Darren peddles good coffee to find out what his customers need
That some of the world’s keenest competitive cyclists choose to describe their hand-crafted Baum cycles as the “world’s best” starts with a cup of coffee at a modest industrial building in the Geelong suburb of North Shore. Regardless of whether they are...
Frank looks for quality in fruit, vegetables and people
Frank Costa puts as much store in quality people as he does in quality fruit and vegetables, an attribute which has seen him nurture the businesses in the Costa Group to collectively become the country’s largest growers, packers and marketers of fresh fruit and...
Service Choice Now Just a Click Away Thanks to NDIS
The choice of Geelong as a pilot site for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) made it a logical decision that a business which enables the disabled to make informed choices about services should launch its website centred on the city. Now poised to expand...
Experience does not replace the need for research and planning
Carolyn Probert candidly admits that more research and a detailed plan would have made the launch of a business in a new market so much easier. As managing director of Australian New Energy Ltd (ANE), which aims to capitalise on the growing desire for renewable...
Scott says Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
If there is one message to emerge from Scott Austen’s journey as an entrepreneur it is the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone. His decision to immerse himself in the life and culture of Japan gave him the confidence to learn, a capability on which he...
Buzz found the inspiration to grasp the entrepreneurial wheel
Just as some believe that a family member should not mentor a learner driver for fear of passing on bad habits, Buzz Palmer delivers similar advice to aspiring entrepreneurs-seek a mentor outside the family. The CEO of Small Technologies Cluster and Professor of...
Youth, optimism and energy a recipe for Jake’s success
If anyone exemplifies the new entrepreneurial culture and enthusiasm which is afoot in Geelong it is Jake Munday. The Geelong born Gen Y-er overturns what some might see as a conventional path to entrepreneurialism and success, namely the need to move to progressively...
Enterprises must cotton on to managing risk, regardless of size
Ask most people and they will say the possibility of exposure to losses, hazards or failures is a characteristic often associated with small, start-up enterprises, not those who have built a global presence. Julie Christy dispels that perception. As group executive,...
Execution of the Idea the Foundation for Entrepreneurial Success
To support his statement that ideas of themselves are worthless Henrik Scheel says there were social media sites before Facebook and search engines before Google. “So, becoming a successful entrepreneur is all about the execution of the ideas,” the Silicon Valley...
User Needs the Key to Successful Innovation
Whether for a new product or service, it is essential to understand the needs of the end-user to be a successful innovator. And, far from being a capability reserved for a gifted few, innovation is something that can be learned says Andrew Jones. “Understanding user...