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Dress for successPremiumMicro events help put revenue in The Volte

The rise of “micro events” has seen Perth-based clothing rental startup The Volte’s revenue surge despite most of its usual customers being stuck in lockdowns.

Kate Purnell

Boosting confidencePremiumIndigenous artist calls for more business mentorships

Perth-based Indigenous artist Kevin Bynder says boosting business mentorship programs for Aboriginal-owned companies is key to ensuring they don’t miss out on work with corporate clients.

Kate Purnell

Equal opportunityPremiumIndigenous businesses plead for fairer partnership deal

The number of Indigenous-owned businesses is growing in WA but experts warn there is still a long road ahead to ensure their opportunities, particularly in joint ventures, are equal and sustainable.

Kate Purnell

show techPremiumRoll up with your e-tickets

A Perth startup has developed a digital ticketing system for the Royal Show as the annual event prepares to return after being forced to cancel amid COVID-19 restrictions last year.

Kate Purnell

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
Closed BordersPremium
The West Australian exclusive
Tourism operators warn of open border hastiness

WA businesses are worried about losing the local Perth market if borders re-open too early, as the Prime Minister signals he hopes the State opens before Mark McGowan’s suggestion of next April.

Sarah Ison

skills shortagePremium‘Let the fully vaxxed into WA’

WA small businesses are calling for fully vaccinated Australians to be allowed entry into the State to help combat the skills crisis after being left disappointed by a lack of direction in the Budget.

Kate Purnell

CoronavirusTiny town 56km from CBD begs for freedom

Regional Victorians just outside of Melbourne are begging for freedom from lockdown as the blurred metro-country divide devastates tiny towns.

Rhiannon Tuffield

Covid-19Major bank changes its name

One of Australia’s big four banks has changed its name - and it’s taken inspiration from one thing.

Courtney Gould

Testing painPremiumD’Orsogna counts big cost of Vic COVID restrictions

D’Orsogna says production should be increasing in the lead up to Christmas, instead it must operate with 20 per cent fewer workers at its Melbourne facility because of COVID restrictions.

Jenne Brammer

Ready Player OnePremiumHow this growing Perth business grew from just a hobby

The game’s far from up for 1990s titles as millennials snap up games from their childhood, but they’re not the only customers at Perth’s vintage video game outlet (don’t call it a shop).

Adrian Lowe

From little thingsPremiumHow Richgro keeps innovating at age 105

The family that works together stays together, at least for this garden supplies business based in Perth. Tim Richards has just taken over from his father, Geoff, who took charge of Richgro in 1990.

Adrian Lowe

spending spreePremiumBig rebound in WA confidence

WA’s COVID-free status and all-time high workforce has helped consumer confidence rebound strongly.

Kate Purnell

Huge campaignsPremiumWA creative turns culture king for global brands

Leading creative campaigns for Google, Apple and Nike is all in a day’s work for Perth-born art director Adam Ridgeway — but building a client base of the world’s biggest brands is no small feat.

Kate Purnell

Hard firstPremiumKommunity Brew taps into new light drinking culture

A Perth-based craft brewery — started by three mates in a garden shed — is tapping into a trend towards lighter drinking by launching WA’s first hard kombucha.

Jenne Brammer

climate pushPremiumNo pardons on carbon for WA SMEs

It’s not just the big end of town that needs to bolster its green credentials — small businesses will soon have to prove they are on track to be carbon neutral if they want to be globally competitive.

Kate Purnell

ACCC reportPremiumMisleading conduct, online issues a worry for traders

The number of businesses reaching out for legal advice in the first six months of the year amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis has soared to its highest level in two years.

Danielle Le Messurier

new businessPremiumPerth geologist rocks beauty industry

Geologist and make-up brand founder are perhaps an unlikely combo to have on your LinkedIn profile, but that’s the case for Eliza Stewart.

Kate Purnell

Hope’s not a processPremiumNegotiation tactics every small business needs to know

Businesses often forget about the important role played by negotiation and sales because there is much misunderstanding about how to do them correctly. Here’s the right way ...

Julia Ewert

Vaccine clarityPremiumWA trader says certainty needed around mandatory jabs

The owner of a Welshpool-based filter business is calling on the Morrison Government to provide certainty on whether employers who mandate COVID-19 vaccination will be protected against lawsuits.

Danielle Le Messurier

missing the actionPremiumWish you were here: lockdowns bite Perth

Restaurants in the CBD are feeling the pinch of Eastern States lockdowns as border restrictions keep their mid-week clientele out of WA.

Kate Purnell

Still positivePremiumNAB lifts cash earnings to $1.7b

Improved credit impairment outcomes contributed to a more than 10 per cent jump in cash earnings for National Australia Bank in the June quarter to $1.7 billion.

Daniel Newell

Mass cancellationsPremiumEast coast lockdowns cripple WA tourism bookings

Indefinite border closures caused by NSW’s Delta variant outbreak and snap lockdowns in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia had caused an immediate collapse in interstate tourism.

Peter Law

New business modelPremiumMarketing Room lures professional women

A Perth-based marketing resources provider that aims to get women back into the workforce after kids is looking to establish its presence over east, as its business model continues to turn heads.

Danielle Le Messurier

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
Huge costCommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
Perth’s lockdowns cost $25 million a day

The economic damage of locking down Perth and Peel — as has happened three times this year already — has been priced at $25 million per day.

Josh Zimmerman