Smart 100 2011
Home Smart 100 2011
mPole (SMART 100)
After starting Pole Dancing classes and travelling to Sydney each week, the need for my own Pole took hold, but my landlord at the time did not share this same enthusiasm for installing a pole. This predicament forced me to design and have made a freestanding pole that did no damage to the precious roof.
Brain Wave (SMART 100)
We had all worked in some really brilliant organisations as well as some terribly uninspiring organisations and the one thing we knew was that workplaces that make an effort to understand and love their people are the places we have all loved to work in. Our question was how could we bring this culture of participation and crowdsourcing to life within workplaces.
Washerlizer (Smart 100)
I was a time-starved mother of a newborn baby and a toddler. I was spending nearly an hour a day washing and sterilizing baby bottles. I began researching for an appliance that could meet my needs and found nothing. So, I started sketching some designs and developing the functions of my 'Dream' appliance.
MapWheel (SMART 100)
Russell Bolden of Glenbrook, NSW, had one those light bulb moments after a visitor to his home asked what direction the township of Katoomba was as they looked out over their spectacular view of the Blue Mountains. This was a question he had been asked by others too many times before without ever being able to give a satisfactory answer. The eureka moment was thinking of a direction plaque (as commonly found at lookouts) and then Google Maps and how the two could be brought together.
Blink Mobility Platform (SMART 100)
This innovation initially came to life when it was realised that the popularity and hype surrounding mobile apps was not going to be the answer to an organisation's need to service the entire range of future challenges it will face around 'mobility'. Organisations will need a much more strategic approach (and the tools that support such an approach) to deliver useful mobile tools to a range of different users -- staff, customers and business partners.
DIGIVIZER technology & solutions (SMART 100)
Clinton Larson and Emma Lo Russo, ex-Macquarie Bank colleagues, came together to explore the impact that the social web and changing technology were having on traditional businesses, especially those looking to compete globally. After testing the opportunity, they launched DIGIVIZER in July 2010 -- a solution that finds the digital footprint of people organisations know (their customers) or people they should know (prospects) on the social web.
Flovac Deployable Sewerage System (SMART 100)
A potential client, the British Ministry of Defence, was having problems with the extreme weather conditions in Afghanistan affecting their pump systems and regulatory changes meant that they could not leave their sewage at the site of their camps. We have had 25 years of experience using vacuum technology for sewage networks in Australia and so managed to come up with a way to containerise the system and handle the conditions.
Mozo Rewards Revealer (SMART 100)
We conducted some analysis of the rewards credit card market for our website and discovered that the vast majority of rewards credit cards fail to deliver real value for Australian consumers. We were gobsmacked to learn that some cards even put consumers in the red, charging more in fees than they deliver value in a year. It was time someone made it easy for the average person to compare rewards cards and rewards types, and to expose the sneaky marketing tactics banks and financial institutions have long used to promote ‘rewards’ cards.
White Label Telco (SMART 100)
The innovation came to life when frustrated with wholesaler services, and because there was no support or innovation from their side. While working one hour with our business coach from Action Coach we came up with the concept we have now come to sell. Our service provides a one-stop shop opportunity for anyone to become a Telecoms company without the large capital normally required and without having to source dozens of different providers to supply them.
My Wheels (SMART 100)
When I went to purchase my first car, there were so many things I did not know and did not understand about the process. After a great deal of research and conversing with friends I still made a lot of mistakes. Realising how much research and street know-how is required, I created this iPhone application, which can help at the most important time, when you actually go to look at and purchase a car.
Nanotek Car Cleaning Service (SMART 100)
After six years of success as Ecowash Mobile, we conducted market research into the consumer perception of the brand. We found that consumers were more interested in our technology. As a result of this research, we re-positioned our service and re-branded based on the unique and exclusive liquid nanotechology via which we provide our service. Whilst still having the same environmental credentials, the new Nanotek brand better conveys not only the technology but the unmatched quality of the service.
Young Republic (SMART 100)
We discovered there were no online platforms/marketplaces that empower young or emerging Australian designers to reach their goals. The purpose of this innovation is to empower young and emerging Australian designers.
BuzzMe Beats (SMART 100)
Recognised as a world leader by the ATS program and featured in A Faster Future by Brad Howarth, BigTinCan and BuzzMe Beats have attracted world leading artists like Jessica Simpson, and leading music management guru, and former VP Sony Music Jerry Blair to join the team. BigTinCan believes that the future of music on the smartphone can be compelling, yet simple and easy to use. With a fundamental patent pending on the use of mixed alerting on smartphones, BigTinCan is well placed to globally grow our market.
MYOB Atlas (SMART 100)
In 2009, we decided to find out what was happening inside Australian small businesses that was holding them up from getting online and participating in the digital economy. Our research showed us that for the majority of SMEs, getting a website was all too hard... too technical, too expensive and too time-consuming. We decided to change all that.
321 Water (SMART 100)
It came to life after reading Anita Roddick's book of collected essays, Troubled Water, which amongst other things predicted wars on water in the 21st century. It was not long after, when I was tackling more water-related dilemmas, I determined that the conundrum of bottled water could use a marketer's approach. The notion that in a country where there is perfectly safe tap water available it is ridiculous that we are quenching our thirst with bottled water. My solution: 321 Water.
Smart Energy (SMART 100)
I had the idea that a community-based approach to energy measurement and control could better help people to save energy and money, to share and learn. And so, the Smart Energy Groups project was born.
ARGUS — Electronic Work Diary (SMART 100)
The transport regulators and state road authorities decided that Line Haul Transport Operators must operate their business to a stringent set of complex Fatigue Laws in 2009. These laws fall under a strict Chain of Responsibility (CoR) legislation designed to make heavy vehicle fleets safer. Unfortunately the fatigue laws that have been implemented, although great in theory, are impossible to manage in practice, in manual format as a work diary.
Why wasn’t my business in the SMART 100?
Every year, we receive a handful of requests from disappointed business owners seeking a reason why their innovation didn't make it into the SMART 100. This year, we've decided to take the most efficient and least painful approach and attempt to answer this question by way of blog, by providing four of the most common reasons.
Brainstorm in a Teacup (SMART 100)
I realised that mums attending my networking events were leaving inspired but still didn't have the technical know-how to move forward. However, they also had limited funds to access business support and advice. Brainstorm in a Teacup solved both these problems. Bringing together six biz mums (and myself), the session utilised the skills and experiences of women who were formerly in marketing, sales, IT and more to advise, connect and feedback to one another, all for the price of a coffee and a magazine.
Indie Hub (SMART 100)
We were writing a news article on an indie game developer and noticed that their official website was a total mess. It had very limited pictures and no videos, and provided no effective ways to communicate with its existing and potential customers. Having browsed around in the iTunes marketplace we discovered a similar problem shared by many indie game developers: one- or two-man teams spend all of their energy on making a kick-ass game, and they don’t have the resource to build an awesome website to showcase the game. This inspired us to develop the Indie Hub.