Archive for December 14th, 2010
Can you sell your brain on the internet? Matt About Business says you can: One of the least expensive items to sell online is your expertise. You already have have it, there are likely folks who want it and, perhaps most importantly, you have a great way to deliver it via the Internet. Photo by [...]
Never Get a “Real” Job: How to Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke
After getting out of college, Scott Gerber had to move back in with his parents because of his student loan debts. While his mother encouraged him to “get a real job”, Gerber decided to use the last $700 in his bank account to start a business. The company, called Sizzle It makes short promotional videos, [...]
Oldest Christmas Patent: An Ornament from 1868
After posting my previous Christmas patent post, I thought I’d look for the oldest Christmas related patent in the Google Patent Search. The oldest Christmas-related patent in Google’s Patent Search is for a “Design for a Christmas-Tree Ornament” from 1868 by Philipp Knorpp. Knorpp was a resident of Richmond County, NY. Richmond County is more [...]
Christmas is a time to profit from Santa-related knick-knacks, and What could be more festive than Santa shaped pasta noodles? Kraft Foods has a patent from 1993 on just that item. Do you see the resemblance?
Mutually Beneficial Home Business Networks
The industrial model of the big corporation, factory, etc. base their success on two basic elements The division of labor that allows individuals to specialize in areas of their strength and Economies of scale that allow overhead costs to be minimized For that reason, except in very small “niche markets” home production is overwhelmed by [...]
The New York Times reports that Mike Barrett does not have much of a yard at his two-story row house in Astoria, Queens. But that fact has not kept him from his new hobby of beekeeping — he put the hive on his roof. When it was harvest time this fall, he just tied ropes [...]
PSFK reports that the Speed Camera Lottery, in addition to photographing speed violators and issuing tickets, would also capture those vehicles that are driving within limits and enter them in a lottery to get a chance to win money from the revenue which was generated from speeding tickets. The idea was tested with great success [...]
Slow Progress For Women In Business
Women may make up for approximately half of the work force and their unemployment rate may be lower, but when it comes to the better paying jobs it is still a man’s world. According to Life Inc., Catalyst has found that women have held up to 14.4% executive positions in 2010. That’s up from 13.5%. [...]
Men’s Clothing Essentials, Direct To Your Door
It is often said that men do not like to shop. That stereotype is often true. For men that do not enjoy shopping there is Man Essentials. It is a subscription service that mails out underwear, undershirt, and sock packages over a set period of time. Men can keep their necessities freshly stocked without having [...]
According to The New York Times, for more than a decade, some of the nation’s shrewdest marketers have tried to muscle in on the neighborhood dry cleaner, only to give up after years of labor and millions of dollars in investments. Undeterred, Procter & Gamble is taking a shot at it, again. Having persuaded Americans [...]
Small Biz Confidence On The Rise
Small business confidence has seen a rise in November, making it the highest number since the recession began. According to Bloomberg, small business owners feel that sales and the economy will improve. The National Federation of Independent Business’s optimism index increased to 93.2, the highest since December 2007, from an October reading of 91.7. Seven [...]
While not a complete substitute for vigorous movement and exercise, the GymyGym Exercise Chair provides an opportunity for some much needed physical activity for the desk-chained knowledge workers of the world. Gizmag reports the user sits back on a stripped bungee seating system that’s said to mold itself to the shape and size of the [...]
Cool Invention: Boarding Pass Compass
Navigating an airport can be stressful even for experienced travelers so designers Kang Eun-Kyung and Park Ji-Eun thought a compass built into one’s boarding pass would be a great idea. The result is the Airport Compass, which is powered by a solid-state thin film battery, which needs very little energy and is flexible. The arrow [...]
