companies than ever. So what does it take to succeed? Meet Alex Adams, who quit the corporate life in Sydney to launch Secret Foodies, a surprise dining experience that offers food lovers a unique way to indulge. Xero In hosts Valerie Khoo and Rob Stone chat with Alex about how she followed her passion and carved out a niche as a female in the very male-dominated food industry.  Listen in to discover how she’s turned a fledgling newsletter into a sales and marketing powerhouse that’s driving the surprise dining movement in Australia.

Work-life balance - is it even possible? Everyone’s got an opinion, and the issue is almost unavoidable if you run a small business. Billy Tucker, a no-nonsense Scotsman with an entrepreneurial itch, wrestles with this issue on a daily basis. He’s owner and principal at 57 Signals; a senior executive at Cirrus Media; founder at online startup Yabbit; and a husband and father of four children. Billy chats with Xero In hosts Rob Stone and Valerie Khoo about how he keeps it all together, what he’s learnt about tackling to-do lists, and the dilemma that is achieving both scale and growth in a business.