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News, opinions and advice on technology development and the state of innovation.

How to WOW a US business conference crowd (advice needed)

Essentially, it all comes down to this: We are going to a trade show to demonstrate our product. What do we need to do to ensure it is a success?

Feature: Employer exploitation of foreign students in Australia is rife

With visiting foreigners comprising up to one-third of all higher education students in New South Wales and Victoria, it’s clear that educating international students is big business in Australia. However, as Matthew da Silva and Mingming Feng report, Australia’s educational institutions have far more appetite for international student tuition than local employers have for hiring these students as legitimate employees, causing young foreigners to reconsider Australia as their educational destination of choice.

Want Anthill to help promote your design innovation?

Are you an industrial designer, a technologist, an inventor, an entrepreneurial product developer - someone with an innovation that you'd like Anthill to help promote?

Diary of an entrepreneur raising capital: Once bitten, twice shy

I realise the aim of this column is to be as open and honest as possible about my experiences raising capital, but at this point I’m eager not to do anything that might jeopardise our chances of success. If you think I’m being a little too prudent then let me tell you a painful story about how I learnt not to count chickens, the hard way...

Why startups don’t need a budget

The first thing you need to do in order to take the amazing idea in your head and turn it into a fully-fledged company is to raise capital, and the first piece of advice you’ll get is to create a business plan and a forecast. If that sounds like an awful lot of hard work, you're right. If you don’t even know where your next pay cheque is coming from, how can you be expected to have foresight years ahead on the performance of a company that exists only in thin air? It also sounds suspiciously like a budget -- something you thought you’d left behind in the corporate world.

Why startups don't need a budget

The first thing you need to do in order to take the amazing idea in your head and turn it into a fully-fledged company is to raise capital, and the first piece of advice you’ll get is to create a business plan and a forecast. If that sounds like an awful lot of hard work, you're right. If you don’t even know where your next pay cheque is coming from, how can you be expected to have foresight years ahead on the performance of a company that exists only in thin air? It also sounds suspiciously like a budget -- something you thought you’d left behind in the corporate world.

The value of entering awards for small business

Every year, whether they are successful or not, entrants in business awards programs sing the praises of just completing the process. Johanna Baker-Dowell reflects of a year of commercial self-discovery.

“Keep your crises small.” Pixar’s Ed Catmull on why successful companies fail (and how...

Why do successful companies fail? Pixar's Ed Catmull addresses this key question through the prism of Pixar's growth from a small, unheard of digital animation company to the powerhouse Disney partner it is today.

"Keep your crises small." Pixar's Ed Catmull on why successful companies fail (and how...

Why do successful companies fail? Pixar's Ed Catmull addresses this key question through the prism of Pixar's growth from a small, unheard of digital animation company to the powerhouse Disney partner it is today.

RunPee: An iPhone app that reveals the optimal bathroom break moments in movies

RunPee provides full-bladdered users with several suggested movie “break” times during which not much happens plot-wise. Users start a timer as the movie starts, get told how long each interlude lasts and can access a full plot rundown of what they miss.

Life after government stimulus: How will the global economies perform in 2010?

Dun & Bradstreet’s 2010 Economic & Risk Outlook Report, released last week, suggests that major emerging markets such as China and India continue to experience rapid economic expansion and both the US and Europe have pulled out of recession.

Why SEO is just sooooo 2009. Is social media the future of internet search?

I used to Google hairdressers, plumbers, cafes. Now I ask my Facebook and Twitter connections who to go to, because a personal recommendation tells me a lot more than someone’s website can. SEO is doomed. In the format we know it, at least.

The 10 best strategic business slides of all time: #3 — Creative Development

In the third 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.

Would your business benefit from a government grant?

During this evening networking event, attendees will learn from successful Australian business builders who have "been there, done that" and employed grant assistance as an instrumental part of their ongoing commercial success.

How to build a business in 7 days for under $500 [Day#1: The Idea]

So you want to start a business but time and money are holding you back? Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin has set himself the challenge of launching a startup in seven days for less than $500. This is his introductory post in the series. The clock has started!

An intriguing short film about numbers. All of them.

Numbers have been at the core of human understanding and evolution since before Pythagoras was geeking out in 6th Century BC Greece. This classy short film captures the essential role numbers play at all levels of life. It was named one of the 50 finalists in the 'Nikon festival: Your Day in 140 seconds' contest.

Can you codify the way innovators think? Simon says, Yes.

In an attempt to determine how great thinkers achieve their great outcomes, British marketing consultant Simon Sinek believes that he has stumbled upon a simple method to codify the way innovators think. He calls it the Golden Circle. In this presentation from TEDx Puget Sound, Sinek shows why it pays to be cynical.

Three-year-old Chinese girl solves Rubik’s cube in 114 seconds

In more than 30 years, I've never managed to solve it (bar the sneaky sticker-removal method). However, this three-year-old Chinese prodigy has mastered the way of the Cube, completing the famous challenge in a staggering 114 seconds! And she even looks a little bored.

Three-year-old Chinese girl solves Rubik's cube in 114 seconds

In more than 30 years, I've never managed to solve it (bar the sneaky sticker-removal method). However, this three-year-old Chinese prodigy has mastered the way of the Cube, completing the famous challenge in a staggering 114 seconds! And she even looks a little bored.

MINI Cooper’s mainstreet marketing campaign thinks INSIDE the box

The team behind this recent Mini Cooper campaign have taken outdoor advertising to a whole new level: They've taken it down a notch. In what could possibly be described as 3D, ground-level advertising (we're open to suggestions), Dutch agency Ubachswisbrun/JWT created this 'visual piece' to demonstrate the compact nature of the MINI. We're always impressed by memorable marketing.
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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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