Financial Foreplay® Podcast

Over the past 24 months as the COVID 19 pandemic unfolded and progressed... it revealed an inconvenient truth about just how precarious the financial affairs of middle class households really are. We now have much greater clarity and certainty around the fragility of our finances – with around 80% of households forced to confront the fact they don't have enough savings and are around 1 month away from losing their homes. Inadequate savings, lack of financial planning, and with little support from family and the government... Several things have become abundantly clear, We need to understand our debt position and how much savings are required to weather a storm (such as a loss of job, pandemic, health issues) and we also need to better use the assets that we already have available to us to protect against future catastrophes and shore up our overall health as we build wealth for our families and prepare for retirement.   Sometimes opportunities lie in the strangest of places...   While there are reports that we are heading into a decade long housing supply crunch, with reports that affordable housing is at all time lows and Sydney reporting a five year low vacancy rate of 1.7% (with many regional areas reporting less than 1% vacancy), there are 13.5M unused bedrooms in 10m residences across Australia.   Bio Ludwina Dautovic is the CEO and Founder of The Room Xchange, Australia's first verified house-sharing platform. The Room Xchange makes it easy for people to find their ideal housemate based on personality, values, and lifestyle. And you can choose to rent or rent offset giving you the choice on how you want to use your asset.   Today Ludwina and I will be talking about how you spare bedroom could be worth $10k a year in rent or over 300 hours of household help.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights: 13.5M unused bedrooms in 10m residences across Australia and yet we have a housing shortage and an affordability crisis. A spare bedroom can return around $200 a week in rent or 8 hours of help. Your spare bedroom is an asset that could be making you money – it's no different than renting our your spare car, garage, caravan, or power tools for extra cash Having verified profiles means you can pick someone that shares your lifestyle and values. There are a myriad of reasons why people want to house share post COVID. The rental market is very slim and people (of all shapes and sizes) are looking for viable alternatives to the traditional share model (that really appeals more to students). The experience can enrich your life and add value to your life/family. Our tribal way of living has changed so much in the last 20 years and this is one unique way of creating a new sense of community, dialogue and connection. $12,000 a year in incremental income could almost double the amount of principal that a family with a mortgage of $500,000-$600,000 is able to pay down each year. Australia is the only country in the world where 76% of citizens are living in “severely unaffordable housing” defined as housing valued at 6+ times your annual salary. If all the unused spare bedrooms within 30 minutes of the CBD in Sydney were housed by a working adult, it would increase GDP by $750m annually according to a study by Ernst and Young.   Get in Touch: Link to company update - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/room-xchanges-ceo-ludwina-dautovic-220000722.html Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ludwinadautovic/  

Investing in property is a time-consuming, stressful and non-transparent process. It is estimated that investors spend on average 200 hours looking for a property, including frustrating Saturday morning inspections. Typically there are 5-10 stakeholders involved, the process is unclear, and most are worried about making a wrong/poor decision. It is extremely hard to find the data and insights to know where and what to buy and at what price.   Bio Mickael Roger is co-founder and co-CEO of PropHero, a data-driven digital platform for property investment. PropHero helps you find, buy and manage the best investment properties. Before founding PropHero, Mickael was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he was leading the Data & Artificial Intelligence practice, serving clients in the Telco/Media/Tech, Private Equity and Financial Services industries. In 2017, he launched a new AI-powered commodity price forecasting capability for McKinsey, serving some of the largest commodity producers and traders to predict prices using artificial intelligence and develop advanced trading strategies. Prior to joining McKinsey, Mickael worked as a Senior Consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Paris and North Africa, where he focused on both strategic and restructuring topics, while developing M&A and financial advisory activities. Mickael Roger began his career as an M&A investment banker for UBS in London in 2011. Mickael Roger holds a Master's Degree in Engineering from Telecom ParisTech and an MSc in International Finance from HEC Paris.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights:   PropHero is an AI-driven digital property investment platform that helps you find, buy and manage the best investment properties.  PropHero is designed to help investors build wealth and make property investing simple, transparent and more profitable.  Simplicity: Save up to 95% of the time usually spent to find an investment property with the help of your dedicated Property Coach and via our user-friendly digital platform simplifying each step of the property investment process Transparency: We share with you all the data and model insights to help you understand the potential of the properties we find for you Greater profitability: We use Data and AI to locate the next 'hotspots' and find superior investment opportunities  

Apple is putting the finishing touches on a service that will let consumers pay for any Apple Pay purchase in instalments over time – which is a direct foray into the “buy now, pay later” market where key players such as Paypal, Klarna, Zip and Afterpay have dominated. This new Apple service will be backed by Goldman Sachs Group as the lender for the loans that support the instalments. This new buy now, pay later system could further drive and entrench Apple Pay adoption. Even more importantly, it's likely to influence more consumers to use their iPhone to pay for items instead of standard credit cards. This is a huge shift since recent studies out of the UK estimate that BNPL took a 20% chunk out of the credit card market during the 2020 Christmas shopping season. As I understand it - when a consumer makes a purchase via Apple Pay on any Apple device, they will have the option to: pay for it in four interest-free payments made every two weeks, or spread the payments across several months with interest Consumers will be able to choose any credit card to make their re-payments over time which will add another 30 days to the equation. Now you may be asking yourself, why is this so significant? We already have several BNPL schemes that have embedded themselves in the retail landscape. Apple's announcement isn't significant because of its direct impact on the BNPL landscape. It is significant because it proves the structures of banking and finance are fundamentally changing. This week alone we saw irrefutable evidence that banking as we know it is dying and that the rigid foundations that have propped up our banks, are no longer rigid at all. The recent acquisition of Afterpay as a prime example of this. Afterpay has NEVER made a profit. Afterpay has no history of paying dividends to shareholders and has less than $1 billion in net assets on its Balance Sheet. And yet, it was acquired for an implied $39 billion by Square, with Afterpay shareholders set to pocket Square shares instead of cash... where Square shares on this transaction were aggressively priced at 120 times forward earnings! Bio: Kane Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Maslow, a financial services start-up with a goal to rebuild consumer banking and finance on a platform of inclusivity and alignment with the consumers it serves and has, at times, previously taken for granted. Maslow has the backing of a number of significant investors, including the ex CEO of PWC and Carlton Football Club President. Previously to Maslow, Kane was responsible for registering Australia's first retail derivative fund and is astutely aware of the significant responsibilities that come with offering a retail financial services product. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Significant increase in bad debts likely led to need to source an acquisition partner BNPL is predicated not on the 6 per cent return but the fact that capital is recycled 3-4 times a year making the annual return earned in the 30 per cent range BNPL model is built upon the assumption they would be able to upsell customers into traditional banking products – the jury is still out on whether that is realistic or not Banks were never really worried about BNPL because it only affected a small portion of their revenue base Apple's proposition is risky because it completely removes friction AND conscious consideration by the customer of what the bank does (and whether they even need a bank in their lives) Questions for us to ponder -- How could we harness what we have learned from BNPL to innovate in the area of savings, investing etc.? How could we teach people to manage their money more wisely and make it fun/engaging? Get in Touch: Linkedin - (1) Kane Jackson | LinkedIn

Emergency access to superannuation granted by the Australian Federal Government during the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a discretionary spending spree for some Australians, who are splashing cash on some shockingly non-essential items - gambling, alcohol, apps, luxury fashion items, and takeaway food. Roughly 3m Australians withdrew almost $36 billion from their super accounts under the COVID-19 scheme. This is sharply contrasted with what happened in Canada where Canadians continue to be subject to withholding taxes on retirement funds removed from RRSPs unless the funds were taken by home buyers or lifelong learning. In the USA, the Federal CARES Act, made it easier for Americans under age 59½ to access the funds stashed in eligible retirement accounts – Americans were entitled to take out up to $100,000 from eligible retirement plans without incurring the usual 10% early withdrawal penalty and they were given up to three years to pay the tax liability on the money removed. While it's hard to get an official estimate on how much money was withdrawn early, both Fidelity and Vanguard reported that roughly 3% of their customers drew down on their retirement savings due to Covid. Best estimates suggest that roughly 4.530m Americans withdrew something close to $22.65b in retirement savings. Let's come back now to a quick summary of what the funds were spent on – and to do that I want to highlight some research conducted by the advisory firms Alpha Beta and Illion. What this research shows is that the overwhelming majority of those dipping into their retirement nest eggs have increased spending on lifestyle items, rather than using the cash as a lifeline for rent, utilities, medical expenses, or groceries. According to this research, those who drew down on their superannuation (the Australian retirement income scheme) increased their spending in the next fortnight by $2,855: Australians used this money to increase their spending, not to maintain prior spending levels 14% to repay personal debts 64% of spending went on discretionary items such as clothing, furniture, restaurant food, gambling and alcohol 40% did not actually suffer a drop in their income so far during the COVID-19 crisis 21% saw an increase in their income of more than 10% but drew down anyway Men and women spent the funds differently: Men – gambling was at the top of the list Women – fashion items topped the list Supplied: AlphaBeta/Illion   These statistics are disturbing. They highlight a couple of things: On average most individuals did not have enough money in their savings account to sustain themselves (household) more than 2-3 weeks when the pandemic hit Australians in particular demonstrated low levels of financial literacy – their decisions to remove money early from superannuation significantly impacted their future retirement savings (by tens if not hundreds of thousands) AND the money was largely spent on discretionary items that were not needed to sustain themselves during the pandemic   While I can relate to the fear factor as 2020 was a highly uncertain and frightening time with Covid 19, it disturbs me that millions of Australians felt they needed up to $10,000 (for whatever reason), and they seemingly: had no understanding of how to raise those funds via other means or what the actual impact would be on their future retirement savings if the amount were withdrawn early Bio: Derek Condrell is the co-founder of mSmart, a world-class software program that projects investment values so that you can confidently determine whether you will have enough income to retire when you want to. Rather than guess, or make bad decisions because you have no idea what the impact of a withdrawal might be, fintech innovators like Derek are working hard to create products that give you a very clear picture, help you make better decisions and avoid disasters just like the one likely to be faced by roughly 3m Australians who stripped money out of their retirement savings because they didn't know better. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Early withdrawal may very well make sense in extreme financial hardship or a medical emergency. Spending varied greatly depending on the age bracket – over 38s tended to use the money more wisely while those under 38 gravitated towards discretionary spending Most people are simply not evaluating the impact BEFORE they actually decide to withdraw and largely that is because there is no easy way to assess the financial impact of the withdrawal on the end lump sum or annual retirement income. Lump sum is a much more dramatic, headline grabbing amount but it fundamentally makes more sense to focus on the impact on annual retirement income – and this should always be done in present day dollars to put some relevance and context around the numbers. Even if you made the mistake of withdrawing early, there are ways to make it up now: Via over-contributions (which are taxed much lower than your marginal rate) By shifting the mix of your portfolio from default (which is where most people are) to growth/equity. Please consult your financial advisor as you are much more likely to get advice that is tailored specifically to your needs than if you guess, use Google, listen to a friend etc. Tailored advice is always preferable to generic advice.  MSmart Example: Get in Touch: Email – Derek@msmart.com.au Website - www.msmart.com.au  

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your ideas [for the future] into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you should concentrate your efforts.  You'll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you away from your intended direction/goal. Properly focused goals can be incredibly motivating, and as you get into the habit of setting and achieving them, you'll find that your self confidence improves and your vision grows. Goal setting techniques are used widely in business, sport, academic achievement and also in everyday life. They give you long term vision and short term motivation. They focus your quest of knowledge and help you to organise your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.   By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self confidence, as you recognise your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.   From the Book ‘On the Shoulders of Giants' by Rhondalynn Korolak "You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.  Put your future in good hands – your own." ~ Mark Victor Hansen ~   You have to know what it is you are seeking to achieve in life otherwise it's too easy to drift aimlessly. Years pass like days and next thing you know 20 years have passed and you've still not finished that novel that you started to write, not gone back to school to get that degree, not sorted your financial affairs, never bothered to get around to learning a second language etc. There is one thing that we need to touch on in the context of goal setting – it is the distinction between goals and dreams. And it is this distinction that makes all the difference. Too often, traditional goal setting can seem like a very clinical exercise. Pick up any self-help or business book and it will tell you how to set SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. While I agree with the necessity of these basic factors, I also think it is absolutely crucial to incorporate the element of "dreams" and the "imagination". By their very nature, dreams are illogical, irrational, non-sequential, without specific steps and difficult to measure. However, too many of us get limited in our goal setting by the constraints of our own imagination. We would all like to make an extra $100,000 a year but we have no powerful, compelling reason ‘WHY'. What exactly would you do with another $100,000? That is the critical question to ask yourself …   Connect with ‘what' or ‘why' and the ‘how' will make itself known to you in the most miraculous ways.   Even so, $100,000 is not a huge stretch in today's terms. But most never dare to aspire to double or triple their income. Why is that? The missing element is the realm of dreams and imagination. By its very nature, a dream is something that is potentially unrealistic. However, dreams are incredibly powerful and compelling because they are about who you are becoming, not who you are now. Dreams and imagination lie within the domain of the subconscious mind. By incorporating this additional element into the goal setting process, we connect to the infinite resourcefulness of the subconscious and ignite a passion that will inspire and drive us towards our goals. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Define your Goals: 1.When setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values. 2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals. For example, you can't buy a $750,000 house if your income goal is only $50,000 per year. This is called non-integrated thinking and will sabotage all of the hard work you put into your goals. Non-integrated thinking can also hamper your everyday thoughts as well. It pays dividends to continually strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from your thinking. 3. Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:                      Family and Home                    Financial and Career                    Spiritual and Ethical                    Physical and Health                    Social and Cultural                    Mental and Educational   Setting goals in each area of life will ensure a more balanced life as you begin to examine and change the fundamentals of everyday living. Setting goals in each area of live also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking we talked about in the 2nd step. 4. Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative. Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it cannot determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It's only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get.  Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don't limit it to goal setting.   5. Write your goal out in great detail. You must give the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become.   6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough.   7. This is the most important, writing down your goals creates the roadmap to your success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them. Sometimes we realise we have to revise a goal as circumstances and other goals change. If you need to change a goal do not consider it a failure, consider it a victory as you had the insight to realise something needed adjustment.  MY RESULT Goal Setting Formula   Whilst you need the capacity to dream you also need to be able to move that vision from the ethereal to the material and that is where MY RESULT goal setting methodology comes in:   M          Measurable result. How will you know when you get there? What does the end step look like? Y            Why? For what purpose/intention do you want it? Do not be afraid to dream BIG here!   R            Realistic and achievable. Don't be afraid to set a longer-term goal that is a stretch or a challenge. E            Ecological – is it good for you, others and the planet? S            Specific, clear and concise goals – ensure you subconscious mind knows what it is working towards. U           You have it now. The goal must be written in the present, as if you have it now and signed by you. L             Looking toward your goal - not moving away from what you do not want. Action-oriented. T            Time bound - must have a specific achievement date.

Tania Katsanis ran a multi award winning online business for 12.5 years called Flowers by Fruit. Tania built her business from the ground up – she was focused on "delivering happiness" not only to her customers but also for her team. Flowers by Fruit was revolutionary in redefining edible gifts. Tania and her team created edible chocolate strawberry and fruit bouquets and arrangements for any occasion.  The brand and the business had a loyal following and had built a strong reputation for delivering high quality products and providing exceptional service. Because of the success of Flowers by Fruit and the legal loopholes that allowed online breaches, Tania's competitors got away with using her registered business name and trademark to generate sales for their own inferior, unprotected products. This created massive confusion for customers seeking authentic Flowers by Fruit products – many , mistakenly ordered clearly inferior products, and were severely disappointed with their experience. The end result negatively impacted Flowers by Fruit -- the platforms such as Google and Facebook unlawfully allowed it to happen, despite the fact only Tania had the legal right to use her registered trademark in the floral and retail industries. After spending years trying to be heard to protect the Flowers by Fruit brand, Tania made the heartbreaking decision to close a very successful and profitable business in 2018.  Financial Foreplay® Highlights Watch your sales trends very carefully – trends can highlight and help you pinpoint potential infringements of your brand online via digital attacks and unlawful use. Watch out for declines in online orders, product quality issues raised by “customers” who were fooled, and competitive products showing up for online searches of your business name and/or registered trademark. Negative links may be invisible to you but make no mistake they are having a severe, detrimental impact on your organic search ranking on Google Top tips: It is still extremely important to protect your business name with a registered trademark Consider selecting a unique name that has never been used before as it may be easier to trademark, protect, and defend Take your concerns to politicians, media, and other business owners as potential viable options to legal action – together we can raise awareness and prevent use and abuse going unreported and undetected Get in Touch: Linkedin profile - Tania Katsanis | LinkedIn

Whether you are an investor, start-up, branded business, selling branded products or promoting your own brand, it is imperative that you take the necessary steps to safeguard your intellectual property. Intellectual property covers and protects more than just an idea or a concept – it shields genuine business assets that may be integral to your business and its long-term success. Intellectual property can consist of many different things – patents, trademarks, copyright, or registered designs. These things tend to differentiate your business from competitors which is why you stand to suffer significant losses if those things are used without your permission. Any company (not matter the size) is at risk of having their ideas, products or services, processes, or brands infringed upon. This can happen by someone down the street or by a party on the other side of the world, making protection more important than ever to the survival of your business. Bio: Brian Goldberg is a qualified Trade Mark Attorney who protects brands, logos and slogans in Australia and all international markets.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Intellectual property encompassed copyright, trademark, patents, and designs- where copyright is created automatically, the other three rights must be registered in order to gain protection Exposure to theft is now a global issue – it is imperative to set up the right foundation from the start How to guide: Is your brand available and trademarkable? Online tools make it much easier now to check locally and overseas When dealing with third parties (i.e. contractors) the default is that ownership will attribute to the person who made it so you need to have proper contracts in place if you intend to assert ownership With products and processes – is it patentable (i.e novel and inventive)? Digital components and selling abroad – trademark is imperative Cost of getting it wrong include cost of rebranding, loss of intangible value or goodwill that you have built in something you can no longer use + costs of legal defence to action by the registered owner It is imperative to nip infringements in the bud early – get out a notification and cease and desist letter, 70% of these matters are settled well before going to court Inexperienced and naive parties are much more likely to refuse settlement (especially if they have gotten bad legal advice or they are just beligerant) Get In Touch: Email – brian@trademark.ventures Brian Goldberg | LinkedIn

Running a business is challenging on many fronts not the least of which is that you have put your finances at risk to fund it. That is why it makes sense to proactively manage risk, reduce uncertainty and protect your livelihood wherever possible. Business insurance is one of those areas that is not often talked about. There are plenty of courses on social media marketing, leadership, even financial literacy... but surprisingly very few on how to protect the key assets you need to stay in business, deal with disasters (manmade or natural) and the human beings you interact with every day in your business. Think about how you would manage if your stock, employees, equipment, or even your place of business was badly damaged or destroyed? Would you be able to continue? Could you recover financially based on savings you have on hand right now? Insurance is about peace of mind. However, you have to know what to insure and how much to insure it for... that is where it makes sense to speak to someone that you can trust.   Bio: Lisa Carter is an award-winning adviser with over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. Following an 11-year career with an international insurance broking firm Lisa identified a market gap stepping away to start Clear Insurance in 2010. Lisa is a master at building long-term client relationships - she specialises in custom insurance and risk programs for complicated and hard to place accounts. She has delivered some very unique solutions for the construction, hospitality, medical and tech-startup industries.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Before COVID hit we were already in a hard market cycle for insurance – meaning companies had started to restrict cover and premiums were up In terms of under-insurance, business interruption and public liability are the two areas where businesses are most exposed right now Insurers are now demanding a much higher level of preparedness in terms of risk planning and cyber risk management strategies Almost every business (whether you are selling online or not) now has a serious risk of exposure to cyber crime as many of these are driven by social engineering and can infiltrate your business via your email and/or accounts department The new legislation in place to force timely reporting to government of all breaches is quite strict and most businesses will fall under these provisions because the definition of sensitive data captures more than it ever has in the past Management liability isn't just for big businesses that have a formal Board of directors – as a director, you are already on the hook for decisions made or losses that affect third parties and you should be carrying insurance to protect against the risks   Get in Contact: Linked in - Lisa Carter | LinkedIn Email: lisa.carter@clearinsurance.com.au Website: www.clearinsurance.com.au/contact-us  

It may surprise you to hear that 2/3 of people accessing emergency relief are under extreme housing stress. In countries such as Australia, many adults are reporting that more than ½ of their disposable income goes to keep a roof over their head... leaving them little hope to save for a deposit. Plus according to Demographica, Australia is the only country in the world where 77% of the population is living in housing that is classified as severely unaffordable (defined as 6+ times your annual income). Since the financial crisis in 2008, many people in America have been forced to rent. It has been reported that 8m mortgages were foreclosed on and $7T in home equity was erased. What this means in practice is that the home ownership rate in America has not increased much at all in the 31 years since 1990.  It took a very long time for the market in the US to recover from 2008 and what we are seeing now with COVID is additional pressure on home ownership as both home owners and renters were hit hard by the lockdowns/restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the pandemic.   Bio: Daisy Ashworth started off in Local Government in the United Kingdom, specialising in Welfare and Housing law at Great Yarmouth Borough Council. She provided legal advice in benefit appeals and creating the free legal advice website 'Freegal'. For the past nine years Daisy has been committed to ending homelessness in Western Australia, working for a Not-for-Profit agency in the areas of housing, older adults, family services and mental health. In 2015, Daisy started developing the social enterprise Mortgage Mates, a revolutionary website that matches two or more users to own a home together, with the aim of increasing affordable housing in the home ownership space. Daisy has been a finalist at the Pitch @ Palace awards and participated in the SBE E3 cohort for female founders.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights: It takes about 10 years on average to save up for a deposit and the average age of a first home owner is 36 years. Since 2011 there has been a 50% reduction in home ownership in the age bracket 18-29 years and a 20% reduction for people 30-39 years old 55+ women are the fastest growing demographic facing homeless right now Home ownership is so deeply ingrained as an aspirational milestone that the inability to get on the ladder is causing significant financial and mental health issues New co-ownership options can allow you to enter the property market 50-70% than if you continued to try to do it on your own 92% of renters aspire to own but 49% believe it is completely unrealistic/unachievable given the current environment and conditions Co-ownership is actually a lot less risky as both parties are much more likely to enter the arrangement with solid plans in place to deal with loss of income, shared expense, upgrades, death, estate issues, plan to exit and realize capital gains, etc.   Get in touch: Email – daisy@mortgagemates.com.au Linkedin - Daisy Ashworth-Brown | LinkedIn

Cyber security poses a very real and significant threat to both individuals and businesses yet very few are actually prepared for the gravity of this threat. Today's episode is an expose of the scary facts that most victims wish they had known and appreciated before their worst nightmare came to fruition. I want to start by first painting a clear picture of what you are facing and then introduce our guest expert today who is going to tell you what exactly what you need to know and do to protect yourself. The magnitude of the problem: There is a cyber attack every 39 seconds – affects about 1 in 3 of us every year Total cost for cybercrime is about $6 trillion globally about $29 billion per year in Australia (1.9% of gross domestic product (GDP)) 43% of cyber attacks target small business 64% of companies have faced web-based attacks, phishing, &/or social engineering attacks The global average cost of a data breach is $3.9 million across SMBs For most businesses this is crippling– not only monetarily but in reputation 54% of businesses say they have experienced one or more attacks in the last 12 months Yet 77% do not have a Cyber Security Incident Response plan 19% of small businesses invested $0 into cyber security in the last year, and less than 40% had spent between $1-$999. Most companies take nearly 6 months to detect a data breach (even the big ones) Since COVID-19, the FBI reported a 300% increase in reported cybercrimes – hackers are taking advantage of more people working from home 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error - hackers will infiltrate your company through your weakest link Bio:  Susie Jones is as an experienced cybersecurity, risk, insurance and innovation leader. She has has delivered commercial outcomes as a cybersecurity business services manager, corporate insurance broker, risk manager, innovator, and now a startup CEO. She is on a mission to reduce the number of small businesses who fall victim to cyber attacks each year, and is passionate about finding a way to help business leaders take back control of their risks and avoid a cyber disaster.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Small businesses are easy targets – they are often also an easy way into larger corporates (i.e. supplier logins etc.) Cyber crime is bigger and more costly than drug trafficking globally Costs of cyber crime include: What is needed to fix the problem and restore access Lost sales during the time the resources are unavailable Experts required to fix or consult (including lawyers, PR etc.) Lost opportunity cost The average downtime is 23 days! Key elements of a good security plan: Understanding which technology your company relies upon Specific step you can take to improve security Identify the ways you might detect a breach Ways you will respond if one happens Detailed assessment of the liabilities you might be on the hook for Placing appropriate insurance in place to cover the costs of a breach and recovery Get in touch: Linkedin - Susie Jones | LinkedIn Email – hello@cynch.com.au   Research links: https://www.cybintsolutions.com/cyber-security-facts-stats/ https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/our-portfolios/cyber-security/strategy https://cynch.com.au/small-business-cyber-fitness-2021 www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/hacked-sydney-hedge-fund-part-of-170m-cyber-crime-spree-20201123-p56h24 https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/notifiable-data-breaches/notifiable-data-breaches-statistics/notifiable-data-breaches-report-july-december-2020/ https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2020-releases/20-191mr-asic-commences-proceedings-against-ri-advice-group-pty-ltd-for-alleged-failure-to-have-adequate-cyber-security-systems/

We've been talking a lot in the last few episodes about cash flow and working capital, and the important (and often misunderstood) distinction between the two. And cash should be top of mind for everyone right now as we know from experience that going into the pandemic last year 50% of business owners only had 16 days of cash reserves (and 96% of all business owners had

Working capital is one of the most difficult financial concepts to grasp for most small-business owners. The fact that it can be calculated in a few different ways only adds to the confusion. By definition, working capital is the amount by which current assets exceed current liabilities -- and it can be calculated several ways: current assets - current liabilities current assets/current liabilities However, if you simply run one of these calculations each month, you won't accomplish much in the way of highlighting what your working capital needs are or, more importantly, HOW to meet them. Which Method is Most Helpful? A more useful measurement tool for determining your working capital needs is something called the operating cycle (also known as your cash conversion cycle or cash gap).  It's more practical in two ways - (1) once you know the number, it is easier to set targets to improve it and (2) you can use the number to help identify whether you have enough working capital to sustain your business next month, quarter etc. Your operating cycle measures your accounts receivable, inventory, work in progress and accounts payable cycles in terms of days. Here is the formula: debtor days + inventory days (or work in progress days) - days to pay creditors Here is a visual example: Clear as mud, right? Let's break it down a bit more so that you can get insights you can use to make it a little easier to operate comfortably (with enough working capital) next month. What Does All Of This Mean in Plain Language? When your accountant, coach or advisor wants to have a look at your operating or cash conversion cycle, essentially what they are doing is looking at: the overall number of days it takes from when you use cash to purchase stock (or pay for labour and materials to create work in progress) to when you actually secure a sale and collect the cash This essentially tells you how long you are out of pocket (money has gone out of your business but none has come back in yet).  Knowing this metric is crucial to putting a value on how much working capital you need to sustain you during the period while you are waiting to make and collect the sale.  The longer the period is in days, the more working capital you will require. And to calculate your operating (or cash conversion) cycle, you must first assess and calculate how many days (on average) it takes you to: collect an account turn inventory or WIP into a sale and pay a supplier invoice. Financial Foreplay® : How To Apply This Knowledge To Your Business Just for a moment, rather than focus on the math behind all of these calculations, I want to share with you the thought process behind why we are doing this and what it means to you and your business.  Remember, you don't need to know how to manually calculate these metrics because you can use an app like Businest® to automatically calculate your operating cycle each month.  So it is more important that you understand why this number is valuable and how you can use it to make good decisions about operating your business this month and in the future. Now unfortunately, most businesses cannot finance their working capital requirements (goods, time and invoice collections) each month with accounts payable financing alone.  The shortfall in cash for a number of days (your operating or cash conversion cycle), gives rise to the need for working capital financing and it is typically covered by the net profit of the business, borrowed funds, or by a combination of the two. Almost every business needs short-term working capital at some point.  However, most don't calculate or understand that they need it -- which means that they are continually on the back foot, reacting to the pressure of inadequate working capital.   If you are able to measure and quantify your specific need for working capital, you will be at a distinct advantage this year -- (1) you can be proactive and address the need to find additional working capital and (2) you can set targets and communicate them to your team so that everyone is collectively working toward lowering the operating cycle (thus lowering the need for working capital). If you are in retail, you will know how hard it is to fund the seasonal inventory build up between September and November in preparation for Christmas sales.  The same is also true for businesses like pool cleaning, landscaping and lawn mowing who do the lion's share of their trade during the summer months.  But even businesses that are not traditionally "seasonal" occasionally experience peak (or quiet) months.  In addition to the normal operating cycle (the amount of time you are out of pocket waiting for sales to be collected), seasonality increases the need for working capital to fund the inventory (or work in progress) and accounts receivable build up. Unfortunately, most small businesses are undercapitalized and simply don't have enough cash reserves to fund seasonal working capital needs. If your business currently is in need for short-term working capital, there are several potential sources you can look to for funding. The most important factor is of course to know you have a working capital problem (and also, you must be able to quantify it).  If you don't, you could easily get caught off guard, and put the future of your business in jeopardy.  Also, it is much more difficult to find viable solutions to a working capital problem if you don't have a clear handle on the magnitude of the problem. Here are the five most common sources of short-term working capital financing: Equity - If you are a start up or are not yet profitable, then equity funds may be your only alternative to cover short-term working capital needs. These funds could be injected by you, a family member or friend, an angel, or other investor.   Creditors - If you have developed a strong relationship with your trade creditors, you may be able to negotiate better terms (on a one-off or ongoing basis) which will improve your working capital situation. If you have a history of paying on time, your creditors are much more likely to be willing to extend terms (especially if it means that you can place a big order for an upcoming busy period). Your creditors may ask to take a charge (or a lien) over the goods as security until you pay, but that is a small price to pay if it enables you to continue trading.   Invoice Financing - What if you could use the funds tied up in your receivables to grow? There are many providers of modern invoice finance solutions that offer an option that resembles a perpetual line of credit (similar to how a credit card or bank overdraft works). Many of these will give you immediate access to the funds tied up in your receivables, so you can pay bills, fund growth strategy or used as a safety net during quiet trading periods. You can draw down and repay funds as you need, only paying interest on the balance. Often they will integrate seamlessly with cloud (online) accounting software such as Xero, MYOB and Quickbooks. Most are easy to setup, manage, and they can save you up to 15 hours per week over ‘old-school' invoice financing. Line of credit - Lines of credit are extremely helpful but are often not extended to new businesses by most traditional banks. However, if you have strong trading history and sufficient collateral, you may be more likely to qualify for one. A line of credit is typically only extended when a business needs to borrow funds for short-term needs. The bank will often put terms or restrictions in place to ensure that the funds are used for short-term needs only.   Short-term loan - If you are not able to qualify for a line of credit, you may still be able to obtain a short-term loan from a bank, non-bank or peer-to-peer lender. Depending on your situation they may or may not require that you put up security to reduce the risk.

According to a recent Cost of living survey reported on news.com.au, most Australians have no savings at all. Over 10,000 people responded and only 38% reported having more than $5000 in savings, which is pretty poor. 23% admitted they could not find/raise $2000 in a week for something that was urgent and important. That's put these numbers into perspective – the rule of thumb for emergency savings is that you should have a minimum of 3 months living expenses. Right now the average household in Australia for example spends about $74,301 on general household living costs (or about $63,168 in America and £45,636 in the UK), which means the average person listening right now should have at least $18,575 (or £11,409)  in your 3 month emergency fund. This lack of emergency savings and inability to quickly raise funds for unexpected necessities such as a replacement fridge, tires for your car, or dental surgery... really sets the stage for what I want to talk about today which is the disturbing surge in Buy Now Pay Later funding schemes such as Zip, Afterpay, Klarna etc. The market for BNPL is expected to grow 10 to 15 times by 2025, according to Bank of America. The UK market alone is set to double in 2021 after 1 in 4 British citizens spent £2.3 billion in BNPL debt added over Christmas period. That's nearly 40% of all Christmas shopping. In Australia, 21% of BNPL consumers are missing payments – this has boosted the revenue for these payment providers by +38% -- and there is no clear regulation to protect consumers who may be vulnerable and susceptible to default due to their age or inexperience with managing debt. One in 10 people using these services already have debt arrears elsewhere, according to a a wide-ranging FCA review into credit services.   There can be little doubt that the BNPL model encourages consumerism and there is quite a bit of data that suggests a large majority of the items being purchased are either luxury, discretionary or both (90% of the purchases involve fashions and footwear)....leading to some bad financial outcomes for a large number of consumers. Our guest today came on to my radar recently when I read a post on Linkedin where he pitched a new concept called #SaveNowBuyLater– a new product that he is building in his company Bambu, based in Singapore. You essentially save now to a 3rd party escrow account, and the item is shipped only when you've saved up the total amount and can pay it in full. SNPL also allows consumers to cancel at any time for a full refund if you decide to change your mind and not make the purchase (or direct the money to be placed/spent elsewhere). Bio: Aki Ranin isn't a finance guy. He started his career at an early age, first building computers and then coding. For two decades his job was to design and build websites and apps for other companies. Eventually, that path led him to Singapore, where he faced a problem. He sold his house in his native Finland and thought he should probably invest that money somehow. Amazed at the lack of options, tremendous costs, and atrocious digital experiences offered by banks, he decided to build something better. Today, his company Bambu actually helps the banks offer simple savings and investing solutions to consumers through an automated online platform. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: The only party losing due to lack of regulations is the consumer – both the retailer and BNPL companies benefit from not having to report credit to third party bureaus the way that credit cards and other providers do There needs to be a shift in behavioural psychology towards incentivizing the art of saving as consumer spending is leading towards consumer debt levels that are unsustainable If you haven't checked out Smarty Pig in the USA, it's definitely worth a look Instagram and other social media sites glorify the shots of consumers wearing their luxury watches, shoes or handbags but no one ever posts a shot of the debt collector banging down the door to repossess the purchases you defaulted on Alibaba in China built a $100b saving platform (integrated into their platform) but the Chinese government stepped in to regulate it when it became a perceived risk/challenge to the power of the Chinese government Get in Touch: Linkedin - Aki Ranin | LinkedIn

There is an easy way and a hard way to explain what cash flow is – the easiest way that I know is to help you create a visual in your mind of what cash flow looks like. Cash essentially flows in and out of your bank account over a period of time, much like this circle below.  Money coming in is of course very straightforward... it's the money going out that I want you to pay particular attention to.  When I say Money Out it can included two things: Money that is gone (has actually left) and Money that is technically trapped – meaning, it's still stuck in your business and thus can be unlocked and put into your bank account Knowing that money is trapped and can be unlocked is extremely powerful because you now know where you need to focus your attention. Unlike profit, cash position estimates (or forecasts), cash flow is 100% certain – there is no ambiguity or doubt. If you calculate it correctly, you will know how much money went in to your business during a period of time, how much went out, and WHERE cash got trapped. And this is why it doesn't make sense to waste a lot of time on cash flow forecasting – at best it is only a guess about where you might be in the future – if you rely solely on a forecast, you are likely to waste time, overlook stuff that is really critical, AND you will not have enough time left over to fix the problems that created poor cash flow in the first place. Cash flow should never be confused with profit, your bank balance or an estimate of your cash position in the future. Cash and profit are components of cash flow but they are not the whole picture.  If you only look at profit or your bank balance, you will miss at least 60% of the overall picture of what happened to your cash flow and why. Cash flow tracks the movement of cash through your business as it operates.  The most important thing to remember is that cash flow is certain – it's the net difference between cash inflows and outflows over a period of time. A cash forecast (also known as a cash position estimate) is a best guess about what might happen.  Many people attempt to do this using an excel spreadsheet – unfortunately, these are usually not complete or accurate enough to forecast your cash position with a high degree of accuracy. These forecasts are also often not objective and they rarely help you pinpoint the best places to unlock cash quickly (or give you the strategies that you need to do it effectively). A Highly Visual Example of Cash Flow I want to give you a simple example that will help you to keep the difference between cash, cash position estimate (or cash forecast), and cash flow straight in your mind... Imagine you are a farmer and the land where you farm is in a drought.  It hasn't rained in weeks and you are starting to get worried that you might lose your entire crop.  Now I have an important question for all of you... Is it more valuable to know: where an underground well is on your land and how much water is in it OR that there is no rain in your rain gauge hanging outside your kitchen window OR that the Farmer's Almanac says it should rain 20cm sometime this month?  The answer to my question is pretty obvious, isn't it? Cash flow is a certainty which is why knowing how much cash is trapped in your business (so you can unlock it and put it in your bank account) should be your #1 focus.  Cash flow is very similar to my analogy about finding and tapping into an underground well of water to irrigate your crop.  Cash flow analysis is the equivalent to finding, measuring, and tapping into that well. Whereas cash (i.e your bank balance) is more akin to seeing how much water you have on the ground (or in your rain gauge) right now and a cash position estimate (or forecast) is pretty similar to trying to consult the Farmer's Almanac to predict when it might rain.  At best, the Almanac is just a guess about what might happen sometime in the future. Penny and Ernest When you look at your Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet, essentially what you are looking at is a summary of: All the money that was collected and WILL BE collected in the future (even though there is no certainty about the timings of those collections) and All the money that was spent and WILL BE spent in the future ((even though there is no certainty about the timings of those outgoings) Financial statements in many ways are like a running total of EVERYTHING that has happened and a lot of stuff that has yet to happen. Cash flow is a completely different beast.  It is a certainty.  There is no ambiguity – either the money was spent or collected (or it wasn't). That is why to get to cash flow, we have to essentially back out all of the uncertain and speculative stuff to bring us back to JUST the amount that Penny and Ernest have run. If Ernest has run further than Penny, the difference between them will be your positive cash flow.  If Penny has outrun Ernest, then you have negative cash flow, which means your bank balance has gone down during the period and you need to focus on unlocking more cash and getting it into your bank account to keep your business (or your personal finances afloat). Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Cash flow is a certainty – focusing on cash flow is far more powerful than spending time running endless forecasting scenarios that may or may not come to fruition Money can move out of your business in two different ways – it either leaves your bank account completely or it can get trapped, which means that you can pinpoint, unlock it, and put it in your bank account Cash flow is actually very simple – it's just the amount that your bank account has gone up or down by in a period of time If you can visualize every transaction as fuelling the forward movement of either Penny or Ernest (or them standing still), you can easily start to visualize where your cash flow position is at and what you need to do in order to ensure that Ernest always runs faster and further than Penny.  

Are you having another one of those months where you can't seem to pay the bills? It's easy to bury your head in the sand, borrow money, have a clearance sale, or slap together a spreadsheet to tackle the cash flow crunch on a purely technical and financial level. These knee-jerk, reactionary measures can often make things worse and perpetuate the pressure on your bank account. Here's the problem... The human element cannot and should not be ignored - emotions, mindset, self sabotage, worry and fear have a tendency to creep in and permeate every aspect of your businesses because your business is just a natural extension of YOU.  And if you have negative thoughts such as "being terrible with money" or "bad with numbers", fear around not being able to pay your bills, or an unhealthy obsession with minimizing tax... all of these thoughts, emotions, mindsets and bad habits will have a direct and negative impact on your results. Cash flow and working capital issues are by far the #1 pain point for most of you but fixing these problems and preventing them from recurring again next month is going to take a hell of a lot more than just a couple of spreadsheets, graphs and forecasts. Here's why... Your need for a quick hit of cash to make payroll (or cover a tax bill) is the equivalent of a drug user who has just dropped to the ground, presumably due to an overdose. Calling an ambulance may get her back on her feet in a relatively short period of time, but it is a poor substitute for treating the underlying emotional reasons that caused her addiction and putting a plan in place to help her stay clean. These "chronic issues" are not easily treated with bandaid solutions. We need to dig deeper and uncover the limiting beliefs, bad habits, and self-sabotage they stem from. And unfortunately, these are often difficult to overcome. If you're constantly struggling with cash related issues, you probably have a “chronic poverty” mindset - and unless you are prepared to fix the problem from the inside out (dealing with both the financial literacy AND the emotional and mindset elements), you will never have a successful business. In order to move beyond these roadblocks that keep you poor, you must first identify the underlying reasons and then address them at the source. I want to share with you the Top 5 Symptoms of a Poverty Mindset and then reveal my best tips to help you banish toxic thinking around money so that you can put strategies in place to keep cash flowing in freely. 5 Symptoms of a Poverty Mindset #1 Profit, Money and Tax Are Bad Have you ever caught yourself saying "I hate paying tax"?  What about statements or beliefs like "money is the root of all evil" or "a good name is better than riches"? Money, profit and tax are not inherently good or bad. They're just words and they have no meaning other than the ones that you choose to give to them. Money is a piece of paper that you use to pay for things. Profit is merely an accounting term used to describe what is left over after all expenses are deducted from the revenue you generated.  It's not even a real or tangible thing that you can take to the bank and deposit. And tax is something that you pay the government when you have made sales and profit.  Yes, it's an obligation, but it's one that should want to pay because it signifies that your business is making sales. When you attribute a negative or evil connotation to these words, you inadvertently set yourself up for a world of pain and struggle.  Your brain is a survival focused mechanism - it wants to keep you out of harm's way. If you believe that money, profit and tax are bad, your brain will always try to protect you from them - which essentially means that at a deeply subconscious level, you will sabotage yourself in order to avoid them. When you let go of the negative meanings that you have given, you free yourself up to attract more of them into your life, which is a good thing.   #2 Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish Have you ever driven kilometres out of your way to buy milk, gasoline, or printer cartridges because they are a few cents or dollars cheaper? Have you ever purchased things you don't need (or bought in bulk) just because you were offered "a good deal"? Even though it seems like you are saving money, these bad habits invariably end up biting you in the bank account because you waste more time, money, and energy than it's worth chasing them. I've seen clients focus all their attention on saving $100, yet waste $100,000 by entering into a contract to purchase where the return on investment is bad and they didn't bother asking their lawyer to review the contract before they signed it. If you suffer from this, it's going to take more than just sheer will power to break free. It takes 21 days to break or form a new habit and you're going to need support from someone that you can trust to ensure that you prioritize your financial decisions and evaluate them properly.   #3 Scarcity Mentality I had a client with a reasonably successful business who constantly lamented about her lack of money.  One day when I arrived, I noticed a brand new Prada handbag on her desk.  And since I know that she didn't steal it, she was obviously able to find the money somewhere even though she regularly told herself that she didn't have enough. If you have scarcity mentality, you see life as if there were only one pie and if someone else gets a piece of it, that means there is less (or not enough left) for you. Scarcity is particularly dangerous because it affects you and everyone else that you deal with.  It means you are less likely to want to share (and that includes power, profit and recognition), plus you will also have a hard time being genuinely happy for the success of others. It focuses you on the extreme short term of every decision and causes you to ignore the long term consequence.  Scarcity directly impacts your cash flow because it causes you to use up resources you have right now so that they can't be taken away from you later.  It leads to impulsive and bad decisions. Abundance on the other hand, flows from a belief that there is plenty enough for everyone. Choosing to focus on abundance and gratitude for what you already have, results in sharing of prestige, profit, and decision making. And it opens up possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity. #4 Entrepreneurship is Hard Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking that in order to create a successful business, they need to work themselves to death and plough all their cash back in. They choose to pay themselves very little, despite the fact that the business is actually quite successful. Case in point, most owners pay everyone else first (including employees, the tax man, the bank, and all suppliers) and often overlook and undervalue the role they play in their own company. In order to value yourself, you must also practice putting funds aside for your own pay and retirement, as well as paying bills and earning a profit. Creating an intentional system - regular salary for you and vacations to help you rest and rejuvenate - means you're putting in place the building blocks to overcome this poverty mindset and create a healthy and sustainable company. #5 Not Feeling Worthy Small business owners rarely charge what they are worth. Whether it's due to a lack of self-worth or just a fear of losing sales, it never pays to undercharge.  Your price directly impacts your margins and your margin is one of the key determinants of cash flow.  While it is possible (and common) to have a high net profit margin and low cash flow due to mismanagement, it is actually rare to have low margin and high cash flow.  Unless you are raising funds or selling assets, it is impossible to have high cash flow unless you first start with decent profit. That is why it is imperative for you to narrow the focus of what you do so that you can command a premium price. If you let others drive your price down, then you will be doomed to continually deal with cash flow issues. It is your job to demonstrate the value of your unique solution. Until you believe that you are worth it, no amount of financial literacy training or forecasting will fix your cash flow problems.  Financial Foreplay® Highlights: As long as you continue to focus reactively on merely the technical and financial aspects of cash flow, you will struggle each month. To put an end to cash flow drama, you must strengthen your mindset, tools and resources. Take some time today to identify which of the 5 Poverty Mindsets is holding you back from having the business of your dreams.  Make a plan to shift or re-frame that mindset or belief to the positive and remember to put your hand up and ask for help if you are unsure or just need support.  These emotional blockers, fears, limiting beliefs and self sabotage are deeply ingrained and are going to require more than positive thinking and quick fixes to overcome. But they can be overcome. Get in Contact: Linkedin -

According to several independent studies (Statista projects & Edison) roughly 34% of adults in America, Canada, Australia and the UK now listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. With roughly 2m podcasts listed on Google, there's an audience of well over 150m listeners globally and that statistic is growing at a rate of more than 20% each year. As people are time poor and have begun to rely more heavily on mobile devices, search engines are giving preference to podcast content, and it has become even easier to download and listen to podcasts as you make your way through your day. With podcasting becoming such a prolific and highly influential method of communication for individuals and companies, I thought it might make good financial sense to invite the host of a very successful podcast in America to talk about why you should seriously considering adding podcasting to your list of things to learn and launch this year!   Bio: Travis Chappell is the founder and CEO of Guestio, a software that connects high level guests with high level content creators, and he is the host of the top rated show, Build Your Network. In addition to being featured in Entrepreneur, NASDAQ, Yahoo Finance, and ReadWrite, Travis has also been featured in Forbes as a top ten podcast that will change your life alongside Joe Rogan, Gary Vaynerchuck, Tim Ferriss, and other household names. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Leverage is the key to growing your business – there is only so much you can do as one individual. Your network and building relationships are the key to building a sustainable business Podcasting has exploded because people are time poor and listening is something they can easily do while doing something else (walking dog, commuting to work, exercising etc.) In order to secure guests that are influencers you don't necessarily need to have a huge audience but you need to be able to create and deliver enormous value For a very minimal investment, podcasting has the ability to help you deepen the relationship that you have with colleagues and customers and create additional streams of revenue or new channels for existing products/services Get in Touch With Travis: Website - https://travischappell.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/traviscchappell Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/travischappell/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/traviscchappell?lang=en  

Bio: Josephine Kinsella began her career in transport and travel with Transrail, Qantas, Accor, and Skylink in Australian and New Zealand. She became a licensed real estate agent in 2005 and quickly promoted up the ranks with Property Central, Harcourts, and Mike Pero culminating with a CEO position at LJ Hooker Group in New Zealand. Joesphine has also held several directorships on boards and now heads up the Powerhouse Group focusing on New Zealand and the US markets. She is a fractional COO and Customer Experience Director. Josephine has raised two daughters, age 13 and 16, balancing parenting solo, whilst completing her MBA. She is also known for holding some interesting and challenging leadership roles and project contracts which I'm sure she will share with you today. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Find a good broker to improve your options and rates – it can actually be harmful to your credit score to focus only on big bank lenders Invest in properties where you might not normally want to live (build up your property portfolio by renting out these houses) Every business owner should be sitting down with a mentor to devise a plan – it needs to be highly visual and simple to understand and implement Sooner or later something will happen to prove that you are not invincible and that incident will be invaluable because you will learn how to prioritize what is important and focus Not all business is good business – if you are not getting value, you need to walk away from the table Get in touch: hello@powerhousegroup.co Www.powerhousegroup.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephine-kinsella/ whats app NZ +6421950453 phone US +1(803) 675 5700

One of the most important aspects of your success is how you start your day. Our expert guest Glenn Lundy wrote a book on the perfect morning routine because he says that having a powerful morning routine can literally change your life. Bio: Glenn Lundy is a husband to 1, a father to 8, and he is the host of the wildly popular Facebook Live show #RiseAndGrind. He's been seen at places like Hustle and Grind Con, Grow Your Business For God's Sake! and many more big stages across America. Glenn has been spotlighted on ABC, NBC, and CBS, and is an expert in automotive dealership culture development, and leadership training. With 20 years experience in the automotive industry, Glenn lead a dealership from 120 cars a month to an 800% increase in sales in five years, becoming the 2nd largest used car franchise in the USA. His unique style makes him one of the most admired and respected GM's in the business. With a background in sales, and finance, he uses his skill sets to create growth, as well as tapping into the mental side of human development. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: 800% growth – if you think you need more customers to grow then you will likely make the mistake of thinking you just need more people to service those customers Must shift mindset: From: – Profits to Customers to People To: – People to Customers to Profits LEADD = the perfect meeting Listen, Encourage, Advise, Develop, Daily Five Morning Rituals Step 1 – If you snooze you lose Step 2 – Don't touch your phone first thing in the morning 12 questions that could alert you to the fact you are addicted to your phone Do you find yourself spending more time on your phone than you realise Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regularly basis by staring at your smart phone? Do you seem to lose track of time when on your smart phone? Do you find yourself spending more time texting and tweeting as opposed to speaking to real people in person? Has the amount of time you spend on your phone been increasing? Do you wish you could be a little less involved with your smart phone? Do you sleep with you phone turned on under your pillow or next to your bed regularly? Do you find yourself viewing or answering texts/tweets etc. at all hours of the day or night even when it means interrupting other things that you are doing? Do you text/email etc. while driving or doing other activities that require your focused attention and concentration? When you go to the restroom, do you take your phone with you and does having it extend the amount of time that you spend in there? Step 3 – Write down gratitude and goals every day 10x Step 4 – Take care of yourself physically Step 5 – Send out an encouraging message (lift someone else up)   Get in Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennlundy/ https://www.instagram.com/glenn_lundy/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmyaCEBt8i64ZWfl_HvFIOw/ https://www.facebook.com/OfficialGlennLundy/ https://twitter.com/GlennBLundy/

We have all experienced the feeling at some point in our lives... the panic that sets in when you see the quote for an unexpected car repair, dental surgery or a broken refrigerator. The first thought that probably came to your mind was “How am I going to pay for that”?  For some of you, the past 12 months may have resulted in you (or someone in your family) losing a pay check or having a sharp decline in salary, even if it was only for a short period of time. What this experience highlighted is that the overwhelming majority of households and businesses do not have an adequate safety net. In fact most had less than 30 days of cash reserves on hand and a recent study (Northwestern Mutual's 2018 Planning & Progress Study) revealed that 21% of adults have zero dollars set aside for retirement. Now, how would your life be different if that unexpected bill didn't cause fear or panic? What if you could pay the amount without thinking twice, and instead of a major upheaval or emergency, it barely registered on your radar as a tiny hiccup? That sense of relief and confidence has a name... it's called financial freedom.   It will look and feel different for everyone but it is so much more than just being able to afford to pay for emergencies. It includes knowing that you don't have to worry about retirement and it could also mean the freedom to quit your job in order to do something you love, spend time with family or do something that fulfils you. Bio: Gigi McGinnis, a regional VP with Primerica, is our expert guest today. She was raised in Atlanta GA by single parent and this life experience influenced her career choices and values around money in a profound way. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: You cannot have financial freedom if you are working 24/7 and have no time for your health or family 76% of people (even high income earners are in this category) are living paycheque to paycheque Rule of 72 (banker's rule) – interest rate/72 = # of years to double your money if you have $2000 to invest, it will take 24 years to double your money if you can only earn 3% interest. At 9% interest, it only takes 6 years to double your money Money doesn't care where it sits – but you'd better care because the interest rate (and compound interest) makes a huge difference 85% of people do not have income protection which means if they were unable to work (or died) it is highly likely that assets would have to be liquidated to support the family Debt stacking is a highly effective tool that can help you accelerate the repayment of your mortgage, which means you drastically reduce the amount of interest that you have to pay Top 3 tips: Get adequate income protection now – the more stress you are under, the more you need protection Complete a detailed financial plan so you know where you are going and how quickly Save first, then spend what is left over on living expenses etc. Get in touch: Website – www.primerica.com/gigimcginnis Phone – (706) 654 6409 Email – gigimichellemcginnis@primerica.com

How One Small Business Has Been Able to Thrive Despite COVID 19 There is no denying that COVID 19 has been particularly difficult for small business owners. With forced lockdowns and tightened restrictions to prevent the spread of the pandemic, many small business owners have had to dig deep in order to overcome these challenges and stay afloat. Today, I want to shine a spotlight on a fantastic retail business in Brisbane Australia that has not only survived, but literally thrived despite the global pandemic. Bio: I want to welcome Jennah Grimsey to the show representing Vault Entertainment Pty Ltd. (Vault Games), located at – Lower Ground, 62 Queen Street, right in the heart of the city in Brisbane, Australia.  Jennah is in partnership with her husband Dylan Shearer and their mutual friend Cassandra Varian. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Often, more sales does not fix cash flow problems, in fact, it can make them much WORSE High growth periods will highlight cash flow and working capital problems very quickly in your business Less than 30 days of cash reserves in the bank to deal with an emergency is very unsafe You should strive to have 4-6 months of cash reserves in the bank Top 3 lessons learned from coaching Cash flow is the #1 metric + you need to have enough working capital to fund the operating cycle and growth It never makes sense to drop prices in retail just for the sake of driving high volumes of sales (i.e. Black Friday sales) Supplier terms are critical – often an extra 2-3 weeks to pay is much more valuable than a discount on price Bank lending is very difficult for small businesses to get (even with the government backed guarantees offered during COVID19) Non-bank lenders are much more flexible and approve loans more quickly but the trade-off is much higher interest rates which much be factored into your costs Paypal is roughly 14% and Prospa offers a 24% interest rate – you need to adjust your business model to ensure you can cover these additional costs of doing business Top 3 impacts on Vault Games from having a coach during the past 12 months Net profit margin increased from 0.5% to 13% Cash flow up 750% with 2.5 months cash buffer in the bank for emergencies (and working towards 4 months of cash buffer) Allowed business to expand by moving to larger premises and pay for all leasehold improvement and fitouts with cash Took first fully paid vacation as owners (in four years of operations) Do You Need Some Help to Get Your Cash Flow & Business Turned Around? For those of you who are listening to this podcast and thinking “hey that is exactly where I'm in my business and I could use some help to boost my cash flow and also put more systems in place so that my business works without me”, please know that help is available if you are open to learning and willing to do the work. Reach out now to speak with Rhondalynn about your suitability and readiness for coaching:

You might be surprised to hear that the term “Mile High Club” dates back to 1914. Apparently a young aviator named Lawrence Burst Sperry invented the first prototype of the autopilot system.  Basically it made manual or “hand flying” redundant and it kept the aircraft steady for a long period of time, freeing up the pilot to turn his/her attention to other matters in the cockpit. Now hear me out...this is where the story gets a little bit salacious...  Just a couple of years later, Sperry made the news again when he and a female companion were rescued in the Atlantic Ocean after their small plane crashed. When the rescue team arrived on the scene, Sperry and his female friend were completely naked, and they alleged that all of their clothes (including the really tricky bits like underwear, socks and shoes) had been mysteriously ripped off when the plane hit the water. As you might imagine, the journalists had quite a lot of fun with their headlines and the "mile high club" was born. Now some of you might be thinking – well that's a great story but what does that have to do with our guest today.  And my answer to your question is “nothing... and yet, everything”.   Bio: Elizabeth McCormick is decorated U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter Pilot. She flew missions such as Air Assault/Rappelling, Command & Control, VIP, and Military intelligence. She also supported United Nations peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, receiving the Meritorious Service Medal for her excellence in service, and was awarded the Congressional Veteran Commendation. Elizabeth McCormick not only shattered the glass ceiling in the military as a Black Hawk Pilot, she went on to do it again in her corporate career as a global contract negotiator and motivational speaker. She is also a founding member of the John Maxwell Team of speakers, coaches and trainers, and is a #1 best-selling author of The P.I.L.O.T. Method. Today I have invited Elizabeth here to talk about world best practices for setting up your organization to work without you – i.e. on autopilot. She's a leading expert on leadership and team building and I have a sneaking suspicion that the stories she is about to share will blow you away and her advice is going to be invaluable to you today.   Financial Foreplay® Highlights: People make it easy to know what makes them tick – they will reveal themselves to you if you take the time to really listen In a negotiation or crucial conversation, your primary role is to pay attention and listen – stop thinking about what you are going to say/do/react Trust is the core asset to create a strong team and having an organization that runs exceptionally well on autopilot It is easy to destroy trust quickly when you micromanage team members Hire competent people and empower them to do their best work Companies must stop make policies based on exceptions and start using more common sense and trust Your people are your greatest asset Empower your people by providing a clear path with succession planning Cross training and departmental skills are essential to creating a business that is capable of running effectively on auto-pilot   Special Offer for Listeners: Master your Motivation- get your complimentary online course at:   http://SoarYourLife.com   Get in Touch: https://www.Facebook.com/BlackHawkPilotSpeaker https://www.Linkedin.com/in/PilotSpeaker https://www.Twitter.com/PilotSpeaker https://www.Instagram/PilotSpeaker  

Anyone who's ever been in a relationship wants to know the secret recipe to making love (and that illusive “spark” that everyone talks about) last forever. And let' be clear...even though everyone's relationship is unique, there are certain keys or secrets to be learned from those who have managed to keep that spark alive.  And make no mistake, couples that practice Financial Foreplay® together, stay together... which is why it is absolutely vital for you to learn how to keep that financial spark alive. Even if your romance started off as 50 shades of grey, it's easy to see how busy work schedules, early morning meetings, grocery shopping, dishes in the sink and even crying toddlers can really test your connection. And when you introduce the financial pressures of buying a home, investing, or planning for your retirement... it's not surprising for that spark to fade and perhaps become a little boring or predictable... In fact, according to a new survey by Ramsey Solutions, money fights are the second leading cause of divorce, behind infidelity. Our guest today is the perfect person to advise you on how to maintain the romance when your romantic fantasy has become a little ho hum, or even downright limp... Bio: Batya Shulman is a Chartered Accountant and Licensed Financial Adviser with over 23 years international banking and financial services experience. Born in South Africa, Batya went to University in Australia and has lived and worked in Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to moving into wealth management, Batya was a CFO at an Australian Bank As a working mother of 3 young boys, Batya understands that people often have the best of intentions in managing their wealth, but often put themselves last. Batya is committed to providing her clients with holistic personalised advice helping them reach their long-term goals and objectives. Financial Foreplay® Highlights: Relationships come with baggage - money is the heaviest baggage of all Retirees (on average) run out of money 10 years before they die - better advice and planning is essential to prevent this Rule of thumb - hold 4-6 months of monthly expenses as cash in the bank Communication between spouses is key - facilitate trust, share ideas, seek advice, set up a plan Best partnerships - have a joint account and are working toward mutual goals together (and each keeps something for themselves in a separate account) Get in Touch with Batya Shulman: Linkedin  Facebook  Instagram 

As a salesperson – and everyone is in sales whether you are selling a product/service, an idea or just yourself – there are few things more exciting than identifying and unlocking the Big “O”. With “O” being of course opportunities - closing deals, making sales, and influencing people to act. Not only do you put more cash in your wallet or get more people on board to back your idea... you are also building relationships and growing your influence. However, more often than not, you've probably presented an offer and then been left scratching your head because you thought your customer was crazy for saying “no” or worse, insisting on time to “go away and think about it”. Here's the thing, when people say no, you miss out on revenue or a chance to get them on board with your idea, opportunity or venture. You can't close everyone, nor should you try. Not everyone is your idea customer. However, if you are out there drumming up leads (which is expensive because you have to throw time and money at lead generation), you want to make sure that you have the right sales processes in place to close as many qualified leads as possible... which is why I have asked Joseph Munizaga to join us today on the Financial Foreplay® podcast. Bio: Joseph Munizaga has over 20 years of sales experience, 15 of which has been in the fitness industry at one of the leading fitness corporations in the nation, LA Fitness International. As the Regional Vice President, he was responsible for overseeing 25 locations. In his most recent role as an Executive Team Leader for the world class sales team for Cardone Training Technologies, Inc for 3 years, he was responsible for the ongoing development, training, and success of all members on the sales team. Joseph personally closed over $15 million in sales per year while performing weekly coaching calls, onsite training for businesses all over the world, selling Grant Cardone's products, event tickets, and services. Joseph is now working as a consultant with multiple companies to drive sales.   Highlights: The most successful businesses have all asked the same question – how do I get around this? If you are having troubling closing, then you need to go back to the start and examine your greeting. The biggest mistake you can make is to unleash a fire hose of “telling” on your customer or prospect Your prospects will already be 75% of the way into their purchasing journey by the time they contact you and you must re-engineer your entire sales process to reflect this massive change Joe shared 2 really powerful questions that I recommend you add to your list and start using immediately with your prospects and customers... but you are going to have to listen to the episode to find out what they are. No cheating... you have to listen and I promise you these are two questions I guarantee you aren't currently asking and have the potential to double your sales Get in Touch: Email - joe@munizagallc.com

Moist.  It's one of those words that produces an intense reaction in people. The word “moist” can trigger a whole range of powerful and primitive reactions: arousal, disgust, aversion, nervousness, shame, and even... the giggles.  This is true for both the person who says it and also for those who have to hear it. Strangely enough, it's not the only “m” word in the English language that can activate a potent and primitive response. The only other “m” word that I've seen create such a formidable response is of course, the most taboo subject of all... money. Humans have many different ideas, thoughts and beliefs about money. Some of the more common, debilitating ones include: You need to have money to make money I'm not good with numbers It's hard to make money in my industry Finance/numbers are too complicated These limiting beliefs severely curtail your potential because you're subconscious mind is programmed to automatically deliver results that mirror back who you are and what you believe to be true (regardless of whether it's real or imagined). When you boil it down, the discomfort that people experience when the topic of money is broached, really stems from one or two dark places: the fear of judgment the fear of being exploited Basically for those of you with limited resources, you may worry that others will look down upon you – in terms of your intelligence, work ethic or perhaps just your ability to manage money. And for those of you with plenty of cash, you probably want to hang onto as much of it as possible and not be taken advantage of. Either way, the frames or limiting beliefs that you are currently using to look at (and define) money, may not be affording you with the best opportunity for success.  Today I want to explore (with the help of our guest) how this plays out in real life (and maybe how this might be playing out in your life) as a first step to understanding how you can use different techniques to move past these obstacles to discover more empowering resources and enhanced financial opportunities. Bio: Martin Bissett is the founder of the Upward Spiral Partnership in the UK – which specialises in enabling accountants to win higher end clients, create leaders from their ranks and save people from financial ruin.  His reason for being is to focus accountants on the profound outcomes that their advisory expertise can create in the lives of their clients. At the same time, he also alerts accountants to the profound difficulties that can arise in the lives of their clients when they choose not to help their clients cure the financial, personal and strategic pain points that are keeping them awake at night. Highlights: Undercapitalization is just a symptom of the problem – the root cause is lack of self esteem If you want adults who are financially literate in their 30's, you need to start educating kids about money when they are 9 years old Process may fix financial measures but it will never fix the behavioural issues that led to the poor results in the first place Get in Contact: Linkedin  Facebook 

If you are like most small business owners I work with, you went into business because you are good at what you do – graphic design, hospitality, construction, farming, retailing etc. You may be one of the 95% of small business owners who discover that although you work like a dog every day, you have little to show for it. You may be feeling isolated because you don't think there is anyone to discuss or share their greatest fears and challenges with. Which leads me to one area I'm guessing is definitely harder to grasp than you thought it would be: the management of money. If you are like most, you never dreamed that the ability to understand how money works would be very important. You thought: “That's for the accountant (or bookkeeper) to worry about. Sure, the accountant shows me a few reports from time to time, but I don't see the need to really understand what they mean. If there was a problem, he/she would tell me, wouldn't they?” You probably don't realize that all those numbers - the financial DNA of your business - can tell you a lot more than you thought. They can tell you why you're suddenly struggling to pay the bills. They can reveal why you'll have to forego your salary - again - because there just isn't enough cash. The financial numbers are the story of your business. The numbers don't lie. You just need to learn HOW to listen to them and use them to your advantage... which is why today we are going to practice a bit of Financial Foreplay®. Bio: Terrell Turner is an experienced Certified Public Accountant (CPA), finance leader, podcast host, speaker and founder of TLTurner consulting firm that is focused on making accounting and finance a little less complicated for business owners and business leaders. You may have already listened to his top rated podcast called “Business Talk Library” – and if you haven't, I highly recommend it. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Lander University and a Master's in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. After years of studying hard he launched his career in Public accounting with one of the Big 4 international accounting firms Ernst & Young, followed by multiple finance leadership roles throughout the US and Brazil with fortune 500 companies like Navistar and General Electric. In addition to all of the fun of consulting, hosting a podcast and speaking engagements Terrell enjoys spending time with his wife Lola Turner and traveling to enjoy new experiences.   Highlights: Less than 3/10 of all businesses have a grasp on their numbers Business owners always take their personal mindset (whether or not they have adequate savings buffer, spending habits etc.) into their business with them, which explains why most don't have enough cash Think of your income statement as if it were a major motion picture – you would have lead actors, supporting actors, investors, and critics If you want to make a blockbuster movie (or successful business) should you focus on the supporting actors (and critics) or your lead actors?   Get in Touch: Business Talk Library Site  CFO consulting Online Learning center LinkedIN  YouTube – Business Talk Library Facebook: Business Talk Library by TLTurnerGroup - @TLTurnerGroup Instagram: Invite a Friend to Practice a Little Financial Foreplay®... Copy and paste the link below in a new browser window to automatically tweet out this episode. https://ctt.ac/nf9PS

Today's topic comes courtesy of a very unlikely source for great business advice for entrepreneurs – the movie Moneyball.  It's the real life story of Billy Beane, the general manager of a major league baseball team that finds itself at the bottom of the ladder – the Oakland A's.  Crushed by the big budgets and big name players of teams like the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians, Beane is forced to take a risk and do something no team has done before – abandon traditional recruiting methods and employ computer-generated analysis to acquire and trade players.  You see, they didn't have money to attract the MVPs who could hit home runs so they created a formula to predict which players would just be able to consistently hit the ball and get to first base. And in doing so, Beane changed the face and landscape of the game forever. One of the quotes from the movie that really summarizes just how big this shift in perspective was, is when Beane makes this comment to one of his special assistants: “You're not solving the problem. You're not even looking at the problem.” Beane understood that in baseball (which is not that different from dealing with your financial issues), it's easy to get distracted by all the issues and rhetoric swirling around the actual problem.   The more you have personally invested in the status quo, the more you will be prevented from seeing the real problem for what it truly is. That's why it's vital to seek advice and perspective from people outside your industry — those inside will be emotionally attached to the way things have always been done and thus, they have become part of the problem. Which brings me to why I have invited my good friend Dr Reginald Tomas Lee to the program today... Reginald Tomas Lee, PhD, is an educator, author, international and TEDx speaker, and corporate advisor in the areas of generating and managing cash, and capacity management. He is the author of four books, including Lies, Damned Lies, and Cost Accounting and Strategic Cost Transformation with three more, including Project Profitability, and Engagement Economics, under contract. He is a feature writer for the Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance. Reginald has advised many major companies, including as Bristol Myers Squibb, Dell, Disney, DuPont, Lockheed-Martin, and Toyota. Professionally, Reginald has worked for GM, IBM, EY, has been a professor of both engineering and business, and currently teaches in the business analytics dept at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. Reginald has a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton. Highlights: Focus on cash – your prime objective is to bring in more cash Are the tools you are using giving you the information and insights you need? Or are the tools leading to sub-optimization of cash flow? How much did I spend? What did I create? How much demand is there for what I created? Get in touch: Email -  leer8@xavier.edu Linkedin  Invite a Friend to Practice a Little Financial Foreplay® today... Copy and paste the link below in a new browser window to automatically tweet out this episode. https://ctt.ac/1G8A5