Archive for April 2009
Artist Creates ‘Moving’ Murals
CNN: A huge mural greets visitors to the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. It’s a memorial to the building’s namesake, who died unexpectedly in 1993. But as young men in sweats and sneakers make their way into the gym, something strange happens. The mural comes alive. The photo of a beaming Lewis [...]
Patently-O: Patent Attorney Mark Bergner provided the following five points that may help independent inventors control the cost of their patent application. 1) Provide me with the best write-up that you can up front with some illustrative (even hand-sketched) diagrams, along with any design documents you may have. 2) Try to do as much of [...]
photo credit: pasotraspaso When entering this new year, it is time to think about many different changes we can make in our business. One of them is to be a little greener this year. When thinking about all the office parties you’ll have for holidays, birthdays, promotions, retirements and more, think about all the waste [...]
New Organization for Hispanic Entrepreneurs
Are you a hispanic entrepreneur? If so, then you might be interested in joining the National Hispanic Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Their press release follows: Juan Pablo Giometti, president and CEO of NHEO, Inc., has announced the launch of National Hispanic Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a nonprofit organization created to empower Hispanic entrepreneurs who are underrepresented in America. As [...]
photo credit: stallio There are millions of home based business’ today, and most of these business’ do not contain the proper insurance policy. Consider all of the possibilities in a home based business such as computer, inventory, slip and fall coverage, fire, theft, cell phone, lap top, files, etc. Many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe they’re covered [...]
Options Outside of Termination
photo credit: Matt McGee Everywhere we look we see how the unemployment stat is going up everyday. Granted, sometimes it is necessary to let people go, but what if you have all great employees with great production under their belts, but the economy just keeps working against you? Below are a few options for you [...]
photo credit: KaiChanVong Keeping your website in tune should be a very important part of your business. Here are a few examples of how one can improve their business website and make it more productive. Analytics stats reveal an amazing collection of information about your prospective customers, including the number of unique visitors to your [...]
photo credit: wstryder This new year has been several times called the year for innovation. For upgrading less than perfect products and so on. Netbooks is definitely on a rise in sales and quite possibly on it’s way to killing the sales for personal desktops and laptops which is increasingly hurting manufacturers such as dell [...]
photo credit: Martin Kingsley In business our number one goal is to keep our customers happy at all times. The timeless classic of “the customer is always’ right” comes into play here. But there are going to be time’s when there is more then one customer on the phone-one of them will have to hold. [...]
Toy Inventor Creates Diabetes Testing System
PRWeb: Randi Altschul, a New Jersey toy inventor, has developed a user friendly, non-invasive, saliva-based diagnostic “Lolli-pop” device for monitoring glucose levels in Diabetics. The POP TEST is a credit card sized saliva-based diagnostic device for checking glucose levels in diabetics. It works in a simple three stage process: bend out the stem, apply a [...]
When Economy Sours, Tootsie Rolls Soothe Souls
The New York Times: Raymond Schneider politely elbowed his way through crowds of customers as he made for the bulk candy bins at Dylan’s Candy Bar across from Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan. Since he was laid off in December, Mr. Schneider, a 33-year-old interior designer, says he has become a “gummy junkie,” stocking up on sweets [...]
Apple Pursues ‘Pod’ Trademarks
Wired: What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but if its name ended in “pod,” it might attract the ire of Apple’s shark-like legal team. Apple’s obsession with the blockbuster success of its iPod has driven the corporation to chase down many companies attempting to use the media [...]
Before You Start Biz, Do Internship
BusinessWeek: It’s a terrific idea for aspiring entrepreneurs to work in the industry they’re targeting, whether they are college business majors or 50-year-old refugees from corporate careers. “You will learn about the industry supply chain, the key industry financial metrics, why customers buy certain products, and the competition’s products,” says Edward D. Hess, professor of [...]
Never Mix Family with Business
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography When going into business with a family member, there are some good points, but then on the other hand there are many bad points to doing business with family that often times result in the dissolving of the business. Below are the top reasons why it is recommended that you [...]
photo credit: Gaetan Lee When working in a group situation it is very important to evaluate the group on their performance, how they are getting along, the tasks they are able to complete and in what time frame they can complete them. Here are a few suggestions on taking the pulse of your group and [...]
photo credit: PhilipRood.com In today’s economy, managers are sometimes forced to cut down on their head count and then in turn start relying on their part time employees and some freelancers to fill in the gaps. Below are some helpful tips on managing your part time employees. Since your employee will be limited in the [...]
photo credit: dan taylor When it comes to branding there are many important aspects to look at and think of and execute in the best manner possible. But what about the wrong turns in branding that we can learn from? Below is a list of common branding mistakes to avoid in your business. Branding on [...]
photo credit: Marcin Wichary Today there are many businesses big and small who are in need of some advice and help in several different sectors of their company. Most of these businesses go on to spend money they really don’t have in order to hire a consultant to come in and fix their business. Today [...]
Resourceful Grand Rapids Mom Feeds Family For $100 A Month
mlive.com: For many families, tough economic times require even tougher strategies to save money on groceries. Laura Muresan, of Southeast Grand Rapids, knows how to stretch her food dollars to make every penny count. She not only cuts food costs, she uses less energy for cooking and reduces food waste by using leftovers. “I’m an [...]
Mom's New Business Is Formed From "Ice Cream Dreams"
al.com: Five weeks after opening a new ice cream and sandwich shop, Aimee Klinge does not miss her 20-year career as a dental hygienist. “Putter’s Dream came from an idea my husband and I had. We wanted to build a Putt-Putt Golf course in this area since there weren’t many places a young family could [...]
Editor’s note: Okay, it’s April 1st. Here’s a great prank you can pull on anyone who uses a desktop computer. Place a small Post-It note on the bottom of the mouse covering the rollerball. When your victim tries to use their computer they will think the mouse is broken. I played this on a co-worker [...]
Nickel’s Worth Of Fix-It Advice
NPR: Somewhere beneath the rubble of the housing market collapse, there’s a man trying to dig out and build a clientele. And he’s doing it one question at a time. After getting laid off from an architecture firm for the second time last year, John Morefield had a choice to make: either scratch around for [...]
Hoax Site Promising Tan From Computer Screen Gets 1 Mil Hits Mom & Pop Shops Will Save The Day Flesh Eating Fish, Not Your Normal Franchise 8000 Free Cars Create Your Own Stimulus Package
For Infomercials, Downturn Is Prime Time
Fortune Small Business: Admit it: Thanks to some late-night pitchman, you either own a Popeil Pocket Fisherman, a Snuggie blanket or a Thigh-Master, or have been tempted to buy one. Bill McAlister, 50, co-owns Media Enterprises, a six-person sales and marketing firm that specializes in as-seen-on-TV products – including the Smart Mop (“the mop with [...]
Branding Strategy Insider: What’s the biggest, fastest moving consumer goods brand in America? The answer isn’t Coke, Gillette or Johnson & Johnson. It’s Great Value, Wal-Mart’s own-label. Thanks to its presence in every one of Wal-Mart’s 4100 US stores, and the fact that more than 5000 stock-keeping units are sold under the Great Value label, [...]
