“Almost every Australian company dreams of one day exporting its consumer products, inventions and ideas to the US retail mass market. How could you not dream about it? I do. The US retail mass market can take you from little league to major league, outstripping your sales in Australia many times… if you can crack it! But how do you crack it? Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of CEOs or Sales Managers from Australia think it’s easy. It’s not.” Read on

Chad Hetherington Australian Anthill

“Aspiring entrepreneurs must constantly navigate the tension between doing what they love and the realities of the market. Sometimes those interests align: Bill Gates and Paul Allen loved to write software, and happened to be doing it at the dawn of a multibillion-dollar industry. But more often, entrepreneurs walk a high wire between pursuing passion and the market opportunity where they have the greatest chance to succeed.” Read on

John Tozzi BusinessWeek

“It can be stimulating and inspiring to work with other creative people on new projects, so it’s worth thinking about what makes creative collaborations work well… Collaborations work best when people with complementary skills come together to work on a project – for example a writer and illustrator. If the project is to be a commercial success as well as a creative achievement, then other so-called ‘non-creative’ people might be needed too.” Read on

David Parrish Creative Choices

“Is it idealistic to plan for a green career? Whether your working day is spent at home, in an office, studio, or on the road, there are steps you can take to ensure you’re being as environmentally conscious as possible. You don’t necessarily have to be a visual artist using recycled materials. Whichever creative sector you’re in, think how you can stand out as a green role model. Here are some considerations you may want to take on board. Hopefully they’ll inspire you and give you something to talk about with your friends and colleagues.” Read on

Momtaz Begum-Hossain Creative Choices

“These days, the tech-savvy small business is using search engine optimisation to steer customers to its home page. But once those online visitors land, how do you get them to buy? Sure, you can pay a lot for site analytics that give you insights into those potential customers’ shopping habits. But small-business owners now have a variety of simple yet effective tools to tempt visitors into opening their wallets.” Read on

Raymund Flandez The Wall Street Journal

“Are you thinking about exporting your product or service? If so, congratulations, exciting times are certainly ahead of you. Yet with the thrill of launching your offering into a new market comes many challenges, including deciding which country to export to, how to get into the market and how to make sure it’s profitable and deliverable. So, where to begin? Here are three steps to help you export like an expert.” Read on

Steve Dowling Australian Anthill

“One of the worst steps you can take in business is attracting and accepting the wrong type of customers. This situation takes me back to one of my previous businesses.” Read on

Paul Groth Australian Anthill

“A decade ago the ability to generate ideas for businesses was a terrific and unique offering, and often a good business. Many companies and consultants were conducting workshops aimed at coming up with ideas, hundreds of ideas, and getting paid handsomely to do it. Today, it seems most of the businesses I deal with have more than enough ideas, it’s determining the right ones to invest time and energy into that is the trick.” Read on

Mark Dziersk Fast Company

“Tougher trading conditions and increasing costs are common concerns for many small businesses in today’s economic environment, but it doesn’t mean that you need to resign yourself to tighter margins and declining profits. What it does require is for those businesses to take a closer look at the fundamentals of their operations – inputs, outputs and pricing.” Read on

Simon Brewis Weston Australian Anthill

“A livelihood for any wholesaler or distributor relies on getting their products into the retail environment… While the time honoured practice of hitting the pavement and selling your goods to as many retailers as possible is still as much a part of the process as ever, there are other channels that can be used to make you and your product stand out. Here are 10 ways you can maximise your wholesale deliveries.” Read on

Cameron Bayley Dynamic Business

“Success! After gathering up every ounce of confidence, and samples of your work, you finally get a gallery or shop owner to sit down with you. And she wants to sell your work! Suddenly visions of fame, fortune and crafting dance around your head. And then the owner suggests a consignment. But what exactly does consignment mean and how do you know if it’s a good deal for you?” Read on

The Storque, Etsy.com

“There are those products and services which we have to buy and then there are others which are nice to have. If you want to drive high growth, you need to offer something which customers have to have, where the purchase cannot be delayed or avoided. Nice situation to be in, however most of us aren’t that lucky, but what if you could ride on the back of such an item?” Read on

Tom McKaskill SmartCompany

“Any improvements you make to your business processes will relate directly to your clientele numbers. Which of course relate directly to your balance sheet. It’s simple: being more organised equals more profit. Conversely, a lack of organisation costs your business money.” Read on 

Roz Howland Flying Solo

“OK, this is a question and a topic which I’ve avoided answering for years, simply because it’s an absolute minefield! There are so many carts available with various levels of functionality that critiquing them all will simply take a lifetime. Add to the fact that every business has different requirements means that unless you spend big on a custom cart solution, no single package will cover off every perceived or future requirement you may have…  All that aside, I’ll give you some of my favourites… and I’ve broken it down into several criteria.” Read on

Chris Thomas SmartCompany

“Loyal customers return more often, resulting in more sales and lower acquisition costs. Yet many businesses do nothing to encourage loyalty. Here are some simple steps to improve things.” Read on

Jack Fraenkel Flying Solo

“New research offers fresh insight on when to launch a product or service, and shows that being first to market isn’t always a competitive advantage. Market opportunities are constantly opening and closing, and a hit idea at one point could be a dud a year earlier or a yawning “me too” business a year later. It’s tough— likely impossible— to pinpoint the best moment to enter a market, but common sense dictates new entrepreneurs can improve their odds if they weigh how much they stand to gain or lose by waiting.” Read on

John Tozzi BusinessWeek

“When times are tough and business may be dwindling it’s easy to sit back woefully, but remember the chain of command: customers buy from shops what they love, shops buy from you what they love, you make what they love. How easy was that? From my experience as a sales rep I’ve been with small and large brands as they surf the tough times. Here are the tricks I’ve seen in action and apply to my own business.” Read on

Karen Benn Design*Sponge

“Wholesaling is yet another factor to consider as you price your work. Wholesaling is when a boutique or another reseller approaches you to purchase your items in bulk, usually expecting a discount for the large order. The expected discounts are between 30% and 60%, most often settling around 50%. These discounts are large, which is why it is so important to carefully consider how wholesaling could work for you before you price your items.” Read on

The Storque, Etsy.com