What started as a little side business between friends, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, has turned into one of Australia’s favourite fashion stories—sass & bide. When Sarah-Jane Clarke (nicknamed sass) and Heidi Middleton (nicknamed bide) became lifelong friends, the duo could hardly imagine that friendship was going produce one of Australia’s iconic fashion labels—sass & bide. Clarke […]
With receivership and equine influenza marring its past, Magic Millions has had a fair bit to overcome to be a global juggernaut. The Magic Millions thoroughbred auction house started trading in 1980. Then in 1986, the first Magic Millions race was run. “We pioneered the concept that was a sale with a closed race attached,” […]
We all know that lightning never strikes twice. But now, at Lightning Protection International, they’re making sure that even a first strike doesn’t cause damage. Entering this market was not a fluke. When Wayne Temple decided to found Lightning Protection International in 2002, together with a group of colleagues, he had more than two decades […]
This nimble manufacturer sells its video technology from Hollywood to Bollywood—so why hasn’t most of Australia heard of Blackmagic, the export magician? We ask founder and CEO, Grant Petty. Every time a new Blackmagic product comes out, Grant Petty learns to hate it. The process is essential, says Petty, to ensure constant reinvention. “Only by hating […]
Here’s a checklist of inspiration for aspiring exporters. Our collection of 50 favourite export case studies shows that there is no magic ingredient to making it on the world stage, but it certainly helps to get the basics right. Rod Sandison on Sentinel Exporting since: 2000 Key markets: Tanzania, Senegal, Zambia, Mali, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, […]
Stationery is more than just an essential item for offices and school bags. These days, Smiggle is making it a much-desired fashion item. So read on to learn about Smiggle, the small company taking on the stationery big boys with its bright-coloured and funky range. Smiggle – it’s interesting name and gets people wondering about the product behind it. This is […]
Sales experience from those famous steak knife infomercials makes Tim Shaw the perfect candidate for sales and marketing advice for SMEs. Shaw’s Communique Television may seem a long way from the infomercials he’s most remembered for, but he’s still the master of sales who coined the phrase: “But wait, there’s more“. Let’s face it; Shaw’s […]
Heading Pow Wow Events and Rich Dad Australia, alongside chairing the Australian Businesswomen’s Network (ABN), is a breeze for Suzi Dafnis. But it wasn’t always so easy for Dafnis, the serial entrepreneur, who says the road to growing niche businesses is full of steep learning curves. In the early 90s, Suzi Dafnis and partner, Peter […]
Jimmy Possum was started by Margot Spalding and her family in a shed they could barely afford. Now the furniture business turns over $25 million annually. Spalding, winner of the Telstra Business Woman of the Year, tells us what it took to successfully grow Jimmy Possum, while keeping it a local business. Margot Spalding’s approach […]
From lawyer to art director of a famous exhibition; Sculpture by the Sea, David Handley explains what it takes to build an export business where the customers come to the product. Despite his impressive resume, David Handley needed a change. And in his pursuit to export Sculpture by the Sea, he may have invented the […]
