Start a Business Smart with Small Business News & Advice

Editor's Note

There is no sure-fire way to avoid start-up failure, but Marc Peskett has picked out five key steps that will help you avoid collapse.

The five keys to ensuring you don't crash and burn

Entrepreneurs face numerous challenges, but there are common themes to successful start-ups. Here are five crucial steps to making sure your start-up thrives, rather than fails. BY MARC PESKETT.

Striking it rich

In 2002, Michael Schreiber opened the first Strike Bowling Bar. Since then, Strike has grown into a $30 million revenue business employing more than 300 staff. This is how Schreiber bowled his competition over. BY MICHELLE HAMMOND.

Five ways mumpreneurs can juggle business with family life

Seven in 10 women consider launching a business after giving birth, but balancing work and family is a struggle. Here are five ways successful mumpreneurs make it happen. BY OLIVER MILMAN.

The dangers of committing to a big partnership

John Kelly, founder of Atomo Diagnostics, thought he had a financial backer for his biotech innovation, until his partners were taken over. Here's how he saved his business. BY MICHELLE HAMMOND.

Top 10 home-based business myths

If you’re weighing up whether to launch your business from the spare bedroom or kitchen, here are 10 common misconceptions you need to be aware of. BY OLIVER MILMAN.

The Start-up Mindset

My start-up date night

Have you asked your business idea out on a date lately? If not, here’s why you should. BY JASON ROSE.

More The Start-up Mindset >

Start-up Profiles

Employee Matters

Employee Matters founder Natasha Hawker launched her HR consultancy despite having three young children and an unemployed husband. Will the venture overcome these hurdles?

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Start-up Idea

Floating house looks to flood the market

Britain's new amphibious house may be the design of the future for Queensland’s flood-prone regions.

More Start-up ideas >

News

Jayride.com raises $400k from local investors

Land travel marketplace Jayride.com has secured $400,000 in funding from local investors, including angel investor Andrey Shirben, as it prepares to crack the UK market.

THE NEWS WRAP: Gillard set to call a leadership ballot today

Julia Gillard is expected to call a leadership ballot today, in response to yesterday’s dramatic resignation of Kevin Rudd.

Kevin Rudd resigns as foreign minister, positions for leadership challenge

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has staged a dramatic press conference in Washington, resigning as foreign minister and announcing he will return home to consult, family, friends and political colleagues about his future – which now looks likely to include a leadership push.

University of Queensland start-up in the running for a US$200k prize

A start-up based at the University of Queensland has been named as a finalist in the $US200,000 Imagine H20 prize for water start-ups, run by US-based non-profit group Imagine H2O.

Australian consumer confidence tops developed nations

Australians have the highest consumer confidence of all developed nations, new research shows, with more people spending money on home improvements, decorating or new technology.

More News >

Taskmaster

Understand how buyers think

What techniques can you employ to separate the buying misleaders from the people with genuine interest? Qualification of prospects is key.

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Tech Tricks

Switch from app to app quickly on the iPad

If you’re an Apple user, you’ve probably updated your iPad to iOS5, but you may not have taken advantage of all the nifty new features yet. If so, here’s a way to get more from your iPad.

More Tech Tricks >

Mentors

More Mentors >

Debra Templar

Should I encourage my staff to chat to customers in-store?

Person-to-person conversations are the key ingredient in breaking down resistance. Short and quick statements don’t get you anywhere.

Michael Halligan
How can I best market to my customers via mobile phones?
To understand how to best use mobile marketing, we must first understand how consumers react to being targeted on the most personal of devices.
Brad Callaughan
How much time should I spend on tax and other regulations?
The set-up stage will require you to spend a lot of time to making sure you have everything in order. After that, get a good accountant.
Tom O'Toole
How do you manage to stay motivated over the years?
After 30 years in business, often people wonder how I stay motivated. Here are my secrets.

Community

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Will it fly?

Need advice and feedback on your business idea, marketing strategy or growth plans?
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Marketing

Covers everything from advertising and social media to email marketing and sales.
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Technology

Gadgets, IT systems, e-Commerce and tech trends - it's all here
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Home-based business

Discussion on everything to do with running a business from home.
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Feedback

Got an idea for StartupSmart? Let us know here.
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General discussion

General discussions about SMEs and start-ups.
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Finance and funding

StartupSmart's Finance group features discussions about financing and funding your start-up.
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Labor imploding
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Startup TV

watch and learn

The accidental entrepreneurs

Innovation often starts from the desire to create value, rather than extracting it, as this wonderfully-illustrated video explains.

Previously

Events

2012 Young Entrepreneurs Mentoring Program
This mentoring program is ONLY for entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35 years with a passion and ambition for entrepreneurship who have been working in their...
Business Diary Note: National Angel Conference 2012
The National Angel Conference 2012 provides an opportunity to meet experienced national and international Angel Investors and entrepreneurs and hear about...
Pitch Anything
Oren Klaff's unique S.T.R.O.N.G. Method, which he uses in pitches to get ahead of the competition and win the deal is the focus of new book Pitch Anything. ...
How to Build New Value into YOUR Business with Business Model Innovation
Do what you do now in a totally different way to create new value, that's the power of business model innovation. You may have heard people talk in the ...
Sydney Tech Startup Expo
UNSW COMPUTING is committed to supporting the development of ideas generated in the school’s research laboratories into commercially viable products, s...