Although bushfire season is here, this risk is only one of a host of different sources of fire. Arson is often the cause of fire and poor maintenance standards are another serious fire risk for businesses. For instance, damaged or old electrical cabling is all too often the cause of a fire, especially in [...]

It's a heart-racing, stomach-churning, sweaty-palm-inducing prospect: your business is being sued. To protect yourself, take stock of your personal liability well before you get a letter from a lawyer.  And, while it's terrible to think that all your hard work on the business could come undone, it's even worse to contemplate that legal action [...]

So you’ve got that burning desire to start your own business. You’ve honed your particular product or service down to a sure fire proposition, you’ve researched the market, identified the demand you’ll meet and it’s all systems go. It’s an exciting time, but it’s also a time when you need to make decisions that [...]

Most small business owners are born optimists. After all, why take the plunge unless you’re confident you can stay afloat? But positive thinking can only take you so far. To succeed in business and stay on course, you also need to think about what could possibly go wrong and seek the help of an [...]

If you offer a professional service, chances are you're selling your knowledge. But what happens if your advice isn't right? We look at the risks involved in giving advice for a living. To err is human, or so the saying goes. Superstar footy players miss match-winning kicks, the savviest politicians put their foot in [...]

There are a lot of things that can wrong for a business owner. But with a little forethought and a small investment of time and money, many of those risks can be substantially reduced. The typical business owner confronts risks related to safety, operational, financial, strategic, reputational and compliance issues. If these risks can’t [...]

Many Australians, especially those who own businesses, discover they don’t have the cover they need in the worst possible circumstances. Insurance is one of those subjects that many people glaze over. So, just to test how knowledgeable you are about this important but unsexy topic, see how many of the following you can answer. [...]

COVID-19 has produced many challenges for small businesses. But even in a downturn, there are opportunities to develop products and target new customers to drive business growth. Business planning specialist Suzanne Laidlaw, author of What’s Your Plan?, explains understanding the problems your product or service solves is one of the crucial success factors you [...]

Hannah Vasicek abandoned her plans for a legal career to establish Francesca Collections. Here she explains how she scaled up from a market stall to popular retail stores in Hobart and Melbourne. By age 13, Hannah Vasicek was already an entrepreneur. Spotting a gap in the market on her long commute to school, she [...]

You've got killer ideas, fire in your belly and you're prepared to put in the hard yards – the first months of a new business venture are often highly exciting and productive. But a slip up now could cost you not only your capital but also your confidence, your reputation and your business. Sadly, [...]