News Room

September Newsletter

NEWSLETTER STRATACORE 22ND SEPTEMBER 2008



Message from the CEO

Welcome to our newsletter for September where we cover a few interesting topics very relevant to what is happening in our economy. Our first article considers the necessity of having a strategy for growth based on sound research and an in depth understanding of your industry. This coupled with a sound business model is one of the best ways to capitalise on and insulate your business from changes in the economy. Other articles provided include one from


- Michael Murtagh, a COMET adviser, and he explains how the AusIndustry program works – In short, eligible applicants can access financial assistance to commercialise innovative products, processes and services.


- Julie Albrecht, accredited practicing Dietitian, explains that the saying of an apple a day keeps the doctor away still holds true. Apples really do provide extraordinary benefits; and


- Rick McElhinney, the Chairman of Founders Forum, explains how confidence can be the deciding factor in securing financial assistance for your business.




NEWS


1. Stratacore’s Maximise your Business Growth. Maximise your Business Value Program starts this week. If you miss day 1 you may still have time to join the Program but there are limited places available. Contact Lucy Conheady on 5526 3550 or lucy@stratacore.com.au for more details.


2. Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry have a series of workshops to assist small and medium businesses. The Gold Coast workshops for the next month include
o Tendering for government business – Tuesday 30th September – 1pm-5pm
o Managing for profits – Thursday 2nd October – 9:30am-12:30pm
o Managing your cash – Thursday 23rd October – 9:30am-12:30pm
o Managing customer service – Thursday 6th November – 9:30am-12:30pm
o Smart Marketing – Thursday 27th November – 9:30am-12:30pm

All seminars cost $44.00 and you can contact 07 5583 7599 for registration or further details. The training is held at 26 Marine Parade, Southport..



STOP PRESS

$75M PROGRAM TO HELP MANUFACTURERS TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS

The Rudd Government's $75 million Re-tooling for Climate Change grants program is now open.

Re-tooling for Climate Change will offer small and medium sized manufacturers grants ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 to help them reduce the environmental impact of their production processes.
Grants will meet up to one-third of the costs of projects to improve energy or water efficiency of their production processes.

Support will be provided for initiatives such as:-

• small-scale cogeneration plants that capture waste energy and use it to produce electricity on site;
• stormwater capture and improved water recycling, for use in the production process;
• improving insulation and recovering waste heat to improve manufacturing process efficiency; and
• process re-engineering involving the adoption of energy efficient manufacturing tools.

Applications for Round One close on Monday 20 October.

Organisations wishing to apply should visit the AusIndustry website www.ausindustry.gov.au for further information.



Strategy for growth – by Debbie Crowther

Many businesses exist with those involved working incredibly hard in the “doing.” They think if they work harder and harder things will improve, and maybe that will be the case, but often it isn’t. However if a business has a well thought out and researched strategy for growth establishing exactly where the business is heading, a far superior result may be achieved as all business activities will be channeled in the right direction.

Recently a business came to Stratacore for assistance. It became very clear very quickly how they had invested a significant amount of money in one direction for the business that wasn’t working and the business model was flawed. The key management / owners had spent countless sleepless nights working to try and fix the issues with little success. After our discussions and our referral to a colleague who was a specialist in their field, the future path became crystal clear after a couple of hours. The business model they had prior to discussions was flawed and they would never have been able to achieve success without major changes. They felt they were between a rock and a hard place, where no matter how hard they worked, the problems remained or new ones surfaced.

As a result of developing a strategy for growth utilising an effective business model, both being based on appropriate research and an in depth understanding of their industry, the future looks far brighter.

We strongly recommend that every business owner and/or the management thereof take the time to consider their strategy for growth. If your business doesn’t have one or if every member of your team doesn’t know where the business is heading, how can you achieve it? Should you need assistance then we suggest you seek professional advice to help your business sooner rather than later.



COMET Program - by Michael Murtagh

The COMET Program is a merit based assistance program with the aim of increasing the commercialisation of innovative products, processes and services, by providing individuals, early stage growth companies and spin-off companies with a tailored package of support to improve their potential for successful commercialisation.

The objectives of the COMET Program are to:

(a) increase Australia's sustainable economic growth through stimulating the successful commercialisation of Australian innovation; and

(b) build sustainable and high-growth firms by increasing prospects for successful commercialisation of innovations through the attraction of capital and partners.


COMET helps customers to commercialise their innovation in a number of ways, including through:

• building management skills
• raising capital from business angels or venture capital funds
• borrowing money
• joint ventures or strategic alliances
• licensing
• manufacturing
• launching a product or service.


COMET provides business assistance in two ways through access to private sector consultant
COMET business advisers, and through merit based financial assistance (grant funding). The financial assistance is used to obtain business assistance in a number of areas.


COMET Business Advisor Role

COMET business advisers play a central role in assisting customers. Their functions include:

• helping potential customers with their application
• providing application assessments to the COMET National Manager
• helping successful customers develop and conduct a tailored package of assistance which is detailed in the customers COMET assistance plan.

The advice and guidance given by the COMET business adviser in the commercialisation of an innovation is provided as part of a customer's participation under the COMET Program and is free.

However, an applicant who is successful in raising capital for the innovation may be required to pay a success fee to the COMET business adviser.


COMET Business Advisor on the Gold Coast

Michael Murtagh is the COMET Business Advisor for the Gold Coast and Northern NSW region. Contact him at cernotech@bigpond.com or on 0410 451 887.


More Information

To receive updates about COMET or AusIndustry's range of products, subscribe to email updates at www.ausindustry.gov.au or phone the AusIndustry hotline 13 28 46 for information.





The new super food...The Apple

Julie Albrecht – Accredited Practising Dietitian

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is an old wives’ tale that now carries significant new weight, with recent studies providing scientific evidence supporting the remarkable health benefits of apples.

Apples are a powerhouse of antioxidants and other protective plant components. They contain a variety of phytochemical compounds, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid. It is these components that have been linked to playing a key role in reducing chronic disease risk.

- Post harvest, the apple continues to be a living entity with antioxidant content not greatly affected by storage

- More antioxidant power than a 1500mg mega dose of vitamin C

- 10 times the antioxidant power of goji berry juice and mangosteen

- Almost 4 times the antioxidant content of brewed tea.

- Reduction in cardiovascular disease

- Protection against asthma and improved lung function

- Reduction in the risk of developing Type II diabetes

- Reduced risk of different cancers, including oral oesophageal, larynx, breast, ovary, prostate and colorectal

- Components in the skin that inhibit or kill cancer cells

Given the powerful multifaceted health benefits of the apple, An Apple a day…should be a key health behaviour…enjoy one today.


Reference: Shane Landon APD (2008): The Apple Report – A Nutrition and Health Review





Unreasonable Confidence - by Rick McElhinney, Chairman Founders Forum

Every once in a while we come across opportunities that are exceptional. They generally outperform the norm and make investors very happy indeed. Sometimes it’s simply a great idea in a growing market and sometimes it’s a team with great business skills and knowledge in a particular industry. Sometimes it’s a result of “unreasonable confidence”.

If two football players are a few metres from the try line, under the same circumstances, both maintain a chance to get through. Maybe both will score a try or, maybe one or neither will make it. The “unreasonable confidence” of the likes of Darren Lockyer is such that many times he simply KNOWS he has a 100% chance of getting through. Give most people an axe and they will certainly have “unreasonable confidence” that they can cut down a tree. Once you’ve learnt to ride a bike, “unreasonable confidence” is not unreasonable. In a business venture, “unreasonable confidence” is often more difficult but is generally still achievable. The sooner it’s developed, the better.

Many start-ups evolve from people with limited confidence. It’s natural and nothing to be concerned about. Developing “unreasonable confidence” is difficult. It is, however, a great target to aim for. Often, the process involves hard thinking; understanding the customer; and developing great people around you. When you get “unreasonable confidence” you don’t think you’ve got it, you KNOW you’ve got it.

Keep in mind that the person with “unreasonable confidence” will be the one who most likely secures:

· the bank loan
· the sale
· the best deal
· the promotional article
· the wealth
· the girl/boy


Take a look and think through what may be the keys to develop “unreasonable confidence” for your venture.

One thing I’m confident of is that striving to achieve “unreasonable confidence” is well worth the effort.





Contact Details

Stratacore International Pty Ltd
Seabank Building
12 Marine Parade
Southport QLD 4215

PO BOX 5931
Gold Coast Mail Centre QLD 9726

Ph: 07 5526 3550
Fax: 07 5526 3150

www.stratacore.com.au

Email: lucy@stratacore.com.au











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