Funding & Finance

In this classic talk, Kawasaki outlines his "10-20-30 Rule" for ensuring that your business presentations are sizzle-fests rather than snore-athons.

This week I've been attempting to work out the value of our company, which means I've been taking the business world's equivalent of a Dark Arts class at Hogwarts.

The Commonwealth Bank is currently running an advertisement that irks me. Beyond all the arty-farty advertiser speak and debate over the campaign’s merits in the industry media, it contains a terminology flaw that sticks out like dogs balls. When the kid says, “Can’t we just promise to fix it?” my hackles go up.

In his first post, The cheque is in the mail, I'll respect you in the morning and your email system will generate a 125% ROI in ten months, Mr 1% Spend explored the idea that Return on Investment (ROI) is a concept manipulated by marketers in order to produce unmissable investment propositions. Here he expands on this topic with an example of this technique and how it will leave you, the customer, completely dissatisfied.

Oodles.com founder Steve Sherlock has been documenting his efforts to raise a multimillion dollar Series A funding round by the end of January 2010. In the fifth instalment of this series, Sherlock has just returned from a trip to London where he gathered advice from several people who’ve been around the investment block a few times.

Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, today officially launched a new research supercomputer facility, located at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, today officially launched a new research supercomputer facility, located at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

ROI is a bunch of numbers invented by the marketing guys and then given substance by creating a scenario to support the desired end result. Most of us know this as spin or, more bluntly, bullshit.

ROI is a bunch of numbers invented by the marketing guys and then given substance by creating a scenario to support the desired end result. Most of us know this as spin or, more bluntly, bullshit.

These three amusing sketches are courtesy of the BAFTA-award-winning comedy sketch program Harry and Paul, featuring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. While clearly lampooning the regular UK Dragons, who won't be familiar to most Australians, there's also much mirth to be found in their portrayal of the shows endless line of absurdly optimistic entrepreneur-pitchers.

These three amusing sketches are courtesy of the BAFTA-award-winning comedy sketch program Harry and Paul, featuring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. While clearly lampooning the regular UK Dragons, who won't be familiar to most Australians, there's also much mirth to be found in their portrayal of the shows endless line of absurdly optimistic entrepreneur-pitchers.

US President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize based not on his accomplishments but to “encourage his vision” is not dissimilar to an entrepreneur trying to raise capital for the first time. Kim Wingerei explains.

US President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize based not on his accomplishments but to “encourage his vision” is not dissimilar to an entrepreneur trying to raise capital for the first time. Kim Wingerei explains.

March is consistently the worst month of the year for company insolvencies. Why? Because businesses don’t plan for the inevitable drop in cashflow over the holiday period. Tim Lea offers some great advice on how to keep all the balls in the air while you and your customers are enjoying the summer break.

Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, has announced the latest round of COMET funding, with 14 projects sharing $985,600.

It is generally thought that a soaring Aussie dollar is terrible for exporters. However, as Austrade's Chief Economist Tim Harcourt reveals, there are two sides to every coin.

My focus this week has been on drawing up the first draft of our Information Memorandum (IM). Unlike the business plan, I haven't found this particularly easy at all.

Firstly, let's clear up some confusion. Commercialisation Australia is not going to pay for your marketing campaign, help you with advertising or fund you to break into your desired market. CA will help you up to the point that you are ready to go commercial. That is, it will help with pre-commercialisation.

The Prosperity Index, dubbed the world’s only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing, ranked Australia in the top 10 for categories including economic fundamentals, democratic institutions, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom, governance and social. However, Australia fell to 15th place for entrepreneurship and innovation (page 26 of the report). Despite recent economic woes, the US and UK took the top two spots in that category.

The tangle of red tape is shortly about to be made much simpler and more seamless as a result of an initiative led by the Australian Treasury called 'Standard Business Reporting', which will be available from 1 July, 2010.