In Short:
– Raffy Sgroi explains that growth is sustainable and requires a strong team, unlike short-term spikes from trends.
– Businesses should focus on systems and leadership for lasting success, ensuring they aren’t reliant on the owner’s presence.

Raffy Sgroi from Sage Advice highlights a crucial distinction in business performance: the difference between temporary spikes in results and genuine, sustainable growth.

True growth is defined by a business’s ability to scale sustainably, maintaining quality and stability without added stress. It is not simply about becoming faster, bigger, or chasing rapid expansion—a mindset often associated with hustle culture that rarely lasts.

In contrast, a spike represents a short-lived increase in results, typically driven by seasonal promotions, viral trends, or one-off marketing campaigns. While spikes can boost numbers temporarily, they do not equate to long-term success. Genuine growth, on the other hand, is marked by consistent demand increases, measurable improvements such as higher conversion rates, and a stable foundation for the future.

Financial metrics

Many businesses make the mistake of attempting rapid scaling without a solid team or infrastructure in place. To transform a spike into sustained growth, it is essential to strengthen the team, ensure the repeatability of successful initiatives, and maintain a close understanding of financial metrics—including cash flow and revenue—rather than relying solely on an accountant’s reports.

Sgroi recommends analyzing business performance over 90-day cycles and regularly monitoring key metrics. Assessing operational capacity before taking on new expenses is critical, as unchecked expansion can create unnecessary stress and inefficiencies.

Ultimately, true business success lies in the ability to operate independently of the owner’s daily involvement. Sustainable growth supports a healthy work-life balance and is grounded in strong leadership, disciplined processes, and strategic planning.

Raffy Sgroi can be found at sage.au or on LinkedIn for further insights into building scalable, enduring businesses.

In Short:
– Caroline Brewin highlights the importance of confidence and emotional intelligence in leadership and AI adoption.
– Over-reliance on AI can diminish human judgment and confidence, risking poor decision-making.

Caroline Brewin from Brain Powered Coaching, discussed the importance of confidence in leadership and its growing impact on AI adoption and organisational change. While job displacement is often the focus of AI debates, Brewin highlighted a less visible risk: the erosion of human judgement. She compared over reliance on AI to blindly following a GPS, where unquestioned directions can lead to poor or harmful outcomes.

In Short:
– Bronwyn Reid highlights challenges SMEs face in global supply chains, including unclear requirements and limited capacity.
– Trust and ESG compliance are critical for SMEs, requiring large companies to simplify their demands for better relationships.

Bronwyn Reid from Small Company, Big Business highlights the challenges that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face within global supply chains and emphasizes the importance of building national trade resilience.

Reid identifies a “gap effect” in the relationship between large firms and SMEs, consisting of three key disconnects. Large companies often impose stringent requirements on SMEs, which may lack the resources to meet them, resulting in unclear expectations and frequent changes. Many SMEs struggle to keep up due to limited capacity and staffing constraints.

Significant potential

She stresses that national trade resilience depends on the depth of supply chains, not just cost efficiency. Shallow supply chains are vulnerable, as demonstrated during the disruptions caused by COVID-19. In Australia, the economic relationship between large companies and SMEs is valued at around $500 billion, highlighting significant potential to strengthen these partnerships.

Trust has become a critical factor in supply chain relationships, alongside delivery times and pricing. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 78% of people trust their employers, while only 64% trust businesses more broadly. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance has also become essential, but SMEs face challenges navigating complex and shifting requirements. Reid advises SME owners to simplify their approach to ESG, while urging large companies to adjust their expectations to better support smaller partners.