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This blog aims to help you make more money from your website. Lead blogger Chris Thomas heads www.Reseo.com, a search engine optimisation and marketing company. Chris has been an online retailer since 2001, and realised early on that if he didn’t pay attention to online marketing systems he was going to go out of business. His research and SEO efforts shot his website to the top of Google for targeted key phrases, then a few years later was penalised by Google for over optimising! Over the years, Chris has assisted with Search Engine Optimisation, Search Engine Marketing, website monetisation and affiliate programs.
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How doth your business grow? This blog examines the mistakes, follies and strokes of genius that create bigger, better businesses. Lead writer Lou Coutts left law and became a successful entrepreneur. He has qualifications in Advanced Management from Stanford; turnarounds and strategic alliances from Colombia; International Marketing from the University of California and Changing Strategic Direction from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Chicago. For some years he was a visiting lecturer to the International Extension program at the University of California at Riverside.
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The life of an entrepreneur is a crazy journey into the unknown. This blog chronicles that journey. The lead writer is Naomi Simson who runs the fast-growing company RedBalloon Days. She had a long corporate career in marketing but has now been a boss for more than a decade.
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This blog is the crystal ball of SmartCompany. Deciphering the future is lead writer Dr. Colin Benjamin, chairman of independent Melbourne think-tank Marshall Place Associates and director general of Life: ‘Be in it’ International. Colin has a professional doctorate in business administration at the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and is widely known in marketing circles as the author of the Roy Morgan Values Segments.
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Sell Like A Woman is neither a feminist manifesto nor a male bashing exercise. Rather, Sell Like A Woman is about raising awareness about what makes great sales people in the 21st Century. Given that everyone lives by selling something, effective sales skills and a healthy sales mindset are life skills we can all use with positive effect in our daily lives. Sue Barrett, founder and managing director of Barrett, a boutique consultancy firm, is not trying to start a gender war but insists there is a growing body of research showing that women often outperform men in achieving sustainable sales results.
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This blog delves under the surface of marketing to look at how to position your company and cut through all the clutter. Lead bloggist Sean Adams founded his marketing advisory company The Seed in late 2000. Sean has had nearly 20 years advertising experience in Australia and Britain across a range of disciplines – research, planning, account management and media. Over that time he has worked with some of the world’s top advertising agencies, working with many of the world’s leading brands.
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This is a blog about maximising profitability in a digital world. Brendan Lewis is a serial technology entrepreneur having founded : Ideas Lighting, Carradale Media, Edion, Verve IT, The Churchill Club, Flinders
Pacific and L2i Technology Advisory. He has set up businesses in for others in Romania, Indonesia and Vietnam. Qualified in IT and Accounting, he has also spent time running an Advertising agency and as a Cavalry Officer with the Australian Army Reserve.
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Kirsty Dunphey is one of Australia’s most publicised young entrepreneurs. The youngest ever winner of the Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year award, Kirsty started her first business at 15, her own real estate agency at 21, was a self made millionaire at 23 and a self made multi millionaire at 25. For more information on Kirsty or either of her books – Advance to Go, Collect $1 Million and Retired at 27, If I can do it anyone can head to: www.kirstydunphey.com
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The lead writer of this blog is Eve Ash who, as a psychologist, knows all about people. She is managing director of Seven Dimensions, and producer of 500+ training videos (www.7dimensions.com.au). She founded Seven Dimensions in 1979 and, in 1986, formed Ash.Quarry Productions with fellow psychologist Peter Quarry. They have won 140 awards for creativity and excellence. Eve won the National Westpac Business Owner Award at the 1999 Telstra Business Women’s Awards.
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Accounting, an essential element of business acumen, comes alive in this blog. Learn how to manage your cashflow and make more money. The lead writer is Mark Robilliard, a chartered accountant and one of the founders of the global business, Accounting Comes Alive. We all know how important it is to understand the link between our actions and our financial results. But those results are expressed in accounting: the global language of business. So stop bluffing and join this blog to get clear on what it all means. Soon you will be seeing differently as you use your new knowledge to create value.
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Do you practice what you preach, live your values...or is there a gaping chasm between what your organisation believes and how it acts? This blog explores issues of organisational culture, leadership and values: when do they inspire and when are they lip service? Lead writer Michel Hogan is an independent consultant and practising brand heretic, who firmly believes that success for organisations starts on the inside with alignment between beliefs and actions, a passion she explores daily in her work here with Brandology and in the United States with the Brand Alignment Group.
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The Banker of Last Retort holds a senior position in one of Australia’s top financial institutions. Unfortunately SmartCompany can not reveal his identity as he would be sacked, divorced and his five children would starve. On hearing that SmartCompany will write about the challenges facing business owners, he was heard to mutter: “Utter balderdash! Running a business would be a frolic in a sun-drenched park compared to the daily stresses and strains faced by those trapped in middle management in a big corporate. It is time to set the record straight…”
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This blog charts the global waters, examining opportunities for importers and exporters and born-globals. Lead writer Tim Harcourt is the chief economist of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade). He was previously an economist/industrial advocate with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the ACTU.
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This blog is about enjoying the benefits of being an entrepreneur by keeping focused on the things that count. Success is more sustainable if we have physical, financial emotional and spiritual lives working synergistically! Lead writer Marcia Griffin has worked in the corporate world and as a CEO of a successful start up business, so she has a broad perspective on life and business success. Marcia was CEO of Pola Cosmetics and built a sales team of nearly 5000 across Australia and New Zealand. Marcia won the first Telstra Victorian Business Woman of the Year Award in 1995. Her current board roles include Australia's largest printing and distribution company, PMP, and National Pharmacies, an Adelaide-based business with 58 pharmacies and 20 optical stores throughout South Australia and Victoria. She is also a chair with TEC (The Executive Connection).
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This blog is about home business – and its key write is Dr Jane Shelton, who not only runs a business from home but is doing business research into people working from home. Dr Jane Shelton is managing director of Marshall Place Associates, Melbourne's independent think tank, and CEO (honourary) for 'Life. Be in it.' International - Australia's lifestyle social marketing communications organisation that conducts community recreation programs in all states and develops community based initiatives for the long-term unemployed. Shelton has a Doctorate in Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE) at Swinburne University of Technology after a Master of Arts in Public Policy at Melbourne University and a Bachelor of Business in banking and finance at Monash University.
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Samantha McDonald started Dare Coaching & Seminars five years ago, and is featured in the book 'The Secrets Of Great Success Coaches Exposed'. You can see what she's up to at www.darecoaching.com.au
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This is a blog about selling your business, finding a buyer or investor and getting the right price. Lead bloggist Andrew Kent is a director of BizExchange, an independent marketplace for business for sale or seeking investment. Andrew has held senior executive positions in companies as diverse as Shell, dstore, CPA Australia, and Fairfax. He has managed multi-million dollar operations, large teams, multiple departments and entire organisations. Most importantly he has a long and successful association with business change. He knows the theory, and more importantly he knows how to apply it, and what to do when things don't go to plan.
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Jason Gehrke has a passion for franchising. He has been involved in the sector for 17 years as a franchisee, a franchisor, provided PR and marketing services to more than 30 leading Australian franchise systems, and presented to literally thousands of potential franchisees and franchisors over the years. He is a director of the consultancy Franchise Advisory Centre and is the immediate past CEO of automotive paint and plastic repair franchise, Kwik Fix International, a 2004 Australian Franchise System of the Year winner. His blog will share tips for successful franchising and uncover franchise trends.
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This blog helps you acquire new customers, rank highly in the search engines, convert and persuade visitors into customers. Chief Blogger Fred Schebesta writes, podcasts and hosts webinars for your Online marketing success. Freestyle Media is a listed online marketing agency specialises in building search engine friendly corporate websites and running strategic online marketing campaigns.
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Pollyanna Lenkic is an experienced facilitator, certified coach and a certified Practitioner of NLP. In 1990 she co-founded a specialist IT recruitment consultancy in London, which grew to employ 18 people and turnover £11 million ($27 million). This blog is about the mistakes she made and the lessons she learnt building a business the first time round and how to do it better second time round.
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This blog will answer common computer problems, help you choose internet providers, cut your IT costs, manage staff use of IT and help you find the best deals in small business technology. Paul Wallbank is Australia’s most heard computer commentator. For the last 10 years he has been the resident computer expert on ABC Local Radio and has written five computer books. Paul founded and built up a national IT support company, PC Rescue and has a free help website at IT Queries. Today he spends most of his time consulting and advising community and business groups on getting the most from their technology.
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Do you want to hear the insider secrets of raising private equity or venture capital? Then this blog is for you. When it comes to winning over tricky investors you need all the help that you can get. Lead writer, Gail Geronimos, is the founder of Achaeus, which helps entrepreneurs develop their businesses, provides you with powerful presentation tips and investor secrets that will make a big difference to your efforts in raising equity capital.
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Our Tech Guru is Ben Prendergast, the CEO of Element Software, creators of copperproject.com, a web-based project management and collaboration tool used in over 50 countries by organisations such as Apple, Disney, Pixar, Coca-Cola, and Sony Pictures Digital.
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This is blog will give you practical tips on exporting and help you avoid the traps. Lead writer Lynda Slavinskis is an outgoing, intuitive and commercially savvy lawyer. She has worked in-house at Sussan Corporation and Tattersall’s and now assists small and medium businesses with import, export, leases, franchising, employment and general business advice as principal solicitor of Lynda Slavinskis Lawyers & Consultants. Lynda is on the Victorian State Government’s Small Business Advisory Council.
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Michael Phillips is a 29-year old CPA managing a business full of Gen-Ys. He’s the Commercial Manager of Cremorne Group which wholesales and retail mens and womens apparel, including the Tommy Hilfiger, Blazer and Perri Cutten brands. His blog will offer the benefit of his experience as a pioneering Gen-Y managing Gen-Ys, covering issues such as how to recruit, retain and get the most out of Gen-Y - the notoriously difficult younger generation of employees aged 15 to 30.
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Monique Talbot started her online career back in 1996 with Yellow Pages Online, and is one of the pioneers of the Australian online adverting industry. After successfully launching the Yellow Pages site, she took up the role of national sales and marketing manager for one of Australia's largest ISPs OzEmail. She left in 1999 to start her own business, Tempest Online Media. Zoom Direct is a further extension of Tempest as Monique sees the future of online advertising lies in providing practical, highly targeted EDM solutions in conjunction with broad reaching, online display advertising. She is totally convinced the medium and the industry in Australia is still in its infancy.
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Want to know the risks and rewards and the how-to of property investment? This blog reports on the latest property news and explores the strategies used by the Rich 200 to build their property portfolios. Lead writer Scott Keck has over 30 years property valuation experience within the Melbourne market. He is the managing director of Charter Keck Cramer, and a current board member of the Property Council of Australia, Victorian division. He also just loves yakking about property.
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Josh Catone is the lead blogger for sitepoint.com, and is based in Rhode Island, USA. He is also the co-founder of the web's largest community dedicated to Ruby on Rails development, Rails Forum
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Michael Sherlock was managing director of Brumby’s Bakeries, a 320 store franchise chain in Australia and New Zealand, from 1999 to 2007. Michael oversaw the growth of Brumby’s from its early days in 1975 where it was established to support the work of a health and education foundation to its recent sale to the ASX listed, Retail Food Group for $46 million. Michael is also a contributor to the book “Top Franchise CEO’s Secrets Revealed
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Any entrepreneur will know that running a fast-growing business is like riding a rollercoaster. This blog's lead writer Emma Brown is only 27 and has already bought two businesses and sold one. She ran the recruitment company Staff It for eight years, and is now chief chick of Business Chicks, Australia's leading community for businesswomen. She's on the board of Entrepreneurs Organisation Sydney, and lives in Sydney with her fellow entrepreneur partner.
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This is a blog on how online is changing, what SMEs should be doing online – and what your web developers won’t tell you. Lead bloggist Craig Reardon has been working with Australian SMEs on their online requirements since the web gained critical mass here in 1995. More recently he opened the independent web services firm for SMEs, The E Team.
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Lead bloggist Doron Ben-Meir has been an active venture capital manager for the last eight years. He founded Prescient Venture Capital and was principal with Jagen (Liberman family office) where he was responsible for the management of a number of Jagen’s private equity and venture capital portfolio assets as well as the qualification and structuring of new investments. Previously, he held a general management position at ES Group Ventures, a venture capital business established by ESCOR, the family office of the Jack and Robert Smorgon families. Prior to that, he was a consulting investment director of Momentum Funds Management, one of the five licence recipients of the Australian Government’s first IIF program. Before focusing on the venture capital industry, Doron was a serial entrepreneur over a 12 year period, co-founding five new technology based businesses. These businesses addressed a variety of industry sectors from secure identification technologies and smart card manufacture through to specialised printing technology, food & beverage management/loyalty systems and on-line payments.
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It’s hard to sort out the hype from the reality of virtual worlds like “Second Life”. For an insider’s view, Wiz Nordberg is a virtual businessman discovering and exploiting new opportunities in Second Life and other virtual worlds. In real life, Wiz Nordberg is Gary Wisniewski, an Australian entrepreneur and noted technologist who decided to take the plunge and start “going virtual”. This blog tells the tale.
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This blog trawls through the franchise sector, reporting on the highs and lows. The lead writer is Jacqui Walker, editor of SmartCompany. Before she made the leap into independent publishing, Jacqui was editor of BRW's Hot Franchises report and emerging companies. In a previous life, she toiled in national law firms as an intellectual property lawyer, eventually realising she would rather chase stories than ambulances.
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Timothy Sharp has three degrees in psychology (including a PhD) and an impressive record as an academic, clinician and coach. He runs one of Sydney’s largest clinical psychology practices and is the founder & CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) of The Happiness Institute, Australia’s first organisation devoted solely to enhancing happiness in individuals, families and organisations. He’s taught at all the major universities in NSW and is currently a clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney and an adjunct professor. His primary area of interest is enhancing happiness at work and within organisations and he has, in 2008, established Australia’s first National Happiness at Work Index. Timothy makes frequent appearances in the local and international media including being read and heard by millions of people every week in a syndicated newspaper column and radio spot (www.drhappy.com.au)
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This blog charts the course that business needs to take online to be successful. Lead bloggist David Trewern founded DTDesign in September 1996. As a trained graphic designer obsessed by technology and coming from a family of architects, web development and David were made for each other. As well as charting the course for the company, David oversees the creative and strategic solutions developed for DTDesign clients.
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This is a blog about getting out, and getting out quick. Lead bloggist Tom McKaskill is a successful global serial entrepreneur, educator and author who is a world acknowledged authority on exit strategies and the Richard Pratt Professor of Entrepreneurship, Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
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Lead bloggist Greg Nathan is managing director of the Franchise Relationships Institute. Greg is a corporate psychologist, developer of the Franchise E-Factor model and has written three popular franchising books, Building Profitable Partnerships, The Franchise E-Factor and The Franchisors Guide to Improving Field Visits.
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Over two decades in business journalism, SmartCompany publisher Amanda Gome has interviewed almost every entrepreneur in this country worth their salt. Now she has joined their ranks. In this blog Amanda shares what she has learnt from them and from driving an IT start-up: SmartCompany.com.au
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Behind every business, there's more than just an entrepreneur involved. Whether we recognise it or not, governments and outside organisations also play a key role, by establishing the conditions in which firms succeed or fail. Blogger Professor Michael Schaper is not your average academic. The Dean of Murdoch University Business School has been a business owner, run a community-based SME support agency, and was previously ACT Small Business Commissioner. Michael's passion is to ensure that governments and the community understand the "big picture" - the policies and issues that affect all of the small business sector - so that entrepreneurs have the support they need to flourish.
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This blog was to be named after the writer's grandfather Bernard, who liked to grow things in the garden. John Addis has inherited his love of growth, except he grows businesses, including IntelligentInvestor and now SmartCompany. The final name for his blog, The Business Buddhist, is more of a reflection of John's holistic approach, and that karma can play a role in an entrepreneur's life.
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This blog casts a critical eye on politics, making sure the bastards focus on all things entrepreneurial. Lead writer Nicholas Way was a wage slave for 30 years, writing for The Australian Financial Review, BRW and The Australian. Then he took the plunge and joined the swelling ranks of 50-year-old pluses running their own business by buying into the PR company Shed Enterprises. Now he sees life very differently; suddenly it’s his money on the line.
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Dr Beth Walker is the director of the Small and Medium Enterprise Research Centre (SMERC) and an Associate Professor in the School of Management at Edith Cowan University. SMERC has two main goals, to conduct relevant and applied small business research and to provide community outreach, all through partnerships. Before joining Edith Cowan University she worked in both big and small business, including her family business in the UK.
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What's the next property hot spot? Where can entrepreneurs park their spare cash...or their dreams? Lead writer Simon Lloyd left his life as a business and finance reporter on AFR and BRW magazine to become a real estate agent in Cairns with PRDnationwide and share with us hot property gossip.
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This blog looks at building and growing your business with a focus on financial management. Finance expert Rob Lamers is a senior manager at cash flow finance specialist Oxford Funding (a division of Bendigo Bank) and works with companies to put in place better cash flow strategies to grow their business. Over the years Rob has also worked in corporate finance roles with the major banks.