Archive for June 17th, 2009
DECKStraordinaire’s Beautiful Decks
I had an informative conversation with Rob Gainer and Patti Tucker from DECKStraordinaire this morning. They build custom decks in Michigan. Since the winters there are long, and it’s difficult to build a deck when you can’t use a when the ground is frozen, they used their winter months to document their system and package [...]
New Google Offer For Small Businesses
photo credit: manfrys If you’ve been holding out for just one more reason to list your small business in Google’s Local Business Center, you’ve got it. Google is now offering a full dashboard of information to small businesses who are proactive enough to verify their company’s listing. Most small businesses often have a problem trying [...]
photo credit: Olivier Bareau The IPO market has all but disappeared, and lofty merger and acquisition deals are unthinkable. So entrepreneurs, as well as their employees and investors, are left with few opportunities for unloading their stock. In April of this year SecondMarket launched a new site called Private Company Marketplace where businesses get to [...]
A Million Dollar Business From Unwanted Books
Last weekend on the Bloomberg Television program Venture host Cris Valerio spoke to the co-founder of Better World Books Xavier Helgesen. Xavier talked about building the company that he founded in 2002 that has grown to become one of the world’s largest online used bookstores. The company’s HQ is in Atlanta, but the heart of [...]
Business Opportunities Weblog in Korean
Sort of, anyway. Yunsuk Im is translating and posting some of our articles in Korean on her blog. I asked him about her plans: My name is Yunsuk Im. I have been a reader of your site for a while. My blog introduces interesting articles, business ideas and success stories etc. Things that are related [...]
Old Cars Creating New Biz For Repair Shops
WKYT.com: It’s not all bad news for the auto industry. The repair shops are booming with older vehicles needing work done to keep them on the road. At Exhaust Pro the owner, Eddie Lynch, says business is steady, if not on the rise. Lynch says the average vehicle coming into the garage is 8 to [...]
photo credit: Gustty Entrepreneur are born, not made. MBAs are just the opposite. This old adage explains one of the most commonly-held differences between entrepreneurs and those with an MBA. While entrepreneurs typically have a drive and ambition that may also be present in those with an MBA, they usually are willing to take risks [...]
There is still money to be made despite the economic climate according to industry research firm IBISWorld. The company identified the leading start-up opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors to potentially make a profit in 2009 and beyond. Their report can be downloaded as a PDF here.
Professionalism On Social Networks
photo credit: Orin Optiglot When working online with the public, being nice and professional is very important, and sometimes slightly difficult as the tone of “typing” is different from that of “talking” in person and can often times be read the wrong way. Below are a handful of tips on being professional and nice [...]
Recession Spawns Micro-Entrepreneurs
The Hartford Courant: The recession has spawned a new generation of self-employed microbusiness entrepreneurs. But they are not typically the innovators that many hope will lift the country out of choppy waters. Rather, they are what economists call “forced entrepreneurs” — like Staci Byers. The Hartland, Conn., mother of eight — with four children still [...]
Door to Door Missionaries Make Great Salesmen
photo credit: atomicjeep Need a door to door salesman? The NY Times suggests that you hire a Mormon: Six days a week, in fair weather and foul, two-dozen door-to-door salesmen, all of whom live clustered together in an apartment complex in this suburb west of Chicago, pile into S.U.V.’s and cars and head into the [...]
Savings On Small Business Health Coverage
photo credit: pfala Earlier in the week we talked about the possibility of mandated health coverage for all employers, the thought of this I’m sure sends most employers into a frenzy wondering how they will be able to afford this proposal. However, a recent study posted on New York Times reported that the Obama administration is [...]
31 Twitter Apps Your Biz Should Explore
SMBCEO.com: Twitter applications are tools that help you efficiently get the most out of your Twitter activity. They can save you time and effort while streamlining your marketing and social networking efforts. New apps are popping up constantly. Tweetr – This applications allows you to share files up to 10MB via Twitter. Tweetr will upload [...]
Do You Know What Relationship Marketing Is?
photo credit: mark sebastian According to Wikipedia, and Len Barry who coined the term, “relationship marketing is a form of marketing which emphasizes customer retention and satisfaction, rather than a dominant focus on point-of-sale transactions.” Contrary to the title “relationship marketing” is not about the relationships themselves, it is about the marketing. The relationship part [...]
Parking Garages Transformed By Large-Scale Ads
Springwise: Parking garages are notorious for being grim and grey affairs, unadorned by any significant form of decoration. That’s due largely to fire code regulations, but a new, patented technology now allows large-scale ads to be created on the walls of such garages, essentially transforming them into immersive, branded environments. Carspaze has created a new [...]
Hiring For Your Growing Company
photo credit: iChaz Tim Berry recently had a few thoughts on hiring new people for your company during its growing days. Obviously as your company grows bigger you will be in need of some new employees. Many business owners however often have reservations on hiring people and often times don’t even know where to start or [...]
Business Pundit: What if your newest income source lay right at your feet? Panting, say, and begging for a treat? Fido, Snowball, or even Ted the Tarantula could be a potential new income source. Here are five ways people make money off their pets. 1. Model Them Animal models rake in fees of up to [...]
The Miracle Of Motherhood Inspires NY Businesswoman
PR Web: New York loves local businesswoman, Donna Bliss. Not only has Bliss enjoyed one of her most successful years, but had the honor of being a special guest on WOR 710 New York, http://www.wor710.com/pages/3600293 the top talk radio show in the country, boasting such greats as Bill O’Reilly and Lou Dobbs. WOR has continually [...]
Mompreneur Creates New Daycare Business Model
Reuters: Felicity Chapman had a newborn, a design business in its infancy and a problem. They did not get along. After the birth of her first daughter, Chapman decided she would only work part-time, but found it all but impossible to juggle both her clients and childcare. Chapman knew she needed to find some flexible [...]
Buzz Your Greeting Directly To The Receivers Mailbox, Without Leaving Home
With Father’s day around the corner, many people have found themselves waiting until the last minute to grab a card for the dad in their life. While some will get the card out on time, others will find themselves in a bind while last minute shopping for that perfect card. Unless they decide to card [...]
