Over 98% of all businesses in Australia are classified as small to medium enterprises

SME’s as they are widely known , employ nearly 7.5 million people in Australia and contribute close to 1/2 a trillion dollars or roughly one-third of Australia’s Gross domestic product

While that seems impressive …

In ​ 66% of all Australian were employed by small and medium enterprises and they contributed 55% to the gross domestic product of Australia

Why the drop ?

The reasons for this are many.

As always, there lie a world of daily challenges in business — from cash flow constraints and staffing shortages to digital transformation and fierce competition.

And for those at the helm — the owners and leaders of these businesses — the pressures can be immense.

In fact, a recent study found that over 60% of small business owners report feeling overwhelmed, citing long hours, lack of work-life balance, and uncertainty about the future.

Leadership in this space often means wearing many hats — from HR and marketing to operations and finance — often with no or limited support.

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Remember, these are small and medium size businesses they often have very limited or no training in areas like financial management, regulatory compliance , Human Resources , advertising , talent retention and leadership.

One person who has committed herself to helping turn the tide and is focused on helping small to medium business people and leaders with these challenges is Toni Everard .

She is a strategic business alignment coach and has 20 years experience banking, finance and accounting.

For the past 10 years though she has been a coach, therapist and trainer of coaching and communication skills ……

and we are lucky enough to have her join us here today