Contributor

Whether you are moving into your first business tenancy or your fifth, common mistakes are often made by even the most savvy business owners. Fear not, some key actions now can save you a lot of time and money over your tenancy. Here are three mistakes made by commercial tenants (and how to avoid them). Fear not, some key actions now can save you a lot of time and money over your tenancy.

Customers prefer to browse FAQ pages online, rather than encounter in-your-face sales representatives. When needed, they quickly email enquiries or call a customer service representative. It’s predicted that field sales force teams will no longer be required in the near future. With their days numbered, why are so many industries still insisting on hiring a strong sales force?

The key to successful, dedicated offshore staffing is effective communication. When hiring local staff, would you turn them loose on their first day with little supervision, training and support? I would expect you’d have some sort of induction program in place. The same rules apply to offshore staffing.

Here’s a factoid to wow your brains: in 2010, 36% of all smartphone users browsed the internet on their mobile. Note: this stat is over 12 months old. Recent figures suggest the mobile browsing is now as high as 70%. According to Gartner research, by 2013 more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online.

How great of a challenge do Australian entrepreneurs face in trying to set up their own businesses? You won't want to miss this special edition podcast, featuring eight (count 'em, eight!) influential investors and start-up specialists and their insights on promoting a healthy venture capital industry in Australia.

You may be aware that I advocate the motto “everybody lives by selling something”. Whether you’re in sales or not you’re selling something of value, your services, skills, ideas or advice. Therefore, in sales, you don’t need to look far to get inspiration and tips for selling. If you see there is an industry or individual that is doing something great and becoming successful have a closer look at what they’re actually doing.

If you’re set to start an online business, your website will become your brand’s bread and butter. Therefore, having the right e-commerce solution is crucial.

This podcast features a chat with Rick Hooper, CEO of Barefoot Power, a highly lauded Australian company that distributes clean and renewable energy products, including solar panels and LEDs, in underdeveloped communities in Africa and Asia. Here, Hooper talks about the business model that defines Barefoot Power and his efforts to expand the company's outreach.

Entrepreneurs' and small business owners' access to offshore contractors and staff is, I believe, one of the most significant game changers in the last 30 or 40 years. The internet has opened markets and modified business processes for SMEs. With fast broadband internet connection now easily accessible in many corners of the world, the opportunity to access offshore virtual staff drives benefits to a whole new level.

The outlook for 2011 holiday sales appears to be tepid amid consumers concern over the state of the economy, so savvy retailers are taking matters into their own hands by attracting new customers, generating repeat business, and improving campaign analytics with easy-to-execute mobile marketing programs.

As 2011 draws to a close, end of year festivities are coming into full swing and Australian businesses are celebrating a year of success. Despite the current economic conditions, Australian businesses have performed well overall in 2011, with the economy growing 1.8 per cent despite natural disasters such as the Queensland floods. Meanwhile, the OECD is also predicting strong relative growth for our economy through 2012 and 2013.

Phil Staub is the Executive Chairman of General Pants, one of Australia's largest fashion brands. As a successful entrepreneur, he explains why good customer service controls the retail game.

ICANN, the body that oversees the domain name system around the world, announced some time ago an ambitious expansion of its generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) system. However, the initial application fee for a new gTLD is US$185,000 and there are numerous stringent requirements to be met. So, what is a top level domain and what are the rules?

A professional salesperson genuinely listens to customers, asks questions and works to meet their needs. They understand the “bigger picture” and the business environment and where both business and customer fit into the equation.

If you thought equipment leasing was just for computers, server systems or high tech IT equipment – think again. For many start-ups and small business owners, signing up to lease technology is a great way to get their businesses off the ground. Leasing a computer meant you could spread out the cost of the equipment over a longer period of time and you could conserve your precious capital for other uses as marketing or getting the word out.

To learn more and to be our best is often put on the back burner. It’s called continuous learning. It is what will set us apart in business. So, how do we learn more? Here are five tips to make continuous learning part of everything you do.

What can’t be denied is the film's assertion that the business world is now the domain of Gen-Y entrepreneurs, who have the smarts and creativity to bring their billion-dollar ideas to life. Spurred on by the success of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, young men such as Zuckerberg have created successful businesses all through the typing of code on a computer screen.

Be keen enough to identify your social media viewers and to know where they spend most of their time online. Understand their likes and dislikes, what topic and information spur their great interest and participation. Be active in catering your social media viewers’ wants and needs. Provide useful contents for them to keep coming back for more.

In this podcast, Adrian Christie of PayPal Australia talks to Leon and Garry about the exponential rise of online shopping in Australia. With growth rates as high as 400% in the past year, Christie presents his analysis of how thousands of businesses, large and small, are adjusting their retail operations to meet this growing trend.

Many of our young entrepreneurs in Australia glean their understanding of business, market and investment from vicarious or direct experience of Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley. However, Australia is not the USA. Our culture, business environment, market structure and consumer behaviour are all quite different. Assuredly there are similarities but, in thirty years of doing business in all these markets and many others, I have learned that it is the differences rather than the similarities which underpin the biggest opportunities.