Hey, are you growing your team?
Things that should be on your radar this month 👀
1. Businesses are well and truly feeling the pinch of tough conditions in the labour market. Companies all over Australia are getting creative with how they’re finding and attracting talent, including a McDonalds in Sydney that reportedly offered a $1000 sign-on bonus for new employees.
2. A bill was taken to parliament this week that would introduce a Fringe Benefits Tax exemption for electric vehicles to bring the price down for Australians.
3. A report earlier this month found many people operating a small business from their home might be unwittingly voiding their home insurance – a particularly important issue in this age of hybrid and remote work.
4. Netflix could be paving the way for the future of tech subscription models by announcing they'll be rolling out an ‘ad-supported’ pricing tier.
5. Amazon’s recent $3.9 billion acquisition of health company One-Medical could herald a future where you pay a healthcare subscription, not a premium. And while this raises questions about data privacy, it shows that these days, every industry is a tech industry.
Tech to help streamline your business 🚀
🏢 Desky – Growing your team but keeping the same office space? For hybrid teams, a bigger office isn't always the answer, but hot-desking might be – and the Desky app makes it easy.
👥 Employment Hero – Why does it feel like more people = more work? With this HR software, you can spend less time on all those team-related tasks you’re constantly bogged down in.
📝 ClickUp – As your team grows, so does the number of projects you’ll be juggling. ClickUp can help you visualise where everything is at, and make sure your team is on the same page.
The highs 📈 and lows 📉 of small business life
📈 We had a change of scenery this month when we went to work from Robe for a few days. It was very satisfying to have a REAL beach in our Zoom background, not a greenscreen one. Even though it wasn’t exactly swimming weather, there’s just something about a view of the ocean: we felt twice as focused when we were working, but twice as relaxed when we knocked off, too.
📉 After updating our initial proposal numbers, we found we had over-estimated our growth rate in forecasts. It’s always the dream to smash our expectations, but it's also very grounding to talk about the fact that growing a business is difficult – we hope it gives our community the perspective that others in the #BuildInPublic community have given us.
Productivity hacks 👩💻
If you’re hiring, or considering hiring, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that expanding your team will make your life easier. In actual fact, recruitment can be a tedious business, and it’s probably going to be a huge time-sink. Our biggest tip? Automate as much of the process as possible; set up automatic replies from a dedicated careers email, use Google Forms to pre-screen candidates, and use tools like Calendly to let them book their own interviews. If you’ve never employed someone before and are feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect, read our guide to hiring for the first time.
“That could have been an email” – said most people after most meetings. If you’re looking for more time in the day, check out these five tips for boosting productivity in your meetings. Giving your team the tools to prepare for meetings and setting clear agendas can help make meetings shorter, less frequent and more meaningful.
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There’s quite a bit of scary finance news going around at the moment. With interest rates and inflation rising, it's easy to focus on what you and your business can do to ride the wave. But it’s also in your best interest to check on those around you – talk to your clients about their situation and how they’re feeling about it. Your business relationships are going to be super important if the environment gets tougher, so it's a good idea to strengthen them now. It’s easier to retain a client now than to find a new one later.
And in other news, we’ve got a few exciting things in the works for next month, so we might sign off this week with a ‘watch this space’.
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.