Rachel White

Surry Hills’ Crown Street is well-known among trendy Sydneysiders as the city’s foremost restaurant strip, something Margaret Rockliff counted on when she opened her now thriving stationary shop there five years ago. The Paper2 owner is sharing how enveloping herself in the local culture kept her niche business alive, even through tough economic times.

Over half of all Australian online consumers are interacting with businesses and brands on Facebook and Twitter, according to new research, again highlighting the importance for SMBs to add these social networks into their marketing mix.

From humble beginnings as a fax salesman, Jamie Vine went on to found Liberty Executive Offices, a serviced office provider that’s focused on delivering high-quality service and is creating some opposition for the “big guys” in the industry.

Ongoing economic uncertainty caused business confidence to fall nearly ten points in February, to 108.9, after six consecutive months of rises to January 2012.

If its success in the US is anything to go by, the sCommerce phenomenon looks set to take hold in the Australian market – and one local beauty venture is at the forefront of this new online shopping experience.