Australian Business News and Times

Business News ,Reports and Times of Australia

Australia

Top 10 Tips For First Home Buyers

by Leave a Comment

property australia buyers agent

Buying your first home in any of Australia’s major cities is a difficult task. From getting your finance approval, finding a home that will suit your needs, competing with other buyers and investors at auction and most importantly not paying too much for a property.

For an inexperienced buyer, it is normal for the buying process to take up to six months to a year. We look at the top ten tips to shortening your time on market and getting your weekends back, to save you money.

Tip 1. Finance Pre Approval.
Having your finances in check empowers the buyer to not spend time looking at the wrong area in the wrong price range. It also gives you a negotiating ceiling so you know when to walk away if things get too heated.

Tip 2. Do Your Research.

Understanding what a similar property sells for in a similar area is vital to knowing the market value. When you see something you like, check a similar spec property that has sold in the last three months. This will help you spend your time wisely, on the right property.

Tip 3. Building Inspection.
Once you have successfully completed step 1 & 2 and you have found a house you like. It is important to do a building and pest inspection to make sure your not buying a maintenance nightmare. A typical building inspection can cost anywhere between $550 to $850. It is a worthwhile investment and will help reduce the chance of buyer’s remorse once the property negotiating is done.

Tip 4. Seek assistance in negotiating.

Real estate agents are negotiating pros. An average agent will sell one property each week where an average buyer might only purchase a house once every ten years. Different negotiating tactics apply to different real estate markets.
Buyer’s agents (https://wiserealestateadvice.com.au/home-buyers-agent/) are real estate agents for hire, they serve only the buyer and are employed to get you the best price and selling terms. To save a few dollars, find a buyer’s agent that offers a negotiating-only plan rather than a fully serviced plan. This should save you thousands.

Tip 5. Compromise your criteria for success.

If you keep losing auctions, it is better to adjust your criteria to give you more buying power. For instance, choose a property that may need a light renovation, a three bedroom property instead of a four bedroom property, smaller land allotment or peg back a suburb away from the CBD.


Tip 6. Government Grants.

First homeowner’s grants are a great help to minimizing some of the overheads when it comes to buying a property. To check if you are eligible, visit the state revenue office website for more information.

Tip 7. Conveyancers
You will need to hire a conveyancer to complete your sale. They will ensure all the conditions in a contract are fulfilled and make sure everything is legally signed over into your name. Normally they cost around $1000 per property purchase.
It is wise to get the contract of sale read over by your conveyancer prior to signing any contact of sale. A good conveyancer will provide this service free of charge and warn you of any risky conditions.

Tip 8. Add Clauses To Your Written Offer.
When submitting an offer on a property, every buyer has the right to add protection clauses to reduce their risk when buying. For instance, a ‘subject to finance’ clause or a ‘building-inspection clause’. These clauses can be like a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card if something goes wrong.

Tip 9. Don’t give agents verbal offers.
Always negotiate in writing using a Contact of Sale and Section 32’s. This process makes sure the vendor / seller visually sees your offer and responds back in writing using a counter-offer tactic rather than trusting the real estate agent’s story.

Tip 10. Never disclose your budget.
Keeping this secret is your key to saving money on a property negotiation https://wiserealestateadvice.com.au/negotiating-property-price/

Real estate agents highly skilled with negotiating strategies and know how to increase an offer if they know how far they can go. If the agent is kept in the dark they are less likely to empty an unsuspecting buyer’s pockets.

Tighten Your Belt – 5 Secrets to Creating a Stable Financial Future

by Leave a Comment

 

Photo by Vitaly Taranov on Unsplash

It can sometimes seem impossible for low-income households to get ahead in today’s economy. Financial pressures can have a debilitating impact on your life. Too many families are familiar with the pattern of purchasing only the bare necessities, putting off replacing broken appliances, and spending all their time commuting to and from jobs that pay too little and ask too much. The economic hamster wheel leaves little opportunity for saving, or to enjoy your daily existence. The following are a few creative, yet simple ideas to help you get a handle on your financial stress and get back to loving life.

Wiggle Room

Unfortunately, lower-income families can find it nigh impossible to access credit with mainstream lenders. Locked out of the market, many turn to high-interest options such as payday loans for a lifeline that ends up being a deadweight around their necks. Fortunately, a growing number of government agencies and not for profits are offering interest-free loans for people on low incomes, to spend on necessities, like home appliances, or car insurance. Sometimes that wiggle room is all you need to ease yourself of some of that stress.

Master Chef

The ease of ordering takeaway in our modern society means a lot of money can quickly disappear on food. Yet it’s cheaper and healthier to cook your meals at home. All you need to do is change your perspective on meals preparation. Instead of a chore, transform it into a fun-filled activity. Numerous celebrity chefs that have a wealth of cheap, easy recipes that turn into delicious meals. So, get a quick recipe online, put on some music, and turn it into a joyful ritual. Get your family involved, and make preparing the meal just as enjoyable the meal itself.

Saving Grace

It’s hard to think that a small amount of money set aside every day can make a significant difference in the long run. However, with a bit of discipline and patience, you will be amazed at how much it can add up to over time. Even as little as 50 cents a day, or 10 dollars a week squirreled away into a dedicated savings account you don’t regularly check, your long-term savings can really start to grow. If you can’t get yourself into the habit of putting the money aside, there are apps that can do it for you, all at a rate you’re comfortable with.

Free Entertainment

Just because the budget is tight doesn’t mean you have to skimp out on cultural activities. You can spend hours wandering around free museums, markets, and historic buildings. Your local backyard is someone else’s tourist daydream. Check out the tourism travel page for your local city and see what they recommend is a must do for free. There are always plenty of ways to entertain the family without having to fork out hundreds.

Au Naturale

Whatever the weather, whether you feel like lazing around or getting active nature has you covered. Plan a trip to the beach, and spend the day lazing on the sand. Alternatively, plan a trip to the hills and go for a hike. Getting out of your four walls and enjoying nature has many mental health benefits, and it doesn’t cost a cent. Even if you end up doing precisely what you were planning on doing inside, such as relaxing with a book, or tapping away on your computer, if you do it outside, you’ll feel much better for it.

Having money problems doesn’t have to take the joy out of life. Cheap activities are still fun activities, and clearing your head of stress can help set you up for a financially stable future.

Employee Engagement – 5 Ways to Keep Staff Feeling Motivated & Appreciated

by Leave a Comment

 

 

Image Source: Pixabay

It can be hard enough in today’s fast-paced world to keep your finger on the pulse of day-to-day business operations. Throw disgruntled or unhappy employees into the mix, and your life as a business manager or owner just became that little bit harder. Keeping your staff happy is a priority in business, if not for their happiness in their job, but for your bottom line. If you want satisfied, productive and long-term staff, here’s how to get them:

Tokens of Appreciation

While you might believe that paying their salary every week should be enough to keep them happy, in many cases a non-monetary gesture in the form of corporate gifts and rewards can be even more effective in letting employees know how much you value and appreciate them. Whether in recognition of professional, personal or performance milestones, holidays or acknowledgement of a job well done, a thoughtful gift or reward can say much more than money.

Measure Employee Engagement

If you’re a business owner or manager, a certain degree of arms-length from the coalface of business can leave you unaware of complaints, staff unhappiness, or discontent. All you might see is low productivity that leaves you scratching your head. Disengagement costs organization up to $550 billion per year, so there’s every reason to find a solution. It pays dividends to look into software that provides a platform for staff to speak their mind in a safe and non-threatening medium. In doing so, you’re able to identify areas of employee dissatisfaction and lost productivity and develop strategies to address them.

Provide Opportunities

While you may have hired your team to do a specific job, that doesn’t mean they won’t feel the need to upskill. By offering educational and training opportunities to your staff, you have a higher chance of retaining valuable employees. Almost half of the millennials surveyed left their last job because there was no opportunity for growth. Help your staff to feel appreciated and motivated by actively encouraging education and upskilling. The long-term benefits to your business of the increased skill levels will likely far outweigh the short-term costs.

People Not Numbers

In large corporations, it can be challenging to see your team as more than just numbers. After all, if you have several hundred employees, knowing them all on a first name basis would be tough for anyone. However, viewing your team as more than just numbers can help to make them feel appreciated and motivated.

For smaller businesses, this process is simple. Arrange meetings with each person to find out what their goals are in life and business, and what they require improve their experience on the job. In larger corporations, assign the task to department managers. If you show personal interest in how your staff operates, they are more likely to feel appreciated in their job.

Incentive

Most people love a little bit of healthy competition, particularly when it can involve team bonding, camaraderie, and improved productivity along the way. Therefore, you may find that including contests, incentives and milestones into your workplace dynamic could help your staff’s motivation levels, while simultaneously boosting your bottom line. It’s important that the competition doesn’t lead to unhealthy rivalry and animosity. However, when structured wisely, most employees will thrive when such an option is available, making for better levels of motivation and engagement.

You can’t expect your staff to feel motivated and appreciated through regular income alone. It takes thinking outside of the square and being a responsible leader. Any of these five tips above can more than help to improve your workplace productivity while benefiting your employees at the same time.

The Top Australian Sporting Events You should attend in 2018

by Leave a Comment

Sport lovers have got the best hang-outs worldwide. But it takes money  to fly overseas on holidays.Do you love sports? I bet it is a yes. Sporting tournaments are not only fascinating but also captivating.

Australia is slowly becoming a popular hub for major sports events. Sports enhance socializing which is essential for psychological and emotional development. If you have been trying to look around on upcoming sporting events, look no more. Here they are:

 

Starting with the latest  games

australia sport events

Commonwealth Games 2018

From 4 – 15 April, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will welcome more than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories to the Gold Coast and event cities Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, to share in the celebration of sport, entertainment and culture. The largest sporting event to be staged in Australia this decade, GC2018 will feature the largest integrated sports program in Commonwealth Games history, comprising 18 sports and seven para-sports. For the first time at a Commonwealth Games, an equal number of men’s and women’s medal events will be contested.

 

Website: https://www.gc2018.com/

 

 Australian Open 2018

The 2018 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played at Melbourne Park between 15–28 January2018. It was the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2018 season. The tournament was the 106th edition of the Australian Open of all-time and 50th edition of the tournament in the Open Era.

winners of cup

Roger Federer was the defending champion in the men’s singles event and successfully retained his title, defeating Marin Čilić in the final, won his 6th Australian Open title and historic 20th Grand Slam title

The Australia Open 2017 was a tennis tournament held at Melbourne Park on 16th -29th January 2017. Being the 105th edition of the Australian Open, It was a splendid first Grand Slam event of the year. It consisted of events for men’s and women’s professional players in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles play. The junior and wheelchair players battled in singles and doubles tournaments, the tournament’ title sponsor was Kia.

The contest was regulated by International Tennis Federation being a piece of the 2017 ATP World Tour and 2017 WTA plans under Grand Slam Category. The tournament was played on hard courts taking place over a chain of 25 courts that comprises the three main show courts; Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, and Margaret Court Arena.

The defending champions were Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber who were both unsuccessful in the defense of their title. They lost to Denis Istomin and Coco Vandeweghe in second and fourth rounds.

 

Melbourne Cup 2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cup

The Melbourne Cup Day or just “Cup Day” is a local holiday in the state of Victoria and in theAustralian Capital Territory that is celebrated each year on the first Tuesday of November

future melbourne cup events

The Melbourne Cup 2017 was one of its kinds. The 2017 Emirates Melbourne cup was the 157th running of the Melbourne, a high-status Australian Thoroughbred stallion race. The race covered over 3,200 meters (1.988 mi) held on 7th November, made a public holiday in the state Victoria at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse.

John Vermeer ran second and Max Dynamite ran third, far-fetched performance from the nine-year-old who ran in 2015 second. The fourth was Big Duke, the first Australian horse to wind up. Melbourne businessman, Lloyd Williams, who has now won his sixth Cup as an owner, purchased the winner a yearling.

the horse racing cup australia

Reviving, which began at 15-1, was ridden by Corey Brown, the Sydney-based rider initially from the little town of Wingham, on the NSW north drift. Brown rode 2009 Melbourne Cup champ Shocking and has ridden far and wide from that point forward, before moving back home prior this year.

Cupday 2018

melbourne cup in australia

Melbourne Cup 2018 field, odds, tips, nominations, form and past winners. Race start time is 3:00pm on 6/11/2018 at a distance. The 2018 Melbourne Cup will be run at 3:00pm on Tuesday, 6th November 2018 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

 

Wimbledon 2018

http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html

 

2018 lawn tennis event

 

Dates: 2 Jul. 2018 – 15 Jul. 2018

Location: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, United Kingdom

wimbeldon australia

 

The 2017 Wimbledon was a Grand Slam tennis competition that occurred at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.The timeframe for the main draws was 3 July 2017 to 16th July 2017.

The Gentlemen’s Singles title winner was Roger Federer for a record eighth time surpassing Pete Sampras and William Renshaw. The Seven-time champion Roger Federer, straight from winning his fourth title of the year at the Halle Open, was still observed by numerous as the man to beat. The 35-year-old Swiss won the Australian Open in January – a record eighteenth Grand Slam title. On the Ladies single title, GarbineMuguruza won the title.

The 2017 competition was the 131st version of the titles, the 50th in the Open Era and the third Grand Slam competition of the year. It is played on grass courts, sorted out by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the International Tennis Federation and is a piece of the ATP World Tour, the WTA Tour, the ITF Junior visit and the NEC Tour.

 

 

AFL Footy Season 2018

http://www.afl.com.au/

The Australian Football League season is the 122nd season of the elite Australian Rules football competition. The competing teams are 18 in number in the league as other previous seasons. The first game was played on Thursday, 22nd March and the season ends with the 2018 AFL Grand Final to be on Saturday, 29th September.

afl final footy

More details here – www.afl.com.au/fixture

 

On 17 November 2017, the AFL attested that the pre-season would incorporate an AFLX competition. The match is played on a soccer-sized pitch in excess of two ten minutes parts. Each group features seven players on the field and three exchange players. Teams are part of three groups of six, with a fantastic last to be held for each gathering. The matches were played from 15– 17 February 2018. The champs of the opposition were Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

game fixtures

The pre-season arrangement of games returns in 2018 JLT Community Series. The number of games will be diminished compared to the past season, with groups playing two games each. The games are to be remaining solitary, with no overall winner of the series. Each group plays two games, numerous at rural or regional venues, while all games are broadcasted on Fox Footy.

These are simply the best sporting events we are looking forward to this year but there could be more out there too.

Is Genesis Studiopress Websites a good choice for small business

by Leave a Comment

When you have 20 + websites that you manage for yourself, you end up learning a lot about web design, wordpress themes, installing and fixing websites and practising SEO.

studiopress + genesis framework

Today I am reviewing an awesome wordpress theme provider. I signed up with them, earlier on last year and since then, I have used their themes on five of my new and existing websites.

Yup I actually removed the old wordpress theme and installed the Studiopress – Genesis themes. Why because I noticed a good change (increase) in traffic and speed after swapping the old theme with the new studiopress theme on one of my websites.

I will even show you an example of one of my sites – check it out

I used to use  solostream wordpress theme for my  blog website and also continue to use elegant themes on some other websites, but I can tell you that studiopress is my new go to for the professional looking wordpress design and inbuilt SEO.

 

Why studiopress themes for WordPress?

I can sum it up in just one word, because they are “Awesome”, but I am sure you would want more than that fi you are also looking to change to something better – so here is a list of what I liked.

Professional looking design

All thier themes look slick and professional to the eye. The theme/template design potrays a website with quality and professionalism.

Mai Lifestyle Pro Theme by genesis

Maipro Lifestyle and wellness theme by studiopress

 

Multiple themes available

I purchased the lifetime membership which is the best value in my humble opinion. You get access to many different kind of themes, recipe theme, agency theme, portfolio theme, news theme, fashion blog theme and many more.

The themes are provided by studiopress themselves and many themes are now also by approved third party theme makers.

 

Quality and speed

A well coded theme means quality and speed and that is what studiopress gives you. Thier WP themes have been coded by the best programmers specifically focussing on speed and clean certified code without any errors. This also ensures that your website theme does not slow down your hosting servers.

 

Modern html markup

The theme structure is streamlined and the design uses php and also the latest html 5 to bring out the best in design quality.

 

WordPress plugins support

When you purchase a theme from them, you automatically get free custom plugins to support and further enhance your theme design with sliders, featured posts and more.

They also have some custom paid plugins if you need to do in-depth customization of your templates.

Genesis framework and child themes

If you dont know much about the concept of child themes, then this is how it works – You have the main theme which is the base theme or framework (Genesis) in this case and then you have the child theme – the studiopress wp theme templates.

The base theme or genesis framework holds the basic information/structure of the website and so even if you change design/templates you dont lose much information due to your themes being the child theme for the framework.

In simple terms you get a robust base framework and less chances of losing data with change in templates/themes.

 

Modern and responsive

All the themes provided are fully responsive and work well on desktops, tablets and mobile. The designs are made using modern concepts and trends to display fluid design and flow.

 

Inbuilt seo

seo settings genesis2 reduced

Who doesnt like a template with good inbuilt seo. I have been using these themes for a while now and I do know you can rank websites based solely with the inbuilt seo functions, with no need for third party SEO plugins. This one is a prime example of this. This framework reduces your load of work for onpage seo.

Genesis isn’t cluttered with unnecessary options either, which can often cause slow load times with other standard wordpress themes.

To get their lifetime pro plus package, which is what I recommend even though its a bit pricey – Its worth it . Check out the deal here

If you are on a budget then you could just  go with the single theme that costs anywhere from $99 to 129

 

Frequently asked Questions about Genesis Themes

 

Is it easy to download and customize studio press themes?

It is easy to download and upload a theme to your wordpress blog. For customising your theme they provide you detailed setup guides to make your website just like the demo theme. They also provide extensive code snippets guides with code samples which you can copy and paste to further customise certain sections of your website. In certain cases you might need a coder to change things, but you can always contact their support in the first instance.

Can I use the purchased theme on multiple websites?

You can use any theme package you purchase as many times as you’d like, on as many websites as you desire. The purchase of theme packages allows you lifetime use of the themes and lifetime support for the original purchaser. In other words, they do not restrict your use to a specific number of sites, or a specific period of time in which they can be used.

 

Do I have to repurchase genesis framework for buying second theme?

The genesis framework theme is a onetime purchase if you purchase it by itself. You get this free anyway if you purchase a studiopress child theme. Once you have it, you are free to use it with any third party compatible theme.

 

Studiopress genesis launches hosting with wordpress

Now you can get the best of both wordpress themes and webhosting with genesis studiopress entering the hosting business. The first bonus that caught my eye had to be the free lets encrpyt (https) and the free migration of your website, but they do have more bonuses. Studiopress Genesis themes have long been known for thier robust fast loading and superior quality wp themes. That is also the reason why you pay more for them.

the 24 a month plan with studiopress

Their budget hosting plan starts at$24 a month (with bonus 24 studiopress premium themes included)

With thier new hosting plans, you can get both the theme and website at the same place, and get your website started quickly and easily.These plans are best suited for serious bloggers, affiliate marketersand people starting new small business websites.

 

You could try studiopress by purchasing a single theme (anywhere between $99 to $129 with genesis framework) or get the plus package including all the themes. But, there’s something to be said about buying the Pro Plus All Theme Package because you don’t have to pay again. Ever.

Summary

The best thing I like about the themes is you can just download a theme in minutes, upload it to your server in a flash and get it all set up in half an hour with thier free set up tutorials and plugins. Now all you need to do is focus on writing content for your good looking website. This is a real time saver possibly not only for developers who do this regularly, but also for bloggers like me.

 

get wp themes with hosting

 

Review  by Jeff for http://www.wordpressaustralia.com.au/blog/

Real Estate Investment: Why You Should Opt for a Preferred Equity

by Leave a Comment

Real estate is considered as one of the best investment sectors. It’s because the property values usually stay stable for long and you can earn a good return on your investment. If the country is economically strong, you’re likely to earn big profits with time.

Preferred equity is another way of investing in real estate sector. You may have heard of the term ‘preferred’ in the stock market where investors are allowed to buy preferred shares of the stock. Although these stocks are relatively expensive, they offer a good ROI.

property investment

When it comes to preferred equity in real estate, you can go for a project that has a low priority in terms of mortgage debt but possesses a higher priority in terms of the equity of project sponsor.

The project financers usually offer a loan within the range of 60-70% of the original commercial property’s value. This way, they’re able to earn profits without risking their investment. Therefore, most mortgage debts are usually funded by the investors. However, when investors are willing to invest even more funds, preferred equity comes into play.

 

Why Investors Go for a Preferred Equity

Preferred equity is more expensive than mortgage debts or senior debt. Although it offers more revenue, the investment encounters more risks. If the property value suddenly drops, the investors can lose their entire investment in no time. But the probability of higher profits attracts investors.

Also, preferred equity holds capital repayment priority. It depicts that even if the commercial property is unable to generate the expected revenue, you can claim your original investment once the property is sold. It reduces the risks to your investment.

Be it real estate or any other investment sectors, you can’t earn a good return unless you’re ready to take risks. By opting for the preferred equity, you can claim benefits from property appreciation, get tax deductions and earn rental income benefits.

A majority of preferred equity investors choose a fixed return on their investment as well as of their investment. It aids them in protecting their original investment and increasing their profit.

A preferred equity usually involves a fixed term of 2 to 3 years. The sponsor can upgrade the interest rate after this term on the basis of the unreturned capital.

 

How to Invest in a Preferred Equity

equityinproperty australia

Investing in a preferred equity can help you earn a good income over time without risking your savings. However, it’s recommended to get in touch with a professional commercial property advisory service to make the most of the investment opportunity. You can visit http://www.stamfordcapital.com.au/ to know more about preferred equity.

 

Stamford Capital is a reliable name when it comes to financial advisory services. They can guide you about the most suitable real estate projects that will work for you. Since they have contacts in the industry, they can suggest investment opportunities on the basis of your financial needs and goals.

All in all, a preferred equity is a feasible way of investing in commercial real estate. With professional guidance of Stamford Capital Australia, you can further increase the return on your investment.

Outsourcing your day Job

by Leave a Comment

Learn to outsource your job and make more time for this

Credit : Flickr Relaxing in Maldives by nattu is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The outsourcing revolution

Entrepreneurs regularly outsource to save time, access specialised expertise and get work done. In the last decade as access to the internet and data-speeds have improved, particularly in developing countries, an entirely new freelance workforce has emerged online.

Many skilled freelancers are based in lower-cost countries such as the Philippines, India or Pakistan, and can be hired for significantly less than local talent. Fuelled-by, or perhaps fuelling this phenomenon, freelancer marketplaces have exploded in popularity, stimulating a rush of new talent into the global marketplace.

These trends now make it possible for employees to outsource aspects of their jobs to relieve stress and win back time for things they’d rather be doing.

Where to find freelance talent

Virtual marketplaces such as Fiverr.com, UpWork.com and others provide online platforms where freelancers can advertise their services plus examples of their work, their rates and related information. Buyers can search for freelancers by a range of categories or keywords, save profiles of promising contractors and then interact with them by messaging service.

Buyers can post jobs and invite applications from qualified freelancers and when a job is agreed by both parties, these platforms even manage the contract, billing, payment and receipt aspects of the relationship. All of these features make it easy to find, engage, manage and pay for freelance talent, not just for business owners, but for employees themselves.

You can access freelancers like this graphic designer using marketplaces such as UpWork.com

Source: Flickr – Credit : Design freelancer working b2b business by thods is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

What kind of talent is available?

If you’re thinking freelancing is only good for building a mobile app or procuring some cheap copywriting, then you might be surprised and the sheer range of talent available.

UpWork.com, which describes itself as ‘the world’s leading freelancing website’ claims that “annually, freelancers are earning more than $1 billion via the site each year and providing companies with over 3,500 skills.”

Need an academic paper written? What about a bookkeeper? Perhaps you need an interior design for a new rental property you’re considering buying? Or how about a webpage translated into Chinese? All these are available, and more, often at very low prices.

Can I outsource my job to freelancers?

If you are an employee looking to outsource aspects of your role, the nature of the work you do will determine what aspects can and cannot be outsourced. Most jobs have a range of common elements that may be outsourced cheaply and effectively.

Outsourcing your general administration can save you hours of unproductive time. Managing emails, scheduling meetings, formatting documents, preparing Powerpoint presentations, filing, managing your digital documents and countless other time-consuming yet necessary tasks can be outsourced effectively to a virtual administrative assistant.

Caption: Feeling frustrated at work? Outsource the admin and get your life back

Credit : Flickr – Frustration by peterhess is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

What does it cost?

 

For as little as $200 per week, you could employ a full-time administrative assistant. That means that for around $10,000 a year, you could have a full-time person working for you, available by phone or email or instant-messaging application, ready to work at a moment’s notice.

Depending on your personal financial situation, it may also be possible to claim the expense as a tax deduction related to your employment. As a result, the real cost of engaging the freelancer may be far less.

If you’d like to outsource but don’t have the money available, there are plenty of ways to find the cash you’ll need at short notice.

Is it legal?

 

Your employment agreement and the terms and conditions of your employer may or may not prohibit you from outsourcing work without their express approval. Factors like confidentiality deserve careful consideration. As a rule, don’t go outsourcing your entire job like this person did.

Consider also what other aspects of your life admin you could outsource to free up to time you’d rather be spending on more important things.

Should I tell my boss?

 

Aside from the ethical and moral issues, there’s a good reason you should consider sharing your plan with your boss. If you can make a convincing business case for it, such as the amount of time you could spend acquiring new clients, then your boss may consider reimbursing you for the expense.

What else should I consider?

Managing freelancers to deliver work is a skill, meaning it takes time to learn and perfect. Start by outsourcing small tasks and practice the act of working with a third-party to get back the results you expect. It can take time to develop an efficient and productive working relationship. Don’t put yourself at risk by outsourcing critical work without having a backup plan in place (which may simply be you doing the work yourself).

Bottom line

Jump online and check out a freelancer marketplace for yourself. Start small and learn how to take advantage of the wonderful world of freelance available to you.

Top Activities You Can Enjoy in Sydney in Spring Season

by Leave a Comment

australian holiday

The beautiful city of Sydney is one of the most well-known tourist spots. The amazing landscape and architectural sites provide scenic views throughout the year. However, spring season is considered as the most suitable time to visit the city.

Visiting the city at this time of the year allows you to escape extreme temperatures of Australia. The season runs from September to November and provides you the opportunities to enjoy a variety of activities.

During spring season, the temperature generally varies from 13 °C to 22 °C. Moreover, there isn’t much rain during this time of the year. Therefore, you can make the most of your trip. Here are some activities you can experience on your visit to the city.

Visit Royal Botanic Garden:

Royal Botanic Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Australia. With a large collection of plants and flowers, the park offers amazing views to visitors. Here, you’ll find some rare plants and flowers that grow only during the spring season. The entry in the park is free and you can take a walk on the long trails. However, you can also book a guided tour if you want to know more about the garden. It is one of the best gardens in Sydney that is a must visit place for everyone who intends to visit the city.

Whale Watching:

Whale watching in Sydney, Australia is considered as one of the top tourist activities. Various cruise trips are offered around Sydney that facilitates tourists to visit the areas where whales are in abundance. You can watch them in their natural habitat. The trips are usually offered in Spring season and tourists as well as locals can book a tour to watch whales closely. It is an amazing experience that you’ll never forget.

Cruise Tour:

sea holidays ship and cruise

Another popular activity in spring season is to visit Sydney Harbour. You can take a walk on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to admire the city. Cruise trips are also offered throughout the year to discover beaches and visit clear sea. The cruise tour leaves a long-lasting impression on visitors and makes their trip worthwhile.

Sydney Princess Cruises (SPC) is a well-known name in tourism industry of Sydney. Tourists can book a tour with them to enjoy views of clear waters around the city of Sydney. They offer private chartered boats. Therefore, you can book them for a family outing or to go picnicking with your friends.

Taste Delicious Cuisine:

When in Sydney, it is a must to try out local cuisine. There are many fine restaurants operating in the city where tourists can taste dishes that are finger-licking good. Also, tourists can learn and try out recipes on their own such as Beef and lamb spring recipes.

Whether you want to check out some expensive restaurants or want to visit the city on a budget, you’ll find suitable restaurants and cafes. Some restaurants also offer short courses where tourists can learn to prepare some delicious local dishes.

How to Reward a Global Workforce

by Leave a Comment

jobs australia

The face of workforce is changing across the glove as more and more millennials have started working. This is one of the reasons why it is important for businesses to keep their employees motivated and to promote loyalty among them. It is now up to HR professionals how they devise reward strategies that work well with the existing employee base, and a good way to go about it is through incentives and the use of modern technology.

If your business functions internationally, the task of rewarding employees, working in different roles and positions, and located across the globe can be extremely daunting. Earlier on, the incentives used to vary from department to department because of varying budgets, which made it hard for HR to keep a track of the employee incentive programs. Most companies wanted to implement a uniformi when it came to rewarding the global workforce, which is how digital and virtual gift reward cards were introduced. They became a success for the following reasons:

  • There was uniformity, as all the employees received the same prepaid gift card.
  • The delivery of the reward was easily, as it was sent via email and was received by employees in different job roles and geographic locations.
  • All the employees received equal rewards at the same time.
  • It was easy for HR to track redemption.
  • It was easy to personalise the reward card with the employee’s name and a note from the management, which added a personalised touch.
  • The company easily managed their budget because of the centralised reward.

Companies, in search of innovative ideas to rewards their employees, can benefit by visiting websites such as https://www.globalrewardsolutions.com/

and http://www.power2motivate.co.uk/.

Using Digital Reward Points to Your Advantage

Companies can make use of digital reward programs all around the year, because they are easy to manage and give employees the flexibility of getting whatever they want, as opposed to employee recognition programs. Some of the things that you should look out for when using a rewards program are:

Can It Be Easily Used With Other Technology?

Digital reward programs can be used with the help of application programming interfaces, for private, secure, and immediate delivery of the rewards. This is great for companies, as they can easily scale and report the delivery of the rewards.

Is the Management of the Program Streamlined After Its Implemented?

One of the best ways to manage employee recognition is with the help of a rewards management portal. In order to make sure that everything is streamlined, it is important for businesses to hire a professional solutions provider.

Tips To Reward Workforce

Here are some ways in which you can reward your workforce:

  • Sending appreciation emails.
  • Sending flowers or cake on their birthdays.
  • Sending gifts on their work anniversaries.
  • Giving them work life balance.
  • Rewarding them with an all expense paid trip.

Guidelines to Choose the Right Phone System for Your Business

by Leave a Comment

clip_image002

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/phone-home-telephone-numbers-2127/

Choosing a business phone system is a very important decision. A decision that requires a lot of research and consideration. Different businesses have different needs, especially when it comes to a phone system. A small coffee shop could probably get by on a personal landline and mobile phone combo. On the other hand, a city centre hostel with 100 plus beds will need a business phone system, such as a virtual PBX, to handle multiple incoming calls, facilitate call transferring and be ever reliable with no downtime. If you need a business solution there are plenty of options out there for you. Read on for 3 of the most popular business phone systems along with pros and cons of each.

Traditional Landline

When you think of a traditional landline we think of our home phone line. They are slightly different when talked about in a business sense. Business landlines are typically supported by a phone company. These are analog systems that run on the phone companies existing technology. This technology is usually traditional copper wiring.

To run a traditional landline, you need local PBX hardware. This hardware is what enables you to use business phone system features such as call transferring etc. They enable the use of multiple phone extensions.

Some business landline systems run as a hybrid with VoIP systems (more on them so). The traditional phone line comes into your business and then connects to your data network. The data network is then responsible for connecting the multiple business phones to the central line.

Many landline systems are now being phased out by most system providers.

Pro: Landline systems have been around for ages so are reliable and time-tested. A lot of companies like what they know, which is the traditional landline.

Con: With the prevalence of the cloud most providers are moving away from landlines. This means they are more difficult to purchase and, more importantly, repair should something break.

VOIP Systems

Where landlines use copper wires to get you connected, VoIP systems use the internet. They tap into your companies existing connection to enable your phone system. VoIP systems provide great business features such as automated attendants, call queues and computer integration. Some of the highlights include allowing voicemails left over the phone to be sent to email inboxes and computers to be turned into "softphones."

VoIP systems give remote employees and users access to the business VoIP phone system from their mobile device so they can work on the go without the hassle.

Pro: VoIP systems provide the complete business phone package. These VoIP systems are easily set up and configured, and are a lot more cost effective than landline systems.

Con: The downside, however, is that these systems rely on your internet connection. So, if you’re in a community with spotty internet service, this type of phone system wouldn’t work for you.

Virtual PBX

Virtual PBX phone systems are the next step in the evolution of business phone systems. The Virtual PBX phone systems differentiate themselves by being hosted in the cloud instead of being on-premise. And that eliminates many of the challenges associated with traditional systems and provides all the benefits of the cloud technology it is based on.

A virtual PBX phone system is securely stored in the cloud on a server that is accessible and configurable via a web interface. Virtual PBX phone systems uses internet protocol or IP communications, allowing businesses to make calls over the internet. The difference is mostly invisible to the average user. The only change you’ll see is that instead of plugging your phone handset into the wall socket, your plug your IP phone directly into your modem.

Pros: Cloud-based systems like virtual PBX mean no local hardware to purchase and maintain. Your provider takes care of that for you. You can set up and configure the system for your business, all from your computer.

Cons: Not having your own hardware means that if there are any problems it is out of your control and up to your provider to get them fixed

Think about the services we’ve talked about here and align them with your business needs. Choosing the right system for your business will help it thrive while avoiding headaches down the track. If you need some more advice ask the team over at https://www.cloudtelecom.com.au/ what would be best for you. The right phone system for your business is right around the corner.