Last month, like many startups, we almost landed a graduate software engineer for our business. Talks were going well, they seemed keen on the job and were culturally a good fit for our company. We offered a salary that was above market rate given the talent shortage, but still grounded given they were only a… Read more »
It’s that time of year. When stores put up Christmas decorations; when crowds gather at the beach; when one set of holidays drinks rolls into another; when the cricket occupies the big screen TV; when cicadas begin buzzing at night. It’s around this time, in the quieter moments, opportunities for reflection and introspection occur, along… Read more »
During one of my recent office hours, I was asked by a founder about how to best prepare for their first formal board meeting. While the two founders had previously held informal board meetings and separate sessions with an advisory board, this would their first meeting with external board members. The fast-growing startup had recently… Read more »
In this world of Instagram and Snapchat, Siri, Alexa and OK Google, writing in general is hard but finding time, inspiration and motivation to write blog posts is harder still. This is what works for me. Don’t undervalue what you already know Whatever you do know how to do, somewhere online there is someone who… Read more »
Envato’s global workforce of more than 600 people will work to a nine-day fortnight until Christmas, as well as ramping up company benefits including increased support for working from home. Recognising the impact of the pandemic on the Envato team as part of a review into the shape of Envato’s work culture, the company has… Read more »
Working for a venture capital firm, I’m lucky to meet and support hundreds of startups in our portfolio and beyond. Many of these startups are at the earliest stages – they might not have a product yet, or perhaps their startup is just an idea. At Blackbird, our mission is to invest in wild hearts, with… Read more »
Today, October 3, is National Techies Day. Coming just two days after International Coffee Day and on a Sunday sounds about right, because you can imagine most techies are already on their 4th coffee of the day and working at what they love on a Sunday. The global day is designed to celebrate techies or… Read more »
Business networking site LinkedIn has revealed its 2021 top Australian startups list of the 25 most sought-after startups to work for. The annual ranking list is sourced from key data points on the platform, covering employee growth, jobseeker interest, and member engagement with the company and its employees; as well as how much the startups… Read more »
Many entrepreneurs are super eager to be unconventional about everything. Keen to disrupt, they’ve left the comfort of a 9 to 5 and a steady paycheck to build an empire. However, when you’re accountable for a team of people; being unconventional about HR matters is a huge risk. After consulting with hundreds of startups, I’ve… Read more »
It goes without saying, we have all felt the dread of Zoom by now. I felt the Zoom doom logging on recently, a double-shot coffee by my side. As it turns out, that call was one I will never forget. Entering the session to be met with the seven-time Grammy winning rapper, songwriter, and producer… Read more »
Being a great startup founder is not just about running focused stand-ups and killing pitch comps. And it’s not just about recruiting a rock-star team and letting them do their voodoo. Neither is it about closing a funding round and then ignoring your investors until it’s time to raise again. An underperforming team member can… Read more »
Two years of lockdown due to COVID-19 has meant an exodus of migrant workers from our shores and the near impossible barrier to enter the country has left the IT sector suffering as a result of the shortfall in skilled workers. The recent publication of the 2021 Skills Priority list has listed IT related jobs… Read more »
Olympians are often seen as the epitome of human performance, with incredible physical and mental strength. And with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games well underway, it’s hard to not be impressed by the sheer talent and determination of athletes competing from all over the world. For many of us non-Olympians, the thought of possessing such… Read more »
Male application developers are most likely to join a company for the chance to work with modern technology stacks but women are more motivated by salary and company culture, according to new research that also found workers were most likely to walk if they have a bad manager or leadership team. The newly released Voice of… Read more »
It’s not essential to have a co-founder, but like anything in life, it’s often easier when you have a second set of eyes, or someone to share the load, or whatever cliche you want to employ. But you need to find the right co-founder, otherwise the relationship will probably cause more problems than it solves.… Read more »
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