Growth Newsletter

Australia’s four big banks really need to change their ways around how they lend to small and family business. If they don’t, a large disruptor is going to enter the finance space, quickly erode their small business market and in the process, put the business models of each of them at significant risk. Maybe that’s the rocket they need!

I’ve been working with small and family businesses, and their owners, for more than three decades. It’s been an insightful and enjoyable journey, where I’m always grateful to have the opportunity to be invited into their businesses, their homes and their lives.

The building and construction industry really is messed up! You have a bunch of medium and larger players who control proceedings in terms of projects. They’re the ones that are negotiating the contracts with whomever the client is – Governments, Large Corporates, Developers.

We grabbed our bags off the carousel, flung them onto one of the ubiquitous airport trolleys and made our way for the exit. The friendly face holding the sign of the company that arranged our transfer from Nadi Airport, in Fiji, to the Shangri La Yanuca Island, took us outside into the humid warmth of the night time air and introduced us to our driver.

I stepped out for coffee early on a weekday. It’s not often I do, but on this day, with an appointment free diary and some prep work to get underway on an upcoming workshop for a group of professionals, I packed up my gear and headed for my local coffee place.

I recently had occasion to spend time with around 40 small and family business owners attending a conference in Fiji.  As a guest speaker at the event, one of my tasks was to facilitate some short information sessions, talking with business owners about whatever happened to be on their mind.

My wife and I headed out for dinner one Saturday evening recently. We’ve been trying a different place and the food is pretty good, even if the lack of soft furnishings inside the restaurant mean its louder than it should otherwise be.