Every professional experience can teach you something. Whether you are applying for your first job, trying to get a promotion or switching industries, there is no better way to enter a role with confidence than by identifying transferable skills you have gathered throughout life. The good news is that three of the most important skills you can take into the workplace are strengths you have likely been developing to some degree since childhood. Often known as soft skills, they offer a pivotal starting point for anyone hoping to achieve success in the workplace. You can then learn to develop your professional skills on the job.
Read moreThe 3 Contract Clauses You Need to Review Before the End of the Year
Being a small business owner means taking on several jobs at once by being your own chief executive, accountant, human resources manager and even lawyer.
That can lead to shortcuts, as entrepreneurs focus on their strengths and make do in the areas where they aren’t as knowledgeable.
As a business contract lawyer, I’ve seen the results of some of these quick fixes, as small business owners reuse boilerplate contracts year after year, even as their business grows and legal precedents change.
Read moreGovernment releases draft amendments to the Franchising Code
Recently, the Federal Government released its exposure draft amendments to the Franchising Code of Conduct (Code).
The amendments to the Code are a response to the findings made by the Parliamentary Joint Committee in its Fairness in Franchising Report and the subsequent commitments made by the Government.
While the amendments are still in draft form, the major proposed changes to the Code include the following:
Read moreThe 3 Contract Clauses You Need to Review Before the End of the Year
Being a small business owner means taking on several jobs at once by being your own chief executive, accountant, human resources manager and even lawyer. That can lead to shortcuts, as entrepreneurs focus on their strengths and make do in the areas where they aren’t as knowledgeable. As a business contract lawyer, I’ve seen the results of some of these quick fixes, as small business owners reuse boilerplate contracts year after year, even as their business grows and legal precedents change.
Read moreOutdated court system doesn’t work for small businesses, says ASBFEO
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, is calling for an overhaul of the dispute resolution framework, saying the current court system doesn’t work for small businesses.
In the newly released Access to Justice Report, Ms Carnell said small businesses urgently need pathways to resolve their disputes quickly and cost-effectively or they would be hampered by inefficient processes through the courts.
Read more8 Soft Skills That Make You an Even Better Leader
Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer of VaynerMedia, recently shared a quote on her Instagram page that caught my attention: “People skills, EQ, ‘soft’ skills, HUMAN skills – these are our anchors. They ground us, remind us that we are real. Without these we fly away.” Businesses tend to overlook soft skills and focus on hard skills. When LinkedIn released their list of most in-demand hard and soft skills of 2020 earlier this year, unsurprisingly, the hard skills were dominated by computer skills. With the pandemic hitting the world back in March and the forced shift from brick-and-mortar to work-at-home that trend will only accelerate.
Read moreOutdated court system is failing small businesses
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell is calling for an overhaul of the dispute resolution framework, saying the current court system doesn’t work for small businesses. Releasing her Access to Justice Report today, Ms Carnell said small businesses urgently need pathways to resolve their disputes quickly and cost-effectively. “Trying to resolve a dispute through the courts is just not a viable option for most small businesses,” Ms Carnell says.
Read moreDispute getting you down?
There are many services provided for small to medium sized businesses that do not get enough credit for their success and efficiency.
Mediation is most certainly one of them. For those unfamiliar with the term “Mediation”, picture two or more parties to a commercial, or civil dispute seeking an alternative to the time consuming, extortionately expensive and stressful legal system. Mediation consists of one mediator using logical reasoning to seek the root of the issue and enable cross-party understanding to reach a settlement agreement. Mediators are accredited professionals, usually with a diverse commercial background including litigation experience, meaning that, although they are not there to provide legal advice, they can lead their clients to the most cost and time-efficient path to resolving their dispute. They do so whilst avoiding the uncertainties of the legal system, circumventing the involvement of solicitors, barristers, filing fees, and intrusive discovery processes.
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