Business Opportunities Weblog

September 25, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Inc.:

Everyone likes presents on their birthday — including your customers. Creating a “birthday club” could ensure that you have many happy returning customers.

Birthday Connections, a new service launched by Moving Targets, a Perkasie, Pa.-based direct-mail marketing company, allows small-business owners to create and send birthday offers based on specific demographics and geographic areas.

Such birthday programs are ideal for restaurants, nail salons, and other types of retail businesses that have limited ad budgets and not enough time or expertise for new marketing campaigns.

Birthday Connections works with business owners to define a range of people they want to reach. Using Moving Target’s database technology, Birthday Connections can compile a mailing list for customers in a certain ZIP code, age range, gender, or even income bracket.

Business owners then create the terms of their offer — whether it be a free dessert or a 25 percent discount during the month of the customer’s birthday — and then choose the format for delivery, either a birthday card or a letter.

Companies can also choose to use a pre-designed card or have Birthday Connections create a custom one for them with their company logo.

Photo by Birthday Connections.

In Customer Service, Giveaways, Ideas | 0 Comments

September 24, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

The Murfreesboro Post:

Danny and Rebecca Westergard have never been ones to take things slowly.

When it is right, they know.

“We don’t like to sit back and say, “What if?” she said.

It doesn’t matter if the decision is about their relationship or the business they opened Aug. 1
The Westergards opened Barfield Paint & Supply at 220 Barfield Crescent Road to provide paint and painting supplies to residents of southern Murfreesboro. The independently owned and operated store carries DeVoe and Glidden paints for indoor and outdoor projects and some painting supplies.

Barfield Paint & Supply is the “new face in paint in Murfreesboro,” Danny, 31, remarked.

“It is the American dream to own your own business,” he said. “People say that but we wanted to do it.”

Danny saw a need for a paint store in the fast growing south Murfreesboro and the heavily trafficked South Church Street.

“It just seemed like a really good fit,” he said.

Danny himself was tired of driving across town to big box retailers to buy paint.

“When we would get paint, it would take us 45 minutes to get there and get back,” Rebecca, 33, said.

“We have enjoyed some modest success,” Danny said “The challenge for us is getting our name out.”
Customers, however, continue to tell the Westergards how much they appreciate them opening the store.

“I guess convenience is one of our best attributes here,” Danny said.

Despite being in their early 30s, the couple has been married 12 years and has three children Sydney, 6, Hannah, 4, and Daven, 20 months.

In Life, News | 0 Comments

September 24, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

Sioux City Journal:

In a small red room tucked in the basement of her home, Emily Rohan fashions necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and brooches from sterling silver, teal and yellow turquoise, jade, carnelian and a host of other precious stones.

On the other side of a black curtain, Lillie, 5, Isabel, 3 1/2, and Sophie, 9 months, watch TV, while mom works.

Rohan is working two jobs simultaneously, jewelry maker and mother. She said her situation is ideal.

“I’ve always loved making things and making jewelry, drawing, everything like that, but I never wanted being a mom to mean that I had to quit doing that kind of stuff,” she said. “I think a lot of people when they have kids, their kids become their absolute everything. I love my kids. My kids are my everything, but I also don’t want to lose who I am either.”

After the birth of her first daughter, Melissa Curry, of Elk Point, S.D., went from working full-time at Morningside College to becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom. When her second daughter was born, Curry caught the entrepreneurial itch.

“When I was a stay-at-home mom, I was kind of struggling doing that,” she said. “I loved to be home with my kids, but it was like I just needed something to fulfill the entrepreneurial side of me.”

Curry attended a purse party and instantly knew she wanted to sell trendy hand bags in people’s homes. Curry conducted some research on the Internet before ordering 300 hand bags from reputable vendors. She invited everyone she knew to her home for her first purse party. From there Curry’s business took off.

Image from Emily’s Jewelry.

In Ecommerce, News | 0 Comments

September 24, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

Inc.:

Alex Algard is a true entrepreneur. His companies – WhitePages.com and CarDomain.com – are born from his passions. Both are thriving businesses in Seattle. Both survived the dotcom bust – no small feat!

As a Stanford University graduate student, Algard was frustrated by his inability to track down an old friend: he wasted time on Internet searches and wasted money calling 411. He created a better, less costly way to access directory assistance information.

WhitePages.com began as a dorm-room hobby. In 1997 he purchased the domain name and went live as online phone directory. It caught on like wildfire. By the end of 2000 more than one million people used WhitePages.com each month, prompting Algard to incorporate it and sell online advertising.

Under his leadership, the company has been profitable since 2000, and earned more than $52 million in 2006. Today it is the 41st most trafficked Website used by more than 23 million people each month. It powers 150 million searches monthly!

Algard founded CarDomain in 1998 as an online destination for automotive enthusiasts. It’s one of the earliest Web 2.0 companies, with a focus around online communities. Alex has served as chairman and CEO at CarDomain; today he’s Chief Car Enthusiast.

Photo by CarDomain.com.

In College, Internet, Startup | 2 Comments

September 24, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Entrepreneur:

First, gourmet chocolate was all the rage. Recently, we told you about about gourmet marshmallows. And now, it’s all about premium sodas.

The $15.6 billion soda industry is diversifying with beverages like Jones Soda Company’s Blue Bubble Gum Soda, Izze Beverages’ Sparkling Clementine and Cricket Green Tea Cola.

Though these specialty sodas may take a while to reach the status of Coke and Pepsi, industry insiders say it’s only a matter of time. “Soda is an indulgence, a treat … [and] when consumers want to indulge they want to indulge in something that’s really good,” said Peter van Stolk, president and founder of Jones Soda.

Some restaurants are picking up on the trend by matching entrees with premium sodas that will complement or highlight the taste of their food, just like they do with beer and wine.

Photo by Jones Soda Co..

In Food, Niche, Success | 0 Comments

September 24, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Entrepreneur:

Childhood friends Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott were in between jobs in 2002 when Flatley, ever the health nut, began making all-natural granola in her kitchen and enlisted Synnott to help.

“The whole food chain [has become] so processed and filled with artificial ingredients,” says Synnott. “[To both of us], it just didn’t make sense why you would want to put that in your body, if you are what you eat.”

Flatley and Synnott each invested $3,500 and moved back in with their parents as they began selling hand-wrapped bags of granola at street fairs.

Repeatedly pitching Bear Naked products to local grocer Stew Leonard’s yielded no response. Finally, Flatley and Synnott upped the ante: At 7 o’clock one morning, they showed up in matching outfits, armed with granola, yogurt, milk and fruit “[to] bring the buyer breakfast in bed,” explains Synnott, “which was so cheesy, but it worked.

Today, Bear Naked is also sold at Costco, Kroger, Safeway, Target and Whole Foods, and four of its products are sold in Canada.

Photo by Bear Naked.

In Food, Niche, Startup | 0 Comments

September 24, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

BusinessWeek:

So you’ve created a brilliant new product you know will fly off store shelves. Maybe you’re considering patenting it or building prototypes. But how do you sell it?

The business of patenting, promoting, and marketing products by independent inventors is a $300 million industry, estimates Bonnie Griffin Kaake, executive director of the nonprofit United Inventors Assn. Indeed, there’s a host of services to help independent inventors turn their ideas into sales. They range from courses on how to sell inventions to online marketplaces that match innovators with corporate buyers or companies that buy inventions outright.

Those familiar with the invention business broadly agree on a few things. Would-be inventors should know the marketplace and be able to explain the value of their product. They shouldn’t expect big payoffs up front, and they should be wary of paying a fee to someone promising to sell their idea.

Read more.

Photo by USPTO.

In Invention, Sales, Success | 1 Comment

September 24, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Guardian Unlimited:

Blogger.com helped spark a revolution – and it still makes self-publishing quick and easy.

Blogger was launched by Ev Williams of Pyra Labs in 1999, and bought by Google in 2003. Google eventually started to improve it, and a few months ago it finally moved to Google servers. New users can sign in with any Google account, such as a Gmail address.

To set up a blog, you need three things: a title, a unique web address, and an idea.

Once you’ve got the hang of blogging, you can delete your first attempt and tackle something that you really want to do.

For example, you could set up a blog around a business interest or hobby or family activities. A blog could be a good way to collect and discuss recipes, organise a society, report the games played by a youth team, tell everyone about a gap-year trip, or publish your poetry.

It’s OK to cater for friends rather than aim for world domination.

Other popular topics include writing anonymously about the annoying tendencies of whoever you live with, the sexual peccadilloes of your boss, or how the organisation you work for is ripping off its clients/customers.

Photo by Guardian Unlimited.

In Blogs, Ideas, Internet | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

Roseville Press Tribune:

For more than 23 years, Darlene Leyva has been running her own businesses. After relocating from the Bay Area to Oak Street in Roseville, she’s thinking she’s hit the mark.

Leyva runs Pin-up Girls Salon and Boutique with the help of her daughter Marisa, who grew up in her mom’s salons. Splashed in pink and featuring a large mural of Bettie Boop, the 1950s-style house-turned-business shows the strength that women carry in the work place versus the 1950s.

“Women have so much more power now,” Leyva said. “Women have a real say in what happens now and the banks are noticing.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Roseville Area Chamber of Commerce Wendy Gerig said this atmosphere of success for women wouldn’t have been possible 30 years ago when she got into business.

“We have an excellent representation from women in business in the Roseville area,” Gerig said. “(Men and women) have different ways of approaching business, but both want to be successful. Nowadays everyone is on the same playing field.”

Nationally, nearly 60 percent of all women over the age of 16 are active in the workforce and women-owned businesses have increased 15 percent since 1997. Women edge out men in the high-paying management and professional positions, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, at 51 percent.

“Thirty years ago I had to work a lot to prove myself to people,” Gerig said. “I was a female and young, I had both of those working against me. I think that has changed now.”

In Family, News | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

MySA.com:

San Antonio native Katy Mimari is proof that a good business idea, combined with lots of self-promotion, often leads to success.

At the age of 25, she designed six diaper bags combining stripes and polka dots with non-baby colors of brown and black. She wanted to sell them across the country.

Just three years later, her Caden Lane products are in 600 stores, including Nordstrom, and Hollywood moms such as Jennifer Gardner, Julia Roberts and Marcia Cross are showing off her designs. She named the line Caden Lane because she always liked the name Caden.

Mimari expects sales to exceed $4 million by the end of this year, and Caden Lane now includes 20 different diaper bags, 18 bedding sets and hundreds of accessories.

Caden Lane products are getting so popular that Mimari recently created nurseries for former “90210″ star Tori Spelling and “Dancing With The Stars” co-host Samantha Harris.

But all this success hasn’t gone to her head. Right before a recent media interview, the down-to-earth entrepreneur was kneeling on the floor of her retail shop, Nursery Couture, folding infant T-shirts.

Mimari said when she first started in October 2004, she didn’t realize her business would grow this fast.

“I just thought how cool would it be to have mommies in New York walking down Fifth Avenue with my bags — and the bags came from someone in San Antonio,” Mimari said, now four months’ pregnant with her second child.

Image from Caden Lane

In News | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

Paradise Post:

Last December, local entrepreneur, Jennifer Chavez, a Paradise resident for 13 years, began One Heavenly Baby, an online business selling handcrafted baby products.

Her Web site focuses on bibs and burp clothes in a variety of colors and patterns that she created.

She got the idea to start crafting these products when, “I couldn’t find products at the store that met my baby’s needs,” Chavez said.

The bibs in the store were not long enough, they didn’t protect my son’s clothes, plus they were not very durable, they fell apart in a few washes, she said. Chavez created longer bibs and burp clothes that are made with flannel and a chenille backing, so they are soft and sturdy. They hold up very well, they last hundreds of washes, Chavez said.

“My products are virtually indestructible,” she added.

Soon she would like to include other products such as hooded towels, washcloths, receiving blankets, crib bedding, blankets and gift baskets to her product line. Chavez has been asked by many senior citizens to make bibs for adults, to help keep their shirts clean, so she is considering adding adult bibs to the Web site.

Chavez just completed her first crib set, including blankets, pillows and window valances to match. She is expecting her second child, a baby girl, in early October so she wanted the crib set to be completed before the baby arrives, since she has the time. Crib sets are very time consuming so to start they will only be a special order, Chavez said.

When Chavez first began creating her products, starting her own business was not what she had in mind. After attending church and local mothers’ groups, other moms often asked where she purchased her bibs and burp clothes. When other moms were interested in purchasing her products, her business began.

Logo from One Heavenly Baby.

In Ecommerce, News | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Ty Tribble | 0 Comments

 BRANDWEEK

 

“Shop victoriously” is eBay’s new mantra. As the holidays approach, the Web’s No. 1 retail site (with roughly 80 million unique visitors a month, per ComScore Media Metrix, Reston, Va.) is looking to drive home its new winning message. A massive marketing blitz, created by BBDO, New York, will proclaim “It’s better when you win it!”

The auction site, which has 241 million registered users, spent the past two years telling consumers that you can buy “It” at eBay. “It” could be anything from a handbag to a car to a collectible. The idea was to change people’s perception of the site from “this is a place you go to buy quirky stuff” to “this a place where you go to buy all of your stuff,” according to Kevin McSpadden, senior director of brand marketing for eBay, San Jose, Calif.

In Ebay & Online Auctions | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Ty Tribble | 0 Comments

Faithnet.com 

 

Hemant Mehta was raised in the Jain faith (a religious tradition rooted in India), but became an atheist as a teen. Now in his twenties and a high school math teacher near Chicago, he is active in many groups that promote secularism.

In early 2006, Mehta auctioned himself off on eBay to a Protestant minister, agreeing to attend a variety of church services and remain open to their messages. Mehta spoke with Beliefnet recently about his book, which describes his impressions of those churches, and why he’s still an atheist.

Your book, I Sold My Soul on eBay, tells the story of how you agreed to visit numerous churches even though you’re an atheist. What were you “bought” to do?

In Ebay & Online Auctions | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Ty Tribble | 0 Comments

 Ecommerce-guide.com

The eBay Community Development team announced changes that will most likely please eBay members who are tired of multiple log-in screens as they move throughout the auction site. Soon they will be able to log in with their user ID and password and actually stay signed in as they use other areas of eBay, like the discussion boards, eBay Groups and Answer Center. After the change takes place, you should not need to log in to eBay a second time, unless you quit your browser. For those who do want a separate sign-in for the Community forums area, you can set this option in your preferences.

This week eBay also introduced an offline holiday promotion: you can give the gift of IT by purchasing and giving eBay Gift Cards. The new gift cards are expected to be widely available in stores by November. Currently, you can only purchase and send an eBay gift card online.

In Ebay & Online Auctions | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 8 Comments

Entrepreneur:

Making a million is a milestone–the defining moment of success for many entrepreneurs and an attainable goal for those tapped into today’s hottest trends.

Entrepreneurs are keeping their fingers on the pulse of what’s hot in today’s marketplace. They are the trendsetters, the pioneers, the ones to watch as they lead the pack, followed closely by franchisors poised to capitalize on winning ideas and spread concepts nationwide.

1. Fountain of Youth
With the first baby boomers starting to hit 60, America is fighting tooth and nail to stave off the signs of time. In 2004, Americans spent about $44.6 billion on anti-aging products and services, according to Business Communications Co. Inc., an information resource company. But that’s nothing compared to the $72 billion market it’s expected to mature into by 2009.

2. The Sweet Life
The nation’s sweet tooth is becoming more insatiable, driving everything from the franchising industry, where cookies and ice cream concepts are growing categories, to the fine-dining industry, where diners are staying more often for the grand finale.

3. Coffee
Starbucks revolutionized the coffee industry by transforming the beverage into the most necessary of luxuries, but numerous independents and ambitious franchisors have profited from coffee’s popularity and are riding on their own caffeine high.

4. Seniors
While the industry to preserve vitality and youth among baby boomers is thriving, so are the businesses one generation ahead in the senior-care industry.

5. Tech
Calling all geeks: Have you got a mind for technology and a passion for business? This could be the industry for you.

6. Pampered Pets
If you’re a pet lover, consider getting into the fast-growing pet products and services industry.

7. Marketing and Advertising
Companies always need new clients, so if you’ve got a knack for getting customers to buy, think about starting a marketing and advertising business.

Photo by images.businessweek.

In Startup, Success, Trends | 8 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

Entrepreneur:

The video-game and electronics industry has long been dominated by men.

But according to a recent study done by advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, “lady geeks” are fed up with that notion.

The study reported that 35 percent of female internet users would spend more on consumer electronics if retailers tried targeting them for a change.

Approximately 50 percent of those surveyed said they’ve walked out of shops or left websites without purchasing anything because they couldn’t find what they wanted.

In addition, the women reported disdain for the pink-colored electronic gadgets on the market, saying they’d prefer a sleek, well-designed product rather than a “feminine” one.

“There is a real opportunity here for brands and retailers in the consumer electronics sector to target women,” said Belinda Parmar, author of the report and a planning director at Saatchi & Saatchi.

Photo by woodsy.

In Sales, Technology, Women | 1 Comment

September 21, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

American-Statesman:

Bob Fabbio, one of Austin’s best-known entrepreneurs, is back in the startup game with a new company that provides routine medical care to people at home or at work.

WhiteGlove House Call Health Inc. lets clients schedule visits from medical professionals between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week.

The company also delivers over-the-counter and prescription medications and handles insurance claims. Its Web site provides scheduling services and access to information including medical records, lab results and insurance expenses.

“When you feel lousy, the last thing you want to do is get on the phone and deal with trying to schedule an appointment or go to a minor emergency center and sit there, then drive to a pharmacy and finally get to bed four hours later,” Fabbio said. “Or if you’re a mom and you wake up on Friday morning and Johnny is sick, how do you alter your entire day, and what do you do with your other two kids who need to get to school?

“I asked a friend who is a former emergency room doctor, ‘Why can’t care — the treatment, diagnosis, meds, food — be brought to the consumer?’ He loved the idea, and we started interviewing hundreds of people and found out it’s a real chore to get routine care.”

Photo by Larry Kolvoord.

In Healthcare, Niche, Startup | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Entrepreneur:

It’s commonly said that business valuation is more art than science. If this is true, then the practice of valuing a startup business is squarely in the domain of the artist.

Nevertheless, entrepreneurs need to put a value on their startups in order to raise money, and investors need to put a value on their investments to generate liquidity.

1. You are what the market says you are. If investors are telling you that your startup is worth $1 million, then that’s what it’s worth.

2. But you can also tell the market what you’re worth. Although this might seem to contradict the point made above, it’s possible to tell the market how to value your company.

3. You’re not really worth anything until you’re profitable. If you’re not profitable, your business probably isn’t worth very much.

Entrepreneurs need to use creativity in valuing their startup businesses. Traditional approaches to valuation based on book values and P/E ratios are akin to painting by numbers.

If you want your startup to be a masterpiece, you’ll need to use the right side of your brain as much as your left to determine value.

Photo by mm904ut.

In Startup, Value | 0 Comments

September 21, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

Web Worker Daily:

While there are still many who love Netvibes, iGoogle has its share of fans in the start page world. And with more than 25,000 gadgets available for iGoogle, the array of choices is sometimes overwhelming.

Choose wisely, and iGoogle can be a great tool for productive web work of any kind.

1. Today list. This isn’t actually a specific gadget, but an idea for how to use one. Choose from among the many to-do list gadgets available (whichever works best for you) and call it your “Today list”.

2. iReminder. This is an insanely useful gadget from Todoist (maker of the useful to-do list service) that allows you to set reminders that can be sent to your mobile device, email or Twitter.

3. Timesheet recorder. Freelancers and independent contractors need an easy way to keep track of their time. What easier way than through an iGoogle gadget?

4. Google Analytics. If you have a blog or website, you like to keep track of your stats. You know you do. Instead of opening Analytics every 5 minutes, just leave the gadget on your home page.

5. Google services. If you’re like me and use a lot of Google services, get their gadgets (or put them in the compound gadget below): Gmail, Google Reader, GCal, Google Docs, Google Talk. It’s extremely useful to have them all in one place.

For 10 more productivity gadgets, go here.

Photo by Google.

In Internet, Productivity, Technology | 2 Comments

September 20, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

PRWeb:

A free Ebook titled “Do You Have What It Takes To Be A 6-Figure Work At Home Mom?” is now available from 6 Figure Work At Home Mom, an Internet-based business committed to helping mothers successfully balance career and family.

The Ebook was written by 6 Figure Work At Home Mom founder Debbie LaChusa who has been either a part-time or full-time work at home mom for the past 18 years. According to LaChusa, the Ebook includes a checklist women can use to gauge where they are with regard to work and family, including their desires and motivations, so they can determine if becoming a 6-figure work at home mom is a reasonable goal.

“In the past four months since I introduced the 6 Figure Work At Home Mom website I have received over 80 questions from women about becoming a 6-figure work at home mom,” said LaChusa. “Most of those questions are about how to do it and if it is really possible,” continued LaChusa. “Of course it is possible, I have done it and so have other women, but it is not for every mother. This Ebook will help women discover if it is right for them.”

LaChusa is also offering a five-week teleclass series starting October 16, 2007 called “6 Steps to Becoming a 6-Figure Work At Home Mom” designed to teach women how to create a work at home business that will earn them a six-figure income.

In PR | 0 Comments

September 20, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

Saint Petersburg Times:

Dial up Continental Airlines to book a flight and you might end up talking to Marla Rothstein, shoeless and sans makeup, in one of the thousands of beige stucco houses in Pasco County’s Meadow Pointe development.

That’s a good thing. Good for Marla, good for Continental and good for you, too.

Airlines can struggle to find and keep good agents. Pay usually starts around $9 an hour. Taking call after call from sometimes abusive customers grates on even the sunniest personalities.

A few carriers now offer an inexpensive perk perhaps as alluring as the free travel privileges: the choice to work at home instead of commuting to a cavernous call center.

Continental started a year ago with 46 employees in Houston. Now 800 agents nationwide, more than 200 in the Tampa Bay area, answer customer calls from home. That’s one in five of Continental’s U.S. agents.

Rothstein was the first to sign up when Continental asked for volunteers to do the job from home. She already had an office with a PC and broadband service. Continental required a second phone line to connect to the reservations data system.

Employees with kids at home, barking dogs or squawking parrots must be able to turn off the noise. American requires that an adult or responsible child oversee younger kids during an agent’s shift.

In News | 0 Comments

September 20, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

eMediaWire:

SimpleStartup, LLC today announced the beta launch of its web-based software, designed to simplify the process of starting a business. SimpleStartup empowers moms by helping them start their own business and offers a community of support to help them succeed.

SimpleStartup offers a unique combination of small business software, business training, and online community to help mompreneurs save money, and avoid common mistakes. “This is exactly what I’ve been searching for”, commented one mother on the company’s blog.

Moms can sign up for free, and experience what its like to be an entrepreneur. They’ll join a community of moms who are starting a business similar to theirs. With virtually no risk involved, they’ll have the opportunity to make money working part-time from home.

SimpleStartup gives moms everything they need to start their business, including: an e-commerce website, a simplified customer database, financial reports that are easy to understand, and the ability to easily manage orders, returns and taxes. Moms can choose from one of eight businesses – from starting a day care, to becoming a freelance writer, and be up and running in under ten minutes.

Logo from SimpleStartup.

In Ecommerce, PR | 0 Comments

September 20, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

eMediaWire:

Wendy Piersall, founder of eMomsatHome.com, “the internet home business magazine for moms and dads,” announced recently the expansion of the internet magazine. The new site will include seven blogs (written by nine authors) that cater to work-at-home parents, including both business content as well as parenting information.

Business owners who work from home and who happen to be parents often feel isolated and without support. They need encouragement as well as the ability to manage their work/life balance. Many of these businesses will fail because of a lack of support. “Why [home-based businesses fail isn’t addressed in the resources that are out there now. We want to present a more balanced home-based business resource,” stated Piersall.

The new site will provide a hip, trendy place for men and women looking for advice on freelancing, eBay business, kids’ activities and more.

In PR | 0 Comments

September 20, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

BusinessWeek:

France is famous for its relaxed attitude to affairs of the heart (and loins). Unlike in the Anglo-Saxon world, the existence of extra-marital affairs — from the fictional Madame Bovary to former President Francois Mitterrand — is taken for granted there.

Now French adulterers are being offered a discreet and tailor-made service to help them indulge in their dalliances without getting caught.

The Alibila Web site offers a service for people “suffocating” in their family situation who need some air, or for those in the throes of a “passing adventure” who don’t want to jeopardize their marriage.

It offers would-be philanderers a range of services, costing €19 (US $27) upwards, including diversionary phone calls, merchandise from fake conferences, and invitations to non-existent weddings.

The service is the brainchild of former private detective Regine Mourizard, a 50-year-old mother of two, who says her service is aimed at protecting couples and families by allowing people to indulge in extra-marital pursuits undetected.

Photo by thisismike.

In Ideas, Internet, Niche | 0 Comments

September 20, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Entrepreneur:

Trendcentral has released the latest issue of its Tween Intelligence Report intended to provide an insightful glimpse into the lives of 7-to-13-year-olds.

One of the most important lessons learned by Trendcentral is that the tween market is rather difficult to peg down since they’re always changing. Here are some interesting statistics:

• 88 percent of tweens have been online in the past month
• 56 percent of tweens look to friends’ purchasing habits when deciding what they want to buy
• If they had to choose between being smart or popular, a majority of tweens said they’d rather be smart (72 percent) than popular (28 percent)
• Tweens’ favorite store is Wal-Mart

Photo by MSDesigns.

In Sales, Teens, Trends | 0 Comments