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Nearly US$560 million was invested in Australian startups, last year, a 1.4% increase on 2016; however, the number of investment deals fell 27%, according to a new report from KPMG International. The professional services giant’s latest Venture Pulse, a quarterly report on global venture capital investment, shows that Australian startups closed 17 deals, worth $121.55 […]
The former manager of an Oliver Brown café on the Gold Coast has been fined $27,200 for ripping off overseas workers. Steven Chung was penalised in the Federal Circuit Court after admitting his involvement in the underpayment of 12 employees at the café in Surfers Paradise. Proceedings were brought against Chung by the Fair […]
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 […]
Amazon’s recent Australian launch received a lukewarm reception, with average prices and faster shipping being the only apparent selling points. What you can’t see though is that their competitive advantage is behind-the-scenes of its website. Amazon embraces testing and experimentation, otherwise known as Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). Amazon succeeds where other online retailers fail because […]
There’s a common misconception in the small business world that being your own boss means you sacrifice a healthy work/life balance. While putting in extra hours can be important, particularly in the early stages of your journey, there are certain tricks and systems you can put in place to ensure your business will thrive in […]
Startups that apply to pitch at the forthcoming Salesforce PitchComp in Sydney are in with a chance to win USD$100,000 in funding from the cloud CRM provider’s investment arm. The competition will be held at the Salesforce World Tour Sydney 2018 event on Tuesday, 6 March and will be judged by a panel of respected investors […]
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will be empowered to report a business’s overdue tax debts to credit reporting bureaus under draft legislation released by Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, Kelly O’Dwyer. The legislation, which – together with explanatory material – is now available for public comment, will require a business to “effectively engage” with […]
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 […]
Find out how increased super contributions, as well as other changes, could affect you and your employer in the year to come. Several crucial changes to Australians’ superannuation came into effect from the 1st of July last year. Those who made extra super contributions, couples whose combined income was less than $40,000 and those with […]
Seven companies have become the nation’s first crowd-sourced funding (CSF) intermediaries after receiving Australian Financial Services (AFS) licenses from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Under the CSF framework, which commenced in September 2017, Big Start, Billfolda, Birchal Financial Services, Equitise, Global Funding Partners, IQX Investment Services and On-Market Bookbuilds have been authorised to […]
A new year often gives business owners time to reflect on how to do things better in their organisation. What if the answer was: self-care for the boss (you)? ‘Busy’ is a common state for many business owners, but with great activity comes great responsibility – not just to ensure your staff are well looked […]
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 […]
As anyone who starts a business will tell you, the time and effort required to move from startup to sustainable small business is intense and as a founder you’re always juggling roles and priorities. In this process. you also usually work out where your time is best spent and the need for delegation in order to […]
Despite having only launched in January, last year, Checkbox has already amassed a small fortune of accolades. Notably, the Sydney-based regtech startup was named Regtech of the Year at the Australian FinTech Awards and Best SaaS Startup at StartCon in Sydney. In addition, CEO Evan Wong took out the Westpac Innovation Challenge and StartCon Pitch […]
Technology’s domination of the working world is all but complete. Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics[1] (ABS) revealed the number of people working in the IT industry has soared by 20 per cent in the last five years. And it is no surprise that the local tech industry recently made to the global […]
The Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has called for the Federal Government to improve the financial outlook of SMEs by introducing a loan guarantee scheme and legislating maximum payment times for business-to-business transactions. In its 2018 pre-Budget submission, the IPA – a professional accounting body representing 35,000 accountants, business advisers, academics and students – made […]
Microsoft Excel enjoys global superiority as the go to electronic spreadsheet for financial management and data collation. This status is well deserved as the business application has given in excess of 30 years of admirable and loyal service in helping companies track, forecast, analyse, and manipulate a wide range of business data. Despite its excellent […]
In today’s Australian workplace, employers are increasingly asking workers to do more, with less. This increased demand is ubiquitous and is readily accepted as the norm, so it may be surprising to many business leaders, and their employees, that the pressure to overachieve is creating an epidemic of poor work performance. Across Australian businesses, the […]
RBA data reveals the average interest on small business loans is the lowest it has been since at least 1993, with owners paying $9 billion less than they were six years ago, according to the Australian Bankers’ Association (ABA). Noting that small businesses are a significant driver of the economy, ABA Chief Economist Tony Pearson […]
Consumer habits are changing as the Baby Boomer generation gives way to the Millennials. This latter cohort of customers born between 1976 and 2004 have grown up in a world defined by online consumerism, and they are the generation that has been the focus of most marketing attention. They have distinct spending habits, using their […]
