A lunch break hack to lure you away from your desk đ„
Things that should be on your radar this month đ
1. New legislation will bring major changes to pay secrecy practices, job ads and flexible working arrangements throughout 2023. Find out how these changes will effect your business.
2. Suburban micro-offices may be the next stage of our evolving work environment, with businesses pitching them as the answer to employeesâ unwillingness to commute into CBDs.
3. Weâve been testing out which business processes can be automated with AI (and which definitely canât) and this article was a timely reminder that any business assets created with AI programs arenât protected by copyright in Australia.
4. Social media is the new playground for scammers impersonating the ATO, with many users falling victim to phishing sites after reaching out for help online.
5. In response to the trend towards decentralised work and the planet's growing demand for food, outback Australia is likely to be the country's next startup incubator.
6. 10 of the best and brightest women in tech have weighed in on the lack of gender equity in their fields and shared their ideas for how to address it.
Tech recs to help kickstart your year
đ
Reclaim.ai: This clever schedule manager helps you design perfectly balanced work weeks that have enough time for work, play, and everything in between.
đ§ Ten Percent Happier: We think itâs worth paying for a meditation app that works, and this appâs library is full of guided meditations that are approachable, enjoyable and useful.
đčïž Kahoot: Use this app to run interactive meetings that people *actually* enjoy; it lets you design custom quizzes and polls that your team can answer in real time using their phones.
The highs đ Â and lows đ of small business life
đ This month we flew down to the Mornington Peninsula and spent some time catching up with our accounting community. We love events like this; theyâre great places to talk through shared experiences, challenges, and ideas with like-minded people who are passionate about doing great work. A huge thanks to The Rumbl for having us â we canât wait to come back.
đ In December, we had a lot to say about making sure you ease yourself into the new year. Jumping straight back to 100% after taking a break is incredibly jarring, and itâs nearly always a recipe for disaster.
Thing is, we might have taken our advice a little too seriously, and weâve found ourselves chasing our tails a bit as January comes to a close. Weâve made a mental note to slowly ratchet up our workload after our next break instead of pushing larger tasks to the end of the month.
Productivity hacks đ©âđ»
- Itâs no secret that getting out of the office for lunch is one of the best ways to reset your day and boost productivity, but a $15 sandwich every day (not to mention multiple coffee runs) can start to add up pretty quickly.
We all know how easy it is to spend the whole day at your desk if the only trip you need to make is to the microwave, so hereâs a tip thatâll get you out of your seat for a little longer: Bring a lunch that has some assembly required.
Spend a few minutes carefully layering the perfect sandwich, or choose something that requires a few minutes of chopping; these kinds of low-effort but high-concentration tasks will help move your mind away from work to make sure you take a proper break. Then, take your lunch and eat it away from your desk â by giving your brain a break, youâll return more focused, with improved memory and better decision making.
- âIf youâre determined to start the year strong but at a loss for where to start: Donât waste time brainstorming and check out these 22 things we think you should add to your 2023 strategy.
- If the rising cost of paper isnât enough to convince you itâs time to go paperless, would more hours in the day get you over the line?
- While processes like digitising documents and designing new workflows *sound* like theyâll take ages to perfect, the time youâll save kicking them down the road pales in comparison to the time youâll save in the long run. Check out this article from business.gov.au for resources to help your business with the transition, or ask us to help your business make the switch.
<div class=âline-breakâ></div>
Itâs pretty common for business owners to start the year with a business strategy reset, but just remember: While itâs easy to make big plans, itâs much harder to set achievable business goals. If your business killed it last year but nearly killed you in the process, there's no point building a plan for growth that involves taking on more work. Itâs just not realistic.
Instead, think strategically about ways your business can grow. For example: Can you raise your prices? Yes, you might lose some clients â but you could find that those who stay with you (and you might be surprised by how many do) end up covering the windfall from those you lost. This example won't work for everyone, but shifting your mindset away from high output = success will help you reclaim the time and energy you need to run your business well.
That's just our two pennies' worth.
- Liam and Amy, co-founders of Project Alfred
(changing the way people think about accounting)
Recent issues
.png)
We dive into the real-world impact of economic pressures on innovation, with the ABS revealing that a third of Australian businesses are grappling with funding for innovation. We highlight innovative solutions like the barter system at Tasmania's Timbre restaurant, which collaborates with local farms and community gardens to source fresh produce. Get the latest update on Guzman y Gomez's surprising IPO listing, explore funding opportunities for South Australian startups, and discover Google's new AI Accelerator program for Aussie startups.
.png)
We look at the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards, delve into the implications of the 2024 federal budgetâs scant mention of startups and learn about Airwallex's recent financial dip. Celebrate Melodie's $1m funding success and discover how using the correct pronouns might boost your revenue by 7%. Explore exciting tools like Gamma for automated content creation, Calendlyâs enhanced Chrome extension, and Googleâs TextFX for creative AI prompts. Remember to attach PDFs to your Xero invoices for a productivity boost to reduce errors.
.png)
We share insights on navigating startup funding challenges, learn about Anzac biscuit regulations, and find inspiration in the comeback of Milkrun and Voly founders. In our tech corner, explore cool tools like an AI-powered QR Code Generator and a lightning-fast website design platform. For a productivity boost, streamline your bill management by sending bills straight to Xero via email.
.png)
As their public dispute goes nuclear, weâre diving into the fistfight between Employment Hero and Hostplus. We'll also examine the trials and tribulations of Australian SMES grappling with payroll errors, uncover the truth behind cashback rewards, celebrate Australiaâs first tech unicorn in two years, and examine some of the latest startups that have raised money this month.
.png)
We look at Hatch, a Gen Z jobs marketplace that has secured $7 million in seed funding to expand nationally, using AI to match candidates with roles based on skills and values. Plus, discover how Taylor Swift's concert at the MCG broke Melbourne's internet, insights on gender pay gaps from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, and the latest advancements in AI with OpenAI's new system, Sora, generating short videos from text prompts.
.png)
Weâve started the year at break-neck speed, onboarding two exciting new clients, growing the Project Alfred team, getting frustrated at the Australian governmentâs proposed changes to sophisticated investors, reading about Atlassianâs WFH 1000 days progress and exploring new startup blogs.
In our final 2023 newsletter we look at when to pay attention to your brand, the resurgence of startup funding, rebates for Sydney startups looking for office space and some potential relief on the cost of living.
Liam is participating in Movember and raising money for Beyond Blue to support their efforts in mental health awareness and support. Every donation made on Liamâs fundraising page will be matched by Project Alfred - so if you can afford it, weâd love you to contribute. ⊠And a reminder: every donation is tax deductible! â
.png)
Christmas is around the corner, so notify your staff about leave requirements if youâre shutting down. We dive into the Australian funding scene with Employment Hero's impressive cap raise, making them a double unicorn. Learn from a costly lesson about keeping receipts, discover the inspiring journey of Vegemite and find out why work created by AI can't be copyrighted.
How one business has monetised âthe meeting that couldâve been an emailâ, a business that has pivoted its offering as a result of the higher cost of living, a significant payroll underpayment issue making the news and the first ârealâ holiday Liam has taken since starting Project Alfred.
How Barbie & the Matilda's have sparked equal pay discussions, small business grants in QLD, how Australia harnesses students' entrepreneurial spirits, marketing tech we're using, and our August highlights as we celebrate our 2nd birthday.
What direct-to-consumer startups can learn from Barbie, the Twitter rebrand thatâs left question marks over our heads, tech to make travelling for work a breeze, our tip for surviving the second half of the year, and much more.
Some good economic news (finally), the hot new website everyone is talking about (ours, obviously), tried and tested website tech we swear by, a list of 20 small business EOFY tax tips, and much more.
An excellent opinion piece about why work from home is a good thing for society (despite what Elon Musk thinks), a desk setup thatâll make your colleagues green with envy, the TLDR on the PwC tax scandal, some EOFY spending advice we know some people need to hear, and much more.
Thereâs been a spike in company insolvencies that the AFR is describing as a âzombie apocalypseâ, advice from HR experts on how to promote work-life balance in your team, a Slack feature we donât think gets enough airtime, a monitor stand weâre drooling over, and much more.
The TLDR on the banking drama and how it could affect your business, exciting AI tools to keep your eye on this year, the businesses where the UKâs four-day workweek trial didnât work, our non-negotiables when flying for work, and more.
Apps to boost your sleep skills (these do more than just fix dark circles under your eyes), mindset shifts to stop you feeling like youâre burning both cash and energy, and how to get excited about the next quarter.
An important reminder about what AI can and canât do for your business, more reasons you should go paperless (and a stack of great resources to show you how), a workday lunch tip to get you away from your desk, advice on setting effective goals for business growth, and much more.
Our thoughts on work-life balance, projections for the tech industry in 2023, some AI tools (or toys) to play with over the break, highs and lows of the year that was, and more.
Tips for making the most of December (T-minus 21 working days âtil Christmas đ€Ż), a step-by-step guide to registering for your company director ID, one of our favourite tech recs of 2022, an important cause close to our hearts that weâd love you to support (scroll to the end to find out how), and more.
How to protect your business from cybercrime, apps to build a connection with your colleagues and customers, the science behind the perfect productivity playlist, and more
Three tech recs thatâll make your life 10x easier, the impact of late invoices on your cash flow, the pros and cons of going to a conference, a massive shout out to our community, and more.
The technology shaping Australiaâs future, Slack shortcuts we canât live without, and tech recs to help you share your knowledge online.
Tips for hiring in a tough labour market, an ominous shift in pricing strategy for subscription models, and tech recs to help you grow your team.
Some new economic policies coming in on July 1, tech recs to help you celebrate (or survive) EOFY, and some tips for cultivating a growth mindset next financial year.
Some tips to help you focus, proposed policies on the horizon after the election, the crash of a not-so-stable stablecoin, a big debate we had on LinkedIn, and some tech recs that anyone whoâs into design will love.
Did ASIC actually just kill off 'finfluencingâ, ideas for designing your perfect work week, tech recs to level up virtual meetings and a sneak peek into the tech stack we use here at Project Alfred!
Tech recs and productivity hacks to help hybrid workplaces get the best of both worlds, our thoughts on the latest Federal Budget hot off the press and an audio book weâre loving right now.
High Court rulings around being an employee or an independent contractor, funding for Covid-affected businesses, great news about mental health support for small business owners, some new favourite tech finds, the Super BowlâŠand weâre hiring!
22 things you should do to help your business in 2022, what records you need to keep and what you can let go of in the new year, why eating a frog is the best way to start your day, and some of our highs and lows from the last month.
How to stay on the ATOâs nice list this Christmas, our how-to guide for director IDs, small business trends for 2022, how to work smarter not harder, and some of our own recent business highs and lows.