Tag: Finance

If you thought equipment leasing was just for computers, server systems or high tech IT equipment – think again. For many start-ups and small business owners, signing up to lease technology is a great way to get their businesses off the ground. Leasing a computer meant you could spread out the cost of the equipment over a longer period of time and you could conserve your precious capital for other uses as marketing or getting the word out.

In the 1990s, Jordan Belfort soared to the highest financial heights, earning over $50 million a year as the notorious “Wolf of Wall Street,” and then sunk to the lowest societal lows, succumbing to a massive drug addiction and spending twenty-two months in a federal prison camp. In this Q&A interview with Alex Pirouz, he talks about the elements necessary to be successful in business, growing a company, and how to motivate sales staff to perform at their optimum level.

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. In this podcast, RMIT economist Jonathan Boymal talks about falling housing stats and lending finance. He also looks at the durability of Japan's economy and how it may impact Australia in light of the tsunami and rebuilding efforts.

"The American Dream" is a horror story told in "South Park" style. It says the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank has locked the US in a nigh-unbreakable cycle of loans, interest and debt, using an endless flow of currency that's backed by absolutely nothing. Side-splitting yet sobering, there's a lesson in this YouTube 'epic' for everyone.

So, it’s 2011. Don’t you love all those articles about New Year’s resolutions that give you hope that your business can achieve anything (and now)? But exactly how do you go about it? Here are some suggestions.

The recent problems experienced by one of Australia's top four banks shows just how much people rely on their money 'being there' when they want it. This problem could have occurred at any of the financial institutions (and will surely happen again). So, how do you protect yourself from banking blunders like this?

In this podcast, Leon and Garry talk about the soaring Australian dollar with the NAB predicting it will hit $US1.10 in the next six months. Treasurer Wayne Swan warns that it could erode tax revenue with manufacturing, agriculture and tourism the hardest hit. Exporters are calling for government assistance to offset the impact of a strong dollar.

Today our guest is Katherine Howlett, founder and chief executive of the Blooms Group, a Melbourne-based mortgage broker that specialises in arranging finance for Australians and other expatriates working overseas. Now 31, Katherine has been an entrepreneur and property owner for more than 15 years.

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.

The Commercialisation Australia program, the successor to the Government's COMET scheme, has proved a boon to many but a bane to others. Inevitably it was going to have a few teething problems. As with any new incentive program, it can involve navigating the industry-specific details to work out whether it's right for your business. Here, Adrian Spencer explains the pros and cons that the grant can have for the technology sector.

Be it in good economic times or bad, interest rates dictate how we spend our lives. Or more importantly, how we spend. Period. For many of us, how they are determined and interpreted seems to be the work of economics wizards and the faceless gods at the top of banking towers.

From dealing with a number of international brands such as Red Bull, Toyota and Microsoft we realised that Australian subsidiaries have a challenge in identifying local content. Customers had to deal with ‘noise’ as they tried to determine what conversations are local and what they should care about. We needed to work out a way of pinpointing where conversations were happening beyond a domain basis (all the main social media sites are .com so would be attributed to the US). Our technology can now take a conversation sat on any domain and pinpoint the creator down to a suburb level.

With recent focus on world events, many small- and medium-sized businesses in Australia are left wondering what these distant, foreign events mean to their business operations at home.

With recent focus on world events, many small- and medium-sized businesses in Australia are left wondering what these distant, foreign events mean to their business operations at home.

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Focusing on growing the business and maximising profitability should always be top priorities for small businesses. However, concentrating on these areas alone can mean neglecting crucial cashflow practices that can lead to the demise of your business. Sue Hirst explains.

While our trade data is dominated by swings in the commodity cycle, some new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) tells us a little bit more about the Australian exporter community and how its members have been affected by the GFC.

With recent interest rate rises, much talk has centred on how the increases are likely to affect families and mortgage repayments. However, the impact on small business owners and their cashflow shouldn’t be ignored.

With the start of the next quarter of 2010, now is a good time to make your personal and business resolutions for the remainder of 2010 and beyond. Here are the things to consider.

Keeping a close watch on cashflow and improving administration processes is the answer to growth and sustainability in 2010. Here is a ten-point checklist designed to help small businesses get their houses in order.