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 […]
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 […]
The founders of Sydney-based startup FoodByUs have evolved their online homemade meal marketplace to provide cafés and wholesale food suppliers with a distribution solution that doubles as a matchmaking service. FoodByUs was conceived by Ben Lipschitz, founder of footwear brand Flipsters, together with Tim Chandler, Menulog’s former lead developer, and Menulog co-founder Gary Munitz. It launched in […]
Nearly one in two Australian businesses are leaving themselves vulnerable to bad debt by not performing credit checks on their existing customers, new research shows. In a survey conducted by Australian credit bureau CreditorWatch, business owners, accountants and credit professionals from small to large-scale businesses were asked questions in relation to their credit management responsibilities. […]
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 […]
Last week, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman released the findings of the Inquiry into Payment Times and Practices in Australia. The results were startling but, for many small businesses across Australia, they were not surprising. The inquiry revealed almost half of small business are owed more than $20,000 from late payments, and […]
Competition reforms tabled in Federal Parliament this week backs small businesses to grow, innovate and create more jobs, according to Small Business Minister Michael McCormack. He said the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Competition Policy Review) Bill 2017 implements a number of recommendations from a landmark review of Australian competition policy to help small businesses to compete […]
Coinciding with the anticipated release of the Small Business Ombudsman’s report on its inquiry into payment times and practices, American Express has released research showing mid-sized Australian businesses owe $8 billion in outstanding payments to suppliers, with more than $2 billion currently overdue. According to Martin Seward, VP, Small & Medium Enterprises at American Express Australia, […]
Australian SMEs and start-ups are increasingly taking advantage of the changing global economy and importing goods that may not be available locally or can be produced at a cheaper price overseas. While importing can be an excellent way to grow your business and keep production costs to a minimum, it is important for SMEs to […]
