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As a business one fact is true.

At some stage in your business life time, you or someone you know will face an HSE or employment related issue.

Could be a poorly drafted employment contract which unravels when there is conflict, could be in relation to payments due and claimed, could be an unintentional sham contracting arrangement where someone on contract claims they have worked long enough to be called a perm (with leave entitlements retrospectively due). Or a myrid of other reasons why something out of left field distracts you totally from what you are doing as a business.

And your ignorance of this because you are a small business (without access to a legal counsul on your team) will not be an excuse.

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse in the eyes of the law.

This is why this podcast for employers - particularly those who do not have a legal person permenantly on their books - will be very beneficial to listen to.

Hope you enjoy podcast 3.

Click this link below to listen on Spotify.

https://lnkd.in/ez5xTJKn

Are you fully cognisant of all the costs of running your business?

If so - and you budget for them with a margin per unit of work pre-defined, to cover these costs with a defined volume of work allowing you to recover this - why are so many small businesses in the red?

One reason could be that there are costs - some hidden that businesses do not factor in.

And what you do not factor in - never gets recovered - hence a negative bank balance and a negative P&L statement showing.

This podcast outlines costs - some hidden in running an electrical contracting business and is essential reading for anyone who's business is in the red, heading there or where there isn't enough margin left to take home anything.

As a business one fact is true.

Sometime in your business life time, you will face an HSE or employment related issue. Could be a poorly drafted employment contract which unravels when there is conflict, could be over payments due and claimed, sham contracting where someone on contract claims they have worked long enough to be called a perm (with leave entitlements due)

And your ignorance of this as a 1-person or small business will not be an excuse. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse in the eyes of the law.

This podcast is critical for anyone who wants to risk-proof their business permenantly 

Is what you are earning - say with a good charge out rate per hour making you feel like you are charging well, yet when you look at your bank statement at the end of the year, you feel like you are in the same spot each year or even going backwards?

I see this so often particularly with those in business, starting a business or those considering starting a business, that in my podcast topics for this year, I thought I'd address it first up. 

So if you are travelling to and back from work or just cruising on your sofa at home listening in, I hope you reflect on what this topic is looking to highlight. 

If you'd like to discuss what you can do about this - email or call me on 1300 353 364 so I can guide what strategies could be considered to improve this situation.

Click on the Spotify link below to listen to this topic
                           
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7FBPQ1CNC2vwYtciGFAfq7?si=2e44e3cd71d146c9

Ron Gall is an electrical fitter/mechanic havibng worked with Ergin Energy before starting his own electrical contracting business in 2013. Ray talks to Ron about the work he does in energy efficiency.

Ray, from electricianXchange talks to Steve Blume, President of the Smart Energy Council, Director at the Australian Institute of Energy, Director at the Global Solar Council; among a long trail of achievements along a career running over four plus decades. The discussion revolves around energy efficiency and how electricians at the forefront can be potential champions of this field, not only in causing change but also in an area increasingly becoming lucrative for the consumers and those servicing this increasing need.

Joel Handcock represents the many apprentices who put in 100% towards trying to pursue a career in electro-technology, finding a tough pathway towards being able to do this. Joel started as a maintenance fitter in 2007 and decided he wanted to pursue an electro-technology pathway from an early age, but found the opportunities not forthcoming where he was located in regional Victoria. It took him until 2017, when his company Simplot Australia gave him the green light to move from his now established maintenance fitter tradesman role, to start back as an electrical apprentice where he commenced sweeping floors as most apprentices do in the early stages. In 2019 his TAFE in Bendigo recognised his work by awarding him the Apprentice of the year award putting his name subsequently forward for the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN) award which Joel also won collecting in the process a cheque for $12,000. Joel hopes to use this money to visit Simplot US and learn about automation & PLC programming. Ray talks to Joel on his quest towards his desire to become an electrician and what others could learn if they intend heading down the same path. 

Are you an electrician who feels there is a better product which can be created to make life simpler not just for yourself but for others while at work? But if you spend your spare hours developing a product which benefits not just you but others, why not make it a commercial reality? After all, if its a pain point for you, it must be a pain point for your peers as well? 

But creating a commercial asset out of an idea requires you to protect that asset and a patent / trade mark is one way to protect that asset. 

In this podcast, Ray talks to Sam Park, a patent & trade mark attorney about how to protect ideas which have the potential to be commercialised.

David personifies the Millennial, having moved across multiple careers over the past 14-15 years. He started off as an electrician in  Switzerland in 2007 and is presently an Investment Analyst at a Venture Capital Investment Firm in Melbourne. Along the way, he picked up a Bachelors in Systems Engineering, a Masters degree in Robotics and a PhD in Computer Science. But then they say - it’s not what you start with which is important. It’s what you do with what you start up with which is.

The thing which struck me most about David and his relevance for electricians in general and electricianXchange in particular, was his emphasis that his hands-on experience as an electrician gave him an added lever in all of the roles he subsequently took up. He is someone who has the unique ability to provide guidance to anyone qualified as an electrician wondering what to do next.

To any electrician listening to this podcast - based on David's journey - the world is your oyster.

This podcast discusses Asgar's electrical contracting journey, what made Asgar get into business, the joys & challenges of running a business, how's work been given the COVID-19 situation and any guidance he could provide to other REC's who may be doing it tough in this new environment faced.

If you have already qualified as an A Grade Electrician its not that difficult getting your electrical contracting license. Hear the story of Joseph Sicura, a Victorian based REC on his business journey over a 9 year working period.

At a National Level there are the various large infrastructure projects happening across Australia which will result in a high demand for trades in general and electricians in particular. The total value of projects I've identified adds up to $86.29 billion nationally (happy to share this, just message me). This will require lots of electricians servicing this upcoming need. If this seems distant given the current COVID-19 situation - this will pass and in the next 5-7 years this situation will change, with the mad scramble for electricians a certainty. Yet only 50% of the overall population (males) actively consider this as a trade to "actively" enter into. With 50% of the population (females) not considering this as a trade to "actively" get into - is it any wonder there is a shortage which is unfulfilled? Even as the situation is changing, only 20% of the demographics is female, so a lot more needs to be done. Listen to this podcast of how Rachael Ryan views this industry and what can be done to improve this situation for the better.

Have there been times at work when you've said to yourself - wouldn't it be better if - to a particular pain point, you and others around you have faced?

That pretty much is the start of creativity and innovation - towards something better - a new product or a process which addresses the pain point.

But how many of us take this though and convert that into a new product in our spare time, experiment with it till there is a solution, get a patent for it, determine the broader market for it and then try to earn some money from it? 

We've all got this within us - and here is a way to learn how someone else, in this case Jason Twyman, did it.

Have a listen to this great podcast on an electrician innovator and his journey.

Mental health as it relates to electricians & electrical workers is not discussed as much as it should. It is as serious as any physical health related issues, yet is not getting much acknowledgement. In the UK there is a separate organisation called Electrical Industries Charity which cateres to this very topic as it relates to UK electricians & electrical workers. Is it time something like this was thought about for Australia? 

This podcast follows a post on electricianXchange's FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/electricianXchange.com.au) on why we should not focus on things we have no control over  (like the economy, jobs potentially being lost) focusing rather on things we have within our control. This podcast gleans through Dean's experience how he is adopting this philosophy as owner of his business.

Floating solar takes advantage of latent water assets - whether it’s for water utilities or for industrial / domestic pool owners. It is a growing sub-segment for solar. Ray, MD electricianXchange interviews Gavin Hodgins, CEO Floatpac Solar on the opportunities this creates.