Small Business

Geraldton-based contractor Frigtech Services, which has grown to have six branches across Western Australia, has expanded to the east coast by purchasing a NSW business after a two-year evaluation.

Benjamin Avila hopes that winning a seat on the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale council will enable him to assist businesses avoid the fate that befell his.

OPINION: Before you receive loyalty from your customers, you’ll need to show some within your own workplace.

Thimble is a one-of-a-kind app on the iTunes Store that will directly help and bring the community together in a member’s time of need.

Floral wholesaler Profresh has grown from a one-person business into a team of almost 15, generating $3 million in revenue in just its second year of commercial operations

SPECIAL REPORT: Whether they’re manufacturing locally or abroad, WA fashion designers and garment makers are still winning contracts and stockists here and overseas.

Subiaco-based tech startup Fleetsu is seeking to raise $1 million in venture capital funding to better target multinational customers for its vehicle tracking technology.

Flourishing at School is a cloud-based software solution to help schools measure and track individual and collective wellbeing, and develop and assess targeted wellbeing interventions for staff and students.

OPINION: It’s estimated that half of all sales are made on the basis of an established friendship, so if you’re not making nice you’re missing out on half of your market.

SPECIAL REPORT: The Monk Craft Brewery & Kitchen was among many businesses boosted by a local program to support entrepreneurs.

SPECIAL REPORT: There is a range of places for small businesses and startups to access support, but technological change means some are rethinking their approach. Click through for the updated BNIQ list of SME and startup business centres.

The Get in the Hole Golf app allows golfers to create great golf experiences by finding similar skilled playing partners and great playing deals from over 500 golf courses in Australia and Bali.

Stirfire Studios is set to join the ranks of publicly traded games companies such as Japan’s Sony and Nintendo, and Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard in the US.

Building a bread empire was not part of the plan when Sarah Thomas and her husband, Trevor, took over a Beaufort Street bakery in 2003; their goal was to reinvigorate the struggling business.

Change is sweeping through front bars and suburban watering holes across the city, with publicans of some of the city’s most recognisable pubs spending up big in efforts to stay relevant in Perth’s rapidly diversifying hospitality sector.

Jugglr allows mothers to provide services to other mothers so they can help each other and keep their job skills fresh – from playdates to sharing house chores, kids tutoring to time out, personal training or career coaching and small business support. Where fee-for-service is involved, Jugglr takes a fee.

Perth-based Caroline’s Skincare is preparing to ship its first container-load of product to China, having been one of three brands to sign an MoA with a Chinese agency at a 2016 Australia-China Health Expo.

OPINION: Without regular engagement with your social media followers (potential customers), your social media business strategy is going nowhere.

SPECIAL REPORT: Small and mid-sized businesses will soon have a new option for raising capital when crowd-sourced funding legislation takes effect. 

The state government has awarded Geraldton-based social enterprise Pollinators $110,000 in grants to promote startup initiatives in the region.

Billed as a world first e-commerce platform for builders, users can enter their address on the website, zoom in to the property and drop a scaled new structure (such as an extension or pool or granny flat) onto the site.

Derby business Wattnow Electrical has learned how to overcome major challenges on its way to achieving significant growth over the past three years.

PeopleSense started as a three-person operation servicing the local market, but has grown into a large organisational consultancy firm with 100-plus staff and a national presence. 

The executive team at Quality Printers & Cartridges has a simple strategy to become the dominant player in their industry – if you can’t beat them, buy them.

Theoretically speaking, office workers in Subiaco have to wait about seven times as long as their Claremont counterparts for a morning coffee, an analysis of amenity levels across 50 suburban office markets has revealed.

Norwood Systems, Fastbrick Robotics and Balconi Telecommunications were among the winners at this year’s WAITTA INCITE awards for the ICT sector.

SoterSpine aims to predict and prevent musculoskeletal injuries among industrial workers. 

Family business owners who enjoy their work and achieve good results are more likely to implement a succession plan, a long-term study of the sector has found.

A new body for local subcontractors is calling for participation in a survey to help reshape the payment process in the industry.

SPECIAL REPORT: WA distillers are poised at the forefront of the next big movement in boutique beverages.

Businesses are chasing down opportunities in the pet market, worth an estimated $12 billion in Australia. 

A distinctive recipe, creative product name and a viral crowdfunding campaign have been the key ingredients of success for a local hot sauce business.