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Family Business
Balls for your Mind – boosting your brain performance
Balls for your Mind had been promoting the benefits of juggling long before Todd Sampson demonstrated how juggling can increase ‘brain speed’ in the ABC program ‘Redesign my Brain’.
Fiona Stone from Balls for your Mind says that Juggling is great for increasing focus and concentration; improving coordination and the connection between body and the mind. Other mental health benefits include stress relief and helping you to feel calm, balanced and centred.
The inspiration behind Balls for your Mind came when Fiona and partner Michael, arrived in Melbourne after travelling around Australia from Adelaide.
Little changes can make a big difference
When the COVID -19 pandemic hit and shops and markets shut, local sales dropped exponentially for Queanbeyan-based company Suitcase Dollhouse, makers of unusual miniatures and upcycled suitcase dollhouses. Fortunately, their long-term investment in a variety of sales channels as well as their willingness to explore new product lines paid off.
“We still had online sales, which went up and down but were still good at Christmas time,” says Marisa Martin co-founder of Suitcase Dollhouse.
“In fact, last Christmas was huge, the biggest Christmas we've had ever had in terms of sales.”
COVID also provided Marisa and co-founder David Tynan with an opportunity to develop new product lines.
Milsearch - removing dangerous remnants of a bygone era
Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) or Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) as its generally referred to in Australia, are not terms that normally come up in conversation. UXO are explosive weapons (think bombs, projectiles, grenades, land mines) that did not explode when originally used. These explosives are still able to function and cause devastating injuries decades after they were left behind. There are over 70 countries in the world contaminated by land mines alone1, with some of the worst affected being in Asia and the Middle East.
Aussie Man Hands - As Aussie as it comes
Aussie Man Hands creates products for tradies, nurses, gardeners, hospitality workers, in fact anyone that suffers a lot of daily wear and tear on their hands. The fast-absorbing, non-greasy creams provide protection for what is essentially a tradie’s most important tool – their hands.
Not only are dry, cracked hands uncomfortable, they are a petri dish for bacteria which can lead to infection. Infection means time off work and can also lead to conditions such as Cellulitis. Severe cases of Cellulitis can lead to amputation of the limb. Aussie Man Hands is designed without heavy perfumes, the hand repair cream hydrates and is absorbed quickly into the skin without leaving a sticky residue.
Australian made and owned, Aussie Man Hands is available from stockists around the country and even ships to places as far away as the Rankin Inlet, an Inuit hamlet in remote Canada.
Remember to ‘cover your butt’ when you ‘follow your gut’
Growing up in a family business certainly teaches you things that you won’t learn in a classroom. You definitely learn a lot about business, managing family dynamics and the importance of customer 
service. The other thing you learn a lot about is risk and reward.
My father started a construction business in his thirties and by the time he sold it just before he turned seventy; most of our immediate family were involved in the business at one time or another. My mother managed the admin side of things, I helped out with the marketing, my brother occasionally worked on site, my grandfather managed the equipment and storeroom and my uncle was a project manager on the bigger jobs.
The 'Sweet Life' - taking care of family and business
No carbs for you! No second helpings! You know you can’t have that!
Sound familiar? Small business owners all over Australia who care for a spouse, child or elderly parent with diabetes often find themselves in the difficult position of having to cajole a reluctant diabetic to follow their treatment plan.
When dealing with an adult diabetic, it’s incredibly hard to know where to draw the line between being supportive and letting your loved one take responsibility for managing their diabetes. The newly diagnosed diabetic might be in denial or feel angry and scared about the impact diabetes will have on their life. While most people would say it’s their life; this is especially hard when it feels like it’s your life too - you're worried and may be taking time off work and the whole family is ‘living with diabetes’ on a day-to-day basis!
Davoodi on track to launch innovative software solution to assist farmers
Davoodi is a highly innovative company established in September 2012 by David Edwards and Samira Davoodi to develop and introduce new solutions for the agricultural industry.
Their new software system, My Pocket Farmer™ and AutoMed™ provides an intelligent medication delivery device which will be launched later this year.
Their system for farm management also includes a hardware device they have designed and patented that allows farmers to fully track the medications they administer to their animals, allowing for an unparalleled level of traceability and compliance.
It can be lonely at the top in family business
With the responsibility of running a family business and looking after everyone else's interests, where does a CEO go for support?
An ever growing number of family business principals would say without hesitation "to a CEO forum group!" Why?
CEO Forum Groups provide access to advice and support from other family businesses owners who face many of the same challenges running a family business. The FBA Forum Groups, specifically, cater for CEO's, future CEO's and family business members wanting to successfully take their business to the next level.