Expert
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 […]
Some years ago, I was advising two of the most impressive entrepreneurs in the country. They had built an amazing national brand and were going from strength to strength in terms of geographic coverage, revenue and customer numbers. But, they were having challenges managing the business now that it was so large. They explained: “We’re […]
Inadequate cash flow has been cited as the cause of two in five business failures in Australia *, lending credence to the age-old saying that ‘cash is king’ (an especially unmerciful one at that). For this week’s “Let’s Talk…” feature, we asked more than a dozen thought leaders to identify the common mistakes startup founders and other […]
To unlock massive growth, business leaders must be comfortable with the idea of not only going global but also – when it makes sense for the company – moving beyond their initial idea and vacating the driver’s seat, according to Dr Jana Matthews, an international expert on entrepreneurial leadership and business growth. [Related: Why small businesses need […]
Press for Progress, the theme of International Women’s Day (8 March) this year, is a call for us all to not be complacent when it comes to taking action to promote gender equality and working towards a more equitable future. [Related: “You can’t be what you can’t see”: addressing gender imbalance in the startup ecosystem] With only […]
Marriage and fatherhood fuelled the desire of Intact Group MD, Scot Pittaway, to ensure his building maintenance services company isn’t the last frontier for women. [Related: Entrepreneur Kate Middleton on rescuing a company in free fall, shaking up the status quo] Pittaway recently took home the Leader in Gender Diversity in Industry Award at the Facility […]
Startup founders in search of the ‘right investor’ mustn’t let themselves be blinded by the cash placed on the table, lest they make a deal with the devil… OKAY, perhaps that’s a little melodramatic, but the underlying point is valid – money alone is no guarantee of a long, fruitful founder/investor relationship. This week, […]
Gender equality seems to be the topic on everyone’s lips – yet despite an increase in awareness and such extensive media coverage, it’s something that many businesses still struggle to achieve. As women in leadership roles of male dominated businesses, what can we do to inspire an internal culture shift? When I first stepped into […]
When people moan about millennials, I occasionally share the sentiment… however, my response is usually “well, who bred em?” rather than “yeah, who’d have them”. I also like to point out that it’s their birthright to be different in order to keep pace with the modern world. Isn’t every generation different to the last? And […]
Industries left, right and centre are being infiltrated by tech-driven startups willing to address prevailing inefficiencies and achieve a superior customer experience. Against this backdrop, many incumbents are realising that unless they ride the wave of disruption, they’ll by swept away with the status quo. This week, for our exclusive “Let’s Talk…” feature examining disruption, […]
Running a small business has many rewards, but it has never been an endeavour for the faint-hearted. One of the most common yet avoidable areas of stress for SME owners is the ability to manage and maintain sufficient cashflow. [Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a 12-part series, by accountant and serial entrepreneur Tanya […]
As consumers increasingly opt for online shopping experiences over in-store, businesses of all sizes can ill afford having a lacklustre ecommerce presence – or worse, none at all. In the Amazon era, that means obscurity, even oblivion. But how can small businesses with limited resources go about establishing an effective ecommerce presence that captivates new […]
Over the last three decades, many aspects of our culture have been influenced by the rapid growth of social media, technology and the ground-breaking vision of entrepreneurs. In this climate, we are more likely to pay attention to personalities rather than scientists, with celebrity and wealth being favoured over wisdom and traditional evidence. Indeed, so […]
Boys Clubs as we once knew them may have changed, but when the heads of major corporations like Uber and 500 Startups continue to be caught out on their own sexual missteps, is accepting this boys club culture as simply ‘evolving’ really enough? Last year, Dynamic Business published an article by Chris Maxwell outlining the […]
“Some first-time startup founders buy into the myth that they will have more time, more freedom and more money… it couldn’t be further from the truth.” For our “Let’s Talk…” feature, this week, we asked 18 thought leaders to discuss the personal sacrifices that first-time founders generally overlook when they’re bitten by the startup bug. An oft-overlooked […]
