In-Context Finance

Why Directors Must Ensure Tax Compliance

Siu Ling — Sat, 11 May 2013 01:24:07 +0000

If you are a director of a business, you can become personally liable for unpaid Pay As You Go Withholding (PAYG) tax and Superannuation Guarantee Charge (SGC). The fact that you are not an executive director ie not involved in the day-to-day management of the business, is irrelevant. Tax compliance is part of your duties [...]

How To Finance Inventory

Siu Ling — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:11:15 +0000

Inventory holdings demand significant investment in working capital. It adds an extra stage to the cash conversion cycle of a business ie the length of time from the outlay of money for goods or services to realizing the cash in bank from the sale of the goods. Inventory is a relatively illiquid asset and ties [...]

How To Build A Win-Win Banking Relationship

Siu Ling — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 01:33:13 +0000

The Global Financial Crisis has essentially decimated the number of financiers leaving a landscape dominated by the Big 4 Four Banks. They, along with an equally decimated number of specialist asset financiers are about the only sources of “reasonably priced” business finance today. “Reasonable” is a relative term: whatever you are paying on banking facilities [...]

Do You Understand Your Cash Flow From Operating Activities?

Siu Ling — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:54:19 +0000

Your core business activities are – or should be – your engine for generating cash flow in your business. The ability to generate consistent and preferably increasing positive cash flow from the day-to-day trading activities in your business is vital to survival and ultimately to success of your business. Booming sales and strong profits will [...]

PPSA: Examples Of Business Situations

Siu Ling — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:34:37 +0000

The Personal Property Securities Act (2009) and the associated Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) has been in place since 30 January 2012 and it affects all businesses. Have you reviewed your business processes to ensure that your interests are protected? It might refer to “personal property” but this legislation is absolutely about business assets. The [...]

Sales Forecasts vs Cash Flow Forecasts

Siu Ling — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:23:22 +0000

There’s an old saying: Sales is Vanity. Profit is Opinion. Cash is Fact. That description of sales is probably a bit harsh as every business does have to have make sales. No sales means no profit and definitely no cash. To paraphrase George Orwell in Animal Farm: “Not all sales are created equal”. Chasing sales [...]

Are You Managing Social Media Risks In Your Business?

Siu Ling — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:06:11 +0000

If you are thinking, “Well, I’m not using social media in my business. So I don’t have to worry about business risks with social media”, read on. Social media is now a main stream form of communication. You might not be using social media for your business. (Why are you leaving so much change on [...]

Making Your Business “Bankable”

Siu Ling — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:30:56 +0000

In a recent chat about marketing with brand & marketing specialist Francoise Garnier (Garnier Marketing), it occurred to me that the obtaining finance is in essence about marketing your business. The difference is that your “customer” is the bank. Do I hear a chorus of “Hang on a minute! Isn’t my business supposed to be [...]

How To Identify Profitable Opportunities For Business Growth

Siu Ling — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:36:10 +0000

As I wrote in my recent post, the web is a powerful enabler of business innovation. And innovation is essential for any business to survive and thrive in this digital age. The web has torn down barriers to entry into virtually every industry. Your competitors are not just existing firms in the industry, the ones [...]

Harness The Internet For Business Innovation And Growth

Siu Ling — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:17:27 +0000

The Internet – in particular in its evolution into what has widely become referred to as Web 2.0 since late 2004 – has made technology extremely affordable and accessible to even the smallest of small business. These new internet technologies are the great enablers for business innovation, productivity and growth. Yet there’s still a stark [...]