Vollardian, a rapidly growing Australian customer-obsessed management consulting firm has been named in the prestigious Australian Financial Review (AFR) Fast Starters List for 2021. This list recognizes the fastest-growing and most innovative startups in the country, and Vollardian's inclusion is a testament to its remarkable success in a relatively short period.

The reasons why you started your business in the first place do matter, but if you have your eyes on long-term growth, it is important to understand the life cycle that every organization goes through:

The ability to close a sale is an art which requires patience, skill, communication and knowledge. It’s no secret that covid-19 has changed the game of marketing as we know it and has given it a completely different twist.

I’m not a very good bridesmaid. Given the very specific request to purchase gold, strappy shoes to match other bridesmaids, I got to the wedding day shoeless. However in 2017, this is not a problem. Thanks to The Iconic, $10 and 3 hours later, I had shoes to wear. Amazingly, this same-day delivery experience is likely to become the norm for many online retailers. Those retailers who are ahead of the game and innovating in ‘the last mile’ logistics, are well positioned for future growth.

The following are some simple tips to make sure you’re ready to make the best of every call. Developed by our very own Sales Grandmaster, Bo Jones, these are some really simple tips that will get you in the right frame of mind. Remember calling to sell something is scary, but the following will help you build your confidence.

Over the last 18 months, a trend has emerged of people jumping on mattresses with glasses of red wine on them. Apart from the obvious threat to glasses of red wine right across Australia, this is the new viral ad being used to advertise foam and latex mattresses. The only issue is, is that it’s hard to discern which mattress retailer you’re watching: It could be one of Koala, Ecosa, OneBed, Sommuto, Greywing, Sleep Republic, Sleeping Duck or Ergoflex. That’s eight independent mattress retailers all ‘disrupting’ the Australian mattress market.

Buzzwords are rampant at the moment. All over the world, ‘tiger teams’ are working on ‘north star’ solutions, and irritating the rest of the normal population at the same time. Usually I have minimal time for people who speak in ‘innovation speak’ and not plain English, however there is one buzzword that has caught my attention: ‘Big data’. As an analyst who’s idea of fun is watching Youtube clips on how to build Microsoft Access databases, the arrival of the buzzword ‘big data’ has heralded a renaissance period for all analysts everywhere.

Sometimes simplicity is key. This Excel model, mimics your operations for Year 1, then based on a growth project forecasts cash flow for 5 years. The forecast is important for the DCF valuation. This model was built for a business selling "widgets".

Whilst Amazon is name that’s synonymous with retail dominance, it’s performance in fashion has been a relatively different story. Categories such as books, tools and technology play to Amazon’s strengths – there are key brands, which if sourced mean that you have the majority of head inventory; products have easily accessible structured data (eg. Brand, model number, colour) to identify and draw further buying insights.

We’ve all done it before – walk into Kmart to buy some batteries and walk out 45 minutes later with a variety of fake indoor plants in concrete pots and copper coloured wire baskets. Kmart’s transformation to Australia’s leading department store and market darling under the leadership of Guy Russo, has been nothing short of remarkable. In just under 10 years, Kmart has gone from the brink of bankruptcy to $470m EBIT in 2016. More importantly, Kmart has reimagined the concept of “cheap” to now be fashionable, on-trend merchandise, desired by an even wider customer population than it previously targeted.