Startup & Entrepreneurship
News, opinions and advice on starting and building companies.
Incubator Blue Chilli gets in on (rich) mobile apps
“We recognised that Blue Chilli could take our value proposition, extend it to other vertical sectors and cement it as a loyalty and marketing platform through the team’s technology expertise,” said Vividways founder Paul Williams, who will continue to work with Blue Chilli. “We look forward to the journey ahead.”
What the car hire companies don’t want you to know
Do we treat hire cars the same as we treat our own cars? There have long been jokes about the invincibility of rental cars. Like most jokes, they are funny because they are based in reality. In response to this urge, car hire companies hit drivers with insurance excesses. It's fair enough that they do. If the car is damaged, then it has to be fixed. However, this is one industry that is being shaken up by a local start-up. Suffice to say, the hire car companies don't like it one little bit.
Founder Institute appoints graduate as new Sydney director
The Founder Institute - a four-month executive training program for technology entrepreneurs - recently announced graduate Tom Frazier as the new Sydney director.
Barefoot Power: The giant strides of a ‘social enterprise’
It is tempting to call Barefoot Power the next best business model since microfinance. But combining social purpose with capitalism’s animal spirits should sound frightening, given what has happened to for-profit microfinance, notably in India.
You don’t have to be a designer to think creatively
By enhancing your creative thinking you can benefit many different areas of your business and even your life. These range from marketing strategy to business development, improving your problem-solving skills and exploring new markets.
Online gaming gets a boost: Ocash beckons MOL to Australia
The real-action, online gaming is the fastest-growing segment of the market. The recent MOL-Ocash partnership will provide more business opportunities for Australia's game developers and publishers as they will be able to extend their reach via MOL to consumers outside the Asian region.
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The US ‘incubator’ craze comes to the rescue of Australian start-ups, super hero style
Leading Australian business strategist, commentator and author Kerwin Rae believes the ‘incubator’ craze gathering momentum in Australia could stem the flow of local talent leaving our shores. Meanwhile, the federal government is becoming increasingly aware that they must do something or we face economic collapse within our economy as SMEs make up such a huge portion of GDP. If SMEs fail, we fail.
Alfoil undies: what would life would be like without textiles? [VIDEO]
Sometimes it's worthwhile thinking about what life would be like without things that we take for granted. In this video, Ikea pitches us a world without textiles. How about a dress made of crockery, alfoil undies and cactus back scrubbers? One of the biggest questions that many entrepreneurs wrestle with is 'will anyone want this?' So, by imagining a world without your innovation, you may be able to answer your own question.
Do you need big buying power for your small business? (Here’s how, now!)
A small-to-medium sized business can rapidly spend a fortune on supplies like stationary, pens, toner and ink cartridges, staples, shipping boxes, and fuel for its fleet. Now, there’s a new buying group poised to help any of Australia’s more-than two million SMEs source supplies. Founded late last year, SME Savings has already enlisted over 400 members and aims to offer big business buying power to your small or medium sized enterprise.
Ego might be great for you. But it can be a business killer
Did you just become an entrepreneur? If so, have you wondered what motivated you to turn one? Money? Fun? Or simply ego? If it’s the latter, you might want to step back and review your innermost motivations. Or maybe see a psychologist before your business fails – as it will, crashing your ego alongwith.
Who gives a crap? [Hopefully you, dear reader…] [VIDEO]
Now’s your chance to make wiping your bum matter for more than just the bog-standard reasons. Social enterprise Good Goods recently launched its crowdfunding campaign for Who Gives A Crap, a new line of philanthropic toilet paper.
Woohoo! Social travel site Hooroo goes indie
Hooroo's approach bears attention. It is not mining technology to deliver what many others are doing. Instead, it is bringing a strong human touch. Taking the long and narrow path, in a manner of speaking, Hooroo has built a community that tell its stories directly to other users.
Going ‘glocal’ as an innovation mantra
We talk all the time about Australia's brain drain of start-up talent going offshore; well, the same is true of WA. Business Foundations has set a 'glocal' agenda to spur entrepreneurship and innovation. It wants to stem the state's brain drain, focusing on the local aspect, while simultaneously tapping synergies with the U.S., a key global lifeline that gives Australian startups generous funding and expertise, besides provides access to the world's largest market.
Accidents waiting to happen or people being amazing? [VIDEO]
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. How do people know they can do this kind of stuff? In this compilation video from Stunts Amazing, all kinds of amazing human feats happen. And yes, in many instances, they are also probably accidents waiting to happen. But, it's the dogged determination and possibly the ability to abandon the possible risks involved that makes these people so amazing. Sounds rather like the character traits of an entrepreneur, doesn't it?
99designs founder Mark Harbottle sets new designs on Tweaky.com
So you wanted to add a Facebook link to your website and couldn't find somebody willing to do it at reasonable cost, and in...
How Halfbrick ducked tag of one-hit wonder with Jetpack Jetride
How does a gaming company avoid being a one-hit game wonder? Rovio and Halfbrick Studios have managed to leap that hurdle. What is the Halfbrick secret after the amazing success of Fruit Ninja? The company adopted the Google’s 80-20 method of work.
PR on a budget? Self-help PR might be a whole lot better
Many small businesses, obviously, don’t have the budgets to hire PR agency. But that is not the only way to build some good positive buzz about yourself or your business. A lot of the stories in the media are seeded directly by the business owners. What’s more, generating such publicity is not difficult or scary as many fear.
How I built a nuclear fusion reactor in my garage [VIDEO]
At 12 Taylor Wilson set out to build a star. Not one for the top of your Christmas tree, but one driven by nuclear fusion. By 14, he'd built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parents garage. He's now tackling how he can take this further to solve the world's energy needs.
Diary of a startup: Kicking the curse of the forever start-up (Month one)
Some people start a business, it takes off, makes millions, they sell it after a year or two, and then retire on an island somewhere. Most don't. Most small businesses get stuck somewhere between the start-up and growth phase, working 60+ hours a week, and forever pushing that proverbial elephant up-hill. At the moment, I am the owner of one such elephant-like business.
“Specialization is for insects”: The must-have talents of a multifaceted startup founder [INFOGRAPHIC]
Scott Handsaker makes the case for the versatile entrepreneur who exhibits traits that are by turns unorthodox, reckless and practical: "Hire A players, Replace B players"; "Tell an investor they have lost all their money"; "Act alone; Fail gallantly". How many of these do you find yourself capable of doing?
