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1. Entrepreneurs reveal their cashflow commandments

Senior account director at debt collection agency eCollect Lou McLeish has been on the phone chasing up a string of overdue bills for her clients, one for as little as $368, another for $7,000 that is 90 days overdue. "There really is a big debt problem," she says. "Collecting money is everybody's least fa...

2. 25 corporate collapses – and the lessons learnt

There have been some high-profile corporate failures over the past year, and the evidence suggests that the bloodbath isn’t over. We take a look at 25 more prominent cases to draw salient lessons for every business. It’s getting ugly out there. Credit agency Dun & Bradstreet believes one in nine compa...

3. Internet pioneer on new web trends

Lloyd Ernst had an early start on the web, and has learnt how to achieve growth the hard way. He talks to AMANDA GOME about future web directions and what’s in the pipeline. By Amanda Gome

4. eBook Library

Welcome to the SmartCompany eBook Library. You can access all the eBooks here and keep an eye out for new titles. Now that you are a SmartCompany member you can join in on the conversation by participating in forums, commenting on articles and networking with other like-minded Australians who want to build bigger better businesses.    

5. 20 sales and marketing problems solved

The recession has thrown the sales and marketing strategies of entrepreneurs into disarray. Customers have become more hesitant to buy, sales teams are struggling to get deals over the line, and the marketing budget isn't looking as healthy as it used to.   

6. Our top female entrepreneurs

Meet Australia's top female entrepreneurs – they are smart, focused and generate more than $3.6 billion in sales. In a special feature to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, SmartCompany has compiled a comprehensive list of 48 of Australia's best business women (see ...

7. Redundancy: A step-by-step guide

As the downturn continues to cut a swathe through the Australian business community, more and more entrepreneurs and managers are facing up to one of the toughest questions of all - is it time to make some staff members redundant?    It can be a...

8. Top 10 lessons of successful female entrepreneurs

What's keeping women entrepreneurs in the minority? Is it something they are doing wrong? It doesn't have to be this way. AMANDA GOME offers 10 steps to success.   By Amanda Gome    

9. Federal Government Grants

Free money for growth Government assistance is designed to help companies grow – it will not provide start-up capital, get you through a cashflow crisis or help you pay creditors. In fact in many cases grants are made in the form of a refund or credit for money already spent. There has never been a better time to get your hands on some government assistance. For starters, the slowing economy means business...

10. Witchery and Mimco push ahead

The economic crisis is nothing new for Witchery and Mimco chief executive Iain Nairn, who has weathered two downturns in the last three decades. While he predicts tougher times ahead, the retailer believes the fashion group has the strategy to survive andBy Emily Ross

11. How to Save Money Tips

Here are some tips from our readers on how to save money in business. How to Save Money Tip: When setting up your business system – sales, purchases, servicing whatever it may be – the system needs to efficiently touch each process once and effectively (accidentally) create the accounting records and business records without needing to conduct a different process to comply with accounting and tax requirements. Have a system that works for...

12. 2012's Hot 30 Under 30

They are young, smart and hungry for success. Meet SmartCompany's Hot 30 Under 30 class of 2012 – a group of entrepreneurs aged 30 years and younger, drawn from 30 of Australia's fastest-growing SMEs. These 30 young people are well on their way to becoming Australia’s next generation of top entrepreneurs.

13. Small Business Software and Tools

Starting a business is always difficult, and trying to start one in the middle of an economic crisis be even harder. To add to the problem, many small businesses are unaware of the internet's power when it comes to free business advice. So we've compiled a list of simple small business software applications and tools to help small business managers setup and grow their businesses for little or no...

14. Five lessons from the spectacular fall of Eddy Groves

ABC Learning Centres is in receivership and its shares are suspended, sealing the financial fate of founder Eddy Groves. JAMES THOMSON underscores five salient lessons from Groves’s downward spiral.By James Thomson

15. Smart50 2008

Congratulations to the winners of the Smart...

16. SMEs must act now to avoid post-Christmas cashflow crunch

Small businesses are being urged to start preparing for the Christmas shutdown period now to avoid traditional post-Christmas cashflow shortages that typically lead to a spike in insolvencies in February. Michael Fingland, managing director of turnaround specialists Vantage Performance, says many businesses fall into a cashflow hole over the Christmas break. As business shuts down over the Christmas period and the normal payment cycle stops, start-ups and small businesses can find i...

17. 10 collapses and the lessons learnt

It’s tough out there right now. This year it seems that every week another business goes under, from big companies like trucking firm 1st Fleet to small businesses like the football and athletic shoe importer Azumah. From tourism industry troubles to construction company collapses and the ongoing downturn in ...

18. The wealthy women list

On International Women's Day, debate is still raging over whether women have truly cracked through the glass ceiling of the corporate world. But there is still one area of business where women are undeniably under-represented – on the world's rich lists. There are just six women in the top 100 of BRW's Rich 200 list, just ...

19. Australia’s fastest-growing startups

We set Emily Ross a hard task: to find five of Australia's hottest start-up entrepreneurs and get them to talk warts and all about how they did it. Did she succeed? You decide! By Emily Ross

20. Alcohol industry in better spirits

Australia imports most of the spirits it consumes. Domestic manufacturing represents a relatively small proportion of the estimated $5.2 billion retail value of spirits consumed in Australia. For many products, some degree of transformation occurs domestically, particularly in the case of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages. The main spi...

21. 2011's Hot 30 Under 30

Meet SmartCompany's Hot 30 Under 30 class of 2011 – a group of entrepreneurs aged up to 30 years, drawn from 30 of Australia's fastest-growing SMEs. While many of the entrepreneurs here have leveraged technology to grow their businesses, this group of business owners prove that IT isn't the only avenue to q...

22. Career by design

The founder of kikki.K wanted to bring a sense of fashion and design to the everyday, and took her business from its start-up $3000 outlay 10 years ago to revenue now of more than $20 million. Kristina Karlsson tells AMANDA GOME the kikki.K story.

23. Where are we in the property cycle?

Although the Australian property downturn of 2008 came as a shock to many investors, recessions are not a new concept. They are an inevitable part of the economic cycle; intermittent periods of growth and decline that have occurred throughout history. They impact all markets and industries including property. While well-located properties in Australia have doubled in value every eight to 10 years, capital appreciation is obviously not constant each year. Property values tend to rise and...

24. Crust Gourmet Pizza founder’s winning recipe

Costa Anastasiadis evolved his business from a single pizza shop into a 17 store franchise chain, with plans for 40, in just seven years. He shares his secret ingredient with JAMES THOMSON By James Thomson

25. What can I do about a default on my credit file?

After a divorce my ex incurred a debt with a major telco. When they couldn't find her they came after me, with a note on my credit file. I helped them get their money and was promised that the mark on my file would be removed once the debt was cleared. The debt was cleared; the mark remained. When I reminded them of our arrangement I was told 'sue us'. This has been going for four years and has caused me embarrassment as well as inconvenience (eg. I had to pu...

26. 10 lessons from the collapse of Borders and Angus & Robertso

The collapse of REDGroup Retail, the owner of Borders Australia and Angus & Robertson, sent shockwaves through Australia’s retail and publishing world. While the episode has much to do with problems specific to the book sector – such as the rise of online booksellers like Amazon and Book Depository, the government’s decision last year not to drop its parallel import restrictions for books and growing eBook sales – there are important lessons for all entrepreneurs.

27. Last days of the 50% investment allowance – the 10 big que

28. How I turned around a cashflow crisis in seven days

Michael Doyle started the Website Marketing Group in order to be closer to his family. He’s managed to create a successful company in the process, with large clients including Deloitte and Mercedes Benz and revenue of $3 million. But it wasn’t smooth sailing...

29. Destra placed in administration. What went wrong?

Digital media and marketing firm Destra has been placed in administration after major shareholder Prime Media Group and the company’s bankers withdrew support for the company.Digital media and marketing firm Destra has been placed in administration after major shareholder Prime Media Group and the company’s bankers withdrew support for the company.“Continued adverse trends in the consumer and advertising markets and unprecedentedcapital market volatility have… con...

30. FEDERAL BUDGET 2011: SMEs granted $5,000 car deduction, PAYG

Small businesses will be allowed to claim up to $5,000 as an immediate deduction for any car purchased during the 2012-13 financial year, according to the newly released Federal budget. While the budget was light on direct support for small businesses, the Government will also deliver a cashflow benefit by reducing pay-as-you-go income tax installments for the upcoming financial year – delivering a cashflow benefit of $700 million. Confirming the Government's initiative announc...

31. Solar industry in chaos as pioneer Solar Shop placed into re

The downturn in the solar industry has now reached one of the country's most recognisable brands, with Adelaide-based Solar Shop being put into the hands of receivers as the industry continues to suffer under volatile changes to subsidies and benefits. The shock announcement comes as the solar industry continues to suffer, especially in New South Wales and Victoria where new Liberal Governments have reduced feed-in tariff rates for consumers who operate solar panels and feed power back i...

32. Clever ways to future-proof your business

As the old adage goes, you don't know what you don't know. But for small businesses, not knowing what the future might hold can cost them dearly. While small businesses are often great at what they do, they're not so great at planning for the future, the executive director of small business customer unit at Telstra, Charles...

33. Top 10 cashflow tips

1. Know your business’ balance sheet thoroughly. This may sound obvious, but, as your accountant can confirm, many business people don’t know how cashflow works and its significance to keeping their operation afloat. Many owners focus on their business’ profit and loss statement alone. It’s a potentially fatal mistake because healthy profits can mask an impending cashflow crisis. Profit and loss statements don’t usual...

34. How we solved our start-up challenges

You have to be brave, passionate and smart to start a business. Given how challenging the process can be, it pays to be a little crazy as well. Finding investors, managing cashflow, building credibility and establishing a great team are just some of the problems start-up entrepreneurs face. A new wave of budding start-up owne...

35. How healthy is the pharmacy sector?

Revenue in the pharmacy sector will grow at an average annualised rate of 1.7% over the five years to 2009-10. Growth was achieved mostly from the dispensing of prescription pharmaceuticals despite participant efforts to provide a total pharmacy offer in line with their changing operating environment. At the same time, government regulations and tech...

36. SmartCompany awards 2008: The billion dollar list

Australia’s top small and medium businesses have shrugged off the downturn to reveal spectacular growth rates at this year’s SmartCompany.com.au awards held on Friday night in Melbourne, hosted by NAB.Australia’s top small and medium businesses have shrugged off the downturn to reveal spectacular growth rates at this year’s SmartCompany.com.au awards held on Frid...

37. 15 tax tips from the experts

It's that time again. The 2009-10 financial year is almost upon us, and the Australian Taxation Office is preparing to knuckle down and get to work. Businesses struggling to survive the downturn will know that every dollar counts. Whether extra money is used for cashflow issues or employing an extra worker, keeping a business's tax burden low ensures more money ca...

38. Major marketing blunders

As some of the country's best known brands prove over and over again, marketing mistakes can happen to anyone. Whether it's an ill-devised campaign, poor execution or an email that's slipped out accidentally, letting the world see your company's slip-up can cost a brand dearly. We look at some of the more high profile marketing gaffs ...

39. Tammy May

Economists and business commentators are constantly worried about the high levels of debts carried by Australian households. But for Tammy May, the chief executive of personal finance consultancy MyBudget, those economic concerns are a business opportunity. "The amount of Australi...

40. Eight smart borrowing strategies for SMSFs

The Cooper superannuation review's warning in its final report that borrowing to invest should not become the "core focus" of self-managed super funds should act as a trigger for many fund trustees to review their practices. And fund trustees who are considering gearing investments for the first time should move with part...

41. What are my tax claiming options with starting a business fr

I am wanting to start up my own freelance graphic design business from home. To do this I need to update my computer and software. I'd like to know what my options are regarding claiming this on my tax - do I need to earn a certain amount before I can claim, are there any rebates, am I better of renting what I need or buying it all out right? You can claim an immediate deduction on expenses incurred in the course of carrying on your business provided they are not ...

42. Cleaning giant Reflections Group collapses into receivership

Melbourne-based cleaning, security and facilities management company Reflections Group has been placed in receivership, and will now be put on the sale block. The company, which was founded in 1980 by Wayne Crewes, provides services to 450 cleaning sites and around 70 security sties. It is said to clean about a third of all shopping centres around Australia, and claims to clean four million square metres of floor space, 300,000 car spaces and over 50,000 food court chairs every day. ...

43. The buzz on the beauty industry

IBISWorld estimates the hairdressing and beauty salon industry revenue will contract at an average annual rate of 0.03% over the five years to 2009-10. Despite the fact that beauty therapy is increasingly being perceived as a necessity, the industry is sensitive to changes in household disposable income. As such, from the middle of the period assessed...

44. Database marketing and management for SMEs

Sales and marketing would be impossible without good database systems. As business tools go, database software is essential. There are some new products you should know about. By SIMON LLOYD.By Simon LloydEvery small to medium enterp...

45. Seven ways to dodge the Christmas cashflow crunch

The year is coming to an end and you can almost hear the sigh of relief throughout Australia's SME community. But before you get swept up in the festive spirit, stop and think about the lifeblood of your business – cashflow – and what could happen to it over the holiday period, lest you join that unfortunat...

46. Kinnect's healthy bounce-back

Many small businesses fail in their first year due to poor cashflow, but health group Kinnect, which provides rehabilitation and exercise therapy services, nearly went bust because its two founders were simply too friendly.   "We did horribly," says ...

47. Eighty-five building and construction firms go under in a mo

The building and construction industry seems to be bearing the brunt of the brittle Australian economy, with more than 85 companies either entering administration, liquidation or being hit by a winding up notice over the past month in Victoria and New South Wales alone. Over the past fortnight, Safi Brothers Constructions, Port Melbourne Building Supplies, Coastline Bricklaying and Blue Hills Bricklaying have entered administration. Others to have collapsed of late include plumbers, plast...

48. Franchising under pressure

One of the franchise industry's favourite pitches to potential franchisees is that the failure rate in franchising is much lower than small business in general. The argument goes something like th...

49. The web's monetising challenge

Monique Talbot started her own business Tempest Media in 1999, just as the internet boom took off. She sold it at the market peak, and people comment on her fantastic timing.  But instead of being a woman of leisure, she is throwing her energy at another venture, ...

50. How to improve your cashflow management

Michael Burdette, business analyst and author, explains how to improve your cashflow management. The first step to improving cash flow management is to know your business's balance sheet back to front. This may sound obvious but many people don't know what they need to know when it comes to cashflow. Often small business owners have a passion for providing a service or a product rather than a financial background and it can glaze their eyes over – until they get into trouble.