http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/rss.xmlhttp://www.bizthinktank.com.auOptus BizThinkTanken-auFri, 18 May 2012 09:33:10 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/238Of all the green shoot of economic recovery we need to watch, one of the best measures to monitor is the behaviour of the super rich.Starting a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 15:22:12 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/238http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/439Can you imagine if your car didn't have a dashboard? Picture yourself in your car right now, and all you have in front of you is the steering wheel. And you're about to go out for a long drive.Starting a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 15:21:46 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/439http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/255Cheap and easy ways to increase productivity (and smiles) in the workplaceStarting a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 15:21:21 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/255http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/501Have you seen Will It Blend? It's a crazy series of videos by Blendtec, a small blender manufacturer. The series has been seen by millions of people. My favorite is Will It Blend? - iPhone.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:54 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/501http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/503Get rid of your bank lines - Bill Ritchie, CEO of ThinkFun, and his team, focused on cash and reduced what had become a permanent $1.5 million bank line down to zero in 2003.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:54 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/503http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/505What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens online stays online for a long, long time! Follow these tips to make sure you're not inadvertently killing your social media reputation:Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:54 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/505http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/504Facebook has over 500 million active users and half of them log on to their accounts in any given day.For those who have not yet jumped on the bandwagon, now is the time for you to jump in. If you don't, you and your business are missing out.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:54 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/504http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/502In today's dynamic world of constant change, it's imperative that managers and leaders have the tools and skills necessary to help their employees change behaviour as needed. Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:53 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/502http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/507Marketing with Web landing pages is one of the easiest, cost effective ways to get a message read by a target market and a great tool to move prospects through the sales cycle. Done well, they can high response rates with effective calls to action.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:51 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/507http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/511Loyalty can be earned when leaders put the welfare of their customers and partners ahead of their own interests. If it is really about self-sacrifice - that is, about putting principles and relationships ahead of immediate personal financial gain.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:51 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/511http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/509Investing to earn the loyalty of your customers often requires trade-offs, you must decide which of the many investments will result in the greatest return. A clear understanding of your company's loyalty economics will help you make those decisions.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:51 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/509http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/510Verne Harnish continues to get CEOs and their firms to control the ink in their industry. In this column, Verne pushes leaders to start a blog, create a Squidoo page (as the expert in your industry), launch a column, or start a wiki.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:51 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/510http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/506Business to Business marketers fall into two camps, Those who believe in email registrations from white papers to drive leads, and those who believe in making content like white papers totally free. Which of these approaches are the best way?Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:50 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/506http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/508Blogs are a terrific way for an organisation to tell its story. They allow you to take content in different directions that will appeal to specific target demographics without negatively impacting the strategy and content of your primary Web site.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:50 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/508http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/486The most progressive companies are realising that women represent a critical, and still largely untapped, source of talent for current and future generations of leadership. Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:50 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/486http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/485Take a step back and think about the people you have once worked under... Who inspired you and why? Who motivated you to want to work better and harder? What was it about these leaders that made you want to be the employee of the month?Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:50 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/485http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/494Why do some leaders drain intelligence and capability from their teams while others leaders amplify it? That question prompted me to spend years researching the two types of bosses I now classify as "diminishers" and "multipliers"Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:49 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/494http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/374To jump start innovation, I've given my employees the opportunity to do a fun project in work time, but no one has submitted an idea. What's wrong? Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:49 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/374http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/377Constantly testing your business is not being paranoid. It's essential. Here are 10 strategies to really get to know how healthy your business is, beyond the balance sheet. Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:48 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/377http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/500Recession or not, during these volatile economic times it's worth taking a look at the playbook of turnaround specialists. And for many growth firms, it can feel like a perpetual turnaround situation even during boom timesGrowing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:47 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/500http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/328If you look at Australia's Top 10 companies you'll see 4 banks, 2 miners, 1 insurer, 1 Telco, 1 supermarket and a hardware chain. Their products aren't all that glamorous but what do they do really well that makes them successful? Starting a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:47 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/328http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/499Understand all the real-time technology infrastructure you need to run you business successfully. Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:47 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/499http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/496What sorts of attitudes and behaviors does it take to move up the ladder in your organization? Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:46 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/496http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/497This article outlines three easy steps to successful plan for a strategic planning session. Without sufficient planning, any strategy solution will be uniformed and therefore not as effective.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:46 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/497http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/498Training your sales staff is an important step to ensuring organisation success. There are key initiatives that can help shape your training process. Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:46 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/498http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/525It's hard to believe the sheer number of social media tools we use everyday to help grow our businesses. It's amazing the number of social media tools that I continue to use, as well as the many that died over the years from lack of use.Starting a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:45 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/525http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/526Content arbitrage involves taking advantage of a temporary price difference in two or more markets and is usually executed by simultaneously buying and selling the same security. A pure arbitrage involves nearly zero risk. Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:45 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/526http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/527There are a lot of reasons why content marketing doesn't work for some companies. This article explores a list of reasons why.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:45 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/527http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/524While company brand building used to be very much the focus of publicity and public relations efforts, nowadays the trend has moved more towards building a personal identity or personal brand, based entirely around individuals.Growing a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:44 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/524http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/523We live in a world where high speed access to information is not just a norm, but a necessity. Being 'unavailable' is increasingly a thing of the past, with 93% of Australians now using the internet daily and 71% using Smartphones to do so, on the goStarting a BusinessFri, 20 Apr 2012 14:21:44 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/article/523http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/471It's all well and good telling customers your business has a website, but much of your traffic will come from random users searching for a topic on Google or another search engine. As a result, you need to optimise your site for these search engines.Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:25:27 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/471http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/470Through research completed with business owners, key learnings suggest that freedom is a key motivation. Cloud computing allows any business, no matter the size, to increase physical and mental freedom.Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:50:05 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/470http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/469If you're one of the many soloists who look after your own website, this small business website checklist will help make sure it's in good shape.Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:36:51 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/469http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/468In an environment that's overloaded with marketing messages, content marketing could help you stand out from the crowd. So what is it and how might you use it?Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:13:30 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/468http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/467ABN is not a large organisation, in fact it is a small business catering for clients all over the country. Because clients are not always available to come to events, ABN had to make their education and training available to them through technology.Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:53:07 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/467http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/466A strong brand story will draw upon your natural competitive advantage, genuinely appeal to your customers and differentiate you from your competitors. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:26:38 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/466http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/464Google Analytics is a free, simple-to-use web analytics tool that gives you insights about the visitors to your website. Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:20:03 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/464http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/462Google has announced the launch of Google+ Pages, pages specifically engineered for businesses on Google+. While Google indicated that Google+ Pages wouldn't be immediately accessible to all, it looks like they're actually becoming readily available.Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:49:17 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/462http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/463Gone are the days when customers use the paper Yellow Pages to find your business. Research is now done online, so make sure your business can be found there.Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:19:59 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/463http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/461Verne Harnish continues to get CEOs and their firms to control the ink in their industry. In this column, Verne pushes leaders to start a blog, create a Squidoo page (as the expert in your industry), launch a column, or start a wiki. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:08:42 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/461http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/460Investing to earn the loyalty of your customers often requires trade-offs, you must decide which of the many investments will result in the greatest return. A clear understanding of your company's loyalty economics will help you make those decisions.Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:14:04 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/460http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/459Blogs are a terrific way for an organisation to tell its story. They allow you to take content in different directions that will appeal to specific target demographics without negatively impacting the strategy and content of your primary Web site.Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:31:51 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/459http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/458Marketing with Web landing pages is one of the easiest, cost effective ways to get a message read by a target market and a great tool to move prospects through the sales cycle. Done well, they can high response rates with effective calls to action.Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:56:41 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/458http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/457Are you managing most of the tasks in your business? Do you wish you had more than two hands to do all the required work and have more time off? A major solution to this problem is getting a virtual assistant (or VA for short).Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:14:07 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/457http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/456When I wrote my first article and it was published, I was really proud to see my name on it, and then I started to see people grab the article and tweet it, Facebook it, blog it and LinkedIn it! Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:38:53 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/456http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/453So you want to know how to get your website on Google? And why wouldn't you? The latest figures show that Google handles 91.25% of Australia's Internet searches*. That's a lot of people researching products and services on Google...Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:21:47 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/453http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/452Whether you're a global brand or a small business entrepreneur working from your spare room, you have a tremendous opportunity to become a thought leader and recognised expert using social media.Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:10:00 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/452http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/450Website visitors get frustrated if they don't find the information they expect on certain pages. This article outlines nine web pages you should have, and why.Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:58:28 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/450http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/449LinkedIn and other forms of social media can be a useful way to grow your business, but how do you maximise the return on the time you'll need to invest? Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:53:50 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/449http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/448Assuming you have a website, you can be open for business 24/7 - but you'll need to market your site if it's going to be successful. These six tips will help. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:47:39 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/448http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/447Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the single most powerful online marketing tool for an internet business, promising an unlimited stream of free, qualified leads. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:35:20 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/447http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/445If you still think 'Twitter' is a noise made by birds and that a 'Facebook' is some kind of photo album, this beginner's guide to social media is for you.Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:16:16 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/445http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/446The internet changes at a rapid pace, and many features that were once regarded as best practice have now fallen out of favour. Here are some common business website mistakes. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:15:33 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/446http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/441One of the greatest and most common characteristics of sensational small business owners is an ability to recognise their weaknesses and seek outside help or do training to build up their skill set.Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:59:50 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/441http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/45Why do some leaders drain intelligence and capability from their teams while others leaders amplify it? That question prompted me to spend years researching the two types of bosses I now classify as "diminishers" and "multipliers"Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/45http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/44It's imperative for a start-up to get its message out there. You may have a stunningly brilliant range of products or offer clients the best service in town, but if no one knows about it, your personal pride in your firm won't prevent it leakingFri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/44http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/43Female participation on the entrepreneurial playing field has not just stagnated, it has gone backwards. We dissect what is holding women back and outline important and pro-active steps that every woman in business can take to make positive change.Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/43http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/42The recent entry of social network giant Facebook into the geolocation game has sparked a wave of interest in location-based apps, with digital experts the world over predicting the likes of Facebook Places and Foursquare will soon be mainstream.Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/42http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/440Observing many people when I'm out and about attending various business related functions, I'm convinced that so many of them do not realize how powerful it is to make the effort to meet others and network.Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:41:49 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/440http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/438Like it or not, the consumers' use of technology and the web is no mere love affair - it is ingratiated in almost every facet of their lives. Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:54:47 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/438http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/436Matisse Art for Hair is a hair salon located in the residential suburb of Zillmere, Brisbane. Popular among locals, Matisse Art for Hair offers a range of hair and beauty services to its clients including colouring, cuts and styling...Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:44:51 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/436http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/435Being involved in social media is no longer optional for many SMBs. By not engaging online, you may be missing out on business opportunities, particularly if your competitors are already in that space...Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:42:26 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/435http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/429LinkedIn is a business orientated networking site that has over 75 million members in more than 200 countries. As of April 2010, there were over 12 million small-business people on LinkedIn, which is roughly 16 per cent of its total user database. Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:06:55 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/429http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/428Although many SMBs are aware of social media sites such as Twitter, they're not necessarily using them for business purposes, according to the 'Optus Social Media Index for SMBs' report. Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:05:28 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/online-business-tools/article/428http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/24There are many great benefits behind having a business plan in place for your business. Wendy Fogarty of Important and Imperative Business Solutions outlines top 10 reasons behind why you should make this a priority. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/24http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/23Social Media represents a huge opportunity for business owners but it also takes commitment. Like anything in life - the more you put into it, the more you are going to get out of it! Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/23http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/16The last thing you need with your phone system as an SME owner is to have network problems and have to chase your service provider to fix it. So how do you choose the right provider? Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/16http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/14BizThinkTank brings you the latest Social Media tips, with the Do's and Don'ts for using social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to promote your business.Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +1000http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/14http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/10New Year's Day will see the introduction of new National Employment Standards and Modern Awards systems. These two introductions will prompt dramatic changes for industrial relations, and businesses need to be aware - or risk facing legal action.Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100http://www.bizthinktank.com.au/news/10