Anna Moreau

REFURBISHING and opening two small bars in less than six months wasn't exactly how Brendon Aitken expected his business plans to develop.

BARELY known in Western Australia five years ago, the '457 temporary long-stay business visa' became part of the everyday language for WA businesses, as sourcing overseas workers became crucial for local operators' growth and survival.

NOT many people could differentiate an Australian sparkling from a French champagne.

WHEN Keith Venning commenced at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in 2000, the company was in financial trouble and corporate sponsorships weren't very common in WA.

WABN: What is the best piece of advice you can give someone to motivate a team? PK: "You need to provide a team with a sense of purpose and a collective vision.

WINNING an award can be a good way to get a business known and increase of customers; but White Salt owners Tim and Claire Leech say it's also a great staff retention tool.

WESTERN Australia's population is growing at the fastest rate since 1989, thanks largely to more than 32,000 migrants settling in the state in 2007-08.

LABOUR market pressures remain high in the Western Australian economy, with the skills shortage continuing to hit hard and the wage price index running ahead of the rest of the country.

HAS the growing metrosexual culture changed the way we make beers? Low carbohydrate beers haven't exactly taken Australia's beer market by storm; in fact it's hard to think of a low-carb brew that's made much of a mark in the past couple of years beyond F