Tag: small business

The awards are open to all NSW companies that are doing business in the international marketplace. Award categories recognise the range of exports from the State and include small business, manufacturing, information and communications technology, services, and agribusiness.

Are you a really, really small business operating out of New South Wales? Specifically: small enough to fit everyone on your payroll inside of your Subaru Liberty, and still leave the front seats unoccupied? If you answered 'yes', then you are one of some 570,000 micro-businesses in NSW, and MicroBiz Week 2011 is your week.

Trying to run the whole business yourself is not only stressful for you, the business owner, but also for the staff, who feel inadequate and unchallenged. But how do you drive revenue and increase sales if you have a very tight budget and you really can’t afford to hire sales staff on a full or part time basis? In short, the business owner must get more creative. Here are seven different strategies any business owner can employ to not only increase sales but also systemise the sale process – and do more in less time.

More small businesses now fall under the national government definition of "small businesses", thanks to laws that came into force on 1 January 2011. This means that countless more entrepreneurs will now need to follow federal rules against unfair dismissal. Are you a small business according to the new definition?

Possibly the least sexy aspect of running your own business, backup and data security are nonetheless fundamental to the operation of any enterprise. Think about it: what would happen if you lost all your files and contacts? Catastrophe, for sure – but this won’t ever happen to you, right?

The Awards commended Australia’s top exporters for their achievements and commitment to success in overseas markets. The three SMEs honoured were Future Fibre Technologies (FFT) of Victoria, Epichem of Western Australia, and Pivot Maritime International of Tasmania. FFT also took home the top prize of Australian Exporter of the Year.

Siimon Reynolds grew The Photon Group from a two-person shop to an ASX-listed enterprise, employing over 6,000 staff, with a value of $500m at its peak, making it the 15th largest marketing group in the world. He speaks with Jack Delosa about how to achieve marketing success, the subject of his recent book, Why People Fail.

What makes for a good strategy to get people chatting and raving about your brand and passing the word on to others? We posed this question to Soup, a marketing agency that works with influential people to spread the word about products and brands. Tracey Coleman, Soup's conversations director, shared this story of a successful cafe in Sydney and what it revealed about word-of-mouth marketing.

Australian franchises and small businesses are increasingly favoured by overseas investors, especially from China, according to a recent report. The study also highlighted the benefits of pursuing Gen Y franchisees.

In this podcast, RMIT professor Kosmas Smyrnios discusses the changing face of the Australian family business. He observes the difficulties business owners are facing and the reasons why younger generations are less inclined to inherit their parents’ firms.

At some point, many small businesses feel stuck – stuck behind a larger competitor with resources that far outstrips their own. All is not lost though because, according to Fiona Mackenzie, these businesses are prime candidates to turn to the Internet which offers a level playing field and where a small one-man band can be bigger than Goliath. Start with thinking small, she tells Anthill.

Confidence in the federal government's polices hit its lowest point since August 2008 in the latest Sensis Business Index quarterly survey. What will the hung Parliament resulting from the election do to that already shaky confidence? The mind boggles.

Confidence in the federal government's polices hit its lowest point since August 2008 in the latest Sensis Business Index quarterly survey. What will the hung Parliament resulting from the election do to that already shaky confidence? The mind boggles.

From a small business perspective, ‘not enough time’ is a dysfunctional belief that creates stress and frustration. You cannot create more time, but you can cut down on activity. The actions that got you to where you are today will not get you to the next level.

Both good and ill sentiments have been shared about Commercialisation Australia since its launch in early 2010. Recently, Adrian Spencer pinpointed six myths about CA. But are we overlooking the benefits of the competitive process by dwelling on the shortcomings? Andrew Weller thinks so. Here, he argues that the point of CA isn’t merely to fund good ideas but to encourage strong business models that withstand the rigours of competition.

Friendly service is the secret weapon for local businesses looking to attract customers away from large retailers and firms, according to a new survey by American Express.

Friendly service is the secret weapon for local businesses looking to attract customers away from large retailers and firms, according to a new survey by American Express.

Small businesses that haven't dived into the vast sea of the World Wide Web have been tossed a life preserver, courtesy of the Australian government. A project called Winning Business Online provides an extensive -- and free -- online classroom that lays out the framework and possibilities of e-business.

Australian small businesses that use social media as part of their online business strategy are more likely to achieve greater revenue returns from their websites than those that don't, according to a new research report launched by Melbourne IT. The results also found mobile applications on the rise and confusion around cloud computing.

A common theme among failed businesses is inadequately managed finances and accounting irregularities. As a business owner it is important to have adequate measures in place to protect your finances and assets. An example highlighting this necessity is the recent case with electrical goods retailer Clive Peeters, where an employee allegedly siphoned $20 million of company funds.