Welcome to our February blog post. We've had a productive start to the year already, and we're hearing similar stories from our clients too. If you're trying something new this year, we'd love to hear from you on how those changes are going, and whether we can offer a wider look at their impacts and other potential tax opportunities.

MYOB INCITE Networking Event
MYOB is currently touring their national MYOB INCITE event and we had the opportunity to attend the Brisbane show last month. MYOB is an Australian multinational corporation and a leader in business management solutions and accounting software.

With 'Connected Practice' as this year's theme, a number of insightful presentations were delivered on simplifying workflow, adding more value for clients and the importance of the advisory relationship between businesses and their accountant. 

The takeaway message for business planning was: “When planning for change, first determine the true essence of what needs to be changed.” MYOB also talked about IBISWorld’s Accounting services industry report, which listed the most important services SMEs needed from their accountant:

• Business strategy
• Advice on financial future & growth opportunities
• Business analytics
• Technology & IT services
• Business planning

​Here's a selection of our favourite readings from January:
​
Business Insider Australia - 7  successful  Australian  executives  share  their  business  predictions  for  2019
AccountingWEB - 4 Tips for Handling Needy Clients
The Economist - What can a Big Mac tell us about the global economy?
Business Insider Australia - The CEO who took over Burger King at age 32 learned that any major problem at work usually boils down to one of 3 reasons
MONEY Magazine - The History of Coupons

Happy New Year! We're back in the office and on deck focused on maximising your business' success in 2019. We had a wonderful break spent at home rejuvenating with friends and family. We treated ourselves to a fantastic evening at the Convention Centre where we watched Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back in concert with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra performing live to the film. Experiencing the film note by note before the orchestra really highlights the momentum of this epic film!

We wish you every success in your business and financial endeavours for 2019!

Wynnum Business Christmas Lunch
​​We attended Wynnum Business' final meeting for the year, where we enjoyed a Christmas banquet at The Waterloo Bay Hotel. An overview of the group's plans for Wynnum Business in 2019 was given and we caught up with the other local businesses to learn what they also had in store for the next year.

The new book Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the Most by Steven Johnson, media theorist and host of the American Innovation podcast, is rich with insights and is especially practical to those in business.

"Johnson makes a compelling case for a smarter and more deliberative decision-making approach. He argues that we choose better when we break out of the myopia of single-scale thinking and develop methods for considering all the factors involved."

For owners of SMEs, key decisions should not be made by one person (single-scale thinking). The smarter approach is having input from others (much like a management board), such as scheduling regular brainstorming and decision-making meetings with key staff and business advisers like myself.

To many, reading a book may seem near impossible these days, with 24/7 demands making us all so time-poor. But I believe the lessons in this book are so worth while that I encourage all my clients to set aside some time to spend with me going through these gems.