Archive for January 2008
Work At Home – Feel Young Again
The Conservative Voice: It’s a matter of perspective and attitude. If you feel you are still young, and just entering a different stage of your life, than working at home may be all the medicine you need to boost your self-esteem and start to feel young again. It all depends on how you view becoming [...]
Mom Invents Singsong DVD To Help Son's Lazy Eye
Tampa Bay Online: Joshua Harmsen needs an eye patch to save the vision in one eye, but five years ago the 2-year-old wouldn’t wear it for more than 30 seconds. That is, until he saw a cartoon pirate on television. Joshua went running to the kitchen drawer for the patch he had torn off just [...]
An Interview With The Mom Behind The Gigi Blanki Co.
Heather Gaston created one of the most loved items amongst moms who have young children. Thanks to her version of the “Blanki” many moms don’t have to fight with full size blankets when it’s time to pack up their childs’ security blanket anymore. Ivillage.com has even voted The Gigi Blanki the worlds best blankie! How [...]
Barter: An Old Concept That Continues To Help Business
The following guest post is by Anthony Donnelly. The earliest documented records of civilizations bartering dates back over 9000 years to the Egyptians, but it is certain that Man bartered long before that. Barter is the oldest form of commerce and is still going strong, in fact with the recession strengthening more and more business [...]
They Pitch Sales In Their Pajamas
Houston Chronicle: At one moment, Jeanine Brown is selling Ronco knives. Five minutes later, she’s answering questions about the secrets of getting rich from real estate foreclosures. Brown is an agent for LiveOps, a company based in Palo Alto, Calif., with a national network of 16,000 operators who work from home answering the phone for [...]
Noontime Web Video Revitalizes Lunch at Desk
New York Times: In cubicles across the country, lunchtime has become the new prime time, as workers click aside their spreadsheets to watch videos on YouTube, news highlights on CNN.com or other Web offerings. The trend — part of a broader phenomenon known as video snacking — is turning into a growth business for news [...]
An Interview With The Mom Behind The Gigi Blanki Co.
Heather Gaston created one of the most loved items amongst moms who have young children. Thanks to her version of the “Blanki” many moms don’t have to fight with full size blankets when it’s time to pack up their childs’ security blanket anymore. Ivillage.com has even voted The Gigi Blanki the worlds best blankie! How [...]
News Times: If Sherman inventor Steve Kazyaka has his way, there will be no more crying over spilled milk. In fact, there won’t be any more spilled milk. Kazyaka, 43, is the inventor of KAZeKUP, a portable cup holder created to limit spills in the car, boat, at the beach and almost anywhere else. The [...]
Biz Resource: “You Can Work from Home: A Free No-Nonsense Guide”
Web Worker Daily: Do you dream of working from home? Flexibly blending the professional with the personal? Working hours that suit you instead of following some old-fashioned nine-to-five schedule? All in an environment that you arrange so it suits your needs and temperament? Then you’ll want to download and read “Work from Home: A No-Nonsense [...]
Small-Business Owners ‘Sleepworking’
Inc.: It’s been said the American Dream is for dreamers. Now, a new survey confirms that a majority of U.S. entrepreneurs continue running their businesses even as they sleep, regularly putting business ideas that came to them in dreams into action. In an online survey of 300 small-business owners, 51 percent said they regularly dream [...]
Business Is Booming For 'Pink Boot Lady'
TheStar.com: Some people think big. Others, like the popular “pink boot lady,” just think bigger. And manage to get there faster. Featured last summer in the Star’s Thinking Big series on small business, Marissa McTasney, the founder of women’s work-wear line Tomboy Trades Ltd., has found hers growing by leaps and bounds since her story [...]
New York Times: Even though he broke his foot dancing at his brother’s wedding one recent weekend, life is still good for Bert Jacobs. Jacobs is the 42-year-old co-founder of Life Is Good, a popular apparel brand based in Boston that is on track to break $100 million in sales this year. This is rarefied [...]
Small Business Branding: Ask anyone in business what their plans are for the upcoming year? Chances are good that most will say, “I’m planning on taking my business to the next level”. What does that mean exactly? What measures have they taken, to achieve this goal? First off, they would have to establish exactly what [...]
Inventor Says “Bye’ To Yellow Jackets
Palo Alto Weekly: Paul Donahue’s been inventing contraptions since his boyhood in Berkeley, when he and his buddies zoomed down hills in a plywood “tank” — unfortunately before they had figured out how to install brakes. His latest gizmo — the G’Bye Yellow Jacket Trap — was inspired by a single yellow jacket that pestered [...]
New York Times: It was not so long ago, Neal Zimmerman recalls, that the term home office meant something very different from what it does today. In the early ’90s, when Zimmerman, a prominent workplace architect with offices in West Hartford, Conn., started designing residential work spaces, most people thought “home office” meant the headquarters [...]
‘Everyday Edisons’ Looking For Inventors
Everyday Edisons will be hosting a casting calls in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, January 12, 2008. This is the first of five national casting calls taking place in 2008. Everyday Edisons is a nationally televised show on PBS that educates viewers about the product development process and is produced with the cooperation of the United [...]
Virtual Assistant's – The Answer For Entrepreneur's
prMac: Virtual MultiTasker Virtual Assistant services is a growing highly-trained and professional company dedicated to helping Business Professionals to grow their business. We are here to handle all of the administrative, marketing and design duties that go along with running a business. Virtual MultiTasker work’s independently using today’s technology to interact with clients and other [...]
Apple Blossom Candles, A Mom's Soy Candle Store
Many people love candles. They smell good and they can look good in the home. Candle businesses are also quite popular among mothers. The people who busy candles are getting more and more specific about the type of candles they like, and one mom helps fill that void. Dawn is the owner of Apple Blossom [...]
5 Penny-Pinching Ideas For 2008
BusinessWeek: In business, I’ve learned that much technology is overhyped and misrepresented. Every day I deal with stuff that doesn’t work as promised. But there’s a bright spot: Even in the vast wasteland of crappy software and unreliable hardware, I have found some penny-pinching technology recommendations that are worth considering for 2008. 1. Increase your [...]
Got a Great Business? Spread the Word
Wall Street Journal: With all the demands of running a business, it’s not uncommon for business owners to ignore a potentially lucrative tool: public relations. Unlike advertising, where you pay for exposure, public relations means raising your profile more organically through interviews with news organizations, speaking engagements and building an online reputation. There can be [...]
Inventor Has New Way To ‘Measure’ Weight Loss
WCCO.com: After two years on a commercial diet plan, Patty Cocchiarella was tired of measuring food portions. “I had to measure everything, I had to weigh everything,” she said. One night she awoke from a dream and sketched out the vision she had of a product. She developed the drawing into “The Meal Measure,” a [...]
The Times Tribune: At first, he was relegated to the classical canon. Quickly, though, he turned his attention to this newfangled thing called rock ’n’ roll. Every day after class, he’d head down to the school gymnasium’s upright piano and bang out a new tune he’d just heard on the radio. His friends would gather [...]
Brisk Business In Selling Hope By The Wick
New York Times: Hispanics have long lighted them for loved ones and for luck. But devotional candles are increasingly kindled by anyone with a wish or a prayer, and as a result, they are now a lucrative and growing niche in the $2 billion candle market in the United States. “The reason why these kinds [...]
Let Your Children Have Fun While Learning
Jean and Fiona are 2 moms who found a need when it came to their own lives that grew to filling the need of other moms. They wanted toys for their children that would help educate them and that they would also find fun. Out of their own need, they got together and Toys and [...]
10 Places To Get A Free Business Education Online
Education-Portal.com: Getting a business education doesn’t have to be expensive. There are an increasing number of colleges, universities and nonprofit organizations offering free business courses online. Find out where you can sign up and what you can get from these cost-effective sources. 1. MIT OpenCourseWare – Sloan School of Management 2. The U.S. Small Business [...]
Entrepreneur Gives Birth To Her Creative Side
NewsDurhamRegion.com: An art therapist is showing new mothers a baby doesn’t have to be the only new creation they welcome into the world. Susanne Watson-Bongard offers art and wellness programs for all ages with her company, Art and Soul Express. The studio is home-based with a focus on new and expectant mothers they can also [...]
BusinessWeek: Lisa Tep wanted her spa to have a waterfall, bamboo floors, and a tranquility lounge. After six years, the former accountant had everything set. But her company still didn’t have a name. For inspiration, Tep pored over books about Thailand, where her mother was born, and searched the Internet. She considered Lotus, which was [...]
CTW Features: Peter Gibbons, the character in “Office Space”, famously quipped “Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements.” That was in 1999; and with self-employment on the upswing, Gibbons could be [...]
Telegraph.co.UK: Pregnant women can download high-definition ultrasound pictures of their unborn children to view on their iPods and mobile phones. The innovative development, launched by private Portland Hospital in London, will allow proud prospective parents to carry the high-tech “4D” scans with them wherever they go. Women can visit the clinic, have a 40-minute scan, [...]
Marketing Company Seeks Mom Entrepreneurs For Inclusion In Direct Mail Catalog
eMediaWire: Hybrid Media Marketing, an ecommerce marketing company specializing in online lead generation through catalog marketing, is currently considering women-operated ecommerce retailers for inclusion in their spring ‘Family Favorites’ direct mail consumer catalog. The unique ecommerce marketing strategy offers ecommerce retailers an opportunity to ‘lease’ space in a far-reaching direct mail catalog for a fraction [...]
Greatest Time To Be An Entrepreneur
Knowledge @ Wharton: Meet the new consumers of the new media age. They want things to be better, faster, cheaper and, even more important, free. “This new consumer is very, very different from [the ones] we dealt with before,” said Ted Leonsis, vice chairman emeritus of AOL, who is considered an Internet pioneer and whose [...]
It’s Hit And Miss For Toy Inventors
Miami Herald: Santa’s elves have some important helpers in South Florida, only they start their work years before the holiday season. These are people like Richard Levy. Even at age 60, Levy believes in the Peter Pan syndrome because as a toy inventor he has to stay young at heart. Levy is a leader among [...]
MonroeNews.com: When Johnny Koch looked at his family’s property, he didn’t see a stand of pine trees, he saw a gold mine. Knowing that some people love cutting down their own Christmas trees, Johnny decided to cash in. He put up a sign at his home and waited for the traffic. At the time, he [...]
Springwise: It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it—pick up dog waste, that is. Rather than struggle with plastic bags, dog owners now have a tidier and greener alternative: the Skooperbox. Skooperboxes are small, pop-open boxes made from 100 percent recycled materials. Complete with lid and a scraper, each Skooperbox makes it quick [...]
Find Small Ways To Develop Revenue
SeattlePI: Q: I am a young photographer trying to start my own business. I have so much gear that I still need to buy, and I am overwhelmed by my startup marketing costs. I am concerned that if I don’t show more revenue or more of a profit within the next few years that I [...]
PR Newswire: Motherproof.com, a site dedicated to providing women in general and mothers in particular with new-car reviews, can now be accessed through the mobile version of Cars.com. Consumers can now type in http://www.cars.com into any mobile device and access the latest news and car reviews from Mother Proof. In addition to the Mother Proof [...]
Mom Sells Designer Look-Alikes
Beloit Daily News: People will be able to tote around designer look-a-like purses thanks to a new store. Phaedra Morgan opened Too Purse ‘N’ All, 5306 Williams Drive, in the Main Street Square on Dec. 1. The store offers more than 50 designer-inspired handbags as well as jewelry and accessories. “It looks like a Coach, [...]
ReadWriteWeb: Along the lines of Million Dollar Homepage in the “that’ll never work… will it?” category, 2007 saw the successful launch of Wants For Sale. The innovative project by New York artist Justin Gignac and his girlfriend Christine might just be my favorite idea of the year. The premise is simple: Justin and Christine paint [...]
Aspiring Radio Talkers Take To Web
Reuters: Anyone with dreams of being a talk radio star — ranting about sports and politics, chatting with callers, sharing recipes or car-buying tips — can play host on their own show, right on the Web. BlogTalkRadio, Talkshoe and Skypecasts are among the Web sites that have become popular for would-be radio jocks, and all [...]
First Thing You Know Ol’ Jed’s A Billionaire
Forbes: They say fortune favors the bold–but it also favors the fictional. The characters that make up this year’s edition of the Forbes Fictional 15, our annual listing of fiction’s richest, boast an aggregate net worth of $137 billion. That’s enough to give $20 to every (real) person on the planet. Flapping into the top [...]
SmallBusiness.com: When mornings break in New Orleans, a fleet of polished black trucks with tinted windows and shiny chrome wheels roar down city streets. Inside are workers in crisp black uniforms, ready to spill into the French Quarter and start their shift. It’s a day in the life of garbage men. Not just any garbage [...]
WalMart Introduces Search Engine Marketing
Mashable.com: I wasn’t sure this was real, at first. I did a bit of snooping around, and dug around on the Sams Club website, and it is indeed true. They are, in fact, offering SEM services for folks wanting to advertise on Google. Specifically with the AdSense program, WalMart wants to help unsuspecting newbie wares [...]
Pie Maker Strives To Keep Business Shipshape
The Washington Post: Every mom has unique challenges, especially around the holidays. Avis Renshaw is no different. She’s the mom of Mom’s Apple Pie, a four-store chain in Virginia. Each year she must cope with shipping shenanigans and overeager customers, especially during the holiday season when her business sees a huge spike in the amount [...]
Ingrid Helton and Keiko Lopez both met through the school where their children attend. After talking they found that they both shared the same opinions when it came to quality products as well as eco-friendly items. They both decided to combine their existing companies as well as their talents and these two moms were able [...]
8 Business Technology Trends To Watch
McKinsey Quarterly: Technology alone is rarely the key to unlocking economic value: companies create real wealth when they combine technology with new ways of doing business. Through our work and research, we have identified eight technology-enabled trends that will help shape businesses and the economy in coming years. 1. Distributing co-creation. The Internet and related [...]
9 Great Tools For Achieving Your Goals
Mashable.com: Sometimes we just need that extra kick in the rear to get our act together and achieve our goals. The nine tools profiled here are some of the best online goal trackers out there. All of them are free, and they all include motivational tools to keep you going. * LifeTango – what really [...]
5 Hard Questions To Ask Before Starting A Project
Skelliewag.org: When it comes to new projects (for me, a new blog or a website), you could say that I’m commitment phobic. For a long time I was more interested in the ideas behind a new project than the execution, leading to a long trail of half-finished projects — and some that never made it [...]
10 Habits Of Highly Effective Brains
Huffington Post: If you are reading this, the good news is that you have a brain inside your head. And you have probably read about the emerging brain fitness movement: frequent articles in the media, an ongoing PBS special, more and more products and games. Newsweek’s Sharon Begley recently wrote that “With the nation’s 78 [...]
ReadWriteWeb: ReadWriteWeb asked their readers to name their favorite Mobile web app. There were apps that clearly stood out, with multiple mentions. 1. Gmail Java app for mobile phone. Java-based version of Gmail for mobile, which features IMAP sync, attachment viewing. Phrases that were associated with Gmail for mobile by our readers included: “just works”, [...]
