Business Learning Program Introduction

This is one of the finest groups of Australian Business thought-leaders assembled in one place…ever. Your Business Success has identified the key issues that face Australian Businesses today and hand-picked these speakers for their leadership, knowledge and experience in their respective fields as well as their passion for assisting businesses to achieve success. To get their insight any other way would cost you over $100,000 in speaking fees.

We’re proud to bring their collective knowledge together in one place so that Australia’s small to medium businesses can learn and implement some of their strategies to assist in creating business success. Not only will you learn from them in their formal sessions, but there will be activities to gain the most value from each session. Plus, take the opportunity to network with the speakers one-on-one (time permitting) during the breaks.

Click here to reserve your place now.

Below is a detailed introduction to the speakers, what they will cover and the key outcomes of each session.

Special Keynote Speaker – Effective Leadership is a Key to a Successful Business

General Peter J. Cosgrove AC, MC (Ret.)

About the Speaker:

What else needs to be said about this Australian Legend.  General Cosgrove became a national figure following his appointment as commander of the international forces in East Timor where he was responsible for overseeing its transition to independence.  During this tense and uncertain period he shone as both a soldier and a diplomat.

As a result of his achievements and the international respect he earned, General Cosgrove was appointed Chief of the Army and then Chief of the Defence Force until his retirement in 2005.

Since then, his business career has included a position on the Qantas board, consulting with Deloittes as well as being Chairman of the General Sir John Monash Foundation.

In a long and distinguished career, General Cosgrove has embodied a sense of leadership, courage and duty that Australian business leaders continue to strive for.

Special Keynote Speaker – The Incredible Contiki Story – A true Entrepreneurial Masterpiece 

John Anderson

About the Speaker:

John Anderson, at the age of 22, took 25 pounds and a crazy idea, created a new product and turned it into an international brand name.  In the following years, over 1.7 million others including 850,000 Australians have had their own Contiki experience.  It has had a major impact on the lives of many people, both passengers and staff.  Contiki developed an extensive training program for young tour leaders and staff, providing them with a wide range of  experiences and  challenges, all in a supportive culture.

John’s Contiki journey is an incredible story which remains virtually untold, yet the brand he created has developed into a household name around the world.

Today, John continues as a Management Consultant and entrepreneur and is writing a book on the Contiki story. Now he’s older, he has created a new company offering holidays for the over 45s.  Well into his 60s, he’s still living his passion of being a truly inspirational entrepreneur by doing it all again.

Stop Bitching, Start Pitching

Ian Elliot

Overview:

“Nothing happens until someone sells something.” Unless customers know about your product and how it can benefit them, it doesn’t matter how good it is.  In this session, you will learn from one of the masters of sales and marketing who has won over 75% of all the business he pitched for.  If your success rate is better than this, you probably don’t need to attend the session.  Otherwise, you’re sure to gain a tip that will help you secure a deal you may not have won without it.

You will learn:

• The nine steps to successfully winning new business.
• New market penetration techniques
• How to create your unique business pitch

About the Speaker:

Ian Elliot spent 30 years in the advertising industry rising from mail boy to Chairman and CEO at Australia’s largest advertising agency, George Patterson Bates. He is widely recognised as one of the most successful winners of new business accounts in Australian advertising, securing $250 million in his role as managing director and helping George Patterson Bates win the coveted title of Advertising Agency of the Century.

Creating a Thriving Culture – Unshackling your business

Tom O’Toole

Overview:

So often you are the business.  The culture, the values, the leadership and the decisions are your domain.  How do you have time to take a break when you are involved in every single aspect? Do you run a benevolent dictatorship or do you have a management and leadership structure?

This lively and entertaining session will wake you up and help you understand your leadership style while giving you tools to create an empowered organization that follows your vision and values.

You will learn:

• The pitfalls of being too indispensable
• Techniques that allow you to hand over responsibility without giving away control
• How you can grow your business through creating a culture of growth and empowerment

About the Speaker:

“There are motivational coaches, there are management consultants, there are get-up-and-go gurus everywhere, but there is only one Tom O’Toole.  He gets on with the job with a method, motivation and modus operandii which can be applied way beyond his own business to almost every situation in building team spirit, making things positive and getting the job done.” The Hon Tim Fischer (Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia).

Tom O’Toole is a business anomaly who took a bakery in a small, isolated country town, with a population of 3000, from an annual turnover of $100,000 to in excess of $3M…from 2 staff to over 70 and from almost no customers to over 700,000, all in just a year.  He has now grown the business even further, opening five regional stores around Victoria, employing 200 staff with a turnover of over $8M.

Taking on the ‘Big Guys’ -  Being a smaller business among the giants

Attracting and Retaining the Right People (from Y to X to the Older worker)

Mark McCrindle

Overview:

This has got to be one of the most confronting issues for businesses in Australia today.  Our talent pool is becoming steadily smaller as a result of Australia’s declining population growth.  In a fast-moving business culture, every organization, brand and idea is just one generation away from extinction.  Companies must do more than just observe the times, they must also understand them.

You will learn:

• How to employ and keep the ‘right’ people for the job, even when you think there are no ‘right’ people left in the talent pool
• An insight into the best HR & management styles to deal with an intergenerational workforce.
• The right leadership and communication style to get the best from your Gen Y, Gen X and older workforce.

About the Speaker:

Mark McCrindle is an expert in future trends, changing demographics and is one of Australia’s foremost social researchers and commentators.  His study of emerging trends and generational segments is in demand internationally.  Mark’s skill is in equipping people with the latest research knowledge so that they can use his strategies and tactics to find the right people for their business.

It’s no good being worth $20 Million if you’re dead!

Dr John Tickell

Overview:

It can pretty stressful running a business.  There are long hours to put in, deadlines to keep, people to manage and customers to keep happy.  You can only maintain this pace if your health keeps up with your business success.  In the same way that you can implement a business plan for your organization, you can also implement a wellness plan for yourself.  You want to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labours.

You will learn:

• How to love pressure and turn stress into success and increase your work performance.
• How to set a routine and be disciplined no matter how irregular your lifestyle.
• Three critical strategies for personal success.

About the Speaker:

You will know Dr John Tickell from Channel Nine’s Celebrity Overhaul.  He is Australia’s best known and most respected corporate health and lifestyle medico and brings with him the secrets of less stress and more success.  He’ll help you survive and thrive in the life’s pressure cooker by kick-starting your motor and helping you to get your act together.

He’s been rated as one of the top ten world speakers by the American Young President’s Organisation and has written numerous books and magazine articles.  For your own good, this is not a session to be missed.

Capitalising on the future – Technology to Boost Your Business

Craig Rispin

Overview:

Doing what you’ve always done may have worked in the twentieth century but will it be the right strategy to give your business the success it deserves into the twenty first century?

Buying the latest technology may or may not give your business a competitive edge but using technology and processes effectively and innovatively definitely will allow you to streak ahead of your competitors.  Failing to understand how to integrate technology is what has stopped businesses in Australia from investing appropriately in their future.

You will learn:

• Five trends about which you absolutely must know to ensure your business’s success in the future
• How to integrate the hottest new marketing technologies with ease, allowing you to open new markets and sources of revenue
• How successful businesses leave their competition behind using the latest trends in strategic planning, workforce empowerment and making the right technology investments

About the Speaker:

Craig Rispin is a business futurist, trends tracker and technology guru.  He has the innate ability to spot new trends and create new markets.  Craig has designed and launched hundreds of products for major companies including Apple and Philips.

Craig helps businesses prepare for and embrace the “Next Big Thing”.

Multiply Your Business X10!

Dr Michael Hewitt-Gleeson

Overview:

The Your Business Success program has seen many struggling businesses and sometimes the only reason they are not succeeding is due to the mindset of the operator. Many businesses never reach their full potential because they set limitations on what is believed to be possible. This session is not just a positive-thinking seminar but an opportunity to provide you with some amazing easy-to-implement techniques that will allow you to drive yourself and your business to incredible success.

You will learn:

• How to reset your brain’s software to keep up with all your business ideas
• A simple technique to enhance your thinking to create mind-blowing ideas and outcomes
• The secret that Dr Hewitt-Gleeson used to assist Jack Welch grow General Electric from a $35B a year business to over $300B a year.

About the Speaker:

Michael Hewitt-Gleeson is the brains behind Edward de Bono having been the inventor of the thinking technique that later became known as the “Thinking Hats”.  He is the co-founder of the School of Thinking with de Bono and holds the world’s first PhD in lateral thinking.

The Power of the word – Communicating effectively to get the best from others

Robyn Moore

Overview:

Having great ideas and business plans is not enough unless you can get others to share your passion for your vision. Being able to describe the “light on top of the hill” effectively means that your team can help you get there.

Effective communication creates engagement.  Once you have people’s attention, you can profoundly affect awareness, perception, behaviour and potential.

You will learn:

• How to get other people’s attention using the power of the word
• How to build your own motivation as well as inspire your team
• How to create greater productivity and results in less time.

About the Speaker:

Robyn Moore is Australia’s most in-demand female speaker and a multi-skilled communicator who has been in the business of creating and changing peoples’ perceptions through the “power of the word” for over 30 years.

Her voice is known in most Australian homes from commercials, syndicated comedy and animation series...however few people know what she looks like.

Managing the Numbers – A Financial Health Check for your Business

Peter Cox

Overview:

So many of us in business are experts at what the business does but not necessarily in “counting the beans”.  Unless you are an accountant or have done an MBA managing the numbers may be about getting the BAS in on time or managing your cashflow to keep the business healthy. Do you know what affects the Gross Profit margins in your industry? Do you know if, when and how much you should discount? Do you know the key financial indicators that will give you the most valuable insight into your business?

If you want to know the answers, then this session is a must.

You will learn:

• How your business is performing using benchmarking strategies
• Five strategies to improve gross profit in your business
• The secrets of financial management for managers, not accountants!

About the Speaker:

Peter Cox is a CPA and financier who takes financial jargon and puts it into language most people can understand. His expertise is profitability management in business, backed up by industry performance statistics and benchmarks. In a nutshell, Peter can show you what marketing, merchandising, customer, sales and financial management can do in your business to help you to move to a better bottom line.

Increasing your Profits in Changing Times

Martin Grunstein

Overview:

Businesses are always looking for effective ways to increase the bottom-line without investing huge amounts of money. We all “know” that customer service is important, but do we know how to easily deliver service beyond your customers’ expectations? Understanding your customers can help generate repeat and referral business to keep your bottom-line not just healthy but growing.

This is not your standard customer-service hype session; you’ll learn about techniques and how to apply them to enhance your business’ success.

You will learn:

• How to make profits in changing times
• How to increase your expectations and results in 12 months
• The art of developing a proactive customer service culture and the massive impact that this can have on your business success

About the Speaker:

Martin Grunstein’s outstanding results in helping more than 500 companies over 100 industries have made him Australia’s most in-demand consultant on developing outstanding customer service. During a career spanning 26 years he has made an impact on international level sports, helping teams win through teaching players the mental side of their game.

Succession Planning – Selling Your Business

Dr Tom McKaskill

Overview:

The ultimate goal of any business owner could be to finish working and enjoy retirement.  This can be done in two ways: find a strong management team to hand your business over to, or sell your business and enjoy the fruits of your labours.

This session may help you to achieve the latter…at a premium.  It’s all about selling for the best price possible. 

You will learn:

• How having a strong management structure in place is paramount before thinking about selling.
• How to raise capital to grow your business.
• How to sell your business for a premium.

About the Speaker:

Dr Tom McKaskill is acknowledged to be the world’s leading authority on exit strategies for high-growth enterprises. He has a doctorate from the London Business School and is foundation professor for the Richard Pratt Chair in Entrepreneurship.

In addition to being a professional educator, McKaskill’s real-world experience includes taking a UK-based computer systems start-up company from 3 employees to 160, building it to an operation with branches in England, New Zealand and the USA. The company then undertook two acquisitions and gained over 2000 customers.  In addition McKaskill showed he is able to practice what he now preaches by selling this company. 

He’s done this a number of times, and now assists companies to reach what many business owners see as their ultimate goal.

Keren Wicks, interviewed by Toby Travanner

Overview:

Your business may be smaller than the giants but you don’t have to think small. Through taking a big-business attitude with small business speed and service, you too can compete in markets dominated by major players.  Let’s face it, if you get too big, they’ll want to buy you…a problem that many of us with SMEs dream about.  You learn from our speaker who has represented SMEs and taken on the giants and didn’t let them push her around.  “They win automatically if you don’t get up for the fight.”

You will learn:

• Innovative business-building strategies
• How to be a David against the Goliath without breaking the bank
• Using strategic marketing to win-over customers from your traditional competitors

About the Speaker:

Keren Wicks is the founder and managing director of Network Video, one of the leading players in Australia’s DVD rental/retail industry with over 400 stores in her group.  She left school at 13 because in her own words, “she sucked at it.”  At 33, she founded Network Video making her the only woman to head up a video rental group, franchise or independent in the world.

She’s taken on Goliath, not only against other major players in the industry but also in being the key driver in a successful case brought against Warner Bros in the Australian Federal Court in 2001.