Cybercriminals are targeting businesses with a new scam that uses fake invoices to trick the business into paying money to the scammer. The invoices look legitimate and are often sent from a legitimate-looking email address, making it difficult for busy finance teams to spot the fakes. According to the ACCC’s Scamwatch, Australian businesses lost $2.8 […]
With companies increasingly defaulting on payments, going into administration and getting wound up by the ATO, small to medium businesses are more vulnerable than ever to bad debtors. To safeguard their bottom line against slow and non-payers, it is necessary for businesses to perform due diligence on their customers and otherwise maintain an effective credit management system. Our […]
Inadequate cash flow has been cited as the cause of two in five business failures in Australia *, lending credence to the age-old saying that ‘cash is king’ (an especially unmerciful one at that). For this week’s “Let’s Talk…” feature, we asked more than a dozen thought leaders to identify the common mistakes startup founders and other […]
Running a small business has many rewards, but it has never been an endeavour for the faint-hearted. One of the most common yet avoidable areas of stress for SME owners is the ability to manage and maintain sufficient cashflow. [Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a 12-part series, by accountant and serial entrepreneur Tanya […]
Businesses are being encouraged to promote their commitment to good payment time practices by signing up to the National Payment Transparency Register, established this week by the Australia Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO). The Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, first called for a national register in her report into payment times and practices, published in […]
Federal Government agencies are paying 96% of their small business contractors within thirty days of receiving an invoice, according to a new report. Minister for Small Business, Michael McCormack said the latest Pay On-Time report also found agencies were paying 60% of invoices up to $1 million within 20 days, and that the overall results […]
The Christmas Blackout period can bring Australian small businesses to a halt as wage bills take priority and payments begin to dry up. With everybody looking to preserve the cash they have available, business to business transactions begin to slow down from November through to February, leaving some business owners scrambling or tying themselves up […]
The Federal Government will begin paying small business suppliers ten calendar days sooner to improve their cashflow, it has been announced. Under the Government’s revised ‘pay on time’ policy, Small Business Minister Michael McCormack said federal agencies and entities will be required to pay invoices for contracts worth up to $1 million within 20 calendar […]
Sydney fintech startup Waddle is expanding into New Zealand due to strong interest for its cloud-based funding software technology amongst SMEs from the neighbouring nation, its co-founders explained. Founded in 2014 by high-school friends Simon Creighton, Leigh Dunsford and Nathan Andrews, the SME lender integrates with accounting software platforms and provides businesses with a real-time view […]
Companies that sign-up to the voluntary Australian Supplier Payment Code commit to not only paying small business suppliers within thirty days of receiving a correct invoice but also helping them implement technologies and practices to speed up invoicing. The code is an initiative of the Business Council of Australia (BCA), which believes that it will […]
