SmartCompany turns six

SmartCompany is celebrating its sixth birthday today. So eat a piece of birthday cake for us and have a read of six SmartCompany highlights from the past six years:

1. Top notch journalism

Right from the start the focus at SmartCompany has been on delivering high quality journalism specifically for and about small and medium-size businesses.

We celebrate success in small business, cover Australia’s most successful SME’s so you can learn from them, and reveal the shonks and crooks who seek to rip off SMEs or take advantage of their lack of a collective voice.

There have been thousands of stories over the years but a few that stand out in particular include this expose of the group buying industry, uncovering the negotiator for hire, reporting the budget direct from Parliament house each year and interviewing everyone from Businesswoman of the Year Carolyn Cresswell to Energy Watch founder Ben Polis as he faced court.

2. Growing with our readers

SmartCompany started off as a tiny business run off a laptop by entrepreneurs Amanda Gome and Eric Beecher but it has grown along the way, just like many SmartCompany readers have grown from small businesses to medium enterprises with scores of employees.

SmartCompany is now an established publication which is part of the Private Media group and can tap into the network of high quality journalism that includes Crikey, StartupSmart, Property Observer, LeadingCompany and Women’s Agenda.

The SmartCompany newsletter goes out to over 53,000 people each day and then there are all the other readers who drop by the SmartCompany website or follow along on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

3. Giving a voice to SMEs

When SmartCompany began there was no other publication that solely focused on SMEs in Australia and small business was ignored by the mainstream press.

Instead the media focuses on ASX companies and those with thousands of employees.  SmartCompany has been able to give a voice to a diverse sector which includes everyone from the sole operators to companies which have grown to become overseas success stories and catapult their owners onto the Rich List.

4. Recognising and celebrating Australia’s top SMEs

One of the highlights of the year here at SmartCompany is our annual Smart50 awards. It’s a chance to recognise Australia’s best SMEs and to get together to celebrate them at a special awards ceremony.

The Smart50 awards are always a fantastic opportunity to meet and hear from so many inspirational business owners.

5. Embracing technology

SmartCompany readers are a pretty tech-savvy bunch; after all they turn to a website for their news to ensure it is up to date.

But here at SmartCompany we’ve encouraged you to use technology to help your business grow through our dedicated TechCompany email.

We’re not just on a website here but also on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and we run webinars and provide free eBooks.

6. Building a community

Over the years, a strong SmartCompany community has developed from our loyal readers who leave comments, share our stories, email and phone us.

We’ve got a dedicated editorial team here plus all the people who work behind the scenes on IT, marketing and sales to make sure SmartCompany lands in your inbox each day.

Plus there are all our contributors and columnists who write for us and, of course, all those entrepreneurs who have spoken to SmartCompany about their stories and their journeys.

Thanks to you all.