Archive for 2006
Gary Puleo, Special to The Mercury: To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, build a better dog leash and the world will beat a path to your door. Get that dog leash spotlighted on HGTV as a hot pet product and the world will not only beat a path but also clog your fax machine with orders [...]
This week’s Carnival of Personal Finance is up at Free Money Finance.
Online Classifieds Are A Hot Category
Lissa McGrath at AuctionBytes.com: In the last 12 months, eBay has increased auction-format listing fees, final value fees, launched eBay Express, significantly increased eBay Store fees, and made numerous other changes which have severely impacted many smaller sellers’ businesses. Online classified sites have been around for a long time, and over the past few years, [...]
Woman Makes Surprising Buy On eBay
The Virginian-Pilot: Suzi Dagney and her husband, both retired military, have been all around the world. One day Suzi got to thinking about home – specifically, her hometown of Mosiertown, Pa. She was bored; she had a computer. She Googled and got a surprise hit on eBay – a man in Michigan was selling a [...]
How Much to Charge Advertisers to Your Site
Isabel M. Isidro at PowerHomeBiz Small & Home Business: If you are thinking of earning from your website by selling ad spaces, one of your first questions will be: “What will I charge advertisers?” In my opinion, your rate will depend on several factors: 1. Who is your audience and how desirable is your audience [...]
Erica Olsen at RainToday.com: I meet you at one of the numerous local networking events and you introduce yourself, “Hi, I’m Bob Jones with ABC Company.” “Hi Bob. Nice to meet you. Tell me a little about your company. What is your company best at?” … 29, 30. Time’s up! Could you answer my question [...]
AuctionBytes Survey Reveils Sellers Packing Their Bags
News about eBay is coming in thick and fast at the moment. No sooner did I finish my last piece on the page view numbers when the AuctionBytes Survey results came in. This is a very interesting report and I thoroughly recommend reading it, particularly if you are a member of eBay management. Editor Ina [...]
eBay Sellers Going Back toCclassifieds
In the last 12 months, eBay has increased auction-format listing fees, final value fees, launched eBay Express, significantly increased eBay Store fees, and made numerous other changes which have severely impacted many smaller sellers’ businesses. eBay’s target inventory has been steadily moving away from the used market (other than antiques and collectibles), particularly with the [...]
Yahoo Ads Have PayPal Shopping Cart Icon
Yahoo Search Ads Testing Paypal Cart IconAndrew Goodman at Traffick has stumbled across some Yahoo Search Marketing ads for eBay.com which are serving a Paypal Shopping Cart icon in the ad copy. This new addition to the Yahoo Search advertisements are incredibly similar to the Google Checkout Cart graphic being used in AdWords Ads by [...]
New Release of Mac Calling & Video Skype
Making that long distance call to Europe or Asia via Skype used to be a Windows-only affair. But the Luxembourg company is now letting Apple Mac users in on the fun. Skype today released Skype for Mac 2.0, a beta version of its calling software, that allows users to make free calls and video calls [...]
eBay Bringing Home A Little Closer Than Expected
Suzi Dagney and her husband, both retired military, have been all around the world. They’ve lived in Spain, set up housekeeping in Sicily, sent the children to school in Japan. So it was no wonder that one day Suzi got to thinking about home – specifically, her hometown of Mosiertown, Pa., population 42. She was [...]
Marathon Runners Turn to eBay for Bibs
Entrants for major marathons such as the New York City Marathon in November are outpacing race capacity, and some runners are looking online to gain a slot.Limited race venues are causing some runners to pay hundreds of dollars for a chance to complete the 26.2 miles, The New York Times said Saturday. Some of the [...]
CNNMoney.com: Do you clip coupons? If so, you’re in the minority. Fewer than 1% of coupons ever get redeemed, according to coupon-processing firm CMS. Vijay Chetty and Fred Paul, co-founders of ScanAps in Los Angeles, think they’ve figured out how to change that – and save manufacturers and grocers money and time. ScanAps makes a [...]
Unusual Businesses Ideas That Work: When Marty Metro and his wife added up the number of times each of them had moved over the years, it came out to an astounding 29 times. Metro knew they weren’t alone in using massive amounts of cardboard boxes and was convinced he could help movers, businesses and the [...]
Ina Steiner at AuctionBytes.com: AuctionBytes conducted an online survey of readers in September 2006. A total of 1225 people completed the survey. There are tremendous challenges and opportunities for sellers who want to sell independently. 46% of respondents do not have their own ecommerce site or storefront, and when asked where they sell now and [...]
Older Workers More Loyal to Employers
Inc.com: Employers who are looking to reduce turnover might want to consider hiring older workers, not recent college graduates, according to a new study. The study, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that workers ages 55 to 64 have been with their current employers a median of 9.3 years, while workers ages 25 [...]
13 Year-Old Entrepreneur Finds Chocolate Success
CBCNews: After Nicholas Collishaw finishes his homework, he’s up late whipping up wonders for chocolate lovers in Cape Breton. Collishaw started making sweets to raise money for a school trip about a year ago, but it quickly turned into a profitable business. There’s usually a steady stream of customers at his booth at the flea [...]
Warren Buffet Sells On eBay for Charity Again
The bidding has started on Warren Buffett’s 2001 Lincoln Town car, with fifteen bids Thursday. The car was listed on eBay Inc. Wednesday. The high bid as of 10 pm was $32,100. Proceeds benefit Girls Inc., a national nonprofit youth organization that provides educational and recreational programs to girls, particularly those in high-risk, underserved areas. [...]
Yahoo & eBay Under Fire in China
Yahoo is being sued in a Chinese court for distributing malware. The newly-formed China Anti-Malware Alliance announced that it filed suit against the internet giant in a Beijing court on Monday. The Alliance is also preparing to sue eBay China later this month, representatives told local media recently. Members plan to file suit against a [...]
Help Some Prisoners Think Like Entrepreneurs?
Chuck Huckaby, one of the Business Opportunities Weblog bloggers, is doing something that I think is really fantastic. He’s trying to get used copies of various business books donated to his local prison’s library so that the inmates can start thinking like entrepreneurs less like criminals: When I got back from the prison today, they [...]
According to Wikipedia, Digg is a news website with an emphasis on technology and science articles. It combines social bookmarking, blogging, and syndication with a form of non-hierarchical, democratic editorial control. News stories and websites are submitted by users, and then promoted to the front page through a user-based ranking system. Getting a link on [...]
WorldAuctions.com Being Sued by eBay for Infringment
Attorney David Fish of The Collins Law Firm reports on his blog, Internet and Class Action Law, that eBay has filed a lawsuit against WorldAuctions.com in the Northern District of California alleging that the Internet site infringes on its auction system. Fish links to eBay’s complaint, which includes allegations that the site asked new users [...]
Free Credit Alerts for PayPal Users
Identity theft stealing your peace of mind? Take control with Equifax Credit Alerts for PayPal Users.â? So begins an offer for a free credit-monitoring service from PayPal for its U.S. account holders. PayPal is teaming up with Equifax to provide the service, which it describes as âan early warning detection system that monitors your credit [...]
PayPal Founder Sets Sights on SolarCity
SolarCity, a startup that aims to tap in to the alternative energy market, said Wednesday it received $10 million in financing led by serial entrepreneur Elon Musk. The funding represents the first round for the new solar panel installation company. Mr. Musk provided about 90 percent of the funding, and the balance came from private [...]
WorldAuction.com Being Sued by eBay for Infringment
Attorney David Fish of The Collins Law Firm reports on his blog, Internet and Class Action Law, that eBay has filed a lawsuit against WorldAuctions.com in the Northern District of California alleging that the Internet site infringes on its auction system. Fish links to eBay’s complaint, which includes allegations that the site asked new users [...]
”Can you see me now” is what Mac and Windows users could be asking each other as a result of Skype’s new release that enables cross-platform, free video calls between Apple and Microsoft users. Skype for Mac makes possible one-on-one video calls that can be viewed within the Skype window or a user’s full computer [...]
StarTribune.com: The gaudy fleece pants that Rachel Anderson sewed for her grandson have been transformed into a rapidly growing business. Rachel Anderson died last year at 88, leaving behind much more than a grieving family and a small army of friends. She also left an uncommon legacy in the form of a thriving business built [...]
Chicago Tribune: We’ll start with a simple premise. Ninety-five percent of adults have all the printed T-shirts they will ever need. Yet a Chicago company is selling tees out of a Northwest Side building at a rate that would make an MBA’s head spin. Last year, Threadless, by its own account, sold $6.2 million worth [...]
Student Entrepreneur Starts Taxing Enterprise
The Wickenburg Sun: It is said that the definition of an entrepreneur is someone who sees a need and puts together an organization to satisfy that need in an economic fashion. This past summer Wickenburg High School student Sarah Blakeley recognized the need for public-school funding and set about forming a plan to help meet [...]
Citizen-Times.com: When flutist Nancy Shinn decided to take a class in flute repair from Dr. Eldred Spell at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, she had no idea that it would change the course of her life. Because flutes have so many keys, they are complicated to repair. People from all over the country send their [...]
NBC Launches B2B Online Video Aggregator
TechCrunch: Determined to not stand on the sidelines while Apple made its anticipated video announcement, NBC chose Wednesday to launch their new video aggregation service called the National Broadband Company, or NBBC.com. It’s a marketplace for short form videos that the company’s 230 affiliate stations and other media partners can go to and find video [...]
This week’s Carnival of the Capitalists is up at View From a Height.
Springwise: Designed in California and manufactured in India, GoinGreen’s G-Wiz electric cars are a hit in London, where the company has sold over 600 units, making London the electric car capital of the world. GoinGreen, which was founded in 2004 and has received numerous new business awards, did so purely by word of mouth – [...]
Rhonda Abrams At Gannett News Service: The reality of small businesses is that family members are often called upon — or given the opportunity — to be a part of the business. Sometimes, as in my case, they’re used in a pinch. But many other times, entrepreneurs turn to family members as employees, lenders, or [...]
Janelle Elms at Entrepreneur Magazine: How would you like to increase the final prices of your online eBay items by as much as 16 percent with the click of one button? You can: Simply by offering PayPal as a payment option and adding international shipping to your listings, you will connect to a global marketplace [...]
Arizona Republic: As Amy Halm tells her story, the epiphany began “on one too many 4 a.m. conference calls talking about semiconductors.” There has to be work more meaningful and down to earth, she mused. So started the path to Chickbait. Called ChickBait, they’re the lures and flies used to hook fish. Halm has found [...]
How To Get PR for Your New Business
Kim T. Gordon at Entrepreneur’s StartUps: Ready to launch your business, but lack the budget for an ad campaign? PR is a low-cost, high-impact way to build name recognition and early sales. Here are five tips to creating your own successful PR campaign: 1. Tell a compelling story. 2. Choose the right media. 3. Tailor [...]
New eBay Podcast Tool Released
Supreme Auction has released Version 2.0 of its eBay listing design tool for the US market and is making it available for free for the first months. The company is based in Germany and is an eBay Compatible Solution. Supreme Auction 2.0 is designed to make sellers’ listings look more professional and compelling and includes [...]
Investigating eBay’s Search for Balance
Strange rumblings of discontent are evident within the eBay community and for the past few weeks I have been investigating what all the fuss is about. Since announcements went out around the world that eBay would be increasing fees to their ‘store’ owners, a torrent of complaint and blogging mayhem has appeared on the Web. [...]
Skype Gaining Popularity In Business
Two years ago, Mark Ehr and a few co-workers began using Skype to communicate between Proxima Technologyâs Denver headquarters and its offices in Sydney, Australia, and Windsor, England. âIâd spent hours talking to Sydney,â? says Ehr, director of product marketing at the 70-person software company. Luxembourg-based Skypeâs peer-to-peer voice-over-IP software routes calls over the public [...]
Is Your Pricing Effecting Your eBay Profits
One of the reasons why your items aren’t selling, is because of your bad pricing strategy. In this article, I shall be giving you 3 powerful ebay pricing strategies that will make your items sell like crazy. You will also get a free link to a recommended ebay resource that I constantly use to make [...]
eBay Sellers Seeking New Avenue Through Yahoo
With eBay fee hikes the cost of selling goods online has forced many eBayers to search for other means to sell there items. This has spurred a recent growth in local Yahoo groups. These groups can be found anywhere around the world, by searching yahoo groups. One of the most popular groups is called [...]
Revolution In Surveillance Systems
BusinessWeek Online: There are 6 million video cameras mounted in stores across the U.S., according to market researcher J.P. Freeman Co. Their unblinking eyes are everywhere, watching exits and peering down aisles. You already knew that. But you probably had no idea how smart some of these cameras are getting. Some stores have installed a [...]
Don’t Risk Losing Your Business Domain Name!
WebProNews: Thousands of small business webmasters briefly lose their domain names at expiration, due to a simple lack of understanding about the roles of three key players in the drama: domain name registrars, web hosts and internet service providers. One simple solution is to extend domain registration for the maximum ten years. The other solution [...]
Why Students Make Great Entrepreneurs
Dharmesh Shah at OnStartUps.com: Having been involved, either in an informal or formal capacity over the years, I have found that many startup founders that I know began their companies while they were still students (undergraduate or graduate) or shortly after they graduated. Why Students Make Great Entrepreneurs: 1. Starry-Eyed Optimism: Let’s face it, starting [...]
Sleepless Night Gives Inventor Idea
Daily Record.com.uk: An inventor is launching a Robert Burns board game he dreamed up during a nightmare. Malcolm McArdle’s creation, The Bard Game, tests players’ knowledge of Scotland’s national poet. But the project was almost scrapped after the dad-of-one could not find a backer. However, a Chinese firm called SNP came to the rescue and [...]
Web Sites Becoming A Bigger Portion Of News Broadcasts
Business First of Louisville: If you can’t beat ‘em, as the saying goes, join ‘em. As TV news broadcasts face increasing competition for viewer eye time from the Internet, stations have taken the fight to the Web. Today, every local TV news operation has an accompanying Web site. Local TV news broadcasts have been losing [...]
Surviving in Ground Zero’s Shadow
BusinessWeek Online: For Peter Muscat, the owner of a liquor store three blocks from Ground Zero, his business’ health was not a top priority when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11. But keeping his business going soon became a daily struggle. Muscat says he was denied a Small Business Administration disaster loan [...]
Business Interruption Insurance Is Vital
The Associated Press: Although most small business owners know they need property and casualty insurance for their premises, many don’t realize they need specialized insurance coverage to limit their losses from a disaster. Perhaps the biggest omission owners make when buying a commercial policy is business interruption insurance. Business interruption insurance covers profits that are [...]
From Idea To Patented Invention Can Be Lengthy
azcentral.com: The process of turning a great idea into a patented invention can be lengthy. Christine McAuliffe, a registered patent attorney with Phoenix-based Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, recommends that potential clients do their own research to see if their product already exists. McAuliffe estimated that 90 percent of the time, the patent office will object [...]
