The Alternative Board Northern Beaches

The Alternative Board Northern Beaches I help small business owners turn busy, stressful businesses into more profitable, organised businesses that work for them.

Business Growth Coaching | Strategy | Profit | People | Systems
Practical advice from someone who has owned, grown sold businesess

R U OK? Day – Let’s Check InRunning a business can be lonely — even when you’re surrounded by people.As a business owner...
10/09/2026

R U OK? Day – Let’s Check In

Running a business can be lonely — even when you’re surrounded by people.
As a business owner or leader, you’re often the person others turn to for answers. Your team looks to you. Your customers rely on you. Your family knows how much the business means to you.
But who checks in on you?
This R U OK? Day, it’s a reminder that a simple, genuine conversation can matter.
Check in with a fellow business owner. A colleague. A mate. Ask “Are you OK?”, and take the time to really listen to the answer.
And if you’re the one carrying a little too much right now, remember that you don’t always have to be the person with all the answers.
Sometimes the most important conversation is the one where you can simply say, “Actually, I’m not OK.”
💛 Ask. Listen. Be there.

10/09/2026

Saying "I'm too busy" might feel like a badge of honor, but it often sends the wrong signal to prospective and existing clients.

When people hear "I'm too busy," the impression they get is:

"I don't have capacity to take on new work."

"I'm too overwhelmed to give current clients my full attention."

"I'm at maximum capacity and can't handle growth."

Instead of shutting doors with "too busy," focus on how you communicate your availability and structure your workload so you never turn away potential opportunities or make current clients feel deprioritised.

How you rephrase your capacity shapes how people perceive your reliability, professionalism, and readiness to scale.

Listen to the full episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2XbNIDzTmQmVCWrRjvtepC?si=-qiHKrJ8QKWAOmOOpQY5Rg
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/busy-today-panicking-tomorrow-l-how-to-build/id1882933466?i=1000777029809
YouTube: https://youtu.be/6dV86MiHUPQ?si=Yt1SP9S0f9fikWuA



https://open.spotify.com/episode/2XbNIDzTmQmVCWrRjvtepC?si=b1386c6b038e417c

Some business decisions are easy. Others can keep you awake at night.Hiring someone new. Raising your prices. Investing ...
09/09/2026

Some business decisions are easy. Others can keep you awake at night.

Hiring someone new. Raising your prices. Investing in equipment. Expanding into a new market. Buying another business.

When there’s a lot at stake, it’s easy to overthink, delay the decision or make the call without having anyone to properly test your thinking with.

Our latest blog shares a practical 12-step approach to making high stakes business decisions . From getting clear on the real decision and challenging your assumptions, to considering the flow on effects and getting an outside perspective.
You may never have complete certainty. But having a process , and the right people around you, can help you make the big calls with greater clarity and confidence.

👉 Read the full blog: https://tabau.info/45GPZPB

09/09/2026

When couples or business partners work together without clear boundaries, friction is almost inevitable. The secret to a smooth working relationship? Clearly defined, separate responsibilities.

When roles overlap, miscommunication and arguments follow. To eliminate crossover and build trust, start doing this:

Schedule a standing Monday morning alignment meeting. Use this dedicated time to lay everything out before the week gets chaotic.

Assign clear ownership. Explicitly define who handles what, whether it’s bookkeeping, ordering, quoting, or client fulfillment.

Trust each other to execute. Once responsibilities are agreed upon, step back and let your partner own their domain without stepping on each other's toes.

Clear roles create clarity, accountability, and a much healthier partnership, both in business and in life.

Listen to the full episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4otDXn1TxwyNHTDb4aIU1q?si=wCn3V2hhR0yVeA5Q-NMF7A
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-to-run-a-business-with-your-partner-without/id1882933466?i=1000776312025
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDP_Xj6l_9c&list=PLaXie1gYaACc&index=12

Strategy

08/09/2026

Unforeseen external disruptions can reshape a business overnight. For many founders, significant market shifts like the impact of COVID, force a complete re-evaluation of long-term sustainability.

Recognizing when a business model is no longer sustainable isn't a failure; it’s a critical moment of clarity. True resilience lies in accepting reality quickly, adapting to changing circumstances, and laying the groundwork for the next evolution of your journey.

Listen to the full episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UqJqchhq0OAEqUKxrJGqN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ma/podcast/small-business-sorted-with-kay-crystal-practical/id1882933466
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

You’ve spent years building your business. But what happens when it’s time to step away?A successful exit isn’t just abo...
08/09/2026

You’ve spent years building your business. But what happens when it’s time to step away?

A successful exit isn’t just about the numbers. It’s about your people, your customers and making sure the business you’ve worked so hard to build is ready for what comes next.
In this video, Emma Lovett, owner and coach of The Alternative Board Brisbane South West, shares practical insights into exit planning — from preparing future leaders and retaining good people, to communicating with customers and suppliers and considering what your own role might look like after the transition.

Because the best time to think about your exit isn’t when you’re ready to leave. It’s well before.

▶️ Watch Emma’s insights on planning a smoother business exit.
https://tabau.info/4wdm0cT

Are you making one of the top 10 mistakes in small business? In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal u...
07/09/2026

Are you making one of the top 10 mistakes in small business? In this episode of Small Business Sorted, Kay and Crystal unpack the common traps that cost business owners time, money, energy, and confidence and share practical ways to fix them one step at a time.

Listen to our podcast here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UqJqchhq0OAEqUKxrJGqN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ma/podcast/small-business-sorted-with-kay-crystal-practical/id1882933466
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

The right people can change everythingRunning a business means making decisions every day. But when the big ones come al...
07/09/2026

The right people can change everything

Running a business means making decisions every day. But when the big ones come along, it can feel like the weight of those decisions sits entirely on your shoulders.

That’s when having the right people around you can make all the difference.

At The Alternative Board, business owners come together with people who genuinely understand what it’s like to be in your shoes. They listen, share their experiences, challenge your thinking and ask the questions that help you see things from a different perspective.
It’s not about someone telling you how to run your business.

It’s about having trusted people in your corner who help you think more clearly, make better decisions and build a business that works for you, not the other way around.

Because you may be the one everyone turns to, but you don’t have to work everything out alone.

▶️ Watch the video to see the difference having the right people around the table can make.

https://tabau.info/4qnckeF

05/09/2026

So many of us are conditioned to follow the standard ladder-climbing path: get a job, work your way up, and aim for executive titles.

For the longest time, entrepreneurship wasn't even on the radar as a realistic possibility. But looking back, the biggest shift comes from realizing much sooner that owning a business is an option. If given the chance to start over, the answer is simple: step into entrepreneurship and start building a business much earlier.

You don't have to wait for decades of corporate progression to build something of your own.

Listen to our podcast here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UqJqchhq0OAEqUKxrJGqN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ma/podcast/small-business-sorted-with-kay-crystal-practical/id1882933466
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

Building a business is a big job. Being a dad is an even bigger one. Doing both? That’s something worth celebrating.This...
04/09/2026

Building a business is a big job. Being a dad is an even bigger one. Doing both? That’s something worth celebrating.

This Father’s Day, we’re thinking of all the dads in The Alternative Board community who are juggling customers, kids, big decisions, school runs, deadlines and family life — often all in the same day.

Here’s to putting the laptop away, forgetting about the inbox for a while and enjoying the people you’re working so hard for.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads in our community. We hope Sunday is filled with family, laughter and absolutely no emails. 💙

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U2311/4 Daydream Street
Sydney, NSW
2102

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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