Articles

Home Articles Page 3
Business news, features for entrepreneurs and small business, comment, resources and reviews | Articles

How one new daily deal sports site is catching on in Australia

The motivation behind Australian daily deal website Sports Grab is so simple, even obvious: "Australians love all things sport, right?" That bit of common knowledge was just inspirational enough to prompt two Melbourne entrepreneurs to start the discount sporting goods site in August 2011.

Online marketing: Easier with MailChimp integration, and affordable

The year-old U.S. startup, has focused on providing an intelligent dashboard service for small businesses that don’t have the financial resources for expensive software, or the time to analyse online marketing campaigns. Its advisor, especially for the Australian market, is our own James Tuckerman, Anthill’s publisher.

Maths with Springbird maker set for vault into Chile startup program

The Melbourne firm will join 100 other startups from 36 countries and receive $40,000 in equity-free seed capital. Truong tells us Broccol-e-games was picked for the Start-Up Chile program from an application pool of 1,509 startups, and is the only Australian one selected.

How one Sydney man plans to file world’s toughest tax return

The Tough Mudder competition is "Probably the toughest event on the planet". It consists of a 20km trail fraught with a whole slew of obstacles such as the Artic Enema, Electroshock Therapy, and all sorts of nasty, cold military-inspired events. As you can tell, all of these events are considerably more tolerable while not doing your taxes. But not for one man. One crazy man.

5 tips that will change your customer service into a memorable experience

When researching to start up Bubbler Deals I saw a clear need for a customer service focused deal site. Pretty much everyone I spoke to told me of a bad experience they had purchasing from a deal site. The industry was fast losing the trust and respect of their members – their reason for being.

Read this, before you speak to any Investor about your startup online business

There is basic information an investor will want to see before they become interested in you and, your online venture. But basically, it’s all about returning tons of money to the investor. It's never about making you a multi-millionaire. If you can answer the following questions honestly, then, you're ready to speak to potential investors.

Are you a winner or a loser?

The wise words of Rosabeth Moss Kanter ring true for every entrepreneur: Everything can look like a failure in the middle. But winners must lose some of the time. How do you know if you, or your company, is a winner or a loser?

How to craft an effective (and affordable) video for your business

Getting your business or product visible is now more affordable than in the past. Think beyond TV and website banners. With YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook etc., consumers are now happy to watch video online and on social media, so take advantage of these distribution channels. Distribution also is more affordable now with viral marketing a bonus possibility.

Five ventures, all winners. Yvette Adams wins more awards

Adams got a trophy, memorial plaque and cash prize for the Entrepreneurial Award. In addition, she will receive 12 months of mentoring from 10 of the top executives including those from Google, GBST and the Queensland government.

How venture capital from Innovation Australia is breathing life into great ideas

Venture capital assistance from Australian Government programs, such as the Innovation Investment Fund, has been vital for helping turn groundbreaking ideas into commercial products...

Are digital movie rentals over-hyped?

There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of years about how the evolving digital world is already impacting the traditional movie rental business. Yes, it is true that Australian consumers are becoming more and more in control of “what they want, when they want”, but just how well are these new providers of digital movie rentals really fulfilling those needs?

Why planning for IP ownership is critical for your business, and your sanity

What happens when you are sitting down with your supplier, customer or contractors, discussing business or a project or a product idea and in the course of the discussion some valuable new intellectual property (IP) is identified? It's an inevitable scenario that can arise almost anytime you have a group of bright and innovative people gathered for a meeting.

New personal liability laws puts company directors directly in the spotlight

Directors of struggling companies will have to act earlier on unpaid super and PAYG if they are to avoid tough new personal liability penalties, warns an insolvency expert. Don’t say we did not warn you.

Email Marketing Summit Australia taps US email marketing guru for keynote address

The upcoming Email Marketing Summit Australia, slated for October, has snagged Jeanniey Mullen as its keynote speaker. Mullen is a guru in the world of email marketing campaigns, serving as head of Zinio, a world leader in digital publishing services and products. Mullen also heads up VIVmag, the world’s first fully digital luxury magazine for women. She has also founded The Email Experience Council, which is the world’s first and largest email marketing organization.

The Wall Sticker Company: Not your grandma’s wallpaper!

Wallpaper is resurging in popularity, but we haven’t forgotten the paisley mistakes and putrid plaid blunders of our parents and grandparents. Thankfully, The Wall Sticker Company is taking a bold new approach to wallpaper. The company has introduced a range of self-adhesive wallpaper that is quick and easy to put up as well as take down. This is welcome news to landlords and home remodelers everywhere. The company’s wallpaper stickers have a nice fabric texture, and are fully washable. And when it comes time to pack up and move, the stuff can be removed in seconds, without damaging the underlying wall. The best part is that the removed wallpaper can be re-used in your next pad.

How to win Facebook fans and influence brands

A broad conclusion: Consistent tactical and promotional themes bring high engagement and expand fan base. So, competitions, special offers and even “creative, visual and often humorous posts” lead to high visibility and growth.

11 tips for your business to get better profits

Businesses exist to make money. That’s not news right? And, if a company does not generate sufficient profits it may fail. That's not news either. Business bankruptcies are on the rise, with ASIC statistics show that 1123 companies were placed into receivership in February 2012. So, what can businesses do to get better profits?

Drink and post responsibly. Oh, and stop panicking about the Facebook ruling.

For those who don’t know (which is pretty much everyone), the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau (AASB) recently made a ruling regarding user-generated content on social media, after it was discovered that the Facebook page for Victoria Bitter beer featured “sexism, racism, irresponsible drinking, obscene language and material that linked alcohol consumption with sexual or social prowess”. Apparently swearing at the TV and asking girls to “show some skin” is ok when you’re drinking VB, but not if you’re posting about VB, obviously.

Got an app? Now crack the App Store code

Gone are the days when you just built an app, and users came and bought it. Today, millions of apps jostle for users’ attention, besides competing on features as well. Consequently, you will go nowhere without acquiring some smart marketing skills or, specifically, some tricks to grab eyeballs on Apple’s App Store.

Want to get more out of your team? Just show more ‘compassionate leadership’

The survey also found that in “high-performing workplaces,” leaders are about one-fifth to one-third more compassionate. This is like discovering values in a successful organization. What might be more compelling, or persuasive, is an answer to its inverse: Do more compassionate leaders lead workplaces to perform consistently high?
Subscribe to the Newsletter Over 30K subscribers

FREE BUSINESS TOOLS

Five essential ingredients for a humming homepage with James Tuckerman [FREE...

Most homepages dedicate too much of their valuable space to predictable and generally unhelpful information, such as the purpose of the business, their products and services, their achievements and needy invitations to ‘buy, buy, buy’ or ‘contact us for a free consultation on no obligation quote’. Effective homepages focus on the needs and wants of the customer.

FREE BUSINESS TOOL

How to price your product or service in 8 steps with...

The world is littered with products that do little more than cover their cost, and underpaid service industry professionals. But there are some entrepreneurs who set their own prices and receive what they ask with apparent ease. Steve Major teaches you how to become one of these entrepreneurs in this 8-step infographic.

INFOGRAPHICS

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...

OPINIONS & ADVICE