Archive for June 2009
Must Reads For Small Businesses
photo credit: gadl Every business owner knows that the more useful information on running your business the better, there is never such a thing as having too much useful information. It’s like the old saying “knowledge is power” and in business both knowledge and power are two very vital things to have. Below is [...]
Hopes To Cash In On Speed Traps
Washington Post: Steven Forage, a software salesman who spends at least five hours a day in his car, juggles a lot on the road: finalizing deals over the phone, sipping coffee, checking e-mail. One thing he no longer worries about, though, is speed cameras. “Fuzz alert,” an electronic voice called out from the console of [...]
WAHM Helps People Save On Healthcare
The Daily Journal: Kathleen DeLuca is a Benefits Specialist who helps Americans save money on their dental & medical expenses, all while being a “Work at Home Mom”. The corporate office is located in Plano, Texas. Ameriplan provides individuals, families, and businesses across the United States, affordable medical, dental, vision, and chiropractic procedures. AmeriPlan Discount [...]
Baby Business Cards For Play Date Networking
The Wall Street Journal: Popular toys, such as cellphones and briefcases, encourage them to mimic busy adults. Now, a new product promises to turn them into little networkers: The baby business card. A colleague recently alerted me to this new item for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. I find these baby business cards both endearing and [...]
photo credit: David Sifry You’ve made the decision to start your own business, you have your great idea, your awesome business plan and now your sitting there waiting for the investors to agree, waiting to be able to put all of your hard worked plans into motion. Starting a business can be tough especially in [...]
Mom Bloggers Find Niche Helping Bargain Hunters
Associated Press: When Melissa Garcia was frustrated by Old Navy’s scanty coupon offerings, she didn’t just complain to the store. She vented on a message board tied to her blog consumerqueen.com, which is read by at least 30,000 people each month and now, increasingly, by corporate America. Within weeks, chatter in the so-called mommy blogosphere [...]
Government Keeps the Homeless Homeless
photo credit: bzo Larry Moore was a homeless man who got it together and started a shoeshine business. From his profit, he saved enough money to rent an apartment and get off the street. And then, the city of San Francisco slapped with him a bill for sidewalk vendor permit. The shakedown cost Larry hundreds [...]
Dealing With Negative Customers
photo credit: koni_photo In business we have all been there, you greet a person walking through your store door with a smile and right off the bat you just know they are going to be a pain in your side. Every little thing you do or say annoys them, they ask for your help and [...]
Office Depot Launches ‘Self-Bailout’ Plan for Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneur.com: Office Depot has launched its “Small Business Self-Bailout Plan”. As part of the program, the office supplies and services provider created the Survival of the Smartest website for business owners who need support during “The Great Recession.” The Office Depot Adopt a Small Business contest will recognize 500 of the “best and smartest small [...]
I think that these gold vending machines might do really well in the United States, especially as more people figure out that paper money is basically worthless: Long attracted to the safety of solid gold, Germans will soon be able to sate their appetite for the yellow metal as easily as buying a chocolate bar [...]
This is cute: The Official Tooth Fairy Kit contains one letterpress Certificate of Record for filing with your local Tooth Fairy and one reusable silkscreened cloth deposit bag for your first and all subsequent transactions. The official certificate keeps record of name, age, tooth lost, method of extraction and compensation information.
Coupon Entrepreneur Racks Up Huge Discounts
Journal Sentinel: Coupon queen Susan Samtur racked up another supermarket victory at Sendik’s Food Market: $135.69 worth of groceries for $15.98, including sales tax of $3.15 on the original total. The New York-based coupon pro is on a U.S. tour, leaving a trail of good advice for shoppers and register tapes with as many minuses [...]
photo credit: Shooting Nouns Since Fathers’ Day is upon us this Sunday, here are a few gift ideas for entrepreneurial dad found on Inc.com. And remember, when buying some of these gifts for dad pay attention to the websites. You may discover something that could improve your’s. Netbook. yes we have all seen the commercials [...]
Toymakers Fight Complex New Safety Rules
CNNMoney.com: For toymakers, the world changes on Aug. 14. That’s the day a new regulation takes effect that small manufacturers say could force them out of business. “I hear gut-wrenching stories every day, like the soldier’s wife who doesn’t think she can continue her homemade doll business or the Native American women who are worried [...]
Newly Graduated College Students
photo credit: chispita_666 Parents of recent college grads are concerned about how recent their children will find a job in this economy. Pamela Slim on Escape From Cubicle Nation has some very interesting thoughts on graduating in this economy that I couldn’t agree with more. The first thing to remember is that there is no [...]
Big Idea Group announced a new product line idea hunt. Arthur Blank is seeking innovative concepts for either their existing lines or new but complementary lines. Royalty potential for winning concepts is tremendous. Innovation Criteria for New Product Lines * Can be produced Dec.-July * Fit ABCO’s manufacturing and distribution capabilities * Innovative and unique [...]
photo credit: 7son75 Businesses are jumping on twitter right and left and that’s probably a good thing. But, businesses are also jumping on thinking that’s all you need to do. Create a twitter account, create a bunch of followers, and start tweeting out this week’s lunch special. However, it is not that simple because you [...]
Run Cheap TV Commercials With Google TV Ads
Inc.: With nearly $18 million in annual revenue and 31 employees, ShoppersChoice.com, a Baton Rouge company that operates a handful of e-commerce sites, is substantial — but it’s no Wal-Mart. Yet for just $2,500 to $3,500 a week, commercials for BBQGuys.com, its online store for grills, run alongside ads for Wal-Mart on the Food Network [...]
Once A Homeless Mom, This Entrepreneur Is Highlighting Recovery Act Success
BusinessWire: San Francisco SBA District Director Mark Quinn and Linda Russell, owner of Mugshots School Photography, will host a press conference June 3 at One California Bank in Oakland to highlight how small businesses are taking advantage of the changes SBA made to its loan programs as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment [...]
Zinno Keeps Her Business In Stitches
The Suburbanite: When Marie Zinno was a new mom she taught herself how to sew. At the time, the Jackson Township resident couldn’t have possibly imagined she was laying the foundation for a successful at-home business. But that’s exactly what she did, one stitch, one project, at a time. “I started to sew when my [...]
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 [...]
‘Penny Auction’ Sites Offer Big Bargains
Mercury News: At a time when we’re all looking for bargains, is there a catch to buying a $150 Nikon Coolpix digital camera for 34 cents? Or nabbing a $699 Apple 16GB iPhone for $8.06? There is: While you stand to get a great bargain, you could be bidding against several thousand others in an [...]
Nutty Success Story With Fortunuts
WomenHomeBusiness.com: Some successful business ideas come from childhood. As a child, Nicole Simon’s mom would make her special walnut recipe for friends and co-workers during the holidays. Friends asked for their delectable walnut treats that making it and giving it as holiday gifts became the tradition in their household. They decided to add a fun [...]
10-Year-Old Entrepreneur Takes Her Vision On The Road
Detroit Free Press: Amiya Alexander bounds in front of a parked school bus at Bloomfield Hills Montessori Center, her smile so wide it shows off the red and black bands around her braces. Those braces, her brown Baby Phat high tops and the poof of pink feathers affixed to her hair speak to the accoutrements [...]
HarvardBusiness.org: A recent report listed the happiest nations in the world. Guess what? The US didn’t even make it into the top ten. So much for the American dream. Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert argues that we can train our minds to be happier. 1. Smile. Turns out, smiling is directly linked to happiness. It may [...]
San Francisco Starts City-Wide 311 Twitter Program
Mashable: San Francisco is hip to Twitter, and not just when it comes to its tech savvy users. Starting June 2nd, the City of San of Francisco has been supporting all 311 services via Twitter, with the help of Twitter CRM tool CoTweet. Now citizens can send direct messages 24 hours a day to the [...]
What Keeps Your Kids Occupied While You Work?
Work-at-home moms are the ultimate multitaskers. They’re able to handle a business from their home office and raise their children under the same roof. It’s a tricky task but not impossible. Danica Favorite, the Denver working-from-home examiner, recently posted a list of tips by Marybeth Whalen that are geared toward helping work-at-home women like us. [...]
The Business Of Barbecue Cleaning Is A Profitable One
The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, and people are grilling outside instead of cooking indoors. This is also the perfect season if your business is in grill cleaning. You might recognize The BBQ Cleaner from earlier this month when we profiled them on the website. We wanted to learn more about this interesting [...]
Making the Jump: Starting a Business on a Wing and a Prayer
Amber Riviere fell into entrepreneurship naturally because she had a talent that other people were willing to pay money for.
Is My Idea Good Enough to Start a Biz?
smallbizbee: I hear this a lot, “do you think my idea is good enough to start a business?”…and normally what people mean is “do you think I’ll make money doing this?”. The short answer is- most ideas you can think of are good enough to start a business around – in short you can probably [...]
SmashingApps: Onyaka is an online staff time planning software service that takes all the pain out of staff scheduling. Onyaka provides you with easy to use staff scheduling software, with no downloads, no expensive license fees, and no installation hassle. It has a simple drag and drop interface and you can use all of the [...]
