Well-organised businesses conduct financial housekeeping to minimise risk and maximise profits and growth. Use our pointers to help improve your own business.

This year the Government is working to introduce a new tax incentive for businesses conducting research and development, the research and development tax incentive  (RDTI). The RDTI will give businesses a 15% tax credit if they spend a minimum of $50,000 per year on eligible R&D. Businesses spending less than $50,000 may still be eligible, so long as they are using an approved research provider to carry out their R&D. The Taxation (Research and Development Tax Credits) Bill is about to go before Parliament for its Second Reading. If passed into law, the RDTI will take effect from the beginning of a business’s 2019/2020 income year.

We explain the role of a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and why it is important in a business. Best practices in managing your accounting function are listed as well as ideas on appointing a Virtual CFO to ensure strategic oversight of your finances.

When it comes to determining marketing effectiveness, your end goal should be to paint a comprehensive picture of how your marketing efforts are performing. The metrics outlined in this article will put you in a good position to get the complete picture you need to fully understand what’s working and what’s not.

Should you abandon all your sales efforts, forget about customer service and just focus on selling to customers? Absolutely not! But you should have a handle on the data. It will probably reveal that there is at least SOME opportunity to grow revenue through your EXISTING customers. 

Here are 7 tips to ensure that you get the most out of each and every sales opportunity.

Alliotts client Astar is taking those good ol' values we learnt from our grannies and imparting them to a younger gen who've missed out, mostly in the US. Did we mention she has over 100k YouTube followers? And the only place is East as far as Astar's concerned!

Analysis of this year's major Budget announcements and their likely impact on business, health, transport, the public service and the wider economy. We also take a closer look at wellbeing, which according to the Minister will underpin future Budgets starting from 2019.

Knowing where to focus your attention when it comes to evaluating your business performance can make you more effective and make the best use of your time.

Name: Colin Farmer. Title: Worldwide Chairman. Association: Alliott Group. Accomplishments: Numerous.

We share Colin's views on the big industry players, emerging technologies and his vision for Alliott Group in the future.

Measuring ROI is critically important as you consider your marketing spend. Do you know which marketing activities work, and which don’t?

As your business grows and you add people, how do you keep everyone focused and heading in the right direction?

Xero's Trent Innes shares 'Five Lessons Learned'.

Learn why spending time on getting your small business structure right is just as important as the exciting times ahead as a new business startup.

Often, many entrepreneurs are the best salesperson of that business.

But as the business grows, they can fall into a common trap. 

The Government’s plan for growth is sensible conservative fiscal policy, strong orthodox monetary policy, and an ongoing programme of microeconomic reform that enhances the competitiveness and confidence of Kiwi businesses.

It is crucial that we pull on all three of these levers.

A new website has been created to help NZ businesses learn about government grants and other sources of funding for growth and innovation.

We all know that cash flow is king. But just how much sway does it have? Well, you might want to ask the nine out of 10 small businesses that have failed because of cash flow problems.

According to Dun & Bradstreet 90% of small businesses close their doors because of poor cash flow management.

New Zealand’s focus on Chinese investment has obscured one of the largest cumulative investors in NZ over the last 30 years.

Dairy farmers may well be bemoaning low milk prices but New Zealand consumers overall do not appear to be letting too much get in the way of increasing their use of credit and charge cards.

There is a saying that your biggest market is the one you currently have - most of your sales are likely to be repeat business from existing customers. The reason these customers keep coming back may be partly about what you sell, but chances are that customer service plays a big part. The people you employ can greatly affect the business you do.

You can guide your team to greatness. Here are a few simple steps.