I have run my own companies, worked for large multi nationals as well as smaller boutique firms and during my 30 years of business it has come to my attention that businesses are very similar to a sports team. In fact I would go as far to say they are exactly like a sports team…

When establishing a football team, different skills are required depending on the position in the team. Some players are more flexible than others in the positions they can play in, others are not so good. Some train harder than their team mates, some want to win, some don’t want to lose and a few are not concerned about their team or winning.

Similarly, if you are unable to look after your sports ‘stars’ you will lose them; individuals who feel their talent is wasted in the team will look for new team to play for. The best option would be for them to talk to their manager and explain how they feel; a resolution to their problem may be found enabling them to stay within their current team. If this solution suits the team, player and manager, it’s a win win situation for all parties.

A TEAM / COMPANY MUST SCORE MORE GOALS THAN IT LETS IN
Every day is a new game, whether sales, marketing, finance, etc, we all strive to be better today than we did the day before; our knowledge and experience of the day before will assist us to work more effectively today.

Smaller teams tend to rely on the job share whereby one person may cover several roles. A football player is not given a job spec. They are required to perform at their best on the field as well as cover others when necessary.

SPORT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND TEAM INVOLVEMENT
Does your company play as a team or as individual primadonnas?
We could say that the goalkeeper represents the Chief Financial Officer; no money should slip through their fingers, the Salesman is the centre forward, the goal scorer, they need to score as many gaols as possible creating money into the business. But they both need support from their team mates.

The coach could therefore be referred to as the Managing Director or the Chief Executive Officer. When a player is not performing to their best potential they may have to substitute them or re-train.

An employee is an expense to a company similarly to a football player; sales must be made in order to cover these expenses, if the sales (goals) are not made, players may not be able to keep their positions. When this happens teams may become disgruntled.  An unhappy team may never win because working together is unlikely to happen.

TRUST
If trust is not present, a team cannot be formed; we must trust that all players are capable of fulfilling their own roles.
When a player calls for the ball we must trust and pass to him/her.

HONESTY
Tell the truth, be honest, explain what you can’t do in your position in the team; encourage others in the team even if they are not playing that well. People generally perform better when motivated and the smallest of things can often motivate. Communicate with your team members; do not whisper (through e-mails) they won’t hear you. The midfielders do not text or e-mail the winger, they communicate quickly and precisely what he wants and adapts to the pass he receives.

ONE DAY YOU MAY LOSE
‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again’. Don’t worry about the loss; it should always be a concern but never a loss of sleep. Learn from it and look to get a win next time. Learn to adapt to produce better results next time.

Just understand the need for team spirit and work as a unit

- See more at: http://pendragon.net.au/company-like-football-team/#sthash.LHUUHa6r.dpuf

More than 200 extra bus services have started in Western Sydney. 

We are investing in extra public transport services right across the state. We have introduced more than 9,000 extra train, bus and ferry services, since March 2011.

The latest bus services would benefit customers in suburbs including Liverpool, Elizabeth Hills, Edensor Park, South Wentworthville, Cecil Hills, Parramatta, Pemulwuy, Cabramatta, Bonnyrigg and Greystanes.

Work is also underway on a new multi-storey car park at Canley Vale, which will provide more than 120 commuter parking spaces.

Clr Andrew Jefferies has been elected as the new Mayor of The Hills Shire.

Mayor Jefferies thanked outgoing Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne for her outstanding leadership and engagement with the community over her two years as Mayor. Clr Byrne decided not to run for Mayor but was elected to the role of Deputy Mayor.

Mayor Jefferies said he’s proud of the way The Hills has been turned around from a Council in financial ruins to becoming one of the strongest Local Government Areas in the state.
“Despite the challenges that we face with future growth and development, we are now the envy of every other Local Government Area in New South Wales,” Mayor Jefferies said.  

“More importantly however, I believe that our ratepayers respect this Council for its financial conservatism and its recent record of infrastructure delivery.”

Mayor Jefferies said that six key priorities would form the focus of his term as Mayor – light rail, local infrastructure, the Hills visitor economy, knock down rebuilds, commuter car parking and Council amalgamations.

Read the Mayor’s full speech here…

WSBC in collaboration with Sydney Hills Business Chamber and WSBC Platinum Partner Deloitte, invite you to the annual Small Business Summit for Greater Western Sydney. 

For further information click on the image below.

Castle Hill RSL has undertaken a major re-development of its Events and Functions facilities to become the highest quality facility in the hills for Corporate, Social and Community Events.

Split Watermelon Design have recently completed the refurbishment of three existing Function Rooms and the Sports Bar at Castle Hill RSL Club.  Each has been given its own unique personality, and grow gradually darker in theme as you transcend the building's levels.

The Phoenix Room is the largest and arguably the most dramatic of all the spaces. A striking carpet design reminiscent of large palm fronds dominates the room.   Dark finishes exude a moody glamour, with dark painted timber panelling and soft metallic wallpaper throughout.  The bar is a definite focal point with its glossy front and glowing plinth. A large chandelier in hand blown glass and satin bronze sparkles over the centre of the space.

The adjoining Sports Bar retains a typically masculine feel but has been softened with warm paint finishes and timber elements throughout.  The gloss black bar panelling, carefully selected memorabilia display and bold carpet design give personality to the space.

The Sovereign and Gallery Rooms are intentionally lighter in feel, largely influenced by the amount of natural light in both rooms.  A palette of warm grey, white and silver together with soft white drapery gives an elegance to the spaces.

Group President Mr Warren Glenny said “In the growing Hills Shire the demand for high quality events and functions facilities is increasing we are proud to be the destination of choice for our corporate, social and community groups”.

The developments include:

Gallery                 105 sqm

 Full HD Projector with Motorised Screen and Projector Lifter

Sound Re-Inforcement System

iPod Input point.

Wireless Handheld and Lapel Microphones

Lectern Input

VGA and Audio Input Point

Wireless Presentation Device

Sovereign           203 sqm

Full HD Projector with Motorised Screen and Projector Lifter

Sound Re-Inforcement System

iPod Input point.

Wireless Handheld and Lapel Microphones

Lectern Input

VGA and Audio Input Point

Wireless Presentation Device

Phoenix               300 sqm

Full HD Projector with Motorised Screen and Projector Lifter

Sound Re-Inforcement System

iPod Input point.

Wireless Handheld and Lapel Microphones

Lectern Input

VGA and Audio Input Point

Wireless Presentation Device

ECR                        35 sqm

Full HD Projector with Motorised Screen and Projector Lifter

Sound Re-Inforcement System

iPod Input point.

Lectern Input

VGA and Audio Input Point

Wireless Presentation Device.

Luxe                      330 sqm

3 x Full HD Projector with Motorised Screen and Projector Lifter

Sound Re-Inforcement System

Wireless Handheld and Lapel Microphones

iPod Input point.

Lectern Input

HDMI, VGA and Audio Input Point

Wireless Presentation Device.

Ability to overflow Audio and Video into Luxe Lounge Pre-function area.

Lyceum                 525 sqm              

3 x Large Projectors and Screens

FOH Fold back System

Large Input desk (32 Input channels)

Wireless Microphones System

Lectern Input

FOH Lighting System

Automated Table Light System

VGA and Audio Inputs

Ability to overflow Audio and Video into Luxe Lounge Pre-function area.

EBR                        46 sqm

Motorised Screen and Projector Lifter

VGA and Audio Input Point

Games Room     335 sqm

9 x 50in LCD’s

Richard Holland the Membership and Events Manager for Sydney Hills Business Chamber said: “The Sydney Business Chamber has had a long association with the Castle Hill RSL.

Now in our 21^st year we have evolved markedly since our humble beginnings and pride ourselves on the many monthly events we run to benefit our members.

None of this would be possible of course unless we have great partners and especially venue partners who not only provide a great service through their attentive staff but are innovative with their ideas to assist us with our events.

The Castle Hill RSL has added even more value to this partnership in recent months by completely renovating and invigorating key rooms for event organisers like ourselves and we are now spoilt with choice culminating with the opening of their “New” Phoenix Room.

We are very lucky to have the Castle Hill RSL as a partner but even more so as a friend and we look forward to a long & mutually beneficial relationship with them”.

Businesses have until 30 November 2014 to apply for Export Market Development Grants (EMDG). 

The EMDG scheme provides a grant of up to $150,000 to fund up to 50% of expenses incurred on eligible export promotional activities to any overseas market (except New Zealand – not regarded as an export and North Korea and Iran due to sanctions) for a maximum of 8 years.

Overview of EMDG Eligibility

To be eligible, the business must:

• be an Australian individual, partnership, company, association, co-op, statutory corporation or trust that has carried on business in Australia during the year
• have income of not more than $50 million in the grant year
• have incurred at least $15,000 on eligible export expenses (first time applicants are entitled to combine 2 years’ worth of expenses).

Additionally, the eligible product must be either:

• a good that is made in Australia or made outside Australia but have a significant economic benefit to Australia; or
• a service, except those relating to migration, adoption, welfare, real estate in Australia, general legal, adult entertainment, or student accommodation

What can be claimed?

Expenditure relating to specific export promotional activities undertaken during the income year can be claimed.

There are nine categories of promotional activities that can be claimed:

1. Overseas representatives all reasonable costs that you pay (excluding commission) to have an overseas representative act on your behalf on a long-term basis to market/promote your product (to a maximum of $200,000).
   
2. Marketing consultants the cost of engaging an arm’s length consultant to undertake export market research or marketing activities (a maximum of $50,000 can be claimed under this category).
   
3. Marketing visits the cost of travel during the marketing visit e.g. airfares (conditional), taxi fares, departure taxes, etc. An allowance of $300 per day is claimable for overseas marketing visits to help defray accommodation, entertainment and living expenses.
   
4. Communication the costs of communication to promote your product. If you do not claim your actual communication expenses, you will receive an automatic 3% addition to the claim.
   
5. Free samples the cost of providing free samples of the product you are promoting for export.
   
6. Trade fairs, seminars, in-store promotions the cost of participating in an international trade fair, seminar, in-store promotion, international forum, private exhibition, or similar activity.
7. Promotional literature & advertising external costs of promotional material, such as brochures, videos, DVDs, advertising and website development.
8. Overseas buyers the cost of bringing potential buyers who are non-residents to Australia for an approved export promotion purpose (up to a maximum of $7,500 per buyer visit up to a maximum of $45,000 per application).
9. Registration and/or insurance of eligible intellectual property payments made to third parties, e.g. patent and trademark attorneys, for the grant, registration or extension of the period of registration of intellectual property (for countries other than Australia or New Zealand) up to a maximum value of $50,000 per application.

What to do next?

Applications for this year's round of grants opened 1 July 2014 and will close 1 December 2014, although it is in the business's interest to get the claim in as soon as possible after 1 July to maximise cash-flow.

Extensions are not granted to applicants. Therefore if believe your business may be eligible, you must act promptly.

For more information or to discuss these grants in more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Howard Badger
02 9881 3600
hbadger@moorestephens.com.au

The Australian Turf Club’s (ATC) Rosehill Gardens was last night awarded the Best Function/Convention Centre Caterer at the 2014 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Hostplus NSW Awards for Excellence.

The awards were announced before industry peers and presented by the NSW Minister for Hospitality, Gaming and Racing, and Minister for the Arts, the Honourable Troy Grant.

Rosehill Gardens had competed alongside a number of industry leaders, including three of Doltone House’s venues, Luna Park, and the ATC’s other world-class facility, Royal Randwick – which was also a finalist in the Caterer at an Event category.

Rosehill Gardens was also a finalist in the category of Caterer at a Major Event.

The Awards are an authoritative guide to Australia’s best restaurants and caterers, with more than 500 trained judges and 1500 entrants, and set the  state’s benchmark as the most important and respected industry awards specifically designed to objectively recognise and promote industry best practice.

Rosehill Gardens’ prestigious racecourse and purpose-built Event Centre caters to a diverse range of events and exhibitions such as the Stitches and Craft Show, Pet and Animal Expo and Pool and Spa Expo.

Other major events include the NSW Caravan and Camping Supershow, which attracted more than 80,000 visitors, and recently the first of three annual SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Shows, proving Rosehill Gardens as a popular alternative to venues in the CBD.

Australian Turf Club Chief executive Darren Pearce said: “We are thrilled and honoured to receive this award from such a reputable organisation. The award is one of the greatest compliments to our team and promotes Rosehill Gardens as a prominent venue for public, ticketed and international events within Australia.”

In 2014, the 17th year of the Awards for Excellence nationally, a number of industry events held around Australia will be held to announce the winners and celebrate the outstanding achievements of restaurants and caterers in this vibrant and hardworking industry.

Rosehill Gardens will now compete nationally on Monday 27 October against other state winners such as Customs House in Brisbane and Zinc at Federation Square in Melbourne.

The Australian Turf Club presents quality thoroughbred racing, carnivals, entertainment and an impressive collection of award-winning convention and event centres across four Sydney racecourses - Royal Randwick, Rosehill Gardens, Canterbury Park and Warwick Farm.

When looking for your next team bonding exercise why not give the AFL’s 9’s a go!

AFL 9s is the Australian Football League’s fun, fast and exciting new game which caters for people of all ages and abilities. The flexibility of the game allows for the rules to be adjusted to make it easier to play and less physically demanding leading to a lot more fun for those involved. AFL 9’s is a great way improve team camaraderie within your workplace and its inclusive nature means teams can include both men and women.

AFL NSW/ACT offer a range of AFL 9s competitions for all age groups, and can cater to individual organisational needs including team bonding exercises and fully fledged social/recreational competitionsand even lunchtime sport competitions. For more information about AFL 9s for your company or local competitions, call us now on (02) 8867 7400 or email ben.haywood@aflnswact.com.au

Join Us for Networking Drinks on 12 November 2014

Prior to joining Sport NSW, Cheryl held roles including State Manager of the Australian Sports Commission overseeing the Active After-schools Communities program, as Executive Director of the Illawarra Academy of Sport and Executive Officer of the NSW Premier’s Soccer Task force.

Cheryl was also a recipient of the prestigious Margaret Pewtress Memorial Award at the Active Australia Awards at Parliament House in Canberra, recognising her contribution to women’s sport and the sporting industry from grass roots to regional, state, national and international levels for over 20 years.

Cheryl’s passion and enthusiasm for sport is unwavering and her commitment to the industry is unshakable. Cheryl will provide attendees with insight into:

• the challenges facing sporting organisations in NSW and trends in participation in community sport which ultimately impact on elite sport and Australia’s status as a ‘Sporting Nation’
• opportunities for corporate supporters and service providers to reach into sporting organisations and the broad audience and diverse communities they encompass

When: 5.30 - 7.30 pm on Wednesday 12 November 2014

Where: Matthews Folbigg Boardroom, Level 7, 10-14 Smith St, Parramatta

RSVP: fayc@matthewsfolbigg.com.au by Friday 7 November 2014