Imagine you invest US$500 to help a startup get off the ground through investment crowdfunding. The pitch is slick, the platform feels trustworthy and the company quickly raises its target amount from hundreds of people just like you. Then – silence. No updates, no financials, not even a thank-you.
You’ve been ghosted – not by a friend, but by a company you helped fund.
Bevan Goldswain/Getty ImagesSmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Australian and New Zealand economies, employing 42% of Australia’s workforce and
Naomi Rahim/Getty Images/CanvaToday’s consumers are swimming in a sea of information. Products are marketed with big, bold words such as “sustainable”, “ethical” and “organic”. They sound good, they catch our attention, and they make us feel better about what we buy.
The reality is, in today’s market, figuring out which claims are true is no easy task.
It was the latest blow to the credibility of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). This time, the nation’s stock exchange mixed up two company names in an error that briefly wiped A$400 million off the market value of our third biggest telco, TPG Telecom.
Jorge MataWe’ve all been there – absentmindedly tapping a credit or debit card to pay for something at a shop, only to remember moments later there is a 2.99% surcharge.
These surcharges are extra fees added to the total when a shopper opts for credit card and contactless payment rather than swiping and entering a PIN with a debit card.
When business researchers analyze data, they often rely on assumptions to help make sense of what they find. But like anyone else, they can run into a whole lot of trouble if those assumptions turn out to be wrong – which may happen more often than they realize. That’s what we found in a recent study looking at financial data from about a thousand major U.S. companies.
Imagine it’s April 2025 and you’re the owner of a small but fast-growing e-commerce business. Historically, you’ve sourced products from China, but the president just announced tariffs of 145% on these goods. Do you set up operations in Thailand – requiring new investment and a lot of work – or wait until there’s more clarity on trade? What if waiting too long means you miss your chance to pull it off?
Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThe phrase “go woke, go broke” is often used by critics of corporate social responsibility. It implies that companies face a binary choice: embrace progressive values or pursue profit.
Odua Images/ShutterstockToo often, it’s anti-immigration sentiment dominating headlines in Australia. But a quieter story is going untold. Migrants are not just fitting into Australian society, they’re actively reshaping it through entrepreneurship.
Starting a business is difficult for anyone. But migrant entrepreneurs often do so without the networks, credit history, or local knowledge many Australian-born business owners take for granted.
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, right, and Attorney General of New York Letitia James walk in the NYC Pride March on June 29, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Olga FedorovaIt has happened before: an upset victory by a Democratic Socialist in an important primary election after an extraordinary grassroots campaign.
