Whether you’re imposing them or paying them: service charges can be confusing. Here’s everything you need to know. In this article, we break down what service charges are, why businesses use them, how they differ from other types of fees, and the key legal requirements to be aware of in Australia. Plus, if you’re a small business owner, we’ll explain a quick, easy way to add service charges to your sales with Zeller’s free point-of-sale system. What is a service charge? A service charge is a mandatory fee added by a business to a customer’s bill to cover the cost of delivering the service, such as staff labour or administration. Unlike a tip, however, a service charge is not optional and the amount is set by the business and automatically applied to the bill, usually presented as either: A percentage of the total bill (e.g. a 10% service charge on group bookings), or A fixed fee (e.g. a $2 per-ticket booking fee). Why do businesses apply service charges? A service charge allows businesses to recover operational costs that aren’t fully covered by standard pricing. It can provide transparency, showing customers exactly what they are paying for, rather than inflating base prices for everyone. Why businesses apply service charges can vary widely depending on the industry: Hospitality: Weekend and public holiday service charges help cover higher wages, extra staffing, and increased operating costs. Banking and financial services: Fees like account, ATM, and wire transfer charges recover administrative, compliance, and infrastructure costs. Travel and airlines: Baggage, booking, seat selection, and airport fees offset fuel, staffing, and infrastructure costs, while charging only for extra services used. Residential property and accommodation: Strata levies, Airbnb fees, and cleaning charges cover facility maintenance, insurance, repairs, and property management. Utilities: Water, electricity, and connection fees fund infrastructure development, maintenance, billing, and regulatory compliance. What is the difference between a service charge and a surcharge? A service charge is a fee added by a business to cover the additional costs involved in delivering a particular service. Because it’s set by the business, they have full discretion over whether to apply a service charge, what it covers, and how much it is. In Australia, many venues apply a service charge of around 10–15%, but the exact amount varies depending on the business and the service being provided. A surcharge , on the other hand, is a fee added specifically when a customer pays by credit or debit card. Its purpose is to help businesses recover the merchant fees charged by their payment provider for processing that transaction. Unlike service charges, surcharges are regulated by the ACCC : under Australian law, a business cannot charge more than its cost of acceptance—that is, the lowest amount it costs the business to process each card payment type. Read our blogs to learn more about surcharging in Australia and what to be aware of with zero-cost EFTPOS . What are the legal requirements around service charges in Australia? Because every industry and business operates differently, there’s no specific law limiting how much a service charge can be. The ACCC does, however, mandate that businesses be transparent and accurate when presenting any service charges they choose to apply. The key legal requirements are: Prices must be clear and accurate Businesses must clearly communicate the full cost of a product or service before a customer books, orders, or makes a purchase. They cannot mislead customers about prices or hide additional fees. Total prices must be displayed upfront If a service charge is unavoidable or automatically applied, it must be included in the total price shown to the customer. This total must incorporate any taxes, duties, or pre-selected extra fees. Service charges must follow strict display rules If a business applies card payment surcharges or weekend/public holiday surcharges, they must be displayed clearly and prominently so customers understand when and why these fees apply. The following words must be displayed on the menu and/or price display: “ A surcharge of [percentage] applies on [day or days]. ” Additionally, the words must be at least as prominent as the most prominent price on the menu, or made visible elsewhere in your venue. What are the tax implications of service charges? In Australia, service charges are treated as part of the business’s revenue and are subject to tax like any other income. Even if the service charge is applied to cover employee wages, it is still considered assessable income and taxed as part of their regular wages.  Tips or gratuities, on the other hand, are directly received by employees. While not technically the business’s income, tips are also considered taxable income and must be reported by the employee to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Can you challenge a service charge? In Australia, whether you can challenge a service charge depends on how it is presented and whether it complies with consumer law. Businesses must clearly display prices, including any unavoidable service charges, before you book, order, or pay. If a service charge is misleading, hidden, or incorrectly displayed, it may be a breach of the law. You can report concerns to the ACCC if you believe a business is not complying with pricing rules. The ACCC can investigate and take enforcement or compliance action if the law has been broken. However, the ACCC does not resolve individual complaints or give legal advice about your rights, so it cannot force a business to remove a service charge for one customer. In practice, your options are: Carefully check the menu and/or price display before paying—the total must include all unavoidable fees. Raise the issue directly with the business if you think a service charge is incorrect or misleading. Report it to the ACCC if you believe there is a systemic breach of pricing rules. Add a service charge to your sales with Zeller POS Lite Zeller POS Lite is a free point of sale that comes in-built with Zeller Terminal . If you’re looking for a quick and easy solution for applying service charges to your sum total, follow the steps below: In Zeller Dashboard or Zeller App, select Items , then Service Charges Tap Add Service Charge (or the + button in Zeller App) Add a percentage or fixed dollar amount Give it a clear name, like “Public Holiday 15%”. This will appear on customer receipts If you have multiple locations, assign the charge to the relevant sites only Your newly created service charge will now appear in Zeller POS Lite under Shortcuts . Apply it to relevant sales and it will automatically appear on your customers’ receipts—no need for manual price edits.

For Australian businesses, choosing the right business bank account isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. Between traditional banks, online-only challengers, and modern fintech alternatives like Zeller, the options are broader than ever – and more confusing. This guide compares some of the top options in Australia, from the Big Four to rising digital banking platforms, so you can choose the right account for your needs, whether you're a sole trader, freelancer, small business or scaling company. Compare top Australian business accounts to see why Zeller Transaction Account stands out. As you can see from the table above, Zeller either matches or beats the big-4 banks in almost every area. Traditional banks like CommBank, NAB, Westpac and ANZ each offer business accounts with in-branch service, cash handling and international payment features. While these can suit businesses that still rely on physical banking, they often come with higher monthly fees and less flexible digital tools. The two limitations to a Zeller Business Transaction Account are depositing cash and multi-currency accounts. Zeller merchants typically overcome this by: – keeping a separate bank account with a traditional bank for the sole purpose of depositing cash, then sending the money directly to their Zeller Business Transaction Account – keeping international currencies with another provider (like Wise or Airwallex).   Note: Zeller is working towards offering multi-currency accounts, so watch this space! Understanding business bank accounts: what they are and why they're essential. A business bank account isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a key part of running a compliant, professional and scalable operation. Here’s why you need one: Legal and tax compliance : If you're registered for GST or operate as a company, you’ll need a dedicated account for your business transactions. Simplified admin : Separating personal and business finances makes reconciling income, preparing for BAS, and managing deductions far easier. Professionalism : Customers take you more seriously, and are more likely to trust your business, when invoices and payments come from a business bank account. Cash flow control : Monitor your business incomings and outgoings more clearly to make faster decisions. Access to finance : It’s typically a requirement for business loans, overdrafts, business credit cards, and trade accounts. Types of business bank accounts in Australia. In Australia, there are a few core types of business accounts on offer, such as: Transaction accounts : Your day-to-day account for receiving payments, making purchases, paying suppliers. Savings accounts : For earning interest on unused business funds. Term deposits : Lock away funds for a set time to earn higher interest. Offset accounts : Linked to a business loan, helping reduce interest payments. Key factors to consider when choosing a business bank account. Fees Monthly fees, overdraft fees, dishonour fees, and FX costs can vary widely amongst business banks. For example: – Traditional banks may charge $10-$25/month just to keep the account open – Overdraft fees can be surprisingly high and feel unnecessarily punitive – International payments might include conversion fees or transfer costs – Staff-assisted transactions and even electronic transactions can also incur more fees This last point is worth illustrating with two examples: 1. CommBank charges $5 per staff-assisted transaction on business accounts 2.  Bendigo Bank charges $0.40 per electronic transaction on their Business Basic Account In contrast, Zeller Business Transaction Account has no fees whatsoever . For small businesses, especially those just starting out, these savings can quickly add up. Access and convenience In business, time is money. You’ll want an account that’s easy to use and built for purpose. Consider things like: – Does the online banking interface have a clean, modern design? – Does it have powerful transaction filtering and searching? – Is the mobile app easy to use on the go? ( Zeller App is rated 4.2 on the App Store) – Can you access help when you need it? (Zeller offers 24/7 online access and support) More businesses are moving away from needing face-to-face banking and instead placing higher value on mobile-first platforms that work wherever they are. Account features Choosing a business account isn’t just about the basics. The right features can save you time, reduce admin, and give you more control over how your business operates. For example, a Zeller Business Transaction Account offers you: Cards: Zeller lets you issue unlimited free physical and virtual debit cards with custom spending limits. You can also generate single-use virtual cards for added security when shopping online. Multi-user access: Give team members custom access, so they can view balances, send invoices or manage cards, without full account control. Integrations: You can easily connect your Zeller Business Transaction Account to tools like Xero for easy bookkeeping. Reporting: Built-in analytics, spending breakdowns, and receipt capture with Zeller. Access to interest: A Zeller Savings Account allows you to earn significantly more interest than with a traditional big-4 bank. Transaction categorisation: Automatically sort and label incoming and outgoing payments, helping you track spending by type, supplier or category. Multiple accounts: Spin up extra accounts for different projects, teams or business locations – no paperwork or branch visit required. Real-time fund transfers: Move money instantly via Australia's New Payment Platform (NPP). BPAY: Quickly and easily pay suppliers directly from your dashboard using BPAY. Security and regulation Traditional banks are Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs), so deposits are protected by the Financial Claims Scheme (FCS), a government guarantee of up to $250,000 if the bank was to fail. With Zeller, customer funds are held in a segregated account at a fully-regulated, authorised Australian bank. Zeller also maintains strict compliance protocols, and uses advanced encryption, fraud monitoring and multi-factor authentication to keep your business finances secure. For many modern businesses, the benefits of speed, flexibility and innovation make this a smart, secure, and trusted alternative to traditional banking. Customer support Zeller offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email and SMS – so whether you need help setting up your account, have a question about a transaction, or are sorting something urgent during tax time, you can speak to someone when it matters most. Unlike many traditional providers, support isn't limited to business hours or ticket-based systems, you’ll speak to a real human with experience in supporting Aussie businesses. Suitability for your business type Every business is different. The right account for your business should suit your operating model, whether you're client-facing, retail-based, or remote. For example: Sole traders/freelancers often prioritise ease of use and low fees Growing businesses typically look for multi-user access, cards, and integrations Retailers/tradies frequently find POS and EFTPOS integration can make a huge difference International traders need strong FX capabilities and multi-currency accounts. Real-world examples: who should choose what? Not every business needs the same thing from their transaction account. Here are a few common scenarios to help you match features to your business type. Tradie on the road Zeller’s mobile-first setup, SMS invoicing and no-branch model means you can quote, invoice and track payments without ever setting foot in a bank. Freelancer with local clients Zeller gives you all the essentials with no monthly cost, plus faster access to funds to keep your cash flow healthy. Import/export business Wise and Airwallex make more sense here, with multi-currency accounts and competitive FX. Zeller does not currently offer multi-currency accounts yet, but has plans to do so in the future. Brick and mortar retailer Zeller integrates with EFTPOS and provides detailed sales tracking across channels. How to open a business account in Australia. Opening a business account in Australia is fairly straightforward, but exact requirements can vary slightly between providers. Here’s what to expect. In most cases, you’ll need: – A business name – An ABN or ACN – An industry type – Personal ID (driver licence or passport) – Business contact details – In some cases, business structure documentation (e.g. partnership agreement) With Zeller, the process is 100% online and takes just a few minutes. No paperwork. No queues. Just fast onboarding and instant access to your transaction account and cards. Managing your business account effectively. Once you’ve opened your account, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of it: Separate personal and business spending so your bookkeeping is cleaner and reconciling transactions is easier come tax time. Use categories and tags to track expenses by type – this helps you understand where your money’s going and identify areas to reduce spend. Review reports monthly to spot trends, catch anomalies, and stay on top of cash flow. Set up automatic payments to ensure bills, wages and subscriptions are always paid on time. Stay on top of GST and BAS by regularly exporting your records, so you’re never scrambling at lodgement time. Zeller makes all this easy, with built-in notes, digital receipts, auto-categorisation and integrations that connect your financial activity directly to your accounting software. So, which account is right for your business? The best business account depends on your priorities, but if you're an Australian business looking for a modern, mobile-first, all-in-one platform that’s free to use, integrates with your tools, and helps you manage everything from invoicing to spending, Zeller offers a strong alternative to the big-4 Australian banks. A Zeller Business Transaction Account is fast to set up, simple to use, and purpose-built for how Aussie businesses operate.

Love it or hate it, Black Friday is here to stay and if your business is taking part, you’ll be tapping into the $6.7 billion that is set to be splashed over the Black Friday–Cyber Monday weekend this year—a 4% increase on last year’s figures.  Black Friday—falling on Friday 28 November, 2025—has become the unofficial start of Australia’s Christmas shopping season. In recent years, it has evolved from a single day into a full sales period, with many retailers launching promotions as early as 18 November. With Australians spending at record levels, now is the time for retailers to make sure they’re set up to capture as much of that demand as possible. To help you prepare, we’ve put together 8 Black Friday strategies to maximise your success during the year’s busiest sales weekend. 1. Give your customers FOMO Black Friday shoppers expect to see limited-time deals. By giving them a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out), they’re much more likely to buy immediately instead of waiting or shopping around. Similarly, if customers think stock is limited or the deal is exclusive, the perceived value increases, even if they weren’t planning on buying right away. FOMO reduces the time a customer spends comparing or overthinking. They’re less likely to abandon their cart if they feel they might lose the deal.  Ensure your website and/or your store clearly communicate urgency. Use messaging like: “Ends at midnight”, “Only 24 hours left”, “Only 12 left at this price”, “Selling fast—over 500 sold today.” You could also use countdown timers on your website or on your social media. Learn how to add a countdown timer to your Instagram story here . Just be aware that if you advertise a limited-time offer, you are legally obligated to honour it under Australian Consumer Law (see point 7 for more on this). 2. Create deals without discounts Get creative with your Black Friday offers. If your margins are tight, you don’t have to rely on blanket discounts to drive sales, you could try bundles, tiered deals like “Buy More, Save More,” hourly flash sales, mystery boxes, or limited-edition drops that create excitement without reducing prices.  Focus on your best-sellers or high-intent products to maximise conversions, and don’t be afraid to test different formats throughout the weekend to see what resonates with your audience. Pair every offer with clear urgency (see above) to encourage shoppers to act quickly.  3. Offer Buy Now Pay Later options Many customers use Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales as an opportunity to tick off their entire Christmas shopping list. While it’s a big outlay for just one weekend, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) programs like Afterpay, Zip, and Klarna make it more manageable by allowing customers to spread payments over weeks or months. This flexibility encourages shoppers to buy more than they might with a single upfront payment, helping businesses increase basket sizes, and sell higher-ticket items.  Ahead of Black Friday weekend, speak to your payment provider about integrating a BNPL option to your online or in-store sales. With Zeller Terminal , setting up Afterpay is straightforward. Simply follow the steps to offer Afterpay card payments with Zeller Terminal here .  4. Offer early access to subscribers If you already have an email database, make the most of it in the lead-up to Black Friday by giving subscribers early access to your offers. Exclusive previews not only drive anticipation but also reward loyal customers. If you run a loyalty program, consider offering bigger discounts to your VIP members or inviting them to an after-hours, invite-only shopping event. These personalised perks create a sense of novelty and recognition—and the more valued your customers feel, the more likely they are to make a purchase. 5. Ensure your checkout is optimised If you run an online-only store, your website will make or break your Black Friday performance. With higher traffic expected, speak to your web developer ahead of time to ensure your site can handle the surge. Even a few seconds of slow loading—or friction in the checkout process—can quickly translate into abandoned carts and lost revenue. The same principle applies in-store: your payment experience must be fast, reliable, and friction-free. Slow EFTPOS machines, limited card acceptance, or high transaction fees can lead to frustrated customers and reduced profits. Zeller Terminal accepts all cards—including American Express and China UnionPay —for one low flat fee of 1.4%, and you can enable surcharging for a fee-free solution. Zeller also gives you built-in backup. If you realise you need extra terminals to keep up with demand, you can turn your phone into an EFTPOS machine. Simply download Zeller App and enable Tap to Pay . It takes minutes to set up and could save you thousands in missed sales if queues start forming.  6. Boost your customer support More customers mean more customer service — so it pays to be prepared. Whether that’s rostering on additional staff, updating and expanding the FAQ section of your website, or integrating a chatbot to handle common queries, planning ahead helps you stay ahead of the rush. The smoother and more responsive your support experience is, the easier it is to keep customers happy throughout the Black Friday weekend, reduce pressure on your team, and prevent small issues from turning into lost sales. 7. Avoid false advertising Although you might be tempted to extend a limited-time offer if you’re flooded with sales, this would constitute false advertising under Australian Consumer Law. It pays to understand what your legal obligations are ahead of time, so that you can steer clear of unlawful advertising.  Businesses cannot falsely claim “site-wide” or “store-wide” sales, if not everything is on sale. You also cannot state “up to X% off” promotions if only a handful of products reach that discount, and you cannot use “was/now” strikethrough pricing that isn’t supported by a genuine previous selling price. Retailers also shouldn’t create a false sense of urgency through misleading limited-time offers or hide important exclusions and conditions in fine print. The ACCC actively monitors Black Friday promotions and can issue infringement notices and significant penalties for breaches.  While consumers are entitled to refunds for faulty products, retailers may set conditions on change-of-mind returns during sales periods provided these policies are clearly communicated. Ahead of Black Friday weekend, ensure you have updated the returns policy on your receipts.  With Zeller, you can quickly change the information that appears on receipts from either your Zeller Dashboard or directly on Zeller Terminal. Learn how to customise your Zeller receipt setting here . 8. Follow up after purchase Black Friday shouldn’t just be seen as a one-off sales event—it’s also an opportunity to capture new customer data and turn one-time shoppers into repeat buyers. For online stores, this is straightforward, as customer information is automatically collected and stored in your CMS. For bricks-and-mortar retailers, it requires a bit more creativity. Encourage customers to join your mailing list or follow your social accounts by offering a small gift or extra discount, run a competition requiring an email entry, or use QR codes at the point of sale to collect contact details. With Zeller, you can add a custom image to your receipts or terminal screensaver featuring a QR code that links to your newsletter signup or Instagram account. By making it easy for customers to engage at checkout—when they already have their phones out to pay—you create a frictionless way to build a valuable database of engaged customers. This enables you to follow up with targeted offers and promotions long after Black Friday has ended.

The difference between a business that thrives and one that stalls often comes down to one thing: how well cash flow is managed. In this article, we explain why having a real-time reporting engine like Zeller Dashboard is key to your cash flow management strategy – and why your bank is holding you back . The key to healthy business cash flow is twofold: monitoring and acting . Knowing where your cash is coming from and going is one thing; using that insight to guide your decisions is another. Master both, and you’ll strengthen your business’s financial health – setting yourself up for long-term success and growth.  However, keeping track of your finances can quickly become overwhelming when cash is moving through multiple bank accounts, EFTPOS systems, invoicing tools, and expense platforms. One of the smartest cash flow management strategies is to bring everything together in one place. That’s where Zeller Dashboard comes in. By uniting your business’s financial activity in one online dashboard, it gives you detailed insights and real-time visibility that your traditional bank can’t match. From tracking sales and invoice payments to managing expenses and accruing interest, read on to discover three ways you can harness Zeller Dashboard to take control of your business cash flow. What is Zeller Dashboard? Zeller is an all-in-one financial platform that helps businesses accept payments, manage their money, and pay expenses – all from one place. At the heart of it is Zeller Dashboard: a central hub for tracking your financial position in real-time, and enabling you to use that data and insight to improve business cash flow. It transforms your financial information into clear, actionable reports and insights that help you make smarter, more informed decisions. Every way that cash flows in and out of your business is tracked on Zeller Dashboard. Read on to learn how. 1. Cash flow in: card payments, invoices, and POS See all your incoming sales in one place – no matter how your customers pay. In Zeller Dashboard, your latest transactions are automatically compiled into a single report under the Payments tab (and in the Latest Payments preview on the Overview page). This report brings together payments from five different sources: Terminal, Point of Sale, Invoice, Dashboard, and Zeller App. Below, we’ve outlined each source and explained how to uncover specific insights for each within Zeller Dashboard. 1. Terminal Terminal refers to any payment accepted through Zeller Terminal . If your business uses multiple terminals, you can rename each device for easy identification and more detailed tracking. For example, to find a specific transaction processed at your ‘Front Bar – St Kilda’ device, simply filter transactions by that terminal name. You can also assign terminals to specific sites, allowing you to view all payments from a particular location by filtering by Site. To filter transactions, go to Payments > Transactions, then click on the magnifying glass icon in the top right hand corner. 2. Point of Sale Point of Sale refers to any payment processed through your POS system – whether it’s Zeller POS Lite or another POS integrated with Zeller Terminal . If you’re using Zeller POS Lite, you can view detailed insights into your sales within Zeller Dashboard by navigating to the POS Lite tab. Here, you’ll find visual reports showing your Top Items by Revenue and Top Items by Quantity Sold. For deeper analysis, you can export a detailed sales breakdown – including the number of units sold, prices, SKUs, and categories – to create customised reports. You can also filter by specific dates and times, such as reviewing how many of one item you sold during the Christmas period last year compared to the year before, helping you forecast stock and ingredient orders more accurately. 3. Invoice Invoice refers to any Zeller Invoice paid by card (invoices paid via bank transfer appear in the Finance tab – see below). In the Invoices tab, you can view all your invoices – paid, unpaid, or drafted – and filter them to find exactly what you need. You can also create new invoices directly from this tab, making it easy to manage your billing in one place. To see a rolled-up or month-by-month summary of all your invoice payments, head to the Overview page and filter by Invoices. This gives you a clear snapshot of your invoicing performance and cash flow at a glance. 4. Dashboard  Dashboard payments refer to any payment received via Zeller Virtual Terminal . This feature lets you send a secure payment link directly from Zeller Dashboard via email, SMS, or any platform you choose. Your customers can then pay privately using their card details, from anywhere, at their convenience. You can find more detailed reporting about these payments under Transactions within the Payments tab. 5. Zeller App  Zeller App Payments refer to any sales made using Tap to Pay on Zeller App , an EFTPOS solution that works on Apple and Android smartphones. Like Zeller Terminal, you can name your devices for easy tracking – for example, ‘Helen’s iPhone XR’ – and assign them to specific sites, then filter transactions by device or site on the Transactions page. Sales from the above channels are settled nightly, 365 days a year. Once settled into your Zeller Transaction Account , your balance is updated automatically on the Accounts page, as well as in the Finance tab on the Overview page. From here, your funds are ready to be used.  2. Cash flow out: debit cards and expense management Once your funds have settled, they’re ready to pay for your business expenses. For even greater clarity on where your money is going, Zeller Dashboard lets you create unlimited accounts and cards, giving you detailed insights into your outgoing cash flow. A smart cash flow management strategy is to set up multiple Zeller Transaction Accounts for different purposes – for example, marketing, direct costs, GST/PAYG/Super, operations, payroll, rent, or subscriptions and software. You can then link individual Zeller Debit or Corporate Cards to each account. Corporate cards are especially useful for managing team or project expenses, allowing you to set individual budgets, reset periods, and maximum transaction limits per card. In the Accounts tab, you can view your total available balance at a glance and track all transactions, including settlements, transfers in and out, and card spending. 3. Cash accrued: growing your business savings and cash flow management strategies By regularly monitoring the Payments and Finance tabs in Zeller Dashboard, you’ll gain a clear picture of your business’s cash inflows and outflows over time. What you do with these insights is what will make the biggest difference in improving your cash flow. Here’s how you can harness Zeller Dashboard to inform decisions that strengthen your finances: Daily: Review transactions in real time Whether you’re on your laptop or checking via the Zeller App , make a habit of reviewing sales and expenses throughout the day. Watch for anything that seems out of place – unusually low transaction values or unexpectedly high expenses. You know your business, so spotting outliers is often quick and easy. Once a week: Review the previous week’s sales At the start or end of each week, compare last week’s sales in Zeller Dashboard against your goals or past results. If you’ve fallen short, act early: increase sales, cut non-essential spending, or both. This could mean ramping up marketing efforts or pausing discretionary expenses until cash flow improves. Once a month: Identify trends With a month of data, start spotting patterns – busiest days, peak trading hours, and product performance. Use these insights to optimise staffing, opening hours, and stock levels, ensuring you’re resourced where and when demand is highest. Comparing month-to-month or year-on-year data can reveal seasonal trends. For example, October is the time to prepare for the busy summer season: reviewing last year’s sales can help you know when to hire Christmas casuals or order extra stock. Ongoing: Build a cash reserve Once you know roughly how much surplus cash you generate each week – profits not needed for immediate spending – consider scheduling automatic transfers to Zeller Savings Account , where these funds can earn up to 4% p.a. interest. A cash reserve is essential for covering late payments, rising overheads, overstocked inventory, or seasonal fluctuations. It also provides a safety net for unforeseen expenses, like equipment breakdowns, legal costs, sudden operational increases, or economic downturns.

When co-founders Jake Nolan and Michael Vlassis opened Woolcott Street in 2016, their goal was simple: transform men’s wardrobes and the way they shop for their attire . Many of their clients had grown tired of wandering through department stores, unable to find garments that fit well or advice they could trust. “It might be a bit of a cliché, but the majority of men don’t really like to shop,” Jake says. “If they do like to shop, fantastic – we’ve got a lot of different fabrics, and we can do a lot of different styles. But if they don’t, well, we try to make the whole process a lot more enjoyable than the typical chain-store suit purchase.” The result is a service designed around long-term relationships, understanding clients’ preferences, and delivering bespoke garments that look and feel right for each person. Over the years, Woolcott St has grown from two talented tailors into a team of seventeen, serving thousands of people across Sydney, Australia, and beyond. Tailoring a personalised experience The Woolcott St experience is, above all, personal. “It’s about having someone who cares about what’s in your wardrobe and what’s not,” Jake explains. By getting to know each client – their lifestyle, the events they attend, the image they want to project – the team ensures that every garment reflects who they are. The tailoring process starts with an initial consultation, either in the showroom or at the client’s home or office. From there, Jake and his team create an action plan based on timelines, fit, and preferences. After patterns are created and cloth selected, fittings take place four to six weeks later, with adjustments logged back into the client’s pattern to ensure consistency. An atmosphere fit for any occasion The showroom at Woolcott St adapts to suit the occasion. During the week, fittings with corporate clients feel calm and focused. On weekends, groups of groomsmen bring energy and laughter, often with a beer or whiskey in hand. “The general idea is that it’s fun, it’s helpful, and it’s a place where someone can step back from their day, relax, not feel pressured or overwhelmed, and know they can get the right advice to make the right decisions,” Jake says. Exceptional customer service woven in For Jake, exceptional customer service comes down to one thing: taking the time to understand the person in front of you. “It’s about not assuming things, asking the right questions, figuring out who they are as a person, what they’re comfortable in, and what the right options are for them,” he says. This approach means Woolcott St doesn’t just make clothes – they help clients feel confident in their choices. Many of their clients have been returning for years, becoming advocates for the business and sharing their experiences with others. This long-term approach is reflected in Woolcott St’s reputation, with 721 Google reviews averaging a perfect five stars. “We don’t want to see someone just once, make them something, and never see them again,” Jake says. “It’s not about one garment, ideally it’s about working with them for life and doing a really good job.” Cutting time from every invoice Behind the scenes, Zeller Invoices has transformed the way Woolcott St bills clients. Creating an invoice takes less than a minute, with products and client details pre-saved. “By streamlining the process, we’ve cut down the time it takes dramatically. Compared to manually making up PDF invoices, the difference is night and day,” Jake explains.  Payments also come through faster. “As a rough percentage, I’d say our invoices are paid about 50 percent faster than before, usually within 12 to 24 hours,” Jake says. Clients appreciate the convenience, too. “The easier you make things, the less barriers there are, the better the experience. Removing friction and making it simple for people to pay via a link in a text or email has been really positive.” Business spending, neatly hemmed Zeller Corporate Cards have also proved useful. Woolcott St uses different transaction accounts within Zeller Dashboard for different business activities, with corporate cards attached to several. “We give employees corporate cards with set limits for various activities, which means they don’t need to come to us to get approval each time,” Jake explains. “It makes business activity and tracking much easier." A savings account that measures up (where the big-4 don’t) Woolcott St chooses to keep its cash reserves in the Zeller Savings Account. “We use the Zeller Savings Account because it gives us a much higher interest rate compared to the big four,” Jake says. “Plus there are no fees or hoops to jump through. If the money’s in the account, it’s earning interest. Simple.”  A seamless suite of solutions  For Jake, the biggest advantage of Zeller is integration. “Having everything all in one place with Zeller – accounts, payments, invoices – really helps us as a business,” he says. “Instead of being spread across different platforms, everything’s integrated, which makes keeping track of everything so much easier.” Zeller’s support team, he adds, is also more responsive and easier to deal with than traditional banks. Stitching together what’s next Woolcott St has its sights set on becoming Australia’s number one tailoring outfit, with plans to open offices across the country. And while the business grows, Jake still finds joy in the craft itself. “When asked for his favourite suit, Jake doesn’t hesitate. “I’m a classic man myself – I don’t tend to go for things that are too loud. That said, I always find it interesting when we get to make something we haven’t before. Whether it’s different colour combinations or a rare fabric, or combining different garments into a unique outfit, those are the ones that really stand out to me.”

If you’re a business owner, who is open to the idea of embracing new technology, but haven’t yet entered the chat with artificial intelligence, this article is for you. Here, we outline the best AI tools for small business, and how you can use them to save time – and money – in your day-to-day operations. Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a staple tool for business owners who want to save time and work more efficiently. According to the Australian Government, 41% of small and medium-sized enterprises are already using it. While there are a growing number of highly sophisticated paid platforms that can do everything from automating complex workflows (think Zapier , Make , and Power Automate ) to integrating AI agents to respond to social comments or customer queries ( Manychat , Tidio , and Intercom ), and automate inventory operations ( Zoho and Cin7 ), not every business needs these advanced tools. AI for small businesses with fewer resources and smaller budgets looks a little different. Read on to discover the best free AI tools and how best to use them for your small business.  But first, what is AI? Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence – like understanding language, recognising images, or making decisions. By analysing large amounts of data and learning from patterns, AI tools can generate insights, create content, and improve their performance over time. What are AI tools? AI tools are applications that use artificial intelligence to carry out specific tasks – such as writing text, designing images, analysing data, or answering questions. They take the complex capabilities of AI and package them into easy-to-use software that anyone can access, often for free or at a low cost. Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Canva AI, are three such tools, which we will discuss in more detail below. The best AI tools for small businesses are those that simplify and reduce the time spent on essential but time-consuming tasks – like copywriting, marketing, branding, customer service, or design – freeing you up to focus on the core aspects of your business. Top three AI tools for small businesses: 1. Perplexity What is Perplexity? Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search and answer engine that combines natural language understanding with real-time web research. It retrieves factual information with citations for its answers, and continuously updates from the internet, providing current and trustworthy data. What it’s great for: doing research and generating concise, factual answers. What it’s not great for: creative content generation or conversational dialogue.  How to use Perplexity AI for small businesses 2. ChatGPT  What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot that understands and generates human-like text by analysing language patterns from vast amounts of data, enabling it to deliver natural, helpful responses. It can answer questions, write and edit content, brainstorm ideas, and simplify complex topics.  What it’s great for: creative and conversational tasks like writing, brainstorming, and coding. What it’s not great for: doing research, as it can produce inaccurate or outdated information. How to use ChatGPT for small businesses 3. Canva AI What is Canva AI? Canva AI is an artificial intelligence tool built into Canva that helps users quickly create professional-looking designs. It can generate images, illustrations, social media graphics, templates, and other visual content from simple prompts, saving time and making design accessible even for non-designers. What it’s great for: creating professional-looking, simple designs and visuals for digital use. What it’s not great for: creating highly customised or complex designs, or anything that will be used for large-format printing. How to use Canva AI for small businesses A word of warning when using AI for small businesses While AI tools like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Canva AI can save time and inspire creative ideas, they aren’t perfect. Always double-check facts, verify sources, and review content for accuracy before using it to make business decisions. Similarly, AI-generated designs can be great, but the imagery may not always be 100% accurate – it’s not unusual for a hand to have an extra finger, or for objects to be floating in midair! So ensure you always inspect the images closely before using them. Also, AI-generated designs can resemble stock images or copyrighted styles and will lack the resolution required for printing, so if you are going to be sharing the assets widely (for example in a paid advertising campaign or printed on a product label), it’s important to involve the expertise of a professional graphic designer. Always remember to treat AI as a helpful assistant – not a replacement for your judgment or expertise.