Couples in Business - Are You Arthur or Martha?

by Dr Greg Chapman

Small business owners are usually chief cooks and bottle washers. They have to be capable of doing everything while they are watching everything. It is a little easier if you have a partner in business to watch your back, but if you are in a personal relationship with your partner, roles can easily become blurred. The question is, if you are in business with your personal partner, are you Arthur or Martha?

Ad of the Month - Writing

by Dr Greg Chapman

Recently I discovered this memo from David Ogilvy, the father of advertising. It was sent to his staff in the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency. Ogilvy was renown for his written communication skills, an art that seems to have barely survived today if we are to judge by the quality of most website content and social media postings which tend to be littered with abbreviations and misspellings and incoherent thoughts.

How Big are Small Businesses?

by Dr Greg Chapman

The official Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definition of a small business is one with less than 20 employees which, according to their latest data, make up 96% of all businesses. Together they contribute 35% to industry GDP, so they are important.