Another year is fast closing in and I’ve been reflecting on what has really made our business tick along - and how to do more of those things next year and less of what hinders our progress. I’ve been asking myself some questions: What generates growth, profit and sales? Do we have over-performing areas that [...]
As Founder of Squirrel Business Hub, I advise SMEs on cloud-based business systems. Over the past six years, I’ve been privileged to work with hundreds of companies, which has given me a useful insight into business practices. Time and again, I’ve witnessed people entering the same data into their database or CRM, then again into their accounting package, [...]
“Squirrel took everything that we do and made it better. Now it all works together as one coherent system and I don’t have to jump between systems to update client records, which was very time consuming.” Josh Zuker, Josh Zuker Travel Josh Zuker Travel is Melbourne-based travel agency that prides itself on providing personalised service [...]
If the words 'digital transformation' send you into a panic, there's good news: the process lends itself to a step-by-step approach. Start your transformation by changing the way you do one everyday repetitive task - preferably a paper-based activity. If, for example, you’re using a duplicate book to record orders or a physical calendar for [...]
Digital awareness is a spectrum. The first step in your digital transformation is working out where your business is on that spectrum. Are you doing things like: Re-keying bills into your accounting software, or – worse still – visiting your bookkeeper with a shoebox full of receipts? Using index cards – yes, we know people [...]
I have a confession to make … You would think that as the founder of a business that helps other businesses choose and implement software systems I would have an IT or systems engineering background, right? Nope. I’m just a bit of a technology enthusiast who loves working out how to make things run more [...]
Reporting-time needn't be stressful (Image credit: Freepik) EOFY is a time when many small business owners turn their attention to reporting. It's either a confirmation of what they already know and have been monitoring periodically, or it's a time filled with uncertainty and worry about what's in store when they visit their accountant. [...]
If you’re anything like me, preparing for a holiday is stressful. Not just at home, but on the work front too. As the sole proprietor of a small business, I have to make sure that things will keep ticking along in my absence, which means completing a long list of chores that won’t wait. I’ve [...]
Did you know that a massive 79 per cent of marketing leads never convert into sales (source: MarketingSherpa)? Lead conversion is a critical success factor for all businesses, but in particular for SMEs, which often have a limited marketing budget. If you spend money on attracting and acquiring new leads, then you must reap the [...]
How to work productively from home and stay sane
