Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneur’

Young Australian entrepreneur shares secrets in new book

Monday, December 23rd, 2013

5 minutes - MarkusAustralian entrepreneur Mark Middo aims to share his business knowledge with the world in his new book 5 Minute Business.

Middo and a business partner founded online voting system Reminisce Entertainment, which nightclubs use to allow patrons to vote for what songs they want to hear on a certain night. Prior to that, he started his own online company and sold it three months later.

In his new book, Middo explains how people can go from simply having an idea to bringing it to life in five minutes.

“I believe freedom can be built online, and I would like to share my framework to help people do something they love rather than trading their precious time on this earth for money through the outdated 9-5,” says Middo. “I was lucky enough to escape the 9-5 by applying these techniques, and I want to share them with the world.”

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Australia ranks as one of the world’s most entrepreneurial countries according to new research

Friday, December 6th, 2013
Photo credit; Paul Joseph on Flickr

Photo credit; Paul Joseph on Flickr

The majority of Australians are interested in having a go at entrepreneurship, according to a new global report into attitudes towards self-employment and entrepreneurship.

The 2013 Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report surveyed over 26,000 people across 24 countries and Australia had the third highest rate of positive sentiment towards entrepreneurship with 84% of respondents. That was 3% behind world leaders Finland and Denmark and 14% above the international average.

The study found the leading reason for pursuing entrepreneurship was independence and the opportunity to be one’s own boss. In Australia, 62% of respondents listed those as key attractions.

Pro-entrepreneurial spirit was especially high among Generation Y respondents, with 83% saying they were keen to become their own bosses.

Fear of failure was cited by two thirds of the respondents globally as an obstacle to starting their own business with just over half of Australian respondents (53%) reporting it as an issue.

For Australians reporting a fear of failure as an obstacle to launching a business, the leading concerns were financial burdens up to bankruptcy (38%), threat of an economic crisis (20%), threat of unemployment (15%) and legal consequences such as lawsuits (12%).

Australian entrepreneurs work long hours on their businesses

Friday, October 25th, 2013
Photo credit; Pavel Medzyun on Flickr

Photo credit; Pavel Medzyun on Flickr

SmartCompany’s annual Smart50, the website’s list of the 50 fastest growing companies in Australia, includes some of the hardest working people in the country.

SmartCompany asked some of the many entrepreneurs featured on the list how many hours they put into their businesses and the answers skewed toward long hours.

More than half (52%) of entrepreneurs in the Smart50 for 2013 worked more than 56 hours a week. A full 10% worked more than 70. Three founders said they put more than 75 hours a week into their business.

Ruslan Kogan, founder and CEO of Kogan, told LeadingCompany last year that he hadn’t had a holiday in seven years.

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Australia boasts significant entrepreneurship

Monday, August 19th, 2013

Not only is entrepreneurship alive and well in Australia, it is, in fact, thriving, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, which ranks Australia second behind only the United States in the world amongst developed nations to those looking to start a new business in general and among women entrepreneurs, also.

Some notable Australian entrepreneurs include:

Nick D’Aloisio – Summly

Summly condenses news articles to make them easier to read on smaller tablets and smartphones.

D’Aloisio created the app at just 15 years of age. Yahoo! purchased it for $30 million.

Matt Barrie – Freelancer

Freelancer is a job board for people seeking freelance work.

Richard Chua – Talent100

Talent100 was created by then-high school student Richard Chua, now 27, to help high school students score well on tests and get into the college of their choice.

You tell the company what score you need to get to be accepted into your desired college, and Talent100 breaks this down into achievable goals. So far, the company has brought in more than 1.5 million dollars.

Amanda Lintott – Career Driven

Career Driven is a recruitment company specializing in the car and automotive sector, including sales. They are hoping to break into motor shows in the years ahead to continue growing their business.

Sarah and Emily Hamilton – Bellabox

Monthly subscriptions to beauty boxes are huge in the United States and are getting big in Australia, too.

Sarah and Emily Hamilton created Bellabox — similar to the U.S.’s Birchbox — back in 2011 and have seen incredible success thus far. They are hoping to turn the company into a worldwide business in the coming years.

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