It's obvious to me that our exporters need to step up when a region such as Hokkaido in northern Japan has such a neat fit with what Australia has to offer.

Read More...

The sales profession needs motivation, sure. But cross the line into manipulation territory and result can be catastrophic.

Read More...

Dear Aunty B

I am wondering which government agencies I can contact about checking a Chinese manufacture to make sure they are legitimate.

L. Fox,
Excelarate Street Wear,
Tahmoor NSW

 

Are you in for a treat. If you want to do business in China, you can’t go past the blokes from Austrade.

Take your choice – either Peter Osborne in Beijing or Peter Ironmonger in Shanghai will help.

I’ve met both of them. They have been in China longer than the Great Wall, speak fluent Mandarin, know every nook, cranny and crook in China – and are charming to boot!

Don’t just use them for reputation checking. Ask about alliances, facilities, distribution networks, contacts and introductions.

I haven’t caught up with them for a few years and I am not sure what the Chinese cuisine has done to their waistlines but Foxy, if I was you, I would hop on that plane and check them both out personally.

Start by sending them an email: Firstname.lastname@austrade.gov.au

 

What are you waiting for? Email your questions, problems and issues to auntyb@smartcompany.com.au right now!

For more Aunty B...
"It's the shortest day and I'm tired of the grind"
"What should I outsource?"
"I am facing a gorilla of a competitor"
"How to I say no to pay rises but keep my staff?"
"Why can't my logo be purple? What are my IP rights?"
"How can I cope with Gen Y know-it-alls?"
"My revenue is flatlining. Should I export?"
"Is my general manager blokey or sexist?"
"I am 46, web-unsavvy but run a web business. Help!"
"My Gen Y staff want to do a 360 degree and review my performance"
“How can I create a lifestyle with company money without becoming Christopher Skase?”
"My branch offices have an inferiority complex. Help!"
"Do I have to move my difficult staff member on?"
"My legal costs are exorbitant. Do I really need a lawyer?"
"My fellow director is in love with another company"
"Costs are blowing out. How do I turn into a tight arse?"
"What can I do about an employee's bad breath?"
"What is the best way to 'move on' a nice person?"
“Will redesigning my website hurt my Google ranking?”
“My 2-I-C has become a problem? What can I do?”
"I'm feeling old... do I need a business coach?"
“What can I ask a potential recruit?”....
click here.

 

Read More...

Is it going to be a corporate near-death experience or the real thing? Will the office romance end in tears? Will the child prodigy rewrite the publisher’s fortunes? Confused? You won’t be after this week’s episode.

Read More...

When business schools don’t bother with what I consider the essence of business you have to wonder.

Read More...

How good is this? One hour’s work sets up a Google Ad that could haul in $27,000 a year! Here’s how it’s done.

Read More...

Reading the ‘sporting news’ on a quiet afternoon, the report of a melee involving some of the game’s biggest names gave me an idea.

Read More...

Hi Aunty B,
This year was a real struggle. And I have just done my budget for next year which doesn’t look much better. I am sick of going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark and not seeing my family. I am tired of the grind. Should I quit?

Cheerless,
Scoresby, Victoria

Now listen up, Cheerless. Today is the shortest day of the year. From here on, the days get longer, brighter and (hopefully) warmer. (It is freezing in Melbourne today.)

This is not the time for a bit of self-pitying misery. You need to take a different approach. Remember all the reasons you started the business? Freedom, independence, more flexibility to pick up the kids? Right. Then make that happen. Have a walk in the winter sunshine and book a holiday with the kids.

Then organise a strategy meeting with your mentors and think of ways to grow. What a great time to be an entrepreneur. Online, new technology, search engine marketing, strategic alliances, advertising on websites… are you alert and awake to all these new opportunities? None of these cost much and can make a big difference to a business.

If all else fails, think of this. You are entrepreneurial, resilient, determined, opinionated, innovative and relentlessly optimistic (usually). As such you are virtually unemployable in a large company. (Read Banker of Last Retort for a reality check.)

What are you waiting for? Email your questions, problems and issues to auntyb@smartcompany.com.au right now!

For more Aunty B...
"What should I outsource?"
"I am facing a gorilla of a competitor"
"How to I say no to pay rises but keep my staff?"
"Why can't my logo be purple? What are my IP rights?"
"How can I cope with Gen Y know-it-alls?"
"My revenue is flatlining. Should I export?"
"Is my general manager blokey or sexist?"
"I am 46, web-unsavvy but run a web business. Help!"
"My Gen Y staff want to do a 360 degree and review my performance"
“How can I create a lifestyle with company money without becoming Christopher Skase?”
"My branch offices have an inferiority complex. Help!"
"Do I have to move my difficult staff member on?"
"My legal costs are exorbitant. Do I really need a lawyer?"
"My fellow director is in love with another company"
"Costs are blowing out. How do I turn into a tight arse?"
"What can I do about an employee's bad breath?"
"What is the best way to 'move on' a nice person?"
“Will redesigning my website hurt my Google ranking?”
“My 2-I-C has become a problem? What can I do?”
"I'm feeling old... do I need a business coach?"
“What can I ask a potential recruit?”....
click here.

Read More...

A little tinkering can do wonders for the person at the other 'end' of your website... and satisfy the mad scientist in you.

Read More...

Investors seem to be swelling the ranks for buyer inquiries – which spells some interesting trends for ownership.

Read More...