Customer obsession and innovation are “very much on a continuum”, Russ Grandinetti – Amazon’s Senior Vice President, International Consumer – told the audience at Amazon Innovation Day in Sydney, last week. Grandinetti, who was amongst Amazon’s first 2000 hires and sits inside its top 40 employees in terms of tenure, spoke of the need for […]
A parliamentary committee chaired by ex-Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has made six recommendations to the Federal Government to help small businesses compete against overseas, internet-based firms marketing to Australian consumers. In its report into the impact of global, internet-based competition on local businesses, the Innovation, Industry, Science and Resources Committee recommended the creation of a […]
I met with the head of innovation at a large manufacturing company last week. She had requested a meeting to get some help with her company’s innovation program. I began by asking the innovation head about her company’s current approach. She excitedly told me about how her team had recently put in place an online […]
As an entrepreneur with a very niche business, a specific target market and narrowly defined purpose, Sarah Riegelhuth knows all too well how easy it can be to get bored doing the same things each day – particularly once the exciting startup phase is over. Here she looks at how you can grow your business […]
In recent years, disruptive forces have transformed how we think about entire industries. Spotify with music. Uber or Lyft with transport. Netflix with television programmes and films. Technology has changed the way that we think about things that we used to take for granted. Slowly but surely the way in which we think about offices, […]
Opening up a new franchise isn’t a decision that many take lightly, but just because someone has bought into a business, it doesn’t mean they have the knowledge needed to succeed. As franchisors, our success lies largely in the hands of franchisees, so it’s important to consider how we can help our new leaders reach […]
‘You can’t make a profit while you are creating social impact, that would be wrong.’ This was a statement made to me by a Year 11 student taking part in an Entrepreneurial Challenge Week, where the students were challenged to develop a social impact business within 5 days. Taken aback, I asked ‘Why?’. The five girls […]
I largely abandoned paper notebooks a long time ago, despite being someone that has an unhealthy love of stationary shops. I travel a lot, so anything that adds weight to my bad needs to justify its space. Given I take all my notes on Evernote, I felt that bringing a notebook with me was redundant. […]
What are the attributes of an SME that is growing, and how do they differ from a business with static or declining revenue? [Related: SMEs trading banks for fintechs, poll suggests] Twice a year, when more than 1200 owners or leaders of SME businesses are interviewed for our SME Growth Index, one of the first questions […]
NSW businesses can now apply for matched grants of up to $250,000 under the NSW-Israel Research and Development (R&D) Tech Innovation Program. The program which is jointly run by the NSW Government and State of Israel was established to support innovation and strengthen ties between NSW and Israel. According to Minister for Trade & Industry, Niall Blair, interested businesses must apply before […]
