Business can be fickle, some succed, others fail, some just plod along making just enough to struggle on even though the market might be very buoyant.
In the end many will say business is just about money. Yes and no… I like to think I get more than just money out of what I do. […]

Over time I come up with a list of business success pointers and change it, the order does not matter much I think all the points are usually of equal importance.
Then I think about it some more, weigh that up against things I see and arguments I have in my head about how things are […]

Describing business in terms of its stages, infancy, adolescence, maturity and so on is a great way to sum up the situation, but there are impacts and of course differences in each.
So in the development of the franchise from the start up infancy stage, through to maturity there are some different challenges to face that […]

In a previous article I mentioned business being like a roller coaster with its ups and downs… This time lets look at some of the causes of this “uppsy downsy” situation.
1. I feel flat - This can be from a build up of things not going too well, everything else can be okay but the […]

An often overlooked area of business is the art scene.
Diverse in its offerings, Art is often seen as the realm of the rich (in mind and $$). And can offer the purchaser more than just a decorative device, it can also boost their stakes in the up and up of social climbing as well as […]

The road we travel in business is a rough one at times, then it gets smooth and before we know it it turns to a dusty track with giant potholes.
I’m talking about the everyday challenges we face, be it in getting enough customers, having enough profit, ensuring staff are happy and the $$ are still […]

The ACCC (Australian Credit and Consumer Commission) in Australia has released a document to assist franchisees in buying a franchise. The doc outlines a bunch of details about how to find a scam franchise (rare) a glossary of terms… (had to I guess) and a range of things to look out for (good logical stuff).
Problem […]

Of course you want to sell to people… that makes sense (until they invent a robot that can spend cash…)
BUT, what sort of people? Rich ones? Poor ones? Ones that work? Ones that play? Ones that have too much time on their hands? Ones that make decisions on BIG buying opportunities for a BIG […]

An article by Kirsten Le Mesurier in the Age on innovation struck a chord.
The premise of CEO’s and senior exec’s saying innovation must happen… rarely works, it’s often a directive that can be buried in red tape and politics. Too many times the ideas are wanted but the process becomes a durge and in no […]

In a previous post I mentioned trademarking as a development tool and I discussed “See something - Do something” It’s a nice simple model for business but it can be taken further than a business context, here’s how and perhaps why…
In the branding stakes there is a lot of mention these days about “Brand You” […]

Buying a franchise can be a great way to get into business, (if you have not heard that line before you have not been looking into franchises for long.) and if it’s a ‘turnkey’ operation you are probably getting an even better opportunity, one that has all the bells and whistles on start up and […]

When buying any business (or any asset for that matter) it’s advisable to do your homework. Logical? YES! Practical… Not always. In the case of a franchise they (the franchisor) often has the power of numbers, “X number of franchisees can’t be wrong”, (yes some can be ‘wrong’, but they may not want to admit […]

Anything else to do with your business MUST therefore be about supporting the profit.
Before people go all money crazy though and start saying “business is all about taking and here’s another example.” I say if you are not making a profit you run a charity, and as this article is about business it’s therefore about […]

Earlier in 2007 I did a post on Trademarks not what you think… It gave some starting points and some background to an idea that is really all about values and beliefs but does so in a more street smart way.
I thought it was time to pull out a few more and explore how they […]

You start the business and then… Well apart from working hard to make it sustainable…
A few things first, let’s make a list. Why did you get into business? Is it turning out how you wanted? Is there a profit? Is it providing a better life for you? If not when will it do that?
Note how […]

In franchising there are fees of all kinds, franchisees are contracted to pay. Marketing and Management fees are often the main ones.
The fees are used for a multitude of things and are vital for the main company’s day to day operation. The money is therefore a fee paid for the provision of some service, the […]

No matter what sort of business you are in, it’s only as good as the next crisis is. Has that got you thinking? I hope so. You see many business people chip away at the coal face to get ahead, but do not stop to think about how to handle major challenges that might arise. […]

Most (if not all) Franchises have a franchise fee, (it’s a monthly fee usually) designed to keep the head office “humming”. It’s generally separate from a marketing fee, but that might be on the same invoice you get per month. So what do you get for paying that? I guess the Franchisor will have an […]

In all the things that a business is, the number one thing should be viability. It’s great you have an idea to pursue, it’s great you have a mission and vision, it’s fantastic you have the skills to do it as well!
But…
How viable is it?
Let’s be perfectly honest, business is about profit, and your role […]

In Australia today, a transport company in Sydney McArthur Express has gone into receivership and has been found to be insolvent. This means the company is not viable and they will sell everything and pay out the creditors as best they can.The plight is a miserable one for workers, the creditors and operators of the […]

For the Franchisor: How do you make the start up phase easy for the Franchisee?
For the Frachisee: How does the Franchisor make the start up phase easy for you.
This is the sort of question both parties should be asking themselves and for the Franchisor reviewing it often to make sure they have the best systems […]

Who is blaming whom? In the failed business stakes there are those with the crushed ego from the fall who want to blame anyone but themselves. They will claim the system failed them, customers failed them, area supervisors and suppliers failed them… then of course the franchisor failed them!
In all the blame game generally gets […]

In business we all have a duty of care to some degree, we also have to make a profit at some stage by providing a product and or service that’s what makes us a business and not a charity.
In franchising I see it that the duty of care is still there, its perhaps very […]

Starting in any business is fraught with challenges, in franchising its the same, there are challenges. The aim however with a franchise is to diminish some of the risks so you can begin with a solid system behind you that offers training and support as well as a proven brand people want to buy from.
It […]

The exceptional organisation according to Tom Peters associate Ed Michaels, is one that provides and nurtures rigourously the following…
“Remarkable challenges, rapid professional growth, respect, satisfaction, fun, stunning opportunity, exceptional reward, amazing peer group, full membership in ‘Club Adventure’, maximized future employability…”
All this leads to attracting more of the right people both internally and externally. In […]

With hundreds of franchise business opportunities to choose from it can be a daunting task to find the right one, retail, service based, business to buisness and each has so many options avaiable, and to top it off the costs involved can make the choice easier (less options available) but harder (cheaper does not mean […]

 Okay world, here are my 3 favourite articles for the period Sept 2006 - 2007 our first year of www.freebusinesstips.com.au
Jenny Stilwell  3 pillars… Because at the time it knocked me flat! I loved the depth yet a simplstic approach that ANYONE in business could follow. I love most of Jenny’s work and so the link […]

Take a business or division of a business that is doing okay, (note… not doing exceptional, just okay…) take a good hard look, is it doing what you want, chances are no, you would prefer an exceptionally performing team right? So what to do?
You could do a review, and implement some extra training… chances are […]

Today you are doing what SPECIFICALLY…
- to make your business more profitable?
- to cause the staff to LOVE you?
- to cause the customers to LOVE you and your team?
- to cause your suppliers to jump through hoops to give you great deals (and LOVE you)?
- to ensure your workplace is the best place […]

Caring for your staff can lead to respect, the word caring means showing positive and real interest towards each other. I am suggesting we take a caring approach to build the love we have so we can avoid, bullying in the workplace, foster greater connection with our customers and staff.
This article mixes well with “Your […]

So here is a question, how much personal cash did you make from your business in the last year?
I know a lot of you have transferred personal payments to your business where you can… and that aside HOW MUCH… $$ ok it’s an ozzie thing to not discuss $$ but hey I’m not asking you […]

Ask the 2 big questions in your buisness, What’s working and what’s not.
Jot down a list of each, perhaps a coloumn each or a sheet of paper each. Take a solid look at the list and ask what can I do about the things that need to be better, and what can I learn about […]

Seems silly to say that, but reverse goal setting can work a treat to make things work.
Another way of putting it is to begin with the end in mind. Create the visual outcome in your minds eye, then step backwards bit by bit until you get to the present time, and you will then […]

In business the success you get is often based on what you do as the business Owner/Operator, Director, Manager, CEO… Sure there is a matter of Luck, being in the right place and the right time (serendipity) but mainly the L.U.C.K. boils down to Learning Under Correct/Constant Knowledge.
Over time you might be able to ‘fluke’ […]

Of increasing annoyance is the challenge employers face in dealing with Bullying in the workplace. No longer is it just a blue collar “stir up the new apprentice with some pranks issue” but it’s a bigger issue involving all business types. It seems there are as many bullies as there are workplaces.
Finding out you have […]

The Ford Geelong issue will cause a few problems for a while yet. Local business identity Lawrie Miller who is part of the local Chamber of Commerce has suggested it will not cause a big ripple, that the people out on their ear may be absorbed in part, into “IT and Bio Tech industries…” (Geelong […]

In a car you have a couple of blind spots that mean you have to turn your head to see out of a side window to see what is really happening, and I see the same in business, in retail it’s often called store blindness where the details become common place and things that need […]

The news today is saying they will drop 600 jobs at Ford in Geelong in the casting plant, as they can get the engines cheaper o/s. That might be true but what about the carnage… not just the jobs, the investment.
The Victorian Government has put in over 60million dollars investing in the car maker to […]

Okay some of you are saying “another one!”, we have a one pager, a fully blown (dunno how many) pager and now I have seen everything a 12 pager!
That’s okay I figure whatever works for you is a great plan to have. Too many clients have plans that don’t work, or no plan which I […]

Ford may dump workers at its Geelong (Aust) plant in a chance to rebound from a slump in sales of its larger engines produced at the plant. This has people from all sectors of Government and industry bodies jumping to try and stem the flow on effect this may have IF it happens. My view, […]

No not the keys to the car, the keys to my business success!
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few keys to making your business better? For many in business its about building the team they have so they can leverage their time and money more effectively. So here goes, check these key tips out […]

It’s that time of the year in Oz, cold and wet. Then to top it off I’ve got a cold… I have not had one in about 3 years (lucky I guess), But this one has a grip like you would not beleive. More cold and flu tabs, cough mixtures and so on to try […]

Not wanting to over-simplify the whole ‘running a business thing’, but I’ve developed a list (based on my own experiences, and that of my clients and other business owners), which covers some of the things we need to know for different stages of building a business:
Start-up phase:

Start a business because you want to, don’t […]

People are only as good as what they know. That’s a simple piece of information everyone should know. But very importantly in business its a great thing to be aware of with staff and customers alike. You might assume they know lots of things like you do, but when push comes to shove you might […]

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t argue that pop queen Madonna and domestic doyenne Martha Stewart are two master marketers.  One is a calculated maverick who’s stayed at what has to be the world’s toughest and most fickle business for nearly a quarter century.  The other turned an at-home catering business into a multimedia […]