Business Research & Insights

More space, more people, more practices – which growth strategy is right for you? Vet Judy Harbison and dentist Nicole Yuen share their different routes to success.

Thanks to social media, more people are pursuing the job they want, where they want it. Those who prefer country living no longer have to wonder why they’re going to work in the city each day simply to pursue a dream career – as this rural film-maker recently discovered.

Helping out a local sports team with sponsorship can build strong relationships with potential customers – pharmacist Silvana Gittani bet her marketing budget on it. Her success proves how many business, regardless of size, can use strategic marketing to engage with their community and forge lasting business ties.

Rising to the challenge of parenting four children with Type 1 diabetes prompted Elissa Renouf to found Diabete-ezy, a rapidly expanding business whose products help other sufferers manage the condition. We spend a day with her in export and expansion mode.

A big order could completely transform your business but there’s a limit to how much anyone (or any small business) can handle. BDO partner Dr Mark Pizzacalla and Total Image Group CEO Pamela Jabbour discuss preparation, parameters and being strong enough to say ‘no’.

With 1.2 million visitors injecting $10 billion into the Australian economy each year, and almost one third of our international students now coming from China, Chinese custom is big business. Alibaba Australia’s MD explains Alipay.

The skills you learn around the board table could have a big impact on the way you run your business. Here are six of the benefits.

Roza’s Gourmet head Jasmin Robertson grew up immersed in her mum Roza’s sauces business. Though she passed away almost 17 years ago, her mum’s passionate food philosophies – and recipes – remain at the heart of the booming business. We spoke to Jasmin about her mother’s enduring business legacy.

What is it that drives, creates and sustains great business growth? Four leaders with business growth in common share what lies behind their success.

She set up her business aged just 21 and now runs the largest privately owned uniform company on the east coast of Australia. We meet Pamela Jabbour of Total Image Group.

In a year in which women have united around the world to speak out in favour of women’s rights and equality, NAB is proud to again support the Stella Prize, celebrating female authors and recognising excellence achieved by women in literature.

Watching women’s disappointment when she prescribed therapeutic shoes for their problematic ankles and feet inspired Brisbane podiatrist Caroline McCulloch to create a range of footwear that’s as stylish as it is comfortable.

Seeing the benefits her care provides for patients has been the driving force behind 30 years in private practice for North Parramatta Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries principal, Mary Knapman.

After two years of dead-end phone calls to Asian supermarkets, Lively Linseed’s Jacqui and Chris Donoghue overcame the challenges to find direct-export success.

Fleur Studd and Jason Scheltus saw a gap in the Melbourne coffee market for a quality speciality coffee product that could be traced back to its producers.

In 2009, Sheryl Thai had just started a business and was like any other fledgling entrepreneur: hard-working, idealistic, passionate. Yet she felt alone. What she did next became the basis of a movement that’s helped thousands of women across Australia find their business voice: the League of Extraordinary Women.

The inaugural NAB Professional Services Awards winners were announced on December 12. The awards celebrate the small and mid-sized professional service firms that consistently add value to Australian businesses.

Moving to a regional town might seem a career-limiting step but for entrepreneurial Australians with an eye for untapped market opportunities the opposite can apply. Business View meets two former city-slickers achieving success in country Australia.

Could Australia be on the cusp of a start-up boom? Economic and social shifts mean the concept may not be as far-fetched as you might think.

In just a few years, Marie Piccone has revived the fortunes of three mango plantations and the once-renowned Manbulloo brand. A careful strategy built on meeting customers’ demands is what got her there.

Australian fashion house Misha Collection has risen to international status within the space of three years. Fundamental to its success has been the approach of its founder, Michelle Aznavorian, a 27-year-old who has put her personal brand at the core of the company’s strategy.

Rosalie Rotolo-Hassan started serving customers in her parents’ food business at Adelaide’s Central Market when she was just 12 years old – and launched her own export business at 18.

Australian SMEs are confident of the future, with two thirds of millennial SMEs in particular set to expand their business over the next three years, according to a new NAB white paper released today.

Former Facebook marketing director Randi Zuckerberg shares her views on why everyone is an entrepreneur, why every company should do hackathons and why failure is just the start of success.

There is a strong business case for diversity beyond legal and moral imperatives. Our panel moves beyond the rhetoric to explore how to bring diversity to life.

There is no trade off between wellbeing and business metrics. We’re at a turning point in terms of how we prioritise what matters in business and our own lives. Arianna Huffington shares her insights on how to thrive.

The world is changing rapidly and companies need new approaches to master the new environment. Rosabeth Moss Kanter of Harvard Business School shares her insights.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School, where she specialises in strategy, innovation, and leadership for change.

Arianna Huffington is the founder of The Huffington Post

Leanne Faulkner was riding a wave of success building a fast-growing start-up until the business slowed and the stress took its toll on her health. Now she’s helping others learn how to cope with the pressure.

When Rachel Muscat was talking to Pharrell Williams about collaborating on a new pair of Adidas sneakers, discussions were going well – until the singer dropped a bombshell.

Melanie Perkins, CEO of online graphic design platform Canva, discusses her journey from Australian start-up to global success story.

Launched in early 2016, Dad’s Oats is the brainchild of siblings Alicia and Peter Cain, who clocked the potential for the family farm to earn extra revenue by selling the cream of their crop direct to the public.

Are you a female entrepreneur or business owner in a regional area of the country? Then the beStella website could be for you.

How to make your social media presence work for you in 2017? Edible Blooms founder Kelly Jamieson shares seven ways to a better social media strategy.

It’s 26 years since Michelle Melbourne experienced a ‘sliding doors moment’ that set her on the path to founding Intelledox, now a global software firm.

Kangaroo broth, macadamia milk, river mint – a new initiative plans to put a premium spin on native Australian foods and take them to the world.

How did a little maternity wear start-up from Victoria grow into an international business?

When she couldn’t find what she wanted for her baby, Mirabai Winford decided to go out and create it herself.

By 2050, demographers say close to 40 per cent of China's population will be above 60. But what is a worrisome burden for the Chinese government and families, is also an opportunity for Australian businesses.

Emma Stallworthy is one half of the entrepreneurial husband and wife team behind growing fitness brand Pinnacle Health Club.

An early love of horses almost led Western Health CEO Alex Cockram to become a veterinarian but her great interest in people’s lives, motivations and their resilience inspired her into psychiatry. It’s what’s still inspiring her today.

This talented Australian professional sportswoman has been kicking goals both in the world of international football and at her university studies in pharmacy.

Evy Gomo, Clinical Manager at Davidson Trahaire Corpsych, shares her top tips for SME owners looking to create psychologically healthy workplaces.

What makes a successful entrepreneur? We asked a selection of recently interviewed business owners.

The potential of mentorships to advise, inspire and build confidence and leadership skills is being harnessed within the education sector.

Tess Herbert, who along with her husband Andrew runs one of the most successful feedlot operations in Australia, is the first female to become President of the Australian Lot Feeders Association.

Kosmea’s Managing Director Marie Kapetanakis recalls how she sold the family car to start her organic skincare business, and recounts her journey to heading up the global success story it is today.

Continued growth in the ageing population is expected to generate business for healthcare providers. Strategic Professor Susan Gordon, South Australian Chair of Restorative Care at Flinders University, explains the benefits of differentiating your services to meet older people’s evolving needs.

Rachel Brindley is the former Melbourne-based chef turned jillaroo behind Outback Careers, where tree changers can search jobs and access information about life on the land.

Tamara Erickson of London Business School shares five predictions on the workplace of the future.

CEO Seat: Architect Rebekah Hurworth, the powerhouse behind Family Home Experts, a Brisbane practice specialising in new homes, renovations and extensions.

Vet4Pets has created a community-centric social media strategy, tapping into its strong ties with the local area as well as bringing the brand’s motto, ‘Family Vets for Family Pets’, to life. Vets4Pets Business Manager Carole Benassy shares her top tips for using social media.

Co-working spaces have been springing up in country towns around Australia, providing a welcome boost to Australia’s regional economy.

Suzanne left her high-profile position as head of the Buchanan Group Australia/New Zealand in February 2014 to take the online Habitots business she’d started in 2013 to the next level – launching a bricks and mortar version of the brand.

With the call to entry for the 2016 Ethnic Business Awards now open, it’s the perfect time to celebrate some of 2015’s finalists and winners, including Elena Gosse, CEO of Australian Innovative Systems.

More flexible working hours at all levels of business – for both men and women – and family-friendly workplaces are just some of the changes that need to be widely adopted if parity is to be achieved.

Anna-Lisa Newman, Chair of Women in Farming Enterprises, explains how this social and professional network is helping women to share their knowledge and experience.

Cattle breeder Margo Hayes is the powerhouse behind Vitulus Lowline Stud, an award-winning semen and embryo export business with customers in a string of countries, including the US, the UK, Thailand and Italy. We share a day in her life.

Queensland podiatrist and physiotherapist Caroline McCulloch launched FRANKiE4 after spotting a gap in the women’s shoe market for styles that are both comfortable and fashionable.

Named CEO Magazine’s 2015 Chair of the Year, Monash Health’s Barbara Yeoh says her successful career was shaped by the support and guidance of strong mentors.

Designer Yeojin Bae never really intended to become a business owner, so when she ended up running her fashion label she had a lot to learn. She shares tips for start-ups.

A business leader’s state of mind can influence the whole company’s performance. Workplace wellbeing teacher Michelle McQuaid shares her tips for creating a mindset for flourishing.

Cathryn Wills had never really considered herself as a candidate for the top job at handbag, jewellery and shoe label MIMCO. She told at one of a series of ‘Business Events Program supported by NAB’as part of the 2016 Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Sue Ismiel is Chief Executive Officer of Sue Ismiel & Daughters Enterprises, a family-owned company run by Sue and her three daughters, Nadine, Natalie and Naomi. Specialising in natural hair-removal products, its brands include Nad’s Hair Removal, Nad’s Laser Clinics, NitWits and PuraSkin.

Political refugee Luz Restrepo’s struggles settling in Australia led to her setting up the social enterprise SisterWorks that’s helping vulnerable women with an asylum seeker, refugee and migrant background.

After a successful career in the mining industry, Amanda Healy started Maxx Engineering, which she sold in 2015. She’s now focused on her next venture, the social enterprise Kirrikin.

“Success always starts with passion and an unrelenting drive to make it work,” according to leading workplace lawyer Fay Calderone, who is a Partner at DibbsBarker Sydney.

VIDEO: Georgia Beattie, founder of Beatttie Wines, discusses how she plans to remain innovative over the next five years and who she is partnering with to do so.

VIDEO: Monica Meldrum shares the increasing demand for ‘clean’ food and how her fast-growing business Whole Kids is committed to improving children’s health.

When sisters Nikki Jurcutz and Rachael Waia co-founded the Tiny Hearts Paediatric First Aid course, they became the youngest women to own a registered training organisation in Australia.

The Purbrick family has been managing the Tahbilk winery in Victoria for five generations. It’s now managed by Alister Purbrick and his daughter Hayley, who believe they have a responsibility to leave both a sustainable environmental legacy and a successful business for future generations.

Ainslie Chemmart Compounding Pharmacy’s Colette Needham is embracing the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry by positioning the pharmacy as an all round destination for health and wellbeing.

VIDEO: We talk to Georgia Beattie about how she went from a uni student to a successful business owner who exports her products to Asia.

Husband and wife Chelsea and James Ross are the dynamic duo behind Venivici, a company that operates three – soon to be four – women’s boutique retreats in Bali and Japan under the Goddess Retreats brand.

Chrissy Blackburn, managing partner of brand consultancy West Eighty Second, on why being a purpose-led company is good for business.

Shoes of Prey co-founder Jodie Fox has moved the fashion-tech company stateside. She shares her experience tackling the US market from her Santa Monica base.

Alice Mabin re-launched her career from animal health to rural lifestyle photographer, author and entrepreneur with the launch of her self-published book, The Drover capturing an epic cattle drive. She explains how taking a risk helped her build a business doing what she loves.

Public health expert Dr Jane Thomason has spent the past 16 years as Chief Executive Officer of JTA International, the healthcare development consultancy she founded in 1999.

The realisation that so many Australian school children are completely oblivious about where their food and fibre comes from prompted a South Australian mother to create the George the Famer app.

Ursula Hogben, co-founder and General Counsel of LegalVision ILP, explains what the rise of the on-demand labour market means for those hiring help.

Across Australia, some of the country’s leading female chefs are at the helm of thriving city-based restaurants. Here’s a taste of what they have on offer for that next business meeting.

Amanda Dobbie, CEO of not-for-profit organisation, Women in Banking and Finance (WiBF), reflects on her role promoting gender balance and shares her top tips for small businesses looking for greater gender diversity in their organisations.

As CEO of Pindara Private Hospital for the past seven years, Trish Hogan has steered more than $110 million worth of development, transforming the Ramsay Health Care-owned operation into the largest and most comprehensive private hospital on the Gold Coast.

At an outdoor festival in 2009, Georgia Beattie was told that wine was too hard to serve. This experience inspired the then 22-year-old to bring her single serve wine concept to life and start a business that turned over $1 million in its first year. She shares her entrepreneurial tips.

Twelve months after launching Doughheads, Newcastle-baker Anna Farthing is selling up to 4000 doughnuts a week. Her decadent doughnuts have hit the sweet spot with the business now employing 14 staff and averaging growth of 20 percent a month.

Women are still under-represented in senior positions across public and private organisations. Speakers at the recent Women in Health Leadership symposium considered why this is the case, and whether financial acumen could help women to achieve the most senior positions.

In healthcare, networking is less about exchanging business cards than building authentic relationships. At the recent Women in Health Leadership Symposium in Sydney a panel discussed how networks and mentors could help build a successful career.

Husband-and-wife partners in film, theatre and entertainment production company Bazmark Inq, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin reveal the secrets to their successful partnership spanning the arts, business and family life.

Lisa McGuigan’s eponymous wine label really took off when she secured a deal to create wine for Jetstar’s inflight service. Now her wines are stocked by 350 retailers and restaurants across Australia. She shares her story and next big step: selling her wine into overseas markets.

Following her appointment to lead the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting service across Australia, Michelle Bennetts improved morale and successfully created a more engaged national service of fire fighters, which saw her achievements recognised at the NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards.

Mentors have played an important role in Lynn Kraus’ career, so she’s now using her own skills and experience to help others on their journey. Already one of EY’s most senior women in Oceania, Kraus was named Mentor of the Year at the 2014 NAB Women's Agenda Leadership Awards.

After 24 years in business Collette Dinnigan took the bold move of restructuring her business so she could focus on the purely creative elements of being a designer and devote more time to her young family. One year on, she reflects on her decision.

15 years ago, Indonesian-born Astrid Vasile turned to a career in construction after she moved to Australia. Today, she’s one of just 12 female registered builders in the country, plus Executive Chair of the Australian Indonesian Businesswomen’s & Professionals Network.

It’s called the Sport of Kings, and in Australia one woman stands out among all others. Since taking on the racing board to gain her training licence, Gai Waterhouse has been a formidable force in horse racing and an inspiration to businesswomen everywhere.

Since 2008, Erica and Trudi’s online gift site has grown to represent more than 700-curated sellers offering 25,000 products. Recently named by SmartCompany as Australia’s seventh fastest growing small business in 2013-2014, the two owners share a day in the life of running hardtofind.

Not all fruit and vegetables can be supermodels – the wonky carrots and curly capsicums farmers often have to throw away are just as tasty and nutritious. As CEO of Spade & Barrow, Katy Barfield is committed to reducing waste and paying farmers a fair price for their whole crop.

Creative thinking has all sorts of benefits, not just for marketing and promotion, but also for solving business problems and innovating. Advertising executive Carolyn Miller shares tips on how small businesses can benefit from creative persuasion.

Musician, actress and founder of Big Hearted Business, Clare Bowditch believes there’s never been more opportunity for people with good ideas to find their audience. She talks of her success and shares her tips for building a business out of doing something you love.

From deep within the Victorian Mallee, the de Pieri and Carrazza clans are as renowned for blending family and business as they are for blending a great beer. Mildura’s popular brewers and restaurateurs, Stefano and Donata, talk to Business View about achieving the right mix.

Lyn Heward, former Director of Creation, President and COO of the Creative Content Division of Cirque du Soleil challenges every individual and company to go through what she calls ‘the seven doors’ to enhance creativity, motivate high performers and foster innovation.

Monica Meldrum was named '2013 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year' at last year’s NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. Here, she discusses the increasing demand for 'clean' food and how her fast-growing business Whole Kids is committed to improving children’s health.

From property development to motorsports, Betty Saunders Klimenko is used to changing landscapes with an entrepreneurial spirit, a business mentality and people power. The colourful owner of the Erebus Motorsports team discusses the business of motorsports.

Best known for her BBC TV series, Mary Queen of Shops, Mary Portas shared her top tips for small businesses during her recent visit to Australia to promote Support Small Business Day - a Victorian Government initiative in partnership with NAB.

Grace Mazur was so impressed by the Thermomix she saw in Europe that she decided to sell them in Australia and she’s now the world’s leading independent distributor. Grace talks with Business View about the hard work, perseverance and passion that have contributed to her success.

The role of women in agriculture has changed dramatically over the years, and with more women pursuing a career in rural industries, the future looks bright. Agribusiness View talks to Growcom’s ‘Women in Horticulture’ coordinator, Jane Muller.

To respond quickly to online customer queries, artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by businesses, from retailers to publishers. My CyberTwin CEO, Liesl Capper-Beilby (pictured), explains this trend.

Currently working with family, or considering it? KeepCup CEO, Abigail Forsyth, who’s in business with her brother Jamie (both pictured), gives the scoop on how to make it work.