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SME Servo
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SME Servo - short interviews with experts helping Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) owners succeed.
21 Episodes
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An interview with Joslyn Hutchinson, Managing Director of The Engaged Space, a consultancy that specialises in delivering integrated business & people management solutions. Joslyn specialises in workplace culture, employee experience and employee engagement. In this interview, Joslyn shares her experience on tailoring a BD strategy to suit your circumstances, the need to understand your capacity limits, and how investing internally in the wellbeing & sustainability of your people isn't just the right thing to do... it carries great marketing benefits.
A special edition of Servo - Ten key lessons, themes and take-outs from the first twenty Servo interviews. Valuable concentrate for any SME owner, leader or driver.
An interview with Mike Chalmers, the "Chief Buyologist" at Buyologists, a consultancy that helps businesses reduce their overhead costs and save on major purchases by finding and negotiating the best possible deals. Mike trains and advises business people on negotiation strategy and writes about negotiation for various newspapers and magazines. In this interview, Mike shares practical but often overlooked ways to improve the buying side of your P&L, and the power of asking simple questions of your suppliers.
In this episode, we speak with Scott Elder, Managing Director of Catalyst Cloud Solutions, a business specialising in cloud integration using Xero ecosystem apps to help SMEs automate bookkeeping, accounting and office administration. Scott's cloud- and app-related services are about finding and realising administrative efficiencies, economies and ultimately delivering business owners peace-of-mind. In this discussion, Scott shares his learnings on building networks of complementarily skilled professionals, the neccessity of automating what you can and the substitute for hard work.
An interview with Deb Purvis, the South Australian Director of Robinson Sewell Partners, specialists in agricultural, commercial and corporate finance and credit advisory solutions. Deb and her team provide tier one finance-based solutions to SME clients, ensuring they have the most cost efficient and flexible financial trading platforms for their business growth and sustainability needs. In this interview, Deb touches on the business fundamentals lenders look for at this highly scrutinised time, the value of a plan and the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people.
An interview with Deb Trebilcock, Lead Canary at Coalmine Canary, a small graphic design agency specialising in the creation and refinement of technical information communication tools (Powerpoint decks, graphs, infographics, editable PDF forms), as well as graphic design services for signage, print advertising (including specialty print finishes) and online communications. In this conversation, Deb talks about bringing an organisation's values to life through design, the persisting role of print creative and not being afraid of blank space on a page.
An interview with Alex Thomas of Alex Thomas Pty Ltd. A Workplace Health and Safety specialist dedicated to co-creating lasting safety outcomes in client businesses. Alex serves clients through workshop facilitation, organisational reviews, research co-investigation, program & system development and strategic planning support. Formally endorsed by the Executive Director of Safework SA, Alex is committed to re-calibrating the value proposition of work health and safety, from ‘box-ticking’ to empowering people, reducing risk and ultimately preventing people from getting hurt. In this interview, Alex discusses practical and effective approaches to improving work safety cultures, starting with "have a conversation".
An interview with Randal Brooks, Managing Director of Results Business Management. A Chartered Accountant with over 30 years experience managing & developing businesses in a diverse array of industries, Randal specialises in identifying and implementing organisational productivity improvements, undertaking commercial feasibilitiy studies on new businesses or revenue streams, and helping business leaders make clear, well-informed and financially diligent strategic decisions. In this interview, Randal talks about the importance of the "how" over the "what", the integrated business of 2019 and the value of cross departmental communication.
An interview with Mel Blondell, Managing Director of Red Seed Productivity Strategists, a consultancy that helps businesses develop people and process strategies to improve productivity and gain competitive advantage. Mel is an experienced executive HR specialist, with leadership experience in the construction, mining, accounting, telecommunications, not-for-profit and public sectors. In this interview, Mel touches on the importance of what leaders do & don't communicate to their teams, the role of measuring performance & delivering feedback, and how the annual performance review is being (and needs to be) replaced with a better alternative.
An interview with Kerry Kingham of KTSB Consulting. Kerry's business helps SMEs improve the effectiveness of their sales teams & activities, successfully navigate change, and build & nurture healthy organisational cultures. Kerry has 30-year background in sales, communication and change management, building sales teams and processes from the ground up. Kerry’s passion and services are focused on developing positive performance and exceptional customer experiences through people and processes. In this interview, Kerry talks about nurturing effective and vital sales behaviours in "non-sales" teams, the need to understand customer needs and tailoring engagement strategies to employee motivations.
An interview with Danielle Moore, Managing Director of Rivergum Communications, a Geelong-based national creative, marketing and comms agency specialising in agribusiness. Danielle and her team are strategic communications specialists with expertise in communication strategy, corporate documentation, campaign production & management, brand & media strategy, stakeholder engagement, crisis management and media engagement. In this interview, Danielle talks about the role of consistenty of voice in communications, the role marketing plays in tying together different contributors to and stakeholders of a business strategy, and the need to keep digital in perspective as part of a wider comms toolkit.
A (one way) conversation with Troy Forrest, Managing Director of Strategy Road and Forrest Workshops. Troy has a near 30-year background in sales & business development roles, and for the past 13 years has consulted to over 120 organisations & coached over 1,000 professionals in sales, technical, service, leadership and governance roles. A strategic planning facilitator and developer of sales teams, Troy shares insights about the role of powerful questions in driving sales, the need for simple business plans, adopting a 3-birds-1-stone mindset and quieting the cash flow pressures for more innovative long-term thinking.
An interview with social media specialist Katharine Crane from Crane Creative. A regionally-based SME owner, Katharine supports businesses across a range of industries with social media management services, photography and content curation, website maintenance, marketing material development and direct email marketing support. In this interview, Katherine talks about the need for authenticity and personality in social media content, the evolving role of video and focusing on what lives in your "genius zone".
An interview with Travis Adams and Alan Hutchinson from Baillieu Limited, one of Australia's oldest financial advisory firms. Travis is a chartered financial analyst, equities specialist and financial advisor, as well as a respected share market commentator. Alan is a financial advisor and senior economist who presents regularly on local, national and international economic forces and movements. In this interview, Travis and Alan talk about the key drivers of business value, the importance of leadership flexibility and speed, keeping focused on the fundamentals and more. A highly valuable listen for any SME leader.
An interview with Owen Williams, Director of Exceed 100, a Brisbane-based consultancy that helps organisations bridge the gap between strategy and implementation. Owen has a 25-year background in commercial, technical and leadership roles in the Australian agribusiness industry, and specialises in sales strategy, value proposition development, product positioning, go-to-market strategy and procurement processes. In this interview, Owen shares his take on the fundamentals of SME success, the vital nature of clear, customer-tested value propositions and the need for all in a team to be over and owning your organisations strategic plan.
An interview with psychologist and wellbeing, resilience & mental toughness coach Michelle Bakjac of Bakjac Consulting. Michelle has spent more than 25 years developing and supporting individuals, teams and organisations with workplace wellness training & strategy development, personal & leadership coaching, organisational development programs and leadership training. In this interview, Michelle shares insights about networking for introverts, creating thriving workplace cultures, dealing with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity in the world, and the impact of coaching-focused leadership on an organisations productivity and culture.
An interview with risk protection specialist Peter Alderson from Shield Insurance Brokers Adelaide. With over 30 years experience in the insurance and risk industry, there are few scenarios that Peter hasn't encountered or protected his SME clients against. From fire, flood and other accidental or deliberate damages, to emerging risks such as cybercrimes and management liability issues, Peter understands risk cover intricacies and helps his clients protect themselves from the consequences of things going wrong. In this short interview, Peter shares some practical experience and insights that every SME owner needs to bear in mind.
An interview with conflict resolution and mediation specialist Deb Black of BlackForrest Consulting. Deb advises business leaders, owners and teams on matters of workplace conflict, industrial relations, restorative justice, change management and leadership development. Her work focuses on ensuring productive team dynamics, effective communication, and constructive, sustainable working relationships. An experienced Board Member, Deb holds numerous tertiary and internationally-recognised qualifications, including GAICD, Bachelor of Social Science, Grad Cert in Mediation and a Diploma in Vocational Education & Training. In this interview, Deb shares insights into communication and building understanding in teams to negate conflict.
An interview with growth specialist James McGill of Chatham Capital Exchange. With over 20 years of strategic and operational management experience in multiple service and product industry sectors, James advises growth enterprises and manages the movement of capital between investors and organisations positioned for growth. With an MBA, Diplomas in Financial & Project Management and a Graduate of the AICD, James possesses a wealth of practical experience relevant to the SME leader seeking growth and prosperity. In this interview, James shares expert insights on the types of questions every SME needs to ask themselves.
An interview with succession planning and business sales expert Bevan Roberts from Succession Plus and Dale Wood Business Sales. Bevan has decades of experience advising and supporting businesses to help them maximise their value, as well as ready for and navigate transition of leadership and ownership. An accredited Family Business Adviser, Exit Planning Institute Adviser and formerly sitting on the Business Development Council of South Australia, there are few scenarios related to SME ownership and management that Bevan hasn't seen. Here, Bevan offers some practical guidance to SME owners and drivers.
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