Expert
It’s far from a secret that macroeconomic trends can have a major impact on small businesses. Among the trends that typically has the greatest impact on these small enterprises is volatility in the market. When markets become unstable, the results can make or break the small businesses that make up the core of most economies. […]
Hiring people with entrepreneurial spirit. Supporting the open flow of ideas. Celebrating wins in creative ways. Encouraging experimentation while tolerating failure. Promoting competition within teams. Making every employee the ‘CEO’ of something and giving them ‘skin the game’. Role modelling entrepreneurial characteristics and leading with zeal. These are some of the ways in which business […]
Blockchain, cryptocurrencies and e-wallets. Wearables such as Google Glass and fitness trackers. Sharing economy platforms. ConstructionTech. Machine learning and artificial intelligence. Bots, smart home devices and self-driving cars. Virtual and augmented reality. Big Data. Internet-connected fridges and other IoT gadgets. Depending on who you ask, some of these technologies are either ‘hot properties’ or ‘hot […]
Depending on your source, it’s estimated that ‘technical people’ account for around 7% of the global population. That includes everyone from quantum computing experts right through to your brother-in-law’s childhood friend who knows how to mock up a WordPress site. If you’ve got a great idea but you’re in the ‘other’ 93% of the population […]
Business moves fast these days. But if business is quick, social media is Usain Bolt. One little post spirals out of control and within a few hours, you have a full-on brand crisis. Don’t believe me? Just ask H&M. The fashion retailer recently found itself under fire for an ad that featured a black child […]
Did you know that only two per cent of female business owners exceed $1 million in revenue? As a business owner myself, when I found this out recently, I found it absolutely staggering. What that means is that most female entrepreneurs toil away without the big gains. Never really progressing past side hustles, start-ups or […]
Last year, the Weinstein scandal shone a light on the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in Hollywood, with members of the Boys Club brought to task in its wake. More recently, the producers of ‘All the Money in the World’ drew heavy criticism after Mark Wahlberg earned 1500 times more than his co-star Michelle Williams for […]
Automation. Referral programs. Team-wide innovation targets. X-factor recruits. Constant website optimisation. Strategic partnerships with complementary, credibility-enhancing businesses. An experimentation mindset. A responsive product/market fit. These were some of the recommendations yielded by this week’s “Let’s Talk…” feature, which asked a dozen thought leaders, including startup founders, to identify the growth hacks that have helped them […]
In recent years the gender pay gap has become a popular topic of contention, and after a considerable amount of media coverage, it seems that Australian employers have at last started to take action. However, despite their well-intentioned efforts, it is clear to me that very little has actually changed, and evidence suggests that within […]
To beat the odds in small business, the focus for the first year must absolutely be on revenue creation. Without revenue, you have no business. But how much revenue should you be aiming for? Putting together your budget is the ideal time to define your longer-term vision for the business and ask yourself how big […]
Undertake test-and-learn initiatives and dare to take risks. Map out the year’s objectives. Quickly become indispensable to critical business partners. Embrace new technology (or go the way of Kodak). Improve the digital experience for customers. These were just some of the recommendations yielded by our first “Let’s Talk…” feature for 2018, which posed the following question […]
The heated Sydney-Melbourne rivalry has played out over many years, with both cities laying claim to having the nation’s best coffee, culture, standards of living… well, the best of just about everything. But how do Australia’s two largest cities – and, more broadly, NSW and Victoria – stack up against one another in terms of […]
Today’s savvy consumers increasingly demand authenticity from businesses, both in terms what they stand for and how they tell their story. If a business doesn’t align with their values, they’ll find one that does. And if a business talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk, well… consumers will call BS, jeopardising the business’s chances […]
Due to the ‘gigantic profits’ banks derive from processing the ‘lion’s share’ of home loans in Australia, traditional lenders haven’t had a compelling case for servicing small businesses – rejecting around 50% of their loan requests, according to Simon Isaacs, founder and CEO of fintech startup ebroker. “Banks can lend $62.50 for every dollar* of their […]
“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal” – TS Eliot,1920 (“The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism”) TS Eliot’s famous epithet is both witty and profound. It is also wonderfully contrarian. We are taught that we should never steal or plagiarise, that we should find our own path. Yet here is one of the greatest poets of […]
The financial services industry is in the midst of a digital revolution led by fintech startups. These nimble, customer-centric companies are rapidly establishing a new status quo as they hone in on the consumer and business pain points the large incumbents have failed to address. This week, for our exclusive “Let’s talk…” feature looking at […]
The legendary unicorn, frequently depicted as horse with a horn protruding from its forehead, has captured imaginations since antiquity. In 2013, the term was appropriated by venture capitalist Aileen Lee to refer to a statistical rarity – namely, a startup with a market valuation of at least $1 billion. Since then, the ranks of the […]
What does ‘culture’ in a corporate context really mean anyway? We all throw the term around with the assumption there is a common understanding of what it actually means, but I feel in its over use its lost its meaning and worth defining to set the scene. Most people would agree corporate or organisational culture […]
Burnout is one of the few mental disorders recognised by Work Safe Australia as directly caused by too much work; and it contributes to a $20 billion “stress bill” businesses foot each year. Through the ubiquitous smart phone, leaders are always connected to work when at home, and when on leave. In my role as […]
Technological advances such as video conferencing and cloud-based file-sharing are enabling businesses to save time and money by virtually engaging with stakeholders such as clients across borders and oceans rather than meeting them in person. This begs the question… have in-person meetings, requiring attendees to travel interstate or abroad, become redundant? We asked 15 business […]
