James Harkness
Not just a nice-to-have: Girl Geek Academy’s CEO on why more women in Stem is good for society
The long-term solution to women being underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lies in fostering gender equality in the classroom, according to Sarah Moran, co-founder and CEO of social impact business Girl Geek Academy. The Melbourne-based marketer, unapologetic geek and “Let’s Talk…” contributor spoke to Dynamic Business about the barriers women face […]
Five Branding Mistakes to Avoid
Most people don’t really understand branding. They think that they know what it is; they know that it can help a business, yet they are unsure of exactly what to do and how to do it. People underestimate the power of branding, however if I ask you for the first brands that pop into mind […]
To win over customers, embrace technology that puts them at the heart of your business
The world is in midst of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’, an era characterised by an avalanche of digital innovations changing what customers expect from businesses. In the realm of small business, operators are having to embrace technologies like the cloud, social, mobile, and artificial intelligence (AI) to find, win and retain today’s consumers –more connected […]
Meet the designer duo combatting cultural cringe with their ‘no BS’ stock photo library
When local companies rely on imported imagery to speak to “the world’s best BS detectors” (i.e. Australian consumers) they risk eroding their brand loyalty and support, warn the designers behind stock photography startup Austockphoto. Co-founded by Claire Bonnor and Kassandra Hunt, the entrepreneurial duo behind Sydney-based design agency Boheem, Austockphoto is a stock photography library […]
Athena raises $15m in Series A funding to disrupt the $1.7 trillion home loan market
Fintech startup Athena Home Loans has raised $15 million in Series A funding from Macquarie Bank, Square Peg Capital and Apex Capital for its cloud-native digital mortgage platform. Athena, which previously raised $3 million in seed funding from Macquarie, Apex and Rice Warner, was launched in June 2017 by ex-bankers Nathan Walsh (CEO) and Michael […]
Let’s Talk: The Federal Budget
In this article, we look at the key take-aways from this year’s Federal Budget for Australia’s small businesses and startups. In addition, readers will discover how dozens of thought leaders responded to this week’s “Let’s Talk…” question, which asked them to weigh-in on the budget – was it a win for businesses, a missed opportunity… […]
Federal Budget: startup wish list, part three
Ahead of tonight’s Federal Budget announcement, startups have urged the Turnbull Government to facilitate better access to finance for small businesses, extend the instant asset tax write-off scheme, better support startups with global ambitions, implement sharing economy regulations, expand the R&D tax incentive and incentivise early stage investments. Beau Bertoli (Prospa), Tim Bos (ShareRing), Mike […]
Is your business the victim of cryptojacking?
Cryptojacking – where cybercriminals hijack CPU power and electricity from unsuspecting computer users to mine cryptocurrencies – can cripple a company’s network, increasing their costs and reducing productivity, warns Fernando Serto, Head of Security Technology and Strategy at Akamai Technologies (APAC). “The idea behind crypto mining on end user devices was originally conceived as a […]
Australia’s Outstanding LGBTI Leaders revealed
Deloitte and Google Australia have released their Outstanding 50 LGBTI Leaders list for 2018 to promote workplace inclusion and role models for LGBTI workers. The 2018 list comprises public figures across the corporate and public sectors, politicians, government officials, and business people from small, medium and large companies. There are 24 women and 26 men on […]
Federal Budget: startup wish list, part two
Ahead of the 2018-19 Federal Budget, which will be released on Tuesday (8 May), Dynamic Business spoke to a cohort of business leaders about the measures they hope to see from the Turnbull Government. In this article, the second in a two-parter, Julius Wei (BMYG), James Lynch (CastleCoin), Michael Jankie (PoweredLocal), Trevor Townsend (Startup BootCamp), […]
Federal Budget: startup wish list, part one
Ahead of the release of the 2018-19 Federal Budget on Tuesday (8 May), Dynamic Business spoke to a cohort of startup advocates about the measures they hope to see from the Turnbull Government. In this article, the first in a two-part series, Sarah Moran (Girl Geek Academy), Beau Leese (Intersective), Mick Spencer (ONTHEGO), Bridget Loudon […]
Just the Tonik: How this father-daughter duo went global with their supplements brand
Combining their expertise in marketing and pharmaceuticals, Queensland father/daughter duo Glenn and Pip Summerville have wasted no time in taking to the global stage with their natural elixir company. In the space of 18 months, Tonik has achieved 250% sales growth and successfully courted international stockists such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop. Pip Summerville, who […]
Bookwell secures funding from Catch Group to scale beauty and wellness booking platform
Beauty and wellness booking platform Bookwell has completed a $1.25 million funding round led by Gabby and Hezi Leibovich, founders of homegrown ecommerce pioneer Catch Group, with a contribution from Jeremy Same and Adam Schwab, founders of Luxury Escapes. [Related: EatNow founders have raised $2.6m to launch “Menulog for beauty and wellness” Bookwell] The brainchild of […]
Budget: MYOB wants govt to ‘draw a line in the sand’ with the $20k instant asset tax write off
The permanent continuation of the $20,000 instant asset tax write-off scheme for businesses with up to $10million in annual revenue tops the Federal Budget wish list of Australia’s SMEs, according to research undertaken by MYOB. Originally set to conclude after 30 June 2017, the scheme was extended until 30 June 2018 by the 2017/18 Federal […]
The break small businesses deserve
Obtaining finance can be challenging for any business but it is an acute difficulty for micro and small businesses in their start-up phase. Having the Best Business Idea in the World won’t necessarily be enough to convince sceptical, risk-averse banks to approve a loan, especially if the business owner doesn’t have a proven track record […]
Let’s Talk: Startup/corporate collaborations
Collaborations between startups and corporates can be a fantastic way for the former to build brand credibility and gain scale and for the latter to innovate quickly. Of course, not all collaborations are guaranteed to bear fruit. For this week’s “Let’s Talk…” feature, we asked nearly two dozen thought leaders to identify the key ingredients […]
Rapidly growing digital marketing agency named IT king by small business community
Melbourne-based digital marketing agency King Kong has been named Australia’s Best IT Small Business at the 2018 Small Business Champions Awards, besting 16 other finalists. King Kong founder and CEO Sabri Suby described the award as another huge win for his four year-old company, which just six months ago was crowned Australia’s fastest-growing digital […]
New tech tool streamlines the trademark application process for small businesses
An online tool designed to make it easier for small businesses to apply for a trademark and secure a brand name has been launched by the Australian Government agency responsible for administering IP rights and legislation. Trade Mark Assist, unveiled today by IP Australia, helps users to: check whether their proposed trade mark complies with […]
Why founders who claim their ideas are unique worry the showrunners of Techstars Adelaide
Geographical isolation sharpens Australia’s tech entrepreneurs, giving them an advantage over their counterparts in Silicon Valley, according to Terry Gold, Managing Director of Techstars Adelaide. He and fellow US-expat Chris Chang, Program Manager with Techstars Adelaide, spoke with Dynamic Business about the global entrepreneur network, why “unique ideas” raise a red flag for them and […]
How Orange Sky is scaling its technology to reconnect communities across Australia
The challenges SMBs inevitably encounter as they outgrow their original technological infrastructure can become compounded if they’re experiencing rapid expansion and find themselves overseeing a national workforce. Social entrepreneurs Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, named the 2016 young Australians of the year, know this all too well. Editor's note: Just as Cisco Start is helping their […]
Holographics startup amongst participants selected for CEA’s creative tech accelerator
Ten creative tech companies spanning verticals including robotics, fashion tech, AR, VR and music tech have been selected by Queensland University of Technology’s startup hub Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA) to participate in its 2018 Collider Accelerator. [Related: Winning Creative3 Pitch helped Darren Tonkin’s photo sharing app ‘cut through all the noise’, How Virgin StartUp’s UK accelerator […]
Paper identifies ways to simplify the workplace relations system for the small business sector
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has released a position paper identifying ways to reduce the complexity of the workplace relations system for small businesses. “We have had significant consultations with small businesses over the last two years and the overwhelming view is the legislation is far too complicated for the […]
Most lucrative small business sectors revealed
Sole traders and micro businesses operating in Australia’s tried and tested’ trades-based industries are enjoying the most growth and the greatest financial returns, according to data released by fintech startup Invoice2go. The Most Lucrative Industries for Australia’s Small Businesses list was compiled by aggregating annual invoicing activity of more than 23,000 Invoice2go mobile app users. […]
How SelfWealth’s MD got his startup IPO-ready
Startups contemplating an IPO must have all their ducks in a row and be willing to get their hands dirty, says Andrew Ward, founder and managing director of recently-listed fintech company SelfWealth. Launched in 2012, the online, cloud-based share trading platform offers investors flat fee brokerage, regardless of the trade size, as well as access […]