THE BLOG FOR AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS
January 18, 2013

ALMOST ANYTHING IS POZIBLE
WITH CROWDFUNDING…
How a Smart Mumpreneur Nailed a Polished Pitch to Hit This Project Funding Goal!

Here's an encourgaing Crowdfunding success story for Australian Small Business! But will the finances be as messy as the product?Regular readers of the Martin Print Blog should recall a very recent article which served as an introduction to the rising Crowdfunding trend.
The article certainly sparked a wave of interest from business owners and developers keen to hear more about this increasingly popular platform for fundraising your next exciting business project without having to visit the bank.

If you missed the post (where have you been?!) or you’ve had your memory wiped by aliens since then (fair enough, happens to me all the time), then you can check out the brief introduction to the snowballing Crowdfunding phenomenon right here.

Following on from this, here’s another recent Crowdfunding success story which I’d love to share, as it’s a perfect example of how a cracking Australian Small Business has really taken advantage of this new people-powered strategy for raising that crucial finance.

As this particular tale involves small children, face paint, and nail polish, I’ll warn you now that this could get very messy…

Pure Poppet is a small Australian brand dedicated to creating a range of natural makeup and face paint for small children with very big imaginations!
The business was founded by Head Poppet and proud Mumpreneur Georga Holdich, whose own two children have always loved to dress up and step into the shoes of new characters.

When Georga discovered that it was almost impossible to find an Australian produced range of fun makeup items which were aimed at children and made with natural, non-toxic ingredients, she decided that the only way to make it happen was to launch such a business herself!

Since then, the range has started to take off in a big way, as fidgety parents can now finally relax and actually allow the kids to play with makeup and face paint without having to worry about the long list of toxic ingredients that usually pop up in the adult variety.

Recently, Georga decided that it would be a terrific idea to add a new water-based, non-toxic Nail Polish to the Pure Poppet range.
However, the financing of this new project could well prove to be a pretty tricky prospect…

CONTINUE READING

Send to Kindle
Posted In Archives, Business Clinic, Case Studies, Cashflow Management, Creative Marketing, Crowdfunding, Customer Rewards, Entrepreneur Zone, Finance In Focus, Investors and Loans, January 2013, Newsdesk, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Start-Up Funding, Starting a New Business
January 10, 2013

OFF THE GROUND WITHOUT A BANK LOAN
How the Rising Crowdfunding Trend is Helping to Kickstart Your New Business Projects!

Could the Crowdfunding community help to get your next exciting business off the ground?Got a winning idea for a new product, a new service, or even a completely new business venture, that simply can’t fail?

You’ve got the incredible concept. You’ve got the business brainpower. You’ve got the determination and motivation.
Now all you need is a big chunk of cash to get this brilliant new project off the ground…

Hmm.
These pesky minor details always get in the way, don’t they?

But could a Crowdfunding platform deliver the perfect opportunity to kickstart your cash-strapped concept without the need for a bank loan?
And is Crowdfunding set to reach new heights throughout 2013 as it rapidly develops into the business fundraising solution of the future?

Not so long ago, the hopes and dreams of a new business venture in urgent need of cash would largely depend on the mood of your Bank Manager.
If you were lucky, you might just walk away with a spring in your step and a hefty debt on your conscience.
If you were unlucky, you might sulkily stroll out of the building under a dark cloud of rejection, as you silently raged against the injustice of the bank manager’s narrow vision, silly haircut, and frankly ridiculous tie.

Thankfully, the digital age has now dished up an intriguing alternative which takes away the power from the stuffy old Banks, and puts it right back into the hands of the people…

The concept of online Crowdfunding has been around for a little while now, but has recently started to catch on in a big way right across the globe, and looks set to soar in popularity over the next year or two.

The idea is relatively simple;
By signing up to a reputable online Crowdfunding community such as Pozible (currently Australia’s biggest Crowdfunding platform) or Kickstarter (a US-based company now emerging as the leader in the global field), you can post up the details of your new project plans and invite your friends, followers, and other interested users of the community to make a pledge to help you reach your target goal.

This is certainly no Dragon’s Den.
These Pledgers aren’t looking to invest in your business, or indeed make a single cent out of the whole venture.
Nor is this a high-interest loan of any kind. Nobody wants their money back here.

CONTINUE READING

Send to Kindle
Posted In Business Clinic, Cashflow Management, Creative Marketing, Crowdfunding, Entrepreneur Zone, Facebook, Finance In Focus, Google+, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Start-Up Funding, Starting a New Business, Technology & The Web, Twitter
December 07, 2011

BORROWING FOR BETTER BUSINESS
How To Expand Your Small Business
and Save Money by Leasing Equipment!


Could your Small Business benefit from leasing brand new office equipment?When we talk of leasing business equipment, we instinctively tend to think of mighty corporations hiring huge chunks of robust industrial machinery, or perhaps even just fairly big businesses choosing to borrow enough hi-tec IT equipment to fill an entire fleet of spaceships.

It’s not always a concept that you would readily associate with Small Business.
For example, here at the Martin Print office,  the only kind of leasing development that we’ve seen over the last few weeks, was when Old Bert borrowed the electric stapler, and forgot to bring it back again.
I’m not even sure why exactly he was trying to repair a leaky tap with an electric stapler in the first place, but Old Bert’s mind works in very mysterious ways, and I’ve long since given up trying to work him out.

But have you ever considered the advantages in leasing the very latest state-of-the-art office equipment, on a smaller scale, to suit your own business?

CONTINUE READING

Send to Kindle
Posted In Finance In Focus, Investors and Loans, Leasing Equipment, Start-Up Funding, Starting a New Business, Technology & The Web
October 18, 2011

CASE STUDIES PROJECT POWERUP
How This Sydney-Based Entrepreneur Is Giving You the Power to Really Switch On Your Small Business


Do you need help to power up your Small Business?We all know how difficult it can be to secure the funding to kick-start your new Small Business.
It’s particularly problematic for young entrepreneurs, who aren’t very likely to have any significant personal assets to secure against a loan – but it’s certainly not restricted to the young. It’s an uphill challenge that everyone has to face and conquer before you can get your brand new business off the ground.
But could a cutting-edge approach to the fundraising problem be just around the corner?
In today’s Martin Print Case Study, I talk to Sydney-based entrepreneur Ryan Wardell, who believes that he’s found a viable alternative to traditional fundraising sources.
His company Project PowerUp is billed as ‘Australia’s first Crowdfunding platform for Startups and Small Businesses’, and is already creating positive sparks in the industry.
Are you ready to switch on your new Small Business?

 

Far back in the ancient mists of time, the budding entrepreneur only had very limited avenues to explore when it came to raising the necessary funds required to launch a pioneering new Small Business.

The first was plan of attack was always to try and impress your bank manager or potential investor with a watertight business plan, a sense of enthusiasm, a smart set of clothes, and a winning smile.
If that failed, then you could always just drop to your knees and start begging, but this was only ever really supposed to be a last resort, and usually resulted in you being firmly escorted from the premises of the building.
Thankfully, times have moved on.

CONTINUE READING

Send to Kindle
Posted In Case Studies, Finance In Focus, Investors and Loans, Project PowerUp, Start-Up Funding, Starting a New Business
August 30, 2011

GETTING CREATIVE
WITH RAISING FINANCE
How to Find the Funds to Start Up Your Business Without Going to the Bank!

Ready to start up your own business? All set to take the world by storm? Just that pesky little issue of raising the start-up funds to contend with, before you can spread your glorious wings of enterprise?This is normally the point when you put on your best smile, and go and have a nice chat and a cappuccino with the bank or a potential investor.
But what happens if you get knocked back? Is it time to abandon the dream, and go back to a simple life in the wild, foraging for nuts and berries?

Not necessarily. There are other, more creative, paths to raising the initial finance you need to get started, and they don’t involve begging in the streets, or trying to sell off bits of your body for scientific research.

They simply require a novel and forward-thinking way of approaching the problem, and perhaps a fairly strong set of negotiating skills might also prove to be quite handy, too.
CONTINUE READING

Send to Kindle
Posted In Cashflow Management, Finance In Focus, Investors and Loans, Start-Up Funding, Starting a New Business
Back to top
ARCHIVES
TOPICS