First and foremost, if you are unsure find out all that you need to before commencing any engagement as there are substantial penalties imposed by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) if you report incorrectly.

In my research I came across a simple checklist published by CPA Australia that provides an easy reference point.

So what is an independent contractor? 

By definition of the ATO an independent contractor is an entity (such as an individual, partnership, trust or company) that agrees to produce a designated result for an agreed price. In most cases an independent contractor:

• is paid for results achieved
• provides all or most of the necessary materials and equipment to complete the work
• is free to delegate work to other entities
• has freedom in the way the work is done
• provides services to the general public and other businesses
• is free to accept or refuse work, and
• is in a position to make a profit or loss.

Therefore generally an individual is considered to be an employee by ATO definition if they:

• are paid for time worked
• receive paid leave (for example, sick, annual or recreation, or long service leave)
• are not responsible for providing the materials or equipment required to do their job
• must perform the duties of their position
• agree to provide their personal services
• work hours set by an agreement or award
• are recognised as part and parcel of the payer’s business, and
• do not take commercial risks and cannot make a profit or loss from the work performed

ATO’s Free Decision Tool
ATO features a free decision tool on their website to help you decide whether you are dealing with an independent contractor or an employee. It might be just what you need to help you make the clear distinction between the two.   As a result it should leave you with a clearer idea on whether you are engaging an Independent Contractor or an Employee – provided you answer the questions correctly.

I’m interested to hear if you have experienced this situation either as a business seeking to appoint a person or as the consultant / contractor.

Over the weekend my 5yr old son rode his bike on two wheels for the first time.  That is an achievement that made me very proud.  But what added to the moment was when he realised that all that had been stopping him getting on this bike sooner was his self doubt (those are obviously my words not his).   You see I have been nagging him for a while now to ‘let’s take the trainer wheels off your bike’.  His answers varied from, ‘no, some other time, I don’t feel like it and I’m too tired’.  On Saturday I decided now was the moment and this time I didn’t give him a choice.  So imagine this, he got on – with a lot of hesitation saying ‘I’m going to fall off, please don’t let go’, with me saying ‘no you won’t I’m right here’.  To cut this into a short story, he got on, started peddling and off he went with me running beside him.  Finally I heard the words “I’m riding my bike”!

So where’s this going?  Well earlier this week we received some results from an independent test on Australia’s top 33 Consulting Firms and my moment of pride was seeing Consulting WorX ranked 6th out of 33.  6th may not be first, but when I look on the list at who we were ranked ahead of and knowing that we still have yet to reach our one year anniversary in business I was very proud.  This past year has seen some tremendous moments of pride and success starting off with first consultant registering, first business client, first project awarded and first partnership established.  The list could go on, but all of these are moments of pride that have accumulated into seeing a wonderful year.

Last week I apologised for our lack of absence and outlined how our business has been developing.  And it continues to go from strength to strength and we are looking to finish off this financial year in a very strong position.

So tell us, what is your recent moment of pride?  We would love to hear it and share it amongst our community.

Until next week

Patrina & Michelle

One of the directors of Consulting WorX recently had her 2nd baby boy – Zac.  New babies provide opportunities for such a wonderful celebration and gathering of friends and remind us all of family values and trying to find the elusive balance in our lives.

On the other hand, May was the busiest month for us so far, with a regular level of activity in job postings, new consultant registrations and business registrations.  We are proud to see the growth of the business and the maturing of our activities.  The main projects posted throughout May were under the Finance & Accounting category for Bookkeepers and Auditors and the New Media category for Web Developers.

We look forward to continuing this trend throughout June and also look to bring in other projects within the Admin and Marketing categories for our consultants.

While I’m thinking about June, do you know of any good Sales people on the lookout for a short-term project?  If so, please send them my way as we have 3 clients all seeking independent sales people for various projects.

Until next time, all the best

Patrina & Michelle

“This is an important step for Consulting WorX as it enhances the services and solutions that we can offer to our clients as well as creating a new sales opportunity for our consultants to become resellers or referrers of this great product,” explained Patrina Kerr, Consulting WorX Director.

Ostendo® allows organisations to manage the operational activity of their business without having to replace their existing accounting software. Business operations typically fall outside the scope of financial systems, but through Ostendo® integrating these crucial activities it ensures that businesses have real-time information for quality decision making.

You can find out more about this exciting development at www.ostendoreseller.com.au

In short the summary was balance changes as our lives change. Sometimes the balance is a glass of wine or a walk with the dog because it’s the only piece you can grab for yourself that day. But other times, the balance is the realisation that there are times when you must operate in triage mode–and give your attention to the most critically needy person/project–even if it’s you.   Different life stages will require different balancing strategies.

I found this fasinating as being a mother of 3 young children, wife, homemaker and now a business owner I constantly need to balance my family / work / life, as many others also do.

This week I took a new step and outsourced my housework to a cleaner that I found via a domestic help marketplace; and what an easy experience it was.  I gave them my requirements and 3 days later I had a cleaner booked for a weekly 3hr house clean.

I understand this might not be for everyone but it does mean for me 3hours per week better spent on other things that for in my opinion are more important.

So what can you outsource in your daily business life? 

We have some suggestions where you can find your balance at www.consultingworx.com.au/worklifebalance

There are many options for outsourcing all sorts of jobs and projects from some very large organisations and Consulting WorX is pleased to offer a complimentary guide to focus solely on the Australian market with local providers. 

Clear examples and great tips on real examples are all in this outsourcing essentials guide.  Download your copy here for FREE.  (Note, you will not be asked to provide any details when downloading this complimentary guide.)

The partnership between the two companies will be ongoing for the next 12 months with AGL sponsoring the new energy category on the Consulting WorX site.

We are really excited at Consulting WorX to be working with such an iconic and established company like AGL Energy. We can see some very strategic benefits to the agreement for both companies and look forward to a great working relationship.

Marc Barrington, Head of AGL Carbon Management Services, said, “This is an efficient way for us to conduct business when we need to source skilled and highly qualified people quickly for short term projects around Australia. Consulting WorX has an excellent database of professionals ready to work for us.”

However we sometimes struggle with how we can most effectively communicate this experience and value that each and everyone of our consultants can bring to a business.  So we have decided to profile one consultant each month through a mini-interview and highlight some of their recent successes. 

So for this month (March) our consultant that has been chosen is Richard Batka.

Richard Batka, Managing Director, Anthony Alexander

Richard is the Managing Director of Anthony Alexander and brings with him 10 years management experience with consulting firms (Deloitte, CHRT, H&W) 10 years sales & marketing experience (PeopleSoft, Computer Associates Cards Etc) and 5 years HR management experience (professional services & hospitality).

Richard what business services does Anthony Alexander specalise in?

Anthony Alexander Partners provides a number of services and solutions which are always tailored to meet the specific needs and desired outcomes of each client, our core solution offerings are Market Research, Business Trasnformation & Sales/Revenue Improvement.

Tell us about one of your more recent projects or business engagement that has caused a significant change for your client’s business ?

We are currently engaged in a market research project to help the client better define their product offering, market segmentation and market focus.

What were the key improvements that the client realised out of this project?

As this project is ongoing the improvements are constantly being recognised, however overall the key benefit is an increase in revenue and market presence.

What are the top 3 benefits that you deliver to your clients and how are these benefits realised by your clients?

Anthony Alexander brings the following top 3 benefits to our client engagements

1. Expertise in helping our clients better understand their market an how to address the challenges of a go to market strategy and sales execution.  Greatest benefit is improved focus, sales profitability and increased revenue.
2. Working with our clients to transform their business into a sales focused organisation. Benefit realisation is improve sales and revenue.
3. Provision of sales and marketing expertise to organisations that would not normally be able to afford the level and breadth of experience we offer.  Greatest realisation is a access to and ability to leverage high level sales and market skills for revenue improvement and strategic sales approach to business development.

Thank you Richard and well done on a great project.  We look forward to working with you in future and being able to introduce you to further clients who can then benefit from your experience just as your current client is.

Patrina & Michelle

Consulting WorX

Professionals for your Projects

Phone 1300 167-510

Email info@consultingworx.com.au

Twitter www.twitter.com/consultingworx

Then read how Consulting WorX is finding a way to improve work life balance.

So why is this important?  Well, we’re interested in your comments.  Do you really understand what Consulting WorX is about or have we not clearly explained our service and benefits effectively?

Have a look at www.consultingworx.com.au/findaconsultant and tell us what you think.

Thanks

Patrina & Michelle