Latest News
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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.
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Carbon cleansing – tips for SMEs on turning green
Virginia Harrison | November 3, 2010Thinking about shifting your business into carbon neutral but not sure where to start?
Pressure on big companies to take responsibility for their impact on the environment has resulted in a swelling of the carbon neutral club, with the National Australia Bank one of the latest companies to join the ranks. But business insights firm Dun & Bradstreet says this kind of corporate responsibility isn’t just for the top end of town.
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RBA shocks with Melbourne Cup rate rise
Virginia Harrison | November 2, 2010The Reserve Bank has delivered a surprise blow to borrowers by raising interest rates for the first time since May.
The central bank lifted the official cash rate by a quarter of a per cent to 4.75 per cent. Most economists had tipped the RBA would leave rates unchanged in November after the release of soft inflation figures last week.
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Medium-size enterprises tougher than the rest
Virginia Harrison | October 29, 2010
Medium-sized enterprises demonstrated the highest survival rates during the economic downturn according to the latest report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Fewer new businesses were registered last year, to bring the number of actively trading enterprises in Australia down by 1 per cent. Australia has more than 2 million registered businesses. Medium-size enterprises held steady at 4 per cent of all actively trading businesses.
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Success without profit – the business of giving
Virginia Harrison | October 29, 2010BIG on heart but light on funds, the not-for-profit sector faces a unique set of survival challenges. Find out how Margaret Flynn turned a $3,000 budget into revenues of more than $10 million and helped thousands of people in the process.
Flynn is the CEO of CentaCare Wilcannia-Forbes, an organisation which provides communities with counselling, youth and family support, and work-based education and training programs. It services around 200,000 people in western NSW, scattered across an area than spans more than half of the state.
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Fresh challenges require smart strategies for business growth
Virginia Harrison | October 29, 2010ACCESS to finance and currency fears are among the key concerns for businesses as they seek to drive growth and position for an economic upturn.
The Australian Industry/Deloitte Private survey Growth Strategies for Business found improving market share, forming alliances and taking part in mergers are the leading strategies businesses are implementing for growth.
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New time calls for new rules – First 5000 puts the individual back in business
Peter Fritz | October 25, 2010When I was a child I must have hated authority. It might have been because I was brought up in a Communist country where authority was pervasive.
I never wanted to be run by anybody but myself and that has stayed with me.
I believe people should not have to ask permission to do things, or to have their thoughts filtered through others. In Australia we have a democratic framework which allows people to live their lives more or less the way they want to.