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1. 30 government grants to grow your business

It's tough to get money at the moment. The venture capital funds have shut up shop, the sharemarket is shying away from IPOs, the banks have backed away and the angel investors have had their wings clipped.  

2. Zuckerberg's marriages

Mark Zuckerberg must be crazy. After floating Facebook on Friday night US time, the world’s most talked-about chief executive went out and got married to his long-time partner, Priscilla Chan, in what looked like a pretty simple ceremony in the Californian tech haven of Palo Alto. Simple or not, everybody knows that getting married is one of the most stressful things you can do. I’ve never floated a $US104 billion company, but I’d imagine that ranks pr...

3. Top 10 must-have gadgets for 2009

There is only one thing an entrepreneur loves more than closing a big deal or finding about a new tax break – discovering a hot new gadget. With this in mind – and with Christmas just around the corner – SmartCompany has compiled a list of 10 must-have ga By Patrick Stafford

4. Five lessons from the collapse of Storm Financial

Storm Financial’s stumble into administrator’s hands wasn't just a result of the financial crisis – its strategy left it badly exposed and distracted. JAMES THOMSON picks over the remains and looks at the salient lessons for every entrepreneur. By James Thomson

5. Facebook wins the right to use facebook.com.au

Social networking site Facebook has successfully acquired the rights to its Australian domain name, facebook.com.au, after the World Intellectual Property Organisation stripped the address from another business.Marketing company Callverse has held the facebook.com.au address since 2007, but Facebook argued that because the group held no Australian or international trademark rights to the name, they had no basis for its ownership. Facebook pointed to its status as the sixth most ...

6. The best of the best iPhone apps

It's almost impossible to think of a faster growing industry than the mobile application sector. In just 12 months the market has been transformed from virtually non-existent to a sector worth billions of dollars.   The undisputed leader of the sector is Apple. In the last 12 months, its App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch has recorde...

7. Should you buy an iPad?

After months of delays, speculation and countless reviews, Apple Australia is finally taking pre-orders for the much-vaunted iPad. But despite high demand, a fierce debate still rages – should you hand over up to $1,000 for a device that can't do many of the things a basic laptop can? Apple's long-awaited debut in tablet computing has certainly been a financi...

8. The hottest gadgets for 2010

There's nothing better than a hot new gadget, and 2009 had plenty of them. A plethora of smartphones, laptops, netbooks and software have given technology fans enough to keep them satisfied over the past year. With new features and services released every month, it's becoming harder and harder to keep up with the industry's innovation.

9. Life after Destra, and the digital future

Dominic Carosa, 33, was until two months ago, the founder and chief executive of digital media and entertainment company Destra Corporation. He talks to AMANDA GOME about life after Destra, the lessons he learnt, his new plans and how the digital world is Domin...

10. 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...

11. How to connect to Generation Z

In March 2010, social researcher Mark McCrindle finished up a survey of 500 under-18 Australians. He asked participants to keep a media diary mapping all their entertainment activities for a week and discovered that they were spending an average of seven hours and six minutes using entertainment media everyday – that means time spent plugged into the in...

12. 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.

13. 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...

14. Young rich list member Nathan Tinkler tipped to launch $1.5

Wealthy young coal baron Nathan Tinkler is set to enjoy another big pay day, with the float of his new mining company Ashton Resources.   According to a report in the Australian Financial Review, commodities groups Itochu and Noble Group have agreed to take cornerstone stakes in the float, which will see about $400 million worth of shares offered. It has been reported the two trading house will take about $100 million in stock. The company is tipped to have...

15. The top 10 gadgets for 2011 – and 10 more for next year

There’s nothing better than a well-designed, useful gadget. And there’s more than ever before. With more manufacturers jumping on board with smartphones, advanced televisions and a boom in consumer electronics, gadget lovers have a smorgasbord of goodies to keep their technical habit going.

16. Microsoft releases new Zune HD player

Software giant Microsoft has released a new version of its Zune portable media player in an attempt to rival the Apple iPod Touch, but no Australian release data has been announced.   The new device, titled the Zune HD, features a 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen, an accelerometer, wi-fi capability and high-definition video-out ports.  

17. Facebook and Google social media group buying platforms comi

The head of an Australian SEO firm accredited by Google as only one of 15 authorised AdWords resellers worldwide predicts the newest group buying offers from both Google and Facebook may be here within the next three months. Ben Bradshaw, who is chief executive of the SEO firm SponsoredLinX and appeared on the SmartCompany Hot 30 Under 30, also says the new Google Wallet technology will be available sooner than people realise. "I can't go into detail on many things but ...

18. The top 20 Australian online retailers of 2013

It was the year when online retailing grew up. Though the industry has had the same debate for years, the last year has seen a huge resurgence in the way companies both large and small are dealing with digital. A decade after shutting down its original digital strategy, David Jones has come back with a vengeanc...

19. Myer IPO - Prospectus

Department store Myer has released a prospectus and is preparing to float the company on the Australian Securities Exchange before the end of the year. The Myer float is set to be the biggest IPO in the last 18 months and the first since the global financial crisis began.  According to the Myer Prospectus, the Myer IPO is set to offer 499.5 million Myer shares to the Australian public at a share price between $3.90 and $4.90. Related Myer share offer artic...

20. Rich list member Paul Lederer set to float Primo Smallgoods

Australia's IPO market looks certain to get off to a good start in 2011 with news that rich list member Paul Lederer is set to float his company Primo Smallgoods in a deal that is reported to value the company between $700-800 million. Lederer and his family, who founded the business in 1985, own 70% of the business. Paul Lederer, who inherited his stake in the company from his uncle Andrew, who died in 2004, is listed on the BRW Rich 200 with a fortune of $344 million. According...

21. Apple unveils iPad 2, launches in Australia on March 25

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs fronted a press event this morning to unveil the iPad 2, an updated version of the company’s flagship tablet device that is set to launch in America as early as next week and in Australia on March 25. The new gadget sports a thinner design, two cameras, including a rear-facing lens that captures high definition video at 720p, a faster CPU and an optional cover that snaps on the front of the iPad like a magnet. Jobs also announced – to...

22. Australian iPhone developers striking gold

The release of the 3G iPhone in July 2008 changed the telecommunications industry forever, and instantly made the device one of the hottest products on the planet.   But it wasn't just the iPhone's cool looks and functionality that drew customers. Where Apple really struck gold was with the App Store, a site where iPhone and iPod users could do...

23.

Facebook is ramping up its advertising efforts with a new word-of-mouth feature that will take status updates where users "check in" to a location using a business name and place them in a special advertisement that will appear on their friends' profiles. The announcement also comes as Facebook has said that every application and game available on the social network will be forced to use the site's own credits system, in a move designed to drive up revenue ahead of a likely IPO in 2012.

24. Tourism loses its way

The SmartCompany Dun & Bradstreet Industry Growth List for the tourism sector reveals an industry not only already crunched by the economy but feeling the chill from the tough times ahead. By JAMES THOMSON By James Thomson   The Sma...

25. Slice of the action

Tom Potter founded the Eagle Boys Pizza franchise chain in 1987, and grew it to 200 stores with an annual turnover of more than $100 million. He talks to JACQUI WALKER. Tom Potter founded t...

26. How to get a slice of Australia’s $1 billion organic marke

Organic is the new black, with consumers demanding organic alternatives on everything from honey, canned goods, cosmetics and even clothing. Right through the downturn, the organic industry showed remarkable resilience as consumers proved they don't mind paying a premium for products that have been through the rigour of independent certification. ...

27. Gerry Harvey vs. Ruslan Kogan – will frugal customers look

It's on! Retail heavyweight Gerry Harvey has launched an extraordinary attack against online tech entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan, calling him a "con" and saying customers will always choose well-established brands over cheap, discounted products which are often of low quality. While Kogan, who sells cheap electronics goods under his own brand, has fought back by claiming his products stack up against the larger brands, the war of words has highlighted a deeper debate raging in the retail se...

28. The digital dozen: Our next wave of entrepreneurs

Each year the technology sector produces a handful of new companies with the potential to go on to make it big. Here are 12 stand-outs. By BRAD HOWARTH.By Brad HowarthEach year the tec...

29. Five ways the Apple iPad will change business

Early this morning Apple chief executive Steve Jobs finally announced the company's worst-kept secret – a tablet device called the iPad. The device features everything analysts could have hoped for, including the ability to use iPhone apps, a new range of dedicated iPad apps such as the iWorks office suite, a new iBooks store and a constant 3G connection....

30. The patent protector

Justin Simpson, the 35-year-old former lawyer, had one idea: to make the filing of international patents cheaper and easier.   He started PCT Filer (now called Inovia) seven years ago.  Inovia has revenue of more than $10 million ...

31. Lessons for Warren Buffett – how great leaders tackled the

Warren Buffett's diagnosis of prostate cancer has made world headlines – signalling some of the leadership issues he faces as he attempts to come to grips with his illness, manage his treatment and make decisions about his future. Buffett is the face of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA: US), the funds management company he founded and of which he is chief executive. This puts the future of the multi-billion dollar business in the perilous position of being seen to be less valuable without...

32. Australia loses a great entrepreneur

On Tuesday night Diana Gribble passed away. You may have heard of her; certainly if you worked in the arts and media where she achieved icon status. Diana sat on a number of prominent boards often as the lone female director in a sea of suits. But it is her role as one of Australia's most successful female entrepreneurs that I want to tell you about today. Imagine this. It is 1975.Still very much like the Mad Men days. Women in their mid-30s were married, had kids and put wo...

33. Federal Budget 2012: 13 things to expect

Later today, Treasurer Wayne Swan will hand down his fifth Federal Budget.   Swan has already warned the budget will be of the slash-and-burn variety with various cuts already leaked and speculation rife as to what the Treasurer will scrap in order to bring the budget into surplus. Gavan Ord, CPA Australia's small business policy adv...

34. The curious, cool and crazy entrepreneur

What do leaders need to be successful? What is creative conflict? And what about the Madonna effect? Oren Harari explains all to JACQUI WALKER. Oren Harari, professor at the Graduate School of Business at the University of San Francisc...

35. Stepping up the search

Today on Lunch with an Entrepreneur I'm talking to Rahmon Coupe, the 47-year-old co-founder of YourAmigo. We're going to talk today about his strategy, wh...

36. How the iPhone rescued me

The iPhone has completely transformed the landscape of the mobile telecommunications industry. The App Store has given thousands of entrepreneurs the ability to sell their products to millions of potential customers and created the potential to make a fortune in a matter of weeks. Robert Murray, chief executive of mobile games development studio Firemint, ...

37. The competitive strategies

No business can grow without being competitive, and there are only a few simple rules to stick with to make that happen. I am working with some people on a start up at the moment, but when looking into their business plan it really amounted to a “me to” business, as there are quite a few players in the industry. So I had to give them a five minute introduction to “competitive strategies and competitive threats”. I might have previously menti...

38. How the super rich will make money in 2010

With the Australian economy set to return to something like normal growth in 2010, there’s little doubt that Australia’s richest entrepreneurs will be looking to reclaim some lost ground. These early stages of recovery should throw up some good opportunities. Many of our richest entrepreneurs still have cash ready to deploy, and asset price...

39. Pie Face chain to raise $10 million, aims for $100 million I

Pie Face is aiming to be the first home-grown quick service restaurant to be valued at more than $1 billion, as it prepares for a $100 million-plus sharemarket listing next year. Pie Face was founded in 2003 by former investment banker Wayne Homschek and wife Betty Fong, and is currently looking to raise $10 million from sophisticated investors in a pre-IPO placement. Homschek expects the process, which is being handled by the Commonwealth Bank and Macquarie, to go for about a mo...

40. Apple unveils iPhone 4S, set to launch in Australia on Octob

Apple launched its new iPhone 4S at its press event in San Francisco this morning, and introduced a new, powerful voice recognition technology, but stopped short of releasing an improved iPhone 5 with an all-new design. Apple also confirmed the new iOS 5 software will be available from October 13 in Australia, but also revealed one disappointment – local users will miss out on the cloud-based iTunes Match service for now. Despite rumours of a brand new iPhone 5 c...

41. Age proof your brain

Think you’re losing your edge as you age? Think again. Jennifer Goddard tells JACQUI WALKER how we can all defrag our necktop computer. By Jacqui Walker     Jennifer Goddard is the director ...

42. Mobile payments will be mainstream in a few years, KPMG surv

More major banks and large corporates are investigating how they can use mobile payments as part of their main business strategy, a new report from KPMG has revealed, with many believing that the technology could become mainstream in the next few years. The report comes as the Commonwealth Bank announced updates to its banking app suite and hinted at a rollout of near field communication technology soon. “You can expect to hear more from us about NFC very soon,” says Com...

43. 10 Aussie digital entrepreneurs with stars and stripes in th

Home-grown digital entrepreneurs are storming the world’s most difficult IT market, the US. BRAD HOWARTH runs through 10 stand-outs. By Brad HowarthHome-grown digita...

44. The best and worst awards of 2009

45. Life after Hitwise

What does an entrepreneur do after he sells his successful company? Adrian Giles, the well known founder of Hitwise, is reinventing himself as an angel investor. He talks to AMANDA GOMEBy Amanda Gome

46. Vern Rickman

Vern Rickman is the owner and chief executive of United Group, a diversified services group that provides warranty, service and maintenance products and services to thousands of customers around Australia. The business, which turns over more than $20 million each year, also runs a unique media business selling advertising on screens placed on petrol pumps.

47. Bring me an angel

As the economy improves, there are tentative signs that angel investors are starting to re-enter the market, keen to support young companies set to ride the recovery. In July, Computershare founder Chris Morris took a $1 million stake in web services company Webfirm. In June, former realestate.com.au chief Simon Baker bought a stake in DVD distribution...

48. Price comparison site valuations rise as investment values i

Valuations of price comparison sites in Australia and overseas are on the rise, with the sale of a 10% stake in insurance comparison site iSelect valuing the business at an impressive $300 million. iSelect, which was founded in 2000 as a private health insurance intermediary but has since expanded into car insurance, life insurance and more recently travel insurance and home loans, sold a 10.2% stake in the business to US private equity group Spectrum Equity Investors for $30.2 million.

49. Could gamification work for your business?

Some of the most memorable marketing campaigns are successful because they launch using a new medium or concept. And the newest and most exciting development in the marketing world right now is gamification.   The term was coined by Tim Chang of global funding heavyweight Norwest Venture Partners. It desc...

50. Never ask a customer what they want...

Do not ask customers what they want when it comes to creating and introducing new technology and innovations. Why? Because according to leading voice on innovation, Scott Anthony, managing director of Innosight Asia Pacific, “customers lie all the time... not intentionally of course, but because they cannot tell you what they want in terms of new technology, especially disruptive technology until it is in front of them.” If you don’t know what you don’t know...