Cashflow in the Quiet Months | BTalk Australia

On November 8, 2009

Cashflow in the Quiet Months | BTalk Australia

Tim Lea (and his watch) (Episode 368; 12 minutes 59) Here in Australia over the summer months many people in business are on holidays. That means even if you’re still hard at work those people who owe you money might not be. It's very likely that cash will be slower coming in through the door. Tim Lea, a partner in Cash Stream Financial, says many businesses do not realise how deep the problem can be. So how should you be planning to protect your business over the quiet months? Will the situation be worse this year because of the global financial crisis? What should you do if you fear cash is going to be short? What is factoring? Is it...


On November 7, 2009

TJX Proves It’s the Right Retailer for the Times

Not only is TJX selling more, it’s doing it at a growing profit. The company raised its third quarter earnings estimate to between 77 and 79 cents recently and, when announcing sales for the period last week, said profits would come in at or above that range.


On November 7, 2009

Steve Jobs Conquers the Decade – Now What?

Now that Fortune has named Apple CEO Steve Jobs CEO of the decade, where will he go from here? Throughout his career, Jobs has typically led the market, bringing out products that consumers didn't know they wanted until they saw them -- products like the iPhone and iPod touch, for instance. He will probably continue doing so, but in the future he may delegate more responsibilities.


On November 7, 2009

How to Make Your Blog Feel Like Home

This is a guest post by Glen Allsopp. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. Despite having already quit my job, I recently attended a "escape the rat-race" type workshop for people who were looking to start their own businesses. My main reason for going was to see the process that people teach in order to help others successfully transition out of the cubicle and into their own company.

Original Post: How to Make Your Blog Feel Like Home


On November 7, 2009

‘Tis the Season for Safe Holiday Shopping

While recent reports don't predict a major recovery for retailers this holiday season, the outlook for e-commerce sites is slightly more optimistic: 2009 will post an 18 percent increase in online holiday shopping over last year. For many consumers, though, the convenience of online shopping comes with a hefty price: their identity.


On November 6, 2009

A New Loan Program Helps West Bank Small Business

There is a growing faction that views disparity in income and a dearth of economic opportunities in the Middle East as much of a factor that fuels extremism and volatility as violence -- and one that has just as much gravitas to push the seemingly intractable Israeli-Palestinian peace process forever off its shaky hinges. In tandem with the political process, this group sees bolstering economic progress as an important strategy to secure a viable, sustainable path to peace. And that road they contend is trod with entrepreneurship. Moreover, unlike the unpredictable peace process, this is an approach with both measurable and tangible results.

Israeli industrialist Stef Wertheimer, the founder of Iscar Industries has devoted much of his time and resources to establishing industrial parks that help Israeli and Arab entrepreneurs in some of the lowest income, underdeveloped areas in Israel. Last year, when I wrote about Wertheimer, his handful of industrial parks had helped 175 companies develop, employed 5,000 people, and in 2007 had produced collective sales of $750 million. When I spoke with him, his sixth park established outside of Istanbul, Turkey in 2003 had grown to 70 companies that employed 300 people.

The Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII), a Washington D.C.-based non-profit group is another strong proponent of using businesses to create sustainability and peace. Established in 2005, MEII was formed specifically to stimulate the region’s fragile economies. And for the past two years, MEII (along with its partners, OPIC, the Palestinian Investment Fund, and CHF International) has been the quiet force behind a $228 million loan guarantee program helping small and medium-sized business ventures in the West Bank.

That is the reason why Berl Bernhard, the organization’s chairman and James Pickup, its president, swung by BusinessWeek’s New York office today. On their way to the Middle East, the pair came in to discuss this program that has helped a number of Palestinian businesses get off the ground for the first time.


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