Business Essentials features interviews with business experts and industry leaders, providing up-to-date, insightful advice on wide-ranging topics, including winning sales strategies, HR issues, mental health and leadership. Hosted by Grace Jennings-Edquist, the goal is to encourage and inspire a new generation of Australian business owners and entrepreneurs to grow healthier, happier and more profitable businesses. Business Essentials is a podcast four decades in the making, from SoundCartel,…
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How do you protect your business's value when costs keep rising and uncertainty shows no sign of easing - and why does psychological safety matter in your workplace? In this week's episode, business sales and acquisitions expert Simon Bedard explains how rising costs, inflation and economic uncertainty are reshaping business value. Simon - who is Managing Director of Exit Advisory Group, and…
Is your team's AI use actually making work easier - or just creating more work for your most experienced employees? In this episode, workplace writing expert Vikki Maver, founder of Communication Skills Academy and Refresh Marketing, explores the hidden costs of AI. She explains how poor governance can increase rework, shift responsibility onto managers and even undermine customer trust. Then…
Is your business prepared for mounting cashflow pressures - and are the conversations you're avoiding making things worse? In this episode, commercial finance expert Nadine Connell, founder of Smart Business Plans, explains why many profitable businesses are being squeezed by changing cashflow timing. She also shares practical steps to strengthen financial resilience before small pressures become…
How can setbacks become stepping stones - and what does it take to lead a business through constant change? In this week's episode, performance consultant, Better Life Lab founder and author Andrew Horsfield explains how to turn setbacks into progress by embracing productive struggle, gaining clarity and building habits that create lasting performance. Then executive coach and leadership team…
How do you handle tough conversations without creating conflict - and build a team that takes ownership instead of waiting for instructions? In this week's episode, communication and human skills expert Leah Mether shares practical strategies for navigating disagreement with empathy, curiosity and clarity - helping leaders resolve conflict before it escalates. Then leadership expert Kylie Paatsch…
What separates businesses that thrive from those that stall - and how can leaders build workplaces where people perform at their best? On this week's episode, entrepreneur, speaker and author Bernadette Schwerdt shares lessons from Australia's fastest-growing online brands and reveals what drives successful founders, drawing on her new book Secrets of the New Online Entrepreneurs . Then, senior…
How resilient is your business when crisis strikes - and are rigid workplace rules hurting flexibility? In this week's episode, speaker and founder Bronwyn Reid explains why crises expose weak leadership and poor systems. She also shares several practical ways SMEs can prepare for disruption before it hits. Then, Ilona Charles, CEO and Co-Founder of HR Consulting Services, Shilo, discusses…
As business confidence weakens and growth slows; many SMEs are looking for new ways to fund expansion and stay competitive. In this episode, Kate Whitehead, MD of strategic grants and government funding advisory, Avant Group, explains what the 2026 Federal Budget means for business grants, innovation funding and where future government investment is likely to flow. Then, Ilona Charles, CEO and…
When it comes to innovation and productivity, the challenge for the Australian government remains the inability to turn good ideas into long-term economic growth. In this episode, Kate Whitehead, MD of strategic grants and government funding advisory, Avant Group, explains what the proposed changes to the R&D Tax Incentive could mean for SMEs, innovation investment and Australia's broader…
What if the biggest threat to your business is already unfolding - and you can't see it yet? And what do you need to be thinking about ahead of tax time? In this episode, we hear two expert perspectives on getting ahead of small problems before they become serious ones. First, executive coach Chris Power explains why "leadership inflection points" can become dangerous moments for organisations,…
