Success is all about spotting opportunities where others see challenges. In this in the loop, I caught up with Director Lielette Calleja from our Sydney crew to shine a spotlight on the hidden challenges many of her clients are facing right now.

From smart staffing strategies and process mapping to leveraging data effectively, we dove into how small, strategic tweaks can lead to big results. Check out the video below.

 

video transcript:

John: Joining me today in this in the loop is Lielette Calleja from our Sydney office. We were talking before, and I thought I might get you in front of the camera to talk about some of those hidden challenges that you’re seeing with clients at the moment. What’s one of the hidden challenges you’re seeing?

 

1. process mapping

Lielette: Well, one of the ones I’m seeing a lot is businesses are relying heavily on the technology and, you know, sticking apps onto their accounting software without actually thinking about the processes behind.

John: So not getting into that process mapping, looking at the steps that actually need to be changed of the overall process.

Lielette: Yes, putting good apps on bad processes is a recipe for disaster.

 

2. cash flow

John: What about cash flow? Is there a hidden challenge at the moment about cash flow?

Lielette: Oh, there certainly is. If your processes are not doing so well, you lack efficiency. That’s going to impact cash flow, and there are so many different elements to that as well. But one thing we can have some quick wins with is actually making a business a lot more efficient.

John: Ok, so with you focused on that sort of bookkeeping side of things, are you giving them more short-term cash flow forecasts rather than the longer-term cash flow projections?

Lielette: Yes, I think what’s really important is short-burst cash flow and being able to project at least, you know, every quarter. So they know they’ve got a big BAS bill, they’ve got super, all those things that happen every quarter.

John: That BAS cycle still comes around as a surprise for some businesses.

Lielette: You give a business more than that, they’re not going to remember. So we really just want to make it simple and short-burst cash flow.

John: So if people are starting to have some cash flow problems, if we go back a level, are there some profitability problems as well?

Lielette: Nine out of ten times, it will always come down to profitability. Because cash flow is a result of poor profitability.

 

3. profitability formula

John: Is there anything you’re seeing in particular around the profitability formula of businesses at the moment that’s causing that drama?

Lielette: Yes, a couple of things. People aren’t pricing correctly. People are overstaffing as well. It comes down to the technology again, utilising the tech to roster their team properly, and being able to look at predicted revenue that’s about to come in. Whether you’re in hospitality, manufacturing, or whatever it is, utilise the data to be able to predict as to what staffing you need.

John: So getting that rostering right so you’re actually focused on efficiency and productivity

Lielette: Yes, of course. It’s not just data for the sake of it; it’s data for you to make some smart business decisions.

 

4. waste

John: Are you seeing much waste out there within businesses at the moment?

Lielette: As much as businesses want to be frugal and not waste, we are still seeing that. So it’s about having clean data to be able to actually identify where that wastage is. And again, coming back to staffing, you might have legacy or redundant staff that are there because they’ve been there forever and have been doing the same type of work. But again, it comes down to: have you actually looked at your staffing and the people around you?

John: And your cost allocations and those types of things. That’s what you’re thinking there from a manufacturing to a services industry. Where are your costs going?

Lielette: Are your people updated? Is their skill set up to date with the new technology? Have you trained them? Are you getting the most out of them, or are they bottlenecks in your business still doing things the long way?

 

5. payroll challenges

John: What about that final hidden challenge you’re seeing in businesses at the moment flowing on from staffing? What about the payroll challenges business owners are having right now?

Lielette: Yeah, payroll challenges come from basic award interpretation. Making sure you’re paying your people correctly. People don’t look at the awards, particularly if you are in a heavily geared award industry. Everything comes back to the award.

John: Well, Lielette, I do reckon we should dive into that in another in the loop. If you’d like to stay in the loop, you can subscribe on LinkedIn or jump on our website at businessdepot.com.au, or if you’ve got any questions, feel free to reach out to Lielette directly, myself, or your usual contact here at businessDEPOT.

 

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