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1. The next 15 trends in social networking

There is no hotter trend in the internet, marketing and media space than social networking. What started out as a way for ‘cool kids’ to talk to each other has now become essential part of every company’s marketing strategy.  ...

2. SmartCompany Crown Lager Business Start Up Awards 2009

SmartCompany is proud to present the winners of the SmartCompany Crown Lager Business Start Up Awards for 2009. These awards recognise Australia's fastest growing start up ...

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. 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...

5. New site monitors your online shopping

The rise of social networks has made internet users more aware of their privacy than in the past, but one new start-up actually goes against this trend by displaying a user's online retail movements. California-based Blippy describes itself as a "fun and easy way to see and discuss the things people are buying". The site works by allowing friends to follow each other. They will then receive updates of what each other friend is buying, and can even comment on the transactions. ...

6. Australia’s top 20 online retailers

What a year it’s been in online retail. This time last year the retail industry was up in arms over the “unlevel playing field” supposedly caused by the GST-free import threshold. Now, that argument has been diluted by concerns over wages, penalty rates, and workplace relations. And online sales have continued to climb. According t...

7. Australia’s top 10 online retailers 2011

The past 12 months have seen a revolution in the online retailing sector.  Emerging players such as DealsDirect, Catch of the Day and OzSale dominate Australia’s top 10 online retailers and the past year has seen Australia’s big retailers finally start to take online selling seriously. Major department stores Myer and David Jones have ...

8. 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.  

9. Australia’s best business blogs

Blogging is a great way to engage with your customers, build your brand and stand out on Google. BRAD HOWARTH explains why entrepreneurs often write the best blogs – and lists Australia’s top 15 business blogs. By Brad Howarth  

10. Australia’s 25 top business blogs

While Facebook and Twitter might hog the social media headlines, the humble blog remains a much-loved communication tool for many Australian business people. Around the country, and throughout many different industries, there are thousands of Australian consultants, contractors and entrepreneurs running lively, informative and at times, very persona...

11. State Government Grants

Free money for growth There are many juicy free money opportunities out there, but before leaping in, business owners need to understand the cost and red tape that comes with the grants process. Here we look at state government grants and examine the costs involved and the obligations you’ll face. SmartCompany’s selection of grants from the state governments Click on the name to link t...

12. Five top business ideas that made millions

According to Paul Graham, investor and founder of Y Combinator, the best way to get a winning business idea is to not think of any. Instead, you should be looking at which problems you can solve. “The very best start-up ideas tend to have three things in common: they’re something the founders themselves want, that they themselve...

13. Choose a business type

The most suitable structure Choose the structure that will best suit the needs of your business. Your decision will determine how you have to register your business and which laws you have to observe. It is vital that you understand the legal requirements of your business setup and seek legal advice

14. Australia’s top web 2.0 entrepreneurs

The search for Australia’s best and brightest web 2.0 entrepreneurs reveals a tangled web of companies, individuals and technologies reports BRAD HOWARTH, tied together through an equally complex web of professional relationships and friendships. By Brad Howarth

15. 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    

16. 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...

17. How to get a government grant

Getting a government grant can be a great way to accelerate the growth of your business. But while there are some valuable grants around -...

18. 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...

19. 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.

20. 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...

21. The top 10 free online courses

Entrepreneurs are always learning. Whether it’s through reading or watching a mentor work, learning how to do business better is a fundamental part of running a company. So it’s little wonder many courses in the latest trend of free education are aimed squarely at entrepreneurs. While some may still view free, online c...

22. Smart50 2008

Congratulations to the winners of the Smart...

23. Government to replace entrepreneurs’ tax offset with $5,00

Tax experts are divided over the Government's plan to scrap the Entrepreneurs' Tax Offset and replace it with an across-the-board deduction of $5,000 for purchasing new cars, with some saying the decision will come at the expense of start-ups. However, others say the ETO was a disincentive for growth and poorly targeted. The plan, which was announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan yesterday, was decided upon after the Future Tax System Review recommended the ETO be scrapped due to high ...

24. 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...

25. SmartCompany Crown Lager Business Start Up Awards winners re

Canberra-based project management firm, Point Project Management has taken out the top prize at the inaugural SmartCompany Crown Lager Business Start Up Awards, held on Wednesday night at Melbourne's Crown Casino. Point Project Management won the Crown Lager Start Something Special Award, which recognises the fastest growing start up in Australia. The company, which w...

26. Social central

Bebo, one of the most popular social networking sites, has 40 million registered members. Founders Michael and Xochi Birch tolk to JACQUI WALKER about web trends and priorities for the future. By Jacqui Walker  

27. The rise of location-based marketing

Web-savvy businesses have been obsessed with making sure their website is at the top of Google search pages for ages but during the past two years a new platform has been added to the mix – location marketing. In addition to websites businesses are now using a variety of apps and portals to reach out to customers who are literally walking right past them.

28. Australia's new dot com boom – and why it’s different

It’s the sort of spending spree that’s bought back memories of the dot com boom. In the last six months, a host of local and overseas investors have poured more than $300 million into 18 of Australia’s leading web start-ups. But there is one very important difference between this spending binge and that which preceded the dotcom bust in 2000 – most of the companies a...

29. 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...

30. 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

31. 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...

32. A start-up with style

The brainchild behind Swap My Style is 29-year-old Shaughla Ahmad, who has brought like-minded fashionistas a new concept that combines clothes, champagne and canapes with a night out. She tells AMANDA GOME how it all came about. By Amanda Gome

33. 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.

34. 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

35. Recruiter rides the outsourcing wave

Andrew Banks heads the winning HR firm Talent2, and has built a highly successful and lucrative career from making canny calls on recruitment trends. He tells AMANDA GOME about his strategies and predictions. By Amanda Gome  

36. Bright Lights, Geek City

At 21, David Hancock founded his computer repair business, Geeks2U from his bedroom, at the time employing just one technician. Three years on, the company has 140 subcontractors across every capital city and has just recently serviced its 30,000th customer. Hancock says revenue is growing at around 94%, year-on-year. Hancock has never known anything but growth, but he ha...

37. How I sold my start-up for $40 million

The group-buying industry has exploded over the past year, and a small group of entrepreneurs control the Australian market – Spreets chief executive Dean McEvoy is one of them. In just over a year, McEvoy went from starting his group-buying venture with barely any cash, to last week selling the company to Yahoo!7 in a $40 million deal, highlighting ...

38. Am I eligible to claim the 50% rebate on a business vehicle?

I am a sole trader and I am interested in buying a new vehicle. Am I able to claim the 50% rebate? The vehicle would be for the sole purpose of the business as I will not be trading my car in. I am not sure if I am eligible as I am only a new business (about two years old), and part-time as I still am required to work full-time until I can build up the business. The business is function designing and hire. As I am still building th...

39. The 15 most influential people in Australian IT

They are the titans of Australia's tech sector – the regulators, executives and entrepreneurs who decide the shape of our tech sector. For the second year running, SmartCompany set out to find the 15 most influential people in Australian IT, judging them on criteria such as their involvement across t...

40. Our top 10 digital entrepreneurs

The hardest part about compiling a list of Australia’s digital entrepreneurs was to narrow it to just 10. By BRAD HOWARTH. By Brad HowarthWho are Australia’s emerging digital entrepreneurs, making their mark across the world, ...

41. 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...

42. 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.

43. Government to host online retail forum with nation’s bigge

The Federal Government will host an online retail summit on February 18 that will include representatives from some of the country's largest online retailers including eBay, PayPal and Deals Direct. The announcement of the summit comes as the Productivity Commission is compiling a report about the future of online retail in Australia, which may also include a recommendation about whether the Government should impose a 10% tax on imports bought online. But the announcement of the ...

44. 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...

45. Sitepoint: Ideas = exchange = business

Web 2.0 pioneer Mark Harbottle, 35, is changing direction, and has has started another business, 99designs.com, from an idea that grew out of his forums. By AMANDA GOME By Amanda Gome   Web ...

46. Footytips.com.au picks another winner

The humble office footy tipping competition has taken to the web seamlessly, and footytips.com.au founders Nathan Isterling and Heath Kilgour are set to ramp up their site’s capabities. By JAMES THOMSONBy James Thomson

47. Brendan McKeegan

I love Skype and it's not just the cost. It gives you a real business advantage. Why I love SkypeInstead of making business simpler and cheaper, some new technologies have a tendency to add further complication...

48. Top 10 start-up opportunities

Despite the prevailing economic climate, there is still money to be made and niche markets to corner for those willing to establish a new business during a global recession. IBISWorld analysts have identified the ‘Top 10' start-up opportunities for 2009, and beyond. The Top 10 list features opportunities from two dis...

49. Whether to buy-in or start-up

Should I buy a franchise or an established business?     Buying a franchise Many people get a business loan or other type of business finance and rush into buying franchises, believing it is a quick way to get independence and an income. But remember; a franchise is not a business, but a way of do...

50. 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...