Archive for May 2009
Multitasking Mom Pens A Manual
ContraCostaTimes.com: Sara Ellington may seem like your typical stay-at-home mom: driving carpools, volunteering at her kids’ school, worrying about what to serve for dinner. Except this Mountain Island Lake, N.C., mom has authored two books. The second, which hit bookstores recently, earned a sizable advance and is expected to be Random House’s biggest parenting book [...]
photo credit: mark sebastian Happy Memorial Day from all of us at Business Opportunities Weblog.
photo credit: Torley If you are a business that has recently switched to a new and what you consider to be a better business name, then you should know that simply switching the company name is not enough. You have to actually get out there and promote this new name, as suggested on BrandingStrategyInsider. Be [...]
Free Quickbooks For Small Businesses
photo credit: jekert gwapo Those of you who have your own small business and are facing a reality check on getting organized, you may be very interested in this new giveaway from Small Biz Survival. They are giving away 15 free copies of Quickbooks to small businesses. The reason for this giveaway is very simple, [...]
Raising Money For Your Company
photo credit: Bracketing Life Small Business Labs did an article recently on raising money for your company. We all know that this can be a difficult task especially in today’s economy. One thing that may help a great deal with raising money for your company is if you have a sound business plan. I’ve been [...]
photo credit: timsamoff Anyone who owns a computer wether it be a laptop or desktop know’s that eventually they face the fact of having to upgrade their computer. Most people find this to be a very hair pulling out situation, especially those who are not computer savvy. So, OpenForum recently did an article on some [...]
photo credit: Waldo Jaquith When in business there comes a point where somewhere you need to make a pitch. Wether it be for securing a loan, taking on a new partner, getting backing from a large firm, etc. you need to be on the ball and deliver such a great pitch that it’s impossible for [...]
photo credit: prudencebrown121 Everyone has been there at least once during their time of using any computer, you all of a sudden realize that some very important data has gone missing from your computer and you do not have it backed up on a cd. Immediate panick and thoughts of having to re-do it all [...]
Tips On Securing Your Small Business Loan
photo credit: lumaxart ABiz.com recently posted an article for you small business owners that are running into dead ends on obtaining a loan that you may find quite interesting and useful. Below are a few of their tips that should help you secure that loan you have been fighting for. One of the most [...]
photo credit: AMagill Business’ that are having trouble getting bank loans or line’s of credit that they usually qualify for do have other options. Cash advances for merchants is a valuable option that work’s for many big or small business’ all over the world. When a line of credit (so to speak) is given to [...]
photo credit: stefano ricciardi Obviously no business owner really WANTS to get to the point where they need to lay off some people, however, in today’s economy it is very possible that most business owners if not all of them will face that hardship at some point. So below are a few key tips on [...]
Joke Reviews Boost T-shirt Sales
BBC News: Sales of the kitsch Three Wolf Moon T-shirt shot up 2,300% after a spate of ironic reviews went viral. The first review gave the shirt five stars, saying it “Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women” but “cannot see wolves with arms crossed”. That prompted hundreds of others to post [...]
Bumper Dumper Patent awarded: 2000 It’s a toilet seat that connects to a trailer hitch. You’re gonna be moving your truck a lot. Neck Pack Patent awarded: 2005 Traveling with many items, such as a telephone, pen or pencil, coins, cigarettes, etc., can be very cumbersome, particularly when all of the items need to be [...]
KillerStartups: TwitShirt.com was created to give you the chance to have a physical souvenir from the tweets the site’s creators enjoy the most. You already know that there are some tweets that are just great and that many people would pay in order to have a shirt with any of them printed on them. That [...]
Coupon Moms Teach Others How To Save Money
FOX23 News: A couple of moms have figured out how to save big bucks at the grocery store. Now they’re teaching others how to do the same thing. FOX23′s Janna Clark shows us how. It’s coupon night, and these moms cut and trade coupons. “Everywhere you turn somebody’s talking about the economy and how bad [...]
Two Minnesota Moms Create Their Own Bailout Package
PR Web: Business owners and sisters Jill Sandager and Amy Addington announce the grand opening of their online baby gifts boutique, HattieRose.com, specializing in original designer baby bibs that are as useful as they are cute. So, what’s so great about another online mom-owned baby boutique? Where else can you find a ballerina bib with [...]
BillMyParents Makes It Easy For Kids To Spend Online
CNetNews: There’s a new payment service just launching: BillMyParents. It’s a way that kids (“tweens,” according to the founder) can shop in online stores and easily spend their parents’ money–if their parents later agree to buy them the stuff they want. The system puts little BillMyParents buttons next to items in online retail. To check [...]
Scribd.com Lets Writers Sell Digital Copies
Digital Journal: Scribd.com, a popular document-sharing website, is allowing authors to sell their works in digital format through their store. Authors can earn 80 per cent of the posted sale price. Scribd.com will let authors sell their books in PDF format via their store link here. Authors can upload their book and sell the books [...]
Inventor’s Product Keeps Cord Chaos At Bay
The Chronicle: My husband had just given me an iPod for my birthday,” Julie Barkley said. “Only I couldn’t start my walk because the earpiece cord was tangled. I spent the next five minutes trying to get it untangled, and I swear I heard an inner voice tell me, ‘you’re on to something here.’ ” [...]
Today’s Twitter Updates 05-21-2009
# Why is the alphabet in alphabetical order? http://bit.ly/166bTF # Seven Tips for Making Good Conversation with a Stranger. http://bit.ly/2jT1i # RT @BizSugar Advanta Leaves Credit-Card Niche http://tinyurl.com/rear55 # I’m looking for small business entrepreneurs to interview. Do you have an interesting story and want a bit of free promotion? # @louisebolo What’s your brilliant [...]
Avoid These Marketing Mistakes Online
photo credit: Hochhaus-Stadtteile Okay, so your ready to hit the ground running and begin your marketing camaign that you are sure is going to be the biggest hit ever! But have you really sat down and contemplated all aspects of your campaign and marketing in general? Below are a few online marketing mistakes to avoid [...]
Volunteer Work Benefits Your Company
photo credit: laura.ouimette Performing community service can be a great way to enhance your business profile, establish important professional relationships, and gain new customers while at the same time strengthening your community. When deciding on a volunteer project you need to consider a few things first before you make your choice. Make sure that the [...]
photo credit: Joshua Davis (jdavis.info) Whoever still has a job out there, is working probably harder then they ever have before in their work life, they also are most likely more stressed out and on the verge of a breakdown now more than they ever have been. Why? Because the economy and work life is [...]
Whos Talking About Your Business?
photo credit: PinkMoose Over the next few weeks MyVenturePad will be posting an article every week on the five T’s of word of mouth advertising. This week we are going to look at the first T which is your talkers. Who is talking about your company? What are they saying about you and your company? How [...]
What To Do With Your Old Blogs
photo credit: gadl If your starring at a pile of older blogs that either just didn’t quite make the cut or maybe they were posted but didn’t get very much response, your probably wondering what you should do with them all. Most peoples first thought would be to file 13 them in the trash can, [...]
Website Helps Ease The Cost Of Shopping
At a time when people are trying to save money, Ramadevi is trying to help them do just that with MyDealsAndCoupons.com. Those who enjoy shopping online can save the maximum amount of money through the website cash back bonus system. Just by shopping at their favorite online shop trhough MyDealsAndCoupons.com, they’re able to receive a [...]
Fortune Small Business: How often have you dropped $10 per ticket and $12 for snacks to see an over-hyped dud at the metroplex? “We could have stayed home and watched a bad movie,” you say. You should talk to the Kugler brothers. They flip Hollywood’s detritus to discount retailers, hoping you’ll make an impulse buy [...]
via @MattWilsontv.
Next, Loans for Lemonade Stands?
The New York Times: When banks declare in advertising that they want to help small businesses grow, just how small do they mean? A campaign for a bank in Colorado is taking that assertion down to the itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny level. The campaign, for the FirstBank division of the FirstBank Holding Company, is centered on eye-catching [...]
After 20 Years, Business Still Keeps Mom At Home
The Bristol Press: Twenty years ago, Mary A. Goehring faced a dilemma not uncommon in American households. The Bristol resident had to choose between continuing a “lucrative” 13-year career at Pratt & Whitney in Southington or taking care of a newborn daughter, Bria. She chose the latter. However, another challenge arose: how to contribute to [...]
Things To Consider Before Getting Into Direct Sales
Direct selling offers an affordable choice for many women who hope to launch a business from their home. However, sometimes it can be hard to sort through what might work and what is a scam. A recent Leader-Telegram Online article offers a few tips to help those interested in direct sales find the right system [...]
USA TODAY: Launching a small business can bring big returns. But it’s anything but easy money. Running a firm takes stamina, creativity, discipline — and sometimes, even physical work. For kids who want to get started right away, USA TODAY polled successful entrepreneurs and small-business experts for advice. Their tips: • Don’t let shortcomings thwart [...]
Food Marketers Turn To Dollar-Per-Meal Strategy
USA TODAY: Food marketers are pulling a page from fast-food menus and touting dollar deals to promote their products. As cash-strapped consumers face escalating food prices, Wal-Mart, Kraft, Unilever and Campbell are using the magical $1 price to tap into the trend of people eating and cooking more at home. “It seems like that’s the [...]
Emergency Small Biz Loans Coming
CNNMoney.com: An emergency loan program designed to shore up struggling-but-viable small businesses will open for applications in mid-June, the Small Business Administration announced Monday. The news came during a speech by SBA head Karen Mills kicking off the SBA’s annual National Small Business Week program of publicity and networking activities. Known as America’s Recovery Capital [...]
Today’s Twitter Updates 05-20-2009
# Wine Wipes remove tannin stains from teeth http://bit.ly/PPnlt # 4 Steps To Managing Your SMB’s Online Reputation | Small Business Trends http://bit.ly/nQ1SO # Forget the Card, Talk with Business Owners http://bit.ly/vs6Lf # @jimkukral http://www.ustream.tv/helpcenter/howto How to Convert Recorded Video Files to Different File Types and How to Download Them To get realtime updates, follow [...]
The 10/10/10 Plan for Identifying Your New Business
The following guest post is by Scott Quitter of A Couple of Quitters. There is a growing interest in starting small businesses. So many people want to start businesses but don’t know how exactly to begin. Although there are many steps, from start to finish, that will need to be taken before your business is [...]
Where Does Your Referral Come From?
photo credit: Wonderlane Duct Tape Marketing recently posted an article pertaining to the question of where a true referral actually comes from. While we all know that usually it’s something along the lines of a friend or family member has expressed a need for some product or service and we tell them about a company we dealt [...]
photo credit: sunshinecity If you run your own small business, you most likely already have a website and if not, then that is one of the top priorities that should be on your list. However, running the website can be challenging for some, especially those who are new to the computer technology and don’t know [...]
Twitter Tips For Your Business
photo credit: respres Today so many business owners are realizing the usefullness of twitter, however, many of them may not quite be up to par on their computer skills or even internet skills in order to take full advantage of the twitter applications. Below are a few tips found on IndieBusinessBlogs to help out small business [...]
STATkids Make Life Easier For Kids With Allergies & Health Concerns
Allergies and health problems are not all that uncommon for children, yet the lack of awareness in places such as the classroom or daycare can become a problem. For a child with an extreme peanut allergy, the slightest mistake by introducing peanuts into their enviroment can be life threatening. Robin Davison’s son has a serious [...]
Invention: Automatic Dog Washer
Mail Online: “When a dog comes home from a walk filthy and smelling of something unmentionable, the temptation sometimes is to throw the darn thing in the washing machine. Well, now you can. An entrepreneur has come up with the Dog-O-Matic, a mini car-wash that transforms pets from filthy to fluffy in half an hour.” [...]
Direct Marketing Strategies: Inspire Your Recipient
My newest post is up on on the Small Business Marketing Guide. It’s called Direct Marketing Strategies: Inspire Your Recipients. Here’s a preview: Create A Reaction If you receive a letter that tells you that you’ve just won something, wouldn’t that motivate you to open it? Opening the letter is a reaction. By announcing that [...]
Become Rich And Famous On The Internet In 5 Easy Steps
IttyBiz: Naomi Dunford over at IttyBiz has a five-step plan for becoming rich and famous on the Internet. 1. Find something you’re so passionate about that people think you’re alarming and kind of creepy. 2. Know or learn more about this topic than 98% of the world population. 3. Choose a brandable attribute somewhere between [...]
Baseball Tickets Too Much? Check Back Tomorrow
The New York Times: Setting ticket prices to sports events requires that one hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Teams want prices high enough to cash in if they play well, but need them to be low enough to draw fans if they falter. The San Francisco Giants are experimenting with a [...]
Mompreneurs Take Care Of The Skin Of All Moms
KIVITV: The founders of Mama Mio admit there’s a selfish element to their brand. The good news is, that works not just in their favor, but in yours. You see, Sian Sutherland, Kathy Miller, and Tanya Kazeminy Mackay, who collectively have 7 kids between them, created their signature skincare line based on what they couldn’t [...]
Mothers & Daughters Use Their Special Bond To Build Successful Businesses
The Canadian Press: When Enid Stettner’s homespun company Wild Thymes started to catch on, she needed a smart, steady hand to help with the increased workload. So she brought on a partner she trusted completely: her daughter. Ann was working in sports marketing at the time and up for a change. Together, the two have [...]
100 (Really) Creative Biz Cards
Web Designer Depot: A business card creates a physical connection and bond between you or your business and your customers. Just like in a website, business cards can become great interactive elements, but with the added ability to have real textures, different materials and shapes. We’ll take a look at 100 truly outstanding business card [...]
Free 60 Day Pass to BJ’s Wholesale Club
Last week we found a free one day pass to Sam’s Club that you could use to save money on purchases. You may not have a Sam’s Club in your town but you may have a BJ’s Wholesale Club. They are offering readers a free 60-day pass with full member benefits (with a promise of [...]
Reduce Ongoing Expenses Just By Asking
PCWorld: If your business has lost clients or needed to scale back, take action. Don’t just wait for a rebound; use the moment to renegotiate terms with your suppliers and service providers. You might be surprised that many will be willing to cut you a break to keep your business… and keep you in business. [...]
Today’s Twitter Updates 05-19-2009
# An Unlikely Way to Save a Species: Serve It for Dinner http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/dining/30come.html # What endangered species would you like to eat for dinner? I’d like to try a Giant Panda. # Coney’s is a new franchise with frozen custard items and food menu items. http://www.coneyscustard.com (via @franchisedev) # Iggy’s Sports Grill is a sports [...]
