Posted by Paul Ryan, Editor, Anthill Magazine

Once again, we need your help with the next instalment of our Magazine 2.0 Experiment.

You might be aware that I write Anthill’s Bi-Goodness column - a tongue-in-cheek look at unusual, funny and often ill-conceived inventions and business ideas. In the spirit of Mag 2.0, we’re keen to hear about any inventions or business ideas that you think are truly out there. They could be ideas you’ve had, ideas described to you by friends or family members or simply ideas that you read about or discovered randomly that made you giggle or furrowed your brow.

Please post anything that springs to mind in the comments below, or by email to submissions [at] australiananthill [dot] com. I’m intending to write about the best ones (with attribution to you, including your company/URL) in our December/January edition - perfect reading entertainment for our subscribers while they relax on the beach over summer.

Can’t wait to read your suggestions.

Ever applied for a grant and been knocked back? Perhaps you don’t even know where to start?

With many private investors now regarding new and existing investment opportunities with extra caution, governments are well positioned to play a more significant economic role in support of SMEs.

Our grant specialist, Adrian Spencer, is standing by to address your questions about how best to identify, apply for and secure a government grant. The best questions will be answered in the pages of Anthill’s Dec/Jan edition.

So go ahead. Ask away in the comment section below. Adrian is here to help you.

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

For this part of our Magazine 2.0 Experiment, we are looking for real, personal stories on the topics below. Would you like to share yours?

For now, all we need is for you to click here.

You’ll be asked to tick some boxes (ie. those that you are available to write/talk about) AND explain why you are suitable to write/talk on this topic below.

If your entry is selected, we will then send you an email asking you a series of questions relating to your topic.

If you’d like to share your experiences, click the link below:

How to…

Buy a business
Open a bar
Launch a cafe
Become an expat
Go country and farm (ie. Alpacas)
Join a nunnery
Get into the movies (ie. act, direct, write, distribute)
Get into politics (ie. Federal, State, Local)
Perform Jedi Mind tricks on your customers and staff (ie. influence)
Spy on your competition without getting caught (ie. Competitor Intelligence)
Re-invent your brand… then sell your company (ie. both/either)
Turn a bland business blog into a Machiavellian money making machine
Sack your customers (and have then thank you for it)
Make a profit and a difference, while attempting to save the world
Start a franchise, open a franchise or get the ‘f’ out of franchising altogether
Re-awaken the mojo in an 800 pound gorilla without being labelled bananas
Reverse roles (and become a Stay-At-Home Dad or Corporate Mum)
Quit your business (and have it still send you cheques)
Disappear completely off the grid
Start again.

To put your name forward and share your experiences with our readership, click here.

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

As part of our ongoing Magazine 2.0 Experiment, we asked readers to suggest ideas for our cover. We were so impressed by your ideas that we’ve taken the concept one step further - partnering with the online design crowdsourcing platform 99designs. We’re off to a promising start, but we think the designers of the world need some Anthillian assistance…

The “contest”, offering US$400 prize money for the author of the winning design, was launched last Friday and will run for a week (with the opportunity for extension). Designers registered on 99Designs can submit designs in response to the brief, which is located at the dedicated url http://anthill.99designs.com.

Of the initial designs posted, some have completely missed the mark and some have potential as first drafts, but we think the process could definitely benefit from more input from you, our readers. So check it out, leave your comments, perhaps even have a crack at designing our Magazine cover and taking away the US$400.

You can read Mark Harbottle’s blog post introducing the cover design contest here and view the cover design submissions and comments here.

[Thanks to Mark for suggesting the promotion.]

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

Anthill’s ‘Magazine 2.0′ edition will be circulating throughout Australia during the December/January period - often aptly described as the ’silly season’.

But the holiday period is also a time of reflection. It’s a time for evaluating our work lives, our personal lives, our goals and our ambitions.

For that reason, as the next installment in our Magazine 2.0 Experiment, we’re asking you to nominate how you (or how you think other readers) might want to…

Buy a bar.
Open a boutique.
Become an expat.
Go country and farm Alpacas.
Join a Nunnery.
Direct a movie.
Run for Parliament.
Disappear completely off the grid.

And… change their lives!

You may have goals that are not so bold and more specific, such as…

How to spy on your competition without getting caught.
How to re-invent your brand… then sell your company.
How to turn a bland business blog into a Machiavellian money making machine.
How to sack your customers (and have then thank you for it).

This is your chance to tell us what you want to ‘discover’ this holiday period.

Of course, we’ll also be inviting other readers to answer your questions.

All you need to do is leave your suggestion below.

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

So far in this Magazine 2.0 Experiment, you have helped us scope out the cover design, named who you want to interview, suggested topics, largely populated our Housekeeping and Opinion columns and nominated a company or two for Paul Ryan’s New Media section.

This week we ask…

Would you like a business, brand or personal makeover?

During this ‘experiment’ a number of branding experts (from company marketing experts to personal branding gurus) have stepped forward to offer their expertise.

We thought, why not ask those eager to help out to ‘makeover’ some of our readers.

Would you like some direction with your personal or business PR?
How about some advice on your branding?
Would you like to be given a grooming makeover?
How about an attitude upgrade?

According to one expert: “Personal Branding is aimed at the individual (up and coming executive, entrepreneur, small business owner) where their personal brand reflects their business brand and can have a significant impact and may either make or break their success in business.  We would look at how we can give them an edge and have them standing out from their peers, competitors – taking them from good to great!”

If this sounds interesting, all you need to do is put your hand up and nominate your business (post your interest below).

We’ll send in the appropriate branding guru and get both your ’stories’ in Anthill Magazine. This is your chance to improve your business and also get some extra exposure in Anthill Magazine (I can see the colourful pictures now!).

Simply post a comment below, describing your business and its goals. Also, please let us know where your business in based and whether or not you know what area of your business you might like some assistance with.

So… Would you like a business, brand or personal makeover?

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

Every edition of Anthill Magazine invariably features an interview (or two) with a big name Australian entrepreneur or thought leader from a country abroad.

For this week’s instalment in our ongoing Magazine 2.0 Experiment, we’d like you, dear reader, to name an entrepreneur that you personally would like to interview and we’ll do our best to set up a meeting.

The outcomes of your interview will be published in Anthill Magazine’s Dec/Jan edition.

Here’s what you need to do… Sell it to us by leaving a comment below. Why this person? How are they interesting? What controversial or elucidating views do you hope to elicit? Then, if you haven’t already, make sure you register for the Experiment (click here). Easy.

1. Leave a comment below
2. Register (unless you’ve done that already)

Aside from putting ideas in our head for future editions (a good reason to comment, even if you don’t want to take part), your suggestion could well result in a personal meet and greet with the entrepreneur of your recommendation.

We’ll select the most compelling (according to our own keen, sometimes bloated, sense of newsworthiness), then do our best to hook up an interview between you and your suggested target.

If you would like to test your skills, get your name in Anthill and be handed a gift-wrapped opportunity to meet a leading entrepreneur of your choice, post your comments below (and then register for the Experiment).

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

I posed this question earlier this year when we offered to run a blog series on the ‘black art’ of business valuation.

Our readers responded with gushing enthusiasm. I responded with a trip to the hospital.

Unfortunately, a highly disruptive spinal injury thwarted our attempts to address this important topic.

Here’s what I initially proposed, way back in May…

“Over the next new few weeks, I plan to review five different aspects of valuing a private company. And, of course, I’ll be seeking your comments and observations along the way… Therefore, if you are interested in the value of your business, or if you are interested in the potential value of your business opportunity, read on. If you are an expert in this area, please join the conversation and help inform our readers.”

Of course, as history reveals, I never got around to publishing my second post.

Today is your chance to pick up where I left off.

As part of our Magazine 2.0 Experiment, I have two new propositions:

Firstly, I’m asking you (dear reader) to provide your ‘top tip’ on the topic of business valuation.

Simply leave a comment below, with your name and URL. The best will be published as part of a story on this topic in our Dec/Jan edition.

Secondly, if this is your area of expertise and if you have more to say than simply providing a tip, I’m inviting you to contribute an article topic (and, later, an article).

I’m interested in any aspect of business valuation that can be addressed in under 600 words (the average length of an Anthill article).

So… if you would like to provide a ‘tip’, simply leave your comment below. If you would like to suggest/contribute an article, please also leave us a comment below.

Here are some terms and topics to get you thinking…

Liquidity Event, Hurdle Rate, Pre-Money Value, Post-Money Value

Comparable Method of Valuation
Discounted Cashflow Method of Valuation
Profit Multiple Method of Valuation
Strategic Buyer Method of Valuation

If you have any further suggestions, please don’t be shy, as together we attempt to explore the ‘black art’ of business valuation. 

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

The most important thing to get right when producing a consumer magazine is also the hardest.

I’m talking about the cover.

Aside from pleasing subscribers, the cover artwork largely determines whether any particular edition will be a success or a flop on the newsstands. Some of our favourite editions were retail disasters, simply because of their covers (such as Jul/Aug 2004 and Jun/Jul 2005).

That’s why it’s the first aspect of the magazine we embark on.

It’s also why the first real post in this Magazine 2.0 Experiment will be all about the thought process that goes into the cover artwork.

And, of course, we’ll be calling on you, our readers, to help us create an awesome, eye-grabbing, memorable, articulate and visually intelligent concept (with proper attributions for the idea that we ultimately publish).

First… We need a cover topic.

This shouldn’t be a problem.

I think we all know what the cover topic will be about (ie. Magazine 2.0).

Second… We brainstorm visual schema.

A schema is a collection of generic properties of a concept or category. What the!?

Quite simply, schemas are words or, in this case, images that consist of lots of pre-recorded information stored in our memories.

When I tell you that my favourite fruits are pomelos, you might raise an eyebrow, understandably confused. When I go on to tell you that a pomelo is simply a supersized grapefruit, I don’t need to say anything else. You know what I mean. You can visualise it. “Grapefruit” is my verbal schema.

Schemas help people communicate efficiently. By relying on existing memories, a clever visual schema reduces the need for explanations. For example, when I show you a briefcase, you think of business. That’s one complex explanation solved.

The trick to a good cover concept is to come up with a clever twist on a common visual schema.

To get an idea of what I’m talking about, click here.

You’ll be introduced to every cover we have ever produced.

Third… Develop cover tags.

Sometimes a bold statement can beat a clever visual schema, such as “SHIfT HAPPENS” or “NEED A VENTURE CAPITALIST?“. If an idea is better communicated in words, that’s the path we often take.

But, of course, the clever evolution is to then wrap these cover tags (ie. words) around other visual themes to reflect the context or meaning of the words.

Once again, check out past covers. You’ll see that some cover tags that simply jump off the page.

Fourth… Revisit ground rules.

Over time, we’ve developed our own ground rules. We’ve learnt from our failures and successes.

For example, human heads (the stock and trade of the business magazine industry) have never worked for us. If the person looks like a dweeb or wallflower, some readers won’t relate to that person (ie. we lose a sale). If our cover ’star’ is a spunk or supermodel, other readers won’t relate (ie. we lose a sale). The same can be said about age and gender.

Check out Jun/Jul 2006. Johana Wotjalik’s story was trademark Anthill: interesting and inspiring. But her head shot, cleverly placed on her bottled water product, did not sell magazines (to our surprise).

Also, we’ve found that overly complex covers again seem to have a negative effect on retail sales.

Why? Because the average retail consumer spends less than a second glancing at each cover. Therefore, the cover must command attention immediately. Then, it must articulate what the story is about (always a problem with a magazine called ‘Anthill’).

To get this right we apply what we call ‘the postage stamp test’. Simply put, we shrink the cover concept to the size of a postage stamp on a computer monitor. If the image then doesn’t grab our attention and communicate the message, we’ve over-thunk it.

Check out Jun/Jul 2005. One of our favourite editions, featuring a very clever illustration highlighting the competing plays of the world leading search engines, a flop because it was too complex.

Therefore…

If Magazine 2.0 is our topic, the hot tip is to start thinking about visual representations of the concept that are simple and elegant, that capitalise on people’s existing understanding of ‘Web 2.0′ or on the meaning of the concept as it applies to magazines.

If that’s too difficult, perhaps consider cover tags that can be manipulated visually to further emphasise their meaning.

While it’s important to try not to over-complicate an idea, one golden rule prevails: There is no such thing as a bad idea in a brainstorm. Because bad ideas help the brain identify good ideas.

If you have what you think is a mediocre idea, post it anyway.

You may just ignite a killer concept from another Anthillian.

Lastly, we don’t propose to announce which cover idea (if any) that we ultimately intend to publish. Quite simply, that would give our competitors the chance to trump us and, besides, there’s nothing nicer than a pleasant surprise.

However, we will name those helpful souls who contributed the most through their comments below, including the author of any ‘killer concept’ that we decide to use.

So… If polema means grapefruit, any takers on a schema for ‘Magazine 2.0′?

James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine

Here’s our audacious goal…

Over coming weeks, we intend to produce the world’s first entirely reader-generated business magazine.

We’ll be asking you, our readers, to suggest the people we profile.
We’ll be asking you to nominate the questions we ask.
We’ll be asking you to share your business stories through case studies.
We’ll be asking you to share your expertise through opinion pieces and columns.

We make no promises. We may not pull it off.

But we’re going to do our darnedest to do as we do best - turn conventional business practices on their head.

Of course, there’ll be some rules (and we might have to make up some extra rules as we go along).

1. If you’d like to be involved, click here and fill out our form. That way, we’ll know who to contact, how to contact you and, best of all, how to attribute your contribution(s).
2. Of course, we’ll be deeming your participation in this exercise as consent for us to use your comments for publication, permission for us to sub-edit and as a demonstration that you have agreed to our Terms & Conditions.

Our promise to you is that we’ll try to keep up our end of the bargain as best we can, without compromising the quality of Anthill Magazine (or getting sued). So… are you in?

If so, click here and register and/or make a suggestion below.