Mentors
Latest
Plain speaking (and writing) gets your message across
Your customers want things explained in plain English – so why are you smothering them with jargon?

Switching off: Why taking a break from the internet is so difficult
I took a four-day writer’s retreat recently and made a decision to switch off all my devices. I soon discovered switching off takes more than actually holding down the off button, or locking the phone in a box.

Your convenience or mine? A tale of two salespeople
Two salespeople were sent the same sales request. Here’s why one of them closed the deal.

Don’t be a doer
For a soloist, the temptation to say yes to everything can be a response to financial insecurity, but the risk of burnout might teach us that this is false economy. Here are three things to remember about moving from being a doer to a leader.

Taxation: The three Ds of paying dues
Taxation can feel like an unmanageable burden for many sole traders. With the end of the financial year rapidly approaching, here’s how you need to start preparing.

The magic of ideas: How you can give them away and keep them at the same time
In these days of content marketing, many knowledge workers are aware that they need to share their hard-won experience and ideas with the world. But can you do this while still making a decent living?

Are you an elaborator?
In conversations, and especially in emails, it’s easy to bombard people with irrelevant details. Often, it’s far smarter to make sure you ask the right questions.

Three ways to worry less about productivity
While the word ‘productivity’ gets bandied about as if it has the same meaning for everyone, I don’t think it does. Here are three key ways to think about productivity as a soloist.

New year, fresh start
The new year is a great opportunity to start afresh. Here are the big decisions I’ve made to get the most out of 2014.

What lessons have you learnt this year?
The end of the year is an excellent time to look back and reflect on what’s been going on.

Hiring your first employee: When going it alone is no longer an option
There comes a point for every business when going it alone is no longer an option. Here are five key things to consider when you hire your first employee.

Getting started on LinkedIn
Creating your first LinkedIn profile can feel a little daunting. Here are six steps to help you get started.

Getting fit for business
Around this time of year, many Australians start thinking about getting fit for summer. Here are four key tips that will help you to do the same with your business.

A clean desk is a productive desk
As a sole trader, it’s easy to find the paperwork piling up on your desk. Here are four easy steps to cutting the clutter.

Persistence: Surviving and thriving as a sole trader
If you want to survive and thrive as a sole trader, being able to persist through the tough times is vital. Here are the key elements of persistence.

How to save your inspiring ideas
Inspiration sometimes strikes at the strangest times. Here are some good ways to record, track, store and organise your ideas.

The highway to good communications
Good communications is a journey – and one you can’t always map out ahead of time. Thankfully, there are ways to make reaching your desired destination easier.

Procrastination: The time burglar
Is procrastination costing you precious work time? From evaluating costs to using Freddo Frogs, here are five ways to defeat the dreaded time burglar.

How to be your own best boss
If you managed someone else as a boss the same way you manage yourself, what would they say about you? Here are three tough-yet-fair things you can do to improve your self-management style.

Confessions of a serial emailer
Email might be convenient, but there are times it pays to pick up the phone and build a working relationship with the person at the other end.
