Announcements

1.	Register now for the MyBiz Expo
2.	Help My Business write a story about cash flow management

Links

3.	Myer CEO Bernie Brookes' top ten tips for business success
4.	The best of our blogs

Business News

5.	New agreement to boost ‘green collar' skills
6.	National Carbon Offset Standard under scrutiny
7.	Round One projects under $1B Regional Development Australia Fund
8.	Councils urged to diversify staffing

Events

9.	Import Export Show feature: Getting in major retailers

Feature articles

10.	Four surveys say business confidence is down

Announcements

Register now for the MyBiz Expo

The program for the Sydney MyBiz Expo has been finalised, and you can download it here.

Some of the speakers at the Expo include:

• Dean McEvoy, CEO/Co-Founder, Spreets
• Matt Barrie, CEO, Freelancer.com
• Peter Irvine, Co-founder, Gloria Jean’s Coffees

The event is free - so why not register now?

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Help My Business write a story about cash flow management

The October issue of My Business will include a feature on cash flow management, and we want you to be a part of it.

It's easy to help - just email us tricks, tactics or techniques you use to manage cashflow in your business. We'll happily write you into the story or keep you anonymous if you prefer it that way.

To get you started, here's a few issues we hear about regarding cash flow:

• Do you offer discounts for early payment?
• Have you considered sliding payment terms for customers based on their past credit histories?
• Do you outsource collections to a factor or debtor financer?
• Do you pay for business equipment on credit cards and use the points on business travel?
• Have you adopted bartering or another alternate payments system?

To let us know about your cash flow management tips, simply email mybusinesseditor@mybusiness.com.au.

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Links

Myer CEO Bernie Brookes' top ten tips for business success

Myer CEO Bernie Brookes spoke today at the Women Chiefs of Enterprises International conference in Sydney. The topic of his talk was “Pitching success: Getting noticed by the big end of town” and offered the following ten ways to get noticed and accelerate your career, or your business.

His first tip was to embrace what he called '3D Blitz Chess', his description of modern business' many interlinked complexities.

To thrive in that environment Brookes said you need to pay very close attention to detail and seek out plenty of information.

Click here to read that tip, and nine others, in full.

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The best of our blogs

The My Business bloggers cranked out some awesome advice and opinion last week. Here are some links to their best work.

How to reward your staff on a tight budget
Your staff deserve recognition, but with consumer and business confidence low and economic uncertainty around the world it doesn’t seem like the best time to splash out. Paula Maidens explains how to give your staff recognition without breaking the bank.

Was WorkSafe right to name and shame workers?
Two workers lost their job for planking in the workplace. WorkSafe Victoria then took two workers to court, where they were fined, and then issued a press release naming and shaming the pair. We wonder if losing their jobs and being fined wasn’t punishment enough.

How to stay close to family when work takes you away from home
A new website, Mining Family Matters has published a guide to help families in the mining industry cope when one member of the family is employed in a “fly-in, fly-out” capacity. We felt the guide has something to teach almost any busy entrepreneur, so here are ten ways to stay close to your when work takes you away from home.

How to choose multi-currency accounting software
If you operate in more than one country, you need accounting software that speaks two currencies. MYOB and Xero consultant Heather Smith explains what to look for when you shop for this kind of software.

Three foundations of social media
Social media specialist Anna Cairo has three foundations for your social media efforts. Click the link above to learn her approach and how it can help you to genuinely converse online, instead of just pushing out marketing messages.

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Business News

New agreement to boost ‘green collar' skills

A new agreement between the Green Building Council of Australia and the Australian Institute of Architects will boost the construction industry’s green collar skills.

The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will deliver cross-accreditation of courses, events and activities that promote sustainability in the built environment.

Architects will receive recognition for green skills education and training they undertake with the Continuing Professional Development programs of either organisation.

Chief Executive of the GBCA, Romilly Madew, says the council and the institute are dedicated to supporting the green skills development of architects across the industry.

Ms Madew says the new agreement is an indicator of where the industry is heading. She says green skills are no longer seen as an ‘add on’ but an integral requirement for people working in the built environment.

Ms Madew says green jobs are the jobs of the future and sustainability skills should be embedded in all jobs in all sectors of Australia’s economy; particularly in the property and construction industry which has an unrivalled opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and water use while supporting the growth of new, low-carbon industries.

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National Carbon Offset Standard under scrutiny

A public consultation paper on updates to the National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS) has been published by the Federal Government.

The government introduced the NCOS on July 1, 2010, to ensure national consistency and consumer confidence in the voluntary carbon market.

The standard provides guidance on a voluntary offset and sets minimum requirements for calculating, auditing and offsetting the carbon footprint of an organisation or product to achieve carbon neutrality. It allows businesses to market carbon neutral products and services, deliver greenhouse gas abatement and give consumers greater purchasing choice.

Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, says as part of a review, the government is considering some key changes to the list of eligible offsets.

Mr Dreyfus says this will align the NCOS with the legislative framework for the Carbon Farming Initiative and increase the availability of domestic offsets that can be used under the standard. He says the revisions will ensure businesses seeking to offset their carbon pollution can use credits issued under the Carbon Farming Initiative.

The government will hold talks with stakeholders in coming weeks on the reforms. Written submissions close on October 12, 2011. To comment on the discussion paper and revised standard visit: www.climatechange.gov.au.

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Round One projects under $1B Regional Development Australia Fund

Community buildings, cultural and tourist projects, training centres and regional airport upgrades are just some of the “shovel-ready projects” allocated funding in Round One of the $1 billion Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF).

The Federal Government will invest $150 million in 35 projects valued at almost $418 million in the first stage of the five-year regional funding program.

Regional Australia Minister, Simon Crean, said the RDAF was part of the government’s record $4.3 billion Budget commitment to regional investments. Mr Crean said he congratulated the successful local government and not-for-profit organisations for their strong submissions and commitment to long-term growth and liveability in their communities.

Up to $100 million was initially made available for investment-ready projects that supported the growth of local communities across the country. Over 550 applications were received, and due to the strong response from communities, the government extended the amount available under Round One to $150 million.

Mr Crean said the government challenged communities to develop creative proposals that stacked up, effectively leveraged other funding and sustained the economic and social future of their regions.

He said with Australia's economy in transition, Canberra strengthened the role of the 55 Regional Development Australia Committees, which played a major role in working with local communities to identify projects that were consistent with their regional plans.

All applications were required to meet mandatory criteria, with eligible applications assessed by an independent Advisory Panel. The applications needed to demonstrate a direct and measurable benefit to communities through documents including business cases, a cost-benefit analysis, feasibility studies and detailed project plans. Detailed project descriptions can be found at www.regional.gov.au

Mr Crean encouraged communities to begin thinking about their submissions under the $150 million Round Two, which will open in November 2011.

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Councils urged to diversify staffing

New South Wales councils have been encouraged by Local Government Minister, Don Page, to strive to achieve greater diversity in their staffing.

Launching the first Division of Local Government Employee Census Report, Mr Page said positive steps were being taken to improve diversity in council staffing but more could be achieved to correct imbalances.

Mr Page said there should be a particular focus on women in leadership roles, and recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with a disability.

He said in the last year, the Division of Local Government had conducted an inaugural census of its employees. The Census Report provided an initial snapshot of the demographic of local government employees and the information would allow the local government sector to better understand the makeup of its employee base, and address shortcomings that may arise.

Among the findings were:

- Women make up 40% of permanent positions in local government, yet occupy less than 25% of decision-making positions;

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are under-represented;

- People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are under-represented;

- People with a disability are under-represented;

- More than half the workforce is aged between 35 and 54 years of age; and

- About half the workforce is employed by metropolitan councils.

Mr Page said Census Reports would be conducted every four years to better identify staffing trends and develop ways to improve recruitment and retention of staff. The Census Report can be found here.

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Events

Import Export Show feature: Getting in major retailers

The Import Export Show, Australia’s only major exhibition and learning event for small and medium-sized importers and exporters, will be returning on Thursday & Friday, 15 & 16 September at the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre (NSW).

As part of the learning program Best Practice in International Trade, the Import Export Show will feature a range of speakers including successful entrepreneur and multiple award winner Vanessa Garrard, Founder and Director of E3.

Vanessa will discuss ‘How to get your products into the major retailers’, providing advice from production requirements and buying cycles to maintaining good relationships with retailers.

Vanessa started E3 in March 2006 with no money and no clients. But within the first 12 months of operations, she had negotiated trading terms and signed with every major retailer in Australia. Today, one in four Australians owns an E3 product and the business is on track to exceed $23 million in 2011/12. E3 also sells products to Italy, UK, US, Russia and South Africa.

In addition to its series of seminars, workshops and roundtables, the Import Export Show will also bring together a spectrum of suppliers of international trade services, government agencies, associations and chambers for two days of business engagement, education and networking.

The inaugural Import Export Industry Awards, which recognise supplier excellence, will also be presented at an entertaining networking event on the evening of 15 September at the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre.

The Show, which is free to attend, expects to attract 2,000 visitors and 50 exhibitors this year. It will be held on 15 & 16 September 2011 in The Grand Pavilion, Level 2, Rosehill Gardens Event Centre at Rosehill in Sydney’s west.

For more information and to view the full learning program, visit www.importexportshow.com.au.

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Feature articles

Four surveys say business confidence is down

Four new studies on business confidence published last week all drew the same grim conclusion: things are tough out there and small business confidence is tumbling as a result.

The Sensis Business Index is one of the four studies and the quarterly study of 1800 businesses, conducted by Telstra’s directories arm, has hit record lows for business sentiment.

“Half of small businesses experienced a decrease in profitability during the quarter, while just two in 10 experienced an increase,” author Ms Christena Singh Index said in a press release.

Most small business also expect further profit falls in the next twelve months.

Singh said the Index’s current confidence indicators are the weakest in the quarterly study’s 18-year history.

A few other data points from the report include:

• Business confidence fell from 28 to 15 per cent, the third lowest result in the report’s history;
• Perceptions about the current state of the economy fell from negative seven per cent to negative 35 per cent;
• The sales indicator fell strongly, down eight percentage points to negative 22 per cent;
• Overall employment by small businesses fell one percentage point during the quarter;
• Support for the Federal Government’s policies fell seven percentage points during the quarter, taking the indicator to negative 48 per cent
• Key reasons small businesses gave for not supporting the Federal Government’s policies include the proposed carbon tax, a view policies were affecting consumer confidence, no incentives for small businesses and too much bureaucracy.

D&B says sales expectations slump

Another study, Dun & Bradstreet’s Business Expectations Survey, saw CEO Christine Christian say “We are beginning to see companies, particularly in manufacturing and retail, increasingly behaving like businesses in recession.”

A fear of interest rate rises is the main reason for their fears, Christian said.

“We are seeing that interest rate concerns are making businesses less inclined to grow their activities through new lines of credit or finance. This will have a knock on effect to sales and employment with companies more likely to resort to cost cutting measures.”

One area in which the D&B study differs from Sensis’ is its prediction that “Profit expectations appear to have bottomed out,” after a plunge in recent months.

One bright spot is the Survey’s finding that “37 percent of businesses see that a continuing strong Australian dollar will have a positive impact on their business in the quarter ahead – for 19 percent a significant impact.” That compares to a quarter of businesses who say a high dollar to have a negative impact.

Confusing currency

Bankwest’s Business Challenges Survey offers a different perspective on the Dollar, saying “over a third (35%) of businesses view the strength of the Australian Dollar as a challenge for their business, whilst a fifth (20%) of SMEs see it as an opportunity.”

The Bankwest Survey also offers another nugget of data that perhaps seems odd given the prevailing gloom, asserting that Businesses are also finding it tougher to retain employees (38%) and attract new talent (42%) compared to this time last year.

Overall, however, Bankwest’s sample feels things are tough, as illustrated by these tables summarising business attitudes.

Do you think there are more challenges facing your business than 12 months ago?

	Yes	No	Don’t know
NSW*	86%	13%	1%
VIC*	77%	22%	1%
SA*	84%	15%	1%
QLD	82%	18%	0%
WA	72%	27%	1%
Australia	80%	19%	1%

Do you think there are more opportunities for your business than 12 months ago?

	Yes	No	Don’t know
NSW*	39%	59%	2%
VIC*	41%	54%	4%
SA*	43%	54%	3%
QLD	34%	64%	2%
WA	47%	49%	4%
Australia	41%	56%	3%

*The following states have been grouped together in the tables- NSW & ACT, Vic & Tas, SA & NT

Farms also in a fug

The rural sector is also less-than-happy at present, according to the quarterly Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey.

In a press release issued yesterday the bank said “35 per cent of farmers expected conditions to worsen in the coming year, a significant increase from the 12 per cent with that view in the previous quarter. Only 18 per cent of farmers expected the agricultural economy to improve (down from 42 per cent previously), while 42 per cent expected conditions to stay the same.”

The fall in confidence has little to do with conditions on the land, as rain has been adequate and most farmers expect a decent or better harvest.

Rabobank’s General Manager for Rural Australia, Peter Knoblanche, said factors beyond farmers’ control are the reason for the unease.

“Inside the farm-gate, from a production point of view, things are shaping up for an overall good season,” Knoblanche said. “That said, farmers are not only affected by what is happening in their paddocks, but also what’s happening in the local and international economy.”

“The survey highlighted farmer concerns and uncertainty around issues including the proposed carbon tax, the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia and the impact of coal seam gas exploration and mining on agriculture,” Knoblanche added. “Threat to live export was also top of mind for farmers, particularly cattle and sheep farmers at the time of the survey – however the two private member bills to ban live export have since failed to win support from the government or opposition.”

Most of the farmers surveyed, (52 per cent) viewed coal seam gas exploration as a threat to agriculture

Of those farmers surveyed who expected conditions to improve over the next 12 months, 52 per cent cited rising commodity prices as the major driver and 46 per cent nominated favourable seasonal conditions.

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