Archive for June 2009
photo credit: fuzzcat Today many many people are contemplating leaving their 9-5 day job and starting their own business, intrigued by the many benefits of owning your own business, it is almost seen as a salvation. But, with owning your own business, you have to consider all of the numerous aspects. All of the thing’s [...]
Americans Are Saving More Money
MSN Money: All it took was a financial crisis followed by a recession to get Americans to start pocketing their cash. Americans are saving more money now than at any time since February 1995, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Commerce Department, personal saving rose to 5.7% of after-tax income in April. That’s [...]
photo credit: Jasoon With the way the economy is today, and customers becoming more picky as to where they do business, it is understandable that business owners tend to feel like they need to be on call for their customers 24/7. With today’s technology it is possible to receive emails via your cell phone, have [...]
It’s Official: Internet Is Part Of Daily Life
USA TODAY: According to a new report by the Census Bureau, Internet use tripled from 1997 to 2007. Sixty-two percent of U.S. households used the Internet from home; 18% did that in 1997. Among those using the Internet in 2007, 82% did so using a high-speed connection. Just 17% used dial-up. The rapid rise of [...]
The Picture Frame Guys Will Make Sure Your Picture Hangs Just Right (And Looks Good Too!)
A picture might be worth a thousand words but the picture frame that holds it will only enhance that message. For every picture that you hang on your wall or set on a table, there is a frame to hold it. The right frame will only flatter the picture and the home it is in. [...]
Moms Finding Work They Can Do At Home
The Agusta Chronicle: Kathy Voss can pay her mortgage with the money she makes working at home. It’s the best of both worlds for the 41-year-old work-at-home mother: She can stay at home with her three children and supplement her family’s income by selling jewelry for Dallas-based Premiere Designs Inc. “Especially during these recession times [...]
Not Enough Or Too Much: Mothers & Daughters In Family Owned Businesses
Ottawa Business Journal: Corinne aged 42; an only child is the second-generation member of her families distribution company. Having been in the business for the past ten years, she worked for both of her parents in the business, and seems to see eye to eye with her father, but feels anxious and gets annoyed easily [...]
Why You Shouldn’t Use Personal Credit For Your Business
photo credit: Andres Rueda ActiveRain describes on possible reason that it might not be best to use your personal credit, if you can help it. What might be perfectly normal and acceptable for a business credit profile, such as submitting multiple applications for business credit, can have a serious negative impact on personal credit because of [...]
SF Weekly: Funemployment. Paycation. The Unemploymentality. Every generation has an argot to describe the confusing terrain of joblessness — the dole, deadbeat dads, UB40, and so on — and the lexicon of younger casualties in the most severe American economic downturn since World War II speaks volumes. Here’s how the blog Recessionwire defines “funemployment”: “A [...]
What You Didn’t Learn In Business School
photo credit: Extra Ketchup Many people have gone through some sort of business schooling before entering the workforce or even starting their own company. This schooling gives them great information and lessons in financial matters, obtaining customers, marketing, branding and more. But what this schooling often does not teach you is how to handle many [...]
The Recession Can Be Good for Business
photo credit: B Mully MaineBusiness.com had an interesting outlook on how you can use the current recession as a powerful marketing tool for your company. Most of us would and have viewed our economic situation as a bad thing, something to fear and worry over, however, there is a lot of good that can come [...]
Use Netspray To Sell Products Across Internet
Skip McGrath: If you are like most eBay sellers in this slow economy, you are looking for additional places to sell. netSpray is an affordable lead generation e-commerce site and marketplace where sellers are given tools and services to create, distribute and manage items for sale all across the Internet. netSpray ads can be placed [...]
What To Remember About Customer Service
photo credit: davitydave In business there are always several different priorities are one’s list, including the decision making process of which priority needs prompt attention and which one’s can wait until tomorrow. So between the two options of income and customer service, which one comes first? Most would right off the bat assume that businesses [...]
Crisis Spurs Spike In ‘Suburban Survivalists’
Associated Press: Six months ago, Jim Wiseman didn’t even have a spare nutrition bar in his kitchen cabinet. Now, the 54-year-old businessman and father of five has a backup generator, a water filter, a grain mill and a 4-foot-tall pile of emergency food tucked in his home in the expensive San Diego suburb of La [...]
No Interest Loans For Small Businesses
photo credit: Lori Greig Every small business owner who has been struggling to stay a float in the constant economic downturn may have some light at the end of the down spiral tunnel. The SBA has set up a new 100% guarantee ARC loan program meant for small businesses who are financially struggling. This month [...]
Internet Tax Working Its Way To Louisiana
Ars Technica: Louisiana residents may find themselves paying an extra fee on top of their regular Internet costs if the state’s House of Representatives has its way. The House voted 81 to 9 in favor of the 15-cent monthly levy with the bill’s sponsors arguing that the money would go towards fighting Internet-related crimes in [...]
How One Small Biz Uses Twitter To Build Its Brand
Ad Age: If you hope to compete as a small “carryout and delivery only” pizza joint operating out of a 600-square-foot space against the Goliaths of pizza delivery, you had better have a good product, great service and a deeper mission that differentiates you in a meaningful and sustainable way. And we do — but [...]
Here’s the first episode of Richard Branson’s PitchTV, which is airing onboard Virgin Atlantic planes during June. Do you want to a chance to be featured on PitchTV and get your business idea seen by thousands business professionals from all over the world? If so, just upload your short video to PitchTV. Here’s Richard Branson’s [...]
Two Men And A Truck Went From Spare Cash To Successful Franchise In 20 Years
If you haven’t heard of Two Men and a Truck by now, it is about time you do. Originally started as a way for two brothers in high school to earn some spare cash, it has grown into a franchise operation that spans across the US and beyond. This family-owned business has come far since [...]
Mistakes To Avoid During The Downturn
photo credit: sittered If you are in management or in business for yourself no matter your field, there are a few mistakes that you should avoid during our current economic downturn if at all possible. Bnet.com recently did an article on a few mistakes that if made during a downturn could prove to be very [...]
Hot Dog And Ice Cream Trucks Make Tempting Biz Ops In Recession
The Plain Dealer: When life hands you a lemon, sell a lemon ice. When the economy gets chilly, serve up a chili dog. That’s what more and more folks are doing this recession, turning to street treats — hot dog carts and ice cream trucks. The initial investment is low, the income can be good, [...]
Avoiding The “New Shiny Object” Syndrome
photo credit: William Hook Today social media is growing like crazy, with all sorts of new tools, applications and sites going up everyday, it’s hard to figure out which one’s you should belong to with your business and which ones you shouldn’t. Andy Sernovitz just worte an article regarding this very topic and how you [...]
As Internet Evolves, Profit Still Missing Factor
Reuters: If the global recession has made companies focus on business plans with solid financial returns, the Internet remains its own autonomous trade zone, free from the reach of the standard rules. Executives from the world’s top technology and media companies convened near San Diego to discuss the future of their businesses and to tout [...]
How To Start Your Own Home-Based Online Business
Are you thinking about starting your own online business? Abc7news.com has a few pieces of advice that you might find handy. 1. Flexibility? Yes! Easy? No! – One of the biggest myths of starting your own business is that if you have a great idea, it will come easy. While being your own boss allows [...]
Indicating Trust For Your Website
photo credit: notsogoodphotography Keep a tidy site: Take as much pride in your Web site as you would a company newsletter or direct mailing. Your content should be grammatically correct and use an appropriate tone. Your links should work. Your pages should be neat. If you are a small business who is looking to expand [...]
Wal-Mart Says It Will Create 22,000 Jobs
Associated Press: As Wal-Mart opens about 150 new or expanded stores in the U.S. in 2009, the company expects to hire about 22,000 people for new positions. Those positions include plenty of cashiers and stock clerks, but the world’s largest retailer will also be adding store managers, pharmacists and personnel workers. “During this difficult economic [...]
photo credit: prudencebrown121 The state of Michigan has been seeing a decline in small business owners offering insurance plans to their employees. In 2008 in dropped after dropping the year before as well. It is said that Michigan’s small businesses are dropping insurance plans due to the high costs and economic downturn we are experiencing. [...]
Internet Access: Faster, But Not Cheaper
Ars Technica: The monthly cost of Internet access has dropped regularly for years, but the big price reductions might now be behind us. New data from Point Topic shows that prices for fiber, cable, and DSL connections have remained essentially flat since September 2007. But when the total monthly bill for Internet access is graphed [...]
A luxury hotel in London now has it’s own “water list.” Like a wine list, more than 30 of the world’s most expensive bottled water brands are available. Luxury water looks like it could be a great business to be in.
n Do you think consumers’ new frugality is a permanent change? Yes No View Results Photo by some_bo.
photo credit: arquera From 37Signals, a reminder that business doesn’t have to be complex: I called them. 10 minutes later the guy came by. He was down the street on another job. We walked out back. I told him what I needed done. He looked around for 20 seconds and said $300. I said “deal.” [...]
Important Steps To Take Before Starting A Business
photo credit: Lincolnian (Brian) In the world today with all of our new technology rising every day and so many different opportunities, one could start just about any business you could think of. However, There are a few vital steps to take before starting any sort of business today as suggested on Entrepreneur.com. Show the [...]
Internet Business Things That Dont Matter
photo credit: MastaBaba Control. Don’t let your controlling nature get in the way of growing your business. Delegate work to others and let them make decisions. Let go. Mellow Business recently posted an article on numerous things internet business related that a lot of people stress over when there’s really no cause to do so. [...]
How To Obtain More Income From Your Current Traffic
photo credit: mattlemmon Are you doing all you can to turn potential customers into buyers? Here are three simple strategies that will go a long way toward making sure that your shoppers’ dollars are flowing into your registers. Boost your sales by supporting some commercial customers. When you help them increase their business, this will [...]
photo credit: FaceMePLS Business owners all over the world are constantly wracking their brains trying to figure out what their consumers actually want and need. They take into consideration all types of different products, features, applications, services and more trying to see what will sell more to their target audience. Below are the top thing’s [...]
How To Make Conferences Better
photo credit: HVX Silverstar In business large or small, we all have conferences or meetings of some sort with everyone who is on staff. These conferences and meetings are a way to keep everyone up to date in one shot as well as get new ideas, brainstorm and more. So how do we make our [...]
Here are some unique products to amuse and inspire. The Hand Fitness Trainer Slips on like a glove, elastic bands provide resistance. Whatever happened to good ol’ tennis balls? Reversible Doormat Perfect for your bi-polar friends. LED Cord Mirror Now if I can just figure out which cable goes to what. Zipit Motorized Clamshell Package [...]
Lessons Learned From Bootstrapping
photo credit: Damon | Photography Tim Berry recently participated in a student interview asking him about his and his wifes success in business, their secrets and the lessons that they learned throughout their 22 year’s of experience in bootstrapping. Although he felt that his answers were not as good as they could have been, he does [...]
Biz Resource: Free Biz Forms and Templates
Make Use Of: Here is a website with an inventory of over 500 business forms and templates available in Word and Excel formats. All templates are free and can be downloaded without any restrictions. Navigate to the page, hit the download button and you’re done. To find a form or template you can search or [...]
Ways That People Respond To Content
photo credit: barnoid A recent guest post by Rajesh Setty describe the different ways that people tend to respond to one’s content. We all wonder after writing content who will actually read it, who will leave a comment, who is going to subscribe to the blog and so on. Below are some of the most [...]
MBeze Keeps Women Smelling Fresh With Deodorettes & Other Great Skincare Products
The skincare business is a tough business to break into. It is overloaded with competition and big brands. However Mary Beth Worzella has done pretty well. With a flagship product like her deodorettes, MBeze has effectively separated itself from the competition. They not only do the job but the packaging looks good too. Tell us [...]
SAHM Brings Hollywood Style To Louisville
24-7 Press Release: Robin L. Hahn, a stay at home mother of 3 young children, changes the face of the local home party scene with Stella & Dot. The Stella & Dot look is fabulous and contemporary, and comes straight from the pages of the latest fashion magazines. “Stella & Dot is only available through [...]
Questions For Entrepreneurs To Ask Themselves
photo credit: Stéfan When being in business for yourself, there are so many different territories that one has to have control over, so many different decisions to make and ideas to come up with for products and services. Below are a couple questions that OpenForum feel’s every entrepreneur should ask themselves at some point. Question [...]
Assessing Problems And Finding The Solutions
photo credit: Foreign and Commonwealth Office When you hire a consultant to come into your business, you are basically paying them a large fee to listen to your employees and then relay the infromation to you and vice versa. Why spend that money when you can do the same thing for free? It’s really quite [...]
Entrepreneur: This business is for someone who is supremely efficient and has the ability to make things happen. People who hire you will expect things when they want them and you need to be able to come through with not only what they want, but with a personal touch and a smile on your face. [...]
Invention Helps NHL Teams Keep Clean
PRNewswire: When life throws you lemons, go ahead and make lemonade but take it one step further and open a lemonade stand!” says Mike Antinozzi, laid-off technology worker and Founder and President of Fresh Gear by Ozone Nation Inc. Antinozzi has developed a machine that disinfects and deodorizes bacteria-infested sports gear worn in hockey, football [...]
If you enjoy working outdoors, but don’t like plants enough to be a gardener, then maybe the BBQ cleaning business is for you? Anyone can take a sponge and a pail and say they are in the barbecue cleaning business. But The BBQ Cleaner offers a complete mobile business system that will help you start [...]
Biz Poll Results: Credit Crunch
The Wall Street Journal: Nicole Pritikin, the owner of an online knitting and yarn shop in North Bennington, Vt., was so happy with her credit card from Advanta Corp. that she praised the company in its 2001 annual report. “The checkbook is history!” she said. Since last week, though, she has switched her automatic bill [...]
Inspirational Moms: Sandy Hunter, The President Of Hunter Hawk, Inc.
Examiner.com: Women-owned businesses are expected to be a driving force that turns this otherwise dismal economy around. An article in Small Business Trends suggests that women entrepreneurs will “rule the global marketplace” due to social entrepreneurship, which women are better at. Who knew our gift of gab would help us take over the world? In [...]
Hillsborough Mom Of Two Runs Law Firm & Dessert Company
MyCentralJersey.com: From small-business owners to television sitcom actors, recording artists, authors and a nationally known dessert company, Patricia Lawrence Kolaras is the woman behind securing the logos, lyrics, scripts and the secret recipe. Kolaras, 41, an intellectual property and transactional attorney and founder of the township-based PLK Law Group, said her job is to protect [...]
