Tag: Leon Gettler

How great of a challenge do Australian entrepreneurs face in trying to set up their own businesses? You won't want to miss this special edition podcast, featuring eight (count 'em, eight!) influential investors and start-up specialists and their insights on promoting a healthy venture capital industry in Australia.

This podcast features a chat with Rick Hooper, CEO of Barefoot Power, a highly lauded Australian company that distributes clean and renewable energy products, including solar panels and LEDs, in underdeveloped communities in Africa and Asia. Here, Hooper talks about the business model that defines Barefoot Power and his efforts to expand the company's outreach.

In this podcast, Adrian Christie of PayPal Australia talks to Leon and Garry about the exponential rise of online shopping in Australia. With growth rates as high as 400% in the past year, Christie presents his analysis of how thousands of businesses, large and small, are adjusting their retail operations to meet this growing trend.

Gabby Leibovich has established himself at the forefront of the online deals industry in Australia with two very popular sites, CatchOfTheDay and Scoopon. In this podcast, Leibovich explains the business model that he believes has allowed him to weather the GFC and pinpoints the challenges that traditional, physical department stores must now face.

Australia's top biking retail website, BikeExchange.com.au has rolled out some impressive numbers: 535,000 visitors every month, 85,000 database users and over 50,000 bicycles and cycling accessories sold since the site's inception in 2007. In this podcast, Leon and Garry have a chat with Bike Exchange CEO Jason Wyatt about his company's accomplishments and aspirations.

Barry Westhorpe is Chief Executive of The CEO Institute - Victoria, a leading networking group for senior executives. In this podcast, Westhorpe explains the results of a recent report released by the institute on CEO confidence levels in Australia. While news has been good for the financial and service sectors, business sentiment is turning pessimistic due to uncertainty in overseas markets and in Government policy on SMEs.

In this Talking Business interview, Michel Hogan of Brandology pulls no punches in her blunt assessment of the airline's "race to the bottom" and its loss of consumer confidence. Can the Flying Kangaroo sell itself once again as Australia's premium airline? Have a listen to the podcast to hear Hogan pinpoint Qantas's brand weaknesses, and the lessons the company should have learned from Apple.

A growing concern that Australia is falling behind in the field of innovation led three guys to found Curve Tomorrow. This podcast features an extended interview with the trio, in which we hear about Curve Tomorrow's prescription for boosting innovation at home -- in particular, how they measure old and established trends and pinpoint possible new ones (what they call "tends") to produce the Next Big Thing.

The future is coming to Australia's motorways faster than we imagined, and EDay Life is steering the wheel. The Melbourne company has announced its plans to launch a fleet of fully electric cars on the market in early 2012. In this podcast, Garry and Leon speak with EDay Life's Dr. Laurie Sparke about the electric car technology and the plan for leasing the cars to consumers. They also hear from Vikash Rugoobur of Curve Tomorrow about the development of the tablets that will navigate all aspects of the vehicles.

Garry and Leon talk with Mark Koronczyk, founder and CEO of successful food outlet Lord Of The Fries. Originating in a van, the Lord has grown into five store locations in the Melbourne area. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients with an all-vegetarian menu that features soy protein hamburgers and, of course, its signature European-style hot chips.

Abigail Forsyth is the founder of KeepCup, a company that sells reusable plastic coffee mugs as eco-friendly alternatives to paper cups. In this podcast, she talks to Garry and Leon about winning the endorsements of baristas, selling to corporates around the world, and how to sell the message behind the product itself.

In this podcast, Daniel Feiler, head of corporate communications for eBay Asia Pacific, talks with Leon and Garry about what's driving the fast growth of online shopping in Australia, how retailers can leverage the Internet to get into the game, and how eBay's bar code-scanning app is gaining popularity with consumers.

What does finance veteran Paul Eslake have to say about the Budget? Garry and Leon talk with the Grattan Institute Program Director about the PM's plans for business and the economy. Apparently this 'tough' budget wasn't quite so tough after all.

In this podcast, Leon and Garry talk to Scott Kilmartin, founder of haul, a Melbourne company that makes and distributes bags, carry cases and sleeves designed for laptops, notebooks and tablets -- all manufactured from recycled material such as used advertising billboards and number plates. Because the source material always varies, each and every haul design is unique. Here, Kilmartin discusses haul's strategy to capitalise on the "upcycling" trend.

This podcast features an interview full of insights from Giam Swiegers, CEO of Deloitte Australia. Advising that a company should always seek opportunity in times of crisis, Swiegers has stayed true to form: Deloitte continues to take on new staff and maintain an aggressive acquisitions strategy. Swiegers also talks about innovative people and his firm's welcoming of social media as a tool to increase accountability.

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 breaks down the latest ABS figures on retail spending, building approvals and job vacancies.

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.

Billy Tucker is CEO of the group-buying discount website, Cudo.com. In this podcast, he talks with Leon and Garry about Cudo's use of TV advertising to target the average consumer, how this publicity helps merchants find new customers, and the relevance of group buying in the post-GFC era.

In this podcast, Sinclair Davidson presents his take on how the carbon tax could impact the economy. He characterises the tax as a ploy designed to change behaviour rather than generate revenue and questions the Government's proposed compensation to offset cost of living increases.

In this extended podcast, Garry and Leon talk with Victoria Premier Ted Baillieu about the challenges facing his government – not least of which are the clean-up of the Victorian floods, the cut in GST funding from the Federal Government, and the delay to the regional rail project, issues he describes as “black holes” left by his predecessors. He also cites his pledge to the environment and creative measures to boost the state's sagging productivity.