Xero In
Business
Xero In helps business leaders realise their dreams with practical insights and growth strategies that work. Co-hosts Jeanne-Vida Douglas and Xero evangelist Rob Stone host this weekly podcast for Australian and New Zealand small business leaders who aren’t content with ordinary. Join them to discover practical insights that help you stay in control, find new customers and keep your accounting books in order. Each week you’ll hear interviews with the best minds in small business, covering topics from world-class accounting practices to digital marketing, cashflow management, and business strategy. Check us out at xero.com/podcasts
Location:
Australia
Description:
Xero In helps business leaders realise their dreams with practical insights and growth strategies that work. Co-hosts Jeanne-Vida Douglas and Xero evangelist Rob Stone host this weekly podcast for Australian and New Zealand small business leaders who aren’t content with ordinary. Join them to discover practical insights that help you stay in control, find new customers and keep your accounting books in order. Each week you’ll hear interviews with the best minds in small business, covering topics from world-class accounting practices to digital marketing, cashflow management, and business strategy. Check us out at xero.com/podcasts
Language:
English
Website:
https://www.xero.com/podcasts/
Episodes
Ep: 34 - Overcoming tax paralysis: How to talk to the tax office
6/6/2016
Tax season could easily be a small business owner’s most dreaded time of year. So how do you set yourself up ahead of time to avoid tax paralysis? And how do you overcome it when it does set in?
This week on Xero In Rob Stone and JV Douglas are joined once more by Peter Strong, CEO at the Council for Small Business Australia (COSBOA) and a strong advocate for small businesses when it comes to getting through the tax season.
“A small business is a person,” Peter told Rob and JV. “And most...
Duration:00:17:19
Ep: 33 - Chain reaction: Everything you need to know about franchising
5/30/2016
Good business idea? Check. Great sales record? Check. Plans for world domination? Check. In this episode of Xero In we track the process from good idea to franchise success, and what it takes to get there.
This week on the show, Rob and JV are joined by franchising expert and founder of the Franchise Relationships Institute, Greg Nathan. With experience on both sides of the table, Greg debunks some of the myths around what it takes to build a thriving franchise empire.
“At the end of it...
Duration:00:21:07
Ep: 32 - Needle in a haystack: The secret to recruiting a great team
5/23/2016
Advertisement, application, interviewing – it’s the tried and tested method for recruiting based on education and experience. But how do you measure potential employees for cultural fit? And how can you update your recruitment process to make sure you find the perfect person for the job, every single time?
This week on Xero In, hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas are joined by Dr Glyn Brokensha, founder of Expr3ss and all-round expert when it comes to recruiting the right people for the right...
Duration:00:21:41
Ep: 31 - To hire, to fire: Building your collaborative A-team
5/16/2016
Hiring, firing: They’re two of the most dreaded words among leadership teams everywhere – and rightly so. What exactly should you look for when you’re building your dream team? And how do you know when it’s time to let employees go?
This week on Xero In, Rob and JV are joined once more by Steve Vamos to talk about building a collaborative work culture that will last. With many decades of experience in leadership and management roles, Steve shares insights that will help you when it comes to...
Duration:00:18:27
Ep: 29 - Future cubicle: what's next for the work space?
5/2/2016
We’ve come a long way since the days of the office with four walls, a door and a desk. So what does the office of the future look like? And will architecture alone get us there?
This week Xero In hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas are joined by Justin Kabbani, managing director and owner of Hardhat Digital, a creative agency that is pioneering the way forward in office design.
“One of the things we like to say at Hardhat is that our office is our temple. The office is the body of the company...
Duration:00:21:40
Ep: 28 - The perfect pair: When innovative design meets social enterprise
4/25/2016
We live in a world of great creativity, innovation and social enterprise – an entrepreneurs dream. So how do you go about creating something that’s never existed before? And is uniqueness alone enough to get people talking?
This week the founder and owner of Frank Green, Ben Young, joins Xero In hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas to talk about building and marketing a unique business empire.
“You’ve just got to believe in your purpose and just also celebrate your milestones of success,” Ben...
Duration:00:17:23
Ep: 27 - If you build it, they will come: Success in the construction industry
4/18/2016
With the rapid pace of change and increasing access to technology, it’s vital that all industries evolve. So what technology is the construction industry embracing in order to build success?
This week on Xero In, hosts Rob and JV speak to the founder of TradiePad, Clinton Cowan about how to be resilient in the construction industry. With more paperwork now than ever before, Clinton shares his insider tips on how tradies can reduce costs, save time and embrace technology.
“Instead of seeing...
Duration:00:17:58
Ep: 26 - People first: The importance of people management
4/11/2016
People. They’re at the centre of everything you do in small business, which is why people management and culture building should be a top priority for any leader or manager.
This week Steve Vamos joins Xero In hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas to share insights from his three decades of experience in leadership roles across companies including IBM, Apple, Microsoft and Ninemsn.
"The mindset of leaders, the way that leaders think and the people around them think defines an organisation’s...
Duration:00:16:32
Ep: 25 - Growing old disgracefully: Succession planning and exit strategies
4/4/2016
You’ve built a successful small business and it’s going well - but over the horizon comes retirement, a new venture, or a family concern. So how do you plan for your exit?
In this week’s episode of Xero In, we speak to business broker Kev Ryan about the many options available to small business owners when planning their exit, as well as what new business owners should look for when deciding to invest in an existing business.
“There’s skill involved, but if you give yourself plenty of time...
Duration:00:21:07
Ep: 24 - Google is the new landlord
3/28/2016
With the increasing convergence of bricks-and-mortar and online retail, it’s now more pertinent than ever to think about how your location might be impacting your business - for better or worse.
This week Xero In hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas chat to James Stevens, founder of Roses Only. James sheds light on his experience, moving from the world of physical shopfronts to the internet to eventually building a successful, global ecommerce brand.
“The biggest online landlord now would have...
Duration:00:16:40
Ep: 23 - Creating and maintaining culture
3/21/2016
Creating culture is easy in the early, heady days of your business. When you're making all the decisions and sharing them directly with staff, your culture is often improvised and ad hoc. The challenge comes when you need to choose those elements of culture you want to pass on.
In this episode of Xero In, We speak to Angus Kennard, non executive director and third generation leader of Kennards Hire, about how to distill those values, and the mechanisms that pass them indirectly on to...
Duration:00:20:53
Ep: 22 - Special episode: Why it’s important to quit, fail and make mistakes
3/14/2016
Disrupt or be disrupted. It’s the mantra of the modern workforce. But what’s it really like to quit your day job? How do you know when the timing is right? And what happens if you make mistakes or your business fails?
In this special episode of Xero In, JV and Rob head to Sydney fintech hub Stone & Chalk to talk to some of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs about their business journey from corporate career to start-up.
“It wasn't my intention to launch a start-up, or to do something on my...
Duration:00:17:33
Ep: 21 - Get tech savvy: 5 things to think about in 2016
3/7/2016
Smartphones. You’re probably listening to this podcast on one right now. But are you maximising your favourite pocket gadget for your business? There’s so much new tech out there that it’s difficult to know where to begin.
In this episode of Xero In, hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas are joined by one of Australia’s top technology journalists and industry commentators, Angus Kidman. Together, they launch headfirst into the world of mobile tech, discussing the top trends for the year ahead and...
Duration:00:21:34
Ep: 20 - Better with friends: why mentors are important
2/29/2016
For most of the paths we walk, there’s someone who has walked them before us. But where do you find your very own business Yoda - and how can they help on your quest?
In this episode, hosts Rob Stone and JV Douglas talk to Jo Burston, MD at Job Capital and Rare Birds, about her journey from mentee to mentor, author and entrepreneur.
“I think for me the gold nugget moment was that I saw someone who I identified with personally,” Jo says. “I can say that with hand on heart probably would not...
Duration:00:28:14
Ep: 19 - Sharing is caring: Is co-working for you?
2/22/2016
Being a sole operator or a budding entrepreneur can be a lonely, if exciting, life. So where do you turn when you need a social fix, someone to brainstorm with, or a bit of peer advice?
According to Christopher Kirk, hub manager at Stone & Chalk, a co-working space could be for you. He talks to hosts JV Douglas and Rob Stone about the differences between co-working, accelerators, hubs and incubators, and how each can help small business.
“We have a bell that people ring, not just when they...
Duration:00:28:22
Ep: 18 - How brand is key to retail success
2/15/2016
It’s gone from scones and doilies to crazy and creative, but giving tea a retail makeover hasn’t all been smooth sailing. So how do you go from surviving to thriving in retail?
Maryanne Shearer, founder of T2, has been answering this questions with increasing confidence for two decades. With T2 stores surviving the global financial crisis, and now going global, Maryanne shares her insights into creating a retail experience, inspiring brand love, and keeping your course during tough...
Duration:00:29:49
Ep: 17 - Advice you wish your accountant could give you
2/8/2016
Once upon a time your relationship with your accountant was mostly about tax returns. But small businesses today want much more, making tax the least interesting part of what a great accountant can do for you.
Business technology journalist Sholto Macpherson says a combination of new technology, improved customer service and niche services has changed the shape of the modern accountancy practice. More than ever before, great accountants are offering coaching services to help grow your...
Duration:00:27:13
Ep: 16 - Here, there and everywhere with a distributed team
2/1/2016
In the years since the explosion of cloud based platforms, small companies have been enabled to expand and operate like large companies, giving them access to flexible work practices and a massively expanded talent pool.
While you may have gained deeper understanding about how to add flexibility to your operations, have you been paying as much attention to the subtle and not-so-subtle changes this brings to your management style?
We speak to Xero CEO Rod Drury about how this conversation...
Duration:00:25:28
Ep: 15 - Quenching the entrepreneurial thirst
1/25/2016
The entrepreneurial thirst is a crucial driving component of many successful small businesses. So how do you harness that thirst for constant knowledge and improvement and make it work for you?
When she launched her magazine back in 2013, Lisa Messenger found herself surrounded by sceptics. Today, with a rapidly expanding empire and a print magazine that is now sold across 37 countries, the founder of The Collective Hub is living the entrepreneurial dream.
In this episode, Lisa chats with...
Duration:00:22:44
Ep: 14 - Improve yourself, improve your business
1/18/2016
Most small business owners and entrepreneurs don’t have the time to step back from work and assess their goals and their lifestyle, much less take a holiday. So what would your business look like if you also made time for yourself?
In this episode of Xero In, hosts Rob Stone and Jeanne-Vida Douglas chat to Brett Kelly, senior client director at Kelly + Partners, about why taking time out and reflecting on your personal goals is as important as working on your business. Brett also shares his...
Duration:00:18:20