-
2 months ago | 
smartcompany.com.au | Jason Murphy |Sally Branson Dalwood |Joan Westenberg |Jason SMith |Jason Smith
If there exists a phenomenon more unloved than the credit/debit card surcharge, I can’t imagine it. It’s up there with suppurating pustules and bumper-to-bumper traffic, especially amid our cost of living crisis. The shelf price of things has risen quite enough; to have an additional few percent added is an insult. So it is welcome that the Reserve Bank is undertaking a big study into card surcharging — with the goal of making them go away, or at least get much smaller.
-
Dec 10, 2024 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Sally Branson Dalwood |Megan Flynn |Charmaine Loratet |Ilea Buffier
In 2019, when I founded Evalue8 Sustainability, I was convinced of the market need for carbon accounting software. I’d spent 14 years in the industry, had decades of experience as a business owner, and had even been recognised as Telstra Business Woman of the Year back in 2004. Yet, despite my credentials and expertise, raising capital was a constant uphill battle. At one point, I was repeatedly asked how I knew there was a market for what I was building.
-
Dec 9, 2024 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Jason Murphy |Sally Branson Dalwood |Joan Westenberg |Kerry Kingham
“Well, maybe one of the Christmas elves is called Anko?”That’s what you might have to tell the kids, anyway. Anko is the house brand of Kmart, imprinted on a range of toys that cost as little as a dollar. A lot of such toys are going to end up in Christmas stockings because Australia is set to have a very discount Christmas. Consumer spending has retreated like an outgoing tide.
-
Nov 28, 2024 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Michel Hogan |Sally Branson Dalwood |Mia Fileman |Natalie Dean-Weymark
It’s easy to throw stones from the cheap seats. But organisations that take a blow torch to heritage as part of a relaunch make me wonder why they didn’t just start anew? The venerable Jaguar is back in the news and courting controversy. Ditching its hugely recognisable leaping panther in favour of … I’m not sure how to describe the bland, abstracted, typographic moniker and generic catch phrases such as “delete ordinary”. Seriously you can’t make this stuff up.
-
Oct 23, 2024 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Sally Branson Dalwood
Without delving into the juice of the sensational details dominating today’s headlines about WiseTech Global, there are valuable lessons for businesses of all sizes. Let’s learn our own lessons from the front pages. The current situation presents a 101 in crisis planning for SMEs in two critical business risks: key person dependency and the phenomenon of creeping crisis. The recent turmoil at WiseTech Global exemplifies the inherent vulnerabilities of founder-led companies.
-
Sep 23, 2024 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Sally Branson Dalwood
A decade ago, I thought I understood small business. Working on then-prime minister Tony Abbott’s small business budget and advising the minister for small business, I felt equipped to support a minister with his own SME experience. Coming from a family of SME owners and farmers, having run a one-person consultancy and managed an SME, I believed I had a really great understanding of the sector. Fast forward to today.
-
Jun 12, 2024 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Sally Branson Dalwood
The recent appointment of Catherine West as Nine’s new chair, following the sudden departure of the former chair Peter Costello, inevitably brings up discussions about the “glass cliff”. But automatically labelling this as a “glass cliff” appointment mitigates Catherine West’s deep experience, expertise, and work history. It also disregards, diminishes, and undermines women as effective and impactful leaders in a crisis.
-
Oct 26, 2023 | 
smartcompany.com.au | KPI Checklists |Sally Branson Dalwood
The Australian Financial Review released its under 40 Rich List this morning. It is one of my favourite reads; who doesn’t love a glimpse into someone else’s bank account? But this post isn’t a commentary on the reporting or the merits of the rich list, it’s an observation about the facts of women founders. Melanie Perkins (extraordinary founder) may be up the top, but she’s the only woman in the top 10. There couldn’t be a better table to illustrate the following facts.
-
Aug 13, 2023 | 
smartcompany.com.au | Sally Branson Dalwood
No one wants to be the fun police. The Matildas getting this far is amazing. Already world beaters is an amazing reason enough to celebrate. And me? If you know me you know I am all for celebration. On Saturday night I was at an annual reunion of the girls I went to kindergarten with, we are more girl power than the Barbie movie could ever hope to be. The “no phones at the table” rule was broken and we hugged strangers at an Italian restaurant. Jubilation and celebration — it feels good to feel good.
-
Mar 2, 2023 | 
womensagenda.com.au | Sally Branson Dalwood
What a depressive and ultimately frustrating read this week in The Australian on startups and venture capital. Depressive not just because it writes of the failure of startups to raise capital, but more so because it ignores the specific challenges faced by many founders in the Australian environment. Although the article doesn’t cite anything other than anecdotal evidence, it does do one thing really well.
