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...
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...
Are you finding that your payment reminders are being met with excuses? It’s a common scenario many business owners are experiencing. Here at the SBDC, we often hear from small business owners, particularly subcontractors in the construction industry, who say they are struggling to be paid on time. But when the only ‘evidence’ of a contract is...
Sometimes the simplest business tips are the most important pieces of advice you can adopt, and that’s definitely the case when it comes to ‘get it in writing’.
Cameron Kissell knew that working as a FIFO tradesman wasn’t something he wanted to do forever. With the purchase of a large block of land, he and his wife Clare set their sights on business ownership. Their journey wasn’t an easy one, with lots of twists and turns along the way. But today, the couple are proud business owners, operating Edge...
Are you finding it hard to work out how much you should be charging for your services? One of the most common questions we’re asked by new business owners is how much should they be charging per hour for their services. There are a number of factors to consider when setting an hourly rate. Here are our top tips if you are running a service-based...
In today’s competitive markets, you can’t afford to lose sales through poor customer service. Wow your customers with our tips on how to keep them happy.
You may be aware of the wise advice that to achieve the best outcomes, you should work on your business, not just in it. However, the reality is that some important but non-urgent tasks usually sink to the bottom of the to-do list. This includes maintaining an effective online presence - an essential part of a modern marketing approach. Overall...
Problems and delays getting invoices paid can be an issue for all types of business – and contractors and subcontractors in the construction industry can be hit particularly hard. Many subcontractors and suppliers have to spend considerable amounts of money to pay for the materials and labour they need to complete a project. Issues and delays...
If you’re like many business owners at the end of a busy year, you might find yourself putting off certain tasks, actions or decisions until after the festive break. However, sometimes there’s no time like the (Christmas) present to wrap up properly and ‘sleigh’ the end of the year. We asked our business adviser, Steve McLaren, for his thoughts on...
