Business Opportunities Weblog

November 9, 2009 by Angela Shupe | 4 Comments

ABC15.com:

Kids love the Internet, but unfortunately so do sexual predators. Statistics show that nearly 100,000 of them are now on social websites chatting with minors.

That concerned Mary Kay Hoal, a mother of five whose teenage daughter wanted to join one of the popular social sites her friends were on.

Like any responsible parent, Hoal decided to go online and check it out before letting her daughter join.

“I saw content, a culture and people that absolutely concerned me, horrified me,” Hoal said.

But Hoal knew if she said ‘no’ her daughter could find away around her strict rules.

“You know she could just go to someone else’s house and set up a profile page,” Hoal said.

Frustrated with the Internet world she couldn’t shelter her kids from, Hoal decided to do something about it.

She created a social website called “Yoursphere.com” just for kids under 18. She put in place everything kids would want to see and do.

“There’s sports, music, and fashion, everything they like,” Hoal said. “And if they don’t find what they like, we literally allow them to create their own sphere. In our fashion sphere, one of our members loves to make jewelry out of recyclables, so she created her own social community around green jewelry.”

Yoursphere also takes measures to make sure only kids have access by first verifying every parent that signs a child up by confirming their address, date of birth, last four digits of their social security number and a driver’s license number. Staff then confirm all the information with their credit card.

“So they are leaving their digital fingerprint when they confirm their child’s membership,” Hoal said. “Number two, we verify the person providing consent is not a registered sex offender.”

Screenshot from Yoursphere

In Internet, Moms, Social Network | 4 Comments

November 8, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 12 Comments

The inventor of the world’s first permanently-tied shoelace has received acclaim from a unique source – the British Cheerleading Asssociation according to a story in The Ealing Gazette.

Father-of-three Peter Greedy, who lives in Hanwell, got plaudits from the BCA for inventing the Greeper, the shoelace which never comes undone.

Mr Greedy said he had his ‘eureka’ moment while driving down the motorway in 2001. He was, like many parents frustrated about the constant state of his young children’s laces – regularly undone, frayed and tatty.

Not convinced that ‘non-lace’ options were the answer he set out to devise an alternative to traditional lace-up shoes when he had an image of what would become the Greeper shoelace system.

After six years or research and development, he finally came up with the revolutionary design and it was patented soon after.

He said: “The sports market has responded extremely positively to Greeper laces because of the obvious health and safety benefits, where people cannot ever trip on their undone laces.”

Photo by Greeper.

In Clothing, Kids, Safety | 12 Comments

November 8, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 6 Comments

Our notions of brainpower are radically changing. We are on the threshold of a new age of intelligence, reports The Times.

Earlier this year, it was declared that we are in the age of intelligence: 2,000 delegates at the 14th International Conference of Thinking in Kuala Lumpur embraced the fact that instead of thinking agriculturally, informationally or technologically, we will finally think intelligently.

And as the year draws to an end, it seems that they were on to something. Everywhere in the world, intellectual capital has become the new buzz phrase ; people are realising that the brain is now the prime resource and the main currency is intelligence.

So what does it mean to be intelligent today? The notion was born at the turn of the 20th century, designed to test reading, verbal and numerical abilities. Today, people denigrate IQ test but it was only 100 years ago that we made these huge steps, to be able to determine an individuals’ intelligence quotient by the level of their verbal and numerical abilities.

Continue Reading: “You Are Cleverer Than You Think”

Photo by Photofunia.

In Brainstorm, Creativity, Future | 6 Comments

November 8, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 9 Comments

Treehugger has an interesting story about a company that rents out goats to clear brush.

Goats have many advantages:
• They have a low impact on the environment due to their cloven hooves.
• They are natural climbers and love steep slopes and uneven terrain.
• They can go where machinery and other modes of brush removal are not allowed to go.
• They are cost effective in many situations.
• They are walking fertilizer factories.
• People love the goats! They bring communities together and make people happy.

Also, “Goats are becoming very popular with construction companies. They are finding that it’s a win/win for everyone. Many companies use the goats to clear brush so surveys can be done. They have also found it can be very cost-effective when considering how much it is to clear the land, then haul the debris and dispose of it.

Plus, permits are not needed for the goats to clear which saves time and money. And it also improves communities by bringing people together to see the goats, not to mention the lack of noise that heavy machinery generates.”

Photo by rent-a-ruminant.

In Animals, Eco-friendly, Niche | 9 Comments

November 8, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 8 Comments

Susan Baida at the Current Mom blog discusses her becoming an accidental entrepreneur.

I wasn’t someone who always dreamed of being an entrepreneur. I was content in corporate America, building upon a 17-year career in brand marketing. I had an impressive resume including world-renowned companies such as Avon, Estee Lauder and Starwood Hotels. I enjoyed rising the corporate ladder, jumping from director to executive director and finally to vice president, a career-long aspiration.

I was on a roll until it all came to a crashing halt when the economy took a nose dive in the third quarter of 2007. I was at Starwood Hotels, which happened to be in one of the hardest hit industries.

The light bulb finally went on. I needed to let go of the world I knew, leap forward into the uncharted world of entrepreneurship and join forces with John on this amazing business venture. I took the leap and have found unimaginable fulfillment.

What I have gained as a startup entrepreneur more than makes up for what I might have missed out on in corporate life.

If you are contemplating becoming an entrepreneur, my advice is to weigh the pros and cons, obtain feedback about your venture from friends and experts in the field. If it’s positive, then you might have a viable concept in hand; be in tune with the forces of nature. Don’t force a square peg into a round hole, like I did in pursuing my old career when a new one was obviously calling, and; timing is everything. You’ll know when to take the leap. Trust your gut.

Photo by CareDiary.

In Entrepreneurs, Profiles, Start Up | 8 Comments

November 7, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 4 Comments

TechCrunch reviews the website Infectious which you could use to start your own microbusiness.

Infectious, a startup that makes high quality decals and skins that let you customize the look of your iPhone, car, laptop, skateboards, and more, is launching a new feature: one off prints of your own custom designs.

Users will be able to use an integrated Flex app to upload their own images, which they can then have printed out on high quality adhesive stickers (or decks, in the case of skateboards).

Until now, customers could only choose from the Infectious catalog of art work. That offers a pretty good selection, but obviously being able to craft your own design is going to make the service appealing to a much broader customer base.

Users who want to put their own artwork on their items will have the chance to do so, and businesses could potentially create their own branded skins (perhaps to give away in promotions).

Photo by Infectious.

In Creativity, Internet, Microbusiness | 4 Comments

November 7, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 5 Comments

The biggest hassle with business cards is getting the contact information into your address book as fast as possible — that’s where Business Card Reader for the iPhone comes in, reports TechCrunch.

Business Card Reader scans and “reads” the picture using ABBYY’s text recognition technology and enters the data into the iPhone or iPod touch address book.

Basically, you open the application, and choose either to take a new picture of a business card, or if you’ve already taken a picture, you can upload that as well.

After you take a picture, or upload a picture, the application scans the business card, and after about 15 seconds, you get the address book field to edit the scanned information if there are errors.

Once that’s all done, it adds the new contact into your address book. It’s really that easy.

Photo by Shape Services.

In Contacts, Data, Networking | 5 Comments

November 7, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 4 Comments

There are plenty of Web apps that can help you make to-do lists, help you organize your tasks and personal projects, or help you build shopping lists, but not all of them give you the freedom to just start brainstorming and jotting down ideas as they come to you.

AppScout reports that Wridea is a perfect brainstorming tool: It’s simple enough that its features aren’t a barrier to use, but it also has the ability to bounce your ideas off other members and friends, add details and steps, and organize your ideas by topic.

Wridea isn’t for everyone; clearly the developers wanted to give people almost a whiteboard for brainstorming and a place they could jot down the ideas running around their heads without having to click a half-dozen times to get to a text prompt.

On the other hand, that also means you don’t get a lot of the features you would expect from some to-do list apps and personal organization Web sites like due-dates, e-mail alerts, and ways to indicate how far along you are on a task.

Wridea also provides a way to visualize your ideas called “Idea Rain,” where your ideas cascade from the top of the screen to the bottom in random order. The idea is to provide a way for you to find inspiration by looking at your own ideas in a random manner, but I’m not entirely sure how useful it is as a tool to stay motivated.

Photo by Wridea.

In Brainstorm, Ideas, Internet | 4 Comments

November 7, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

Proving that microloans can help to change the world one little bit at a time, Kiva.org hit a major milestone, TechCrunch reports.

Since it’s founding four years ago, it has now made possible $100 million in microloans between individual lenders and entrepreneurs all around the world. The company has brought together 573,000 lenders (people like you and me putting in $25 or more towards a specific project), and 239,000 entrepreneurs.

Most of the entrepreneurs who benefit are in developing countries, but Kiva opened up its service to needy U.S. entrepreneurs last summer. It also has APIs for other developers to build on its data set.

Kiva creates a personal connection between lenders and recipients. Each entrepreneur has a profile page with a picture and description of what they plan to do with the loan. Then every month you get an update on how much of the loan has been repaid.

Photo by Kiva.

In Entrepreneurs, Loans, Money | 2 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 8 Comments

YODEL METER, 1925
An early version of American Idol?

VENETIAN BLIND SUNGLASSES, 1950
It was a bad idea then, it’s a bad idea now. Sorry, Kanye.

TV GLASSES, 1963
MUST see TV.

DOG RESTRAINER, 1940
Yes, it’s so much easier to use than a leash.

Photo by LIFE Magazine.

In Humor, Inventions | 8 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 9 Comments

Last month, the Center for Women’s Business Research released a study which found that 28 percent, or an estimated 8 million, of all U.S. businesses were women-owned, reports The New York Times.

The study also showed that those 8 million cross-industry businesses created or maintained 16 percent of the country’s jobs.

However, only 4.2 percent of the nation’s revenue is generated by women-owned businesses. The Center plans to approach the Obama administration, the Small Business Administration, and House and Senate small-business committees to request more resources and programs in support of the women business owners.

On how the sector of support for women business owners needs to expand, executive director of the national Women’s Business Council, Margaret Barton said, “Women really have to fall in love with running a business. They have to move into the state about being excited and motivated by running a business. We need help with that area.”

Photo by biewoef.

In Small Biz, Women | 9 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 3 Comments

Although technology and the Internet have taken a beating in the past for potentially limiting people’s social interaction, a new study from the Pew Research Center has found that the opposite might be true, reports CNet News.

According to a Pew Internet Personal Networks and Community survey, which polled 2,512 adults, the dawn of new technology and the Internet has not caused people to withdraw from society.

In fact, the study found that “the extent of social isolation has hardly changed since 1985, contrary to concerns that the prevalence of severe isolation has tripled since then.” Pew said that 6 percent of the entire U.S. adult population currently has “no one with whom they can discuss important matters or who they consider to be ‘especially significant’ in their life.”

That said, Pew did find that Americans’ “discussion networks”–a measure of people’s “most important social ties”–have shrunk “by about a third since 1985″ from three people to two.

However, Pew found no evidence to suggest that it had anything to do with mobile phones or the Internet. In fact, the organization’s study found that mobile-phone use and active Web participation yields “larger and more diverse core discussion networks.”

Photo by alxsanchez.

In Health, Internet | 3 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

In business, as in poker, sometimes you have to know when to fold ‘em. So says serial entrepreneur and blogger Eric Ries on GigaOM.

Ries takes the lessons he’s learned from watching the World Series of Poker and explains how entrepreneurs and poker players share many of the same qualities. Namely, “Both rely on acting strategically under conditions of extreme uncertainty.

And, in both, small changes in your odds of winning can have a big impact on the final outcome.” Ries goes on to point out that just as in poker where amateur players sometimes beat the pros, many successful businesses are run by generally poor entrepreneurs. A frustrating truth in both cards and business.

As Ries says, “Just because someone has had a success doesn’t necessarily mean they understand why they were successful at all.”

Photo by stelogic.

In Advice, Entrepreneurs, Games | 2 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

Tech entrepreneur Neil Patel shares some advice on his blog, QuickSprout, about the benefits of having a business partner, and how to find the right one.

Patel, who admits he’s been through his share of partnerships, warns that the union can be as tumultuous as a marriage and recommends setting expectations for each partner on day one.

To that end, he suggests “sealing the deal” by putting both names on the LLC — with clearly delineated percentages — to prevent issues with money or ownership.

Photo by spekulator .

In Advice, Partners | 2 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 4 Comments

Google’s ever-expanding product line just got even bigger thanks to its new Commerce Search, a search function tailored for retailers.

The service, which incorporates Google’s search capabilities into your online store, carries a price tag of $50,000 a year according to TechCrunch, but Google says it’s worth it.

Their claim is that faster search speed will help customers navigate to what they want quickly, making them more likely to buy.

Other perks include the ability to customize the search function to match the rest of your site and integration of other Google products like Google Analytics.

Photo by Google.

In Ecommerce, Google | 4 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

Daily Times Herald:

In the fall of 2004 a young mother in Sac City took the entrepreneurial plunge, turning her home bread and baking passion to a business, with a location just off U.S. Highway 20 and an ambitious marketing and sales schedule.

Amanda Lynch, 32, a Sac City native and president and founder of The Beer Bread Company, is one busy Iowan. In addition to churning out bread and dip mixes, Lynch and her husband, Chad, an employee of Evapco, are raising five daughters – all under age 9.

The Beer Bread Company finds itself at something of a crossroads. After smashing success at food and craft shows around the Midwest, Lynch is now moving her product into more stores (including The Apothecary in Carroll). Lynch is employing 10 people part-time and producing 3,000 to 5,000 packages of beer bread mix.

“I know I’ve got a good thing here,” Lynch said. “It’s convenience, and people want convenience.”

Logo from The Beer Bread Company

In Food, Mompreneur | 0 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Angela Shupe | 18 Comments

When that idea hits for the perfect invention some people might ignore it. However, an inventor will do something about it. To go from idea to final product takes a lot of work and a solid design.

Bret Schaller, the founder of Schaller Industries, Inc and co-founder of Willow Creek Animal Hospital, understands the process all too well. Not only is he an entrepreneur, he has experience in CAD (Computer Aided Design) and he’s designed his own projects (like the easel shown above). Through his business Bret is able to help inventors take their idea and turn it into something physical.

First, tell us a little about Schaller Industries, Inc.

Schaller Industries, Inc is both a consulting and a virtual manufacturing business. As SI finishes its 2nd year of operation we have a small client list and one product. The product was designed and prototyped in house. Production manufacturing, including packaging is outsourced to a local business.

Continue reading Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Designer, All Rolled Into One

In Animals, Entrepreneurs, Interviews, Inventors | 18 Comments

November 5, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 5 Comments

Founder Maxine Clark tells Fortune Small Business how she built Build-a-Bear Workshop into a $468 million business.

Early in my career, Stanley Goodman, who was then CEO of May, said something that has stuck with me: “Retailing is entertainment, and when customers have fun, they spend more money.” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew it would involve children, because kids know how to enjoy themselves.

I may not have invented the idea of making a stuffed animal, but I did provide a venue for it. When I started Build-a-Bear Workshop, most malls had little to offer children. The stuffed-animal business was mostly seasonal, but I didn’t let the way others made or sold stuffed animals deter me. Our concept was based on customization and guest entertainment.

Adults told me my idea wouldn’t work. “Who wants to make their own stuffed animals?” they argued. But every kid said, “Where is it? When can I do it?”

Continue Reading: “How Build-a-Bear Invented A Bear Market”

Photo by Build-a-Bear.

In Kids, Profiles, Success | 5 Comments

November 5, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 4 Comments

It’s now easy to offer printable coupons on your Web site, thanks to OneMinuteCoupon reports Small Business Computing.

It’s a simple service, and here’s how it works.

First of all create a free account on the site, then create your coupon using the online editor — you can even include your own images in there — and then copy-and-paste the provided html code into your own Web site; simple as that.

Photo by OneMinuteCoupon.

In Giveaway, Internet, Marketing | 4 Comments

November 5, 2009 by Jaclyn Wells | 1 Comment

photo credit: Domain Barnyard

In sales we all know that quality leads are the key to our success, and we all are on the hunt for new ways to generate these quality leads in order to boost our sales numbers. I came across an interesting article located on Duct Tape Marketing that suggests speaking for free at conventions in order to create these quality leads.

Instead of charging a couple thousand dollar fee for speaking at a conference and maybe selling one product at the end, why not speak for free and walk away at the end with 20 or more quality leads that could end up turning into 10 or more sales? When you do the math, that is a lot more money in your pocket when you speak for free and walk away with more leads to follow up on.

Set up some sort of deal with the sponsor of the event, let them know you are willing to waive your usual fee for speaking in return for them allowing you to request the audiences information in order to make sales at a later date. Also offer the customers some free items in exchange for allowing you to take their information with you.

At the end answer questions, make free offers, and, almost as an afterthought, agree to let them also bring a friend to the event you mentioned at the same price if they sign-up today. (You’ve just made the event half price in their mind, turned them into a recruiter, and given your potential attendee a valuable tool to offer to a friend or colleague) So, all of a sudden, anyone considering the offer is now highly motivated by this compelling change of events.

In Advice, Sales, Tip | 1 Comment

November 5, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

To members of its Amazon Associates program, Amazon.com is promoting Twitter integration for affiliate links writes Downloadsquad.com.

People have been posting Amazon links to Twitter for just about as long as Twitter’s been around, but now it’s an insanely easy two-click process, using the toolbar on any product page.

This is good news for Associates, making Twitter a viable place to pick up some extra clicks and sales.

The messages don’t auto-post to your account, they just redirect you to Twitter.com with a pre-filled tweet.

The text before the product names seem to rotate, and it includea stuff like “Great deal on,” “Check out,” and “Just saw on Amazon.”

I guess that’ll make people who post frequent product links look a little bit less like spammers.

Photo by downloadsquad.

In Affiliate Marketing, Amazon, Sales, Twitter | 1 Comment

November 5, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 3 Comments

To reduce the number of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills, consumers are encouraged to buy reusable bottles reports trendspotter Springwise.

Since those can be bulky to carry along, a company in Thousand Oaks, California designed an alternative.

Vapur is a reusable water bottle that flattens when empty. Like a regular bottle, it stands upright when full. But when it’s empty, users can fold or roll it up to stick it in a pocket or a purse.

Made of ultra-durable three-ply, BPA-free polymer, Vapur bottles can be cleaned in a dishwasher’s top rack and can be frozen to keep water cool.

Vapur’s eco-creds aren’t limited to their day-to-day use: since the bottles can be shipped flat, they’re also greener to ship from manufacturer to distributors and consumers. All in all, it’s an innovative way to make it more convenient for consumers to drink and carry tap water.

Photo by name.

In Beverage, Earth-Friendly, Recycling | 3 Comments

November 5, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

Small Business Computing has a great review of a free biz tool.

If you currently use Google alerts as a research tool or to be notified whenever your business is mentioned online, then you’ll love FiltrBox.com. It’s kind of like Google Alerts on steroids.

Now the downside to Google Alerts is that it only gives you results from the Web. FiltrBox on the other hand, searches offline publications including major newspapers and magazines, as well as blogs and even Twitter.

FiltrBox is very easy to set up, they’ll send you a daily briefing e-mail, which is very nicely laid out and easy to read.

Now what’s interesting is that this kind of clipping service used to cost many thousands of dollars a month, but it’s now completely free. There’s also a premium paid version of the system available that gives you unlimited search terms and other benefits.

Photo by FiltrBox.

In Internet, Media, Tools | 0 Comments

November 5, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 0 Comments

If Twitter can be used to track packages, publish school menus and crowdfund startups, why not help tackle the US healthcare crisis too, asks trendspotter Springwise.

Cell phones are already changing the way healthcare is delivered in the developing world, after all, and now Twitter promises to transform the delivery of healthcare information for stateside consumers.

ASKch is a new service from Nashville-based healthcare information provider Change:Healthcare that allows users to send quick healthcare questions via Twitter and have them answered within 60 seconds.

Consumers can simply tweet a question such as, “what is diabetes” to @askch, which is now in beta; in return, they get a short description of the disease and a link to more information.

Where else could Twitter be used to answer consumers’ standard questions quickly and in real time…a business opportunity?

Photo by ASKch.

In Healthcare, Medical, Twitter | 0 Comments

November 5, 2009 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

azcentral.com:

An old family recipe launched a successful home-based business for Donna Gabrilson a few years ago.

Now Gabrilson and her daughter and business partner, Stacey Barnes, have embraced a new brand to grow their Scottsdale-based GoodyTwos Toffee Company.

In 2004, the newly divorced Gabrilson wanted to make some extra money, so she began selling toffee made from her great-grandmother’s recipe at area farmer’s markets. “It was always a big Christmas treat that I would make for friends and family,” she said.

Two years ago, Barnes joined her mother in the business and they opened the retail shop in 2008. The two feared they might have a dismal holiday season, typically their peak selling time. But the corporate orders started arriving in December and they worked around the clock making batch after batch of toffee. Barnes specializes in adorable, colorful packaging. They sold 8,000 pounds – better than they expected.

After Christmas, mother and daughter rethought their business. They had never nationally trademarked the Market Street name, and there was a similar business in North Carolina. After consulting with lawyers, they decided to rebrand.

They worked with Cindy Gombert, owner of Scottsdale-based Lunabrand Design Group. “The really great thing we found about them was a great relationship between mother and daughter,” Gombert said. “The mother is based on tradition and the daughter was really contemporary and wanted to push the limits. There’s your brand.”

They changed the name to GoodyTwos Toffee Company and the new logo is a silhouette of them both. They added a shot of bright apple green to their crisp brown and white color palette.

Rebranding meant adding contemporary flavors. They spent the summer tasting a lot of toffee, adding several flavors, including Sweet and Salty, made with dark chocolate with a sea salt crunch, and Double Trouble, made with peanuts and milk chocolate and topped with miniature peanut butter cups. There’s a seasonal Peppermint Bark as well. Unlike traditional pull-your-fillings-out toffee, GoodyTwos has a delicate crunch and rich chocolate finish.

Image from GoodyTwos Toffee Company

In Family, Food | 0 Comments