Expert
The Australian game development industry is frustrated. Incredibly so. One of the bodies that represents local companies in the industry, iGEA, recently published an open letter to Senator Mitch Fifield, who, as Minister for Arts, is the chief member of parliament responsible for supporting the games industry. Here’s an except from that letter: “… time […]
You have a dream and create your start-up and work through the night until you almost drop. You think hiring people is really going to help. It starts to feel like a ‘real’ company. Now you have people to delegate to. But then you discover that paradise – as my mother’s favourite saying goes – […]
In decades gone by, businesses sometimes set the trends for society. Fast forward to today where things move so fast that businesses are having to catch up with society. Even though most CEOs would not want to admit it, their organisations probably still look and operate far too much like a system designed for Henry Ford’s […]
We build companies and products faster these days and we have the potential to fail faster – much faster. In fact, the average tenure of a firm in the S&P 500 has shrunk from 61 years in 1958 to only 18 years in 2016. Even amongst the largest and most successful companies, standing still is […]
Incorporating fads such as Pokémon Go into your digital strategy can pay-off; however, it’s important to have a solid foundation of ‘tried and true’ marketing technologies that take you where your consumers are, says Sharon Rowlands, global CEO of ReachLocal. She recently spoke to Dynamic Business about the emerging technologies redefining the way small businesses approach all facets of […]
Your brand is what sells your product. Brand management builds and maintains your brand’s reputation. Do your brand’s name, logo, and personality all reflect the identity you want to portray to consumers? Successful brand management will help to define and position your brand in the market, making you stand out from competitors and attract consumers. […]
Innovation is an underappreciated word in the world of business. Small and medium enterprises are only considered innovators when they bring something new to the market. This parochial appreciation for the meaning of innovation often means SMEs overlook opportunities to innovate. For whilst ‘innovate’ means to introduce something new, it also means to make changes […]
Australia’s small businesses often face a number of hurdles before they can establish successful export operations. Taking a lesson from successful exporter and music education supplier, LearnToPlayMusic.com (LTPM), small businesses exporters should follow these five steps to maximise export success. Identify the market gap LTPM’s founder, Gary Turner, had a vision when he started his […]
It’s not always easy to take up a CEO role. It can be easier if no one liked your predecessor. It can be harder if you’re taking over from the founder and harder still if the founder is still in the business. The nature of the challenge depends somewhat on the stage at which the […]
Cash flow is usually the single greatest challenge that small, growing companies face. Businesses may possess full order books and command plenty of sales but may be starved of liquidity one day to the next, for payroll and payments that come due. While obtaining credit is an option, it isn’t usually easy to come by, […]
I’ve been a business mentor for a while now and yet it never ceases to amaze me how often company’s either ignore or underrate their database. From my own experience, I’m acutely aware of just how important it is for a company to maintain accurate and up-to-date intel on the people in their network. In my opinion, your company’s database […]
Commonly defined as enterprises employing nine or fewer people, “micro-businesses” are big players on the business stage. In 2013, they accounted for 14% of all businesses newly opened in Australia, but only 9% of businesses shutting down[1]. Any new business will face its share of growing pains. When you’re trying to grow your business without […]
The decision to launch a start-up is often justified by statements such as “it was time to do something on my own”, “now was as good a time as any” or “it’s too good an opportunity to pass up”. These statements, while high on enthusiasm, are low on balanced consideration. While all opportunities carry a risk and […]
Personal narratives are as old as time and they continue to command attention – just look at Hollywood’s continued obsession with biopics and the abundance of best-selling biographies on bookstands. Simply put, people love good stories and they need to know what your story is. When people judge the merit of a business’s product or service, they invariably do so in reference […]
“Getting an audience is hard. Sustaining an audience is hard. It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time.” (Bruce Springsteen) Bruce Springsteen, aka The Boss, has been making music now for more than five decades. He’s run a pretty tight ship over that time with his […]
It’s January. Over the break, you discovered that your CEO or senior executives won’t be coming back after the holidays or if they are, they won’t be staying for long – and you’ve been selected to fix up the mess once they’re gone. How should you go about it? It depends on where your predecessor/s went wrong… […]
With holiday season upon us, there’s no better time than now to get stuck into a few books. To see you through Christmas, and leave you ready to take on 2017, I’ve rounded up some of my favourite books. Not all of these books are strictly business-related, but all are instructive in their own way. Without further ado… 1) Connect by John Browne. Drawing from […]
Does your business have a culture in which innovation thrives? Are people challenging the status quo and being encouraged by leaders to take risks in pursuit of innovation? Or is the opposite true, whereby people don’t take time to listen to new ideas and suggestions? Building a culture of innovation is hard work. However, the […]
Being agile in business today means you’re flexible, fast and adaptable. While agility has been a necessity in the fast-moving world of software development for some time, creating a structure that allows for rapid innovation is good for any business, regardless of the industry or functional area in which they operate. So how does an agile approach […]
Like any leader overseeing a large geographic region, I have often found myself meeting with partners in Sydney, attending a customer event in Auckland and joining an analyst briefing in Singapore – all in the same week. Unlike in the past, I have been able to meet these commitments without even having to board a […]
