News

Launched in November, last year, Melbourne start-up Vollie is breaking down barriers to tech-savvy millennials engaging in volunteer work. In addition to satisfying the demand for skilled labour from not-for-profits, including charities and social enterprises, co-founder and managing director Matthew Boyd said the online platform is helping professionals progress their careers and companies demonstrate their corporate […]

Temporary workers can serve a vital role for SMEs at various stages in the business lifecycle. They’re a boon for businesses requiring an extra set of hands to cope with busy work periods and for those needing to urgently cover absences due to, for instance, parental, sick or annual leave. They’re especially useful for start-ups looking to get up and running as […]

The survival rate of unincorporated entities has declined since the third quarter of 2015, with the steepest drops experienced during the final three months of the past two calendar years.  These findings are outlined in the latest Small Business Risk Review, conducted by CreditorWatch. The credit reporting bureau reviewed registered payment defaults and trade payment […]

We hear over and over again that businesses need to innovate otherwise they risk being chewed up and spat out by disruptive forces. But creating a company culture where people can be innovative is easier said than done.  I recently sat down to talk about innovation with Xero’s former Managing Director, Chris Ridd. Ridd made an […]

Start-ups that apply for Salesforce’s inaugural PitchComp, which takes place in Sydney next month, are in with a chance to win up to USD$60,000 in funding plus additional business support from the cloud CRM provider. The competition will be held at the Salesforce World Tour Sydney event on Tuesday, 21 March and will be judged by Steve Baxter […]

Entries are now open for the 25th annual Telstra Business Awards, which recognise the achievements and entrepreneurial spirit of small to medium businesses and charities in Australia. Telstra Business Group Managing Director and Awards Ambassador, Paul Tyler said each entrant will receive a comprehensive ‘business health check’, which benchmarks their performance against industry standards and identifies […]

Organisations planning to streamline workflows by using a digital document management system need to ensure staff are consulted throughout the deployment process. Regular communication about the new technology and its impact on jobs will ensure staff embrace rather than resist the changes. Staff consultation Digital document management systems sit at the heart of an organisation’s workflows. […]

Senator Eric Abetz has recommended the federal government return small business to the cabinet and place the portfolio in the hands of Liberals. In an address to the Young Liberal Federal Convention, last weekend, the former minister warned that “too much red tape, too much taxation and oppressive regulations” barred small businesses from fulfilling their […]

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 […]

Are you planning on rebranding your SME this year? Or maybe you’re just looking to give your website a a facelift. Either way, the ever-changing landscape of domain names is rich with opportunities to boost business. Are you keeping up with the latest trends? If not, here are three you should know about. 1. New gTLDs ICANN (that’s the Internet Corporation for […]

There’s no doubt the adoption of cloud computing is increasing. The latest research from Gartner shows the market for cloud services is predicted to surge to $208.6 billion by the end of 2016, up from $178 billion in 2015. In Australia, an estimated 76% of businesses are utilising cloud computing (StollzNow Research), with 46% of non-cloud users planning to engage cloud […]

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 […]

Air quality is a big deal wherever you happen to be, but if you are trying to ensure the safety of your workers, it understandably becomes of paramount importance that you manage to create a safe environment with adequate ventilation. Here is a look at some of the steps you might need to take so […]

A new year inevitably leads to new business goals but what many SME owners don’t realise is that these goals could trigger compulsive behaviours and actually stunt a company’s growth. There are only two types of goals business owners make – objective and subjective – the latter will negatively impact profits and workplace culture. Subjective […]

IBM veteran Steven Worrall has been selected to succeed Pip Marlow as the managing director of Microsoft Australia on 1 January.   Marlow will depart the company after 21 years of service, including six years as its managing director, in late January to join Suncorp in the newly-created position of Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Innovation. […]

Companies can be such well-oiled machines they become just that: machines. Highly programmed to produce work at an exhaustively efficient rate – exhaustive to the staff, not the company, of course. Every employee is just one minor component; helpful to the overall operation but completely replaceable once worn out. These soulless environments can chew you up […]

Businesses are keenly aware that innovation is increasingly necessary for survival, let alone success, but many still struggle with the notion that innovation is not without risk of failure. There is a prevailing belief that failure is a weakness, and this works through all layers of the business: from the board through to management, to […]

Whether you call it the ‘sharing’, ‘gig’, ‘freelance’ or ‘on demand’ economy, the way we work and hire has changed significantly in the past few years. Now, 30% of Australians are undertaking some form of flexible freelance work.  Over in the US, around 35% of the workforce is now considered ‘contingent’, with that number estimated […]

Businesses were promised a ‘paperless office’ as far back as the late 1970s but we are still waiting for that utopia to materialise. In the meantime, many businesses are doing their part to reduce the amount of paper flying around the office. This includes communicating via email wherever possible and reducing the amount of printing […]

Taking advantage of the exponential growth of e-commerce, an increasing number of online-only businesses have emerged over the past several years. While they’re are more common place than ever, a number of myths persist among people seeking to launch a business that exists solely on the internet.  To ensure determined online business hopefuls know what they’re in for and are in a strong position […]