Tag: startups

For the first article in this series, I asked 'Why are you bothering with online marketing?' My purpose, of course, was to emphasise the importance of creating measurable goals. But, be warned, even the most splashy, expensive, creative, courageous marketing initiative will fail if it is not built on a suitable foundation. To generate any interest in the online space, you must first develop a compelling reason for your target market to actually want to engage with you.

What I personally found so interesting about this item of digital media is that it was created by the crowd and assembled by attendees (or one particularly passionate attendee in particular). And, despite having not attended the event, I suspect that it is more helpful than most of the glossy 'take homes' I find shoved in most 'goodie-bags' post most conferences.

Small businesses need to start treating their customers like toddlers and train them to pay on time. Carl Taylor looks at six methods of getting your customers to pay up.

A sale is a process and the first step in that process is not to demand exclusivity. Exclusivity is either bought or earned and, in the case of raising capital, it is usually earned. An NDA implies exclusivity and that brings with it constraints on both parties. Would you ask a date to sign a pre-nuptial agreement before the first date?

A sale is a process and the first step in that process is not to demand exclusivity. Exclusivity is either bought or earned and, in the case of raising capital, it is usually earned. An NDA implies exclusivity and that brings with it constraints on both parties. Would you ask a date to sign a pre-nuptial agreement before the first date?

Recently, I have been reflecting on a saying I learned from VC friends when I was living and working in Silicon Valley: “Always invest in an A grade team with a B grade product rather than a B grade team with an A grade product”.

Recently, I have been reflecting on a saying I learned from VC friends when I was living and working in Silicon Valley: “Always invest in an A grade team with a B grade product rather than a B grade team with an A grade product”.

In this fast and furious clip, filmed at the Churchill Club's 11th Annual Top 10 Tech Trends event in California last month, Steve Jurvetson is given two and a half minutes to explain why he thinks the future looks bright for 'disruptive' startup companies.

This month, in extreme contrast to the harsh winters of yesteryear, Australian startup entrepreneurs could almost be described as 'spoilt for choice'. In fact, my inbox is currently brimming with initiatives designed to promote and support entrepreneurship, seeking Anthill's support.

Whatever you believe, the road from idea to (hopefully) business success is, more often than not, a long and torturous odyssey. It takes dedication and grit. Paul Breen asks the question, ‘Are you a serial entrepreneur or just another serial business starter?’

I was thinking about the different roles people play at various stages of a startup and how they approach it, and I was reminded of this old story:

We’re led to believe that success is a formula, but all too often ignore the silent evidence that contributes to that success. Take Bill Gates, for example.

Financial success may seem like the obvious benchmark for business success. However, according to former Apple Fellow and managing director of Garage Technology Ventures Guy Kawasaki, it is “making meaning” that lies at the heart of entrepreneurship and should be the foundation stone of any business.

Sydney-based venture capital firm OneVentures has been appointed as the fund manager for an extra $40 million of venture capital funding from the Federal Government's Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) program.

Poor cashflow is the biggest killer of promising startups and SMEs. Here, Alan Sharfman provides some outlines some simple steps you can take to improve you cashflow situation.

Two days of desert highways, roadside dining, sleep deprivation and feverish coding by 25 strangers delivered two web startups and a whole lot more, writes Matthew da Silva.

There isn’t just satisfaction and dissatisfaction, there’s non-satisfaction and non-dissatisfaction too. It’s important to know the difference. I did some research once on bank customers and found out that they weren’t hoping for satisfaction, just no dissatisfaction. And it really made me think.

I have come to realise that innovation and creativity are rarely about killer ideas, but more often connected to a cycle of trying, learning and adapting. Big companies don’t always reward this process. It is often about getting it right, which doesn’t bode well for allowing space to try, fail and try once again. Take our recent "Undies Monday" promotion...

A couple of weeks ago, regular Anthill contributor Mick Liubinskas heard that lean startup luminary Eric Ries would be in Sydney, He and a few friends sprang into action to organise a Lean Startup event for Sydney’s digital startup community in Sydney. Here’s Liubinskas’s account of how it came together.

The complex and expensive world of professional marketing is an outsourced expertise that is mostly out of bounds to startups and SMEs. While many resources are available to the small business owner, it can also often come down to having the time to research and follow up on new ideas. This is where a novel product from Australian-based marketing company ChildsPlay Marketing can come in handy.