Strategy
One of the requirements for businesses to secure a bank loan is to have a formal business plan in place. According to the State Government of Victoria’s Business Victoria website, “When applying for a business loan, it’s essential to prepare a detailed business plan and fully inform the lender about your proposed venture. This information […]
Creating a business is an incredible journey made up of both success and failures, and entrepreneurs who are fortunate enough to watch their venture grow from a simple idea to an established company will understand that it involves constant change and management – From experience, here’s some advice in managing these changes. Expanding and thriving […]
Today I am proud to be throwing my support behind Australia’s startup sector by getting involved in UberPITCH as part of the 2015 SydStart Conference. The initiative, which has successfully run in San Francisco and India, gives entrepreneurs the chance pitch their idea to accomplished entrepreneurs for fifteen minutes. I’ve travelled the world for business […]
For many SMEs, the question around innovation isn’t if or when, but how. Andrew Pearce Partner at McLean Delmo Bentleys, provides tips for SMEs looking to innovate within their business. Most SMEs are keen to ensure their business not only stays relevant but it thrives in an ever-changing, digitally- driven environment. In fact, almost a […]
What motivates an entrepreneur is a matter for the individual. It could be the prospect of making money – and lots of it, or the need to be your own boss. For others however, it’s the need to make big difference – and everything else falls incidental. After nine years in the legal profession, Ugur […]
Once upon a time you were extremely passionate about your dreams, and you chose to be amongst those who left no stones unturned when it came to shaping your dreams into a reality. Well, great job you did there. But, now what? Are you contemplating your decision of taking this path for you? Have you […]
I’ve received several emails via LinkedIn over the years from newly self-published authors who want me to buy their books. If you’re one of these authors, I applaud you for taking that important step toward self-promotion. But now I’m going to tell you why I—and probably most of the people you sent that email to—never […]
Research findings released today have shown that smaller Australian businesses value innovation more than larger businesses. The results, revealed by the Commonwealth Bank Business and Innovation Study, also showed that roadblocks to innovation include a lack of ideas, time and resources, business partners who are all talk and no action, and a lack of data […]
Location, location, location. While once the buzzword for retailers, today traditional bricks and mortar retailers face increasing pressure from online businesses. Fuelled by consumers reliance on smartphones, tablets and social media, consumers buying and research habits have been driven online with e-commerce sales expected to top $10 billion in Australia in 2015. Retailers, like their […]
If you’re a business, the lifeblood of your business comes down to one thing – cash flow. If you have bottlenecks in cash flow, it makes life tougher and it can be hard to catch up. When cash flow is tight, you may feel that necessary asset purchases such as cars or equipment need to […]
Launching your brand internationally is a growth strategy that follows from success. But success in one market shouldn’t be construed as a right of passage to success in another. The failure of Starbucks in their attempt to import an Americanised version of ‘coffee culture’ into Australia, a country already au fait with it’s coffee habits, […]
We’ve all heard the word ‘disruption’ being bandied around in a business context, but how does it really impact businesses and as its urgency increases, how can they respond to it? American Express recently explored this point with a major research study, capturing the views and practices of 250 CFOs from companies with revenues of […]
Black Velvet is a Melbourne based boutique roastery and espresso bar that supplies quality beans to cafes and home baristas alike. Their second store based in the Galleria on Bourke St, which opened two months ago is already doing a roaring trade with thanks to the teams’ refocus on data and analytics to power and […]
Innovation and digital disruption are driving the growth of the As-A-Service economy. This is leading to a new kind of “outsourcing for the masses” – enabling both large and small businesses to acquire services “on demand” as inputs for business operations. This is accompanied by new commercial models that can drive far greater flexibility and […]
At Heal.Thy Self Co. in Melbourne’s Yarraville neighbourhood owners Electra Tomasino and Dylan Davies believe that people thrive when they consume a diet based on whole foods straight from the earth. Her store offers plant-based, free range, organic, ethical and sustainable produce and can cater to almost anyone with wide-dietary requirements. “We’re focused on seasonal produce […]
When we think about the bottom line in business the immediate jump is fiscal performance – how much value do we have in terms of cold hard cash? What sort of reserves do we currently hold; what sort of profit margin do we have in place? Are we in the red, or the black? In […]
If you’re in business, and even if you’re not, you have probably heard of the concept of digital disruption. Digital disruption is a term used to refer to the development of digital technologies over the past decade or so and the way they have impacted and disrupted our lives. For many businesses, digital disruption has […]
Lean techniques are a popular choice for organisations seeking to reduce the use of resources, eliminate waste, work smarter and improve efficiency. In particular, many lean teams enjoy the flexibility and creativity to develop new, smarter ways of doing things. But, if you want a truly lean organisation you need to be able to translate […]
SMEs in the food industry have traditionally turned to free samples, displays and one-off advertisements to entice customers. Now, business owners are turning to Instagram to wet the appetite of foodies all over Australia – and it’s taking them by storm. With 36 per cent of Australian Instagrammers following foodie accounts according to recent Aussies […]
With consumers juggling multiple digital devices, the value in having a digital presence as well as a physical presence has never been greater. Despite this, according to the Sensis e-Business Report 2015, only 17 per cent of SMBs have a digital business strategy. The pressure on SMBs to navigate the digital sphere is building as those […]
