2008 News

(Re)Innovate Challenge 

(re)innovate challenge is a national business planning challenge designed to teach Australian business how to be more innovative.

The first thing to do is think of a great idea for the business you work in (register your interest and we’ll help you with this!) The next step is to get a team together and enter your idea by 27 November 2008. Once your team has entered we’ll provide you with heaps of support and training to help build your idea into an executable business plan. Final business plans are pitched to our judging panels in May 2009. To spice things up a bit, state awards are given to the businesses with the most innovative and well developed ideas across six categories. These businesses are then eligible for the national prizes, which are announced at the gala awards night in July 2009. The total prize pool for the national prizes is over $100,000!

28/11/08

Review of National Innovation System 

The Review of the National Innovation System has now been completed. The report of the Review, venturousaustralia - building strength in innovation, and associated materials, can be accessed by clicking here.

10/9/08

Roamsafe Gets Export Money Back Successfully  

Through the month CRE8BIZ has been ensuring that their Client Roamsafe has put in the correct details for their business to successully apply for the Austrade Export Marketing Development Grant. They did get their application in quickly and received news last week that they will receive all the money back that they claimed for. This grant refund will no doubt go towards further marketing initiaitves in global market real soon.

30/8/08

Client Gets Hooked !

In the past two weeks, we've seen two disturbing cases of bag snatching on our streets. But even in cafes, restaurants and bars it's still difficult to keep an eye on your handbag. After having trouble finding a clean and safe place to leave her handbag in a pub overseas, Jen Nicholls decided to take matters into her own hands and create the Bagmate.The Bagmate is a sturdy hook that's fixed underneath the table to hang your bag on - keeping it off the floor and conveniently close by.

So far, the Coffee Club at the Logan Hyperdome and Hogs Breath Café at Cleveland are both hooked on the idea. Customers love the hooks because it keeps their handbags, nappy bags and even jackets safe and off the floor and in a convenient place.

Bagmates can be purchased online at www.hookit.net.au. Each hook costs six dollars fifty, with discounts available on larger orders. Hooks come with an installation kit and customer awareness brochures and stickers,and can either be screwed into the table or secured with an adhesive pad.

29/8/08

2008 National INNOVATION Survey

CRE8BIZ was invited to participate with over 350 Australian organisations in the inaugural National Innovation Survey. The major premise is that growing organisations are adept at building existing operations while creating new business initiatives. This Survey is part of the Australian Business, Innovation and Growth (ABIG) Index, established to analyse business innovation and review emerging trends that underpin sustainable corporate growth.

10/7/08

Federal Government Grants Galore !

We have assisted two Clients recently to successfully apply for and achive substantial grants from the following very competitive Federal Government grant programs:

- Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) Small Business Program will provide grants to improve the business enterprise culture of TCF small businesses. The program is specifically aimed at TCF small businesses unable to receive assistance under the TCF (SIP) Scheme or the TCF Post-2005 (SIP) Scheme. It is competitive and merit-based with a maximum grant of $50,000 provided to each successful project, and

- COMET is a competitive, merit based program that supports early-growth stage and spin off companies to successfully commercialise their innovations.

1/6/08

World IP Day

World Intellectual Property (IP) Day is a chance to reflect on the importance of human innovation and recognise the important role that IP plays in our daily lives.

This year’s World IP Day theme – Innovation: Respect It – pays tribute to inventors and artists whose intellectual property rights deserve our admiration, our protection and respect.

Encouraging Creativity forms the essence of innovation - without encouragement, many great innovations might have remained merely ideas.

By demonstrating the importance of IP in daily life, World IP Day can help improve public awareness and understanding of creativity, innovation and the intellectual property system.

World IP Day is an initiative WIPO and has been celebrated annually on April 26 since its inception in 2001. For more information and background history of World IP Day please visit the WIPO website.

2/4/08

Child's Play

Eliza Mytka has gone to unusual lengths to find the right clothes for her daughter.

The story so far...

Who: Elizar Mytka Age: 29 Where: Sydney Company: Huggalugs What they've done: Funky arm and leg huggers for kids "I thought 'I can get these made in Australia', so I researched the product and came up with a design that actually fits my daughters chunky footballers thighs" Listen to this story: + mp3 (mp3 7.5MB) Subscribe to the Catapult Podcast

Wanting to dress her in leg-warmers, the only type Eliza could find were made in China for Chinese children. They were so small they cut the circulation off in her daughter's legs. So, she decided to manufacture them herself.

"I thought, 'I can get these made in Australia', so I researched the product and came up with a design that actually fits my daughters chunky footballers thighs, and it started from there."

Predominantly sold online, the line of leg-warmers, called Huggalugs, is proving popular. Elizar says local and international orders are flying in.

"They're designed specifically for babies through to about six year of age. They've got a real sock like feel to them. They're meant to be worn stretched out over the leg and have got a high cotton content," says Eliza.

"They're great for kids who are potty training and can't get their nappies or undies off quickly."

Eliza, who has a degree in Fine Arts, says the more she has experimented with the leg-warmers, the more uses she has found for them.

"When the temperature gets cold, you are able to pull them over their little legs and arms without taking them out of the pram. They are really great for running around the playground pulled up over their knees. It gives them a bit of extra protection from scrapes," she says.

She is particularly proud that Huggalugs are manufactured in Australia and says she was lucky to find a really "clever" manufacturer who quickly understood what she was trying to design.

Image: Courtesy of Huggalugs

"They have a good selection of colours in stock, because to be able to use the exact colours that you want is a really hard process. But to be able to see the colours of the yarns and work out what works well for you, how it bounces and makes you feel, that's the thing you get to do," she says.

"I really love the idea of keeping things local. I like the fact that its carbon trading friendly because you are not using as much fossil fuels to get everything to you. I'm really passionate about keeping things Australian made."

Keeping it in the family

The Huggalugs label wouldn't have got off the ground without the help of her family, who provided investment funds and advice. A cousin helped out with graphic design, while a photographer mate took shots of the Huggalugs models, the kids of friends and family.

By using a web development company that offered a payment plan and a public relations company who worked on commission, Elizar kept start-up costs down.

"You have to make sure you are clear about how much money you want and how much commitment you're supposed to take with that, because you have to pay it back in a reasonable amount of time, and if you over-commit, it's just not possible to do [that] while you are growing the business."

Along with increasing the product line to include leg-warmers made from environmentally friendly materials like soy silk and bamboo, Elizar is working with a solicitor to nut out distribution deals that will expand the presence of Huggalugs in retail outlets.

She's says she's relying on her artistic talents to stay in front of the competition, with new designs, colours and patterns.

"No-one can read your mind and pre-empt what you are going to do next," she says. "That is a really big way to stay competitive."

by By Rebecca Martin (11/03/2008)

19/3/08

Website Refresh For You : )

We have tweaked our website to make it more user-friendly and useful. Please let us know here or here where we go it right or wrong. Thanks

Participation In The Review of The National Innovation System

Having spent all day at this public forum no one is really more the wiser to what they are trying to achieve unfortunately. We will be making a submission on behalf of all our innovators and entrepreneurs, however if you feel compelled, please click here and make your own submission very soon. The review process needs all the help it can get !

Due to Increasing Demand CRE8BIZ Has Launched bizAWARDS

Increasingly over the past months businesses are requesting that we assist them to apply for one or more of the many business type awards run both nationally and within certain states. As a result CRE8BIZ has developed the bizAWARDS program that works with companies to find, compile and submit their winning business award application. For more details please call today on 1300 273 824.