Archive for July 2009
Apollo 11 Inspired Entrepreneur
WIBC: For at least one Hoosier, the drama of July 20th, 1969 lives on. Brian Tanner remembers watching the Apollo 11 moon landing on his parents’ black and white Sylvania television. Like many others over the age of 40, he dreamed of traveling in space. Unlike most others, he’s building his own launch facility, now–at [...]
photo credit: bfick Once you create your blog, you’ve created the need to have not only content, but interesting content, several times a week. You want to find subjects that will keep your customers interested, make them want to interact with you, and that will also help them learn a little bit about what your [...]
Portrait Of An Entrepreneur: 40-Year-Old Family Man
Associated Press: What does an entrepreneur look like? A recent survey by the Kauffman Foundation, a pro-entrepreneur group, found that company founders, mostly in the technology sector, tended to be married, middle-class and middle-aged. • Family: Nearly 70 percent said they were married when they started the business. About 60 percent had at least one [...]
photo credit: Don Fulano In today’s business world it is no surprise that there are rumors going around in every company. Rumors of downsizing, cuts in pay and nasty rumors on layoffs. These rumors if not dealt with appropriately can become quite a bothersome act for all employees and end up causing large amounts of [...]
Mom-And-Pop Operators Key In A Marketing Edge
The New York Times: Three weeks after Curtis Kimball opened his crème brûlée cart in San Francisco, he noticed a stranger among the friends in line for his desserts. How had the man discovered the cart? He had read about it on Twitter. For Kimball, who conceded that he “hadn’t really understood the purpose of [...]
Free Printable Documents & Templates
Here’s a neat website I found this morning: FreePrintable.net. The site includes thousands of free printable documents and templates. The business section includes some very useful forms: Business Cards Fax Cover Sheets Stationery Cash Receipts Time Sheets Invoice Templates Business Form Templates Fax Cover Sheets Resume Templates Legal Pleading Templates Sample Resignation Letters Sample Cover [...]
photo credit: h.koppdelaney “Tips” are useless. “Systems” are unapproachable. “Techniques” are manipulative. “Moves,” however, DO work. What ever concept you choose to go with when marketing your product or service, your concept should almost explode in a way inside peoples minds. This is also known as an attention getter, something that is so spectacular they [...]
5 Bizs You Can Start For Under $20
About.com: Whether you’re starting a business on the side while still employed elsewhere, a student or homemaker looking for extra income, or unemployed and trying to figure out what to do, there are plenty of opportunities for you to start up a side business inexpensively. It’s unlikely any of these will make you a living [...]
Lawyer Turned Coach Builds The Wealth Spa To Help Likeminded Women Entrepreneurs
examiner.com: It’s not often we see the words “holistic” and “wealth” used in the same sentence, but holistic wealth is the theme Elizabeth Potts Weinstein promotes on her business coaching website, The Wealth Spa. “Being wealthy isn’t just about money,” Weinstein says. “We hear many stories about wealthy people who are miserable. What I like [...]
Mom’s Invention Makes Traveling With A Baby Easy
If you’ve ever had to travel with a baby, I’m willing to bet that you have a long list of necessities that are required to make the trip as pain-free as possible. Maybe you’d have a diaper bag on that list? How about a bottle warmer that you can use in the car? A storage [...]
3 Ways to Find an Angel Investor
photo credit: DownTown Pictures The following is a guest post by Sahail Ashraf. Here are three ways to find an angel investor. These investors can pump anything from $1,000 to $1m into your venture, so knowing how to find them is kind of important. Get out moreThis is basic stuff. You need to be visible [...]
Does the idea of camel milk appeal to you? In some countries, camel milk is called “liquid gold” for its healing and nutritional qualities. Camel’s milk has three times as much vitamin C as cow’s milk and contains high amounts of iron, unsaturated fatty acids and B vitamins.
Pets are Pampered, Even During Recession
photo credit: Piez A new survey from WSL Strategic Retail shows that less than 20 percent of pet owners have cut their spending on their pets. The majority of pet owners have continued to purchase premium pet food and products, even as they’ve cut expenses elsewhere. Turns out, pet supplies are often at the bottom [...]
Shipping: The Hidden Cost of Online Shopping
Online shopping is a convenient way for customers to seek out the best prices. But it is not as simple as one may think. The consumer decision-making process consists of five stages: Need Recognition Information Search Evaluation of Alternatives Purchase Decision Purchase Evaluation But what about the hidden costs of online shopping? How many of [...]
Small Business Trends: To list your local business in Bing, head to the Bing Local Listing Center. From there, you’ll be able to check to see if you already have a local listing set up. If you do, you can modify it. If not, now’s the perfect time to create one. Once you start creating/modifying [...]
MyCentralNJ: “The expressions and excitement you get from people … especially the looks from new mothers in the hospital — can’t be beat,” Guketlov said. “On the same day that baby is born, we are bringing up personalized candy bars with her baby’s picture on the bars, and she is handing out the bars when [...]
How One 19-Year Old Is Shaking Up Online Media
ReadWriteWeb: Michael van Poppel used to be like a lot of young people, trawling the internet for interesting news about the world. Just like many others have considered doing, he created a place where he could post the most interesting news he finds, as fast as he can. Today he’s one of the most-watched movers [...]
What if the Government Ran the Restaurants?
What if going to the doctor was like going to the DMV or Post Office? Here’s a great video about the pitfalls of government run healthcare.
CNNMoney.com: Weddings aren’t easy, particularly if you want an event that’s both unique and personal. Just ask Jodell Egbert, who came up with an elegant (and marketable) solution to the problem of getting married in rainy Seattle. Eschewing the traditional white tent, she bought a collection of colorful vintage umbrellas for her guests and then [...]
For Many Americans, Health Coverage Is Key
Reuters: Real estate agent Lisa DeWaal serves coffee at a Starbucks outlet for four hours every morning before she goes to the office to start her “day job.” The reason has little to do with the state of the housing market and everything to do with the one big perk that 20 hours a week [...]
Recession Turns Many Laid Off Workers Into Entrepreneurs
CNNMoney.com: Desperate for a job? How does CEO with a six-figure salary and flexible hours sound? With fewer jobs available and more people feeling shut out of the labor market, many would-be 9-5ers chose to go out on their own. Challenging economic times can encourage entrepreneurial capitalism, according to a recent study by the Ewing [...]
The Mom & Dad Behind Little Keeper Sleeper
examiner.com: Examiner: Tell me something unique/interesting about yourself. Kris: We met each other when we were sixteen years old and dated each other for ten years before getting married, so we are high school sweethearts! Many people are intrigued that we have triplets. In fact, it’s because of them that we were inspired to create [...]
Inc.: Imagine you owned a grocery store in which roughly half the people who loaded up shopping carts suddenly left them full in the aisles and took off without buying a thing. Most merchants would consider that a crisis, but on the Web, it’s the norm. The median abandonment rate is 40 percent for consumer-products [...]
Women Reign At Adult Slumber Party
What used to be a sleepover that included a bunch of school-aged girls, some dress up clothing, and make up, is now an adult only party. Filled with toys, catalogs, and chatter, these parties have one central theme: sex. Cindy Haebler has been a consultant with Slumber Parties for almost 9 years. During that time [...]
TheRecord.com: Realtor Mary Bales is too busy to walk her two dogs every afternoon. The solution is Dog Gone Walking, a pet-care business started seven years ago by Mandy Storey. “They do a great job,” Bales says. “They love and look after the dogs and give them the exercise in the middle of the day [...]
photo credit: HAMED MASOUMI Wired: “Electric airplanes are experiencing a development boom similar to that seen during the first airplanes 100 years ago. Electric cars are getting all the headlines, but aircraft designers around the world are working at a feverish pitch to bring to market an electric airplane that meets Federal Aviation Administration standards. [...]
Family Finds Niche Selling Scrubs
Chicago Tribune: Creating a thriving business in this sour economy is a tall order, but one local man has combined technology and ambition into a business plan that is showing promise after only a matter of months. Combining the convenience of Internet shopping, an ever-expanding medical field and competitive prices, James Bell saw a market [...]
BusinessWeek: Wally Blume worked in the dairy business for two decades, first for grocery chain Kroger and later as sales and marketing director for a large dairy in Michigan, where he helped market new ice cream flavors. But soon after another company purchased the dairy, Blume decided that the once-innovative company was falling short, prompting [...]
Unique Ways Entrepreneurs Are Raising Money
SmartMoney: Paula Conway only needed $3,000 to launch her Westport, Conn.-based travel information web site ConwayConfidential. While she didn’t have enough cash on hand to pay for the site, she did happen to have plenty of sugar, flour and icing. Rather than ask friends and family to hand her some cash, Conway sold them cupcakes [...]
Convenience Stores Tapping Into Twitter And Facebook
CSNews: Convenience store retailers are tapping into the popularity and reach of social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, to drum up more business. On its Facebook page this week, Quick Chek is offering a free iced coffee to all its Facebook fans when the chain attains its goal of reaching 1,500 fans. Meanwhile [...]
Work At Home And Make Big Money?
The New York Times: Most of us think we’re far too savvy to be taken in by some advertisement promoting a work-at-home opportunity that promises great income with minimal work. That’s for those rubes who also fall prey to Nigerian e-mail messages promising untold riches or who believe that a pill a day will melt [...]
Mr. Fixit: What it Used to Be Like in Small Towns
photo credit: HVargas Des Moines Register: A typical morning for Larry Lyon includes a lot of phone calls. The owner of Mr. Fix It always has repairs to make, new jobs to examine, contractors to direct. The first calls on Thursday came to Lyon’s office, conveniently attached to his Waukee home. Lyon, a member of [...]
photo credit: fdecomite We all find ourselves stressed and overwhelmed with too many things to cram into one day from time to time. Generally if there isn’t enough time to accomplish everything in one day then we put it off until tomorrow and so the busy cycle starts all over again. Here is a quick [...]
Mom Builds Business One Bead At A Time
Examiner.com: Coral Springs mom, Kay Klasen, started her home business, Kay’s Gems and Treasures, quite by accident. “A friend found stylus leashes for her children’s DS games online, but felt the price was too high. I started shopping for beads to make them, and got hooked on beading.” A working Mom with a special needs [...]
photo credit: aloshbennett Tim Berry recently posted an article suggesting that the age of newspapers is on it’s way out if not already out. However, I do still see many people today reading newspapers including myself. I think there is still a great deal of people who rely on the newspaper for their news, [...]
Direct Sales Opportunity Suits Mompreneur To A "Tea"
Brantford Expositor: “I’m a single-parent mom and I work full-time,” said Giosi, of Brantford. “This is a great way to supplement my income. “It’ll help pay for renovation or help with my daughter’s college or university education.” And, she added, there are a few other benefits. It is a heck of a lot of fun, [...]
LiveWire Keeps Their Distributors Buzzing
What makes energy drinks so popular is what makes people like LiveWire Energy, they give you the energy that you need. Except, with LiveWire you get the energy you need with less waste. There are no cans to worry about, just a little wrapper to toss when you are done. Just ask Tony Torgerud, a [...]
Ever seen a floor of pennies? The Standard Grill in the Standard Hotel New York has a floor that is tiled with literally thousands of pennies. Could you offer this service in your community? Sixteen pennies are one inch by 12 inches, so each square foot contains 192 pennies.
This chart of Internet users is amazing! It explains why so much of traffic comes from China and India! Click to enlarge.
Fishing Net Born Of Frustration
The Bass Lasso is a fish landing net that is self contained in the handle. When you’re ready to use it, you simply pull it out and lock it in place. A few years ago, Rod Presnell was fishing. He caught a catfish that was large enough to make him grab for the handle of [...]
A new company wants to use robots to carve advertising messages on the surface of the Moon. New Shadow Shaping technology creates images on the moon that can be seen from Earth. Robots are used to create several small ridges in the lunar dust over large areas that capture shadows and shape them to form [...]
Cops Bust Entrepreneurial Kids
photo credit: Adam Finley It happens every summer. Someone calls the police and reports that juveniles are selling their product on the street corner. What’s the “dangerous” product? Lemonade, of course. The call came in at 7:06 p.m. Juveniles, seven of them, on a quiet residential street, selling an uncontrolled substance: lemonade. A neighbor had [...]
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography The IdeaLady thinks that many businesses could sell more by starting a party plan. The businesses that stand to gain most from this type of direct sales program are those selling products that can be effectively demonstrated in a sort-of-social setting. Jewelry, cosmetics, clothing, kitchen gadgets, home accessories, children’s toys, [...]
Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar has compiled a great little list of 50 side business ideas that he’s collected. He thinks that “each of these ideas is very simple to start, and most can be done as a sole proprietorship at first.” Here’s a sampling: Antique refurbishment This is a perfect side business for [...]
Niche Biz: Billboards of the Past
Billboards of the Past sells old billboards – the actual full sized original artwork! The typical billboard is about 9 feet tall by 20 feet wide. via Coyote Blog.
Coffee Giant Opening Neighborhood Shops In Disguise
Chicago Tribune: A Seattle outlet of the 16,000-store coffee behemoth is being rebranded without visible Starbucks identifiers, as 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. Two other stores in Starbucks’ native Seattle will follow suit, each getting its own name to make it sound more like a neighborhood hangout, less like Big Coffee, a Starbucks official told [...]
Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, is giving away an AK-47 when you buy a pick-up truck! Here’s a video interview with the owner from CNN. Embedded video from CNN Video
This is neat. Do you have an idea for a board game? Check out this company: The Game Crafter is a new company that lets you build your own, fully customized, table-top games. Board games, card games — you name it, there’s a good chance these guys can put it together for you, with fully [...]
Complementary Inventions Produce Faster Revenue
Gerson Lehrman Group: With many companies reducing work forces, many capable people find themselves between jobs. Often times they have an idea or concept that they have been refining, but without the time to finish and take to market. The biggest mistake people make is that they invent a new product in a new product [...]
Internet Marketing: Is Regulation Coming?
BusinessWeek: The impetus to regulate online marketing may be gathering steam. On June 18 a House of Representatives subcommittee held a hearing to take a closer look at how advertisers gather and use information on consumers’ Web-surfing habits. Up to now the government has had a hands-off policy toward online marketing, giving companies relatively free [...]
