Archive for April 2011
Not sure which books should be included in your business information library? The Christian Science Monitor has put together a short list of books that they feel every entrepreneur should have. What would you add to the list? The E-Myth and The E-Myth Revisited In a relatively short book, Gerber gives a realistic job preview [...]
Frida: The Production Line Robot
FastCompany: Swiss manufacturer ABB has revealed a prototype robot called Frida that’s designed to be dexterous enough to replace a human being on a production line. It’s a good thing that’ll alleviate employee shortages, not subjugate the human race. Frida stands for Friendly Robot for Industrial Dual-arm Assembly, and the whole concept is pretty interesting. [...]
When some people think of a scarf that will help keep hair dry, their thoughts often turn to the scarves and clear plastic tie-on hats that don’t usually offer much beyond function. However, one mompreneur is ready to change that by offering a more stylish option. Her unique rain scarf is called the Pop.N.Go. Each [...]
The Deadly Fears of Entrepreneurship
Fear can be good, and it can be bad too. It may prepare you to do your best, but if you’re not careful, fear can also stop you from reaching your full potential. Success Magazine has recently covered a few fears you should keep your eye on. The fear of failing in business. Businesses fail [...]
Stikitty Halts Kitty Litter Tracking
You know that mess of litter just outside the litter box? It’s that section which constantly requires vacumming because household cats track the litter around the house on their paws. Many cat owners realize that is simply a part of having a pet. However, some people still want the cat without the litter mess. For [...]
Niche Biz: Toys Not Made in China
Nmctoys.com (NotMadeinChina) sells toys that aren’t made in China. There was much news regarding the quality and safety of toys produced in China during the summer of 2007. We walked through the toy department of big box retailers and could not find a toy produced outside of China. Gone were the wooden blocks, dolls and [...]
Baltimore Tech Entrepreneur Collaborate Over Startup Weekend
One app can estimate the ratio of single versus married people within a bar. Another app helps teachers use Facebook as a tool. There is even a website that lets owners of vacant property determine what kind of business should move into the neighborhood, reports The Baltimore Sun. These are a handful of apps that [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: April 19
1892 – Charles Duryea claims to have driven the first automobile in the United States, in Springfield, Massachusetts. 1919 – Leslie Irvin of the United States makes the first successful voluntary free-fall parachute jump using a new kind of self-contained parachute. 1928 – The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published. [...]
Mother-Daughter Team Combine Talents In Real Estate
Sometimes while working on a real estate contract, Betsy Gorman will drop a quick email to her partner for details. On occasion she’ll also send one of her kids across the street for paperwork. Sometimes her partner fills in for her, and often she fills in for her partner, reports The Washington Post. “She jokingly [...]
Alli Sharifi has her own business card, and the Northbrook Patch believes her card most likely has more flair than your own. After all, she is an 11 year old girl that runs an entertainment-style business. She is available for face painting and other entertainment at birthday parties. Sharifi also plans a summer day camp [...]
Red Bull Vending Fraud Sends Man to Prison
This site’s code of ethics reads: I strive to only list quality businesses opportunities. I will not knowingly promote junk bizops, and will actively take a stand against them. Since I’ve posted about Red Bull vending machines in the past, it’s only right that I post an update on a scheme by Creative Concepts of [...]
House Committee Passes Patent Reform Bill
For any inventor that has been keeping their eye on the progress of patent reform, it has passed another hurdle. The next step is to put it up for vote before the full House, reports Reuters. The committee voted 32-3 for the bill that allows more public feedback on applications to prevent bad patents from [...]
Go Fly A Kite (And Save Fuel Too)!
When was the last time you saw a kite-like device flying on a boat? While it may appear to be a fun toy at first, a special device called SkySails is helping these boats save money on fuel by harnessing the power of air, reports AFP. The 160-square-metre (524-square-foot) kite, tethered to a yellow rope, [...]
More Women Joining The Ranks Of Entrepreneur
When jobs in her area began to disappear, Jeannel King knew the time had come for her to try something a little different. According to SD Metro, she began to dream of entrepreneurial opportunities. She envisioned how drawings could bring mere words to life – through a new career as a graphic recorder and meetings [...]
KidZania: The Disneyland of Capitalism
What would Disneyland be like if children could work in the mines with the Seven Dwarves, engineer the Disneyland Railroad, or sweep out Sleeping Beauty’s Castle? If they got paid and could deposit their earnings in Uncle Scrooge McDuck’s Bank, it would be a little like KidZania, a multinational chain of family entertainment centers, where [...]
Want to do something different this summer? Have an extra $70k burning a whole in your pocket? Why not rent an entire country? For a night. The Principality of Liechtenstein rents for $70,000 per night. Bargain hunters can rent a German or a Swiss village for a mere $50,000 a night. Country, city and village [...]
The City That Outsourced Everything
Reason.tv: While cities across the country are cutting services, raising taxes and contemplating bankruptcy, something extraordinary is happening in a suburban community just north of Atlanta, Georgia. Since incorporating in 2005, Sandy Springs has improved its services, invested tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure and kept taxes flat. And get this: Sandy Springs has [...]
Building Homes Out Of Plastic Trash
Harvey Lacey remembers the day he first came up with his idea for sustainable housing. He woke up from a deep sleep with a clear picture in his head of what he wanted to do, reports SMU Daily Campus. And the Ubuntu Blox house was born. Lacey’s house is a low-cost sustainable model that is [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: April 18
1924 – Simon & Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book. 1930 – BBC Radio announces that there is no news on that day. If it wasn’t for the crossword puzzle book that Simon & Schuster introduced in 1924, I’d say that just like this day in 1930, nothing much has ever happened on April [...]
A college student recently asked Entrepreneur if a college degree is necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. What do you think? A number of people might argue that a college education isn’t necessary, but I think it is important to get a college degree before becoming an entrepreneur. The education you receive may or may [...]
Not everyone can afford to own a sports team, but — thanks to Darren Thompson — owning a piece of the Toronto Maple Leafs may become a reality, reports thestar.com. So far, Thompson says he has attracted 7,000 pledges with a value of $100 million, and that progress helped create a favourable impression after meetings [...]
While pregnant with her first child, Annie Tandy had trouble keeping her jeans from sliding down while wearing her maternity band. As an engineer by trade, she knew there had to be a simple solution. So, she created one. That solution became Pocket Dots, reports Western Springs Patch. Getting an idea from the drawing board [...]
The next time you need a little inspiration to help you get through a rough patch with your business, consider the success stories of entrepreneurs that began with nearly nothing. San Francisco Chronicle shares a couple of the most popular business stories available today. Henry Ford He started Ford Motor Company with just $28,000 – [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: April 14
1828 – Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary. 1860 – The first Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California. 1894 – The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films. 1927 – The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden. [...]
Scoring With In-Game Product Freebies
Brian Wong does not see the world of mobile game advertising stopping at those little banners that pop up in free games. In his opinion, the real money is between levels, reports The Globe and Mail. So far, his company Kiip (pronounced keep) has convinced the likes of Dr. Pepper, GNC, Sephora, Sony and 1-800-Flowers.com [...]
NY Moms & Mompreneurs Connecting Online
Moms can use just about any resource they can get their hands on. For New York moms, that new resource has become NY Mom’s World. The website has recently launched to help moms and mompreneurs find family activities and business resources all on one page. Offering a treasure-trove of searchable resources for such things as [...]
While many people are starting businesses to try and improve the future, some people are more than happy to look back at the great inventions from our past. Don Gfell is the owner of Sights and Sounds of Edison, a phonograph recreation and restoration business located in the hometown of Edison himself. Sandusky Register reports [...]
Antibacterial Hand Grips For Gym Equipment
If you spend much time at the gym, you can probably guess the number of germs being passed from person to equipment and back to another person. Sometimes the germs can seem never ending! Dawn Meifert was sick and tired of being, well, sick. Every time she felt good again, a trip to the gym [...]
Inventor Goes From Cars To Mountain Bikes
It was Chris Williams’ goal to build the best mountain bike. So he left his job building cars and motorcycles to go in search of his dream. Today his bikes are being raced by riders in the World Cup, reports The Citizen. His downhill bike is cast from just three parts and comes from his [...]
Convention Grabs Ideas From Kid Inventors
Cincinnati’s first Invention Convention recently brought together a group of kids with the mind to innovate. Everything from vitamin dispensers to motorized spaghetti forks were present. According to Cincinnati.com, the convention brought together a total of 80 students. Dane Doebereiner, 10, of Maineville, walked away with the grand prize, a $2,500 college scholarship, for his [...]
Parents are always looking for fun, safe activities for their kids. What could be more fun than cooking? According to Pennington Post, Chris Toto had trouble keeping the doors of her business open a short while back. Although her physical shop at to shut down, she opened up her virtual doors under a new name: [...]
Can You Become An Expert in 10,000 Hours?
In the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell there’s a theory that posits that if you do anything for 10,000 hours, you’ll be an expert. A former commercial photographer named Dan McLaughlin has decided to put the theory to the test. Although he’d never golfed before, could he become a professional golfer in 10,000 hours? That [...]
Tech Entrepreneurs Heading To Boot Camp In NYC
New York City is opening its arms this summer to a new generation of tech entrepreneurs, reports New York Daily News. They are receiving the unique opportunity to fast track their startups with funds, free office space, and valuable contacts. Out of hundreds of applicants, about 50 entrepreneurs will be chosen to participate in New [...]
Shave & A Haircut: More Than Two Bits
According to Inc., haircare is a really growing industry: The folliclely focused fields are experiencing a renaissance, not just in the rise of boutique salons and barber shops that double as bars but also in the number of people learning the profession. Cosmetology and barber schools is the No. 1 fastest growing industry for 2011, [...]
Asthma is caused by an inflammation of the airways. When an attack occurs, the muscles surrounding the airways get tight as the lining of the air passages swell. This reduces the amount of air that can flow through them. In most people, asthma is triggered by a variety of environmental factors, including: Animals (pet hair [...]
Business Week: The Facebook application High School Memories lets people share recollections of their teenage years. It might surprise some users to learn that the app’s creator isn’t old enough for high school himself. Cyrus Pishevar, a 13-year-old resident of Palo Alto, California, developed High School Memories after seeing how popular it was for his [...]
Can You Build Equity In A Business Without Any Money? Maybe…
The following is a guest post from Chuck Huckaby of our Work at Home blog. I am fascinated by the cooperative movement. I would love to see work at home businesses emerge which could form larger cooperatives and enable people to have the benefits of working at home without being “on their own”. Sometimes cooperatives [...]
Interview With A Rep: It Works!
If there is one industry to be in, health and wellness is the place to be. Everyone wants to look and feel good. It Works! is a direct selling company that is well aware of this need. Colleen Pontes is not only an Independent Distributor for It Works!, but she is also a health and [...]
Ad Supported Kindle: What’s Next? Free?
Amazon has just released a new advertising supported Kindle for $114. The new Kindle contains advertising in it’s screensaver. The old, ad free, Kindle is still available for $139. How soon until Amazon is giving this things away? November 2011, if the predictions are correct.
Just as Don Quixote’s passion kept him from seeing that he was attacking windmills, your own passion can cloud your judgment. The Christian Science Monitor considers the good and the bad that comes with a passionate business idea, and why you should not let your passion stop you form looking at the whole truth. For [...]
Two BYU students created a webservice called DivvyThat.com to split utility bills between roomates. Universe has more: Dusty Hulet was explaining to a professor the business idea of electronically splitting utility costs between roommates when a student approached him; he said his roommates owed him $200 each for months of utility bills. Having utility costs [...]
A Radio Shack That Gives Away Guns
A Radio Shack franchisee in Montana is offering new subscribers to Dish Network a useful accessory – a free firearm. Steve Strand, owner of a RadioShack outlet in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, says subscriptions to the Dish Network package have tripled since he started giving away pistols and shotguns last autumn. He told Reuters the bulk [...]
Doing Laundry for Everyone Else
You’ve heard the saying “Have Gun, Will Travel.” One West Virgina mother who’s put her washer and dryer to work, should advertise with the slogan “Have Washer, Will Travel.” The Charlestown Gazette has more Most mothers of two active grade-schoolers dread laundry day. Allison Plants revels in it. It’s the bubbly brunette’s ticket to being [...]
I just found another great startup on Kickstarter. This one is a panoramic video lens for your iPhone: The GoPano micro is a lens for the iPhone 4 to make 360º panoramic videos! Just snap the lens to your iPhone 4 and press record to make cool interactive 360º videos. Use it to record all [...]
It is not easy being a working mom. While heading off to do one job during th day, the rest of the time is spent at another job: parenthood. The owners of Poppies are aware of just how hard these amazing women work, so they have decided to showcase the products made by women within [...]
Small Businesses Growing Again
Deanna Bellacicco Breault is making over her social media presence, hiring a part-time marketing consultant, and playing with the possibility to sell her products on QVC. Another biscotti maker, Debbie Sadowsky, is giving her product packaging a makeover and in the middle of relaunching her website. For both women, it is a sign of growth, [...]
Coming Soon: The Bank of Wal-Mart?
InvestorGuide: Wal-Mart is still in the early stages of banking, hoping to ultimately create a branded bank, much to the vehement opposition of the U.S. banking industry. The company has been twice denied takeovers of banks, but it has expanded its financial services drastically and silently through partnerships with Discover, GE Consumer Finance, MoneyGram International [...]
Most people would not give the hammer in their garage or shed a second thought. After all, the job it fills is quite simple. The person picks it up, and it hammers things. However, Kenneth Del Colgiano felt that was not good enough. Kenneth has created the Wise Hammer. It not only hammers things, but [...]
Entrepreneur Shares Biz Savvy With Young Women In Need
Shawna Spencer was the proud owner of a high-end shoe boutique. While the shoes inside cost between $250 to $1200, she saw an unfortunate trend outside those doors. She had a disturbing encounter with some high school girls one day, and she was inspired to make a difference. So Shawna created I Am You. It [...]
iPhone Jailbreaking a Lucrative Industry
Washington Post: Kevin Lee, a George Mason University senior, says he earns about $50,000 a year with an illicit-sounding pitch on Craigslist: “Get Your iPhone Jailbroken Today.” Within minutes, the computer science major can download code onto his customers’ iPhones and fling open the portal to an alternative world of apps and software that Apple [...]
