Home Tags Business plans

Tag: business plans

Who really benefits from the Rudd Government’s new Commercialisation Australia program?

The news yesterday that the Federal Government has unveiled details of its $196 million Commercialisation Australia (CA) initiative has been welcomed by many entrepreneurs and innovation consultants. These same intended beneficiaries might also be forgiven for wondering whether it is an improvement on the $1 billion Commercial Ready Scheme it is designed to replace.

Opportunities in the US for high growth Australian firms

The US remains the largest developed market in the world and a big influence on other global markets. It remains important for any company with global ambitions. The current economic environment does not do a lot to encourage Australian firms to focus on the US. However, innovative new models and technology have dramatically changed the cost of entering and developing the US market. Australian firms can now do much of the early market development work without having to hire a US-based team.

Lessons from the young rich

The more I have seen in business, the more I’ve learnt the importance of learning from people who have achieved the results you are looking for. These days many people are willing to give advice. The question is: what advice do you take on?

Offer less choice to get more sales

Regular Anthill contributor Steve Sammartino published an interesting post on his blog this morning. Steve is in the process of tweaking the pricing model for his company Rentoid and relayed a nugget of advice offered to him by fellow entrepreneur Chris Pearson (founder of Skitch and Comic Life).

20 tips to winning in family business

You can choose your friends and business colleagues, but you can’t choose your family. However, many people choose to start or continue running businesses with family members. Of course, the common stresses of family and business are usually multiplied in a family business, so it’s important to establish the ground rules early on. Here are 20 tips to keep your family business on track.

Sequencing Investments: A Lego block approach to funding

It makes sense to build a company’s investment plan that has the interlocking qualities of Lego pieces, tightly fit, all supporting and connected to each other. To do that takes a carefully constructed financing plan with these specific elements:

What this inventor wants from investors

In August, we decided to explore the many facets of capital raising - from angel investment and grants to venture capital and private equity. For want of a better name, we called the exercise Anthill’s Venture Capital month. The theme tossed up plenty of investment advice and discussion. But it also triggered some strong reactions from Australian inventors who think that the investment culture in Australia needs a dramatic overhaul. Trevor Rose was among the most ardent, so we invited him to provide a 'right of reply'.

How to crack the US retail mass market

California-based Australian retail export advisor Chad Hetherington has met with hundreds of Aussie entrepreneurs all hoping to crack the lucrative US retail market. Of the products they offer, he says, less than one percent has a realistic shot at making it big in the Land of Opportunity. So what does it take to make it?

Ali G pitches Ice Cream Gloves to The Donald, VCs

Sacha Baron Cohen might be making more waves these days with his other alter egos, Borat and Brüno, but his original breakout character, Ali G (ayyyeee), was where it all began. In this clip, Ali G gets his entrepreneur on, pitching his idea for "Ice Cream Gloves" to a less-than-wooed Donald Trump and a series of bemused US VCs.

Federal R&D Tax Credit Bill passes, more changes to come

The passage last Thursday of the Tax Laws Amendment Bill (2009 Measures no 4) represents the Rudd Government's first significant milestone on the road to delivering a more streamlined R&D Tax Credit for innovative Australian businesses.

Federal R&D Tax Credit Bill passes, more changes to come

The passage last Thursday of the Tax Laws Amendment Bill (2009 Measures no 4) represents the Rudd Government's first significant milestone on the road to delivering a more streamlined R&D Tax Credit for innovative Australian businesses.

Ari Gold’s business startup advice is on the money

Ari Gold, the fast-talking fictional Hollywood agent in the hit TV show Entourage, may not be known for his sensitivity nor subtlety. But no one would accuse him of being naive when it comes to business.

Ari Gold's business startup advice is on the money

Ari Gold, the fast-talking fictional Hollywood agent in the hit TV show Entourage, may not be known for his sensitivity nor subtlety. But no one would accuse him of being naive when it comes to business.

Is raising capital from your customers a smart move?

While most new technology developers will spend months chasing down angel investors and cold calling VCs, often with the randomness of a headless chook, without too much planning or forethought (much to the potential investor's frustration), sometimes the safest money is already right under their noses. It's called 'strategic capital' or 'smart money' (or a mix of the two).

When seeking investment, preparation is everything

In part four of our series on the capital raising cultures in Australia and the US, San Francisco-based Steve Anderson explores how Australian and New Zealand entrepreneurs can best prepare for securing local investors.

Sammartino’s Creative Espresso – Ways to change your life

We've held on to this latest manic instalment of Steve Sammartino's Creative Espresso series since he submitted it for inclusion in the July print edition, which didn't eventuate. Here it is, in all its super-charged, creative glory.

Sammartino's Creative Espresso – Ways to change your life

We've held on to this latest manic instalment of Steve Sammartino's Creative Espresso series since he submitted it for inclusion in the July print edition, which didn't eventuate. Here it is, in all its super-charged, creative glory.

How should the CCI deliver funding to startups and research organisations?

A little over one week ago, the Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, issued a call for public comment to help inform the development and operation of the Commonwealth Commercialisation Institute. Over the past seven days, we have been pressing our readers to get involved and provide a 'private sector' perspective (after making the seemingly unpopular suggestion that commercialisation in Australia has been hijacked by public servants with MBAs). Today, we're turning our attention to the last section of SmartForm, which requests suggestions for the delivery of funding.

The hard sells hear some home truths

It's not an easy game standing up in front of a crowd of 120 people and pitch to a panel of hard-to-please angel investors, as 11 brave entrepreneurial souls did recently at the Melbourne Pitch Club event (held 25 June).

At last, a Federal grant for IT

The Federal Government has just launched a new grant for third party service providers to help small and home based businesses with: • ‘free or low cost’ IT skills development • training and mentoring services • improved web presence and e-business capability Funding is available up to $500,000.
Subscribe to the Newsletter Over 30K subscribers

FREE BUSINESS TOOLS

The Alchemy of Negotiation with Matt Lohmeyer [FREE REPORT]

Negotiation is part and parcel of everyday life. Despite this, the idea of honing our negotiating skills doesn’t go down well with most of us. We fear that we’ll end up being manipulative, exploitative, scheming. To help us break the chains of this retrogressive mentality, we have Matt Lohmeyer. He has worked as a professional negotiator in various fields for over eight years and before that, negotiated deals with biotech pharmaceutical and chemical companies. In short, he’s an Alchemist in the Art of Negotiation.

FREE BUSINESS TOOL

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