Go back to the enewsletter Byron Bays first worl
Go back to the e-newsletterByron Bay’s first world-class beachfront resort, Elements of Byron, is officially open.Situated on 20 hectares and encompassing almost two kilometres of absolute beach frontage on Belongi Beach, the resort is the 11th property across Australia and New Zealand to join AccorHotels’ boutique MGallery Collection of memorable hotels.Three separate pavilions make up the central resort and leisure facilities, featuring a signature restaurant and lobby bar, poolside bar and kiosk, gymnasium and five suite garden spa. Weaving throughout the resort is a luxurious infinity lagoon pool precinct, complete with a communal sunken fire pit. Organic materials and soft furnishings have been used to evoke relaxation and connection to the elements throughout the resort.Chief Operating Officer AccorHotels Pacific, Simon McGrath, said “We congratulate the owners and hotel team on opening this exceptional world-class resort. AccorHotels welcomes this latest addition to our boutique MGallery Collection and franchise hotel network which is set to delight guests with its unsurpassed beachfront locale whilst showcasing the very best of the Byron Bay region.”Development of the $100 million dollar ‘slow architectural’ resort has been tended throughout by owner Peggy Flannery. Design of the 94 willas was driven by reverence to the four landscape ecologies present on the site – rainforest, dunal, eucalypt and wetland. Specific native landscaping, furnishings and colour palettes reflect the ecology or landscape in which each particular villa sits.Leon Pink, General Manager Elements of Byron said, “Being privately owned by a couple who are passionate about the site, let alone the resort crafted within it, helps a lot. Nothing was compromised. I’ve never really experienced another similar situation.”Elements of Byron also offers conferencing facilities, catering up to 450 delegates.Go back to the e-newsletter
There is a debate in venture funding circles that revolves around how an entrepreneur decides to approach building his/her company. There are two commonly referenced extremes in this give-and-take: fat start-ups and lean start-ups. The argument for fat start-ups is that every company is competing in a race to get “there” first and win a market; cash preservation should not be a central focus. The lean argument, however, revolves around capital efficiency, well-timed product development and a laser-like focus on the end customer. These competing methods for long-term corporate success are often viewed in silos; however, combining elements of each can result in a highly scalable and well-run organization. From the beginning, the business-savvy CEO is thinking about how to effectively turn his vision into a unique product/service, how to better focus the offering, who to sell to, and how to sell more to that constituency. This is an iterative process with product management running in parallel with customer relationship efforts. It is with this disciplined approach and focus on risk mitigation that capital is preserved and meaningful revenue is generated.Sticking to this lean focus is not always the best strategy. Even the most vigilant park ranger doesn’t keep every match out of his forest. The economy can hit the skids, new competition can enter the marketplace, or the need for a true sales team build-out can come along. Rather than raising venture capital like it is going out of style, a targeted capital raise makes the most sense. Rather than let the fire spread, a controlled burn is in order.As a venture capital firm focused on expansion stage companies, we are typically looking to invest in situations similar to these. The company has achieved growth relatively efficiently, has taken limited outside funding, and has a go-to-market strategy that is working. With our in-house operations team, we look to accelerate the company’s growth through focusing on best practices around sales and marketing, product development and much more. We have helped companies refine their lead qualification strategy, execute more effectively, and think strategically about financial analysis. Deploying capital towards targeted efforts allows a company to not only stay disciplined, but also to win the race.AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to PrintPrintShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis