Value of IP Most businesses have intellectual property (IP), even if they don’t realise it. It could be something as exotic as the Colonel’s Secret Herbs and Spices or as simple as your client/customer list. Brand and online data have rapidly become the most important assets of successful modern businesses. The days of owning vast continue reading
The Meat and Potatoes of Commercial Dispute Mediation: According to Sajen’s Honey Badger When it comes to the mediation of commercial disputes, Honey Badger don’t care about ‘the principle’, Honey Badger don’t care about rights or values, and Honey Badger don’t care about ‘right and wrong’. Honey Badger do know what matters.. If you are continue reading
Restraint of Trade Clauses: Protect the Cash Flow and Confidentiality of Your Business Restraint of trade clauses are a useful tool for protecting the cash-flow and confidential information of the employer. They are commonly found in employment contracts, often disguised by a different title, e.g. ‘no competition’, ‘non-solicitation’, ‘no poaching’ or ‘confidentiality’ clause. They generally continue reading
How would you know if the physical assets of your business were stolen? Apart from the occasional item flying under the radar, it’s fairly easy to keep track of your physical assets through regular monitoring and stocktakes. After all, you’d probably notice if something important went missing, right? While this may be true for your continue reading
Too often we see clients hamstrung by lease terms that they were not aware of when they signed up. As a commercial tenant you may feel like you have limited bargaining power when negotiating the terms of your lease. This is far from true. Reviewing lengthy lease documents can be a tedious task, but if continue reading
Do your wages add up? All employers should make note of the 2.5% increase to minimum wages which will apply from 1 July 2015. Check out the Fair Work Ombudsman’s update for more details: https://www.fairwork.gov.au If wages are left unchecked, not only can underpaid staff members come back to bite you for large lump sum continue reading
Have you ever had an idea which you thought was totally original? Have you gone on and done a bit of research, only to find out that it has been done before? Maybe you have started humming what you thought was an original melody, only to realise it was actually a song you heard on continue reading
The term “branding” originates from the practice of marking cattle with a branding iron to differentiate them from the stock of other farms. But the concept of branding as we understand it today is far removed from those humble origins. Brands are no longer limited to a logo or name; branding comes in many shapes continue reading
The forces of good prevailed over those of evil yesterday. It doesn’t happen every day, but it is heartening to know that just occasionally the system works as most fair minded people think that it should. We had recently been consulted by a lady who some 7 years ago resigned her position as a director continue reading
A Trade Mark is a sign used or intended to be used to distinguish the goods or services you sell and promote from those goods or services sold or promoted by your competitors. Under Australian law a Trade Mark can be registered with IP Australia (the government authority responsible for the administration of laws relating continue reading
The post Christmas period is a notoriously difficult time for many small businesses. The excesses of the festive season are compounded not only by customers with their hands in their pockets but December’s production was cut short by holidays and Christmas party hangovers. Sadly, for some businesses those difficulties can be precursors to total failure – insolvency. continue reading
Cash flow is one of the, if not most, vital aspects of business success. It is the lifeblood of any business. Your business can be insanely profitable, on paper, but without cash flow it can still be insolvent. The ability to pay all its debts as and when they are due is fundamental. And of continue reading
It was with great enthusiasm late last month that we held the first of our Sajen Money seminars for clients who benefit from the Sajen Accord. Sajenised clients enjoyed a number of informative presentations. Tony Townsend of Townsend Insurance Services spoke on life insurance, key person insurance and the use of buy sell agreements in continue reading
There is no doubt that 2013 was a huge year of change in respect of the laws applying to small and large businesses. This will continue throughout 2014. I recently presented the 2014 Business Legislation Update Seminar for the Australian Institute of Company Directors on the Sunshine Coast. Some of the key areas I addressed continue reading
I have recently been asked about partnerships generally, and what distinguishes them from other business structures. It is important to have a firm understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a partnership, before entering into one, to run a business. What is a partnership? A partnership is essentially an agreement made between 2 to 20 continue reading
The Australian Privacy Principles On 12 March 2014, the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 (Cth) will come into effect. This amending Act drastically bolsters existing privacy protection measures offered to consumers and reflects increasing public concerns regarding the handling of personal information by businesses, particularly in the on-line environment. The Act also introduces continue reading
It is no surprise that clients come to you for more than just tax advice. In the competitive environment of the Sunshine Coast, how does your firm distinguish itself from its competitors? What help can you give a client that gives you an edge over your competitors? It’s trite, but simple. Give them measurable results continue reading
In difficult financial climates, the businesses that flourish are those that are not afraid to diversify the products or services that they offer to their clients or customers. Whether it is offering a new product to target a lower income segment of the market, or a Smartphone App to allow clients to access services remotely, continue reading
I was recently invited to sit on Your Business Panel. The panel was put together with the objective of assisting business owners by providing expert advice from different professions, in a unique question and answer session. One question asked during the panel’s session highlighted to me the importance of asset protection in the structure of continue reading
