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Help! I don’t know what to get my employees for Christmas
Dear Aunty B, I run an independent grocery store in regional New South Wales. One of my long-serving employees recently retired, which is a shame. To top it all off, she was the one who would...
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Help! I don’t know what to buy my clients for Christmas
Dear Aunty B, Buying some thank you gifts for my clients has been at the top of my to-do list for the past few weeks but now that we are into December, I realise I have to get organised. I own a...
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Help! My business is stuck in a rut
Dear Aunty B, I own a publishing company and like many business owners, every December my mind turns to how I can improve my business in the new year. The problem is, no matter how many articles I...
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Help! I am facing a January cash flow crunch
Hi Aunty B, I hope you had a merry Christmas but mine was full of worry. I’ve been working on some cash flow projections for January and it looks like we are going to have some serious issues. I know...
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Help! I can’t decide if now is the right time to kill off one of my company’s...
Dear Aunty B, I own a consumer product manufacturing business and for the past 12 months my team and I have been discussing the feasibility of one of our product lines. Its sales are not as high as...
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Help! I just found out my co-worker makes more money than me and we do the...
Dear Aunty B, I’m a senior executive and I have been in my current position for almost 12 months. I recently found out another senior executive at the company I work for is on a much higher salary...
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Help! I can’t decide who should get the job
Dear Aunty B, I run a small marketing and social media firm in Newcastle. After securing a number of new clients late last year, I’ve decided to bring onboard a new team member. It’s a big risk as...
View ArticleHelp! My colleague has terrible BO
Dear Aunty B, I work in an open plan workplace and my colleague that sits next to me often has bad body odour. It can be quite uncomfortable to be in the office. How do I bring it up? Hope to hear...
View ArticleHelp! I think my colleagues are having an affair
Dear Aunty B, Two of my colleagues are having an affair (one is married), and it starting to affect me and the other employees. Normally, I wouldn’t care – what they do on their time is none of my...
View ArticleAunty B: I don’t know how to let my employee do their job – help!
Dear Aunty B, I own a consulting business and for four years, it was pretty much just me running the show. I got very good at multi-tasking and being self-sufficient was one of my claims to fame. Last...
View ArticleAunty B: My staff are not happy working from home – help!
Dear Aunty B, I’ve read plenty of articles and blogs advocating for flexibility in the workplace and as a result, I created a policy whereby my staff all work from home at least a couple of times a...
View ArticleAunty B: My staff are hopeless at team meetings – help!
Dear Aunty B, My business partner and I have somehow managed to employ a group of people who seem completely incapable of running or participating in effective team meetings. Every time we get...
View ArticleAunty B: What’s the right way to interrupt a colleague who just won’t shut up?
Dear Aunty B, I read your column last week in which you offered some advice to a business owner who was having trouble running effective meetings. I’m also having difficulty keeping meetings in my...
View ArticleAunty B: My email inbox is out of control and I’m not getting any work done –...
Dear Aunty B, I’ve become one of those people I can’t stand – I’m forever complaining about how many emails are in my inbox and my inability to get on top of them. On a good day, I receive upwards of...
View ArticleAunty B: My employee just asked for a pay rise and I don’t know how to respond
Dear Aunty B, One of my sales executives has recently asked for me for a pay rise. They’ve been with our company for around 10 months and while I don’t have any major concerns about their performance...
View ArticleAunty B: Speaking in public scares me silly — please help!
Dear Aunty B, I’ve been asked to speak at industry event for the first time next month and the thought of getting up on a stage in front of a room of other business owners scares me silly. It’s a...
View ArticleAunty B: Should I make my star performer a manager?
Dear Aunty B, Last year my business went through a growth spurt, which involved me hiring several new employees. Until now, all my employees have reported directly to me but as the business grows, I...
View ArticleAunty B: When will I ever have “free time” away from my business?
Dear Aunty B, I’ve always been my own boss and loved the flexibility that it has offered me, especially when my kids were little. The plan was always to create a business that would support my family...
View ArticleThis week in 2007: John Howard’s voter troubles, and life before iPhones
While Jennifer Aniston was confirming that, yes, she’d had a nose job, and veteran magazine publisher Hugh Hefner chose one of his three young girlfriends to finally settle down with (not the person...
View ArticleThis week in 2007: Branson’s search for a hero, and Murdoch’s Myspace bet
Ah, Valentine’s Day. My absolute favourite time of year. The flowers, the glassy-eyed couples parading themselves down boulevards, the ACHING DISAPPOINTMENT OF BEING FORGOTTEN ENTIRELY. Yes. It’s a...
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