Success Stories from the NSW Enterprise Workshop

Following subsequent development work, demonstrations and negotiations the Marathon Robotics team signed a $57 million contract to supply intelligent robots that behave as ‘live’ targets and make military training more effective.

These robots can execute multifaceted pre-planned scenarios, moving in and out of buildings and out of sight of instructors, going anywhere a person could go. When a robot is shot, the remaining robots react by dispersing randomly and ‘running for cover’. The system can run by day and night, in all weather, for hours at a time.

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Ian said, “The guest presenters were a valuable resource for all participants because they were active in their field rather than ‘academics’. The judging process was a tremendous experience that forced us to make our plan ‘market ready’. The Chief Judge in our Program is still our business mentor. We meet every three months to review our direction and results. He has been the strength behind our growth - he has kept our strategic planning focused.

“We have followed our business plan very closely for the past 12 years and have updated it annually. This has resulted in major achievements in our business. We recommend the NSW Enterprise Workshop to every business”.

Affirmations Australia had been running their business for ten years before embarking on the Workshop. They knew they had a viable product but lacked the professional know-how to push their business to the next level. It was at this time they made the fortuitous decision to partake in the Enterprise Workshop.

The company needed help in a number of areas. Profitability was low, and many aspects of the business needed to be reassessed as to viability including product line. They needed to see an increase in market share, and to establish a tight marketing approach. By gaining a greater understanding of the market and opportunities available to them and incorporating the skills and knowledge they gleaned from the Workshop, they were able to develop a strategically realistic business plan that propelled the company forward.

Since completing the Workshop the company has put the skills learned to good use. In the subsequent five years, the turnover of the company has more than tripled and the bottom line is looking very healthy. Product lines continue to grow successfully. They expanded into NZ and UK, and then moved on to the lucrative European and American markets.

The valuable information and skills learned by participating in the Workshop, the professionalism and care shown by the facilitators and mentors, and the involvement of all the other participants helped Affirmations turn the corner and move their business into a new class. Daniel Maher said of their experience that, “We strongly highly recommend any business wanting to grow and move forward to enrol – don’t hesitate”.

They considered a number of options and finally decided on the NSW Enterprise Workshop program. They joined the program and with two other employees they were determined to take a step back from the day-to-day business to examine ways to share the management load, identify ways to increase customer services, and also greater opportunities for good employees as the business continued to grow.

The 1st Choice team successfully finished the program and won the Award for the Best Marketing Plan. They gained vital business knowledge and skills and sharpened their thinking. They benefitted from the guidance and counsel of their Workshop mentor, Murray McInnes, who helped them realise they needed an in-house accountant. This financial role has since expanded to include an experienced CFO.

The turnover of 1st Choice Appliance Rentals has more than doubled over the past four years and the profit margin has increased significantly. The business is growing by organic growth and acquisitions. Growth achieved through acquisitions to the present time has enabled the company to expand its footprint from New South Wales to Victoria , South Australia, Queensland and the ACT

Today, the Stewarts are committed to their business but not consumed by it. They are implementing strategies set out in a revised version of the business plan they prepared in the Enterprise Workshop. They hold weekly management meetings and review monthly management reports to help identify any discrepancies between performance, budget and customer needs. They’re right on track with their Workshop ‘roadmap plan for success’!

Biometix won the award for its Performix(TM) management information system for biometric databases. Performix brings all analysis, reporting and investigation activities together in a single system with a user-friendly graphical interface. Data is simplified into powerful analysis reports and interactive data visualisation with drill-down capability provided.

And at home, CathRx is in the process of moving its operations from its current facility at the Australian Technology Park Innovations Centre in Eveleigh to a new facility in Homebush Bay. The two facilities will operate in parallel for a transition period.

Former CEO, Neil Anderson participated in the Workshop and subsequently began CathRx as a start-up company. Of his Workshop experience Neil has said, “The Workshop was a key step for me (as a researcher at that time) – in developing skills needed to be an entrepreneur – providing a business plan – and a network of skilled people. The Workshop was able to satisfy these needs.”

Andrew’s business has grown significantly. It now focuses on designing custom-made shoes for individuals and wholesaling shoes to boutiques around the world. His shoes are currently sold in boutiques in Australia, Japan, UK and France. Andrew estimates he has had a 300% increase in turnover since undertaking the Workshop.

“I recommend the Workshop to people who want to find out whether they have a viable business idea and who want to develop skills to build a successful business.”

The Heliostat Control System is used to control very large numbers of mirrors (heliostats) to reflect the heat of the sun into a small area to generate electricity. Device Logic has also been contracted to supply architectural heliostat solutions for several landmark projects in Sydney, including One Central Park.

Byron and Dimiter started Device Logic three years ago to provide solutions to mechanical engineering and construction companies involved in building solar energy power plants. Technically savvy but without the business knowledge needed to exploit the opportunities they recognised, they participated in the NSW Enterprise Workshop program to write a practical business plan and gain the business know-how and confidence needed to be successful.

In the Workshop, Byron and Dimiter worked under the guidance Workshop mentor, George Karhan. Of their experience they said, “George challenged our ideas, helped us clarify direction, and we learned how to look critically at our business to identify opportunities and how to avoid pitfalls.

Dimiter added. "The Workshop’s appointment of George Karhan as our mentor was well thought out. One of the ways in which he helped us was selecting which activities to pursue and which to discard altogether. There are so many things you are told to do when in small business that it can become overwhelming to the point where you need someone who's been through it all to look at what you're doing from the outside and point out to you which activities are a waste of time and which will yield results."

"In the Workshop we learnt to look at our business much more critically and in particular which things we need to keep an eye on to judge the health of the business. We also learnt you cannot overstate the importance of "cash is king" and to "have an exit strategy"."

Byron said the Workshop process had made a significant contribution to their understanding of how to value intangible offerings such as a licence agreement. As a result they felt very comfortable in their current negotiations on several international IP licensing agreements. Device Logic has also secured the support of Microsoft Australia to assist in marketing their solutions to Australian corporate and Government entities. As experts in their field and with a business plan ‘roadmap’ Device Logic is well placed to take on the big wide world of business, heliostat after heliostat!

Stuart has been joined by partner Nick Austin who has a finance industry background and has worked with organisations such as Colonial and CBA. They have re examined the A2B business plan with additional research and analysis and have created a new business called Divvy. Divvy’s aim is to make parking simple and smart by linking owners of car spaces with ‘parkers’ eager to use their space and on days when it is free.

Divvy went live three weeks ago, and already has a growing number of members. It has been written up in the Manly Daily and the Sunday Telegraph and was featured on Channel Ten News. Initial transactions have been successful and are proving the model. Divvy anticipates returning car space owners up to $2,000 per annum. Go to www.divvy.com.au to see a great video that explains what Divvy is doing – it’s happening now in Sydney and will move across the country.

The news today – Divvy on Channel 10 – see Ch10 news clip

Fish Ladders, known as ‘Fishways’, allow fish to travel upstream to spawn. The Complete Industry Solutions fish ladders were designed to operate at river flows typical of an average rainfall year. Three of the ladders have been installed along Parramatta River to allow native fish to travel upstream. At the official launch Parramatta Lord Mayor Paul Gerrard said, “Improved fish migration will restore natural breeding cycles, increase native fish populations and biodiversity, and ultimately assist in the rehabilitation of the Parramatta River for the benefit of our community.”

The Fishways project is an initiative of Parramatta Council in conjunction with the NSW Fisheries, Recreational Fishing Trust, the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Authority, the former upper Parramatta River Catchment trust, CSR Building Products Limited, Parramatta Park Trust and Bass Sydney.

We decided to enter a team of three in the NSW Enterprise Workshop to examine this new opportunity and develop a business plan of action.

It was a fabulous learning experience – took several months including a final tense presentation to a high level Judging panel. To our delight we were announced as the winner of the Best Business Plan Award that year. We also (almost simultaneously) won the Print Outsourcing contract for Price Waterhouse.

As a result of our enthusiasm for the rigorous Workshop process we entered another team two years later with a Law Discovery business called Law Copy. We didn’t win but we learned a huge amount on how to set up another exciting new aspect of our business, which we did!

I can recommend the Workshop Program to any would-be entrepreneur with a great idea or business seeking to widen their business range.

My enthusiasm for the Workshop extended over to my becoming a director and committed supporter for several years. I’m delighted to know the Workshop – and the management team - is still going strong.

A substantial increase in the company’s turnover resulted and, most importantly, profitability has steadily increased with growth.

Today the Landscape Solution team is working on a wide range of projects including maintenance of Sydney Olympic Park - the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority $10million Ballast Point park project. Tim said, “Te Ballast Point project demonstrates our ability to complete complex external works – including demolition and excavation, amenities buildings, large retaining walls, precise lookout walls, seawall works, lighting enormous steel staircases, landscaping and even wind turbines that will help power the park. We have a solid track record and a “get the job done attitude” – whatever the job, some very large – and some not-so-large.

I began to commercialise my rotating computer mouse design before leaving my cosy job to throw all my time and savings into the ‘crazy invention’, I decided to join ATP Innovations and make the most of the facilities they had to offer. I also enrolled in the Enterprise Workshop business planning program.

In this way I learned about business and how to devise a practical, commercial strategy and avoided the mistake of focusing on the technology. The business training helped me apply successfully for a COMET grant through AusIndustry; and receive AusTrade assistance to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

I was fortunate to find Sydney based company, Cyber e Sport (www.cyber-e-sport.com), which was already active in the PC peripheral market to share my vision of the mouse and successfully negotiated a license agreement.

Finalists for this Award included notable electronic and design companies such as Navico, UNSW and Sinclair Knight Merz. Projects included solid state radar systems, autonomous rescue robots and a solar electric trike.

The EDN Awards recognise excellence in Australian electronics design, electronics testing and electronics manufacture. LX Innovations won the Award for Best Project across all categories, ahead of the winners from eight different categories covering electronics hardware and software.

In addition, LX Innovations won the Award in the Best Application of Test/Data Acquisition category and was highly commended in the Best Application of RF Wireless Design category.

On receiving the Award, Simon Blyth said, “This is a great honour for us and a real tribute to our team”.

Simon entered the Workshop to improve his understanding of business. Commenting on his Workshop experience Simon said, “The Workshop provided a practical and start-up focussed program that taught us the nuts and bolts of business in real life as opposed to just the theory.”

Simon added, “The lectures, advisory board sessions and mentoring challenged our thinking at all levels and helped to develop a strong business foundation. It was also very exciting and encouraging to meet and work alongside other likeminded entrepreneurs.”

LX Innovations has evolved significantly. Simon and his team have been recognised nationally and globally for their innovative designs, business strategy and research. Awards include the Institute for Engineering and Technology competition (IET), National Shell Science Awards and the Premier’s Award for Excellence. Commenting on his team, he said, “Members of the LX team are passionate and innovative when it comes to turning revolutionary ideas into commercial products”.

We knew that we needed to have a business plan, but after several failed attempts to write one realised that as very "hands on" small business owners who had grown a business from the ground up, we didn’t have the right tools to create a meaningful plan for future growth on our own.

The decision to enrol in the Workshop has proved to be one of the best investment decisions we have made in the business. The exposure we had to people at the very top of the game in every facet of business including - sales, marketing, media, finance, legal, HR, etc., was in valuable in helping us learn how these activities all link together and enabled us to create the master plan.

From a personal point of view I have developed a sound understanding of, and confidence in, the business decision-making process (much more than gut feel). The cornerstones of this process were embedded in my thinking when I was participated in the Workshop.

Our business has grown many folds since in both revenues and bottom line, and we have been recognised as performing at the very top end in our industry. We have won many awards both on a local and National level. Every day we challenge ourselves on how we can do things better. This continual improvement attitude was developed in the Workshop.

If you are trying to get somewhere in your business, you need a reliable road map. I recommend the Enterprise Workshop to help you create and plan your future business journey.”

Our group worked in teams – some were existing businesses and some were individual participants, like me, who wanted the experience of preparing a complete business plan - financial, marketing and operations plan - for a real business project.

I joined the team from a Medical Device company which wanted to market their urinary incontinence device in the USA and Europe. I now know far more than I need to about urinary incontinence but I also have a good understanding of business in general and an in-depth appreciation of key success factors. Each team was provided with a senior business person as its mentor and our progress was assessed throughout the program through formal review panels. At the end of the program each team had to give a formal presentation to a team of judges and were required to defend their business plan. On the Awards Presentation evening our team was thrilled to receive the Award for the Best operations Plan!

I would highly recommend the Workshop as it is a very hands-on, practical program that deals with the realities of business. One of the key benefits of the program is that it introduces you to very strong network of successful business people. The people who participated in our Program came from a wide range of businesses including biotech companies, medical device companies, research institutes, banks and engineering firms.

Euan said, “The Workshop was an excellent learning experience for someone who has the technical know-how - but needs to develop business skills to make it happen.”

“The program provided me with insights on how to build a successful business and survive in the long-term. The Workshop has given me confidence to know that if I want to start a business - there is no better time than now!”

Within 4 months we had sold our annual target with SMC and now manufacturing is having difficulty keeping up with our demand. This year we are about to double our annual turnover which would have been very difficult without the discipline provided by a comprehensive business plan.

Each May we thoroughly review and update (fine tune) our business plan with quarterly revision meetings to keep our focus and operations relevant to the market. Powerlite is facing increased competition from overseas and we have had to change from total manufacturing to partial manufacturing and distribution of products we have engineering input into. Value adding to a good product and making it great has helped motivate staff and sales team members. As a result Powerlite Generators is moving forward at a controlled rate thanks to the knowledge and experience acquired from participating in the Enterprise Workshop.

Powerlite’s business plan was based on a 20% increase over a three year period. In the first year we remained stable while the rest of our industry lost 20%, which in a roundabout way meant we were on par. The next year was another story! While there was talk of GFC doom and gloom we were sailing along OK but the moment there was talk of recovery the wheel literally fell off! Without our trusty business plan we could have been in serious trouble. Maybe more by good luck than management, we survived without any staff layoffs and we have added staff and are on our way to doubling turnover. The business plan identified operating efficiencies that have enabled Powerlite to achieve the level of increase with a less than 40% increase in workforce.

Importantly, a part of the plan was to create a workplace where there was respect, help and ‘get-on-well’ with fellow workers. Bring on 2012!

Visual Studio 2010 is used to develop applications and games. Goanna extends the value of Visual Studio 2010 by finding mission-critical bugs, which reduces software development and debugging time, potentially saving millions of dollars.

James Campbell, CEO of Red Lizard Software said Goanna will give developers code confidence in delivering high quality software projects. At a global level, we'll help organisations to deliver better and more reliable products, from medical devices through to consumer electronics.

The TIPA Device is a hend held battery powered sound therapy player which delivers a special sound signal to the patient to treat tinnitus. The TIPA sound signal produces prolonged residual inhibition of tinnitus. The TIPA signal plays for 12 minutes and the patient listens to it once each day. The reduction in tinnitus after a single exposure can last up to 24 hours. Repeated use of the TIPA Device has produced long term reduction of tinnitus.

The TIPA Tinnitus Treatment Device was developed by Dr Winkler over a 5 year period using trial and error subjective testing in his ENT practice. The device is now available for patient use. It is producing positive results and changing people's lives.

Today, Dr Peter Winkler says of his Wrokshop experience: "The Workshop gave me a rapid and thorough introduction to planning to commercialise. The was particularly revelant to entering and overcoming the challenges of the medical device market."

Tinnitus is a physical condition in which noises or ringing sounds are 'heard' when no external sounds are present. (Tinnitus means tinkling or ringing like a bell). The TIPA Tinnitus Treatment Device is able to stop or substantically reduce the tinnitus sound level for an extended period of time which enables the patient to sleep.

FOCS have three main current measuring applications: high voltage AC transmission lines; high voltage DC transmission lines; and high current low voltage applications such as electrolytic metal smelting, e.g. aluminium smelting.

Traditionally, currents in these situations have been measured using large, very heavy conventional current transformers which have to put in place using a crane. In contrast, the Smart Digital Optics FOCS has a wider dynamic range, and is much lighter (only 10kg), more accurate, durable and safer. Unlike a current transformer, the FOCS is not subject to an explosive breakdown.

E-Nose ™ is a stand-alone electronic device that can detect chemicals on the air. Data can be sent to a central computer for analysis via a line or wireless connection. An alarm is triggered if there is a hostile reading.

A new E-Nose air monitoring product, ‘Graffiti E-Nose™’, can detect the vapor from aerosol spray paint cans. It can be used to alert security officers so they can catch graffiti vandals in the act.

In trials held by NSW Councils several vandals were arrested while spray painting on public property. Now there is a deterrent. The risk of being caught has now risen sharply, thanks to Graffiti E-Nose ™.

E-Nose Pty Ltd has signed a distribution agreement with a WA distributor, Allwest Group, which specialises in the security industry and Allwest is now marketing the Graffiti-E-Nose ™ and E-Nose™ air pollution monitors. WA Councils are particularly concerned that public art is being targeted and damaged by graffiti vandals. The costs of restoration have run into millions of dollars.

Graham says of his Workshop experience, “It was an essential introduction to running a start-up business. It gave me important insights into what a small company needs for survival through the difficult early years. Interactions with supporters and other participants was a very rewarding experience."

Wirasoft also worked with Austrade (Indonesia) to facilitate corporate training on open source developement and Sun Microsystems certification to provide support for IT products and services exported from Australia. In addition, Wirasoft has provided IT services to non-profit organisations such as ASCA, Aunties and Uncles, and Taldumande on a voluntary basis.

Wirasoft's long term focus is on working internationalyy and 'becoming a global leader in providing leading edge IT solutions'.

These catheters are providing clinical researchers with unprecedented detail of the muscular activity associated with peristalsis that goes on deep inside the human body. The information is so dramatic that one senior researcher has described the technology as ‘the Hubble telescope’ of gastroenterology because it enables clinicians to ‘see details they have never seen before’.

The fibre optic pressure sensors involve wavelength selective reflectors known as fibre Bragg gratings (fbg’s) that are commonly used in long distance telecommunications systems. John Arkwright is an expert in this technology. He successfully created long catheters involving a series of fbg’s that can be used to measure pressure at 10mm intervals along the gastrointestinal tract. Dr Phil Dinning and his fellow researchers are using the catheters to develop clinical applications.

John Arkwright participated in the Enterprise Workshop where he examined the opportunities to develop a medical devices business to develop and sell the new fibre optic catheter device. His evaluation of the potential market for this technology led him to decide not to form a spin-off a company because the market was not large enough to support a start-up business. Instead, he concentrated on finding a licensing partner already well-established in the medical diagnostics field. With assistance from colleagues from CSIRO’s commercialisation group the technology has now been licensed successfully to Unisensor AG; a Swiss company specialising in custom-made catheters for gastroenterology, urology and other medical applications.

John says that taking part in the Enterprise Workshop was an essential part of making the decision not to start a spin-off company. It gave him realistic insights into the size of the potential market and the commercialisation process. John said, “I realised that although the technology is a dramatic improvement on existing diagnostic devices, the accessible market was simply not large enough. Opting for the licensing route was a hard decision but the right one. It has ensured the technology will reach the market place much more quickly and be of benefit sufferers of disorders such as constipation and incontinence. It also saved me from making a very unwise decision!”.

John is now working on further applications of the technology.