From The Australian, Entrepreneur: The independence flowing from having your own business can come at a high price, Ed Charles discovers | August 31, 2007 MEN work longer hours than women, and self-employed men work longer still. The problem for the entrepreneur is to take control of the hours worked. “The self-employed just work a lot more and are a lot more likely to work long hours than the non-self-employed,” says Mark Wooden, professorial research fellow and deputy director of […]
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Interactive beats static
From The Australian, Entrepreneur: Blogs save time and energy, writes Ed Charles | July 27, 2007 THE hype over blogs focuses on gossip and radical politics. What many people miss is the power of the blog as a marketing tool for small business and an alternative to e-newsletters. BUSINESS BLOGS • workingsolo.com.au • blog.completepotential.com • trevorcook.typepad.com • www.benjaminchristie.com • www.nobledentist.com.au/blog/index.php • www.frankteam.com.au/blog • blog.nowhiring.com.au • www.barrett.com.au/blogs/suebarrett • lukegoodwin.blogspot.com Blogs offer superior features to static websites, sometimes cost nothing and are […]
Biofuel for thought the way to go
From The Australian, Entrepreneur: Travel broadened the mind for an adventurer who is into cleaner motoring, writes Ed Charles | July 27, 2007 IN starting a business or achieving anything in life, timing and chance play as large a part as passion. For Daniel Epstein, a lifelong environmentalist who recently returned to Melbourne after living in San Francisco and then Byron Bay, all three came together earlier this year. First, global warming and the environment reached the political agenda and […]
Getting the lowdown on low-docs
From The Australian, Wealth: Ed Charles | August 29, 2007 Investors with low-doc loans should reassess them, MORTGAGE brokers are warning property investors to be careful which low-doc and non-conforming lenders they choose to ensure they don’t face interest rate increases over the market rate charged by mainstream banks. The combined effect of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s August rate rise of 0.25 per cent and the knock-on effect of the US sub-prime mortgage crisis means funding costs for non-bank […]
The great Ortiz Anchovy swindle
Or should I say rip-off. Yves has just commented that Ortiz Anchovies cost in Europe about 8.5 Euros a 90g tin. In Australia Ortiz Anchovies are imported by wholesaler Simon Johnson who charges $14.95 for a 47.5g tin. That’s a 100 per cent mark-up. What a clever man growing fat on his these sorts of mark-ups. I wonder if the mark-ups on other products are as large?
Shuffle the deck for benefits
From The Australian, Wealth: Ed Charles | August 22, 2007 THERE is a trade off on credit cards between ones that charge an annual fee and offer rewards, travel insurance and other benefits, and cards that cost little or nothing and are cheap to use abroad. The equation isn’t an easy one to work out. Harry Senlitonga, financial analyst with financial information company Cannex, says the company has analysed when it becomes worth upgrading to gold and platinum cards. Cannex’s […]
Put that trip on the cards
The Australian, Wealth: YOU’RE on holiday and haven’t got a care in the world. But at the back of your mind there is a nagging doubt. How much will I be charged for using my credit card abroad? Should I use the ATM, or would travellers’ cheques have been the best option? Will my free travel insurance cover me? These are questions that should be considered and answered in the months leading up to a big trip for the best […]
Pure-bred chocolate
From The Australian, Indulgence: The Curious Cook By Ed Charles I’M at Melbourne’s Prahran Market tasting tiny portions of dark European-style chocolate truffles on the end of cocktail sticks at Monsieur Truffe’s stall in the main hall. Some are of 74 per cent single-origin chocolate. Others contain a lower ratio of cocoa solids and are rolled in crushed nuts or flavoured with rosemary or fresh raspberries. They are M. Truffe’s bestsellers and I am capable of consuming a whole box […]
Attica is an absolute stunner
I’m busy so I’m keeping this short and sweet. Attica (74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea +61 9530 0111) is an absolute stunner. When I compare what I ate there on the Tuesday Chef’s Table night to all the meals I’ve eaten this year it is right up there with the best and I should image up for an upgrading in the upcoming Good Food Guide. What they serve on Tuesday is an ever changing degustation. The chef’s table five courses […]