Member Spotlight
Paula Durrant is a tax accountant for small to medium businesses, and high income individuals. Read more
| Marketplace |
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What say you?
Do you take on friends/family as customers?
35% - Sure! The more the merrier.
50% - Sometimes, but tread with caution
14% - No, best to avoid wherever possible
Work smart | Performance
Being a solo business owner, it is often easy to fall into the trap of thinking business performance
reviews and key
performance indicators (KPIs) don’t apply to you. However, finding ways to measure and improve business
performance and then assessing how you are tracking is an important part of running any business,
big or small.
In this section you will find practical advice on how to improve business
performance including removing barriers to success,
learning from a
mentor, setting
realistic business standards, as well as tips on how to measure your business
performance.
WorkSmart: Are you sabotaging your success?
30 Apr 12Robert GerrishDiligence and attention to detail are great qualities in a small business owner. But a preoccupation with perfecting process and too much fine tuning can sabotage our success. Read more
Tell Visa your success story to win
02 Apr 12 | AdvertorialEnter the Visa Small Business Awards and you could win a $10,000. Read more
Small business success in economic uncertainty
26 Jan 12Deborah JacksonThe media may be talking about economic doom and gloom but there’s still money to be made in this economic uncertainty and it’s still possible for a small business to thrive. Read more
Comments: 3When golden ducks kill the golden goose
24 Jan 12Peter CrockerDo you struggle to get runs on the board for your business under the relentless barrage of distractions? It happens to the very best. Read more
Comments: 15Surfing the business life cycle
30 Jul 11Alan HargreavesLike many other aspects of life, business is full of cycles. Being aware of the business life cycle you’ll be better equipped to respond, and to reignite your energy during the inevitable downward turns. Read more
Comments: 2Benefits of doing things differently
21 May 11Robert GerrishDo you ever feel you’re doing the same old stuff, the same old way? If so, you could do well to take a leaf out of the book of the 70 year old Robert discusses in this short video. Read more
Comments: 0Tailor-made bedtime reading, free
03 Feb 11Because we’re a micro business too, we know what keeps you awake at night. That’s why we’ve pulled together some great free downloads. Read more
NLP: Modelling excellence
12 Jan 11Deborah KeepHave you ever been awestruck at the way someone else excels in an area where you don’t? Here’s how you can use modelling to replicate their success. Read more
Comments: 1Annus horribilis or a total stormer? It’s time for a business review.
21 Dec 10Sam LeaderBefore we know it, 2011 will be upon as and we’ll be in full-on planning mode. But what about the year that was? It's time for a business review. Read more
Comments: 10The good and bad of cost saving
10 May 10Robert GerrishI recently met a visiting US sales guru who made a great comment about buying habits in a downturn. His observations serve as a good reminder when we are the ones spending. Read more
The energy equation
02 Mar 10Sam LeaderThe big end of town have long claimed that you have to spend money to make money. I’ve come to realise the same is true with energy. Here’s what I’ve learned about the energy equation. Read more
Comments: 15Older entrepreneurs: In praise of blooming late
01 Feb 10Robert GerrishScan the blogosphere or bestseller list and you'd think that no-one over thirty succeeds at business. Not so. There are plenty of older entrepreneurs. After all, what's the rush? Read more
Comments: 42When setbacks are signposts
10 Sep 09Zoe RouthOften when you plan to go in a new direction on your solo journey, you may face a number of setbacks. You may even deem them 'failures'. However you label the situation, it's darned uncomfortable. Read more
Comments: 3How to bullet proof your business
29 Jul 09Robert GerrishA keynote speaker at 2009's Flying Solo LIVE! Andrew Griffiths has a stack of valuable information to share. Get a taster in this short interview he undertook recently with Robert Gerrish. Read more
Comments: 2How to turn weaknesses into strengths
16 Jul 09Bronwyn SimmondsAs a soloist it is an obvious statement that the business relies on you. So if there is an area where you lack confidence, it’s going to affect your business. This got me thinking - how can we turn our weaknesses into strengths? Read more
Comments: 10Avoiding business failure
18 Jun 09Zoe RouthA chance encounter with a farmer, who told me about his ailing business, got me thinking about ways to avoid business failure. Here’s what happened. Read more
Comments: 8Surviving economic downturn
11 Jun 09Mark MooreHow will the economic downturn affect you? How easy will it be for you to gain new business? Here’s a rundown of what you can and must do differently now for your business to survive. Read more
Comments: 4How was your day?
27 Apr 09Robert GerrishYour day at the office has been spent in meetings, then you battle rush hour traffic to get home. On the front porch, your smiling spouse greets you with “How was your day, dear?” Familiar? No, didn’t think so. Read more
Comments: 18Measuring performance in your solo business
09 Oct 08Linda AndersonIn the Corporate World, measuring performance and performance reviews are a common occurence. Three years into my journey as a soloist I have begun to wonder how I can create better performance review processes for myself. Read more
Comments: 66 ways to weather an economic downturn
14 Sep 08Robyn HaydonUnless you have been living under a rock you will realise that Australia is in the grip of an economic downturn. Yet according to a Flying Solo poll, most of us see negative talk on the business outlook as ‘boring’ or nothing to worry about. Read more
Comments: 8Finding hidden equity in your business
11 Aug 08Robert GerrishI don’t know about you, but I am getting bored with all this ‘downturn’ talk. Next time someone directs the conversation towards doom and gloom, either stick your fingers in your ears or help them find some hidden equity. Read more
Comments: 16An effective business coaching strategy
30 Jun 08Robert GerrishIn the process of my work as a coach, I have one effective business coaching strategy that regularly creates a big shift for my clients. The funny thing is, I don’t do a thing. Let me tell you how it works. Read more
Comments: 13Business performance feedback: Gordon Ramsay
20 May 08Robert GerrishSo there I was quietly going about my work when foul mouthed Gordon Ramsay burst in and gave it to me with both barrels. Some of his business performance feedback was hard to swallow. Read more
Comments: 46Making love and making money
03 Mar 08Sam LeaderUs writers delight in the use of analogies and what better subject to choose than love making and making money? Read more
Comments: 17Celebrating small business successes
17 Dec 07Robert GerrishIn our solo business, dominated at times by big, hairy goals, it’s easy to overlook the importance and value of smaller business successes. In this exercise, I invite you to stop and answer three simple questions. It’ll only take a minute or two. Read more
Comments: 16Time for a business performance review
02 Dec 07Karen MorathDecember presents the ideal opportunity to learn and grow by doing a yearly business performace review. A time to reflect, rethink, reread and redesign before the start of a new year. Read more
Comments: 5Business performance: Four ways high standards hold you back
29 Apr 07Paul J. MorrisStandards are undoubtedly great to have for good business performance. They provide us with guidance and something to aspire to. But setting too high standards can work against us, counter intuitive as this may seem. Read more
Comments: 8Removing barriers to success
16 Jan 07Robert GerrishSoloists often unconsciously put barriers in the way between them and success. This is typified by what I call the 'feet on the ground' versus 'feet in the ground' situation. Read more
Comments: 4How to make the most of January
02 Jan 07Karen MorathWe are all in planning mode as we begin another year flying solo. These tips will help you to truly embrace the start of a new year. Read more
Comments: 1The key to a successful business is not talent
17 Sep 06Peter CrockerThe one fundamental attribute you need to run a successful business as a soloist is to be good at what you do – good, but not necessarily great. Read more
Comments: 6Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
23 Jul 06Tony MelvinHow does breaking the world down into numbers help the soloist? Many accountants talk of KPIs, this is the acronym for Key Performance Indicators, and these are the main indicators you use in your business to identify your strengths and weakness. Read more
Comments: 3Assessing business performance
14 Dec 05Robert GerrishThis time is ideal for assessing business performance - pondering both how well you've travelled over the past year and how the new year is shaping up. Read more
Comments: 4Achieving success: Are you doing a Dusty Springfield?
23 Nov 05John RaymondMuch as we love the song, if you want to see your new business achieving success, it's best to avoid too much "wishing and hoping". Read more
Comments: 7
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Small Business is Australia's fastest growing sector – this business community site was created for those running a small business of one to five people. Here the solo and micro business owner will find small business forums, a small business directory, free resources, help, tips and advice on: starting a small business; working smarter when working from home; effective small business marketing; small business networking; the solo psyche; staying balanced as a small business owner; small business technology advice and small business finance tips.
