A career in the steel fabrication industry may not be every businesswoman’s ideal job, but Rebecca Spicer talks to an entrepreneur who met the challenge head-on, using gender to her advantage. Maria Mavrikos didn’t name her business Structural Challenge by accident. Since the age of 18 she’s worked in the structural steel fabrication industry and, […]
Why has Australia been ignoring an export market with huge potential? Joe Parkes reports on what it takes to do business with Israel, looking at established agreements and emerging partnerships. A new drive by small and medium size exporters is beginning to impact on one of Australia’s curious trading anomalies: our relatively modest export sales […]
Marketing your product or service internationally can be very different to the strategy you use locally. Rebecca Spicer explores traditional methods, some new technology-driven options, and the research and planning needed to assess a market before taking the plunge. The world isn’t getting smaller, in fact it’s getting bigger every day in terms of potential […]
Whether this is your first export venture or your 21st, the steps to success are the same. By now you should have analysed your readiness to export and have done some market research. Now it’s time to explore your competitive advantages and set your export objectives. Increasing your export market advantage comes down to the […]
Mark Potter had a simple plan to open a cheese factory – While that’s still on the agenda, along the way he’s established a thriving cafe, picked up some glittering prizes and has developed an even more successful project helping people to sample the finer things in life in one of Australia’s best wine districts […]
In these times of constant change, kiosks are not ushering in a self-service trend in retailing but opening the floodgates. Cameron Bayley looks at what kiosks are offering sellers and buyers now, and where this might lead. For many, choosing wine comes down to price and whether the label has any of those nice shiny […]
Hannah Tattersall brings together all the latest mobile technology for start-ups. 1) Mobile Messenger If you’re looking for PDA technology, HP’s iPAQ hw6515 mobile messenger is sleek and compact with phone, data, email and internet facilities allowing you to take your office with you on the go. As an added bonus, it comes with Sensis’ […]
While much media space is given to the plight of the busy working mum, Phillip Gould suggests that when it comes to broadening work-life balance opportunities in the workplace, men are often left to fend for themselves. Over the past decade business leaders have focused on a variety of approaches to enhance business and individual […]
The New Year offers opportunities to up the ante in that only constant in our lives: change – What will we change, to improve our business as well as life in general? We surveyed some of Australia’s top business minds to get their resolutions for 2006. In a world torn by strife, terrorism, floods, economic and […]
Despite media focus on doom and gloom, and the very real problems of drought, tough competition, and economic pressures, Rebecca Spicer finds Australian agribusiness is one the most innovative and robust industries in the country. And, in various ways, it is gearing up to tackle both new challenges and perennial problems with new methods. Agriculture […]
