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Would you like to be CEO of Commercialisation Australia?

Our 'secret-squirrels' have revealed to Anthill that the seven board positions, appointed to analyse and approve Commercialisation Australia funding applications, have been filled and that an announcement is imminent. No-one knows who will be among this 'magnicifent seven' other than those appointed or involved in the decision. In fact, it is a complete mystery to external observers how these important functionaries were selected. Was there some sort of process behind closed doors? Were they vetted? Were the decisions political? Or vaguely political, chosen in the same fashion as a US High Court Judge, to perform the role yet still be 'on-side' with the powers that be?

Create a marketing campaign in 60 seconds

The complex and expensive world of professional marketing is an outsourced expertise that is mostly out of bounds to startups and SMEs. While many resources are available to the small business owner, it can also often come down to having the time to research and follow up on new ideas. This is where a novel product from Australian-based marketing company ChildsPlay Marketing can come in handy.

A goal-setting technique that works

How many of us have set goals or made New Year's resolutions only to find ourselves quickly going back to old habits, reneging on our promises to ourselves or just plain giving up? I know I have! Until I came up with this process that really worked for me.

LinkedIn helps Irish startup raise over $250,000 in 8 days

Limerick-based software startup Goshido recently completed its first round of private fundraising in only eight days. What is more impressive is that it accomplished this feat solely via the social media networking site LinkedIn.

How to supercharge employees: Just ask them to buy the company, like Bam Creative...

Late last year, Miles Burke, the founder of Perth-based Bam Creative, engineered a coup d’état within his own business. He invited all the company’s employees to become shareholders. Bam started the new year with everyone buzzing around the office, genuinely working for the collective good rather than selfish individual ends. Here’s Burke’s account of how (and why) it happened.

Nike's 'No excuses' ad will get you moving

This compelling 'No Excuses' Nike promo -- featuring Wheelchair Basketball Player Matt Scott -- is about dodging exercise workouts, but the spirit is just as relevant for business. As Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin's recent series Build a startup in seven days and under $500 reveals, the best way to overcome uncertainty and doubt is to get stuck in. Or, as Nike would say, Just Do It.

Nike’s ‘No excuses’ ad will get you moving

This compelling 'No Excuses' Nike promo -- featuring Wheelchair Basketball Player Matt Scott -- is about dodging exercise workouts, but the spirit is just as relevant for business. As Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin's recent series Build a startup in seven days and under $500 reveals, the best way to overcome uncertainty and doubt is to get stuck in. Or, as Nike would say, Just Do It.

Six things you should know before meeting with a US venture capitalist

There are many reasons to seek funding in the US, and not all of them involve preparation for entry into the American market. Solar-Gem CEO Khimji Vaghjiani, winner of last month’s Australian Innovation Shoot Out in California, presents a checklist all international entrepreneurs should consider before sitting down with US venture capitalists.

Free ASX know-how forum to help small caps grow with IPO

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) announced today that it will be staging a free IPO workshop, on 16 February, for small cap companies (companies with a market capitalisation of between $300 million and $2 billion) interested in growing their business through public listing.

NSW launches scheme to help SMEs with funding and research access

Of note to NSW SMEs and public sector research organisations (PSRO) is the launch last week of the NSW government's TechVouchers scheme, a pilot...

Q&A: Renai LeMay on going solo and launching a news service

Some weeks ago, Sydney-based tech reporter Renai LeMay tweeted his plans to leave ZDNet Australia. He then told us, on the day after Australia Day, that he had launched Delimiter, a technology news wire service in direct competition with the AAP. A week on from launch, Matthew da Silva chatted with LeMay about why he did it and how it’s going.

Q&A: Renai LeMay on going solo and launching a news service

Some weeks ago, Sydney-based tech reporter Renai LeMay tweeted his plans to leave ZDNet Australia. He then told us, on the day after Australia Day, that he had launched Delimiter, a technology news wire service in direct competition with the AAP. A week on from launch, Matthew da Silva chatted with LeMay about why he did it and how it’s going.

Diary of an entrepreneur raising capital: The 'Claytons' Stock Market

When I embarked on my current search for new funding, I thought I was familiar with most of the likely sources: friends (relatives and fools), angels, angels with teeth - Venture Capital (VC), strategic investors (the Holy Grail), an IPO or Lotto. But it turned out there was one I wasn’t aware of...

Diary of an entrepreneur raising capital: The ‘Claytons’ Stock Market

When I embarked on my current search for new funding, I thought I was familiar with most of the likely sources: friends (relatives and fools), angels, angels with teeth - Venture Capital (VC), strategic investors (the Holy Grail), an IPO or Lotto. But it turned out there was one I wasn’t aware of...

Have you ever sacked a client?

Having just terminated a relationship with a client, David Moore considers the flawed client service model that sees the provider living on eggshells.

Entrepreneurial success: Why a clear objective can make us narrow minded

I think it is safe to say that most entrepreneurs are pretty motivated people. To risk everything to create something new, you have to have a fairly clear idea of what you want to achieve.

Can Australia really claim to be a nation of innovators?

Is innovation a driver of economic development down-under? The simple answer is, yes. But is it a core driver – part of our national psyche, supported by government policy? I personally don’t think that it is. I’m not so sure that ‘necessity’ is a part of life for most Australians. I don’t think that the ‘tyranny of distance’ still forces us to work smarter, not harder. In fact, the only cultural description I believe worth citing as part of this innovation debate is Australia’s reputation as a ‘lucky country’.

The 10 best strategic business slides of all time: #6 — Competition

In the sixth post in this series, Nigel Malone shares the contents of another of his favourite business keynote slides, drawn from a cross-section of sources that includes some of the great business, brand and military planners of all time.

TechCrunch gets hacked. How the hunter became the hunted.

It’s not often that today’s technology media inspires thoughts of William Shakespeare. However, it’s likely that The Bard, had he lived in the 21st Century, would draw great inspiration from the brief and turbulent history of one of the world’s premier tech blogs, TechCrunch, and its founder Michael Arrington.

‘Bean-talk’ — a golden egg for small business

Running a small business inevitably means becoming a jack of all trades, most notably of which is ‘doing the books’. This in turn requires getting to grips with tricky accounting packages, an understanding of spreadsheets and becoming conversant with accounting jargon. The result is waving goodbye to your evenings, weekends and regular sleep.
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New Zealand’s Xero eyes US IPO, further disruption as subscribers increase...

Xero recently held its annual meeting in Wellington, during which the company revealed some interesting details about its future. As has been widely suspected, the...

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