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MENTOR CORNER: EASY MARKETING WINS FOR YOUR BUSINESS THIS CHRISTMAS WITH KIRRI ROMERO

Tis’ the season for big sales, so we sat down with marketing expert and long-term Digital Solutions mentor Kirri Romero to learn how to make the most of it at this stage in the year.


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Q&A WITH LOU ZARRO OF FOODINC

October 4th, 2021

Thank you to our very own Lou Zarro for joining us to discuss FoodINC and the food and beverage space!

Lou is Manager of our kitchen and food incubator, a partnership bringing together the facilities, expertise and networks of MIC, Melbourne Polytechnic and the Melbourne North Food Group, which aims to springboard the next generation of food business success stories in the region.


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CARBON FIBRE BIKE ENGINEER’S ROAD TO INNOVATIVE SUCCESS

September 21st, 2021

Raoul Luescher runs a specialist sports technology business based at MIC Alphington. At Luescher Teknik, he incorporates the skills he developed while working at Boeing Aerospace and the Department of Defence into his carbon fibre bike repairs, combining the engineering of the bike with aerospace composite materials.


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MIC PODCAST: IN CONVERSATION WITH GOOD HANDS

August 9th, 2021

MIC sat down with Rohit and Lee from Good Hands for our monthly podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed their recent brand identity redevelopment. Rohit Thomas and Lee Sandwith run their own boutique consultancy, specialising in brand, marketing, technology, and digital business.


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DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FEATURE - FARMHOUSE SEEDS

August 4th, 2021

Jay Hill and David Ryan launched their new business Farmhouse Seeds at the start of 2020—and were forced to change their business plan abruptly in the face of COVID-19. With the help of the Business Resilience program, they increased their online offering substantially and expanded their digital marketing knowledge.


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DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FEATURE - WATTLETREE HEALTH GROUP

July 7th, 2021

Callie Watt joined the Digital Solutions program in August 2020 with Wattletree Health Group, a provider in private in-home nursing care. The small business is nurse-owned and driven. With the help of a program mentor, Callie has boosted the online presence of her business to better extend her patient reach.


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DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FEATURE - TABLE THREADS

June 30th, 2021

Alina Adams launched her at-home business Table Threads during stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, and although she had always intended for the business to be run exclusively online, she knew very little about digital marketing. With the help of an ASBAS Digital Solutions mentor, her business has gained the reach it needs.


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MIC PODCAST: IN CONVERSATION WITH JO CHUNYAN

June 23rd, 2021

MIC recently sat down with Jo ChunYan for our monthly podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed her intelligent design solutions for branding her client businesses. Jo ChunYan is a brand designer, coach, and owner of her own design studio, Jo ChunYan.


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MIC PODCAST: IN CONVERSATION WITH SUZ CHADWICK

June 8th, 2021

MIC recently sat down with Suz Chadwick for our monthly podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed her four rules for a streamlined and profitable business. Suz Chadwick is a business and speaking coach with over ten years’ experience as a brand consultant. She works with global brands as well as entrepreneurs to create business and personal brands that connect and stand out.


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JOIN OUR TEAM: PROGRAM OFFICER POSITION

March 26th, 2021

MIC is looking for a Program Officer with a background in digital marketing and/or social media to help deliver the ASBAS Digital Solutions program. This is an exciting, newly created role where no one day is the same. You will have your finger on the pulse of the rapidly changing world of digital marketing and social media and will be encouraged to share your ideas on how we can continue to evolve in this space.


COVID-19: APPROVED CUSTOMER TRACING SOLUTIONS

September 1st, 2020

This resource focuses heavily on hospitality, but these solutions can also be used in any industry that is required or recommended to record information for contact tracing purposes. We can all play our part in implementing these steps and regulations, not only to help your businesses meet requirements, but to assist with contact tracing in the broader community.


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COVID-19: PREPARING TO TRANSITION YOUR TEAM BACK TO WORK

August 17th, 2020

Transitioning teams back to work will be different for every business, and will likely occur in phases, but there are some important steps and considerations that all businesses can take to make it as smooth and safe as possible.

Victoria is currently in another lockdown with Stage 4 restrictions, so although we’re not in a position to get our teams back in the workplace, it’s a great time to reflect on what we do need to do when the time comes. Returning to work is a moving target, but we can remain agile and ensure we’re prepared.


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COVID-19: RESPOND, RECOVER, AND REIMAGINE

May 11th, 2020

The challenges presented by COVID-19 are impacting every industry. While businesses in industries such as cleaning and sanitary products, home education and home delivery are seeing spikes in revenue, most other industry sectors are being negatively impacted.

During periods of crisis, businesses typically move through three phases: respond in the short-term, recover in the medium-term, and reimagine in the long-term.


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COVID-19 COPING STRATEGIES FOR ISOLATION AND DISTANCE

May 5th, 2020

It’s lonely at home during lockdown. You’re either with family or on your own. It’s the safest place to be in terms of COVID-19; however, not having social interactions can impact both your physical and mental wellbeing. Even for people in peak condition, research shows that loneliness and social isolation can be associated with a range of health issues.

But it’s not all bad news. There are strategies you can put into place to feel more connected, despite the physical distances between us.


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COVID-19: MANAGING STRESS AND STAYING MINDFUL

April 28th, 2020

It’s natural to experience heightened stress and anxiety during such challenging times. An increase in emotions such as worry, boredom, or low mood is normal. The virus has threatened the health of our community, disrupted our routines, and required us to carry out social distancing and self-isolation. It’s not an easy time.

Mindfulness can allow you to respond to these signals, preventing a negativity bias, while calming your nervous system and bringing clarity of thought and more positive emotions. This resource aims to provide you with some basic tips on managing your stress and wellbeing during this challenging time.


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COVID-19: TOOLS FOR REMOTE WORKING

April 22nd, 2020

Remote working has increased sharply with the COVID-19 lockdown, and with teams split apart, it is important to get communication and collaboration right from the start. This resource will list tools that will help keep your team connected and productive. There is nothing quite like the motivation of being at work to focus on work, but a sense of camaraderie and connectedness can help employees to stay on task.

Most of these tools are free or low-cost—and many might prove so useful that you will keep using them post-lockdown!


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COVID-19: REMOTE WORKING WITH KIDS

April 15th, 2020

Many working parents are now in the overwhelming position of balancing a career and caring for their children full-time. This shift requires flexibility and patience, not only from parents but from their managers. While there is no single approach to working remotely as a parent, here are some ideas to assist.


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COVID-19: STAYING CONNECTED TO CUSTOMERS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

April 14th, 2020

In these disruptive times, it’s almost impossible to claim business as usual.

Once the crisis is in-hand, however, small business owners and startups will want to resume regular trading as quickly as possible. To best position your business for a strong recovery, you’ll need to retain your existing customers throughout this global disturbance. Most businesses won’t have money to waste on repairing or rebuilding their customer base.

Here are some tips to help you stay connected to your customers.


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COVID-19: HOW TO MARKET WITH EMPATHY DURING A GLOBAL CRISIS

March 31st, 2020

The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted businesses—small, medium, and large. As unemployment rates rise, consumer confidence drops, but if you can, it’s important to keep marketing your business.

In addition to all the financially-able consumers who want to help the economy by supporting small business, the Australian government’s coronavirus stimulus package for low-income earners is being rolled out from today, delivering $750 into the accounts of many Australian households.


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COVID-19: MANAGING “MUST-SHOW” EMPLOYEES AMID CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

March 25th, 2020

Millions of Australians simply can’t do their job from home and are considered “must-show” employees. They have two options: stay at home and miss out on money or go to work and risk getting sick or making others sick.

For small businesses or startups with must-show employees, there are management strategies you can put in place to protect your employees (and customers) from COVID-19.


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VALUING FIRST AID FOR MENTAL HEALTH

March 4th, 2020

One in five Australians (aged 16-85) experience mental health problems in any year. A National Mental Health Report shows that the proportion of people with mental illness accessing treatment is half that of people with physical disorders. The impact on workplaces is substantial—staff turnover, loss of productivity, and confusion among the team on how to help coworkers. To create a safe and healthy work environment, it’s critical to break down the myths and misunderstandings around mental health. Nicole Jordan, a coworker at MIC Greensborough, is doing just that with her business Mental Health Education & Training.


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REGROUND ON WASTE DIVERSION

February 5th, 2020

MIC recently sat down with Ninna Larsen from Reground for our podcast, Wingrove Street, and discussed the origins of her business, the value in collecting data, and the power of small business on big issues.

Reground is a waste educational service. It collects isolated, separated waste streams such as coffee grounds, chaff, and soft plastics from cafes and diverts them to local end users such as home gardeners and local plastics recyclers.


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VOCATIONAL TRAINING WITH BUSINESS INTEGRATION TO IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

October 24th, 2019

Vietnam has one of the youngest populations in the world, with approximately 40% of its 97 million inhabitants aged under 24. This young and tech-savvy population is driving a dynamic and innovative ecosystem, maintaining Vietnam’s consistent annual GDP growth of between 5% and 7.5% over the past two decades.

The side-effect of a young population is youth unemployment—and social enterprises are on the rise to tackle this issue head-on.


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MELBOURNE ENTREPRENEURS LAUNCH ELECTRIC SCOOTER KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

October 21st, 2019

Melbourne entrepreneur James Murphy (founder of the BajaBoard off-road electric skateboard), first dreamt of building his very own electric scooter back when he was a teenager. Fast forward to 2017, he did just that by starting Raine electric scooters from his home garage.

James was simply looking for a way to get from A to B, but no other electric scooter on the market had the speed, range, power or style he was looking for, so he decided to do what any great engineer would do—design his own.


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October 14th, 2019

Wingrove Street is an entrepreneurial leaders podcast where we hear the story behind the startup. Our first guest is Geert Hendrix, who is trying to change the world through agri-tech startup, Farmwall.

"I rediscovered the things I loved doing as a kid. Keeping fish, being outdoors, being in the garden with my grandparents and parents. The drive for a more meaningful existence, and the desire to make a difference in the world we’re heading into, led me to do what I love and follow my passions and spend my life creating something that brings meaning and value."


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BUSINESS INNOVATION & INCUBATION AUSTRALIA MEMBER FORUM

October 9th, 2019

Melbourne Innovation Centre recently hosted the annual Business Innovation & Incubation Australia Member Forum at MIC Greensborough. The forum provided a range of speakers sharing their experiences across a range of relevant areas for incubator managers, including sustainable business incubator models, contemporary business support programs, regional industry clusters and broader regional economic development strategy.


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DELIVERING SOCIAL IMPACT WITH LATITUDE NETWORK

September 11th, 2019

Russ Wood, long-term co-worker at MIC Northcote, is currently on a business tour in the U.S. With scheduled meetings in Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, he and his business partner are taking their clients to learn more about a new approach to delivering social and health service outcomes.

Russ and his business partner Dale run Latitude Network, a consulting firm that advises on performance-based contracts between service providers and government. We recently sat down with Russ to better understand what this means.


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IGNITE BOOTCAMP WINNER

August 14th, 2019

Melbourne Innovation Centre has partnered with Whittlesea City Council to deliver the Ignite Program throughout 2019. In addition to workshops and breakfasts with guest entrepreneurs, Ignite recently hosted an exclusive bootcamp to support and develop local startups. MIC delivered this intensive training to finalists to prepare them for the Grand Pitch night—and we are delighted to congratulate 27Eight on winning the grand prize!


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LOW COST DIGITAL MARKETING CHANNELS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

August 13th, 2019

You can have the best product or service on the planet, but if your business marketing isn’t effective, new customers won’t find you and you’ll struggle to grow business revenue.

In the internet age, in order to attract new customers who are genuinely interested in buying a specific product or service, most small business owners realise they should be implementing a digital marketing strategy.


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ASBAS DIGITAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY

August 2nd, 2019

Jacqui Harvey from Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods became a member of the ASBAS Digital Solutions program in early 2019. Her participation in the program has seen her attendance at four three-hour workshops, covering the topics SEO Foundations for Small Business, Boost Business with Facebook Advertising, Social Media Marketing 101, and Create Video Using a Mobile Phone.

Jacqui has also attended a one-on-one mentoring appointment with a digital business expert and has been busy improving her online business activities.


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EMILY CHHEN | BREAKFAST WITH AN ENTREPRENEUR

July 3rd, 2019

Emily is founder of Bake It Box, a subscription service for DIY baking kits that contain pre-measured ingredients, tools, decorations, and instructions delivered to your doorstep. Emily’s goal is to inspire Australians of all ages and baking levels to have fun in the kitchen.

To open our breakfast, Emily talked about her previous job based in a startup environment in a big corporate institute. “I think that really sparked my interest in wanting to start a business from scratch and go out on my own,” Emily said.


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DAREBIN PITCH IT $20K PRIZE WINNER!

July 3rd, 2019

Ryan Tilley and Huy Nguyen are unlocking beaches and off-road terrain with their innovative product, Gecko Traxx. The lightweight wheelchair tracks were inspired by a gecko foot, expanding when in contact with the ground, increasing in surface area, and stopping the tyre from sinking into giving surfaces.

After two years developing the product, they won the 2019 Darebin Pitch IT contest in May, taking away the grand prize of $20,000.


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VANDEN RECYCLING VALUES PLASTIC WASTE

June 4th, 2019

In 2018, China stopped taking Australia’s plastic waste, and earlier this year, India followed suit. The Australian Council of Recycling has warned that with Asian markets shutting its doors, our nation’s recycling is “greatly under threat”. This news can be overwhelming and with loud public discussion about Australia’s recycling disaster, and how more needs to be done, it can be easy to overlook the companies in the background that are taking action.

Simon van Leuven, the Australian Director of Vanden Recycling, moved into MIC Greensborough early 2019. “The real value in plastic is knowing that you can’t treat it as waste,” Simon explains. “We cannot use some of the same methods in waste, such as throwing it all in one bin.”


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KOKY SALY | BREAKFAST WITH AN ENTREPRENEUR

May 15th, 2019

Koky is founder of social enterprise BeeKeeper Parade and the charity BabyTree Projects. His mission is to improve education in Cambodia and assist in creating a sustainable planet.

BeeKeeper Parade upcycles textile waste by reimagining it into unique backpacks and bags. The sale of every backpack contributes to the education of children in Cambodia—in one of the 5 schools Koky has set up through BabyTree Projects.


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REGENERATIVE DEVELOPMENT AT MIC ALPHINGTON

April 29th, 2019

The UN has stated that 68% of the world’s population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050. A frightening figure when we consider the devastating impact cities currently have on the environment. In terms of agriculture, sustainable development will not be enough to protect the ecosystems that provide the resources for our sustenance.


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JR BESPOKE DESIGNS

March 20th, 2019

Bespoke Designs is big news in 2019 and scaling fast with over 40k followers on social media and a new factory and showroom in Preston.

For years before establishing his business, Jarryn, a skilled carpenter, would spend his spare time handcrafting furniture in his home garage for himself, family and friends. It was when this ‘hobby’ resulted in regular orders, Jarryn recognised there was significant demand for high quality custom furniture.


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FIGHTING POLLUTION IN MELBOURNE’S WATER

September 18th, 2018

Melbourne has some of the best drinking water in the world. Clear, clean water runs so effortlessly from our taps, we take that quality for granted. Victorian water is tested regularly to ensure it meets strict quality requirements—and MIC Greensborough business Bio2Lab undertakes such quality monitoring and assessment.   


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MEET THE MIC GREENSBOROUGH COWORKING COMMUNITY

August 20th, 2018

This month, we're spotlighting some of our coworkers from MIC Greensborough. Our coworkers bring diverse professional skills to MIC, working collaboratively within MIC's shared working spaces contributing to our start-up and small business community. 

Meet Louise Stephens, Nicole Jordan, Peter Daams, Brendan Best, and Lisa Cutler.


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FIGHTING URBAN IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

June 19th, 2018

Michael Naylor, Managing Director of C. Fulton based at the Melbourne Innovation Centre in Alphington, is passionate about the environment. Determined to address this issue of urban heat radiation, Naylor has brought rooflite® to Australia—lightweight soil products engineered for a range of green roof applications.

Green roofs are layers of living vegetation installed on urban rooftops.


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HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

June 19th, 2018

Genevieve from MIC Greensborough client business Bake Mixes* shares how she promotes her product range using social media influencers. 

Watch the above video to learn how to boost your following on Instagram and Facebook. With almost 21k Instagram followers and 29k on Facebook, Gen has secured a strong audience using this strategy.


TRANSFORMING THE EVENTS INDUSTRY

May 14th, 2018

Online ticket sales is big business.

Australian online ticket platforms generated $289M in commission revenue in 2017 (IBISWorld). The majority of this revenue was reinvested into new functionality of online platforms to better serve eventgoers. Improving analytics capability and analysis of customer behavior is critical to successfully marketing and selling event tickets.


FARMWALL LAUNCHES WITH MIRVAC

April 30th, 2018

It was excellent to see MIC client Farmwall launch their first corporate urban farm in partnership with Mirvac. Farmwall and Mirvac have co-created Cultivate—a pop up urban farm exclusive to the Mirvac community. The project will be held at one of Australia’s most sustainable buildings—200 George Street.

With MIC mentors in attendance, it was a great launch event with over 180 Ernst and Young and Mirvac staff signing on as urban farmers. 


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GLOBAL HEALTH STRENGTHENING

March 7th, 2018

Beyond Essential Systems provides healthcare consulting in developing countries, with a focus on procurement, distribution, and pharmaceutical consulting. In 2017, co-founder Michael Nunan managed the development of Tupaia—health resource and supply chain mapping for the Asia-Pacific region.

Michael explains, “Tupaia maps the health systems across the Pacific—every single facility—and looks at information around supply chain, medicines availability, equipment, infrastructure, staff, and service provision.”
 


The SI Systems Modular Containerised Data Centre provides portable, flexible, and reliable solutions for your IT expansion needs.

Arran Greenhalgh runs SI Systems at MIC Greensborough, a tech company specialising in IT infrastructure, data protection, software development, and custom-built tech solutions.


Matt de Moiser operates Pollen Interactive at MIC Northcote. While in the business incubator, Pollen has evolved into a full service digital agency.

“Our focus is sharing client stories,” Matt says, “stories that can spark emotions and hopefully inspire change.”

December 18th, 2017


Machines Plus is a printing company providing Australian garment makers with high quality DTG (direct to garment) printers... “I felt there was no one in the market that focused on building relationships with end users, so the natural progression of my career saw me filling that gap by creating Machines Plus,” says Gus.


Melburnians love café culture. But did you know that coffee grounds end up in anaerobic landfill, unable to decompose, ultimately turning our caffeine consumption into methane emissions? MIC’s newest startup, Life Cykel, is reusing the waste of our urban tastes to create sustainable, high-protein food – mushrooms!

October 3rd, 2017


Not-for-profit Wild Melbourne is dedicated to enhancing the Victorian public's understanding of native Australian wildlife, science and environmental matters. Focusing on inspiring and enabling people to seek their own intimate connections with nature, Wild Melbourne’s ultimate objective is to protect the world.

September 12th, 2017


Education Campaigns Australia (ECA) is an educational consultancy that develops school curriculum resources and programs for clients wanting to engage with youth and secondary schools. It offers online and blended learning design and multimedia content development, project management, and specialist educational writing, editing and publishing.


August 8th, 2017

Every bottle of La Sirène's farmhouse ale is an embodiment of its locale. This microbrewery specialises in the enigmatic flavour profiles of yeast unique to the Darebin Parklands, situated behind the brewery at Melbourne Innovation Centre.


Picture a small-scale, vertical, edible garden that grows herbs and microgreens in urban cafés. It’s environmentally-conscious, sustainable, visually appealing—and it’s being turned into a reality right now by Farmwall at the Melbourne Innovation Centre in Alphington.


There is one thing that every small business owner has in common.

Every single one strives toward growth: whether it’s growth in their sales, their team, their range or their online presence, it’s the driving factor behind all their decisions. It’s what makes them who they are and it’s crucial to success.


Working tirelessly to stay on top of the upkeep of your small business is like running an endless marathon – you’ll never reach the finish line. If you don’t create time to work on improving your business and searching for opportunities to reach new markets, you will remain stagnant and only ever have small wins...


STARTUPS TO WORK FOR TALENTED MILLENNIALS (AND VICE-VERSA)

January 19, 2017

A startup’s wealth lies in its team – which is an issue if you struggle to attract top talent. Take the lead of Melbourne-based small tech firm Scan-Xpress and ensure your startup or small business is millennial-friendly.

David is focussed, intelligent, and ambitious – and is currently working as an Application Engineer at small tech Melbourne firm, Scan-Xpress.


TRADITIONAL CRAFT THRIVES ON MODERN TECHNOLOGY

Bern Chandley is a sole-trader furniture maker based in a workshop at the Melbourne Innovation Centre – and he has a humble 38.4k Instagram followers.

Instagram is predicted to overtake Twitter as marketing platform in 2017. With over 500 million active monthly users and 48.8 percent of U.S. brands using it to engage customers, it has well and truly established itself as a platform of social discovery.

December 8, 2016


HOW TO RETAIN YOUR TEAM

September 26, 2016

Management is difficult, especially when it comes to setting boundaries. It’s like a professional version of parenting – how do you strike the right balance of freedom and discipline? It’s not an easy task, but there are certain workplace rules that can turn managers into dictators – and that’s when good employees start leaving.

Remember that people like to be trusted.


HOW TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL STARTUP TEAM

It’s time to hire your first employee.

A critical moment, for not only will you suddenly be responsible for someone else’s livelihood, but the successful candidate could make or break your business. The right person will double the speed of your operations, hurtling you closer to your end goal. The wrong person…well, they could cause a setback. 

September 16, 2016


SMALL BUSINESS TO DRIVE TECH EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IN VICTORIA

September 6, 2016

When you walk past an office and see someone 3D scanning a 300 year old Japanese samurai sword, you feel compelled to step in and learn more. This is an average working day for Scan-Xpress cofounder, Kevin Warwick.

“3D scanning is a rapidly evolving industry. We service design, manufacturing and engineering departments of small to large companies and a range of private clients to assist with their product development.” Warwick says.