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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 […]
All business is a gamble in one form or another. Even though it might not be as much of a crapshoot as a game of roulette, the odds are often against any small business making it beyond its first year. In fact, according to Neil Patel, 90% of start-ups fail. Although his figures are based […]
In closing its latest funding round, Canva has seen its valuation surpass US$1 billion mark, making it the second Australian startup after Atlassian to obtain Unicorn status. [See also: Let’s Talk… Growth (Is there anything wrong with aspiring to be a unicorn?), “We’ve only achieved 1% of what we know is possible,” says CEO of […]
Startup culture is booming in Australia, especially within the millennial marketplace. While creative freedom and drive is the backbone of many startups, it’ll likely take financial backing and investment for a business to reach its greatest success Some big ideas come at a large cost and the stability that a financial backer can supply to […]
Most businesses rely on referral leads or leads who are already in ‘buy-mode’. Those people are just a tiny 3% of your target market. So how do you tap into the other 97% of prospects? Using two tools: a lead generation website and a well-oiled, high converting sales funnel. Most businesses’ websites are just sources of […]
A national accelerator program geared towards indigenous entrepreneurs has helped nine startups become viable commercial enterprises. Run by early stage investment group Investible, the inaugural Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) accelerator saw participating entrepreneurs gain insights and experience from a line-up of startup founders, mentors and investors over eight weeks. In total, entrepreneurs were introduced […]
Splend, Australia’s leading supplier of rental vehicles for the ride sharing drivers, has secured a $7.2 million investment from Element Fleet Management, positioning it realise the next phase of its global expansion plans. In exchange for the strategic investment, Element has secured a 12.5% stake in the two-year-old business, which previously received funding from Investec […]
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has released a cybersecurity guide to educate business operators about the risks and help them prevent cyberattacks. Noting that 60% of small firms that experienced a cyber breach went out of business within the following six months, Ombudsman Kate Carnell said operators couldn’t afford to be complacent […]
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has warned banks not to pass moral judgment on appropriately registered and regulated adults-only businesses. Kate Carnell said she had written to the Australian Bankers Association to express her concern that banks are discriminating against the legitimate adult industry by withdrawing or failing to provide financial services. […]
If you’re a carpenter, you probably work for yourself. If you’re like most carpenters, you do much of your work onsite for a builder. As well as this, you may do small projects for individual customers on the side. Since you work for yourself, you own and are responsible for the most important assets you […]
In the dynamic modern economy, business conditions change overnight and what worked today may not work tomorrow. That’s why it has never been more important for companies to be agile, flexible and willing to implement decisive action when required. However, you can’t achieve that without strong employee engagement. According to Gartner, 70 per cent of […]
Ah, future success so close you can almost touch it. The realisation that your idea could actually become a viable business is electrifying. You’ve crunched the numbers, drawn up a plan, got the ball rolling and may even have secured vital angel funding. You’ve also decided to tackle the world of startup head-on with a […]
Businesses often experience growing pains when their success requires them to expand their workforce. If not managed well, the business can be held back by inefficiencies, costly mistakes, existing employees leaving and clients feeling the stress. However, it is possible to grow in a way that brings your team and clients along for the journey […]
In 2017, we’ve witnessed numerous Customer Experience (CX) failures that have damaged the reputations of some of the largest companies in the world. From long call waiting times after a number of severe outages, to poor customer service ratings, and other critical service failures, there are a number of lessons to be learned if brands […]
Entrepreneurship can be exciting, exhilarating, and if done right, extremely liberating. However, there are so many representations of entrepreneurship in the world that many aspiring business owners get confused about how to succeed when they start out. Here are five ways to set yourself up for success in 2018 that go beyond conventional wisdom: Get […]
Agtech startup FluroSat has secured $1.5 million in funding for its crop health monitoring technology from CSIRO Main Sequence Ventures, AirTree Ventures, and strategic agricultural investors lead by CRDC. In addition to the equity funding, Flurosat has also secured several grants with the help of deep tech startup Cicada Innovations and its Growlab accelerator program. To […]
Better access to international talent. The continued democratisation of tech. More startups with global ambitions. Less innovation ‘tire kicking’ from government. Less tall poppy syndrome. More incentives for investors to back seed-stage ventures. More opportunities for female founders and entrepreneurial university students. These are just some of the things startups would like to see come to […]
Sick of ‘paying out the nose’ for acne treatments that yielded no results, Sydney-based marketer Rebecca Mason resolved to help herself – and other women – escape from behind caked-on makeup and lead more confident lives. She did so by sharing her story, teaming with leading medical professionals and launching Better Skin Better Life. […]
The current interest rate in Australia is 1.5%. It has been that way for 16 months +, as the Australian central bank pursues an accommodative monetary policy to facilitate growth and recovery. Unfortunately, the tough times post global crisis meant that Australian banks and financial institutions were a lot more stringent about who they approved […]
Michaelia Cash’s appointment as Minister for Jobs and Innovation is welcome recognition that the two aspects are “closely linked’, according to StartupAUS CEO Alex McCauley. Noting there have been four Innovation Minister in less than two years, he said it was time for Australia to “get back on the front foot with innovation policy”. [See […]
