Vision, teamwork and a passion for producing the perfect pie have helped the Porter family transform the old Yatala Pies pie shop into a baking powerhouse.

Passion, history, ambition. There can be many reasons business owners follow their dream. We asked five company heads to explain their ‘why’.

Consumer anxiety up steeply in Q2. Overall spending tightens as concerns about the economy and our household financial positions grow. Spending on utilities a key expense, and growing.

The NAB Cashless Retail Sales Index gained 0.9% in July on a month-on-month basis, following a gain of 0.5% in June.

The business conditions index fell by 2pts to +12 index points in July, continuing its run of declines since April. Business confidence ticked up 1pt to +7 index points, an around average level.

In seasonally adjusted terms, at 1.2%, online retail sales slowed in June. The 12 months to growth rate is also a bit lower.

Business conditions ease slightly.

Favourable business conditions persist.

The NAB Cashless Retail Sales Index gained 0.5% in June on a month-on-month basis, following gain of 0.6% in May (revised from 0.8%).