This TED Talk by Tom Hulme (7mins duration) is a great and simple example of what we already know; that our customers will always do what suits them, irrespective of the intended use of our supplied product/service. Although the talk focuses on "Desired Walking Paths", the message is clear; we need to ensure we know what our customers want and focus our supplied product/service to what our customers require. Click on the following link to watch. The Desired Path
Be the best you can be
Carter CCG is dedicated to help businesses and people realise their potential
Leadership Development
Training, assessment & development for teams and leaders in small, medium, and large-sized organisations, optimising potential so that individuals & organisations can be the “Best They Can Be”
Executive Coaching
Behavioural coaching for executives, managers, and private clients to help navigate through workplace and life challenges, including career transition.
Psychological Assessment
Proven assessment tools to support recruitment, selection and development programs. Emotional intelligence and 360 survey's for individuals and teams.
360 Surveys
An on-line 360 degree feedback survey designed to gather real-time feedback about an individual or team’s performance. It is ideally suited for feedback on Communication Effectiveness and High Impact Leadership within the world of work.
Business Improvement
Development of competencies, knowledge and processes within the organisation that identifies competitive advantages and results in growth of business revenue & profitability.
Interim Management
Support for Business Owners/Managers that encourages focus on the development of business strategies, cohesive teams and planning techniques. Project Management can also be undertaken.
30 / 11 / 2017
Deals, Negotiations, Presentations & Relationship Selling
My second lecture to the RMIT Entrepreneur students asked the question now the product/service is defined, how do you go about getting funding and pre...
04 / 08 / 2017
Lecturing Potential Entrepreneurs
Presenting Information to IT students from RMIT about entrepreneurship gave me an opportunity to raise the awareness of risks and rewards associated w...
22 / 03 / 2017
Assessment & Development of Competent Employees
To succeed in business, amongst other things, you need the best employees who are competent, know the business and are willing to put the company befo...
15 / 03 / 2017
Working Capital for SME's
Working capital is a simple concept that can give an immediate indication on how a business is travelling. It is the difference between the current (s...
02 / 03 / 2017
Productivity
The importance of productivity cannot be underestimated. Governments are obsessed with productivity indexes, businesses want more from the same resour...
22 / 02 / 2017
Building Quality into the Products & Services you Supply
What is the importance of quality to organisations and why does it matter? Having raised the issue of brand in a previous blog, the impact of product ...
06 / 12 / 2016
Are Your Customers Satisfied?
What is this mythical concept of Customer Satisfaction? We hear it bandied around all the time and recognise that Customer Satisfaction is a truism. B...
28 / 09 / 2016
Why Delivery Performance Matters for SME's
My initial exposure to the importance of delivery performance goes back to my early corporate days when a “Visionary” joined the company I...
09 / 09 / 2016
The principals of Branding for SME's
When you think of branding what is it that you see? The dollars you have to pay the commercial people to develop a brand? The indefinable KPI’...
16 / 08 / 2016
12. SME's (Capital Raising)
So you are ready to start your business. The plan is written, the suppliers have been sourced and the customers are primed and ready to buy your wares...
27 / 06 / 2016
11. SME's (Investment in Capital Equipment)
Investing you hard earned profits back into you business is a decision all business owners face. There is certain IP & machinery that a business r ......
09 / 06 / 2016
10 SME's (Profitability & Cashflow)
This article is devoted to the consideration of what is meant by profitability and how this can be maximised. In simple terms the profitability is the...
25 / 05 / 2016
09. SME's (Costs)
Costs come in a number of forms. The obvious is financial, another is time and the third is the well being of the business owner and the business. ....
09 / 05 / 2016
08. SME's (Liquidity)
Liquidity The concept of liquidity is reasonably simple; do you have enough cash or readily available funds to pay your outstanding debts? ......
04 / 04 / 2016
07. SME's (Business Growth)
Business Growth All businesses start out offering a product and service that a customer will want to buy. Once the first Invoice has been dispatched,...
19 / 02 / 2016
06. SME's (Community)
I initially started this blog to recognise the importance of the community that organisations work in and the need for businesses to respect and give ...
13 / 01 / 2016
5. SME's (The Business Owner)
A business starts with someone’s bright idea. This idea is a passion for which a business opportunity presents itself. The entrepreneur has a vi...
14 / 12 / 2015
04. SME's (Employees)
What is the competitive advantage that organisations have? Is it their unique products? Is it their exceptional service? Or is it the people who run a...
11 / 11 / 2015
3. SME's (Suppliers)
We occasionally see the term Vendors used instead of suppliers. I find Vendor is a confusing term. “Vendor” is primarily used in the USA a...
06 / 10 / 2015
2. SME's (Customers)
Who has ever seen the following “Rules of Engagement?” Rule Number One: The customer is always right.Rule Number Two: When the customer i...
06 / 10 / 2015
1. SME's
Today and into the future the SME sector will continue to be the workhorse of Australian enterprises. It is good to see this being recognised by the F...
Be the best you can be.
Shortcuts
Topical
Cashflow
12 months ago Chrstine D'Mello wrote in The Age on 11th December 2017 about the risk of running out of...
An Alternative to Bank Funding for SME's
Cara Waters in The Age on 27th March 2018 highlighted that there is alternative funding for SME's other than the...
To be successful you need more than innovation
I was drawn to this article by John Wasik published in the age on the 2nd January 2018, because it...
How do you manage a New Business Acquisition?
This article by Stephen Bartholomeusz in The Age (29th May 2018) reviews the failed attempt of Bunnings in the UK....
Are you paying yourself?
This article by Nina Hendy of The Age on 27th November is important for all Business Owners to think about....
Be Careful with What you Measure!
The impact of measuring is that these things get done, sometimes with unwanted consequenses. Ross Gittens of the Age published...
Learning from business failure
Melissa Singer of The Age on 26th May highlights the main reason for Topshop's demise in Australia. Topshop's ambitious plans for...
Opportunities in the Energy Sector
The Age on the 8th May published an article about batteries and the potential for energy storage. This is the...
The success story that is Swisse
In The Age on the 9th May Mark Hawthorne wrote about the success story of Swisse Wellness. A business that...
Business Health
This article by Nina Hendy of The Age highlights the importance of understanding your business. What is it that is...
Being a SME Company Director
Many of us just want to get on with business. However, like all things in life, it is never so...
Business Culture
Here is a good summary of the importance of a good business culture (outlined by Harold Mitchell in The Age...
Employee Satisfaction
I enjoyed this article by Ross Gittins in The Age on the 16th November for 2 reasons. It highlights that...
Good Management means better productivity
Management & Productivity are inextricably linked. It is important as managers that we are the best we can be to...
Business Risks 2
SME's are not good at Business Governance in which I include Third Party Insurance, Public Liability & Personal Indemnity. In...
Business Risks
This article by Nick Toscana and published in The Age on the 4th October highlights why business owners and managers...
Have a Go.
I admire Harold Mitchell's attitude that is obvious in all the articles of his that I have read. In this...
Women board members are important for better business performance
There are facts behind the positive impact women have in the performance of companies. This article by Georgia Wilkins in...
Let's Focus on Business & Productivity Improvement
In this article wriiten by Ross Gittins and published in The Age on the 19th September, Ross argues that CEO's...
Alternatives for SME Financing
On Monday 5th September in an article by Nina Hendy of The age highlighted the frustration small business had with...
The surge in Start Ups
In the Age on Sunday 4th September, Anna Patty highlighted the large numbers of startup that commenced trading each week...
Developing your Customer Relations
Nina Hendy of The Age writes about how to win your customers over and maintain their loyality. It is clear...
What is your most Important Resource
This article (Making Most of Mistakes Aids Success) written by Larissa Ham was published in The Age on the 25th July...
Social Media Usage
Like it or not Social Media is here to stay. Alice Mentiplay of The Age reports that our most recent...
Customer Focus
This TED Talk by Tom Hulme (7mins duration) is a great and simple example of what we already know; that...
Make sure your Business is more than a Fad
I was particularly interested in this article written by Sylvia Pennington of the Age. She rightly asks the question of...
Unleash the Entrepreneur
As Australia moves from traditional manufacturing to focus on new age and high tech innovation, the SME sector will lead...
Ethical Behaviour
Benjamin Koh was the whistleblower at Comminsure and demands our respect for standing up for what he believed was correct....
Cost Awareness
Caroline James of The Age (click the link below) reminds all SME's of the impact costs have on margins. All...
A new marketing tool for SME's
A trend that is growing which aids the quest for businesses and ideas to become more visible is the Podcast....
Another Rags to Riches story
How often do we hear of people with minimal means make it in their adopted country. I love to read...
Lessons for SME's from the demise of Dick Smith Electronics
Elizabeth Knight of "the Age" wrote this article a day after the announcement that Dick Smith was to be placed...
Capital Raising for Startups and SME's
Our federal parliament is considering new rules around startup organisations raising funds. The article written by Lucy Battersby looks at...
Innovators will always be Innovators
Sometimes we look for help when it is not needed. This article by Harold Mitchell highlights that innovative people will...
Innovation
One of the critical success factors for small businesses (and indeed all businesses) is to continue to innovate. This article...
Small business is hardest hit by insolvency
This article confirms the fact that the SME sector dominates the insolvency statistics. It is a timely reminder that business should...