News

Nine of the top 10 brands in the latest Top 100 Valuable Brands have a strong presence in Australia, elevating the importance of brand building tools.

Newcomer bad debt registry CreditorWatch has secured a lucrative contract with ASIC to make corporate information more accessible and affordable for SMEs with
the launch today of its new product CreditorWatch Express.

Almost 40 per cent of Australian small businesses don’t have a website in today’s digital era.

According to new research released today by Sensis, when it comes to digital marketing, many SMEs are at risk of falling behind their larger competitors.

Technology met fashion at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and editor Jen Bishop went along for a look behind the scenes…

Australian SME business leaders have shown overwhelming dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s proposed tax on carbon.

A survey of 300 SME chiefs, who are members of Australia’s leading executive mentoring organisation, The Executive Connection (TEC), found only 19 per cent supported the tax.

Along with the changes in technology, hospitality and social trends, the business and corporate events industry has experienced huge shifts. With 10 years at the helm, Amy Merriman, Managing Director of event organising firm Event Planet, stops to reflect on the ever-moving world that is events. Amy’s trends to watch: It’s all about you! Events […]

Business owners often find themselves drowning in paperwork and tax time just adds to the burden. There’s always so much to consider including what you’re eligible to claim and ways to maximise your business’ end of year profits.

The finalists in the Best Australian Blogs 2011 Competition have been announced by the Sydney Writers’ Centre. 5 bloggers have made it to the finalists round in the ‘Business’ category of the hotly contested competition. Best Australian Blogs 2011 Competition Coordinator Rose Powell said, “We were very impressed by the quality and quantity of the […]

Adrienne Unkovich of Workforce Guardian blogs about 7-Eleven and the franchise ordered to pay $150,000 in penalties.

“The employer’s conduct was described as a “systematic and significant exploitation of highly vulnerable workers”. And this from a company that is recognised for best practice in business franchising!”

Alicia Beachley of April5 blogs about making the decision to stay small and sticking to it.

“Part of this is the art of saying NO, which as a small business is really hard, and the other critical part of this is knowing what type of business makes your business money.”

Australian employees required to travel overseas with their work will have access to unprecedented levels of protection as a result of a new technology suite launched today by Sydney emergency management firm Dynamiq. The Dynamiq Travel Risk Management (TRM) Suite also gives employers the highest possible legal protection by helping them meet – and exceed – their duty of care to travelling staff.

ON THE COVER: Husband and wife team Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy have made Dinosaur Designs a creative and profitable business. Husband and wife team Stephen Ormandy and Louise Olsen are artists first and business owners second. But over the years they’ve refined Dinosaur Designs so it runs as a creative but profitable and professional […]

The extreme dieters on TV hit The Biggest Loser aren’t the only winners this week with Australia’s fitness industry cashing in on our addiction to the reality TV weight loss phenomenon. According to business information analysts IBISWorld, the Biggest Loser has become an ongoing advertisement for fitness products and services, normalising the use of personal […]

Rick Mapperson blogs about how to keep your business goals in sight amidst the chaos of running your SME.

“For your business to achieve long-term success and growth that outlives external changes, it is necessary for you to regularly check your focus on the bigger picture.”

The owners of small and medium sized businesses are being urged to take a hands-on approach to workplace safety and join their workers on the shop-floor to better understand safety risks. WorkSafe made the call after three leading Victorian CEOs took on the challenge to go undercover to see first hand the reality of workplace […]

The Forum Group has won the prestigious Meetings and Event Association (MEA) National Award for Best Event Management Organisation 2010. The Forum Group is the first winner of the award, introduced by MEA this year. Managing Director Leanne Constantino is honoured that her team have received such recognition. “We are passionate about what we do […]

Australian small businesses are dragging their feet when it comes to taking up new technology, with thousands still not using computers or mobile phones. That’s one of the findings from a comprehensive new tech survey of Australian businesses with 1 to 19 staff by analysts IDC.

Gerald Chait blogs about SBR and what it means for small business.

“An SBR-enabled application translates your information into a language the government agency systems instantly understand and analyse; meaning you get immediate validation and quick responses.”

Arndria Seymour blogs about learning support and skill development in SMEs.

“If you’re not scared yet about this organisational issue, then consider this – about 46% of the Australian population sits in the baby boomer demographic band and about one-third of them will retire within the next 3 – 5 years, yet many organisations have not yet stopped to think about the direct impact of this endogenous problem to their business.”

Welcome to the first installment of Fleur Madden-Topley’s Women in Business blog series. This week Fleur interviews a successful 30-something HR guru and SME owner. Want to know all her secrets? Read on.