Tag: Growing Pains

The tangle of red tape is shortly about to be made much simpler and more seamless as a result of an initiative led by the Australian Treasury called 'Standard Business Reporting', which will be available from 1 July, 2010.

Okay, maybe that's a tad on the dramatic side. What I hate is this faffing around with logos as an excuse for not doing other, real, important stuff with your business.

It's a subject that is not often written or spoken about, particularly in the first person, leaving most entrepreneurs with only one option for learning how to shut a company down... the hard way. Special thanks to AIMIA for making this footage available and 'hats off' to Brendan Lewis for this enlightening presentation. To quote the speaker, "You won't find this in any accounting or legal textbook.")

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.

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.

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.

I'm talking about an Anthill dating agency, for entrepreneurs and the satellite stakeholders that keep the wheels turnin' (partnering ideas, money and skills). The idea to post the concept was prompted by an enquiry published as a LinkedIn Group Discussion earlier today (Anthill Online LinkedIn Group).

If you ain't the Big Cheese, it's likely you think (at least occasionally) that you could run the company better. So get a team together and make it happen! Here are eights steps to buying out your boss and seizing the reins.

When I started my business I knew it had to grow from a foundation of personal contact and referrals. To do this people said I had to network. This scared the crap out of me.

Being perceived as professional by outsiders is a common challenge for small businesses. Many startups reach a stage where meeting clients in cafes no longer cuts it. Here are 10 simple ways that your company can make itself look bigger it is.

If you're going to give something away, you need to know what the value of it is and what your ROI is. Too many people are caught up in this 'giving stuff away for free and hoping money happens later' thing. I'm guessing that's because they're afraid of selling.

If you're going to give something away, you need to know what the value of it is and what your ROI is. Too many people are caught up in this 'giving stuff away for free and hoping money happens later' thing. I'm guessing that's because they're afraid of selling.

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?

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).

Chances are, you’ve had to make some changes to your company’s internal structure in response to the economic downturn and in preparation for the slow recovery that appears to be underway. As with everything in business, restructures can be done well and they can be done poorly. Here are seven principles to help you avoid unnecessary complication.

Later in the evening, perhaps after a second or third round of cocktails (all the pubs were closed), Cummings shared his views that raising capital is a time consuming process and that, in particular, he would be seeking a strategic partner. That's why I was particularly pleased to receive news yesterday that Travellr.com has secured growth capital from none other than the travel insurance and travel services company The Worlds Normad Group.

There is a popular blog post currently doing the rounds - a list of 25 Social Media Sites for Entrepreneurs. It provides a brief description of 25 tools (including some familiar ones, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) but with very little analysis or commentary on each. Committing to any new social networking tool is time consuming. So, I figured it might be helpful to test each out and share my views on which are useful and which... quite simply... suck (i.e. are ugly, awkward and generally suck time from your day with very little return).

There is a popular blog post currently doing the rounds - a list of 25 Social Media Sites for Entrepreneurs. It provides a brief description of 25 tools (including some familiar ones, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) but with very little analysis or commentary on each. Committing to any new social networking tool is time consuming. So, I figured it might be helpful to test each out and share my views on which are useful and which... quite simply... suck (i.e. are ugly, awkward and generally suck time from your day with very little return).

Thinking about starting up a business? Or are you in the middle of the ride of your life, totally focused on making you business a success? Take a moment to read this – it may save you from making some of the more common mistakes that entrepreneurs make. When my business collapsed last year, I learnt 10 things...

It has become obvious to me over the past few years spent presenting at universities that an understanding of basic financial principles is not taught anywhere throughout the traditional education system. This leaves us Gen Ys, again, with the responsibility of educating ourselves. Or going bankrupt.