In any retail market independent retailers must compete with mass merchants to get their piece of the pie. And while it’s often customer service that gives them a point of difference, finding and capturing a niche can keep them a step ahead. Rebecca Spicer explores some successful niche outlets to find out what gives them […]
Our techno culture hasn’t yet eradicated the need for human contact. Growing your people network may be the key to that next big contract. Imagine: you bump into your next-door neighbour one day and start chatting about your day job. You comment on how your plumbing business has been a bit slow lately, while your […]
The rapidly growing demand for naturally grown and uncontaminated food is pushing agriculture and retail industries to think bigger and to develop mutually beneficial business. Camille Howard talks to growers, sellers, and analysts to find out how things are, and where the business of organics is heading. No longer associated as the sole domain of […]
In our youth-obsessed culture, we tend to write off the elderly and even the middle-aged as having little or limited economic and workforce value. This waste, of people and business opportunities, needs urgent attention. While the economy is booming, the government is sending a clear message to employers—beware of skill shortages. This issue is particularly […]
Behind the glamour and beyond the catwalk, Wayne Cooper’s fashion empire is built on savvy business skills, passionate ideas, and an instinct for knowing what customers want a year or more before they know they want it. By Camille Howard His mates had him pegged as a trendsetter from an early age. And apart from […]
On New Years Day, while many of us were recovering from the night before, doors of opportunity were opening for small business all over the country. Tim Harcourt looks at how free trade opportunities will benefit Australian exporters. On January 1 this year, the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) came into effect. AUSFTA has […]
The internet is becoming increasingly important to small business. You need to protect your domain name and be certain, before you open up for cyber business, that you’re entitled to use it. Australian businesses are moving into the change and technology-driven world of e-commerce and the internet. According to the latest Sensis e-Business Report, around […]
Craig Reardon takes a look at internet applications that are changing the way we do business and the emerging advantages for SMEs. Now that the dust has settled on the dot-com crash of 2000, business operators can get a realistic idea of which internet tools and technologies offer tangible benefits for their business. Since the […]
With a finger on the pulse of a wireless and mobile world, Helen Bradley takes a look at what’s hot on the information technology horizon. Since Maxwell Smart first flashed his low-on-optional-features and somewhat clumsy shoe phone, we have been promised technological advances that would turn the extraordinary into the commonplace. In part, technology has […]
