Trends
Why I hate Shark Tank
Alexandra Cain Why are we not yet tired of ritual humiliation on TV?
Ready for the silliest day of the year?
![pks000329.001.004 for today. pic by penny stephens. generic laugh pic - rob...](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/2/v/n/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1m2vas.png/1427653346356.jpg)
Kate Jones What are companies planning for April Fools hoaxes this year?
Easter's business time for chocolatiers
![New Farm's Easter eggs.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/0/7/y/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1m06tk.png/1426476541296.jpg)
Sylvia Pennington And sweet tooths are about to delight in the fruits of their labour.
Can Serena Williams sell your business?
![Serena Williams has endorsed the EnduraCool Instant Cooling Towel.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/4/0/g/0/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1404t8.png/1427137676898.jpg)
Christine Long One Aussie entrepreneur thinks so and spent a fortune booking her to promote his product. Did it work?
Can the Boomers sell their businesses?
![Ageing business owners are considering their options.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/c/v/j/4/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1428k0.png/1426704392183.jpg)
Adam Courtenay There's more than 40,000 enterprises on the block as a flood of people nearing retirement want out of their companies.
Motivational speakers modern charlatans
![Alexandra Cain](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/n/z/o/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13yfmi.png/1426193810675.jpg)
Alexandra Cain Audiences are sick of hearing stories from no-name former executives with nothing much to say.
Do we still need newsagencies?
![Generic gambling.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/z/t/4/y/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13myxn.png/1426116215929.jpg)
Louis White They are likely to lose their monopoly on lotteries, putting their viability in grave doubt.
Drink like the Japanese
![Drinks World Asia publisher Marc Rodrigues says there's a blurred line between working and socialising.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/z/k/8/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13wbbl.png/1426040870434.jpg)
Nigel Bowen If you want to do business with our second-biggest trading partner, you need to first learn a few rules.
It's time to disrupt mentoring
![ANZ chairman David Gonski is taking lessons from social media strategist Sarah Anderson.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/0/b/o/a/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13kqg4.png/1426025409671.jpg)
Sylvia Pennington A new approach to coaching is giving Gen Y the upper hand.
Work trips = waste of time
![Alexandra Cain](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/n/z/o/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13tenn.png/1425592073754.jpg)
Alexandra Cain The annual corporate get together is nothing but an opportunity for HR to spend company coin.
Is this the end of plastic bags?
![Living Ocean co founders Deon and Kim Hubner are spreading their plastic-free message.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/h/2/y/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13h2tf.png/1425420415004.jpg)
Claire Dunn It is if these environmentally aware people have anything to do with it.
Are bookkeepers the next financial planners?
![Alexandra Cain](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/n/z/o/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13nwd6.png/1424977166032.jpg)
Alexandra Cain Gone are the days of receipts in shoe boxes. Mistakes made by people in this industry can have serious repercussions.
Do you want that X factor?
![Julie-Anne Black views charisma as an unparalleled attribute.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/9/e/i/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.139en5.png/1424889080082.jpg)
Kate Jones There are ways to become more charismatic in business and life.
Dollar down, export optimism up
![The dropping dollar has made Australia's exports more competitive.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/j/j/f/q/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13nw4i.png/1424840416805.jpg)
Mark Thirlwell The upside of the fall in commodity prices and the drop in the dollar has been a significant boost to Australia’s relative competitiveness.
Why I won't do business with blokes
![Juliet Potter identified a gap in the car sales market.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/n/g/0/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13kqob.png/1424918607585.jpg)
Caroline James Some start-ups are purposely targeting men or women with great success.
The problem with ad agencies
![Mad Men's John Slattery looks sensational with snow white hair.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/4/1/3/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13fpwc.png/1424371608260.jpg)
Alexandra Cain Where do I start? ... is the response from most people who have ever dealt with one.
COMMENT
Are you cyclone ready?
![Small businesses need to be natural-disaster ready.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/1/l/d/4/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13j8pu.png/1424314622211.jpg)
Warren Turner With savage storms expected to smash the east coast this weekend businesses have been warned to prepare or face the consequences.
Self-employed more financially secure
![For Supercheap Storage founder Edward Thirlwall, choosing your own working hours is a standout feature of being self-employed.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/4/k/3/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.134k4q.png/1424304646065.jpg)
Kate Jones If you work for yourself, you're likely to have more financial comfort than your wage slave peers.
Seven principles of a successful agribusiness
![Nuffield Farming Scholar Joe Muscat and Rob Cairns](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/i/y/v/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.13iyoc.png/1424303582952.jpg)
Joe Muscat All small businesses can learn from the experiences of the farming sector.
Is it all over for eBay?
![eBay](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/3/o/m/0/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.3pzix.png/1424212701708.jpg)
With plateauing sales and shirty sellers the reign of the once dominant online marketplace could be at an end.
You can win from the oil price drop
![Steve Hui, founder of iFLYflat, says there is great potential in the near term for small business from the decline in the oil price, especially if the airlines' fuel surcharge is reduced.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/y/d/t/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.12ye0i.png/1424159008831.jpg)
Gayle Bryant Every business has the potential to profit from the fall in the value of this commodity.
Beat those burnt-out blues
![happy](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/t/1/i/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.12t1d1.png/1424156447418.jpg)
Caroline James Struggling for motivation? You need our 12 top tips to energise your work day every day.
Romance your customers this Valentine's Day
![Cupid illo for print only](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/3/p/n/t/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1388aa.png/1423204253497.jpg)
Michelle Cross You don't have to be in the flowers, restaurant or jewellery business to make the most of the loveliest day of the year.
This year's hot sectors
![face](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/0/0/u/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1308p3.png/1424159068624.jpg)
Denise Mooney Which sectors are set to explode - and which are headed for the graveyard - in 2015?
Top business trends for 2015
![commcare](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/3/p/h/2/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.135lg1.png/1423440016890.jpg)
Caroline James If you want to be ahead of the curve, you need to know about what's hot at work this year.
From zero to $6m in two years for SignosRT
![Joe El-Aklouk, Signostics employee.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/5/h/s/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.135hm5.png/1426661686118.jpg)
Louis White This business is projecting 300 per cent growth this year. Guess which sector it's in?
This year's massive growth sectors
![Ring from Logbar is a smart wearable that allows you to control your devices with the wave of a hand or the press of a button.](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/i/g/3/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.130p0h.png/1420491193756.jpg)
Kate Jones If you're in wearable technology and hydroponics, there are good times ahead.
Dollar drop hurts importers
![Dollar](/web/20150331023321im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/x/1/9/j/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.12z7ic.png/1424159149833.jpg)
Adam Courtenay They have had a purple patch for years. But that is all over now.