Micah Walker

THE WAR FOR RELEVANCE IS RAGING SO WOULD YOUR SMALL BUSINESS SLIDE JUST LIKE NIKE? I really enjoyed the movie Air and book Shoe Dog which tells the rise of Nike in the footwear battle for athletes to choose their shoe over their competitors. So I wanted to share this great post and blog by Andrew Griffiths which outlines his 7 strategies to ensure your small business remains relevant, no matter the size or industry. 💡 Embrace Constant Innovation 💡 Stay Connected To Your Core Audience 💡 Personalise The Customer Experience 💡 Focus On What Makes You Unique 💡 Be Agile and Adaptable 💡 Build a Deeply Engaged Community 💡 Leverage Storytelling To Stay Relevant I hope you take a few moments to consider how your small business would stack up against these 7 strategies, and if you have some work to do, what’s the FIRST thing which needs to happen to regain your relevance? Cheers Tamara #BobtheBuilderforSmallBusiness #PracticalProblemSolver #workshopspecialist #speaker #businesscoach #author #5littlebusinesspigs #navigatecomplexity #navigatechallengingtimes #growyourbusiness #growyoursmallbusiness #businessgrowth #businesscoaching #smallbusiness #smallbiz

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BEST BUSINESS STRATEGY NO 2 THAT I HAVE SEEN IN 2024 A few weeks back I posted that I felt the Better Living Group had found their way into my TOP 3 Best Business Strategy's 2024. A construction company not just with heart but taking action to make our work a better place to live in by working with the Royal Children Hospital Appeal. My second award goes to Midas a ladies shoe brand who is making countless women who cannot afford to buy new shoes gain confidence by collaborating with Ready Set Go. The article states: "Sure, we may not have control over how a first date or a job interview goes, but the clothes we wear can give us power over how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us, too. For many people though, the ability to choose how they’re seen by the world is a privilege out of reach. It’s in these moments of adversity that Ready Set, a Melbourne-based charity, steps in. " In a world where women feel often invisible or diminished at best this is great to see fashion and beauty stepping up to the plate. Who are your top 3? #brandawareness #brandstory #businessdevelopmentstrategy

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🚀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 As a leader, you’re responsible not only for managing now but also planning for the future. But it’s not always easy to find the time to look ahead. Scenario planning helps you navigate the uncertainties of the future with clarity and confidence. Youj can’t have certainty, but knowing what’s over the horizon helps you make better-informed decisions now. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of running my Future Scenarios program for two groups of leaders in large organisations. In the program, we spent time exploring the future so they can gain a better understanding of what’s around the corner and over the horizon. This allows them to take that insight back to their teams, integrating it into their planning and helping them navigate through that fast-changing and uncertain future. Now, obviously, they won’t have certainty about the future – nobody does! But they can act with more clarity and confidence, which helps them make better decisions now. I love facilitating these programs, because the leaders who attend don’t often have the time to do this kind of thinking. They should, but it’s not easy. If you’re a leader, part of your role is to be able to see into the future. In fact, the more senior you are, the more you’re expected to understand and plan for the future. But there are so many other demands on your time, with operational responsibilities, putting out fires, managing people, and everything else that fills up your day! It’s not easy to carve out time for future planning. But it’s essential! Here are some of the questions you should consider: 🔮 Do you know what your future customer will look like? 🧭 Do you understand the customer journey they will take? 🌍 Do you understand the external pressures and trends that will affect your organisation? 🏭 Do you understand the external pressures and trends that will affect your entire industry or sector? 📊 Do you have a way to monitor those trends and pressures? 🧠 Are you tapping into the skills and diverse thinking of everybody in your team? 🤝 Do you involve them all in this kind of scenario planning? ⏳ Is this a regular practice, or something that gets pushed aside and forgotten because of other priorities? These are the sort of questions leaders need to ask if they want to be able to see into the future. To assess your current capability, complete this free online assessment. It only takes five minutes, and it’s worth doing – both for yourself and your team. It will give you a clearer idea of how well you’re planning for the future. https://lnkd.in/g3zi2w5j Enjoy!

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How will we all cope with this emergent culture of insane levels of greed and selfishness? In the words of the late great Herbert Cole "Nugget" Coombs (24 February 1906 – 29 October 1997) the system was never designed for this level of greed. It was designed to provide everyone with a roof over their head, access to a decent standard of living, health, education, you know, ..care. Here’s an example of where we are now. The last time I looked our big supermarket chains never took a hit over COVID. They should be helping young people into jobs, establishing themselves and paying their workers a decent and fair wage. And not driving the producers of our food into ruin. The managerial class can reduce their obscene payments to themselves and give others a fair go. https://lnkd.in/gWdatqzy

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BUSINESS FOR NEW ZEALAND GET OFF THE SLIPPERY SLIDE TO GLOBAL OBLIVION Why the Conspiracy of ‘how to’ silence Leaders ‘C’ Suite executives & Board Directors face challengers & disrupters with an entirely different better set of capabilities Carefully construct agendas that better challenge your claims of “How good do we really think we are. * How poised is our Board to take on some of the most powerful companies on earth * Have our innovations commercialised compete with ‘world best * How regularly do we test ability to launch uncontested solutions at competitive prices * How good is our ‘People Culture’ how do we know * What are the “gaps” on our report card * Who will do what when at what cost & report back by Developers continue to spark wave after wave of new developments To what extent under your Board’s influence have forced rethink of strategies & adopted latest AI tech convergence How prepared are you to answer this question at your next Shareholders meeting Does your business share Business America call to be the force for good in society What is your scorecard for applying corporate purpose that aligns values with Board decisions How effectively does your Business promote being purpose-driven even when government fails to deliver policy solutions. The potential for the business community to better provide a leadership role in addressing the root causes of our Nations decline and strongly advocating peals of wisdom that characterises you It is not hard and it is your role Associate more with Business For America sense of purpose extolling pride direction and providing the means Leaders face increasing pressure to speak out -from their employees, customers, and communities I believe Chair’s top executives need to take a bolder stand. It is the sanctity defense of our democratic system and being seen to be the Flag Bearer We’ve all been beneficiaries of democratic society where, in broad terms, the rule of law is respected, courts resolve disputes fairly Where there is trust in the legitimacy of elected officials and practical support effort When the democratic edifice breaks down, businesses suffer workers suffer Business NZ needs an injection of what it takes to be part of a new order inspiring transformative change through knowledge acquisition Business for NEW ZEALAND must better commit to building a powerful nonpartisan network of purpose-driven companies and business leaders primed ready to take action and make New Zealand celebrated as extraordinary Back seat observer status is the antithesis of the founders Vision advocating’Business’ as the fundamental catalyst for economic growth I’m Doug Marsh JP(Rtd) Life Fellow IMNZ, Fellow IoDNZ (Rtd) To 40 year Chair Director Experience International Diplomat Founding President Business NZ NZ Past President Inst Management  E: [email protected] #chair’s #managers #ceo #companydirectors #ema #nzinstituteofdirectors #economy

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Decoding Dental Implants Cost in Australia: What You Need to Know Before Investing in Your Smile

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"Why Attend? Gain invaluable insights from industry leaders and learn how to implement ethical procurement and supply chain practices in your organisation. This is a must-attend event for professionals committed to fostering a more ethical and transparent industry and business practices in the textile, clothing, and footwear industry." Check out the programmes for each state. Seamless Pam Allan Ethical Clothing Australia

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🔥 Attention Retailers & Marketplaces - ACCC sweep finds Black Friday 'sales' advertising a bit fluffy 🔥 The ACCC may have just dragged some Black Friday sales tactics into the light like a villain monologue at the end of a movie. The ACCC may give their version of an Oscar for Best Supporting Deception. 🎭 You yelled: “SITEWIDE SALE!” The ACCC smirked: “Except for the ‘fine print’ that’s smaller than your self-control around ‘was/now’ pricing.” You bragged: “WAS $599, NOW $299!” The ACCC clapped back: “Was it EVER $599? Or did you make it up for vibes?” You flaunted: “UP TO 70% OFF!” The ACCC found one product at 70% off. A pair of socks. In a color no one wants. 🧦 💥 Newsflash: “SITEWIDE” means everything, not “everything except the 2,372 items we actually sell.” “WAS/NOW” isn’t a DIY pricing fantasy. If the “WAS” price never happened, you’re lying, not discounting. “RRP” isn’t short for Randomly Ridiculous Price. If no one ever paid it, stop pretending it’s real. 📢 post-Christmas sales are next, and the ACCC is coming in HOT. They're clocking every shady price hike and fake saving like it’s a professional sport. If you’re planning to keep faking discounts, just know: The ACCC isn’t Santa—they’re not leaving gifts. They’re leaving compliance notices, fines and possible court proceedings. 💸 So, here’s your warning: ❌ Stop playing “Spot the Exclusion” with your customers. ❌ Drop the smoke and mirrors—no one asked for a magic show. ❌ Quit inflating prices just so you can “discount” them back to normal like we wouldn’t notice. If your sale feels like a scam, you’re not "winning Black Friday," you’re losing consumer trust. And when the ACCC pulls up with screenshots, receipts, and calculators, it’s game over. 🎤 Shape up, price fair, and remember: a “SALE” shouldn’t come with fine print and side-eye. Or don’t. Just let the ACCC turn you into the next headline for what not to do. 🔥 Stay spicy, stay honest. 🔥 #accc #ecommerce #marketplaces #online #retailindustry #salesandmarketing #marketing #consumerlaws #consumerprotection READ MORE https://lnkd.in/gCSVT6W3

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Retail will always fail with change-adverse leadership. Retailers routinely fall into the trap of appointing operationally superior leadership, lacking strategic perspectives that constrain adaptability and responsiveness to change. Far too few understand the essence of the marketing concept, completely ignorant of the science of marketing and, like many, perceive marketing to just be advertising, promotion, selling and PR. Street-smart acumen undermines willingness  to commission, examine and respond to market research … They relish short-term success with no incentive to stride ahead of the game, to pursue new sustainable competitive advantage or to believe they can improve ROI by delivering ongoing win-win for employees, stakeholders and customers. It resists acknowledging the inevitable consequences and doesn’t embrace change letting innovative new challengers capitalised by moving faster and better to market needs Retailers love doing what they’ve always done – getting the same response – not acknowledging that decreases in customers, in the segments that their retail offering once satisfied: Ignoring or unaware of the huge potential to fulfil the new segments that have arisen or are soon to reach 'critical mass'.

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🛒 Supermarket Pricing Practices Under Scrutiny: What It Means for Australian Consumers Speaking on 3AW, Country Hour ABC, The World Today, 2BC. Featured on Yahoo, AAP Network The recent supermarket inquiry has revealed concerning issues in Australia's grocery sector, highlighting the financial challenges many families face when purchasing basic necessities. Key points: The ACCC has uncovered evidence suggesting major supermarkets may have been inflating prices while creating the illusion of discounts. This revelation calls for greater transparency in grocery pricing. The Supermarket Inquiry recommended that new mandatory rules for the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct be implemented. Trust between consumers and retailers is at stake, and action is necessary to protect Australian families. Concerns arise that these pricing strategies may have contributed to overall inflation. My thoughts: The ACCC's findings confirm what many consumers have long suspected about deceptive discount pricing. It's crucial that we take immediate action to protect Australian families and ensure they can access affordable groceries without fear of being misled. These practices affect individual households and may have broader economic implications. Their potential contribution to inflation is a serious concern that warrants further investigation and action. Economics @RMIT RMIT College of Business and Law #AustralianRetail #ConsumerRights #GroceryPricing #ACCC #EconomicPolicy Article source:

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Woolworths new Group CEO faces investors calls to simplify its business model and focus on core operation, i.e. Supermarkets. Coles supermarkets have been improving their performance while Woolworths has been developing its so called "retail ecosystem". Maybe this is happening at the expense of its "cash cow" supermarket business. (certainly noted physical store standards have dropped in some key areas of late) Maybe it is time for Woolworths leadership to "keep the main game, the main game"! #Retail #Supermarkets #WooliesChallenge #Colesimproving #SimpleBusinessModelsWin?

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A recent ShipStation report reveals that Australians are increasingly turning to second-hand purchases to combat rising costs, with nearly one-third making more pre-owned or refurbished purchases in the past year. Despite this shift, quality concerns, limited selection, and trust in sellers remain major barriers to growth in the second-hand market. FTD Circular, powered by Hardcat - Delivering Asset Certainty, helps to break down these barriers by providing traceability and condition audit functionality, ensuring that sellers can provide provenance and quality data to the market. 🌍 #Traceability #QualityAssurance #CircularEconomy #CostOfLiving

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BUILDING THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANISATION: BLUEPRINT FOR BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION & CONSCIOUS LEADERSHIP Over 25 years ago, Petra Popp and I co-authored a book on knowledge-based companies, business transformation and conscious leadership to help managers, leaders and entrepreneurs transitioning their businesses from the industrial era to the knowledge economy. We wrote about the rising importance of knowledge, IP, services and experiences, and encouraged companies to actively drive the ‚dematerialisation‘ of their products and processes. We talked about broadening the investor perspective from financial shareholders to include human capital, customers and, last but not least, the environment/planet (12 years before the naissance of BCorp in the US). And we talked a lot about (human) values and how to manage human dynamics in knowledge-based companies. Originally published in German language in 1999, this book quickly became a standard for knowledge and change management in Germany. As we have been approached quite a few times with the question of whether we would not release an English edition, we decided to give it a go and come up with a translation - as we are facing the next socio-economic revolution, the rise of generative AI that will challenge existing approaches, structures and systems. And we feel that the transformational blueprint and leadership models presented in the book remain highly relevant for leaders that are looking to successfully transform their organisations. Here are a couple of reviews from the original release: Review This book provokes to spark new ideas. Anyone who wants to prepare themselves, their company and this society for the third millennium must read this book. (amazon.de) From the Back Cover "A lively and didactically excellently written book that is really practical, but also gives scientists food for thought." Univ.-Prof. Dr. Joachim Genosko, Catholic University of Eichstätt "Refreshingly practical and easy to digest, the book illuminates and deepens the renaissance of human capital that is necessary for business management. In an age in which knowledge capital is squandered or forgotten, squandered or destroyed in many large organizations, the authors provide a counterpoint: for knowledge management as the bottleneck of the company's success, but also for the individual as an entrepreneur of his knowledge. I call this the 'self-Inc‘. Thomas Sattelberger, Head of Group Management and Human Resources Development, Deutsche Lufthansa AG "This work gives all 'knowledge creators', 'knowledge users' and 'transformers' new courage and supports them with an innovative approach . Stefan Dragu, Deutsche Telekom, International Strategy Hope you‘ll enjoy reading! #transformation #change #strategy #leadership #consciousleadership #knowledge #humancapital #humanvalues #values #personalbrand #management #knowedgemanagement #books https://lnkd.in/eGBwKWRi

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Last week, I conducted a poll [ https://lnkd.in/ghFY5EPq ] to explore why leaders often resist delegating tasks. Here are the summarised results: 🏹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 (35%) is the predominant concern, showing many leaders fear losing oversight when they delegate. 🏹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 (25% each) indicate significant worries about the abilities of team members and the potential drop in quality standards. 🏹𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 (15%) suggests a smaller group of leaders feel a personal need to be involved to maintain their sense of importance. These insights highlight key emotional and practical barriers that, if addressed, could significantly improve delegation practices and overall leadership effectiveness. ENGAGE WITH US: We'd love to hear your thoughts or experiences related to delegation. Join the conversation by commenting below and help us refine our understanding of effective leadership dynamics. 👇 #Leadership #PollResults #Delegation #Coaching #BusinessOwners

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