This website is not like all of the others. Since 2001, we've posted 15452 different business opportunities and ideas, so you're sure to find something here to inspire you!
With the advent of “citizen journalism,” anyone with a camera, an Internet connection, and a few questions can become a member of the fourth estate. But how do you know if this reporting is accurate?
AppScout reports that YouTube has a new portal, dubbed YouTube Direct, intended to provide news organizations with a more organized way to find and use homemade videos about the day’s major news stories.
Let’s say a tornado touches down and wipes out a Midwestern town, a politician makes a newsworthy comment at a voter meet-and-greet, or a traffic accident has brought a major highway to a standstill. A news team might not be able to make it to the scene immediately, but you had your camera out and captured the action.
Now, through YouTube Direct, you can submit your video to the news organization of your choice and that station or Web site editor can choose whether to use or decline your footage via a private dashboard. The result? “Citizen stringers,” YouTube said.
Kate Evans, 25, said the device she created to help her battle insomnia as a student is now available online.
She designed the Light Sleeper while suffering from insomnia during her time as a product design student at the University of Central Lancashire and involves a blue light that moves across the bedroom ceiling, UPI.com reports.
It moves your eyes along a line, relaxing your brain,” Evans said. “This helps you drift off. Reading a book can make you more alert but this makes you switch off. It’s the first device that offers a simple, drug free and natural way of falling asleep for those who find it hard.”
Evans, who now works as a design director for firm Quincom in Oxford, said the company has been receiving large numbers of orders for the product from Japan.
Pamela Slim at Escape From Cubicle Nation has put together an interesting list of things you can do, right now, to stimulate a small corner of your local economy without spending a dime:
1. Mentor a new business owner.
2. Host an event at your local coffee shop.
3. Send an email to friends raving about your favorite business.
4. Give feedback to a business owner about something they should fix.
5. Constantly promote others on your social networks.
6. Hook up people who should work together.
7. Host a Laid Off Camp.
8. Attend a local Chamber of Commerce meeting.
9. Rave about your local community, and encourage investment and tourism.
TIME’s picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year, we’ll feature some of the ones we find interesting.
This past summer, in a sixth-grade math class, New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein piloted a small program in which individualized, technology-based learning takes the place of the old “let’s all proceed together” approach.
Each day, students in the School of One are given a unique lesson plan — a “daily playlist” — tailored to their learning style and rate of progress that includes a mix of virtual tutoring, in-class instruction and educational video games. It’s learning for the Xbox generation.
The bulky dog crate in Betsy Hauser’s living room was really cramping her style, reports Forbes.com.
Her answer: a line of custom crate covers, pre-manufactured crate covers and dog beds, sold in various colors and sizes (all cotton and machine washable) through the Mutt Huttz Web site and fifty independent pet stores across the U.S.
Hauser launched the company last year with $17,000 in savings and loans from her family. As sales picked up, Hauser hired two part-time seamstresses to help sew custom crate covers and beds; a contract manufacturer in Monroe, N.C., handles the off-the-shelf stuff.
Hauser has booked $40,000 in sales through October. To attract a broader (and less affluent) audience, she plans to roll out the Mutt Huttz Cozy, an adjustable crate cover that fits many different brands of crates, at a lower price point in time for the holiday shopping season.
ReadWriteWeb is reporting that according to a new Forrester survey, almost 80% of Internet users in the US and Canada would not pay for access to newspaper and magazine websites.
Those users who would consider paying for content are mostly interested in subscriptions. Only a very small number of consumers is interested in making micropayments (3%). The study also asked which distribution channel consumers would prefer if their favorite print publications ceased to exist. 37% preferred the web, 14% mobile phones and 11% would prefer to read the content on their laptops or netbooks. 10% would prefer PDFs delivered by email and 3% would read the content on their e-readers.
44% of all respondents said that they wouldn’t be interested in getting their print content through any of these delivery mechanisms.
Forrester’s Sarah Rotman Epps took a closer look at the demographic profile of those users who said that they would be willing to pay. Gender and marital status had no influence on a consumer’s willingness to pay. Those who are willing to pay for magazine content are slightly younger that those who won’t (43 years vs. 47). For newspaper content, however, there was no difference. Income, too, only makes a small difference. Those with a higher income are slightly more likely to pay for newspaper content than for magazines.
The report concludes that there is no consensus among consumers about how they want content delivered to them. The fact that 10% still prefer PDFs clearly shows that we are still in a transitional period. What is clear, though, is that consumers aren’t very willing to pay for content online.
Christy Baker, a stay-at-home mom, liked the idea of buying educational games for her children, but found they were expensive and the children lost interest in them after a while.
She did some research to see if there was anyone who rented games for systems such as Leapster and Vtech, but found none. She thought, Why not me?
So she started www.smartyrents.com, a Web site that rents out games geared to children ages nine months to 10 years.
With a concept similar to Netflix, Baker and her friend Jennifer Scheidle set up their Web site about a month ago. Both Baker and Scheidle were teachers, and it was important to them that the games on the Web site be education based, not just regular video games.
Web site users buy a subscription, with packages starting at $9.99. Gift certificates are also available.
After receiving a game, the family can keep it as long as they want. If the child really likes the game, it can be purchased from the Web site.
Entrepreneurs are forever learning from their own mistakes, so once in a while it’s nice to learn from someone else’s for a change.
Tech entrepreneur Neil Patel shares the story of his million-dollar mistake made while pursuing a web-hosting start-up.
Patel lists a number of things that went wrong with the businesss, poor money management and a lack of communication between the principals were among the key missteps. But perhaps the biggest mistake Patel made was not knowing when to say when. Patel and his partner kept on throwing good money after bad until the situation finally came to a crashing halt.
Patel has since recovered and has gone on to further success with new ventures. As he explains, “What separates the true entrepreneurs from the phony ones is that the true entrepreneurs don’t give up.”
Innovative startups in the U.S. continue to attract capital from investors, and in turn are doing their part to counter the trend of the rising unemployment rate in the country, reports TechCrunch.
According to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and StartUpHire.com, thousands of jobs are available at venture-backed startups today, despite the overall job-cutting trend that is still apparent in the wake of the financial crisis that hit the global economy unequivocally hard.
StartUpHire, one of the many job boards / search engines focused on startups, says it currently lists nearly 11,000 jobs that are available at more than 2,500 companies across a variety of industries, states, and functions.
For those in the professional world, it’s easy to fall prey to bad habits — procrastination, poor time management, and impatience are all examples of behavior that can affect the productivity of one’s work or business.
Fortunately, says Web Worker Daily, training the brain to adopt good habits doesn’t take as long as most people think. Citing recent scientific research in the field of neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to reorganize itself, the article says new habits (or “neural connections”) can be learned within 30 to 60 days, if new information is presented every day.
To combat consistent unpreparedness or tardiness for meetings, for example, set a computer or phone alarm 30 minutes before each meeting to look over notes and agendas. “A habit is an involuntary, unconscious action,” said Larry Tobin, co-creator of Habitchanger.com, where customers can join a 42-day habit breaking program. “They are something we have taught ourselves to do, so it is possible to unlearn them.”
TIME’s picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year, we’ll feature some of the ones we find interesting.
It’s odd to think of putting sticks of wood inside people as a revolutionary medical procedure, but that’s exactly what a group of Italian scientists is working on.
They’re using wood — red oak, rattan and sipo work best — to create an artificial bone replacement called carbonated hydroxyapatite.
Because of the sponginess of the wood, live bones are expected to grow into the structure faster than with traditional titanium or ceramic implants, decreasing the time it takes to mend a broken bone.
The procedure isn’t quite ready for human testing, so sheep are currently testing the artificial bones.
Researchers say that with the bone substitute, which takes approximately one week to process, they can create virtually any size or shape.
Cyber Monday is, of course, what is touted to be the busiest day of the year for online sales. It comes the Monday after Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving that kicks off the holiday shopping season at bricks and mortar stores), reports Inc.com.
Here’s where, you, the online seller, have a distinct advantage over your storefront counterparts:
1. You don’t have to worry about overstocking or understocking inventory, especially if you use drop shipping.
2. You don’t have to worry about hiring up a bunch of college students to staff your stores that don’t earn their keep if business is slower than you hoped.
3. You aren’t limited to the economic limits of your locale. Some cities and towns are clearly more harder hit than others. A one company town that loses its one company; well, you get the idea… Selling online gives you access to markets allover the world.
4. You can use your site analytics to make you more nimble responding to what’s moving and what isn’t.
5. You have more ways to nudge shoppers to close the deal; online promotions, e-mail coupons, Facebook, MySpace, Google ads, mobile marketing, etc. It beats the hell out of the hometown Wednesday circular.
People like Catherina Fake, the Flickr co-founder, and Stefan Sagmeister keep their creative juices flowing. They point out: Constantly working hard blinds you to breakthrough ideas; one solution is taking copious time off. Maybe that solves the problem for individuals. But can society organize itself in such a way as to maximize the number of good ideas it produces? asks Fast Company.
It might sound like an impossible question, but Stefan Leijnen and Liane Gabora at the University of British Columbia in Canada have created a clever mathematical model that offers an answer.
Their key insight is that creative ideas can only spread if they’re actually adopted by others. Too much creativity, and there’s not enough imitation–ideas die on the vine, because there are so many of them and few ever catch fire. For good ideas to spread, there’s an optimal balance to be reached between creating and imitating.
Tinika Amison realizes that if she is going to help people, the first step must literally be her own.
The 33-year-old single mom of three children who lives in Naperville launched a new mobile nail spa business earlier this year known as Angel Feet. It’s an at-home nail service that Amison said focuses on serving those “who are not able to get out and enjoy the pleasures of receiving nail care.
“My goal is to cater to those in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, expectant mothers and others who are not able to be completely mobile,” she said.
The business idea was launched by Amison and a friend she said “seemed to have been sent to her from heaven.” When the pair brainstormed ideas for the new business, she wanted the heavenly angle to be a part of the name.
“I made up my mind to do this and actually earned my license in just three months,” Amison said. “A lot of my family is amazed that I actually went ahead and started this business on my own, but I did, despite the other things I have going in my life.”
According to a 2008 study, 98% of employees said the worst office crime was to steal food from the office refrigerator, reports PRWeb.
In order to solve this shocking and growing epidemic, Locker Brand, Inc. has officially launched its flagship product:The Fridge Locker.
The Fridge Locker is a high density polyurethane storage unit that conveniently fits in just about any refrigerator and easily secures food and drinks with a chrome metal combination lock. Its application is perfect for any common areas such as offices, dorms, homes and schools.
Users will never again feel the disappointment of finding a favorite food item missing when they open the refrigerator door…. With The Fridge Locker securing the snacks, Refrig-A Raiders don’t stand a chance!
Tribune Media Services has put together a list of eight reasons you should be telecommuting.
1. More than two-thirds of surveyed employers report increased productivity among their telecommuters – as much as 35 percent more productivity at some high-profile companies such as American Express and Best Buy.
2. Teleworkers typically continue to work when they’re sick without infecting others, especially important in pandemics.
3. Flexible hours allow teleworkers to run errands or schedule appointments without losing a full day.
4. Two-thirds of employees would take another job to ease the commute.
5. About 78 percent of employees who call in sick are not really sick. They do so because of family issues, personal needs and stress. The American Management Association found that organizations with a telework program experienced a 63 percent reduction in unscheduled absences. Unscheduled absences annually cost employers $1,800 per employee.
6. A poll of 1,500 technology professionals revealed that 37 percent would take a pay cut of 10 percent if they could work from home.
7. Some 80 percent of employees consider telework a job perk.
8. Average real estate savings with full-time telework is $10,000 per employee per year.
A gym coach in Shenyang, Liaoning Province [of China] has launched a secret sideline – by renting himself out as a punching bag for stressed women.
But Lin Xiao said he has not told his family about his new sideline.
He told the Liaoshen Evening Post, “It fits in well with my day job. I needed more sparring partners anyway. By being a punchbag for women, I can make some money and also practice my self-defense skills and work on my fitness at the same time.”
Lin charges 100 yuan ($15) for 30 minutes and says he has already had two customers since launching his new business.
With the holiday season approaching, there are many people looking into work from home jobs to make a little extra spending money for the holidays. The problem is that the true work from home jobs can be very hard to find through all the scams and hustles that are going around. Look below for some ways you can recognize a scam when you see one, recently located on Entrepreneur.com.
Be very suspicious of the ads that show up a lot. These are typically the ones that promise large amounts of money to be earned for very little work at all in return. Come on, who is gonna pay a ton for only a little work?
Always be sure that you have everything in writing, especially if the pay is expected to be over $500.00. When you have everything in writing this gives you the one up in case they should try to default on their end of the deal or start playing some sort of funny business.
Make sure to ask several questions before signing the final paperwork and going to work. You should know exactly what the company does, what your actual job will be, the hours, the exact amount of pay, the work load and time limits you will be expected to complete and so on.
Lauren Berger knows a thing or two about internships. The Countryside High grad, who bills herself as the “Intern Queen,” completed more than a dozen of them before she graduated college, reports TampaBay.com.
Berger, 25, parlayed her intern status into an expanding brand that includes college speaking engagements, endorsements and an online site that boasts six-figure revenues, celebrity employers and thousands of job seekers.
InternQueen.com gets 500 to 1,000 unique visitors daily. Employers pay a $75 annual fee to post an unlimited number of openings. Job candidates can apply for the first internship for free. Additional applications cost $3 each.
Berger forwards their resumes to contacts at companies such as Interscope Records, Seventeen magazine, Sirius XM Radio, Clear Channel and Nielsen Co.
An article was recently posted on Open Forum regarding how to boost your productivity in the work place by slowing down and taking more time for things that you have cut out of your day on purpose. It is stated that being busy is not always the best thing for your work load as well as the health of your mind and body.
Take lunch for example, many of us have either cut out a lunch break completely or we have cut down our lunch time in order to get more work done. The problem with this concept is that it actually creates more distraction for you as you’re hungry and cannot concentrate. It can lessen your cognitive functioning which includes your concentration, hand eye coordination, memory and ability to catch some vital mistakes that you may be making.
Get plenty of exercise. This is another one that people tend to do away with as they feel they are too busy for exercise at the moment. However, many studies have shown that those who exercise on a regular basis tend to feel healthier and ready to take on whatever challenge comes their way, it refreshes your body so it may function at its fullest.
TIME’s picks for the best new gadgets and breakthrough ideas of the year, we’ll feature some of the ones we find interesting.
Tens of thousands of amputees in the developing world wear an inexpensive prosthetic called the Jaipur Foot. But poor patients who lose a knee joint have few options: a titanium replacement can cost $10,000, and crude models don’t work very well.
Now a team of Stanford engineering students has designed a knee that’s not only dirt cheap — just $20 — but also mimics the natural joint’s movements. Developed with the Jaipur Foot group, the JaipurKnee is made of self-lubricating, oil-filled nylon and is both flexible and stable, even on irregular terrain.
The device is being tested in India; more than 300 people have been fitted so far.
The Jaipur Knee comprises five pieces of plastic and four nuts and bolts. It requires no special tools and takes just a few hours to manufacture.
Proof is In the Results. What’s the ROI for marketing with meaning? Ask Tara-Nicholle Nelson, an Oakland, Calif., real estate broker and founder and Chief Visionary of {RE}Think Real Estate. Nelson projects the $75,000 she invested in positioning herself as an expert–empowering women to buy their own homes–to yield $1 million in brokerage commissions, speaking engagements, content licensing deals and other revenue by 2010.
Because of the current economic situation today the way we market must change as the habits of buyers shift, so it’s necessary to change our marketing and advertising techniques as well. The new way of marketing is to market with true meaning. What does it mean to market with true meaning?
Entrepreneur.com stated recently that marketing with true meaning has a lot to do with adding value to the product or service you are selling. Adding value means you can show any client the true value, need and want of a particular product or service. You can’t paint such a picture for them as to show that they truly can’t live without this product or service, it will make their life simpler and more efficient.
The product has to be viewed by your customer as a solution rather than a product or service. One easy and affordable way to do solution marketing is by offering some sort of free sample. Free tends to get people interested right away, then as they are trying the sample product you use that opportunity to talk up the product as though it is their savior, their more efficient way of life, and that will bring in more customers than you think.
Entrepreneurship programs at UW–Madison are supporting innovative thinking and actions, so says UW News.
A new course, Art as Business as Art, is showing students in the arts the range of creative possibilities available to them and giving them the tools they need to advance their career goals.
Art as Business as Art grew out of the Arts Enterprise entrepreneurship initiative at UW–Madison, which included the Arts Enterprise Symposium held last January, the launch of a student organization devoted to nurturing enterprising arts students, a Web site and the New Arts Venture Challenge.
Stephanie Jutt, a faculty member in the School of Music, knows from experience the pitfalls that can derail the careers of aspiring artists: “There is much more to being an artist than being accomplished at your art. Students who want to make a life in the arts must learn how to run the business of their career. This is the class I wish they had taught when I was in school.”
Relief might be in sight for retailers afraid that somebody somewhere has secured a patent covering some mundane process they regularly do in the course of selling stuff – be it the way customers swipe payment cards, their methods for collecting loyalty program data or the functioning of their Web site’s shopping cart feature, reports CBS News.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 9 heard arguments and there were indications that it might snuff out process patents altogether. Process patents, also called business method patents, have been derided as frivolous because, some critics charge, patent applications are created after the process has been routinely performed for many companies for years but the “inventor” is merely the first to try getting a patent on the process.
Seven e-tailers, including J.C. Penny, Talbots, L.L. Bean and Overstock.com, are urging the high court to clamp down on patent violation lawsuits by so-called “patent trolls,” which are often shell companies claiming rights to vague business-method patents. The retailers note they routinely settle the patent infringement claims related to their Web sites rather than spend millions on litigation.
The retailers said that the number of patents is staggering and that the Supreme Court must step in before permanent damage is done to e-tailers. “It is currently estimated that approximately 11,000 patents cover various aspects of the Internet, many, if not most, of which, are business method patents, i.e., patents that claim inventions not of specific technologies, but of vaguely worded ‘methods’ for doing something.
If the aperture is opened wider to include software patents, it is estimated that there currently are more than 200,000 such patents. In other words, literally thousands of people can claim partial invention of the Internet and thus, potentially, can file suit to claim a share of the $178 billion in annual Internet sales.”
Between Craigslist and eBay, the Internet is well established as a marketplace where one person’s trash is transformed into another’s treasure. Now, thousands of teachers are cashing in on a commodity they used to give away, selling lesson plans online for exercises as simple as M&M sorting and as sophisticated as Shakespeare.
While some of this extra money is going to buy books and classroom supplies in a time of tight budgets, the new teacher-entrepreneurs are also spending it on dinners out, mortgage payments, credit card bills, vacation travel and even home renovation, leading some school officials to raise questions over who owns material developed for public school classrooms.
“To the extent that school district resources are used, then I think it’s fair to ask whether the district should share in the proceeds,” said Robert N. Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
The marketplace for educational tips and tricks is too new to have generated policies or guidelines in most places. In Fairfax County, Va., officials had been studying the issue when they discovered this fall that a former football coach was selling his playbook and instructional DVDs online for $197; they investigated but let him keep selling.
