Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australia to Reopen to Foreign Visa Holders Australia will allow foreign visa holders to enter the country from the start of December in a bid to revive the economy. International borders have been shut since May 2020 and allowed only restricted numbers of citizens and permanent residents to enter… Read more
Directors are now required to register for a unique identification number that they will keep for life. What is a director ID? A director ID is a 15 digit identification number that, once issued, will remain with that director for life regardless of whether they stop being a director, change companies, change their name, or move overseas. The introduction of the Director Identification Number (DIN) is part of the Government’s… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australia Hits 90%, Single-Dose Mark Australia has hit a new milestone, with 90% of those who are 16 years old and above have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This makes every state and territory on track to hit 80% fully vaccinated by the end of… Read more
The ATO has recently issued an alert on gifts or loans from overseas. The ATO is particularly concerned about schemes and arrangements designed specifically to circumvent Australian tax laws. In general, Australian-resident taxpayers need to declare their worldwide income in their Australian tax returns. Some schemes however disguise offshore capital gains or income as a gift or loan. So, how does the ATO know if money from overseas is a… Read more
The start of a business is an exciting time. You’ve got a great idea for a business and are enthusiastic to get started. It’s important to plan ahead to give your business the best chances for success. Planning ahead means anticipating challenges and developing ways to successfully address them, so they don’t upend your start-up. Here are reasons why start-ups fail and ways you can avoid them Lack of market… Read more
Receipts are vital to successfully running a business. You need receipts to track your purchases and expenses. Your clients need receipts for their tax purposes and to manage their finances. Paper receipts have been around a long time, so many people are used to them and may even be resistant to moving away from them. Thanks to technology, paper receipts are becoming more a thing of the past. There are… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. $44 Million Recovery Package for Melbourne The Melbourne Money scheme is returning to the CBD, with the state government and City of Melbourne launching a $200m “revitalisation fund”. From 15 November, those dining in the CBD between Monday and Thursday can claim a 30% discount – of up to… Read more
The Australian Taxation Office recently updated its guidance on tax and cryptocurrency. In early November, the Commonwealth Bank announced that it is now Australia’s first bank to offer customers the ability to buy, sell and hold crypto assets, directly through the CommBank app. You know when the banks come on board, cryptocurrency has become normal. But cryptocurrency is only one part of the blockchain universe. Non-fungible tokens or NFTs (fungible… Read more
There’s a lot of data supporting the idea that it’s less costly, easier and more efficient to encourage repeat customers than bring in new ones. Among the stats Hubspot lists are that a 5% increase in customer retention is responsible for more than 25% increase in profit; repeat customers are 9 times more likely to convert than first-time visitors, and a 2% increase in customer retention has a similar impact… Read more
Balancing customer experience against your budget is a difficult task. You need the right amount of staff working to keep customers happy, but not so many people that workers are standing around looking for things to do. If your customers have long wait times, that’s good news for you initially—it means your business is popular. The bad news is customers won’t wait around forever for you to fix your time… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australia-Singapore Travel Lane Begins on 8 November Australia and Switzerland will join the eleven countries – including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and France – that have signed on to Singapore’s vaccination travel lane arrangement that replaces quarantine with COVID-19 testing pre-departure and on arrival. The… Read more
If you’re looking for people to invest in your business, be prepared to answer some important questions. Investors look for smart investment opportunities—that means they want to find out as much as they can about you and your business before they make a decision about whether or not to invest with you. It’s vital to have well-thought-out answers to investors’ questions. Give them evidence you’ve thoroughly examined your business to… Read more
COVID-19 support will roll back as states and territories reach vaccination targets The National Plan, the road map out of COVID-19, does more than provide greater freedoms at 70% and 80% full vaccination rates, it withdraws the steady stream of Commonwealth financial support to individuals and businesses impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures. We look at the impact and the support that remains in place. For individuals The COVID-19… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. We’re thinking of everyone affected by lockdowns around the country and encourage you to reach out if you have any questions about your business during this time. Melbourne to Ease Lockdown Melbourne is set to lift its stay-at-home orders by Friday. This comes as Victoria’s vaccination rate is set… Read more
Superannuation is not like other assets as it is held in trust by the trustee of the superannuation fund. When you die, it does not automatically form part of your estate but instead, is paid to your eligible beneficiaries by the fund trustee according to the rules of the fund, superannuation law, and the death nomination you made. Death nominations Most people have a death nomination in place to direct… Read more
Starting your own business requires enough capital to ensure you can pay your bills until your company turns a profit. Depending on the type and size of your business, you may need thousands of dollars monthly to cover overhead. If you’re wondering where to find business start-up funding, there are a variety of options available to you. Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages, and it’s important to… Read more
In its 2020 Budget Digital Business Plan, the Australian government announced the full implementation of the Modernising Business Registers (MBR) program. The program is designed to both establish the new Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS), and enhance how businesses register and manage their information with the government. Although the ABRS rolls out progressively between 2021 and 2024, one of the immediate changes is that business directors must obtain a director… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. We’re thinking of everyone affected by lockdowns around the country and encourage you to reach out if you have any questions about your business during this time. Sydney Reopens After Months of Lockdown Cafes, gyms, and restaurants in Sydney opened for fully vaccinated customers on Monday after months in… Read more
If you’re looking to grow your business, you might consider expanding your service offerings. Adding additional services is a good way to increase your profitability, diversify your income and expand your market. But there are important things to consider before adding to your income streams. Here are important things to keep in mind when you consider adding to your services. 1. Does the expansion complement your business? The best way… Read more
Your business needs cash. Cash is what keeps your company in operation and enables it to grow, so you should know how much cash your business needs to survive. Although many people think the answer is linked solely to operating expenses, this isn’t the case. There is no single factor that determines how much cash every business needs to have on hand. Somewhere between 3-6 months of operating expenses is… Read more