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1. 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

2. First impressions count in retaining SME staff... Servant-CE

First impressions count even more for new SME employees New employees decide to leave an SME in a much shorter time frame compared to those at larger organisations, with more than half deciding in the first month, according to new research by consulting firm Chandler Macleod. In fact, 8% of SME employees decide on the first day of their new job, compared to just 1% of employees from larger organ...

3. Australia’s 25 best business blogs

Did the great corporate blogging revolution ever happen? It seems only a handful of years ago that, inspired by US automaker General Motor’s FastLane blog, nascent social media pundits (and this writer) were predicting that corporations would open up and begin a two-way dialog with customers. But in the ye...

4. 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 ...

5. Gap to enter Australia, first store in Melbourne by end of J

American retailer Gap has signed an agreement to bring its brand to Australian shores following years of speculation, in the latest sign US companies are flocking to the local market attracted by the strength of the franchising sector. But while there should be enough demand for the company's product, one retail expert wonders whether it will struggle to compete against Australia's fashion-conscious market. It comes as a number of other American retailers, including the NexCen bra...

6. 30 hot entrepreneurs aged 30 and under

They are young, smart and come from industries as diverse as IT, fashion and agriculture. BRAD HOWARTH profiles 30 hot young entrepreneurs aged 30 years and under. By Brad Howarth    

7. Android dominates Australian smartphone market, Apple crumbl

A divide has opened up between smartphone sales in the US and Australian markets during the 12 weeks ending November 25th, with Android dominating the Australian market and Apple dominating the US, according to new market research figures. The figures, compiled by Kantar ComTech, show that Apple's Australian smartphone marketshare during the quarter ending November 25 sunk to just 35.9%, down from 41.3%...

8. Understanding the new Fair Work industrial relations laws

Get ready for some big changes to Australia’s workplace laws from July 1, when the Rudd Government’s Fair Work industrial relations regime comes into effect. The...

9. Hot 30 under 30

They're smart, they're young, they're tech savvy - and they're not afraid of the downturn. Meet SmartCompany's Hot 30 under 30 - a group of 30 entrepreneurs aged 30 years and under who are on their way to becoming Australia's next generation of business leaders.  

10. Economy 2009: 10 key forecasts

There are several key elements affecting the overall economy, and the stability or otherwise of each can be integral to your business’s viability for the year ahead. JAMES THOMSON surveys the likely scenarios. ...

11. Wealthy power-tool entrepreneurs watch empire collapse

Australian power tool empire Global Machinery Company – better known to those handy around the home as GMC – has been placed in receivership by its main lending banker Westpac Banking Corporation. GMC was owned by Melbourne-based entrepreneurs Peter Hosking and Tony D’Antonio. The pair were valued on this year’s BRW Rich 200 at $270 million and were praised for the way they built their fledging tool company into a worthy rival for global companies such as Black & Decker an...

12. Re-inventing a cottage industry

Serial entrepreneur Ryan Trainor, 35, has spent the last year turning a cottage industry into a national, scalable business called Franklyn Scholar.  It has attracted a high profile board and has revenue of $20 million. Amanda Gome talks to Trainor about how ...

13. US economist predicts Australian property market to crash un

Housing market doomsayer Harry Dent has set his sights on the Australian property industry once again, predicting that a crash is set to occur within the next 12 months that will bring housing prices back to realistic levels. The prediction comes during the second week of the spring selling season, with some property experts more hopeful after auction clearance results rose slightly in both Melbourne and Sydney. Harry Dent, who is in the country to promote a new book and also

14. Will Australia’s Groupon bubble burst?

You can call it the great Groupon gold rush. In just 12 short months, more than a dozen new group buying sites have been launched in Australia, all modelled on US group buying pioneer Groupon, which has annual revenue of about $US350 million and a valuation approaching $1 billion. In some cases, even the names s...

15. Battling the big brands with an online strategy

Ruslan Kogan began selling cheap electronics in an industry that tells consumers you get what you pay for. So convincing the market to trust his online offerings has required a specific brand management approach. By PATRICK STAFFORD By Patrick Stafford

16. 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...

17. 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.

18. Dymocks and its digital turnaround

Don Grover is the chief executive of the franchise chain of book sellers Dymocks, which has emerged from the doldrums of this early decade with a new business model that embraces online strategies.   He talks to Amanda Gome about how he has changed the model and...

19. My life, my way, my pubs

The entrepreneur behind Pubboy, Mark Alexander-Erber, is living the Aussie blokes' dream: he owns a dozen pubs.By Amanda Gome Mark Alexander-Erber, 39 and pictured right, is living out the fantasy of many Aussie blokes. He ...

20. The big issues for 2010

There's no question that 2009 was the year of the GFC. But interestingly, just as some were ready to declare that a new Depression was upon us, the global economy bounced back. We can thank the aggressive stimulus applied by Governments and Central Banks. We can also give thanks to China – the global rebound wouldn't have occurred without Ch...

21. How will your sector perform in 2009?

The threat of recession hangs heavy over the business landscape, but not every company is bracing for bad news. In a sector-by-sector breakdown, SmartCompany reveals the industries of likely refuge in the maelstrom ahead. By Patrick Stafford and James Thomson

22. RBA board member says economy needs "active management": Mid

Reserve Bank of Australia board member Heather Ridout has said the Australian economy needs "active management" to overcome the slowing mining sector and the high Australian dollar. Ridout's comments coincided with the International Monetary Fund's decision to lower its projection of global growth in 2013 from 3.6% to 3.5%, up 0.3% from the previous year. Ridout praised the global economy, but said growth in non-mining Australian businesses was difficult at present. ...

23. Your sector-by-sector guide to 2012

The only certainty is uncertainty: chances are the Australian economy is headed for another topsy-turvy year. But for the nation's small- and medium-sized enterprises, there are good sectors to operate in, and not so good. We've taken the pulse of 15 key industries. Here's SmartCompany's guide to 2012, ...

24. Shouldering the drive and passion

Amanda Briskin is a true innovator. She started Mimco 11 years ago with $5000 and a design for two handbags and just sold the company for $45 million. She bucked the norm many times while building her handbag and accessories company and now tells Amanda G

25. Coffee collapse: Tax debt brings coffee franchisor down but

The company behind the Bean Bar coffee shop franchise has entered into liquidation after being pursued through the courts for outstanding tax debts, but the franchisor has now sold the business and is planning an expansion. Basset Holdings, the franchisor of the South Australian Bean Bar chain, has been embroiled in legal proceeding brought by the Australian Taxation Office. Last...

26. Cleaning up

Enjo's founder Barb De Corti tells AMANDA GOME how the plan to expand her $100 million cleaning products business to the US lost her a lot of money, how her marriage broke up and what she plans to do next. Austrian-born Barb de Corti moved to Australia when sh...

27. Rich recoup losses

Meet the comeback kids. A year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the onset a global equity slump, a group of wealthy Australian investors including James Packer, Kerr Neilson and Gerry Harvey have managed to recoup their losses - and then some. Every investor of super fund members knows Australia's sharemarket has bee...

28. Ruslan Kogan

Age: 26Company: Kogan TechSector: Internet Ruslan Kogan began his online retailing company after shopping for an LCD television. When he thought prices were much too high, he quickly adopted a solution - he would make his own. The company makes electronic devices in China with parts from different...

29. Australia has 190,000 millionaires

Wealthy Australians might have spent most of the year weeping over the shrinking size of their investment portfolio, but it’s not all bad news. Wealthy Australians might have spent most of the year weeping over the shrinking size of their investment portfolio, but it’s not all bad news. A new report from Boston Consulting Group has revealed that the number of households with $US1 million in “assets under management” leapt from 148,000 to 190,000 in 2007, putting Australi...

30. Abigail Forsyth

Melbourne-based business KeepCup, founded by brother and sister team Abigail Forsyth and Jamie Forsyth launched its re-usable coffee cup just over 12 months ago and has already sold more than 300,000 units, which retail from $12. The pair, who also own a chain of trendy inner city take-away food stores called BlueBag, took the bold step into the world of design and manu...

31. Former Billabong chief Matthew Perrin declared bankrupt

Matthew Perrin, the former chief executive of surfwear giant Billabong, has declared personal bankruptcy after failed investments in China left him with debts of around $28 million.   Graham Starkey of chartered accountants PA Lucas & Co was appointed as Perrin's trustee-in-bankruptcy. He has said Perrin's assets are "negligible" and the bulk of Perrin's debts are owed to banks and Chinese investors. Perrin and his wife Nicole were valued at $150 million by BRW

32. Ice cream chain Ben & Jerry’s comes to Australia with fran

Iconic American ice cream retailer Ben & Jerry's will open its first Australian store in Sydney next month and will begin assessing opportunities to expand via franchising, according to brand manager Caroline Simpson. She says franchises will be offered after initial locations in Sydney and Melbourne establish a strong enough brand awareness to allow the company to branch out. "With regards to how we roll out the locations in the company, we want to be very involved in the...

33. Why the rich are buying commercial property

Australia's richest investors might be battered and bruised after a very difficult year, but there are tentative signs they are slowly coming out of their shells once again. And for the super rich, commercial property has become one of the prime hunting grounds for bargains. A recent survey conducted by Retail Financial Intelligence for the Australian Priv...

34. Booming in the bust

We all know how ugly it's getting out there. Corporate collapses, widespread job cuts, entrepreneurs going bankrupt – the bad news shows no signs of ending.   Well, it's time to get a bit more op...

35. Dorry Kordahi

It's been a big few months for Dorry Kordahi, the 35-year-old founder of merchandising and marketing company DKM. Just eight years after founding his business, which now turns over more than $10 million, Kordhai joined the Young Rich list with a fortune estimated at $19 million. He's also followed in the footsteps on one of his favourite...

36. Life of a bum

Aussie Bum, which is a men’s swimming and underwear company that has gone worldwide very quickly. It started in 2001 and it’s already turning over $20 million. Founder Sean Ashby talks to AMANDA GOME. Sean Ashby is 40, and is famous for...

37. What will Australia look like in 2020?

Australia's demographics and economy will undergo some important changes over the next decade. Let's look at what Australia will look like in 2020. Who are we? Currently, our population hovers around 21.4 million. By mid-2020, IBISWorld predicts the population will reach 25.7 million - growing by around 1.5% a year between now and then. At ...

38. e-Retail therapy

Paul Greenberg has almost doubled the revenue of online retailer Deals Direct, to $40 million, in a year. Now, he tells AMANDA GOME, he plans to double it again.Paul Greenberg runs online department store Deals Direc...

39. Trend master

What will the world be like in 30 years? And what opportunities will this world provide entrepreneurs? Europe's foremost futurist, Ray Hammond, tells AMANDA GOME. Ray Hammond is Europe’s most experienced and widely published futurologist. For 25 years he’s ...

40. Has the Australian housing market hit a wall? A SmartCompany

The bad news keeps coming for the Australian housing market. Yesterday, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the number of new owner-occupier housing loans fell by 1.5% in March, versus expectations of a 2.4% rise. The 44,968 new loans sold in March was the lowest result since March 2001, leading CommSec economist Craig James to comment that “the housing sector has well and truly come off the boil”. That will be music to the ears of housing bears,...

41. Which sectors will win and lose in the downturn?

Are your sales efforts aimed at the right sectors? As the Australian economy hurtles towards recession, veteran business watcher and IBISWorld founder PHIL RUTHVEN nominates the industries that will be hardest hit – and the sectors that should hold up.   As bad...

42. Australian property: overvalued but undersupplied

The Australian housing market has been heating up again. But can it continue? The outlook for house prices is very important for Australians and the Australian economy. Housing is the biggest investment most families undertake, poor affordability has significant social consequences and the unwinding of high house prices in the US shows the economic damage it can cause. ...

43. Philip Weinman

Philip Weinman could be Australia’s ultimate serial entrepreneur. After starting and selling seven fast-growing businesses including CTS Travel (sold for $30 million), Hisoft (sold for more than $10 million) and Vitamin Me, he has now formed the Deasil Group, which has investments in 14 separate businesses.  

44. Online job giant SEEKs to adapt

Seek founder Paul Bassat speaks to AMANDA GOME about the direction his business must take to continue on its enviable growth path. By Amanda Gome Internet jobs site Seek has grown from a tiny start up to listed compan...

45. 50 Tips to Boost Your Profit

How to improve your bottom line Raise your prices. You’ll be surprised how few complaints you’ll get about a 5% price increase. Sack a customer. Think about abandoning demanding customers who eat up too much time for too little reward. Drop a product from your range. Most companies carry...

46. Industries to fly and fall in 2011

After a return to positive economic conditions during 2010, we've compiled a list revealing the top sectors set to fly and fall in the year to come – some more surprising than others. The "Top 5" 1. Organic farming Demand for organic products in Australia has risen ...

47. Furniture sells online

Dean Ramler is not only proving that people do buy furniture online but is building a successful business around it. By PATRICK STAFFORDBy Patrick StaffordDesigner furnit...

48. .com or .com.au?

When deciding what type of domain a business should register, remember that the more, the merrier. PAUL WALLBANK By Paul WallbankI was asked during the week what type of domain a busin...

49. Property market predictions for 2011 and beyond

Around this time each year, it's customary for those of us in the property industry to peer into the future in an attempt to predict what's ahead for our housing markets in the coming year and beyond. While making such forecasts is not an exact science, I can safely make three predictions that I am certain will be true for 2011. My first prediction is that it will be a bad year for those in the prediction business – most predictions will be wrong! My second prediction is...

50. How Mike Quigley overcame cancer and career setbacks to beco

When ZDNet.com.au asked people behind the scenes in the telco industry this week what sort of person NBN Company executive chairman Mike Quigley really was, it was one disappointment during his career that was commonly mentioned. "He was promised the CEO role," one industry source said of Quigley's departure from Alcatel-Lucent in 2007 after more than 30 years with the French company. "It was