Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 4 February 2020

Cash flow is King, we all know that. But interestingly, the son of Cash Flow is Prince Invoice - the door to getting paid. But many owners can get this important part of business wrong and lose valuable time and money having to chase payments unnecessarily.

As the saying goes, ‘turnover is vanity, profit is sanity’.  Even if sales are brilliant, without the cash flowing back into the business,  the outcome can be disastrous.

So how can you make sure that your invoice IS paid on time AND, you don’t feel like the ‘bad guy’... you maintain your relationship with your clients at the same time?

Today we welcome Jan Reeves, author of an Amazon #1 best seller,  Get Paid!! ‘The 5 Steps to Getting Your Invoices Paid on Time, Every time. Jan is going to share with us her path that led her to run her own very profitable small business, write her book and some fantastic top tips on how to get paid faster.

Welcome to the show Jan.

Topics we’ll be covering:

What’s your background and what led you to write the book and educate small businesses all about getting paid faster

25 years working in credit control in corporate getting customers to pay as fast as possible - by the due date or before. First 10 years with a v successful organisation. Brilliant at customer service. Then I took that to other corporates struggling in the cash flow area.

I started my own business in recruitment specialising in accounts receivable personnel for corporate businesses

BUT I didn’t know about running a business myself - I almost went broke because I forgot to ‘mind the gap between invoicing and getting paid.

Why I wrote the book: After I sold my business, I realised that one of the reasons why it was so profitable was that we got paid on time, so I never had to worry about cash flow - I just got on with selling. We were like a sales/cash machine.

You believe getting paid is all about customer service - what lessons did you learn from running your own business

How to get paid AND maintain great relationships - to do it well, recruitment is all about building relationships. With strong relationships there's lots of repeat business which makes the business more profitable

Why don’t organisations pay on time?

The misconceptions. MYTHS

Over 50% don’t get paid because the invoice is actually incorrect, the client waits for you to call!

5-step process - practical tips

Setting up clients correctly through onboarding process - what the client wants to see on the invoice. CHECK your invoices - make it easy for your clients to pay you.

Choosing the right clients who will actually pay you! Ask for references. What’s the difference of who can pay and who won’t pay - how to recognise the difference?

Build a relationship with the accounts person. It’s not as simple as sending an invoice. Give them a call (easily disguised as customer service)

So the invoice goes out correctly. Half the battle.

Then use a customer service call to check that it’s fine - right place, right person.

If there’s a problem, your invoice won’t get paid until it’s fixed so own it. Doesn’t matter who made the error.

And then keep on top of it...

To find out more go to their website: https://janreeves.com/

Brief bio

Jan Reeves: Author, Business Builder and Cash Flow Coach

Jan is living proof that you can run a profitable small business. Jan owned and managed one of the most profitable small businesses in Australia. Most of her competitors had profits of under 10%, many with just 3 or 4%. Jan’s recruitment company achieved 24%!

Strong cash-flow and high profitability can make a MASSIVE difference to the value of any small business. Having sold her business for a record sum, Jan now shares her proven GET PAID! systems and strategies with other business owners via her Amazon #1 best-selling book ‘GET PA

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 4 February 2020

There aren’t too many of us who, in our early 30’s could’ve said we had founded a successful, world renowned social enterprise, travelled to a third world country multiple times & been inspired in business, had billionaire mentors, and then had it all crashing down around us, only to pick ourselves up & spoken publicly all over the world about that journey.

But Adam Long certainly can. He’s earned the title as the Ethical CEO through all these challenges.

A powerhouse of the social enterprise world. Adam Long is cofounder of Conscious Step: Socks That Fight Poverty, the founding CEO of Smarter Drafter, and as The Ethical CEO finds revenue for businesses that matter, such as Humanitix - a name synonymous with doing good in the events world. He’s going to share with us his journey - and it is not always warm and fuzzies smooth sailing in the not for profit sector.

Welcome to the show Adam.

Topics we’ll be covering:

Adam’s Experience

Industrial design student pushing back against the structured education at uni & arguing that the resolution to the problems they posed wasn’t a “thing” but changes in policy, social constraints are the solution.

The Boxing Day Tsunami triggered many years of depression. To cope with the depression, Adam started volunteering with Rotary and then Engineers Without Borders in the Philippines.

You met Jacobia, a little girl in the village in which Adam was volunteering, who wasn’t in school. Her story showed you that small things can make a big difference.

Adam’s first attempt to change the world was a sustainable 3D-printing business called BeeHive, founded with investment from Small Giants, the family office of Daniel Almagor (who founded Engineers Without Borders). Adam discovered that he didn’t have the skills to run a business – and it ran out of money in under 12 months. Adam had to let go two people on Xmas eve, the negativity around the feeling of losing your own and someone else’s money was awful. We are lucky for the support network in Australia (i.e. Centrelink), which gives us a chance to fail – and try again.

So what is impact investing?

Looking for “shareholder value” that actually matches to values, rather than just a financial return. Business is the vehicle for social change.

What’s the difference between social enterprise & NFP?

Self sufficiency vs dependency on donations

Examples – Conscious Step & Humanitix

Journey of Conscious Step – idea, testing, from Glebe markets in Sydney to being worn by Matt Damon, Al Gore and Jane Goodall.

Learning from Adam

How can you be sure the self-sustaining model of your social enterprise is working?

The business model matters – the social impact has to be inherent in the operations of the business, not something that happens only when the organisation makes a profit. Profit can be “made to disappear”, so social impact must be made an operating cost. For example, Conscious Step donates to charities for every pair of socks made (not sold – it’s up to Conscious Step to recover the funds).

What are some of the mistakes you made along the way that made you stray from your path?

Knowing what skills you’re lacking and who to engage with others to help, teach or be that person – for Adam it was marketing and learned lots of different businesses and different models

So you want to start a social enterprise? Start Up Top Tips

A social enterprise is no different to running any other business. People won’t buy your product just because it’s ethical. It needs to be the same quality, or better, and it needs to be the same price, or better. It’s why Humanitix is succeeding.

Address root causes. You don’t want a business that is dependent on the problem staying a problem, or oppressed people staying oppressed.

Make outrageous asks everyday – that’s how Humanitix pa

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 28 January 2020

One of the main hurdles to starting any business these days is a website and the whole process of going online. We all know it has to happen but it can be long and onerous and expensive if you don’t have the time or expertise to do it yourself.

It can also be daunting if you have no experience with digital marketing and a brand new idea where there are no examples to follow.

But here to help is Suzanne Mitchell, the Marketing Director from GoDaddy who will give us some inside knowledge on navigating the maze of online marketing, discuss the changing patterns of behaviour of Australian small business online and share with us some interesting facts from their recent research into a growth sector in small businesses - the disgruntled employee...

Welcome to the show Suzanne.

Topics we’ll be covering:

The website landscape is evolving, what has GoDaddy noticed about the changing patterns of behaviour in small business in Australia over the last 5 years?

Are entrepreneurs still “buying up” multiple domains as a form of protecting their name and IP or are they using other marketing tools to own their name?

In your opinion are small businesses better at positioning themselves online as the experts, or do we still have more to learn from corporates?

What are your top tips to improve the functionality of a small business website and accessing your ideal clients?

What about the tools available to improve digital marketing?

Tell us about the recent white paper which explored the entrepreneurial spirit of Aussie workers & what does this mean for small businesses?

One third of workers were interested in setting up their own businesses

Is there a correlation between this and the likelihood of these workers becoming entrepreneurs? (there was a distinct shift towards a younger demographic)

But 62% said it was too expensive to start a new business - why do you think this was?

What can we do to support our employees’ who are dissatisfied?

To find out more go to their website: https://au.godaddy.com/

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 21 January 2020

The future, sustainability and social enterprise go hand in hand but what is often missing from this equation when starting a business is long term profitability. You can’t sustain a business on goodwill alone and even if you are able to tap into all the kindness out there you’ll eventually run out of customers or steam. So how can you find that perfect balance and Profit for Purpose?

Sure, it’s easy to put sustainability in the too-hard, the I-don’t-know-how or I-don’t-know-how baskets - but can we really afford to do that now?

Today you listeners are in for a treat. You’ll learn that through hard work, perseverance and a passion this balance can be found. We are joined on Small Biz Matters by Paul Frasca - a giant in the sustainability world. In 2015 he and his partner Ewelina Soroko founded Sustainable Salons dedicated to reducing waste in hair salons - the industry where he first started. He’s an international speaker; who remarkably never uses notes on stage and listening to him inspires.

He’s not afraid to speak his mind on the future of not only his industry but all of small business and is passionate about sustainability being the non-negotiable driving force.

Welcome to the show Paul.

Topics we’ll be covering:

How did you start this 'hairy' business :)

In your experience as a leader in the small business world; why do you think there is such a huge movement towards sustainability and social enterprise? Where do you believe this momentum is coming from?

How does Sustainable Salons work and what practical tips can you give other small business to become more sustainable?

In general, why do you think it’s important that small businesses join a professional association and collaborate together within an industry?

How can everyday people support the sustainable salons movement?

To find out more go to their website: https://sustainablesalons.org/

 

PAUL FRASCA

CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Paul Frasca started his hairdressing career at the age of 11. He was a salon owner by the age of 19. Winning a prestigious Hairdressing Award took him to Europe where he styled an elite clientele for the next decade.

His passion for sustainability started when he lived in Amsterdam where he met his partner Ewelina Soroko, a passionate environmentalist.

Their travels brought them to Australia where they researched salon waste and discovered that hairdressers send one million kilos of aluminium foils to landfill every year. That was the catalyst to start Refoil, the industry’s first sustainably-minded foiling concept and recycled foil product. But their commitment to making salon waste history was only just beginning.

In 2015 the pair started an innovative resource recovery program called Sustainable Salons. Designed especially for the salon environment, Sustainable Salons collects up to 95% of the salon’s waste bin and repurposes it for environmental and community benefit, while rewarding the salon. The program has been awarded Best Business Service of the year in 2016 at the Australian Hair Industry Awards and Best Business Performance of the year at the Hair Expo Awards. Sustainable Salons was also presented with the Special Recognition Award at the 2017 Australian Hair Industry Awards and became finalist at the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards the same year.

Paul’s role as Managing Director takes him all around Australia and New Zealand speaking to audiences in the waste management, hair, beauty, fashion, hospitality, medical and education industries, all interested in learning how to adopt a more sustainable approach in their everyday lives and businesses.

Paul also volunteers his time as a board director for The Australian Hairdressing Council where he is responsible for improving the industry’s environmental practices.

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 14 January 2020

In all this sadness and concern over the current and ongoing crisis facing Australia, it’s reassuring to know Small Business has on our side an advocacy group in COSBOA (the Council for Small Business Organisations Australia). The upheaval for SMBs caused by the catastrophic conditions in a huge area of South Eastern Australia should not be underestimated and whilst those in the political space may argue about whether or not the climate changes (which are undeniable) are caused by human impact or natural causes the change is here. There can be no more debate that drought, is here. The most devastating fires since records began, are here. Climate change, is here. The question only remains, what are we going to do about it?

Welcome to the show Mark McKenzie, Chairman of COSBOA.

Topics we’ll be covering:

Let’s remind the listeners again of the role of COSBOA and why as the peak advocacy group for small business in Australia you are perfectly positioned to relay the impact on small businesses of these recent climate changes to the Australian Government?

Small business is a barometer of the economy both locally and nationally

How do your members – the professional associations & their members – communicate their concerns to you as an organisation

What are your top line objectives for 2020?

Those of us fortunate to live in the cities around Australia may not really understand what impact these fires are having on Small business in regional Australia. Sure, we might have to pay more for food but we can largely continue on unimpeded with our own businesses. In the real world what have been the impacts of drought and these massive fires?

In your report as the Chairman of COSBOA you state you’d like to see the Australian Government “promoting actions that support the capacity of our population to adapt to the new reality created by climate change.” In terms of policy, what would you see change in the short term for support?

Rethinking water management

Energy usage

Industrial relations law

What are COSBOA’s suggestions for 2020 and beyond of other support for small business in these changing times? Does this support look like grants to boost certain sectors of the economy, a loosening of regulations & red tape, or changes to procurement processes?

To find out more go to their website /www.cosboa.org.au and to read their 2020 vision https://www.cosboa.org.au/post/what-do-we-want-from-2020-and-beyond

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 7 January 2020

This week we welcome a pair of inspiring young female entrepreneurs who, after growing up in a semi-rural part of greater Sydney; took that life experience and founded Aggie Global, a social business connecting small farmers to big markets in developing countries via an ecommerce platform.

Social enterprise isn’t necessarily a new concept in small business but it has been wholeheartedly embraced as a way to find a balance between income and inspiration by the millennial generation. As they begin their entrepreneurial journeys they are hungry to find meaning in what they are achieving and giving back to the global community in which they operate. But how do you make sure what you’re doing is financially viable and not just going to burn out your good will?

Lisa & Zoe Paisley are here today to share with us their story of building a business from the ground and the heart up.

Welcome to the show Zoe & Lisa.

Topics we’ll be covering:

Questions:

Tell us about your Agritech business and where the idea first came from?

We are the cofounders of Aggie Global, a social business connecting small farmers to big markets in developing countries via an ecommerce platform.

Lisa and I have always been exposed to agriculture, having cats, dogs, horses and chickens on our family place since we were kids. At high school we studied agriculture and were even given a plot of land to grow fresh veggies. When it came to choosing what to study at university, we both wanted to do something that would make positive impact. And at the end of the day, we all need to eat, so agriculture was a no brainer.

We also love to travel and be outdoors. So we did work placements across Australia and the world where we found that we loved working in agricultural development because it could have massive positive social impact for farmers in developing countries. This is why we started Aggie Global, to make positive social change by connecting farmers to new markets which boosts their income and addresses poverty.

Since then, we have worked in Fiji for 3 years, and found that the tourism industry is importing $30m AUD worth of food into the country every year, yet the majority of Fijian farmers live in poverty. This disconnect is what Aggie Global is addressing.

By connecting local farmers to local hotels and restaurants, farmers are increasing their income by 5x the national average and saved buyers up to 6x the amount of money spent on food.

Aggie Global showcases what local food is available and when via an ecommerce platform. Having this one-stop shop to buy local food, saves a hotel procurement officers hours of time, reducing the procurement process from months down to minutes.

How, in your opinion, are social enterprise businesses changing the world for the better?

Social businesses can have huge positive impact in the communities in which they work.

Social enterprises are a hybrid of positive social impact and sustainable business models, which means they can adapt quickly and scale out internationally when built well.

By being a business, the impact is not determined by donations or grants, but is self-sustaining from the sale of its products or services. All profits are generally used to move the business forward and drive further positive impact.

We believe social businesses are crucial for the key social challenges being faced around the world. Poverty, food security, equality and climate change all need to be addressed from multiple angles and social businesses are bringing a new way to address these issues

For example, there is a cafe in Sydney that employs refugees. By employeeing these refuges it helps them get on their feet in a new country where their previous work experience may no longer be valid.

The growing social business movement means that long te

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 17 December 2019

In this competitive, global commercial world where small business operates and are celebrated for our resilience and innovation, some can be left behind and feel isolated from our small business community.

If you offer a unique proposition or do not fit neatly into a professional association you may continue to go under-represented and lack the advocacy that a larger group can offer.

So who do you turn to for this voice to represent and advocate? Locally of course there are some wonderful Chambers of Commerce but on the national stage (where legislation and decisions which directly affect your business are made) the Australian Chamber of Commerce is there for you.

This week we will talk about what they can offer you as a small business. James Pearson is their CEO, and the Leader of Australia's largest business advocacy network. 

Welcome to the show James.

Topics we’ll be covering:

Tell the listeners about the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry and how this body supports small business? Is it a lobby group, advocacy or information portal?

Do you only work with businesses and regulators at the federal level or also local and state agencies?

Do you work with other small business interest groups like COSBOA or state chambers?

What sort of positive impact has lobbying by the Chamber had for small business; can you give examples where this sort of impact has really made a difference?

In the next 5-10 years what do you believe will be the main issues facing small business in Australia and what do you plan to do to support them?

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 10 December 2019

“Ah Millennials, what ARE we to do with you?” It’s a sentiment quite openly discussed in small business circles; accompanied with the inevitable eyeroll when mentioning the hardship of finding the “right people” for your business …. They lack work ethic, they haven’t experienced hardship, they need to go through what we did to REALLY understand what it means to be in business…. All thoughts openly expressed by us in small business (and yet, not thought of as discriminatory - a thought for another time, perhaps?)

But before you taint everyone from a generation with the same brush and completely forget what it was like to experience jobseeking for the first time at their age; let’s get a real perspective in this. Let’s learn what it’s like for the Millennials to work in small business or BECOME small business.

With a background in HR across corporate, small business and learning & development, Amy Smith, a Millennial workforce specialist trains the trainers in the corporate world on how to better engage and retain their millennial workers. Let’s learn her secrets!

Welcome to the show Amy.

Topics we’ll be covering:

How have you positioned yourself as the expert in your field

Strategic HR & Industrial relations management

International experience then a big role in YMCA HR management

casualised workforce, regional experience, high volume, high turnover

Across compliance and HR, very intense – in the end had to make over 250 staff within one month … redundant. Coaching came in that fallout – What do I do now?

Difference between regional & city

In the small business space you supported small business in a role where you utilised LinkedIn to start up a CEO roundtable SME groups

 

So what can you expect from a Millennial in your business

For generations younger people wanting to better the generations before them

With IT brings choice – options out there to start their own business

They’re happy to start their own business if they’re not content in what your providing them

They’re fighting an uphill battle because their portrayal in the media

Entitlement / lazy

If there’s a simpler way to do it – they’ll look for it. Efficiency is important.

Immediacy of product, instant gratification

It’s going to be worse in the next generation

 

Job acceptance, role definition, expectations:

Selling the role – (stats on desiring career development, why they choose one career over another, flexibility)

If you’re not talking about job development, the WHY… why not>

They know the market rate, they know their value (websites) after that its why am I here?

Trust is important – Don’t paint just a rosy picture. Millennials have a higher sensitivity to this. Be transparent (like what you won’t enjoy), role longevity & growth

They will research your workplace culture - If you are trying to hire Millennials you need to showcase this online

 

In the role:

Being open to the solutions Millennials can provide:

They grew up with tech, they have more experience than you and seeing things in a different way, apps

Watch those assumptions! Have the mentality of getting the work done is the target. Not the time it makes to do it. Just because you can’t see them physically doing the work doesn’t mean its not getting done. They might be doing it remotely…

Millennials are driven to making an impact. They need purpose as the motivator. WHY am I doing this? How does this help you the boss, the business, society as a whole? Highlight

 

In reality, in your opinion where is the real disconnect between the generation that is hiring

Technology – hinderance or enabler?

Having to “earn your stripes”

“This is the way it’s always been done”

“Hoarding information” – working autonomously or collaboratively

To find out more about Amy find ehr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 3 December 2019

Superannuation - firstly it’s not your money and secondly if you get it right; there’s no need for us to get involved. That’s the message the ATO is trying to get across to small business. If you pay the correct amount, to the right place, at the right time... there’s nothing to worry about. But if you miss the deadline or the you haven’t checked all the details then the headache isn’t worth it.

Are you aware of the deadlines and what that means for super payments? Did you know you still need to meet those deadlines if you’re an employee? Did you know your payment is late if it bounces back? Super doesn’t have to be an administrative headache if you know what your obligations are. Plus there’s plenty of places to get help, advice and support small business it’s just a matter of knowing where to look

The when, the how and the what of super obligations for small business is all explained in this interview with the Alexi Boyd from Small Biz Matters and John Ford, the Assistant Commissioner for Risk & Strategy - Employer Obligations at the Australian Tax Office.

Welcome to the show John.

Topics we’ll be covering:

Can you give us an overview of super for employers?

What is super and why does it exist

The SG super is actually just about the relationship between employer & employee and there is no need for ATO to be involved until things unravel

Why do we have super guarantee, retirement income and live a healthy lifestyle

I see that you have developed an easy six step checklist to make sure employers have their SG sorted. Can you take me through the six steps?

Check you’re paying super to all eligible workers

Employee SG super, when you start paying super, how it‘s calculated & what constitutes super applicable ordinary time earnings. When ATO gets involved it becomes all Salary & wages

Check you’re paying the right amount

check your calculations & systems for 9.5% if you’re still using old spreadsheets

Check you’re paying on time

deadlines, time lag between authorising the payment & clearing house making payment & when the money actually hits the super fund

Check you’re paying to the right place

details are all correct, processing with inducting employees & making sure the super choice form completed (due diligence)

Discussion - Is this the same as the letter from your super fund? Gathering the right info from employees

Check you’re paying the right way – what is a clearing house?

What does the ATO provide as an alternative? (ATO SBSCH)

Check you’re keeping accurate records

what constitutes accurate reporting?

STP

Most employers do the right thing, but there are always those few that do not. What is the ATO doing to level the playing field?

Link to STP data and why it’s in place?

Employer payment amount and times vs what the super fund. Chat about the data coming from Super funds – is it solid?

What impact does 4-5 days late every quarter have on the long term retirement income.

A number of changes aimed at protecting employees' superannuation entitlements have recently become law. Can you tell us more about this?

Talk to recent changes.

About John Ford:

John Ford is an Assistant Commissioner, who has been has been with the ATO since 1998.  He has held senior roles in a number of business lines including Superannuation, Private Groups and High Wealth Individuals, Goods and Services Tax, and Small Business.

John is currently the leader of the ATO’s Risk and Strategy – Employer obligations portfolio.  In this role he is responsible for the ATO’s approach to ensuring that employers are engaged with meeting their Superannuation Guarantee, Fringe Benefits Tax and Pay as You Go Withholding obligations.  A key component that John is seeking from the work he leads is to be increasingly driven and transparent in what the ATO is seei

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.Date: 26 November 2019

We talk a lot on the program about surrounding ourselves with good advisors. We develop good relationships with financial and marketing advisors but why is it legal counsel, which is so important, is left until you really, really need it?

One aspect which is often neglected when setting up a business is that of contractual law. And too many times small business relies on a handshake or good faith as the basis for those contractual relationships and it’s here we can come undone!

Today we are in conversation with Ursula Hogben, co-founder of LegalVision & co-founder of Zero Emissions Sydney North Incorporated now assisting in sustainable development. She's going to help us to learn about the importance of good legal counsel and NOT when you need it most.

Welcome to the show Ursula.

Intro

A corporate and capital raising lawyer at Baker McKenzie, then a Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, for 15 years

A co-founder of LegalVision, an innovative fast-growing tech-based law firm for 5 years

Ursula now assists sustainable development businesses, and is the co-founder of Zero Emissions Sydney North Incorporated, to accelerate our transition to net zero emissions

3 areas:

The importance of key contracts for a business

The importance of protecting intellectual property

A recent innovative sustainable development project in our area – the 4 Pines community solar project 

The importance of key contracts for a business

Why are any legal contracts needed?

Legal contracts are an investment in the smooth running and growth of your business.

What are the key types of contracts required?

(i)    Your website

(ii)   Your clients or customers

(iii) Your company’s interaction with third parties – eg Manufacturer, Distributor

(iv)  Your employees and contractors

(i)             Website contracts

What are website contracts, why needed?

Privacy Policy: If your business has an annual turnover of over $3 million, or if you are a small business with an annual turnover of $3 million or less and you meet certain criteria, you are legally required to have a Privacy Policy.  Even if the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) does not apply to your business, it is prudent to have a Privacy Policy in place so that your customers are clear on what personal information you are collecting about them and how you will use and disclose it.

Website Terms of Use: To protect your website IP. To explain your content is not advice, and you cannot be sued for it.

(ii)            Clients or customers contracts

Why do you need these, doesn’t the consumer law cover this?

Once you operate a business, you establish a legal relationship with your clients or customers, even if you do not have anything in writing. The consumer law applies, and this generally protects and benefits the client.

One key reason for you to have written terms, is to add terms that benefit your business. For example, a client can obtain a refund if a product is faulty. You can specify what is permissible use, and what is not permissible use. For example, a water resistant phone cannot be fully submerged in water.

Another is to provide clarity. You can set out the circumstances for refunds or exchange, and the procedure. It is worth noting that there is no legal requirement to refund or exchange for change of mind, However many shops do including online clothes shops. They specify the address, the need to include all packaging and tags, and the requirement for goods to be unworn.

What are the two primary client and customer legal documents?

(i)             Client agreements - primarily used for service-based businesses.

(ii)            Sales Terms and Conditions - primarily used for goods-based businesses including e-commerce stores, retail stores, and manufacturers

Client Agreements outline details of the services