In the 2025-26 financial year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will prioritise enforcing compliance relating to credit card surcharges and merchant fees. Paying by card is convenient for customers, but it can cost your business in the form of merchant fees charged by your payment processor (such as a bank). If your...
The way you report employee payments and superannuation is set to change, with the Federal Government passing legislation to extend Single Touch Payroll (STP) to all employers. Under the requirements of STP, you’ll need to report payments such as salaries and wages, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and superannuation directly to the Australian...
There’s more to offering a discount than simply reducing your prices. Offering discounts is a popular promotion technique to help increase sales and attract new customers, particularly if business is slow or you’re just starting out. Before you start offering discounts across the board, some careful planning, and considering other ‘value add’...
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has recently announced changes to how your employees can calculate tax deductions if they work from home. Here’s your guide to the changes. Millions of Australians work from home for some or all of their working week. If your business is structured to have your employees working from home at some stage, they...
It can be a lonely road when you work from home. Here are our tips on how to beat the isolation for the benefit of your wellbeing and your business.
Whether you’re an employer or a person who considers themselves self-employed, it’s important to know the difference between what the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) sees as an employee and a contractor to ensure you are meeting your tax and super obligations. Many people believe that a worker is automatically a contractor if they have specialist...
Once you’ve developed your business plan, successfully launched your business and are starting to enjoy life as an entrepreneur, you may be thinking about the best ways to take your business to the next level. Whether you work from home or from other premises, one way to get more done in your business is to hire some extra hands to help. Hiring...
Government contracts and tenders offer a lucrative business opportunity for small businesses as well as larger organisations. Multi-million dollars of federal, state and local government opportunities are advertised each year. But do small businesses have the muscle power to win these contracts? How small businesses can compete for government...
Signing a lease is a big commitment for any business. Here are our top five things you need to know before signing on the dotted line.
It’s no secret that the cost of practically everything seems to have risen. As a commercial leasing tenant, it’s important to understand the outgoing clauses in your lease, so there are no surprises later on. Our business advisers spend a lot of time speaking with small business owners across WA. One question appears to be coming up frequently in...
Did you know that bubble wrap was originally sold as a textured wallpaper? As history has shown us, it wasn’t a viable product for its intended customers. The success of online business ideas or other small business ideas will always depend on a range of factors. Some factors are out of your control, such as interest rates, tax brackets and the...
Many small business owners are unaware that they may be required to obtain various local government approvals for their new premises, to ensure they are operating in compliance with the relevant planning, building and health legislation. Here’s how to avoid costly and disruptive mistakes. It’s an exciting time for your business. You have a strong...
