Archive for October 2010
How Could Facebook Empower Individual Entrepreneurs?
Fast Company reports that Facebook will enable more people to start and run their own businesses, according to a new study from Sweden’s Uppsala University. It will also change the ways people work. A realistic effect of social media is that many costs of running operations will decline in the long run,” said Håkan Selg, [...]
The Way Is Up For Young African Inventors
Gabriel Nderitu has no background in aviation engineering but he has always wanted to fly reports Guardian.co.uk. Now he is close to finishing building his own twin-seater aircraft, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that he’s done so in the backyard of his home in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. So [...]
Entrepreneur Creates iPad Accessory
According to Tulsa World, Todd Andrews got an iPad the first day it went on sale, and he loves everything about the tablet computer — well, almost everything. I loved it for what it was, but sometimes it can be uncomfortable to hold,” he said. Rather than just gripe about it, the Tulsa resident decided [...]
Inventor’s Journal: BEX Runner
In today’s episode, Rich Whittle talks with Brett Warner, inventor of the Better Exercise Experience Runner and how he used an MBA class to help him start his own business. Listen Now: Or download: Inventor’s Journal: BEX Runner Website: BetterExerciseExperience.com Facebook: BEXrunner If you would like to keep up with Bex Runner, join up as [...]
Getting Your Product Onto Retail Shelves
Business owners with a product to sell often dream of winning shelf space in the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world. But these days, with the recovery dragging, it is a challenge to get shelf space in any store. According to The New York Times, here is how Brian Chossek, the president of Garlic Gold [...]
Win A Trip To Sir Richard Branson’s Island
One start-up business owner will win a day at Virgin Airlines founder Sir Richard Branson’s private island to network with the experienced entrepreneur. According to the OC Register, that’s the top prize in a startup competition for the third Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 15 to 21.The Startup Open will identify “The GEW 50″: the 50 [...]
Startup Turns Trash Into Chemical Cash
Fast Company reports that Genomatica, a startup best known for figuring out how to make spandex from sugar cane and E.coli, has a new trick up its sleeve: producing chemicals from trash. The startup, which relies on microbes to turn renewable feedstocks into major market chemicals, recently patented a method to use synthetic gas as [...]
A recent post at The Wall Street Journal is taking a second look at MBA programs and whether you really need one. Aspiring entrepreneurs should only begin downloading the Harvard Business School application after considering the following drawbacks to pursuing the degree: Time Lost in School To earn an M.B.A. from most full-time programs, you [...]
You’ve probably seen a lot of variations of bikes already and even perhaps choose one for yourself. But this bike allow you to be absolutely unique! Swiss art director Juri Zaech came up with a witty and original series of bikes. Their frames are created in form of elegant inscriptions of names of their owners. [...]
Breaking Through The Glass Ceiling
Eileen Burza, chief financial officer and senior vice president of Perdue Farms, recently spoke at Salisbury University about the progress that women are making and how much farther they have yet to come reports DelmarvaNow.com “I guess I’m a woman in business, but I’ve never really thought about being a woman, any more than being [...]
Best Friend Bracelets With Zip
There is one trend that has remained the same for middle and high school girls over the years: friendship jewelry. Whether it was a pair of necklaces with the broken heart charm or a pair of bracelets that matched, young women have found ways to tell their closest friends that they care through the use [...]
No Ad From Walmart Until Nov. 21
It’s a bit early yet for Black Friday ads to appear, but Walmart is hoping to stop the early release of its blockbuster this year sending out letters to Web sites specializing in Black Friday coverage, including WalletPop, saying its ad can’t be posted before Nov. 21: a mere five days before the big shopping [...]
THAT’S MY BUSINESS!: Recipe Relish
In today’s episode, Rich Whittle talks with Joan Chamberlain, inventor of the Recipe Nest recipe organizer, about how to get your product on store shelves. Listen Now: Or download: That’s My Business!: Recipe Relish Website:Recipe Relish
Tracking Your Offline Marketing
If you’re not tracking the results of your marketing, you’re not really marketing, you’re just throwing your money down into a wishing well and hoping that someone at the bottom throws even more money back up at you. But, we all know how hard it is to throw a dollar bill up a wishing well, [...]
College Students Have The Fever…Startup Fever
According to Businessweek, New York University seniors Katie Shea and Susie Levitt were interning in Manhatten when their sore feet inspired them to start a $10,000 dorm-room company selling foldable flat shoes that come in their own tote bag. A year later they have imported 70,000 pairs from China that retail for between $10 and [...]
In 2006, as oil prices spiked and people began having trouble meeting their heating costs, one ‘tinkerer’ started looking at alternatives. Edward A. Pratt ended up creating a solar-powered solution reports The Berkshire Eagle. Pratt, who refers to himself as a “tinkerer,” began experimenting with the idea of a self-contained, portable, energy-efficient heating device. After [...]
Originally marketed as a sophisticated e-reader and multimedia toy for adults, Apple’s iPad is finding its true calling as a pricey diversion for cranky, restless tots, reports The New York Post. I’ve been out to dinner several times recently where I noticed parents at nearby tables who had kids with iPads,” says Brooklyn blogger Erica [...]
Visa Give Kiva $1 Million For Micro-loans To U.S. Business Owners
Kiva, mostly known for connecting lenders with business owners in developing countries, partnered with ACCION USA and Opportunity Fund a year ago to help entrepreneurs in the U.S. get the micro-loans they need to grow their business. Visa has recently decided to get into the mix by donating $1 million dollars reports the San Francisco [...]
Mike Michalowicz in an article for The Wall Street Journal reports on a clever way to get advertising for free. Count the signs listing phone numbers as you drive down the street in a commercial area, or the number of ads you notice as you surf the net or leaf through the Yellow Pages. Signs [...]
A New Twist On Islamic Head Scarves
It was one of the holiest nights of Ramadan in Southern California when Marwa Atik decided to show off her self-designed head scarf reports the Los Angeles Times. By the end of the evening one woman turned to her and asked, “How can I get one?” For Marwa, the rest is history. Atik has taken [...]
Do Students Own Rights To Homework, Notes?
According to a story in The Los Angeles Times, recent graduate Ryan Stevens sought to put his business degree from Cal State Sacramento to use by creating a website where students can buy and sell lecture notes, old homework, study guides and other class materials. The site, NoteUtopia.com, which was launched in August, is intended [...]
Online Invoices Get Paid Twice As Fast
Web-based invoices that give the recipient the option to pay online result in payments being made twice as fast as those that do not, according to data from Harvest, an online time-tracking and invoicing product. ReadWriteWeb reports based on a sample of data containing over 250,000 paid invoices from their system, Harvest found that the [...]
Google’s New Billion-Dollar Bizs
According to Mashable.com, during its Q3 earnings call, Google not only discussed its impressive earnings, but it did something it has never done before: It broke down the numbers from some of its key businesses, including YouTube and mobile. Google CFO Patrick Pichette made it clear in the call that not only had Google never [...]
The Tricycle That Replaced The Car
One forward thinking inventor feels that his bicycle is all that someone needs to run to the store reports The Huffington Post. Saul Griffith, the chronically industrious inventor and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” award, has developed a new economical way of making the brief trips that seem to occupy so much of our lives. [...]
Haunted Houses Saving Family Farms
Did you know that haunted houses and pumpkin patch are saving the family farm? The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting article up today about this trend: Glenn Boyette used to be afraid he’d lose his family farm. Now he’s busy making money by making other people scared. Over the past four years, Mr. [...]
Pandora Brings Mobile Advertising to Small Bizs
In a bid to further expand its local ad revenue, Pandora has opened up its mobile advertising platform to small to mid-sized businesses, according to a story at Mashable.com. That means that advertisers can now run both banner and audio campaigns across Pandora mobile applications, which the company says account for more than half of [...]
Super Soaker Inventor Takes Aim At Solar Power
When you think of Lonnie Johnson, the first thought to pop up in your head is probably that famous water gun he created. His not-so-little invention, the Super Soaker, has been a big hit with kids for years. Now, however, he has taken a new turn in inventing reports The Atlantic. Johnson’s latest JTEC prototype, [...]
$1,000 For Each Jobless Worker Hired
According to USA TODAY, a suburban Philadelphia philanthropist who believes charity is a powerful incentive thinks he can help get Americans back to work one donation at a time. Gene Epstein, 71, is promoting a $250,000 effort called Hire Just One, with plans to make $1,000 donations to charity in the name of businesses that [...]
A Clothes Line That Wraps Around The World
What if you could put a shirt on someone else’s back by simply shopping for some clothes? World Clothes Line, founded by Mallory Brown, has given people the option to give to those in need by simply buying the clothes sold on her website. Depending on the section you purchase from, you can help clothe [...]
Wal-Mart Wants To Sell More Local Produce
The Associated Press is reporting that Wal-Mart Stores plans to double its sales of locally sourced produce in the U.S. by the end of 2015. The move by the world’s biggest retailer is part of a new sustainable agriculture strategy that looks to steer more business to small and medium-sized farmers globally while also reducing [...]
Inventors Cash In On Bed Bug Fears
With bed bug fears on the rise in New York City, a cottage industry for “cures” is being fueled reports NBC-TV.` Inventor Jonathan Donchey has been selling his “Seat Defenders,” which are essentially trash bags sized to fit chairs, to moviegoers. Donchey isn’t alone. Allen Lewinter said his company’s spray, “Sleep Tite,” works like a [...]
Aiming to extend the “reuse” stage for more industrial materials, Houston-based RecycleMatch helps companies with unwanted waste find companies that want to reuse it, reports trendspotter Springwise. RecycleMatch seeks “to create an industrial ecosystem in which the use of energy and materials are optimized, waste is minimized, and there is an economically viable role for [...]
Taking A Step Into Shoe Design
Monika Desai set out a few shoes on a table in a cafeteria at a local business and invited the women there to come down and try them on. From the mad rush that followed, you would think that the big sign announcing “Shoes!” really wasn’t necessary reports Boston.com. “We got a mob of women,’’ [...]
The “Take The Guilt Out Of Online Shipping” Patent
Amazon.com is trying to take the guilt out of online shipping with its patent for “Environmentally conscious electronic transactions” reports Fast Company. The patent, granted earlier this week, explains that Amazon hopes to offer both carbon credits and environmentally friendly shipping options. The catch? You have to wait longer–and pay more–for your packages. An environmentally [...]
Makeup Boutique Creates Playtime For Women
Between acne, psoriasis and chickenpox, Melissa Falkner soon found her calling in life. She was afflicted by all three as a kid and she had the scars to prove it. At first it never really bothered her, until she hit her teen years reports Go San Angelo. “I had a passion for makeup since I [...]
Tech Innovators and Entrepreneurs: “We Want You”
Fast Company reports that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a point of stopping by the San Francisco Bay Area to ask for something completely different: the tech world’s energy and expertise. Over the past couple of years, the State Department has been reaching out to the tech world for help with their diplomatic and [...]
There are several ways of finding business ideas. According to James Abola over at the Daily Monitor, his favorite source of business ideas is to start a business that addresses the frustrations of the customers. If you notice that so many people are getting frustrated by something then you could be on to a great [...]
Entrepreneurs Invited To Pitch Start-Up Biz Ideas
Entrepreneurs who want to test their start-up business idea can do just that by entering The Big Sell Entrepreneurs in Action competition. Developed by Purdue University Calumet and its Center for Entrepreneurship Success in cooperation with the Hammond Development Corporation, the competition provides a dream opportunity, according to Center for Entrepreneurship Success Director Dushan Nikolovski, [...]
Weekend Wrap-Up for Oct.16, 2010
Listen Now: Or download: Weekend Wrap-up Oct. 16, 2010 Sorry, the Weekend Wrap-up is a little late in coming out this week due to technical issues. As for the “What Is It?” contest, on Friday we showed a patent drawing and five possible answers. You guys are hard to fool. 56 percent of those responding [...]
Word of Mouth Marketing: 90% Offline
It isn’t surprising to hear that the average American consumer mentions specific brand names 60 times per week in conversations. In personal relationships, people talk most often and most convincingly about topics that they are passionate and knowledgeable about.. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Since customers care about the products and services [...]
Here’s the official drawing of a recently patented product. And here are five possible answers to the question, what is it? Leaf And Debris Sweeper Electric Head Shaving Device Apparatus For Buffing Tile Robotic Highway Marking Device Manual Zamboni View Results We’ll give you the correct answer in Saturday morning’s weekend wrap-up. Photo by USPTO.
School Warns Recent Grad Over Notes Selling Business
Inspired by his time at school, Ryan Stevens put his business degree to work. He set up a website that allows students to sell their notes and study materials, as well as communicate with classmates within the community reports the Los Angeles Times. The site, NoteUtopia.com, which was launched in August, is intended to function [...]
Laura Berg Wins 2010 SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur Award
For mom entrepreneurs in Canada, this time of the year is a good time to look towards the future. This is also the time that SavvyMom announces their Mom Entrepreneur of the year. Along with the honor comes a variety of prizes that are donated by various sponsors. This year that honor goes to Laura [...]
Convenience With An Eye On Health
Emmanuel Dieujuste worked at a security guard for five years. As he watched important men in suits walk past him, it wasn’t the rich life that he was dreaming about. Rather, he wanted to start his own health-conscious convenience store reports ctpost.com. This month, he started doing that at Convenience Grand Grocery. But, he says, [...]
VentrureBeat reports that Shapeways allows users to design and print objects using a 3D printer. The company just added silver to its range of materials. Objects could previously be printed in glass, steel, plastic and a high-performance composite that hardens like a cement to produce full-color objects. To print an object, users either use 3D [...]
Ever wish you could own an island? Well, if the price is too high for you then maybe you should make one instead. According to the MailOnline, a British inventor, Richard ‘Rishi’ Sowar, has created his very own island in the Caribbean using 120,000 plastic bottles and some ingenuity. Filling fabric bags with the discarded [...]
How You Pay For Stuff Could Determine How Much You Pay
According to a story at USA Today, soon the form of payment you use could also influence the price you pay for your purchase. Last week, the Department of Justice and seven states filed a lawsuit that charged Visa, MasterCard and American Express with engaging in anti-competitive practices. At issue are rules that prohibit retailers [...]
Entrepreneur Magazine Bullying Their Way To The Top
If you have the word “entrepreneur” somewhere within your business or product name, then you’re probably well aware of the siege that Entrepreneur Magazine is taking against businesses like yours. While they might not be coming armed with guns and ammo, their weapon of choice is the lawsuit reports BusinessReview USA. For the last several [...]
App Savvy: Turning Ideas into iPad and iPhone Apps Customers Really Want
How can you make your iPad or iPhone app stand out in the highly competitive App Store? While most books simply explore the technical aspects of iPad and iPhone app design and development, App Savvy also focuses on the business, product, and marketing elements critical to pursuing, completing, and selling your app—the ingredients for turning [...]
Oprah Names Her Favorite IPad Apps
Oprah’s a big fan of the iPad — she gave all her magazine staffers one earlier this year — and she’s spent a fair amount of time finding her favorites among the vast iTunes app store. According to AdAge, at the annual American Magazine Conference, which wrapped up in her hometown of Chicago today, she [...]
