Annelise Mauritz ventured back into fSpace to update us on her bookkeeping business, Bilanz. Annelise started her business working from fSpace earlier this year and has already added an employee with plans to hire 1-2 more staff in early 2017.

Blianz offers several bookkeeping services including BAS & IAS filings, bank reconciliation, full accounts management and cash flow forecasting.

Annelise reminded us that bookkeepers are not accountants and that most businesses require both. In addition to taking care of many often frustrating and time consuming tasks, bookkeepers can offer advice to ensure that businesses are running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. They can also ensure a business bookkeeping system and all the processes that go into it are set up correctly. This prevents any headaches and time wasted to dig into records to fix mistakes that could have been prevented.

Annelise works with most accounting packages but has a particular preference for Xero. She can also advise on the more than 100 add-ons available to bookkeeping/accounting software – add-ons that can help save time and money.

While she is not a payroll or tax specialist, she knows enough to spot opportunities and offer advice on areas such as tax codes that a business owner might miss. With more complicated accounting structures or situations, she recommends getting expert advice to avoid potential penalties and fines. She also recommends all businesses have a quarterly review with their bookkeeper.

Thanks Annelise and best wishes for your continued success!

Petr Cervenka & Saulo Onze were the latest to present their business, Nano Solutions, to fSpace. Both Petr & Saulo have a passion for technology and innovation and they combine these passions as they solve business problems with web and mobile technology.

With a master’s degree in project management, Saulo also specializes in quality control. Petr, a former chef, now calls himself the ‘geek’ as he brings a background in systems administration and software engineering.

Nano Solutions focuses on developing customer relationships, communication and quality assurances as they create systems that solve problems for their clients. Services include cloud computing (moving systems to cloud platforms) and applications through software development. They also offer maintenance services on applications and systems.

As one would expect from a couple of tech gurus, they use a lot of cool software, including some of their own creation. All is used to improve efficiency and communication with the customer, such as their paperless system to approve and monitor projects. They also use detailed development and process software to help clarify and confirm expectations with customers. All these systems support their focus of ensuring the projects they work on result in a business value and return for their customers.

Nano Solutions is also strictly committed to quality control. In addition to software and peer review on new code development, they apply extensive testing throughout the development process. They even have bug-detection software that alerts of any problems.

A major project over the past 18 months is Beachsafe, a website (and soon to be app) that combines weather reports, tide & hazard information, and beach patrol schedules that enables people to make the best choice on which beach to visit. www.beachsafe.org.au

Always looking for new technology challenges, side projects include building a small satellite that will be launched into space and exploring virtual reality products.

Check out www.nanosolutions.io for more information. Thanks Petr & Saulo!

Thanks to eternally groovy Ward Scarff for dusting off his presentation skills and sharing a little about the journey that has taken him into his current role of owner of Outcrop Consulting, a company that specialises in Learning Management Systems (LMS).

Ward spent much of his career as a Human Resources Generalist until 1994 when he changed paths to focus purely on learning and development. This coincided with his then employer’s adoption of a wide area network in Australia. As the modern Internet was in its infancy in the mid-1990s, ‘on-line’ learning largely took place in learning centres – rooms with PCs & laptops lined up with courses on CDs (kids, ask your parents what those were).

When his employer needed to provide uniform training to about 17,000 learners in 2004, Ward became the senior administrator on this LMS.

Nearly everyone has encountered an LMS of some sort, be it to learn the policies or procedures of an employer, complete compliance training, or simply industry specific training. These programs often save time and money through reduced travel and are of particular interest to larger organisations that have reportable compliance training requirements, remote employees or high staff turnover.

Outcrop Consulting originated in 2014 after some relaxing and adventurous times up north in the Kimberley region of WA. Named after a rock formation at the end of his street in Kununurra, Outcrop Consulting helps clients select and implement an LMS from the more than 700 available worldwide. However, the true value comes from Ward’s expertise in support and developing the learning content that maximises the efficiency, effectiveness and inherent value of the LMS.

In addition to state government and large insurance companies, Outcrop Consulting has also collaborated with fSpace’s very own AdHippo. Ward is currently focusing on the franchise industry as a target market.

Visit www.outcropconsulting.com for more info. Thanks again Ward!

Kelly Wong from Trifecta Creative Studio was the latest victim willing participant in our fSpace Talks series. 

Kelly is a freelance Graphic Designer who works for many local businesses around Fremantle and Perth. In addition to logo and brand development, Trifecta Creative Studio offers graphic design print & online services for business stationary, book & magazine layout, advertising/marketing materials & signage, and bespoke invitations. 

Kelly shared her experience on recent project of producing a Greek cookbook for the local Greek community in Perth. The book was developed from concept to completion in collaboration with a food stylist and photographer. Working closely with the client, the 10-month project was a culmination of over 50 contributors and 90 recipes. The aim of the book is to unify the Greek community and to keep record of the recipes for future generations. Rather than publish this cookbook through a traditional publishing house, this cookbook is selling well through a Greek community and promoted through word of mouth. Contact Kelly for more information on the book_, From Our GREEK KITCHEN_ to Yours.

Visit www.trifectacreativestudio.com to see her latest creative projects. Thanks Kelly!

Dr. Christian Bauer from AdHippo was the latest presenter at fSpace Talks where he shared some insight and background into his business.

Christian began with the news that he is not in fact from Australia! Though in truth, his strong European accent and pronounced lack of ‘good day’s’ or even ‘mate’ was rather suspicious. Christian immigrated to Australia several years ago, mostly to keep his wife happy since she’s Australian. He then created and launched AdHippo with Joe Colgan who is based in Melbourne.

As their website intriguingly states, AdHippo connects advertising, sports and media content with clever technology. One of AdHippo’s primary efforts at the moment are to track TV advertising in every major city in Australia. This is done through computers with TV arials to access the TV channels. They automatically capture data ²⁴⁄₇ from all Australian digital TV channels. This immense amount of data is converted into smaller pieces and sent to several servers to be processed. Using proprietary software they developed, this vast advertising content is compiled and analyzed, resulting in information that is used by sports organisations, marketing companies and media providers. AdHippo creates accurate, consistent and real-time information and reports that can be used in a variety of ways, such as targeting specific customers and maximizing revenues.

As if this wasn’t enough to keep them busy, AdHippo is also developing more proprietary technology to perform similar detailed and accurate assessments of advertising on the Internet. To help with this work, Christian is utilizing the skills of a student from Edith Cowen University and has collaborated with others working from fSpace. 

Thanks again to Christian for giving us a glance into AdHippo. Visit adhippo.com for more information.

Images by Miles Noel

A big thanks to Dave Coggin, Deputy Mayor of Fremantle, for his visit to fSpace last week.

The Deputy Mayor was on hand to mark the launch of the second round of the Business Development Program, a joint initiative between fSpace and The City of Fremantle to support small businesses.

As with the initial launch, this program helps subsidize workspace for qualified applicants who work within the creative industries.

The Deputy Mayor met with Sabine to discuss the program, including a review of the results from the initial program. He then chatted with a variety of people working from fSpace, including several participants from the initial program.

Applications for the program are now available. Visit https://fspace.me/business/ for more information.

Thanks again to the Deputy Mayor and The City of Fremantle for their support with this program.

Kieran Bell from Mouat West Physiotherapy paid fSpace a visit to talk about how to maintain a good posture while sitting at a desk all day.

Kieran explained that good posture increases concentration, reduce fatigue, aches and pains and significantly lowers the risk of long-term muscle and skeletal problems.

Not only did we learn more about how our body works, but more importantly how stretching and keep moving is key to a healthy day at the office.

These are some of the key tips & tricks we all know so well but are so easy to forget:

• Stretch your muscles
• Keep moving
• Set up your workstation properly

Regular basic stretching or simply taking a few minutes each hour to walk around will make a big difference, not only to your general aches and pains but to your concentration too.

So the next time we get a coffee, let’s stretch our shoulders in the doorframe or stretch those tight calf muscles. J

Keep moving rather than staring at a screen like a statue. Try moving around while you use the phone, maybe even walking up and down the stairs.

Take some time to get your monitor lifted, buy that wireless mouse and try our standing desks now and then to mix it up.

If you would like to learn more, contact Kieran or visit phsioinfremantle.com.au.

Awesome work Colin Henley for writing a great piece about fSpace for Rate My Space:

My somewhat scattered working life of late has more than once prompted me to describe myself as having ‘sticky pie-fingers’. Dabbling in Sid’s architectural practice, moonlighting with Rate My Space and tutoring part-time in the School of Architecture at Curtin University certainly keeps things interesting. But the life of a so-called ‘contingent worker‘ as myself can be fraught with uncertainty and loneliness.

My port in the storm has been ‘fSpace’ – a co-working space in the Princess Chambers building in Freo. Here, entrepreneurs and folk, such as myself, who freelance for various businesses come together to work side-by-side but not ‘together’ as such (though cross-pollination definitely does occur). It’s been an interesting experience, to say the least. Personally I’ve found the social aspect at fSpace to be even more free-flowing than my previous, more ‘conventional’ workplaces. Perhaps it’s because the people who work there really crave the human contact they aren’t getting as a result of working remotely or autonomously?

Whatever it is, it’s a winning formula for me and the increasing number of Australian freelancers and entrepreneurs who are signing up for memberships to co-working spaces such as fSpace, Spacecubed and BubDesk. Do such spaces represent a blurring of the boundaries between workplace and ‘third place’?

Colin Henley, Architect based at fSpace

We are celebrating Fremantle’s first ever condiment cookbook by fSpace based local graphic designer Kim-Vu.

Celebrating the Asian region, Condiments & Marinades of Asia was created by Ms Kim-Vu showcasing her recipes for the top six condiments from our neighbouring region including Kimchi, honey ginger rib marinade and Vietnamese peanut sauce. Originally inspired by traditional home-style Vietnamese cooking, and following a successful pop-up backyard experience (#roamingkithcenfreo) in sharing her recipes, Kim-Vu put her well-loved recipes together to share with others.

A self-published book, Condiments and Marinades of Asia is the first in a series of condiments cookbooks based on food from cultures all around the globe.  The launch of Condiments and Marinades of Asia is proudly sponsored by Brophy Estate Agent. Photography by Sabine Albers Photography.

Grab a copy from http://www.kim-vu.com/product/condiments-and-marinades-of-asia/

We love your work Kim-Vu!