Expert

We’ve all been there. A meeting is scheduled, most people arrive on time, and then nothing happens for ten minutes. Well, to be precise, quite a bit happens, or doesn’t happen, as the case may be. Usually those first ten minutes are lost because the team are trying to find a free meeting space to […]

I’m a firm believer that if you micro-manage or clock watch an employee, you’re setting them up to deliver the bare minimum. I’ve had it done to me. I’ve found myself sitting in front of a disgruntled manager, trying to explain why I was 10 minutes late back from lunch. They were not sympathetic to the […]

In this article, we look at the key take-aways from this year’s Federal Budget for Australia’s small businesses and startups. In addition, readers will discover how dozens of thought leaders responded to this week’s “Let’s Talk…” question, which asked them to weigh-in on the budget – was it a win for businesses, a missed opportunity… […]

Collaborations between startups and corporates can be a fantastic way for the former to build brand credibility and gain scale and for the latter to innovate quickly. Of course, not all collaborations are guaranteed to bear fruit. For this week’s “Let’s Talk…” feature, we asked nearly two dozen thought leaders to identify the key ingredients […]

Starting a business with my wife and sister-in-law has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Contrary to popular belief, working alongside your loved ones can in fact be a very beneficial experience that nurtures both your personal and professional relationships, while also providing the opportunity to grow your business. Aside from […]

It’s no secret that millennials have developed a bad reputation, particularly when it comes to the workplace. Baby Boomers and Gen Xs tend to have a not so complimentary view or the younger generation – but could these millennials have more potential than first meets the eye? [Related: How to transform franchisees into entrepreneurs] Typically […]

With less than three months to financial year end, here’s some big questions to help you prepare before and after 1 July.  If you are wondering, like me, where this calendar year has gone, it may be little surprise to you that we are less than three months away from the end of the financial […]

There is no doubt the big banks remain major players in the SME lending market however, there has been a steady rise in the number of non-bank lenders offering fast and flexible lending options in this space. They are able to move much faster than the traditional banker with their unique ‘fintech’ approach, giving small […]

“Repeat business is both an honour that confirms you’re doing something right, and a reminder to push yourself to keep serving the people who love what you’re doing,” says entrepreneur Kyla Kirkpatrick. Here, she shares her secrets to earning repeat business. It has been 10 years since I started The Champagne Dame and I am […]

Customer obsession and innovation are “very much on a continuum”, Russ Grandinetti – Amazon’s Senior Vice President, International Consumer – told the audience at Amazon Innovation Day in Sydney, last week. Grandinetti, who was amongst Amazon’s first 2000 hires and sits inside its top 40 employees in terms of tenure, spoke of the need for […]

I met with the head of innovation at a large manufacturing company last week. She had requested a meeting to get some help with her company’s innovation program. I began by asking the innovation head about her company’s current approach. She excitedly told me about how her team had recently put in place an online […]

A CEO landed himself in some hot water, this week, due to his participation our latest “Let’s Talk…” feature. When asked by Dynamic Business to name a bad habit startup founders need to break, he sent the following response by email… “I’m currently on holidays and upon arriving at my hotel, I asked my wife, […]

Opening up a new franchise isn’t a decision that many take lightly, but just because someone has bought into a business, it doesn’t mean they have the knowledge needed to succeed. As franchisors, our success lies largely in the hands of franchisees, so it’s important to consider how we can help our new leaders reach […]

Marketing strategies must evolve to appeal to the new ‘buy less, live more’ generation of customers, says Vamp’s Aaron Brooks. The way we discover and shop is constantly evolving. Bombarded with ads, overloaded with information and inundated with options, there has been a shift, particularly in younger generations, to experience more and consume less. The […]

For this week’s “Let’s Talk…” feature, we asked nearly a dozen thought leaders, including startup founders, to discuss how they celebrate success in their businesses. ‘School-style’ awards, wine and cheese afternoons, a whole-of-company trip to Bali, recognition on social media, hot air ballooning and the sounding of a gong were amongst the celebratory traditions named. […]

I think it was my Grandma who taught me that first impressions count and that to be able to influence people (for good) was amongst the biggest achievements in life. There started for me, a lifelong relationship with sales – without knowing of course that she was teaching me principles in selling.  Sales or as it […]

When startup founders first get up and running, they must, of out necessity, be lean and nimble – and that keeps them sharp. As resources become less scarce, it will become more and more challenging for founders and their teams to embody these qualities. In turn, this may lead them to lose sight of what […]

I largely abandoned paper notebooks a long time ago, despite being someone that has an unhealthy love of stationary shops. I travel a lot, so anything that adds weight to my bad needs to justify its space. Given I take all my notes on Evernote, I felt that bringing a notebook with me was redundant. […]

While small business owners often dream about one day scaling up their operations, many struggle to let go of their early stage business responsibilities so they can allocate the time to delivering high value tasks and growing the business.   [Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a 12-part series, by accountant and serial entrepreneur Tanya Titman, […]

Let’s play a game of word association. When I say ‘company culture’… what do you think of? Happy, entrepreneurial employees with meaningful work? Shared values and beliefs? A competitive advantage in terms of recruitment and retention? Table tennis or foosball? Transparent leadership? Perhaps the saying “all talk, no walk” comes to mind… [Related: Why business […]