While small business owners often dream about one day scaling up their operations, many struggle to let go of their early stage business responsibilities so they can allocate the time to delivering high value tasks and growing the business. [Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a 12-part series, by accountant and serial entrepreneur Tanya Titman, […]
Running a small business has many rewards, but it has never been an endeavour for the faint-hearted. One of the most common yet avoidable areas of stress for SME owners is the ability to manage and maintain sufficient cashflow. [Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a 12-part series, by accountant and serial entrepreneur Tanya […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The legendary unicorn, frequently depicted as horse with a horn protruding from its forehead, has captured imaginations since antiquity. In 2013, the term was appropriated by venture capitalist Aileen Lee to refer to a statistical rarity – namely, a startup with a market valuation of at least $1 billion. Since then, the ranks of the […]
Technological advances such as video conferencing and cloud-based file-sharing are enabling businesses to save time and money by virtually engaging with stakeholders such as clients across borders and oceans rather than meeting them in person. This begs the question… have in-person meetings, requiring attendees to travel interstate or abroad, become redundant? We asked 15 business […]
Hiring people to work in your business effectively means entrusting others with fulfilling your vision. Scary thought, right? With this in mind, it’s imperative to find meaningful ways to keep your employees firing on all cylinders with their eyes on the ball. This week, for our exclusive “Let’s Talk…” feature centering on management, we asked […]
At the helm of every great company is a great leader. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson… Home-grown heroes like Melanie Perkins, Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes… All are wildly successful, their praises sung far and wide. However, each runs a business that’s underpinned by their own unique vision. It makes one wonder… what, […]
The first year of a new business is critical, with repeated evidence that around one third of businesses fail during this phase. However, equipped with the right knowledge and education, you can get off to a strong start. Whilst the focal point for the early months should ideally be on rapid income generation, new business […]
