3 tools for sharing your knowledge & know-how with customers
Things that should be on your radar this month 👀
1. Australian website domain names are getting simpler, but while this is great news for fitting your website on a business card, it’s leaving businesses open to being impersonated online. Find out how to protect yourself.
2. Apple has encouraged users to do an emergency software update after hackers were found to be actively exploiting a security flaw – so make sure your work devices are up to date asap.
3. There’s a new tool to help small businesses streamline the process of checking and applying for a trademark.
4. The remote work revolution is in full swing. Another fall in Australian commercial occupancy rates through June suggests this trend is becoming the status quo – and it’s raising questions about the future of Australian CBDs.
5. The government has released a list of 63 critical technologies that Australia needs to develop capability in over the next decade. They’re looking for public consultation from business leaders to develop this list further; register to have your say.
Get your knowledge out there with these tech recs
🏢 Notion – We became converts of this easy-to-use wiki builder after using it to develop our new business startup guide. It boasts tonnes of templates to get you started and has some handy integrations. Don’t sleep on this one.
👥 Dewstack – Looking for a platform that’s more text-focused than Notion? Dewstack has an interesting take on creating documents like online user manuals and product info sheets.
📝 Klutch – This tool focuses on collaboration, making it possible to build living knowledge bases that can be updated by your team in real time. A fantastic tool for ever-evolving startups.
The highs 📈 and lows 📉 of small business life
📈 Over the last year, we’ve been taking on heaps of clients in the early stages of getting their business off the ground. We noticed that most business owners had similar questions about processes or compliance that weren’t easily answered online, and it got us thinking about ways we could help our community grow.
So for a few months now we’ve been compiling information into our new business startup guide, which finally went live this month. Finishing big pieces of work like this is an incredible feeling, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback. If you haven't already, sign up here to read the guide – and when you do, we’d love to hear your feedback!
📉 In a hilarious turn of events, this month we’ve been inundated with calls from people trying to contact the ATO. Turns out Google had latched onto a phrase from our website that convinced it we don’t just do tax returns, but we’re in fact the tax office 😎
All jokes aside it was incredibly frustrating, and was one of those moments that makes you wonder whether technology is making our lives easier or harder. We’ve fixed the issue now, but it's a good example of needing to expect the unexpected as a business owner.
Productivity hacks 👩💻
Let's be honest, most of the communication happening in the workplace these days is done over some sort of instant messaging platform.
We’re convinced this list of Slack shortcuts has already saved us hours since we saw it a month ago (the first shortcut especially 🤯) – every millisecond counts when you’re using a tool day-in and day-out. We also found a similar list for Microsoft Teams, but we’re still waiting for Teams to be as intuitive as Slack.
A super interesting study out of Macquarie Business School in collaboration with the University of Otago has suggested people are more likely to procrastinate on tasks with deadlines. We’re not advising that you never set another deadline for your team (sometimes limited timelines are unavoidable) but it might be worth testing this theory on work that’s less urgent.
This concept plays into the wider conversation about the fact that trust in your team makes them more productive, which we’re huge advocates of at Project Alfred.
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Not to alarm you, but it's the end of August… We found ourselves in a meeting the other day discussing work Christmas events and it was VERY disconcerting. But while we loathe to admit it, right now is probably the best time to get all your holiday season planning out of the way.
The tail end of the year can get pretty hectic, so locking in the work Christmas party now might save you lots of pain in November when you realise everywhere is booked out (not speaking from personal experience at all).
We promise that making plans this early won’t turn you into one of those people that puts Christmas lights up in October – although we can almost guarantee it'll mean you enjoy the holiday season more.
That's just our two pennies' worth.
- Liam and Amy, co-founders of Project Alfred
(changing the way people think about accounting)
Recent issues
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As their public dispute goes nuclear, we’re diving into the fistfight between Employment Hero and Hostplus. We'll also examine the trials and tribulations of Australian SMES grappling with payroll errors, uncover the truth behind cashback rewards, celebrate Australia’s first tech unicorn in two years, and examine some of the latest startups that have raised money this month.
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We look at Hatch, a Gen Z jobs marketplace that has secured $7 million in seed funding to expand nationally, using AI to match candidates with roles based on skills and values. Plus, discover how Taylor Swift's concert at the MCG broke Melbourne's internet, insights on gender pay gaps from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, and the latest advancements in AI with OpenAI's new system, Sora, generating short videos from text prompts.
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We’ve started the year at break-neck speed, onboarding two exciting new clients, growing the Project Alfred team, getting frustrated at the Australian government’s proposed changes to sophisticated investors, reading about Atlassian’s WFH 1000 days progress and exploring new startup blogs.
In our final 2023 newsletter we look at when to pay attention to your brand, the resurgence of startup funding, rebates for Sydney startups looking for office space and some potential relief on the cost of living.
Liam is participating in Movember and raising money for Beyond Blue to support their efforts in mental health awareness and support. Every donation made on Liam’s fundraising page will be matched by Project Alfred - so if you can afford it, we’d love you to contribute. … And a reminder: every donation is tax deductible!
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Christmas is around the corner, so notify your staff about leave requirements if you’re shutting down. We dive into the Australian funding scene with Employment Hero's impressive cap raise, making them a double unicorn. Learn from a costly lesson about keeping receipts, discover the inspiring journey of Vegemite and find out why work created by AI can't be copyrighted.
How one business has monetised ‘the meeting that could’ve been an email’, a business that has pivoted its offering as a result of the higher cost of living, a significant payroll underpayment issue making the news and the first ‘real’ holiday Liam has taken since starting Project Alfred.
How Barbie & the Matilda's have sparked equal pay discussions, small business grants in QLD, how Australia harnesses students' entrepreneurial spirits, marketing tech we're using, and our August highlights as we celebrate our 2nd birthday.
What direct-to-consumer startups can learn from Barbie, the Twitter rebrand that’s left question marks over our heads, tech to make travelling for work a breeze, our tip for surviving the second half of the year, and much more.
Some good economic news (finally), the hot new website everyone is talking about (ours, obviously), tried and tested website tech we swear by, a list of 20 small business EOFY tax tips, and much more.
An excellent opinion piece about why work from home is a good thing for society (despite what Elon Musk thinks), a desk setup that’ll make your colleagues green with envy, the TLDR on the PwC tax scandal, some EOFY spending advice we know some people need to hear, and much more.
There’s been a spike in company insolvencies that the AFR is describing as a “zombie apocalypse”, advice from HR experts on how to promote work-life balance in your team, a Slack feature we don’t think gets enough airtime, a monitor stand we’re drooling over, and much more.
The TLDR on the banking drama and how it could affect your business, exciting AI tools to keep your eye on this year, the businesses where the UK’s four-day workweek trial didn’t work, our non-negotiables when flying for work, and more.
Apps to boost your sleep skills (these do more than just fix dark circles under your eyes), mindset shifts to stop you feeling like you’re burning both cash and energy, and how to get excited about the next quarter.
An important reminder about what AI can and can’t do for your business, more reasons you should go paperless (and a stack of great resources to show you how), a workday lunch tip to get you away from your desk, advice on setting effective goals for business growth, and much more.
Our thoughts on work-life balance, projections for the tech industry in 2023, some AI tools (or toys) to play with over the break, highs and lows of the year that was, and more.
Tips for making the most of December (T-minus 21 working days ‘til Christmas 🤯), a step-by-step guide to registering for your company director ID, one of our favourite tech recs of 2022, an important cause close to our hearts that we’d love you to support (scroll to the end to find out how), and more.
How to protect your business from cybercrime, apps to build a connection with your colleagues and customers, the science behind the perfect productivity playlist, and more
Three tech recs that’ll make your life 10x easier, the impact of late invoices on your cash flow, the pros and cons of going to a conference, a massive shout out to our community, and more.
The technology shaping Australia’s future, Slack shortcuts we can’t live without, and tech recs to help you share your knowledge online.
Tips for hiring in a tough labour market, an ominous shift in pricing strategy for subscription models, and tech recs to help you grow your team.
Some new economic policies coming in on July 1, tech recs to help you celebrate (or survive) EOFY, and some tips for cultivating a growth mindset next financial year.
Some tips to help you focus, proposed policies on the horizon after the election, the crash of a not-so-stable stablecoin, a big debate we had on LinkedIn, and some tech recs that anyone who’s into design will love.
Did ASIC actually just kill off 'finfluencing’, ideas for designing your perfect work week, tech recs to level up virtual meetings and a sneak peek into the tech stack we use here at Project Alfred!
Tech recs and productivity hacks to help hybrid workplaces get the best of both worlds, our thoughts on the latest Federal Budget hot off the press and an audio book we’re loving right now.
High Court rulings around being an employee or an independent contractor, funding for Covid-affected businesses, great news about mental health support for small business owners, some new favourite tech finds, the Super Bowl…and we’re hiring!
22 things you should do to help your business in 2022, what records you need to keep and what you can let go of in the new year, why eating a frog is the best way to start your day, and some of our highs and lows from the last month.
How to stay on the ATO’s nice list this Christmas, our how-to guide for director IDs, small business trends for 2022, how to work smarter not harder, and some of our own recent business highs and lows.