Latest News
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Business group delivers work to network
Virginia Harrison | November 29, 2010A new networking group promises to be the middle man, sourcing work as well as contacts to save businesses time and money.
IPNConnect is a UK-based networking company that will launch in Australia next month.
Founder Paul Lawton visited Australia this month for talks with local partners including government departments, chambers of commerce and private enterprise.
“We’re going to kill traditional networking, all over the world. I know I wouldn’t go to a networking event and pay a fee just to swap business cards. I want more,” Mr Lawton says.
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Style tips from a corporate image guru
Virginia Harrison | November 25, 2010For Robin Powis, the clothes really do maketh the man.
A corporate image stylist, Powis helps individuals seeking to take the next career step or simply polish their “personal brand.”
“I help people create a natural confident style. Everyone, no matter what industry they’re in has to think about what image they create,” Robin Powis, founder of Defining Style says.
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Tools for SMEs to trade on sustainability record
Virginia Harrison | November 24, 2010
No business wants to do more reporting, but tracking and publicising sustainability performance could help boost the bottom line.
Sustainability reporting covers an organisation’s economic, environmental and social achievements, to satisfy a range of stakeholder obligations.
The benefits for corporates of improving sustainable practices include brand and reputation strengthening, increased efficiency and market differentiation.
But it’s an area smaller companies often overlook.
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Banish workplace bullies
Virginia Harrison | November 23, 2010It’s a multi-billion dollar problem that affects more than half of Australia’s workforce. Find out how barrister Peter Gorman is acting to stamp out workplace bullying, and how you can make sure it doesn’t set foot in your organisation.
Gorman has worked with the law for more than 5 decades – first as a uniform policeman, and then detective before moving to the bar.
In that time he’s seen plenty of bad behaviour.
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Bookless library the next big thing
Virginia Harrison | November 23, 2010
I’m not ready for the death of the book.
Like many, I can’t imagine a world where Kindles line the bookshelf, or the latest title is downloaded rather than carried home from the bookshop.
Apparently I suffer from a sentimental objection to progress. Read this take on the two types of digital dissenters, sparked by the construction of a library-less American school.
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Creating a marketplace of ideas and opportunities
Jeanne-Vida (JV) Douglas | November 19, 2010At the launch of First 5000 on 20 October 2010 held at NSW Parliament House business journalist Jeanne-Vida Douglas interviewed First 5000 Editor Virginia Harrison.
JVD: There are literally thousands of Australians out there at the moment working in jobs that they are not enjoying all that much while sitting on excellent business ideas which could blossom into successful ventures, if only they had the know how to take those ideas and put them into operation.
That’s why I wrote the Profit Principle, with my co-author Peter Fritz, to get those businesses up and running and to get those ideas out there. In a similar vein, the First 5000 business network has been created to bring together Australia’s most successful and entrepreneurial businesses to look for new and innovative ways to grow their enterprises and thereby increase opportunities for, and productivity of, the economy as a whole.
Virginia can you tell us more about the network you are working to create through First 5000?
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Tyro charge at the big four
Virginia Harrison | November 16, 2010
FEW have been brave enough to take on Australia’s major banks at their own game. Even fewer succeed.But 5 years ago the CEO of Tyro Payments Jost Stollmann saw an opportunity to crack into the billion-dollar card payments market – and it’s working.
“When I started everyone said you must be crazy. They said you cannot compete with the majors in a core banking process. But we have to get away from this idea,” Mr Stollmann says.
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Asia to drive tourism boom
Virginia Harrison | November 15, 2010
THE tourism industry has its sights firmly fixed on Asia to deliver growth, as local travellers take advantage of the strong currency and holiday abroad.
The latest predictions from the Tourism Forecasting Committee show international arrivals to Australia are expected to grow by 5.3 per cent in 2010 and 5.6 per cent in 2011, fuelled largely by an increase in Asian visitors.
“The Australian economy has become increasingly linked to the economies of Asia with tourism also reflecting the trends in other major export sectors,” Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson AM MP said.
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UncategorisedGet on the virtual high street to boost business traffic
Virginia Harrison | November 15, 2010
Land more business with a tell-all approach – that’s the message from online marketing expert Phil Robinson, who sees many SMEs miss out on customers by failing to advertise effectively. “You need to be fairly verbose about what you do, for it to come up on Google. So you really want to make sure that the answers to people’s questions are out there, online and on your website. If you don’t, you won’t be found,” Robinson says.
Robinson is the Strategy Director for Hotfrog, a business idea he pitched in 2004 “to break the model of business directories.”
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Surprise jump in jobless rate
Virginia Harrison | November 11, 2010Australia’s jobless rate jumped in October, dampening short-term expectations of an interest rate hike by the Reserve Bank.
The unemployment rate rose by 0.2 per cent to 5.4 per cent in October, and now sits at its highest level since April.
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Women need role models not targets to get to the top
Virginia Harrison | November 11, 2010
Women need mentors not gender targets to improve their numbers at senior management level, according to a group of top-performing businesswomen.
Almost three quarters of respondents to a survey of winners and finalists in the 2010 Telstra Business Women’s Awards said mentoring programs for talented young women were vital for greater gender equality.
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Cablex finds space in offshore markets
Virginia Harrison | November 9, 2010
Adapt to survive and thrive could be the motto for Melbourne-based company Cablex, which traded telecoms for the space race and built a multi-million dollar business.
Nearly 30 years ago Michael Zimmer was working as an apprentice when he stumbled upon a gap in the engineering market.
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Get set for the mobile revolution
Virginia Harrison | November 8, 2010
Forget the iPhone, it’s all about Android. Find out how harnessing the power of mobile phones could transform your business.
Shane Williamson is a telecommunications consultant who advises small through to large companies on how organizations can better utilise mobile technology.
The self-described “technology evangelist” clients’ include Optus and Deloitte, as well as start-ups looking to enter the mobile market.
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Cyber-attacks on the rise for medium-size companies
Virginia Harrison | November 4, 2010
Cyber-attacks on medium-size companies are growing and most organisations fear a serious data breach would put them out of business.
The global report by digital security company McAfee found more than half of the mid-size companies surveyed saw an increase in security incidents in the past year.
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Business credit demand falls
Virginia Harrison | November 3, 2010
SMEs remain reluctant to take on credit but there are some indications that lending appetites on track to reach pre-GFC levels.
The Veda Advantage Business Credit Demand Index fell 5.7 per cent in the last quarter on a year earlier. “Given the high cost of raising capital in the current market, many small to medium sized businesses are focusing on cost containment and growing existing business, rather than embarking on aggressive new customer acquisition strategies and other forms of business innovation,” Hamish Osborn, Head of Commercial Risk at Veda Advantage said.
While Government stimulus packages helped keep Aussies employed and businesses afloat this year, new research reveals that 3 in 4 business owners (72 per cent) admitted it was essential to their business survival. first5000.com.au/blog/gov-stimu… #covid19 #stimulus #jobkeeper
Professor Gary Martin CEO @aiminwa shares how party-goers can navigate through Christmas celebrations and even enjoy them. first5000.com.au/blog/dont-get-… #christmasparty #hr
US President-Elect @JoeBiden's hopes for Australia to be the innovation hub of the southern hemisphere have been realised if our burgeoning fintech industry is anything to go by, according to Adrian Floate MD of @Cirralto - first5000.com.au/blog/bidens-ho… #innovation #fintech
Whatever your personal experience and perspective of 2020, 1 positive outcome from the disruption is that wellbeing and resilience have moved up both the corporate and the personal agendas. Lawrence Mitchell explains first5000.com.au/blog/7-ways-to… @RawEnergy100 #resilience #wellbeing
It is one thing to have all the information, it is quite another to be able to make sense of it. Allen Roberts MD of StrategyAudit explains wisdom. first5000.com.au/blog/the-getti… @strategyaudit #wisdom #matureworkers
The Berejiklian government’s budget should be a model for all state and territory leaders who want to create new jobs, build confidence, and lay the groundwork for reform to secure our recovery @BCAcomau's @JAWestacott first5000.com.au/blog/nsw-budge… #covid19
Having a very lean model that can scale up and down very fast is crucial to being resilient in turbulent times, according to Anne Miles managing director, pre-approved marketing and advertising talent network, Suits&Sneakers. @CreativeBuyer first5000.com.au/blog/ability-t… #resilience
Always innovating is the key to overall business resilience, according to Geraint Hudson, Director of @TTQAgriculture, a family owned farm machinery manufacturer based in Toowoomba. first5000.com.au/blog/innovatio… #innovation #resilience #manufacturing
Emerging Indigenous businesses will have access to capital with @Westpac announcing a unique funding partnership with independent, philanthropically funded, Indigenous-led organisation, First Australians Capital first5000.com.au/blog/indigenou… @naidocweek #naidocweek #Indigenousbusiness
Thank you to all our thought leaders, sponsors and delegates from Australia and around the world who participated and exchanged ideas at last week’s GAP Summit on National Resilience. Our first ever virtual conference was a big success, with 27 recommendations put forward. pic.twitter.com/fcg8Ez5gt1 Retweeted by First 5000
It won’t be long before many of us have access to a ‘hybrid remote week’ where you are working part of the time together in person with our colleagues, and part of the time away from the office first5000.com.au/blog/how-to-ge… @NinaFutureWorks @TRANSFORMEDTMS #remotework #covid19
As the year – and what a year it’s been – finally edges towards its end, there seems there could be no more appropriate question than RUstillOK? Especially for those of us in business explains David Westgate. first5000.com.au/blog/rustillok/ #mentalhealth
Up to 80% of Australians don’t realise the value of recycling to our national economy – approximately $15.5 billion – compared to just 8% who do, according to research released for Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week. first5000.com.au/blog/planet-ar… @PlanetArk #NationalRecyclingWeek
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 11th Annual Global Access Partners' Summit 'A Vision for Australia' - National Resilience. The Summit has resulted in 26 recommendations which will be outlined in the future. #resilience #gapsummit @cfritzkalish pic.twitter.com/jWcoq4UidC Retweeted by First 5000
Global Access Partners Annual Summit - "A Vision for Australia" Air Vice-Marshal (ret) John Blackburn Chairman Institute for Integrated Economic Research – Australia (IIER-A) speaks on “Australia’s National Resilience” #gapsummit #resilience pic.twitter.com/zHkd0yP2Mm Retweeted by First 5000
Global Access Partners Annual Summit - Session 3 - Resilience - Session Chair Stephen Hayes and Executive Director, Gravity Group, National Shipbuilding Industry Facilitator Chair, GAP Taskforce on National Resilience #gapsummit #resilience pic.twitter.com/aS6snkcBds Retweeted by First 5000
Global Access Partners Annual Summit - Session 3 -Resilience - Mark Dreyfus @markdreyfusQCMP #gapsummit #resilience pic.twitter.com/OfOYk54dQT Retweeted by First 5000
Session Two - Governance - Global Access Partners Annual Summit - 'A Vision for Australia - Virtual event - chair Tanya Stoianoff Head of Government Affairs @DXCTechnology #gapsummit #resilience pic.twitter.com/AlzJnTxt6O Retweeted by First 5000
Global Access Partners 'A Vision for Australia' Annual Summit - National Resilience - Session Two - Innes Willox @The_AiGroup - virtual summit 2020 #GAPsummit #resilience pic.twitter.com/D5JyjvnfZB Retweeted by First 5000
Global Access Partners Annual Summit - 'A Vision for Australia' National Resilience - Session Two Governance - @ElizabethKoff @NSWHealth shares her thoughts #gapsummit #resilience pic.twitter.com/dt44F7C26y Retweeted by First 5000