November Updates

Small Business Australia unveiled the Get The Edge program at the inaugural conference held in October over two information-packed days.

This program was designed and developed by industry leaders and contains the latest research, trends, innovations, tips, and information on how to get and keep the edge on your competition.

The Get The Edge program is now available on our premium membership platform, Business Advantage. Your six-month access for $195 contains over 10 hours of on-demand videos, resources, tools and up to $5,000 savings on business expenses. Conference ticket holders and Business Advantage members can access the Get The Edge program for free.

The conference was a great success due to the involvement of our partners and sponsors. We want to thank our principal partner, NAB, as well as our other partner organisations including Telstra, PEXA, Microsoft, Australia Post, Thryv, Virgin Australia, HR Central, Sprint Law, Torfx, Reckon, Novatti, MYOB, Australian Marketing Lists, Grant Help, The Australia China Business Council, Melbourne Business Network, TTS, The Small Business Association of Australia, The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, Birchal and Mark Carter, our fabulous MC on Day 1.

Changes To Unfair Contract Terms Laws that will impact Small Business Taking Place In November 2023

Amendments to legislation commencing on 9th November 2023 will impact standard form contracts and small businesses. If you’re a small business, then keeping up with Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is crucial in order to ensure compliance. Understanding what these changes are and how they will affect your business is essential, as their consequences result in heavy legal penalties that are set to be introduced soon.

Consumer law can be a lot to take in, plus there’s a lot of middle ground and room for interpretation. If you’re feeling unsure about something, acting now to ensure you’re complying with consumer laws can save you a major headache down the line.

Since Google launched its own chatbot Bard, scammers are relying on the ignorance of the general public and the small business community to click on Ads for the AI tool.

Hackers in India and Vietnam have been tricking small business owners into clicking on ads that tell users to download Bard, but instead are downloading malware that compromised their social media accounts.

Doing something about the threats:

Mastercard have produced an informative series on YouTube – Mastercard Cyber Secure in 60 Seconds. The playlist includes 10 great tips to help protect your business.

James Buzzard, Partner CTO and Technology Strategist at Microsoft, spoke recently at the Small Business Australia Conference about the benefits coming for all businesses as AI evolves and also, more importantly, about the need for all businesses and consumers to understand how to protect their business and its precious data as the use of AI increases.

Listen to the experts about:

• How AI and the new generation of digital platforms and tools will reduce the time and hassle of doing tasks in your business that you hate
• Discover how suppliers and supporters of small business can help you navigate the fast-changing business landscape through free training, advice and other business value-added services.
• Learn what digital and social media channels are best for your industry and what is essential in making them work for your business.
• Find product and service offers that give over $5,000 in savings in the following areas: Digital, IT and Website, Finance and Insurance, Human Resources, Marketing and Advertising, Training and Coaching, and much more.

Missed out on a ticket to our Get the Edge Conference? You can now purchase access and watch as James and other experts in their fields provide practical strategies, processes and tools that will give you the Edge on your competition.

PEXA Australia have just released their latest market research reports which make for some interesting reading about the current state of the Australian Property Market.

As the end of the year approaches remember to take some time to look after yourself and most importantly remember that many others rely on you.

As the year winds to a close it seems like there is still so much more to do and, as usual, still so little time to do it in, This is often a stressful time of the year for all business owners and the need to maintain your mental health is vital so please take a couple of minutes to look at NewAccess for Small Business Owners.

Beyond Blue’s NewAccess for Small Business Owners (NASBO) is a guided self-help mental health coaching program. It’s free, confidential and convenient and is available nationally by phone or video call, no GP referral is required. Over 6 sessions, your mental health coach will work with you to manage stress and overwhelm using straightforward problem-solving approaches. All mental health coaches are specially trained and have a small business background so they understand your unique challenges.

Cash flow for small business success
Dec 13 12:30 – 1:30pm

Starting Your Small Business – Learn more and register for the online course here.

Article – What you need to know about small business restructuring

Mentoring for growth – This webinar provides business owners and managers with access to expertise from business experts on a variety of challenges and opportunities that you will face as a business. Register for the webinar here.

Starting a business or reinvigorating an existing business workshop – Designed specifically for people seeking to start a new business or re-energize an existing business. Click here to book for free.

Workshops – View available workbooks and learn which ones are right for you here.