It's been a windy road to get to where I am today. Sitting in front of my computer, going through literally hundreds of emails and sending off replies like I am in some kind of maniac rush.

Expansion isn't easy. Don't get me wrong - everyone has been supportive, but I have had to pull inner strength from places I never knew existed. You see, when you start a business at 25, there is no such thing as fear. You have nothing to lose. I had nothing to lose to be more precise. Blessed with a wonderful partner at home at the time, I was fully supported and encouraged to go out there and give it my best. And that I did.

In every businesses life, there comes a time when you decide whether the business has 'legs' to grow further.

Marketing Eye has hit this point many times and each time we have done a situation analysis and made business decisions on where to go. Right now, we are in expansion mode with the US market firmly in our sights.

If you are in this position, think about what your Big Hairy Audacious Goal is and work out how realistic it is given your current resources and capabilities. Things to consider include;

A wake up call for me wasn't so dramatic. In fact it was something that I hold dear to my heart and appreciate more than the words that were written.

This morning I woke up to a good friend of mine who I had met 13 years prior through the Young Entrepeneurs Organisation sending me a text message. It actually woke me up which is highly unusual as normally I would have been up way before then.

Every day I meet with male and female entrepreneurs. In some ways, I would love to use these meetings in a study about human gender based entrepreneurial behaviour because it continues to fascinate me the inherent differences between men and women entrepreneurs.

If we believe what we read, then the world is stuffed. Literally. More debt than the Great Depression and unemployment is at an all time high - what else could we possibly be doing to destroy our world.

Yet, there are people who don't look down the barrel of pessimism and they continue on a path of global dominance and financial reward.

We think we have it all - a good business, people who follow us and even some who say they are inspired by us, yet have we really got it all sorted?

Entrepreneurs are unique. They have drive that comes from an inner place that very few people understand. Instead of laying in front of the television every night, entrepreneurs usually pick up their ipads or a good book and learn about how other entrepreneur became successful. Coffee on the go is essential and sitting still for too long usually means that there is something going wrong - or at least entrepreneurs think this is the case.

B2B relationships can often be fleeting, even transient. But not at VIPS International – the business is continuing to go from strength to strength, with an impressive history of client retention. 

The Australian company boasts big-name clients including retail household names Estee Lauder, Nestle, Sportsgirl and Sussan, who have all been partnering with VIPS International for at least a decade.

Since taking over the company in the 1990s, executive director Douglas Dick has turned the business around, expanding to South Africa and New Zealand in recent years.

A crucial element to the success of any business is to ensure your team stays engaged and driven to achieve. Without good people, you will likely have no business. You need to be on top of your game!

Incorporating the franchises Mr. Whippy, Cold Rock, Pretzel World and Nut Shack, the Franchised Food Company CEO’s experience across business in general and the franchise sector in particular, is extensive. Stan has a deep appreciation for the challenges with which employers can be faced in providing and maintaining a desirable workplace for staff.

The savvy South African born, Australian entrepreneur offers these top tips on how to get the best out of your employees, and reminds us that most of the time… it’s the little things that count.

Eric Bailey is a man who knows about having obstacles in life.  Now a global success, entrepreneur and businessman he never forgets what he had to overcome to escape the harsh poverty he faced as a child on the streets of South Central Los Angeles.

In fact, he now spends his time travelling Australia and the globe, teaching, encouraging and inspiring those he meets about how to handle the challenges we all face in life.

When Principal Partners decided to become a stand-alone business, it was to enable them to follow their own charter of independence. Jonathan Jackson speaks with Matthew Morley about how this independence allows the company to really get to know their clients’ personal and financial needs.

Approximately 18 months ago, BDO Wealth Management made the decision to separate itself from its parent BDO. This Victorian-based business was moving in a different direction, with a more holistic range of services and a rounded way of looking at client management.