ONLINE SUCCESS: Raglan-based online retail store owner Steve Crowhurst will speak at this year’s Winter Lecture Series.
If Steve Crowhurst’s successful online retail venture is anything to go by, it’s easy to understand why so many businesses head online to trade.
Mr Crowhurst’s business, Fallenfront.co.nz, is an online men’s streetwear store stocking new and established brands such as Huffer, Converse and Wrangler. And while many traditional clothing stores have an online component to their physical store, Fallenfront.co.nz trades exclusively online. The reason, he says, is that his business doesn’t become confined to a geographical location. “The whole world effectively becomes my market,” he says.
The internet is just one example of how business practices have changed over the years, and the University of Waikato will examine how business will keep changing in the future at its annual Winter Lecture Series in August.
Winter Lecture Series
The University of Waikato Winter Lecture Series is an annual free public lecture series held every Wednesday in August. It is a focused and relevant series designed to inspire robust discussion on topical issues, and this year each lecture will have a forward-thinking element as the University of Waikato celebrates its 50th anniversary.
In the first lecture of the series on 6 August, Mr Crowhurst will join 37 Degrees South Executive Director and Waikato alumnus Chris Insley and University of Waikato sustainability academics Professor Juliet Roper and Associate Professor Eva Collins, to look at some of the ways we will do business in the future.
Business online
For Steve Crowhurst, the best place for his business is undoubtedly online. “The biggest benefit for me is geography. I don’t have to live in a big city like Auckland to do business. I can be based in Raglan, or be travelling, and still take care of work.”
“I find that being online isn’t as limiting as having a traditional bricks-and-mortar store – you aren’t at the mercy of your physical location. And the majority of my sales actually come outside of normal working hours.”
Sustainability and the role of iwi
Chris Insley is the Executive Director and founder of 37 Degrees South, a company that provides sustainable business solutions for a rapidly-evolving business world. Mr Insley will discuss how he works to enable organisations, particularly indigenous groups, to achieve long-term environmental and social benefits through better asset-management.
Always a hot topic, sustainability comes under the microscope with Professor Juliet Roper and Associate Professor Eva Collins, who will raise the issue of whether legislation is needed for monitoring sustainable practices and look at the extent to which businesses are currently embracing sustainability.
Winter Lecture Series 2014
Other lectures in the series include:
- 13 August: Don’t Get Bit-ten: How Safe Are You Online?
- 20 August: That’s Entertainment: What Does the Future of Viewing Look Like?
- 27 August: City of the Future: What Can Hamilton Learn From the Others?
Find out more information on the University of Waikato’s 2014 Winter Lecture Series.