After graduating from college with a law degree, I went to work for a publicly owned company. My boss informed me on the first day that my decisions needed to be guided by the principle that the purpose of the company was to maximise growth and profits. This certainly...

These days, innovation counts as a key differentiator among competing businesses. What are the next great ideas and who will come up with them? Companies that rely upon a small group of people within the organisation to develop proposed innovations may be missing out...

Ensuring a disruption-free supply chain is (or should be) a key goal for every CEO and business leader. This facet of operations has become even more prominent, due to supply chain troubles surfacing within the past several months. According to Logistics Plus,...

Working from home was launched truly into the mainstream with the emergence of the pandemic in 2020, but as concern for COVID-19 recedes, getting employees back into the office can be a challenge. According to a recent article by ABC News, Tesla chief executive Elon...

LinkedIn is a mainstay social media platform for business owners and professionals. No news flash there. But while most of us understand that having an engaging LinkedIn presence can bring tremendous value, many feel that the effort involved can be overwhelming....

Hiring challenges rage on for small businesses and big corporations alike, with little chance of a turnaround coming any time soon. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the total job vacancies in Australia were 423,500, an increase of 6.9% from November...

It is still a tough labour market out there. The Great Resignation and the lack of of eager job candidates are keeping business owners shorthanded and clamouring for new talent. In many cases, this results in a business’s profound inability to meet customer needs....

The current job market is competitive; why make it any more difficult to recruit and retain the right people for your company? Too many businesses focus on getting bodies into open positions, but neglect grooming new hires (as well as veteran employees) for positions...

At The Alternative Board, we've heard hundreds of stories about how and why clients got into business. Each story differs, but one thing remains common: every one of them got into business to provide better services to their customers than the competition. The truth...

You don’t need a crystal ball to see that supply chain disruptions are likely to continue for some time to come. As we are all becoming painfully aware, supply chain disruption “is a major factor driving prices higher around the globe,” notes CNN, “… and predicting...

Twelve years ago, Nicholas’ love for laser tag inspired his father to build up a company that continues to do better every day, despite the many hurdles thrown towards it especially during the current pandemic. Laser Warriors is a mobile laser tag business that...

The facts are in–inflation is growing much faster than wages.  Simply, it costs more to do business, and most analysts agree there is no quick fix. The Australian election campaign has been heavily focused on inflation and the cost of living, and both parties agree...

When the pandemic saw international borders close, international students were some of the most dramatically affected.   Thus, owning a business working with international students was a most challenging time.   Danielle Pringle is an individual business owner,...

Chances are, most successful individuals have benefited from being mentored by a CEO, owner or another business leader at some time in their professional career. If you’re among this group, you’ll likely remember how valuable the experience proved to be. Generally...

Small businesses in Australia are increasingly falling behind due to their lack of involvement in digital tech. Reports suggest that these businesses are less likely to be making any revenue through online means and don’t offer online payment options to customers...

For the first time in the history of the world, the Australian and global workforce consist of five generations of talent; a dynamic that is challenging businesses to rethink how they engage and motivate a multigenerational team of employees. While it would be a...

A member of The Alternative Board (TAB) for just over a year, Grant Colburt has been running a second-generation family business for fifteen years now. Pioneer Poultry was established by Grant’s father 48 years ago in Sydney and has been constantly growing. Grant says...

The Queensland Government has announced a new support grant for small businesses to help them develop aspects within their businesses. Previously, the QLD government launched several grants targeted towards businesses whose operations and finances were affected due to...

We have all gone through tough times throughout the past two years. Now, just as the pandemic might be winding down, the war in Ukraine has shaken Europe bringing with it news of gloom, doom, and an economic depression. Even beyond these negative world events, hiring...

Small businesses in Australia are increasingly falling behind due to their lack of involvement in digital tech. Reports suggest that these businesses are less likely to be making any revenue through online means and don’t offer online payment options to customers...

There are many reasons why job candidates gravitate to a certain kind of job posting, and why employees choose to stay with the same company over a period of years. One key factor is the quality of a company’s culture. For obvious reasons, any culture infused with...

Love it or hate it, networking is essential for business growth and success. It’s often the bane of existence for many business owners that we work with. But if done right, you can take the hassle of it and make it an enjoyable and effective process for all parties...

The process of product innovation has, for some time, relied upon a cadre of forward-thinkers within an organisation, and/or soliciting input from customer surveys and focus groups. These methods often prove eventually fruitful, but they can come with extended...

As a business owner have you ever given any thought as to who will replace one of your senior staff if they were to resign today? It’s a hard question, and the truth is no one really knows when crisis, resignations or leaves of absence might strike. That’s why it’s...

When you hear the word “culture”, what comes to mind? Pre-pandemic, many employers and employees might have considered things such as company gatherings or free merchandise as their company culture. While these elements can certainly play a part in fostering it, they...