News

Today's meeting at Tuggerah was our biggest yet with 27 people in attendance!  With a bit of judicious furniture removal, we managed to find seats for everyone, which was great ...  and we welcomed first time guests, a new member and saw the return of some familiar faces who have been absent from meetings for a while.  Clearly 2026 is off to a bounding start here.

Rory Gowers gave our special presentation today, ably assisted by his wife Lilian and Paul Diener, who role-played a common business scenario:

• Using Medianos - the board game teaching practical conflict resolution through interactive gameplay - we witnessed a real problem being navigated through a playable solution
• This format can assist with difficult customers, unreliable suppliers, partnership tensions, because it uses a structured framework we can all apply immediately
• Beyond traditional mediation: Medianos equips teams to resolve their own conflicts before escalation, building capability rather than dependency

As Australasian Ambassador for Medianos, Rory Gowers is bringing this innovative approach to Central Coast businesses, schools, and community groups throughout 2026

If you'd like more information on how to get involved, please contact Rory:

Email: rory@gowersfacilitating.com.au

Phone: 0425292811

The Peninsula Meetings of SBNG are back in full swing with a lively crowd attending at Coast 175 Cafe, Ettalong this morning.

Our special presentation was given by Catherine Lui from The Herbal Girl, and we learned how our modern lives are creating this new structural problem called Forward Head Posture (FHP).  It contributes to neck discomfort and can alter breathing mechanics.

Catherine showed us some simple stretching and self-massage techniques to help manage the symptoms, and it's key to note:

• Prevention cures; remedies repair.
• Strategies win over remedies only.   Practice consistently and persistently with your health strategies is the road to joy and happiness.
• Always listen to your body and your intuition.   No one understands your body more than yourself. 
• Keep hydrated every day with clean water.

For more information visit Catherine's website: 

https://www.theherbalgirlaus.com/#/

Just like that, we’ve turned the corner into a New Year — and it was wonderful to see such a strong turnout at our Erina meeting this morning.

We were delighted to officially welcome our new Erina Patron, Deearn Moore, who stepped confidently into the spotlight for her first meeting in this Committee role. It’s fantastic to have Dee on board, and we’re looking forward to the energy and direction she’ll bring throughout the year.

This session focused on networking with purpose. Dee prepared practical worksheets to help members get specific and strategic about their goals, encouraging us to dig a little deeper into what we’re working toward — and where we might be getting stuck.

Members were invited to ask intentional questions, seek input on business bottlenecks, and tap into the collective experience in the room. It was a powerful reminder that networking isn’t just about introductions — it’s about collaboration, insight, and shared growth.

You never know who might offer exactly the perspective you need at just the right moment.

We’re excited for what 2026 holds for SBNG — and if this first meeting is anything to go by, it’s going to be a productive and purposeful year.

Just a friendly reminder that the Women in Business NSW is still open :) https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/women-in-business-nsw .

 

If anyone needs personalised support, they can request anyone in team Service NSW for assistance and book a call. https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/business/business-concierge-service .

This morning's meeting at Ettalong was chilly but the thought provoking discussion that was generated through the presentation and exercises provided by our guest speaker Liz Macnamara made this a very worth while event.

Key Takeaways:

Journaling for your business isn't just reflective - it's strategic. 

Liz showed us how regular writing can sharpen decision-making,  clarify  priorities, and keep us connected to why we started our business in  the  first place.

Through simple prompts and real talk, Liz helped us see how our original business ideas still echo through what we do today—and how journaling can help us track those shifts and stay on course.

 Liz offers ongoing support for business owners who want to develop a journaling habit—whether it's through one-on-one coaching, online check-ins or custom workshop sessions.

The benefits? Less overwhelm. More focus. And a way to process the ups and downs of business without burning out.

If you're ready to grow your business without losing yourself, Liz can help you build a journaling practice that supports you as much as your bottom line.

Contact Liz Macnamara:

lizmacnamara@bigpond.com

It's fair to say that Bill Murch's presentation to the Erina Meeting today blew our minds!

As I write this I'm imagining Bill in a scene similar to the part in Crocodile Dundee .... "call that a knife? this is a knife" ...

As usual we started the meeting with our regular SBNG slideshow ... and then "this is what Powerpoint can REALLY do"

Bill held us captivated as the images swirled and danced across the screen, demonstrating how images can morph from one thing to another; how slides can be linked together for interactive conversation; adding video to play through text and he finished with a train moving through a scene on the screen ....

If you weren't there you missed a real treat!

And you'll probably want to contact Bill for some hints and tips, so send him an email:

bill@idmconsulting.com.au

Our Tuggerah meeting was well attended for this presentation for small business owners on speaking with more confidence from our secretary, Nicola Davies-Cooke.

There are some who would rather die than have to speak in public, and Nicola how as a child she hated all the poetry competitions or piano competitions where she had to "perform" for other people's judgements and evaluation - and how overcoming those old fears of being seen to fail is helping now in her business.

VOICE - 5 key points to focus on:

For further information, or help with building confidence, you can contact Nicola:

Email:  hello@nicodaviescooke.com

It was definitely a good morning for wrapping up warm at Ettalong!  Lucky for us though the networking conversation bubbled around the table.

It's always nice to meet some new faces at these morning meetings - we look forward to seeing you again soon!

A regular contributor to our meetings is one of our founder members, Grant Pavett, Director of Vizion Accounting.  Grant and his staff shared their expertise with members to help everyone plan for the EOFY across 3 meetings

 

Key Takeaways from these events:

• Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail (Allen Lakein – Author Re: Time Management)
• Everyone and every business are different, planning for your personal goals/wants/needs is especially important.
• Remember, it is important to act upon Tax Planning Strategies prior to 30th June. Otherwise, it is too late
• If your Accountant tells you to buy a new car to save tax, don’t go shopping for a new car, go shopping for a new accountant.

Deductions, Prepayments & Income (Tuggerah, 11th April 2025)

Cars - to buy or not to buy (Ettalong, 2nd May 2025, given by Susan)

Houses & Investments - Gearing and Why (Erina, 23rd May 2025)

For further information or help with your EOFY please contact Grant and his staff:

Email: reception@vizionaccounting.com.au

Phone: 02 4367 0698

We had a fabulous presentation at this morning's meeting at Tuggerah - Isaac Chalik is an expert on corporate disputes and blew our minds with this short presentation!

There's clearly so much more to be understood about how you set up your business than first meets the eye .... and pointing out that most of us are taking advice from our accountants (who have a tax agenda) rather than a lawyer (who comes from an asset protection angle) was one of the key takeaways from his first slide.

• As a Sole Trader you have zero asset protection - you can definitely lose your house if your business goes in the wrong direction; 
• A Partnership is not much better because you're also liable for your partner's actions;  
• Setting up a company provides high asset protection for your personal assets, except in the circumstance of insolvent trading, fraud and other company unauthorised activity
• Trusts can be an excellent way to future proof your business

Isaac also shared some points about documenting your business growth with the appropriate partner, corporate, shareholder and director agreements, ensuring that you have mapped out how equity/liability is to be shared.  And what about when you leave your business - do you even have an exit strategy?  There's plenty of legal potholes to be avoided in

• the sale contract
• discharging any guarantees or loans
• transferring leases

And very briefly at the end Isaac touched on wills, succession planning, family agreements and estate planning for business owners

Truth be told, each of these 4 topics warrants a full presentation - we will definitely get Isaac back again!

If you would like to discuss your situation directly with Isaac this is how you can contact him:

Email:  isaac@zimanandziman.com.au

Ph: 0413870228