The Boomers are Retiring: Opportunities for Business Buyers
It turns out the average retirement age for Australians is the highest it's been since the 1970s. With apparently 20% of new employment since 2019 being people aged 55 and above!
Category: Managing an SME
Top CEO reflects on his biggest mistakes
The co-founder and CEO of Koda Capital, Paul Heath, spoke on the ’15 Minutes with the BOSS podcast’ about the biggest mistakes he’s made in his career. He spoke often of change, and the impact that change can have on the people in your organisation.
How relevant is generative AI for Australian SMEs today?
McKinsey expects gen-AI programs to cost $3 in change management for every $1 in development and reports that only 15% of companies surveyed attribute meaningful earnings from gen-AI activities. Large corporates have certainly developed compelling use cases. Out-of-stock monitoring (Woolworths), prediction of high-risk centres during extreme weather events (Suncorp) and streamlining of mortgage applications (Westpac) are but a few of many examples.
What to do when you need a change or you’re just running out of steam?
I recently spoke to Mick Spencer from Gravity Seltzer. During our conversation Mick was very honest about failure and spoke about how he had been on a journey and had eventually figured out what he was best at and what he needed others to do who were better than him at certain things.
Ethical Business: Alive or Dead
A glance at last Thursday's front page of the AFR and you might be forgiven for thinking ethical business is dead. The calls for Richard Goyder to resign amid claims of unethical customer treatment with the “Ghost Flights” scandal and the illegal sacking of 1,700 workers at Qantas. The leaking of confidential information from treasury to its clients by PwC and we haven’t even turned a page yet!
WFH and the paradigm shift
Long hours and a heavy workload seem to be the norm in professional service firms, that may not change anytime soon, but what does appear to be changing is that increased flexibility toward staff is now becoming the norm.
How to Sell a Business Lesson #9: What do I need to do to be ready?
The terms “Exit Ready” and “Investor Ready” have become very popular when discussing what might need to happen in the period running up to when an owner might wish to merge or exit their business.
How to Sell a Business: Lesson #8: What will it cost me to sell my business? Who do I really need to help me?
Selling your business is an important and significant life event. Few people get to build an enterprise that somebody else wishes to own and will pay a significant sum for.. Often, it’s the most valuable material asset you own and is the result of a lifetime’s work. When it comes time to sell or merge, it makes sense to do it right.
Exclusivity period-why bother?
An exclusivity period is normally agreed upon between the vendor and the buyer once the headline indicative terms are agreed. These terms are typically set subject to due diligence and contract. Whilst these terms are rarely binding (although there are exceptions), they do set a detailed framework for what is going to happen as parties move toward a completed deal.
What are tyre kickers and how you can avoid them
I was struck by the recent article in the Australian Financial Review by Yolanda Redrup, who quoted a frustrated CEO of Infomedia saying he had “closed the door on tyre kickers”.
I have witnessed this frustration many times, where vendors become sick of so-called buyers who turn out to be not serious acquirers.
How to Sell a Business Lesson #7: How to fairly structure a deal
Lesson #7 in our series, How to Sell a Business, covers the critical matter of deal structure. Once a willing buyer and a winning seller agree that they wish to transact, how should the transaction be constructed?
Gen Z: How will they change your business?
In just a couple of years, Generation Z will make up around a quarter of the workforce. This will have a significant impact on our working lives, and business owners will need to enter their world to understand what they want and how they communicate.
Rapid, unexpected disruption!
New AI phenomenon ChatGPT has the potential to be a big disruptor. For business owners, it highlights just how the best laid plans can come undone, and there is no perfect time to sell.
Cybercrime is on the Up!
Recently, Oasis senior staff were targeted by a fraudulent email, purporting to be an email from the CEO. It left us vulnerable to a cyberattack.
How to Sell a Business Lesson #6: How to sell a business when you’re not making a profit?
Businesses in Australia make an average profit of just under 10% of turnover. However, 20% of businesses in Australia don’t make any profit, that’s about 200,000 companies! In Lesson #6 we address the very real question facing those owners who are not making any profit, is my business worth anything?