At this time of year, I always take the time to pause and reflect on what has been. Is business everything I thought it would be? Have things gone according to plan? We place so much focus on success and achieving our goals that often when things don’t go how we hoped they would, we perceive this as failure. But the truth is, failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is a vital part of success.

Laura Meyer from Meyer Insure is an insurance broker who not only supports me in my business and personal life insurance policies but also looks after many of my clients. In the episode today, Laura takes us on a deep dive into insurance and answers all of the questions that I know have been plaguing many of you around around policies, cover and risk mitigation for small businesses.

This time of year is a great opportunity to think about time off over the Christmas and New Year period. I no longer subscribe to the hustle culture or the belief that we need to be doing all the time. I learnt the hard way that working and being on all the time is a surefire way to burnout.

No two businesses are the same, which is why every expert who supports your business should treat it as such. In this episode, I’m talking about what it is you can and should expect from experts and what is simply not okay. In this episode, I talk about the fact that over half of small businesses in Australia fail, the reasons behind this and why it’s vital for experts to be supporting business owners in a bespoke way. Many business owners purchase legal templates but taking this type of financial shortcut will only cost you more in the long run.

I have a real treat for you today as I’m chatting with Sarah Stow, the founder of Business Brains and host of the Launch Your Biz Now podcast. We’re talking today about how to remove the money overwhelm and I know you’re going to gain so much value from Sarah’s practical tips and incredible depth of knowledge when it comes to business.

Today's episode is all about a topic that seems to be everywhere at the moment - affiliate marketing. This is a really important topic for small business owners - you need to be aware of both the risks and rewards of affiliate marketing, and what you need to consider before agreeing to participate in it, or use it to promote your business.

We inevitably reach a point in our business where we consider growing our team. That could be outsourcing to a contractor, or bringing in employees. This is often a difficult step - you’ve worked hard to get to where you are and the people you bring in need to align with your business so that it grows the way you want it to.

In this episode, I share the key focus areas to set you up for success to build that all-star team for your business.

New business owners are often hesitant to plan ahead. But I encourage you to flip the script on this. If you go all-in at the beginning, back yourself and get yourself set up for success, you change the whole narrative around your business. This will position your business to grow from strength-to-strength.

As you probably know, Optus recently experienced a data breach that affected millions of customers. As a result, business owners are on high alert, wondering if their data is at risk. In this episode, I’m talking about what you need to know about privacy rules in your business, from a legal perspective and in order to build trust with your customers.

People often turn to DIY spontaneously, because they don’t know how to approach getting professional help, they perceive it to be cheaper, or they don’t care enough to put time and money into it. These are certainly not the reasons you should turn to DIY for your legal documents. I explore the reasons why.

I’m thrilled to be bringing you the first episode in Season 7 and I’m sharing something I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time. In this episode, I’m talking about why I genuinely hate calling myself a lawyer, and I don’t say that lightly.

I talk a lot on the podcast about all the things we do as business lawyers and the advice and tips I’ve got for business owners. So I’m really excited to share with you today what it’s actually like to work with me, straight from one of my clients, Allison Brown.

I have a lot of strategy sessions with new clients who are trying to get their heads around what legal documents they need, why they need them and what to do with them when they’re done. In this episode, I’m taking you through my approach to these valuable strategy sessions, specifically regarding website legal documents.

Using emails and emojis in your business is inherently risky and it’s something business owners don’t often think of, particularly around risk mitigation. In this episode, I’ll share with you the inherent risks associated with emails and emojis, why it’s important to consider them, and what you need to consider in order to minimise your risk.

A topic I get asked a lot about is the legality of sending emails and SMS. Receiving unsolicited emails and text messages can be really annoying so I’m talking today about the Spam Act which outlines the rules, regulations and best practices around when you can and can’t contact people with marketing and business information.

It only takes one disgruntled client or complaint to significantly impact your bottom line. The most crucial way we can protect ourselves from this is by having up-to-date and comprehensive legal documents that are regularly reviewed, especially through growth stages. 

If you don’t have booking and cancellation policies that are clearly detailed, fair and in alignment with Consumer Law within your terms and conditions, you’re leaving yourself exposed as a small business owner with terms you won’t be able to enforce.

This episode is perfect for you if you’re running retreats or looking at running them in the future. You might not have thought of every inclusion, clause or obligation under Consumer Law that we’re exploring so grab a pen and write them all down.

I’m going to share my top 5 tips for what you can be doing in your small business now to set yourself up for a strong financial year ahead. These tips will help you to refocus and start the financial year with intention, structure and a plan.

Do you have a comprehensive employment agreement set up for your employees? If not, you’re leaving yourself open for litigation. I have made it my mission to help business owners avoid these situations through education and proper documentation and I’m here to help you today!