A telecommunications entrepreneur who has founded companies with enterprise values of more than $5 billion has his sights on an audacious and likely controversial project to build new reefs to combat the effects of coral bleaching. Bevan Slattery is no stranger to large-scale developments. He made a name for himself in 2009, along with Shark … Read more
Yearly Archives: 2018 Back
Yoga, meditation, decaf: Radek Sali buys into the wellness boom
Radek Sali is standing slightly awkwardly in in a park surrounded by women doing yoga. “I do actually practice yoga,” he says. “I do yoga with my wife and she does personal training with me.” But this park yoga session in Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens is business. It’s in aid of Sali’s $500,000 investment in the … Read more
Unprecedented Federal Court decision could have “dynamite” consequences for businesses employing casual workers
An unprecedented decision by the full bench of Australia’s Federal Court could have huge ramifications for a huge number of Australian small businesses who employ casual workers. In a decision handed down yesterday, the full power of the Federal Court ruled in favour of a casual truck driver who was employed at a Rio Tinto mine … Read more
Leadership on the line : staying alive through the dangers of change (book)
Authors: Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky To lead is to live dangerously. It’s romantic and exciting to think of leadership as all inspiration, decisive action, and rich rewards, but leading requires taking risks that can jeopardize your career and your personal life. It requires putting yourself on the line, disrupting the status quo, and surfacing hidden … Read more
Meet Manrags, the startup that has seen 100% revenue growth by taking silly socks seriously
It started with zany socks in the office, but now subscription-for-essentials startup Manrags is reporting 100% year-on-year revenue growth and inviting its dedicated community to invest through its Equitise equity crowdfunding campaign. Manrags was founded two-and-a-half years ago by husband and wife team Michael and Tina Elias, who styled the service as a community-led essentials club. Subscribers … Read more
How to protect your small business from cyber attacks
You might think a cybercriminal is more drawn to the pay-dirt of a Fortune 500 company than your business but don’t be fooled. According to the Norton SMB Cyber Security Survey 2017, one in four Australian SMBs experienced a cyber attack in 2017. There’s more bad news too. That’s a jump on the one-in-every-five SMBs … Read more
Why leadership is vital for tackling workplace mental health
I recently received a call from a chief executive overseas who had slipped into a very dark place. He had acknowledged that his levels of anxiety were “out of control”: sliding relationships at home; constantly thinking about work problems; poor sleep patterns; negative thinking about work colleagues; poor diet and a growing reliance on alcohol. … Read more
Je ne sais quoi: Craig Blair of AirTree Ventures on what the Australian startup scene could learn from Europe
Having spent 10 years living in Europe in the 90s, Craig Blair, co-founder and managing partner of AirTree Ventures, has recently been back to check out the developments in the startup scene. London and Paris undoubtedly have older, more mature startup communities — so what can Australians, whether they’re in the VC space, the government or starting … Read more
Superforecasting : the art and science of prediction (book)
Authors: Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner Everyone would benefit from seeing further into the future, whether buying stocks, crafting policy, launching a new product, or simply planning the week’s meals. Unfortunately, people tend to be terrible forecasters. As Wharton professor Philip Tetlock showed in a landmark 2005 study, even experts’ predictions are only slightly better than … Read more
QBL keeps it in the family with hemp & health foods merger
Queensland Bauxite Limited (ASX: QBL), the company behind one of the country’s fastest growing medicinal marijuana businesses (Medical Cannabis Limited (MCL)), has once again consolidated its ever growing suite of marijuana-related operations. The Queensland-based company acquired Hemp Hulling Co (HHC) on Thursday, bringing the family-run business further into the fold of MCL. Sebastian & Samuel … Read more