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Member Spotlight

Keagan York, Compass Global Markets Pty Ltd

Keagan York, Compass Global Markets Pty Ltd

Compass Global Markets can help you with any aspect of the Foreign Currency transfers and Commodity markets from corporate hedging to wealth creation. Read more

Monika Mundell, Copywriter

Monika Mundell, Copywriter

Monika Mundell, along with her husband John, provides a comprehensive suite of sizzling copywriting services to entrepreneurs, Internet marketers, ... Read more

Bob Jones, an SEO Company

Bob Jones, an SEO Company

'an SEO Company' provides authentic SEO services for small businesses in Australia. Read more

Karen Wickham, That’s Creative!

Karen Wickham, That’s Creative!

That's Creative! provides graphic and website design services to clients right across the world. Currently Ebook Design is their most popular servi... Read more

Bev Wilkinson, Golden Days Images

Bev Wilkinson, Golden Days Images

Golden Days Images preserves old photos and places them on DVD and CD. They are also branching out into capturing small events involving filming an... Read more

Michael Vincent, Sports Partners

Michael Vincent, Sports Partners

Sports Partners is a free, fun site where people can find other people, clubs, or businesses for sports and hobbies. Read more

Ann Nixon, Sydney Psych.

Ann Nixon, Sydney Psych.

Ann Nixon provides broad counselling and psychotherapy services to clients in the inner city and eastern suburbs of Sydney. Read more

Rachel Abdy, Pace Administration

Rachel Abdy, Pace Administration

Pace Administration offers administrative services to micro and self-employed businesses in Adelaide specialising in services for self-employed psy... Read more

Alison Taylor, Cloverlea Designs

Alison Taylor, Cloverlea Designs

We are a small online retailer that sells gorgeous babies and children’s bed linen and homewares to Australian mums. Read more

Simon Paxton

Simon Paxton

Simon Paxton helps people make their events exciting and memorable with performances of the mysteries of the mind. Read more

Emma Wilson, Upclose & Virtual

Emma Wilson, Upclose & Virtual

Upclose & Virtual provides professional, cost effective, secretarial services for businesses and individuals throughout Australia to reduce the bur... Read more

Daniel Abela, Graphic & Web

Daniel Abela, Graphic & Web

Daniel Abela is a graphic and web designer offering digital and print solutions to clients of all sizes right around Australia. Read more

Roland Hanekroot, New Perspectives Small Business Bootcamp

Roland Hanekroot, New Perspectives Small Business Bootcamp

Roland Hanekroot is a small business coach in Sydney who works with small business owners who want to make a big shift in their business and turn i... Read more

Jan Bell, Bell’s Outsourcing Administration

Jan Bell, Bell’s Outsourcing Administration

Jan Bell is a virtual secretary who does administration and back office work from secretarial to bookkeeping. Read more

Kalindi Chirmuley, Mulayam Products

Kalindi Chirmuley, Mulayam Products

Mulayam Products manufactures natural skin care products for all ages and all skin types. It helps to take care of the skin and enhance its beauty. Read more

Sarah Jenkins, SignaturePhoto Photography Courses

Sarah Jenkins, SignaturePhoto Photography Courses

Sarah Jenkins teaches half-day and 1-day photography courses in Sydney to beginners who have just bought their first DSLR camera as well as more in... Read more

Karen Curran, Unicorn Graphics

Karen Curran, Unicorn Graphics

With Unicorn Graphics, you get agency quality graphic design solutions at a lower investment with a person who has the ability and knowledge to do ... Read more

Kate James, Total Balance

Kate James, Total Balance

Through her business coaching and life coaching, Kate James works with the concepts of mindfulness, creativity and authenticity to help people chan... Read more

Paul Coelho, Slidemaster – Professional PowerPoint Design

Paul Coelho, Slidemaster – Professional PowerPoint Design

Slidemaster is a PowerPoint specialist company offering comprehensive PowerPoint Presentation designs and solutions, which leave lasting impression... Read more

Mark Rubiolo, Bubbling With Energy Entertainment

Mark Rubiolo, Bubbling With Energy Entertainment

Bubbling With Energy provides entertainment and amusements for corporate events and private parties including jumping castles, mechanical bulls, su... Read more

Keagan York, Compass Global Markets Pty Ltd
Monika Mundell, Copywriter
Bob Jones, an SEO Company
Karen Wickham, That’s Creative!
Bev Wilkinson, Golden Days Images
Michael Vincent, Sports Partners
Ann Nixon, Sydney Psych.
Rachel Abdy, Pace Administration
Alison Taylor, Cloverlea Designs
Simon Paxton
Emma Wilson, Upclose & Virtual
Daniel Abela, Graphic & Web
Roland Hanekroot, New Perspectives Small Business Bootcamp
Jan Bell, Bell’s Outsourcing Administration
Kalindi Chirmuley, Mulayam Products
Sarah Jenkins, SignaturePhoto Photography Courses
Karen Curran, Unicorn Graphics
Kate James, Total Balance
Paul Coelho, Slidemaster – Professional PowerPoint Design
Mark Rubiolo, Bubbling With Energy Entertainment
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HomeWork smartProblem solving

Work smart | Problem solving

Running your own business means you are likely to face many challenges, so it is essential to develop good problem solving skills. Which problem solving strategies you use will depend on both the nature of the problem and the way you like to work.

In this section we focus on different problem solving strategies and provide tips on developing your problem solving skills. If you feel on your own when it comes to problem solving, perhaps you should read Paul J. Morris’s article on using a ‘Board of Personalities’.


Picking up when plans fail

26 Apr 11 | Robert Gerrish

We’ve just had to pull the pin on our live event in Melbourne for this year and we’re not happy about it. Here’s how we intend to pick ourselves up. Read more

Comments: 22

Disaster recovery: Coming back from the brink

21 Mar 11 | Johanna Baker-Dowdell

My business almost folded after I suffered a head injury. But this isn’t a ‘poor me’ scenario; it’s a disaster recovery story about how it made me stronger, wiser and happier. Read more

Comments: 14

How sleeping with my web host averted disaster

08 Dec 10 | Amanda Gonzalez

Thanks to a close encounter, I’ve recently learned that failing to plan for success can be more harmful to your business than you think. Read more

Comments: 18

Knowledge sharing: A helping hand

05 Oct 10 | Jayne Tancred

It takes guts to ask for help, but swallow your pride and take the plunge and you’ll be blown away by the willingness of others' to be involved in knowledge sharing. Read more

Comments: 28

Are you a necessity or a luxury business?

10 Aug 09 | Robert Gerrish

If there’s one group of soloists who’ll definitely have noticed a change in business enquiries in recent months, it’s those in the ‘luxury’ business. If that’s you, it’s time for a necessity makeover. Read more

Comments: 20

Business survival skills: Five tips

11 Dec 08 | Trish Weston

Rebounding from a Really Bad Day is essential for the soloist, so here are some business survival skills to make bouncing back easier. Read more

Comments: 11

Problem solving: brainstorming on your own

07 Oct 08 | Zern Liew

In response to an earlier article on problem solving, Heather Smith asked me how I brainstorm on my own. So here’s an overview of the brainstorming process and techniques I use. Read more

Comments: 7

The solution to small business challenges

09 Jun 08 | Robert Gerrish

One of the questions we set our 1,770 respondents in our 2008 Understanding Micro Business survey, had to do with the three biggest small business challenges we are faced with. Here’s what we discovered, along with my solution. Read more

Comments: 26

Problem solving model: Four phases

08 Apr 08 | Zern Liew

Here is an overview of the problem solving model I have used successfully over the years. There are four key phases, each requiring a different set of skills. Read more

Comments: 6

Problem solving skills: Why support is better than advice

08 Apr 07 | Kath O'Sullivan

Have you noticed how many 'fixers' there are out there? These are the people who can’t wait to give you advice at the first sign of any uncertainty. But can someone else really have answers which will make your life perfect? Read more

Comments: 6

Problem solving skills: Ten ways to stimulate creativity

14 Nov 06 | Justin Zachan

Business at its most simple level is about solving a customer's problem, which takes creativity. So we need to keep our creative mind alive to develop our problem solving skills. Read more

Comments: 7

Problem solving strategies: Using a Board of Personalities

27 Aug 06 | Paul J. Morris

When soloists need advice, what problem solving strategies do they use? It is often tempting to seek the advice of fellow soloists. But are they necessarily the best people to ask? Perhaps a 'board of personalities' will give us a more holistic view. Read more

Comments: 4

 

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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.

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