Archive for 2008
Inventor’s Toy-Making Resembles UFO
The Record: A Lodi man is using a space-age idea to enter into the field of toy-making, and at least one major retailer is on board. Twelve Wal-Marts in Sacramento, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties are selling a toy called the Glow and Throw UFO Flying Disc, the brainchild of Lodi resident Bryan Stamos, who [...]
Niche Biz: Laundry Service By The Locker
Springwise: Catering to those who are frustrated with the inconvenience of traditional laundry and dry-cleaning services—many of which, like banking, can involve parking hassles and limited hours—Laundry Locker offers on-site convenience and 24-hour service through a fleet of lockers located in apartment buildings throughout the city. Customers begin by creating an account online, then they [...]
A Different Kind of Family Owned Business
Brett Holm started his working life as a machinist in a shop where the tools he bought were the ones he would eventually sell. Now, as a Snap-on franchisee, he says these are the tools that were “a lot better” than all the others. “I originally found out about Snap-on as a franchise business from [...]
Chicago Sun Times: As gas and food prices started to soar this year, Chicagoan Ron Derby was thrown another unexpected curve — his work hours were cut by 15 percent. The father of an 18-year-old daughter who just started college needed to find a way to make up for the lost income, and he turned [...]
PTO Kills Invention Submission Biz
IPWatchdog.com: The United States Patent and Trademark Office has announced that it is adopting new rules relating to a variety of issues that impact who can engage in representation of clients before the PTO, both on the patent and the trademark side of the Office. These new rules, which will go into effect on September [...]
New Small Business Valuation Site
BizEquity.com is a free online service that allows small businesses (those with less than $10 million in revenue) to discover and better understand their estimated value and that of their competitors. BizEquity.com was unveiled at DEMOfall 08, a premier launch venue for new products, technologies, and companies. Small businesses account for nearly 43 percent of [...]
New Montessori School Opens For Business
The Mercury: Back to school time has special meaning for Mandy Lobaugh this year. This is the first school year for her newly-opened business, Creative Minds Montessori School. The school, which occupies the extensively renovated top floor of a structure which had previous incarnations as an indoor mini-golf business and a furniture store, officially opened [...]
How Crafty Are You? Babycenter.com Is Looking For Ideas
BabyCenter is currently looking for crafty parents and teachers that would be interested in contributing kids’ activities, games, imaginative play, or arts and crafts ideas. For each activity that you submit and gets accepted for publication, they will pay you $5. They also offer bonuses for great quality. If you’re wondering what exactly they are [...]
So you have a website, but does your advertising really reach the interest of your readers? The truth of maximizing your profits through advertising on your website is that you need to know what it is they’re looking for. The more related to their interests an ad is, the more likely it is to be [...]
PopATot Launches As The New Children's Necessity
Business and marriage have one thing in common, it takes work to make sure it is something that will last. Evan and Stacy Ellsworth would know all about that, they’re a couple that has just launched a business of their own. The PopATot is the latest and greatest product to launched into the baby world. [...]
PopATot Launches As The New Children’s Necessity
Business and marriage have one thing in common, it takes work to make sure it is something that will last. Evan and Stacy Ellsworth would know all about that, they’re a couple that has just launched a business of their own. The PopATot is the latest and greatest product to launched into the baby world. [...]
How to Create a Successful Web Site For Almost Nothing, Pt. 1
The Wall Street Journal: Have you got eight hours and $10? Then you can build a Web site for your business. Thanks to competition among Web-hosting providers, and the falling costs of Web storage, it’s never been easier to get a Web site up and running — from buying the domain name to building a [...]
St. George Magazine: You may be enticed by the idea of being your own boss or spending more time with the family. Maybe the flexibility is attractive. Be honest, the real allure of starting a home business is wearing your pajamas all day. Perhaps you have an idea you think could lead to a business, [...]
Inventor Makes His ‘SmartMark’
Morgan Hill Times: High School senior Andre Brooks, a 2007 Staples Invention Quest Kids national semifinalist, is waiting to hear back from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on his SmartMark bookmark. Not only does Brooks’ version of the bookmark save your page, it saves which line you were on, too. There are two [...]
IPWatchdog.com: Effective October 2, 2008, the United States Patent Office fees will once again be changed, which is a yearly or bi-yearly event. The filing fee to the Patent Office for an individual inventor or a small company that qualifies for small entity status (i.e., companies with fewer than 500 employees) is now $165.00. For [...]
Boost Employee Morale On A Budget
Forbes: Money can’t buy happiness” is not a cliche when it comes to boosting morale around the office. In these uneasy times, when many entrepreneurs are pinching every penny, knowing how to reward employees without spending a lot is crucial. “You can do things for employees that don’t cost anything, but are worth a million [...]
Popcorn Without the Left Over Kernels
Marionstar: One new vendor didn’t have much luck at this year’s Popcorn Festival, but she thinks it’s just a matter of time before her new product takes off. Deborah Boris, Rossford, is the inventor of a product called Kernels-B-Gone PLUS, a plastic disk that acts as a strainer for popcorn kernels. She was trying to [...]
When a woman wants to go somewhere to get her hair styled and chat with people she may have gotten to know over time, so goes to a beauty parlor. When a man wants to go somewhere to get a haircut and to chat among friends, he goes to Hair Saloon For Men. If there [...]
Plushies That Will Keep Track Of Your Baby's Pacifier
Some children like one pacifier more than another, but all children have a way of losing the majority of those little plastic soothers in no time. It doesn’t matter how many you’ve purchased, they almost always disappear into thin air. Stacy also had that problem. One child was particularly fond of MAM brand pacifiers while [...]
Boot Camp Gets Moms Fit Without Leaving Babies
azcentral.com: Chandler moms looking to shed pregnancy pounds and interact with their young children are signing up for boot camp. Baby Boot Camp is a stroller-based fitness group that not only concentrates on post-natal moms but also pregnant ones. Each class is a full body workout and gives moms the opportunity to keep and interact [...]
Yoga Bags Any Person Would Envy
Whether you’re a woman, a man or live a life filled with yoga, you’re bound to find a bag for your needs at RoZCoo. The uniquely ‘New York’ style does not have to stay in New York. Rosemary really opens up the market to everyone through her website. As a successful business woman and designer, [...]
Although most of us may not have to worry about taxes right now, the first of next year will bring those worries back to the front of our minds again. That also when being in the tax business is such a good idea. Depending solely on just one time of year, being in the tax [...]
When it comes to the sale of a home, there are different aspects to the which may have more than one business working with another before it ever makes it to sold. You have the people who photograph the home to be sold, advertising to promote the sale, the realtor to do the sale and [...]
Could Sara Palin Become The Hottest Niche on eBay?
Skip McGrath’s Blog: When it comes to instant hot niches related to news stories and events, Cafe Press usually leads the way. Sara Palin is Hot on Cafe Press and becoming hot on eBay. After Sara Palin’s speech to the Republican convention, I went to Cafe Press, the site where independent online sellers create and [...]
Long Island Business News: Sayville’s Chris Heisig is a regular at the Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club of Suffolk County. Standing in a knot of other members before the most recent meeting at the county’s office building in Hauppauge, Heisig said that nearly a decade ago he had an idea for a flashlight that never saw [...]
Wedding Invitations That Look Like Rock Concert Posters
Seattle Times: Like many brides and bridegrooms, Katie Mercurio and Jeremy Geddis had specific ideas about their wedding. No pink. Lots of lavender. Traditional Seattle food and ingredients. And rock-poster invitations. For that, they turned to Seattle-based designer Matt Terich, who makes wedding-poster invitations, on top of his poster work for bands and his day [...]
Can Anything Under The Sun Be Patented?
The Journal Of New England Technology: When the modern patent statute was enacted in 1952, Congress was of the view that “anything under the sun that is made by man” can be patented. Can that really be true? Can you get a patent on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Can you get a patent [...]
Five Important Lessons I’ve Learned As An Entrepreneur
Sun.com: Popular entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and blogger, Guy Kawasaki understands business. Guy is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, and author of eight books on innovative business. A list of the five most important lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur: 1. Focus on cash flow. I understand the difference between [...]
PR Services Now Offered By Style Cafe Moms
PR Web: Style Café Moms has recently launched their PR Services and are making an impact with their affordable but exceptional Public Relations services. Style Café Moms is now an independent boutique PR service company specializing in fashion, baby, beauty and lifestyle brands. Understanding the importance of press and brand awareness as well reaching your [...]
Nicole L.V. Mullis: Being A Stay-At-Home Mom, Writer Calls For Balance
BattleCreekEnquirer.com: The topic involved my youngest entering first grade and people asking if I’m going back to work. In my first draft, I defended my job as a stay-at-home mom. I laundry-listed my responsibilities in what I hoped was a clever fashion and pointed out this work didn’t end because my youngest is seven. Then [...]
Working From Home: Local Female Entrepreneurs Blend Business With Their Passion
jconline.com: Rhea Nowling, BeautiControl senior sales director Rhea Nowling has been selling BeautiControl personalized skin care products for 27 years. “What we do is bring the spa into the home,” she said. She was introduced to the products at a BeautiControlparty and said she fell in love with how her skin felt, “I thought this [...]
When someone is looking for a car repair shop, they are looking for a place which will be honest about the repair needs on the vehicle and will offer the repairs at the lowest cost possible. So, how about a business with the word ‘honest’ in their name? Honest-1 Auto Care is committed to giving [...]
Pool Owner Invents ‘Critter Skimmer’
Seacoastonline.com: Brian Meagher, like many in-ground pool owners, had grown accustomed to finding anywhere from 50 to 100 dead frogs in his skimmer basket every season. However, last summer, armed with only a dremel tool, Meagher modified his skimmer cover to include a spiral escape ramp that hangs down just beneath the water, which provides [...]
Going From Hobby To Business Savvy
The Register-Guard: Life is sweet when you can turn a hobby into a successful business, and perhaps doubly so when your product tastes good with peanut butter. That’s how it is for several home-based Lane County businesses that make, among other things, jams and jellies from local fruit or who harvest honey from their own [...]
Unbreakable Wooden Bat Latest Creation By Inventor
The Associated Press: A New Jersey inventor says he has come up with a way to take that aluminum “ping” out of youth baseball and the broken bat out of the national pastime, while making the game a little safer with every swing. It’s the unbreakable wooden bat, at least one that is guaranteed for [...]
Local Startup Hops On Video Resume Bandwagon
HartfordBusiness.com: Putting their best face forward, an increasing number of job candidates are applying for jobs by e-mailing prospective employers a video resume. It’s a trend that is gaining in popularity. A year ago, YouTube counted about 1,700 resumes; it now counts nearly 29,000. A Rocky Hill startup wants to jump on the video resume [...]
Recharging Your Batteries For Fall
Rhonda Abrams At Gannett News Services: Yikes! Where did summer go? It seems like — suddenly — it’s once again Fall, and time to get back to work. Fall is a critical time for most companies. Other businesses — your clients and customers — are ready to once again pay attention to work. In my [...]
With the slogan, “Coaching. Not just for sports.”, ActionCOACH has grown to become the #1 business coaching firm in the world. They currently have over 1000 offices within 26 different countries where they are able to coach as many businesses as needed to help them reach the success they are looking for. Of course, if [...]
A quick look around your home might lead you to believe it’s clean, but there is a good chance you might be wrong. Homes are full of allergens and many other contaminates. The Hygienic Home is a green business which will come into a home and thoroughly clean it using only eco-friendly products. Some of [...]
CafeMom.com To Launch Unprecedented $10 Million Nationwide Schools Initiative
dBusinessNews: CafeMom, the largest and fastest growing online community site for moms, is enlisting moms across the country as part of an initiative to donate up to ten million dollars to support schools nationwide. CafeMom is launching over 100,000 school groups so that all of the K-12 schools nationwide are represented on the site. Moms [...]
Mother Of 3 Keeps Agency And Travelers On Right Course
montgomeryadvertiser.com: Liz Sutton has successfully guided Alabama World Travel (AWT) by staying ahead of changes in the travel industry. She has altered the focus of the business twice, and just this summer the agency became part of a new program. AWT is one of 300 services worldwide, and only two in Alabama, that will be [...]
Mother & Daughter Design Kids Clothing
aikenstandard.com: A local mother and daughter have turned their talents into a booming business. Carole Carver and her daughter Melissa Bryan began sewing together several years ago. The pair have created and designed everything from handbags and headbands to dresses and pants. Earlier this year they decided to name their growing business Palmetto Cuties and, [...]
Is Your Idea Already Patented? Patents.com Will Tell You.
All great inventions start as an idea, but how many of those ideas have already been patented and have started to take form? Not all ideas are unique, but when you have one it is important to make sure to get the right paperwork done so your idea won’t be stolen by the next person [...]
The Washington Post: A former high school football player, Billy Mays dropped out of West Virginia University and worked for his father’s hazardous-waste trucking company. In 1983, he ran into a high school friend who was heading to Atlantic City to sell Ginsu knives on the boardwalk, then the pitchman capital of the United States. [...]
The Wall Street Journal: Last fall, South Dakota businessman Steve Polley was scouting for ways to make some extra income when he saw a news headline: The price of hops was surging because of a global shortage. At the time, Polley knew little about hops, the flowering plants that give beers their distinct aromas and [...]
Fortune Small Business: Are you getting enough sleep? For years, Cynthia McKay wasn’t. McKay, CEO of Le Gourmet Gift Basket, a specialty-foods company based in Castle Rock, Colo., spent most of every night wide awake with her mind racing – “mostly due to the stress of business ownership and jet lag,” she says. She managed [...]
Cashing In: Adding Real Names To Sports Games
ars technica: Creating a truly authentic experience when playing video games based on the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s leagues is a daunting task for the average gamer. The NCAA doesn’t allow games to feature the names or likenesses of any of its student-athletes; in-game characters will be the spitting image of real-world players but feature [...]
Can You Take Your Biz On The Road With You?
The Wall Street Journal: Can’t tear yourself away from work for a vacation this summer? Consider bringing your business with you, says Jeff Zbar, who has spent the past six summers traveling the U.S. with his family, working on the road. “A lot of people think they can’t take a vacation,” says Zbar, a free-lance [...]
TheWestonForum.com: Liz Waltzman of Weston has launched Bibliotechies.com, a new online book recommendation site for children, young adults, and their parents. Bibliotechies has partnered with Amazon, which will provide direct link and purchase options to age and interest-specific book suggestions throughout the site. Bibliotechies, geared toward a broad range of young readers (Infants to 15), [...]
Burbank Leader: Simply the mention of new business West Coast Wagons made Brad Pitt stop dead in his tracks. The custom-made trendy wagons for kids, started by Tiffany and Duane Nelson in 2003, just opened in Burbank. But it already has a long list of celebrity clients, such as movie stars Tom Cruise and Cate [...]
