Archive for November 2008
FlexJobs Bring Employers And Work At Home Employees Together
When you’re a parent, flexibility is important. Children have needs, emergencies come up and kids seem to always have an appointment for one reason or another. If your work schedule is not flexible enough, it can cause a problem which might result in the lost of your job. Even if your family comes first, the [...]
Like many people, Darren Salkeld faced a drop in work, the need for money, and too many business opportunities which just did not work out for him. One evening he was considering all of those ‘at-home biz’ products he had purchased wondering what it was missing in each opportunity that kept them from being truly [...]
In Death, Elvis Makes More Money Than Live Artists
Forbes: While things might be topsy-turvy in the financial markets above ground, it’s still a bull market in the boneyard. The 13 famous names that make up our Top-Earning Dead Celebrities earned a combined $194 million over the last 12 months. Topping the list for the second year running, is the former King of Rock [...]
Keep Your Homebased Biz Running Smoothly
Alibaba.com: Leaving corporate America to run a homebased business is the ideal situation for many people: There’s no boss breathing down your neck, no boring meetings to attend and no 45-minute drives in rush hour traffic. Working from home can be a rewarding experience, but it’s easy to forget the basic rules of running a [...]
Hot Box Cookies Creates Delicious Biz Model
The Columbia Daily Tribune: Corey Rimmel turned 21 last Sunday. Instead of visiting local watering holes with his buddies for a celebratory first legal drink, Corey enjoyed milk and cookies at his newly opened business, Hot Box Cookies. Corey and co-owners Adam Hendin and David Melnick have barely had a moment to celebrate anything recently. [...]
Shoppers Turn To Consignment Stores
The Wall Street Journal: The economic downturn is bad for the nearby mall but good for local consignment shops. Sales at these stores have soared since January as cash-strapped consumers look for bargains, income and tax deductions. “This industry just keeps growing, but especially during slow times,” says Adele R. Meyer, executive director of the [...]
Dreading Work On Monday? Try This.
BradentonHerald.com: It’s Sunday evening, the weekend is winding down and you’re beginning to think about the work week ahead. What are your feelings? Do you find yourself excited and challenged, looking forward to another week of doing something you love? The most fortunate among us get to feel that way on a regular basis. Or [...]
A New Breed of Barter Exchange Brings Hope to American Business
Anybody reading the headlines these days knows the world teeters on the biggest worldwide recession in modern history and our leaders are scrambling for solutions. It is very timely that I recently had the opportunity of interviewing Mr Steve Bolles, founder and President of Merchants Barter Exchange, one of America’s great innovators of economic change [...]
Homegrown Business Trucks Onto National, International Scene
LSJ.com: Two Men and a Truck truly is a family businesses. Matriarch Sheets does most of the community outreach work. Daughter Melanie Bergeron is chief executive officer; Brig is president and Jon is executive vice president. The four follow one rule: Put the customer first. “We don’t take on any new project or service unless [...]
Smart Cookies: Family Opens Business
BucyrusTelegraphForum.com: A family Christmas tradition has turned into a small business this year as two Bucyrus natives make ornaments that look good enough to eat. Kelly Stockmaster and her daughter, Kymberlee Stockmaster-Wood, produce hand-painted clay Christmas ornaments for their Gingerbread Keepsake Collection. “It’s heartwarming and family oriented, and the ornaments will last,” Kymberlee said from [...]
TIME’s Best Inventions of 2008
TIME: From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world’s first moving skyscraper — TIME’s picks for the top innovations of 2008. The Global Seed Vault Superman had it right: if you want to keep something safe, build a mountain fortress above the Arctic Circle. That’s [...]
Sioux Falls Business Journal: Ginger Thomson saw the need for some kind of new door gizmo about 30 years ago. A town house she lived in had sliding patio doors. “I kept thinking there needs to be a way to open the door when your hands are full,” the Brookings bank executive recalls. About 12 [...]
Mom Turns Free Time Into Biz Opportunity
St. Petersburg Times: Katrina Hollon of St. Petersburg, Fla. had an epiphany when her second child, a daughter, was born. “My second child was born with peanut allergies, which changed my idea of heading back off to work anytime soon,” said Hollon, 38, who was a teacher at the time. So instead of returning to [...]
Key To Invention Success: Differentiate
ArgusLeader.com: Those who have creative ideas can bring them to reality by differentiating their product from competitors, the founder of Belvedere Vodka told a group of inventors, entrepreneurs and business leaders gathered at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. Steve Gill of Belvedere Vodka was keynote speaker Wednesday at the Innovation Expo. The annual conference is [...]
5 Hard Realities About Selling An Invention
Up And Running: First, the global view: You’re rowing upstream. You’re facing several real problems. 1. First, the real value in business isn’t the idea but rather the building of the company to create, market, sell and manage the idea. That’s where the money is. 2. Second, ideas are very hard to sell as just [...]
My1Stop Makes It Your Last Stop For All Of Your Printing Needs
There are quite a few printing options available around the internet. Each business has at least one special trait that they hold claim to which helps them draw in their customer base. Some offer lower than average pricing, others offer higher than average quality, while one business might be more flexible then the next. My1Stop [...]
dBusinessNews: At 26, Maisie Knowles has gained more experience and learned more about the challenges a businesswoman encounters than many female entrepreneurs who are a generation older. When most of her friends were starting college, the Colorado Springs native was traveling the world and organizing mission trips for a humanitarian aid organization. When many of [...]
My Royal Heinie® Introduces New Diaper Purses And Accessories To Make Diaper Duty Easier
PRLog.org: My Royal Heinie®, the line of mom-invented diaper purses and accessories featuring a patent-pending Smart Wipes Dispenser™, introduces new styles – the Daypack and the Wallet – to improve the way diaper duty is done. My Royal Heinie is a collection of small, compact diapering accessories designed to keep everything you need to change [...]
TIME’s Best Inventions of 2008
TIME: From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world’s first moving skyscraper — TIME’s picks for the top innovations of 2008. Yesterday, we looked at a couple of innovations. Today, three more. Made-in-Transit Packaging Most fresh food comes with a “best before” date, but Amsterdam-based [...]
Youth Is No Obstacle For Entrepreneur
ThisWeek: Nicholas Fala has two passions — bicycling and technology. Bicycling is a hobby. His technology skills, on the other hand, allow the Westerville North High School junior to make a living, a very good living. Fala said he became interested in computers when he was 10, around the time he was making money mowing [...]
Finding Gold Mine In Digital Ditties
The New York Times: Joel Moss Levinson always knew he had a calling in life. But it took cheap video cameras, YouTube and some desperate corporations to show him what it was. Levinson’s skill is turning out homemade corporate commercials — what advertisers call a form of “user-generated content.” Companies, frantic to connect with younger [...]
Car Service Finds Niche Towing Tots
New York Post: Topher McGibbon’s 18-month-old enterprise, Kid Car NY, has a loyal clientele and a lengthy waiting list. But when he started out, McGibbon literally couldn’t give his services away. Kid Car is a taxi service designed for parents of infants and young children, offering minivans kitted out with professionally installed car seats and [...]
Student Entrepreneur Shows Creativity
TCU Daily Skiff: The Neeley School of Business has a strong entrepreneurial background. It seems only natural, then, for the TCU Bookstore to have some competition from one bright business student. Horned Frog entrepreneur Josh Dennis, who founded Frogbookstore.com, and a team of three, claims to offer 20 to 60 percent discounts off the Barnes [...]
Move Over Auction Sites, You Have Bid-Free Competition
It’s amazing how dramatically websites like eBay have changed the ways we sell online. Years have passed since then, and things are beginning to change. 4Sale 4Now hopes to take that to a whole new level. Buyers and sellers are now meeting each other in a whole new way. Rather than bidding or paying high [...]
It's A Paddy is Jewelry 'From The Heart'
The Huntsville Times: Paddy Lombardi is following in her family’s footsteps to design jewelry in her business, It’s a Paddy. She was born into a family of artists, and her father and grandfather were successful architects in Canton, Ohio. She loves art and majored in art and music. “They all tie together,” she said. “Each [...]
Beginner Work At Home Moms Need Your Leadership
Wire Service Canada: As a dynamic entrepreneur, business coach and mother, Kim DeYoung is dedicated to supporting mom entrepreneurs. With that in mind she just released her most recent article in a series of articles in the resource section of her website. The article, “Beginner Work at Home Moms Need Your Leadership” is available for [...]
TIME’s Best Innovations of 2008
TIME: From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world’s first moving skyscraper — TIME’s picks for the top innovations of 2008. Yesterday, we looked at a couple of innovations. Today, two more. Camera For the Blind Paradoxical as it sounds, the Touch Sight camera makes [...]
Local Biz Puts Focus On Downsizing
Columbia Business Times: Across the nation, many baby boomers are entering that next stage in life-the kids are gone and the large family home is superfluous. Kim Stanley started noticing this trend at open houses she hosted as a real estate agent. “Upscale condos attract a lot of baby boomers. Their families have left and [...]
How Two Tech Guys Created A Viral Food Sensation
Inquisitr.com: Bacon Salt was the invention of Dave Lefkow and Justin Esch, two former employees of Seattle startup Jobster. The idea for Bacon Salt came over dinner one night. This is how they tell it: “While on a business trip together, we had the chance to sit down for dinner and eventually, the conversation turned [...]
Overcoming Fears Of Launching A Biz
Work.com: Have you ever had a dream, hobby or just plain crazy idea you wanted to turn into a business? Well you’re not alone – some 10 million American adults are involved in the process of starting nearly six million potential new businesses at any given time, according to a national study of entrepreneurship by [...]
Web Replacing Books And Magazines In Bathroom
Yahoo Tech: Never mind that people are doing work while they’re on the toilet, even casual electronics users are taking them into the bathroom for leisure use: A UK study says that 10 percent of broadband web users partake of their internet connection while they’re seated in the loo. While another study found that 53 [...]
Eco-Notes Offers Eco-Friendly Notebooks To College Students At No Charge
Of all the things that college kids use, paper would have to be right at the top of that list. Even in this electronic age, most students still need note paper for many of their classes. The idea behind the use of advertising to pay for creating free products is wide spread in Japan. Rodrigo [...]
Local Franchise Celebrates Founder’s Life And 20 Years
KingwoodNow.com: If you have ever read an issue of Coffee News while you wait for a meal at a restaurant, you have Jean Daum to thank for providing you with this source of quirky entertainment and local advertising. Jean’s story is not unlike many of the stories Coffee News has shared with readers on its [...]
S.A. Mom Promoting Special Diet For Autistic Kids
My SA Health: There’s a growing national movement among parents of autistic children. Many believe that feeding their children a special diet can improve their behavior and social problems. A San Antonio mother is using her home-based business to help others follow this path. After-school reunions are a lot more interactive than they used to [...]
TIME’s Best Innovations Of 2008
TIME: From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world’s first moving skyscraper — TIME’s picks for the top innovations of 2008. Yesterday, we talked about the number one choice. Today, we’ll look at a couple of other innovations. Montreal’s Public Bike System When lots of [...]
BloggingStocks: No doubt, major companies like McDonald’s and Starbucks spend millions on finding the right locations for their stores. It’s critical to their success. In fact, in today’s turbulent economy, location is probably even more important. OK, but what if you don’t have a huge budget to research the location of your new business? The [...]
Paul Harvey: One voter in each precinct of the United States will determine the next president of the United States. One vote. That’s a big weapon you have there. In 1948, just one vote in each precinct would have elected Dewey. In 1960, one vote in each precinct in Illinois would have elected Nixon. One [...]
‘Buyology’ Offers Peek Inside Buyers’ Heads
USA TODAY: Picture a mad scientist in his laboratory, cackling with glee as he tries to unlock the secrets of the human mind. Now, consider the unsettling possibility that the scientist may be on to something. Marketing expert Martin Lindstrom is that scientist, caught up in the excitement of research in his new book, Buyology. [...]
You Can No Longer Patent Thin Air
Mashable.com: In what could be seen as a victory for doers, and a bit of a setback for thinkers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has made a rather significant ruling on what is and isn’t patentable. The court ruled against a man who was attempting to patent “a method for hedging [...]
Postage Meters Can Save Your Business Time And Money
Many businesses need mail or packages to be shipped regularly. For many smaller or home based business, that can mean gathering it all up and driving to the local post office to get it shipped. As mundane as the chore can be, it’s necessary. That is, unless you own a postage meter. These meters give [...]
Single Parent Gets Help Adjusting Her Budget
The Seattle Times: After nearly 20 years of living hand-to-mouth while making guests comfortable at her downtown Seattle bed-and-breakfast, Lindsey Nichols has finally reached a point where she can breathe easier. Business at Pensione Nichols has blossomed lately, the result of Nichols applying some of the expertise she acquired during a stint in the corporate-hotel [...]
Hillsborough Mom's Tailor-Made Gifts Inspire Customers
MyCentralJersey.com: Township resident Sandra Kircher creates the memories of tomorrow – today. Kircher, 41, is the owner of Li’l Inspirations, a personal, embroidery gift online store. The company is named after her two sons: Rudy, III, 13, a Hillsborough Middle School student and Zachary, 10, a Triangle Elementary School student. “They inspire me,” Kircher said [...]
photo credit: kevindooley One of the thing’s that I think all too often goes overlooked in any business is the importance of how the office is run. You can have what you feel is a well oiled business with a great product or service, but if the inner office business isn’t quite up to par, [...]
CNet News: Time Magazine has named 23andMe, one of the first consumer genetic testing services, its 2008 Best Invention of the Year. 23andMe, named for the 23 chromosome pairs every human has, set itself apart from other DNA-testing services, because “it does the best job of making them accessible and affordable,” according to Time. The [...]
Nashvillians Working From Home Soars
The Tennessean: More Nashville-area residents are choosing to work from home at a time when the job market is getting tighter. Davidson County saw a 54 percent increase to 14,990 people working at home from 2006 to 2007, outpacing the nation’s growth as well as that of comparable cities such as Charlotte, N.C., according to [...]
What’s Your Major? You May Be A Future Entrepreneur
The Wall Street Journal: Someone’s college major may be a good predictor of whether he or she eventually becomes an entrepreneur. A new working paper by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy follows the career choices of 1993 college graduates with bachelor’s degrees using data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education, and looks [...]
Mom Makes Millions With Hair Clip Idea
Lavellej-Momguide.com: It took Lisa Lloyd only 13 months to get a licensing deal for her new invention idea. Lisa, a 23 year old single mom, was making only $13,000 a year selling ad space when she had a great idea. She always had to keep her hair looking nice because of her high profile job [...]
Givers Embrace Micro-Loan Programs
The Dallas Morning News: Alex Counts considers Dallas his Promised Land. More individuals here support his crusade to give small loans to really poor women than any other place on earth. “Here, the story of self-help, entrepreneurship, people working their way out of poverty and taking charge of their lives as economic actors is a [...]
