Straight Talk Blog

Being a business owner can be extremely exciting and satisfying but also, at times, very isolating. In fact, isolation and loneliness are two of the biggest issues reported by Kiwi small business owners. You may recognise some of these experiences reported by business owners ...

Whether you’re still stuck at the start of the change curve in shock or starting to feel optimistic again, understanding what you’re feeling and why you’re doing the things you’re doing in your current circumstances will help you move through the stages, adapt to the ...

I recently read James Allen’s 1903 book Out From The Heart and, as with many of Allen’s books, it gave me much food for thought. In it, the philosophical writer addresses some simple, but often neglected, disciplines ...

When an elephant trainer starts working with a baby elephant, he or she will use a rope to tie one of the elephant’s legs to a post. The elephant will struggle for hours, even days, trying to escape the rope, but eventually, it will ...

Working remotely is often said to boost productivity. However, there are of course many variables and not everyone is suited to remote work. Here are some tips to ensure you keep your remote team productive ...

As we come out of an initial period of shock and reflection, we look at 9 steps you can take to bring everything together and start creating a new beginning for your business to ensure you’re still relevant, offering value, and able to thrive ...

What if you were equipped with a compass that helped translate your individual purpose and professional skills into social impact, while also making a profit for investors? And that helped you with the question of where ...

You may have had a great New Year business plan in January with everything laid out and projected for 2020. Then in March, when everything was thrown up in the air, your plans and projections likely became irrelevant. These last three months have been extraordinary and tough for us all ...

In the midst of such huge uncertainty and change in your business recently, it can be hard to look on the bright side and keep team spirits up. Psychologists agree that 3 things are crucial to keep us sane during difficult times ...

Anyone can start and build and manage a business. But few can build and successfully sustain a high-margin, employee-friendly, community-healthy, customer-satisfying sustainable business to thrive ...

Many of you have had to press pause on your day-to-day business operations during the lockdown. Now is a key time to get advice on development and start planning business strategy moving forward. It's a tough time, but also a time of real opportunity for business ...

As well as burnout and health issues, a poor work/life balance and a feeling of being overwhelmed and overloaded are linked directly to staff inefficiency, low morale, and poor business performance ...

Are you consciously aware of your values, behaviour, strengths, and passions? Are you aware of the impact your behaviour and way of doing things has on others? We can’t be good leaders without some up-to-date awareness of ourselves ...

Modern, progressive companies, looking for every possible advantage in today’s competitive environment, are increasingly ditching the traditional approach and discovering that developing a people-focused talent-centric strategy is key to ...

Do you find it difficult to delegate and know the best person to lead each project or complete each task? Do you work well with and trust some team members more than others? Do you get frustrated or impatient when others don’t meet your expectations? There are many inputs ...

Have you ever had the feeling everyone else knows what they're doing and where they’re going? At networking events or conferences have you felt that everyone is more ‘in-the-know’ or more qualified and experienced than you ...