Startup & Entrepreneurship
News, opinions and advice on starting and building companies.
Ari Gold’s business startup advice is on the money
Ari Gold, the fast-talking fictional Hollywood agent in the hit TV show Entourage, may not be known for his sensitivity nor subtlety. But no one would accuse him of being naive when it comes to business.
Ari Gold's business startup advice is on the money
Ari Gold, the fast-talking fictional Hollywood agent in the hit TV show Entourage, may not be known for his sensitivity nor subtlety. But no one would accuse him of being naive when it comes to business.
Are you 'fired' up for the Aussie Apprentice?
The US TV series "The Apprentice", like host Donald Trump himself, is not everybody's cup of tea. But we like it. So, of course, we've been looking forward to the upcoming Australian version of the show. The star is Wizard Home Loans founder Mark Bouris, and occasional Anthill contributor Carmen Parnos is one of the contestants. If you haven't seen it yet, here is Channel 9's promo for The Apprentice Australia, which is expected to premiere later this month.
Are you ‘fired’ up for the Aussie Apprentice?
The US TV series "The Apprentice", like host Donald Trump himself, is not everybody's cup of tea. But we like it. So, of course, we've been looking forward to the upcoming Australian version of the show. The star is Wizard Home Loans founder Mark Bouris, and occasional Anthill contributor Carmen Parnos is one of the contestants. If you haven't seen it yet, here is Channel 9's promo for The Apprentice Australia, which is expected to premiere later this month.
New website helps Australian small businesses understand new employment laws
This week the Australian Federal Government launched Fair Work for Small Business, a free resources website that helps small businesses understand the new Fair Work Act and how it affects their rights when it comes to employing staff.
Glen Riverstone, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
Glen Riverstone is the embodiment of an inventor-turned-entrepreneur. Faced with a personal problem, he invented a device to solve it, commercialised the product and exported to 13 countries around the world - all within the space of eleven months.
We Gen Ys need more dollars and sense (here’s how)
It has become obvious to me over the past few years spent presenting at universities that an understanding of basic financial principles is not taught anywhere throughout the traditional education system. This leaves us Gen Ys, again, with the responsibility of educating ourselves. Or going bankrupt.
‘Throwing the book’ at the legal profession (Part 2)
This series by contributing authors Gene Stark and Jeremy Samuel ponders why law firms aren’t better at marketing themselves. This second instalment explores misconceptions about branding and why law firms tend to play from the same tired corporate playbook.
Unclaimed Nigerian oil money is a safer investment
The next time you get a proposal from a sales rep that quotes your spend as an “investment”, kick ’em in the butt and throw them out of your office. If they can’t pay you the courtesy of telling you the truth by calling it a “spend” or an “expense” or something that smells a lot less like bullshit, then you don’t want to do business with them.
Women entrepreneurs come out in droves for Cool Company nominations
Last year, we were forced to ask the question, 'Where are the female entrepreneurs?' when, according to the nomination form, only 8% of the nominated companies in 2008 were run by women. Of course, our provocatively titled post had our female Anthillians nominate en masse, getting our female contingent up to a more respectable 28%. This year, only one month into the process, nominated companies run by women represent 35% of the total!
Things looking up for Australian businesses
Australian businesses are cautiously optimistic that overall business conditions will improve through the rest of 2009 according to the latest D&B National Business Expectations Survey released today.
Obama’s knife edge: from Messiah to spammer
How frequently can you email someone before you become a spammer? This is a question that has plunged Barak Obama’s spinners into a dive. This is a warning light for businesses, too. Even the mighty can slip if they don’t handle their online marketing with finesse.
Obama's knife edge: from Messiah to spammer
How frequently can you email someone before you become a spammer? This is a question that has plunged Barak Obama’s spinners into a dive. This is a warning light for businesses, too. Even the mighty can slip if they don’t handle their online marketing with finesse.
Campbell King, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
If copycat competitors are badges of honour for entrepreneurs, Campbell King had won three of them within the first six months of operation with his startup, Kegs on Legs.
Is raising capital from your customers a smart move?
While most new technology developers will spend months chasing down angel investors and cold calling VCs, often with the randomness of a headless chook, without too much planning or forethought (much to the potential investor's frustration), sometimes the safest money is already right under their noses. It's called 'strategic capital' or 'smart money' (or a mix of the two).
When seeking investment, preparation is everything
In part four of our series on the capital raising cultures in Australia and the US, San Francisco-based Steve Anderson explores how Australian and New Zealand entrepreneurs can best prepare for securing local investors.
How to get motivated now
This July 2009 lecture to the TED in Oxford, UK sees Daniel Pink explore how the 20th century thinking behind staff and employee motivation...
Small Business Support Line workers trained by beyondblue?
Today, the Australian Federal Minister for Small Business, Dr Craig Emerson, officially launched a free phone service that will provide advice and support for people running and working in small businesses.
Break the rules and win
In this video from the wonderful Academic Earth, Robert Sutton, author of "Weird Ideas that Work", argues that authority has its place, but most businesses succeed when creativity is allowed to flourish.
Peter Henderson, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
Jumping ship to work with a larger, market-leading competitor was a disruptive change. The realisation that his entrepreneurial skills would be best utilised growing their business, rather than his own, did not come naturally for Peter Henderson, one of the few genuine "intrapreneurs" in this year's crop of 30under30.
