Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose ~ Episode #263 Broadcast date: 20May25 Host: Alexi Boyd, Small Business Advocate & Policy Advisor Guests: Experts and Special Guests live from Accounting & Business Expo 2025 Part 2

Welcome to Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose. I’m Alexi Boyd and I’m thrilled to be bringing you this special podcast – part 2 - recorded on the floor of the 2025 Accounting & Business Expo.

There’s so much to learn when you attend a conference and they’re getting better every year. The accounting and business expo is definitely one for your calendar as a Must Do.. This year there was dozens or great discussions and presentations, everything from technical tutorials for advisors and keynotes from economists, to growing your practice with AI, to thought leaders discussing the future of the industry.

As my fellow podcaster Dan from Two Drunk Accountants said, “You always walk away with ideas and fuel in the tank, motivation and great ideas to use in your business.”

Didn’t make it? Luckily Small Biz Matters was there and can bring you the Best of from ABE 2025.

In today’s program you’ll learn from mentors and trailblazers from the accounting and business world, who are so generous with their wisdom. But it’s not just for the accounting nerds out there – small businesses and all advisors will get expert advice on topics like AI for teams, how the accounting world should be tackling gender disparity, growing and selling your business and the importance of e-commerce for growth.

Our expert guests include:

Dale Dixon, MYOB – What’s the mission for software companies to support small business through the ever-changing landscape of digitalisation in accounting? How can they leverage AI to improve their practice and for their clients?

Debbie Hatumale-Uy, (The Sweet Stuff) & Martin Rodgers (Realise Business) - The importance of e-commerce in your business but not just to set and forget; recognising you’re only as good as the connectivity between your engagements. How does Realise Business enhance digitalisation and the Federal Government program to support small businesses to get into digital?

Michele Grisdale (Rainforest Bookkeeping), Rebecca Mihalic (businessDEPOT), Sarah Lawrance (Hot Toast) – why does gender disparity in accounting remain such a problem for the industry?

Rob Marshall, General Manager ICB – new compliance requirements for bookkeepers’ code for dealing with incapacity in your practice

Cissy Ma – Grow and selling businesses. How to get started? What are the pitfalls?

Peter Thorp, Australia Bookkeeping Network – what does an association get out of attending ABE?

Dan Osbourne, Two Drunk Accountants – What’s the top highlight of the Accounting and Business Expo in 2025? Why is it important for busy advisers to attend and learn.

Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose ~ Episode #262 Broadcast date: 29 Apr 2025 Host: Alexi Boyd, Small Business Advocate & Policy Advisor Guests: Experts and Special Guests live from Accounting & Business Expo 2025 Part 1

Welcome to Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose. I’m Alexi Boyd and I’m thrilled to be bringing you this special podcast – part 1 - recorded on the floor of the 2025 Accounting & Business Expo.

There’s so much to learn when you attend a conference and they’re getting better every year. The accounting and business expo is definitely one for your calendar as a Must Do.. This year there was dozens or great discussions and presentations, everything from technical tutorials for advisors and keynotes from economists, to growing your practice with AI, to thought leaders discussing the future of the industry.

As my fellow podcaster Dan from Two Drunk Accountants said, “You always walk away with ideas and fuel in the tank, motivation and great ideas to use in your business.”

Didn’t make it? Luckily Small Biz Matters was there and can bring you the Best of from ABE 2025.

In today’s program you’ll learn from mentors and trailblazers from the accounting and business world, who are so generous with their wisdom. But it’s not just for the accounting nerds out there – small businesses and all advisors will get expert advice on topics like Guidance on training your team, best practice when setting up an accounting practice, AI implementation tips, small business restructuring and succession planning, advice from industry associations and the ATO themselves on what’s changing for advisors and their small business clients.

So grab a cuppa and enjoy Hearing from the experts from Accounting and Business Expo 2025.

Our expert guests include:

Michael Morton, Assistant Commissioner for Small Business, ATO – the current focus areas of the Getting It Right Campaign

Sonia Gibson, Director Accounting Heart - the things you wish you’d known when you started your own practice

Sabby Gill, CEO Dext – what value does an international software company like Dext get from an expo like ABE?

Andrew Quinn, CEO AVA Advisory – how advisors can work together to support small businesses facing insolvency through the small business restructuring process

Clayton Wood Founder Seamless – what are the benefits of attending ABE as the founder of a new and emerging app?

Wayne Wanders, The Real CFO – what have you gained from this event as an attendee at ABE? What will you take away for your business? What about the future of Startups?

Dr Craig West, Succession Plus – what and when should you be thinking about succession planning?

Heather Smith, (Anise Consulting), Lielette Calleja (businessDEPOT), Mary Delaney Karbon - Strong women in leadership. How can we support impact, integrity and influence?

Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose ~ Episode #260 Broadcast date: 1 Apr 2025 Host: Alexi Boyd, Small Business Advocate & Policy Advisor Guests: Experts and Special Guests live from the Press Gallery, Parliament House

There is not a lot of small businesses that wait with bated breath each budget night for what is in it for them, but there is a handful of experts; peak bodies who meticulously dissect it line by line, looking out for the needs of small businesses.

Each budget night, they are locked with without their devices, crammed into a room which is never big enough, fed with food that is not eaten, handed a stack of budget papers, and then asked to unpack it all in only two hours! It is a remarkable feat and takes the best minds in the country.

At this year’s Budget Night on 25th of Mar 2025, Small Biz Matters was lucky to be in the media lock up, alongside our colleagues from the Community Radio Network.

After the lock up, I spoke to the leading economic, media, advocacy and policy experts in the country (and a handful of special political guests), unpacking the budget from purely a small business perspective.

Gavan Ord, Policy Adviser at CPA Australia kindly joined me in conversation the day after to unpack all the pros and cons and what it means for Australian small businesses and of course the all-important Federal Election on May 5th.

Our expert guests include:

Dai Le MP

Senator David Pocock

Chris Richardson from Rich Insight

Matthew Addison Chair of Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA)

Michele O’Neil President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions

Innes Willox CEO of Australian Industry Group

Ross Greenwood, Business report with Sky News

Helen McCabe Founder and Managing Director at FW

Allegra Spender MP

Senator Jacqui Lambie