Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Kevin Spiteri
Let's Talk… Overseas expansion
Due to Australia’s relatively small population and the country’s remoteness from global markets, some businesses will need to expand overseas in order to reach their growth potential. Of course, there are numerous factors businesses must consider before venturing abroad, not least of all laws governing intellectual property (IP) including patents.
Finch raises $2.25m for Gen Y finance app after 'proving it can rival' Silicon Valley fintechs
Melbourne-based fintech startup Finch has closed an oversubscribed seed round, raising $2.25m in funding for its social payments app for millennials. Launched in July, the Finch app allows users to pay and request money instantly (without a BSB), split bills, run tabs in groups to track shared expenses.
Behind the webpage: do you know which builder to use for your site?
Once you settle on using a website creator to launch your site, you’re not done making decisions. Now it’s time to choose the right website builder for your needs. Are you doing your homework? If not, you could log on one day to find that your page isn’t functioning as promised – if it’s still up at all. You’ve probably done due diligence in gauging your audience’s interest, but you need to gauge the interest surrounding your website creator/host as well. Are people talking about it?
Speculative demand driving up prices of digital currency but use as a payment remains limited
The use of digital currency for payments “remains relatively limited” while cash will continue to play an important role in society despite it’s declining use, the Reserve Bank of Australia told the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Tax and Revenue.
GAMURS pools resources with fellow startup Puntaa to take a bigger bite out of esports
Two Aussie startups have joined forces to satisfy growing demand within the increasingly lucrative competitive video gaming industry for a daily fantasy esports offering. As part of this undertaking, they are gearing up to rollout what they hope will become the universal cryptocurrency for esports enthusiasts.
Four pricing mistakes you need to avoid
The price that you set for your products and services is one of the most crucial decisions you have to make in a business. Pricing requires thought and an understanding of your customers or clients, the market, the environment and your competitors. Here are four pricing mistakes you need to avoid: One: The first mistake entrepreneurs and new businesses make is they often give too little thought to this highly complex matter and the consequences can be dire.
Ride sharing drivers reminded of requirement to apply for ABN and register for GST by the ATO
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has reminded 120,000 ride sharing drivers of their tax obligations over the past 18 months. Assistant Commissioner Tom Wheeler said the ATO is still working to educate ride sharing drivers, but now focus is shifting to drivers who are ignoring their obligations. “We know that most drivers do the right thing, and we are now focusing attention on the minority of drivers that are not currently meeting their obligations,” he said.
"Most of the time, the tortoise beats the hare" - Five myths about becoming an entrepreneur
Ever wondered what the secret to being a successful entrepreneur is? A quick Google of “entrepreneur” will reveal a plethora of inspiring quotes, leading the casual reader to think, “If only I had a little more confidence – or maybe a flash of genius – entrepreneurial success would be mine”. Thinking of the need for a light bulb moment, who better to seek advice from than the inventor of the modern light bulb, Thomas Edison.
The importance of distinguishing between good management and good leadership
Employees will often compliment a good boss by describing them as a great leader. Someone who can make the tough calls when the situation requires it; someone who stands firm in their beliefs and is guided by a vision. People can’t help but want to get on board and work with people like this. But it’s important to recognise that good leadership is separate from good management. An effective manager isn’t necessarily a natural leader.
An employer is hit with an unfair dismissal claim every 3 and a half minutes in Australia
An analysis of the Fair Work Commission 2016-17* report reveals an employer was hit with an unfair dismissal claim every three and a half minutes last financial year, according to Employsure. The workplace relations specialist also found that employers lost 60% of the 14,135 unfair dismissal applications brought against them in 2016-17.
Government-backed construction employment hub opens doors to Western Sydney Job seekers
NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey and Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres officially opening the new employment hub in Western Sydney alongside eager trainees and Lendlease staff. Today marks the official opening of an employment hub created by the NSW and Federal Governments to place Western Sydney jobseekers in apprenticeships, traineeships and other construction-related careers.
SMEs investment and employment impeded due to electricity price hikes outpacing inflation
The price of electricity increased 8.9% last quarter, according to the latest ABS Consumer Price Index (CPI), prompting the nation’s peak employer body to warn that businesses are at ‘breaking point’. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6 per cent in the September quarter 2017, with the most significant price rises that quarter being electricity (+8.9%), tobacco (+4.1%), international holiday travel and accommodation (+4.1%) and new dwelling purchase by owner-occupiers (+0.8%).
Ditch conventions, boost output: The CEO of FlexCareers on the power of flexible working
Employers who resist the tide of change – i.e. refuse to embrace flexible working – not only miss out on the advantages of greater gender diversity, they limit the size of their talent pool, according to Natalie Goldman, the CEO of Sydney-based tech startup FlexCareers. Boasting a community of 75,000 job candidates, FlexCareers – an online is platform that matches job seekers with employers offering flexible work – is used by more than 950 business.
Partnerships to support Australian SME growth
For small and medium businesses (SMEs) that want to take on new export opportunities, understanding your business’ working capital position is critical. Working with the right financial partner can be the key to driving your export success. Accountants and financial advisors continue to be a key support channel for SMEs that are looking to build their business overseas.
How Close is AI to Transforming Your Business?
AI is already being used in businesses. At the risk of sounding like an automated voice that just repeats back facts, consider these statistics that build a case for the need to incorporate AI. A recent survey showed that about 80% of businesses in the US plan to incorporate chat bots into their business by 2020. Businesses that already have or plan to adopt AI will increase their revenue by 39% and decrease their costs by 37% by 2020.
Why meetings are killing innovation
The average manager’s workday is divided into one hour blocks. This is not due to humans naturally working best in one hour increments but because meetings, those seemingly necessary events that seem to dominate the days of office workers everywhere, tend to be scheduled in one hour blocks. Diaries covered in meetings have become so common, that most people have probably either made or heard the comment, “I feel like I didn’t actually get any work done today – I spent the whole day in meetings”.
Brosa raises $5m to disrupt furniture industry
Having raised $5 million in Series B funding, this week, digital-native retailer Brosa is setting its sights on becoming a dominant omnichannel furniture brand. In addition to securing additional capital from Series A investor AirTree Ventures, Brosa welcomed Bailador Technology and BMY Group as new investors. Since its$2 million Series A funding round in 2015, order volume from Brosa’s customers has increased ten-fold and its workforce has ballooned from 25 FTE employees to 70.
Big Businesses could learn a thing or two (or three) about digital marketing from startups
With so many channels to market these days, communication has become a two-way dialogue rather than a one-way push, though many big businesses have yet to accept this. The outdated marketing techniques still employed by many big businesses is handing a clear advantage to those startups and small businesses that are agile and adapting to change.
Why productivity is down despite a plethora of tech tools and how you can reverse the trend
If your employees are like most Australians, they work fairly long hours. But you can’t assume that just because they’ re working more, more work is getting done. Long hours might mean they love what they do and want to give it their all .
4 things I learnt about business at age 14
My first foray into business came at just 14. Growing up in Western Sydney, my family didn’t have a lot of money outside of the essentials to spend on luxuries, like toys, cars and going out, so I was motivated from a young age to be successful. Like many teenagers I worked a part-time job in a supermarket during my school days. Where I differed was in taking on an additional part-time retail job as well as starting my own business installing car stereos from my parents’ garage.
Avoid these 6 common digital marketing blunders
After interviewing more than 40 of my clients, from small businesses through to corporations, I noticed a pattern emerging with the types of problems or concerns they were having with their digital and social media activities. Often the mistakes they were having could have been remedied by being willing to invest in the right channels and strategies to begin with. So, what stopped them from setting their business (or marketing/digital/social) strategies up properly?
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Kevin
Contact Kevin, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack