My Business Podcast

“The truth is that it's very, very fragile, but I've actually designed a life and an environment around me, which makes it easy for me to succeed,” Tom Panos, sales educator and real estate auctioneer, says of his busy working schedule. “All it would take for me is one hangover and it could fall to bits.” Back in the inaugural episode of the My Business Podcast, we spoke with Tom Panos about his tips for boosting sales. Now, Tom returns to discuss more about his own business and processes, such as how he: · Manages his time across a 90-hour working week · Copes with going more than a year without switching on his desktop computer · Times various activities to coincide with his peak energy levels Plus much more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

"One of the biggest problems small businesses have is cash flow, and large companies don't seem to care," says Mikel Lindsaar, founder of digital developer reinteractive. "We're not a bank – we can't afford this. We need better payment terms." This up-front discussion is one that Mikel has with all of his clients, and he admits to having had great success in negotiating more favourable outcomes. Speaking on the My Business Podcast, Mikel outlines: - Exactly how he deals with companies such as Qantas and Westfield to deliver better payment terms. - His approach to managing and engaging with a remote workforce - The process and benefits of delivering full transparency of business processes to clients. - Why fixed-price services can be bad for both your business and your customers And more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

“My clients can go direct, they can do their own research. The internet was meant to end what I do. They can go to my competitors. They can sometimes decide not to do anything … I have to show the value first,” says Keith Harwood, founder of Inspire Speakers. As a broker connecting clients with motivational speakers, Keith has faced – and continues to face – considerable threats to his business. Yet the company is maintaining a healthy growth trajectory. In this week’s episode of the My Business Podcast, Keith discusses how he is meeting these many challenges and his thoughts on: • The thing he believes is most crucial to making a successful sale • How to cope with digital disruption • Dealing with channel conflict as a ‘middle-man’ service provider And much more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

For most SME owners, hearing the personal insights of someone from the big end of town is something of a rarity. For Thought Patrol founder Mark Bilton, it’s his life. Starting as a retail shop assistant before climbing the corporate ladder to become the head of Gloria Jean’s Coffees, and now the owner of a small business, Mark has had an eclectic experience of business at all levels, and has unique insights into the do’s and don’ts of being a leader. The My Business Podcast crew asked Mark to share his thoughts about: • The key trait common to the most successful businesses • His approach to developing a company strategy • The role he plays as a business mentor • How he, as a small business owner, is maintaining a sales pipeline And much more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

Cash flow – it can be a scary term for many business owners, particularly those who feel they don’t have a handle on their everyday finances. Accountant Alexander Laureti of LMS Advisory says the majority of business owners are doing better than they think, but there is always room to improve your cash flow management. In this episode of the My Business Podcast, Alexander takes an in-depth look at business cash flow and: · 3 of the biggest mistakes SMEs make in relation to their finances · How often you should really be seeing your accountant · Ways to deal with people who owe you money Plus much more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

“I worked out … that about 80 per cent of my time was spent on managing people, and 20 per cent of my time was on the work. But for me to feel fulfilled and driven and optimistic, I need to be doing that work 100 per cent of the time,” says Sascha Moore, founder of Create Design & Marketing. It’s a problem common to many business owners: that they get bogged down in managing people and problems that there is very little time left to do what they are good at – the very reason they got into business. Sascha sits down with the My Business Podcast crew to discuss: • How she is eliminating HR from her daily schedule • The ways in which she leverages her network to generate new business • Why she seizes opportunities without regard for the consequences And loads more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

“[Businesses must be] able to cope with the stuff that life throws at you … whether those risks are key people leaving your organisation, key suppliers going bankrupt, key customers disappearing or your building burning down. The inevitable happens. Our business is to help organisations learn to cope with that and how to recover,” says Rick Stone, the brains behind risk management consultancy Tigertail. And when you consider that Rick was previously the senior disaster planner for the NSW government and spent ten years as the training manager for the SES in NSW, it’s clear he knows more than most about managing risk and disaster recovery efforts. In this episode of the My Business Podcast, Rick reveals: · The three key risks SME owners should be planning for · What the costliest type of natural disaster is, and how to prepare for it · The lessons he has learnt moving from a steady public service job to self-employment And loads more! http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant

“You hold onto things so tightly you start to hinder the growth of the business,” says Samantha. Having started out making jewellery at night while studying and selling them at Bondi Beach markets on weekends, doing everything herself seemed only natural. Samantha’s first foray into marketing netted $17,000 worth of orders from a $500 outlay, which led her to quit her retail job the next day. At just 21 and with $90 to her name, Samantha Wills admits her parents were aghast at her bold decision to quit her retail job and sell her handmade jewellery. Now, some 13 years later, she has a business empire bearing her name, which is headquartered in Sydney with offices in New York, LA, Paris, Korea and Japan. Speaking exclusively on the My Business Podcast, Samantha discusses ‘hustling’ for new business and useful connections, how to avoid spreading yourself too thinly as well as the challenges of taking a successful business back to start-up mode when entering a new market. http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twi

“Doing something well is not necessarily doing something important,” says Tom Panos – well-known in real estate circles as an independent auctioneer and sales educator as well as an executive with News Corp Australia. In the inaugural episode of the My Business podcast, the part-employee, part-entrepreneur speaks with My Business editor Phil Tarrant (https://twitter.com/philliptarrant)and publisher Russell Stephenson about understanding the difference between sales and marketing, his three-phase approach to client attraction and the value of what he refers to as ‘educational selling’. http://www.mybusiness.com.au https://twitter.com/philliptarrant