Ben's 7th grade class did a web project that was meant to improve the local community. Ben enjoyed it so much that he kept working on it after school was out. Eventually, it transformed into Comcate, a company that sells software to local governments. The book is Ben's story about building a tech company in The Valley while still in high school.
The thing that I found so interesting is that Ben, who is currently just 19 years old, has already figured out many things about life and business that many people never figure out. For example, by the third chapter, Ben says he learned that talk is cheap. Contrast that with the dozens of people you know who do nothing but talk, and never take any action.
The book is filled with small boxes called "brainstorms." Here is excerpts:
I have a strategic plan. It's called "doing things"...In the early days of any new business, it's easier to plan than to act. It's easier to strategize than to actually do stuff.
By chapter eight, Ben has learned that some people are long on platitudes and short on substance. He also acknowledges that entrepreneurship isn't as glamorous as the media makes it out to be.
" Contrary to the typical media fantasy of yacht-cruising millionaires wheeling and dealing their way to the next big technology fortune, most entrepreneurship happens in quite ordinary circumstances. Dorm rooms, garages, kitchens, cafes... even bedrooms. Ordinary people, ordinary circumstances, ordinary conversations, but unusual passion."
Via-Business Pundit........Must read Book
More at:http://www.casnocha.com/
Thursday, June 21, 2007
MojoPage
MojoPageallows users to share their thoughts on businesses in three categories: value, service, and quality. A nice feature is that they allow you to upload a video review of any service. MojoPages also includes basic social functionality, which is key.
More at:http://www.mojopages.com/
Via-Mashable
More at:http://www.mojopages.com/
Via-Mashable
LongJump is an app creation tool for non-developers. It’s a business friendly means to customize and control apps that otherwise would be quite costly
Easily customizable Web applications for managing and coordinating businesses, teams, and information. LongJump is an online community that provides small and medium-sized businesses with applications that users can subscribe to and tailor to fit their specific business needs. Users across a team can easily collaborate in real-time to better manage business information.”
LongJump is an app creation tool for non-developers. It’s a business friendly means to customize and control apps that otherwise would be quite costly and difficult to build. They offer a catalogue of ready to go apps which can be easily adapted to any business. There are also built in collaboration tools to facilitate group work and projects. In fact applications can be shared among other LongJump users; they can be duplicated and tailored for any business. The drag and drop interface insures that build time is quick and can be done by anyone; absolutely no developing skills are needed. Customized calendars and scheduling apps can be built within a matter of minutes.
More at:http://www.longjump.com/
LongJump is an app creation tool for non-developers. It’s a business friendly means to customize and control apps that otherwise would be quite costly and difficult to build. They offer a catalogue of ready to go apps which can be easily adapted to any business. There are also built in collaboration tools to facilitate group work and projects. In fact applications can be shared among other LongJump users; they can be duplicated and tailored for any business. The drag and drop interface insures that build time is quick and can be done by anyone; absolutely no developing skills are needed. Customized calendars and scheduling apps can be built within a matter of minutes.
More at:http://www.longjump.com/
Way To make Money Through Theater Ads"Unexplored Business Opporunities"
The next time you go to a movie, you may be entertained before the show even starts. The latest trend in direct advertising is Arms-Length Promotions' product, the Stand-In, and it's grasping the attention of entire audiences, one cup holder at a time.
After arriving early to a movie with his son, ArmsLength founder and CEO Matt Faulkner, 48, noticed the untapped potential of stadium seating cup holders as a medium for advertising. By 2002, Faulkner secured a patent for the Stand-In and set the stage for a new wave of advertising in entertainment venues across the nation. Using only friction and postcard-weight card stock, the Stand-In fits securely into and stands upright in almost any cup holder without blocking it.
ArmsLength's clients, including McDonald's and Major League Baseball, have the opportunity to customize their Stand-Ins beyond strict advertisements. Not only does the perforated base double as a detachable coupon, but the attention-grabbing vertical advertisement can put promotional items such as schedules, collectibles or even DVDs within easy reach of each person in the audience. "The intimacy of [the Stand-In]," says Faulkner, "demands [that consumers] interact with it because it is so close." In addition, ArmsLength's ability to adapt to the predicted interests of a target demographic based on the type of event they are attending ensures the message will be received.
After patenting the Stand-In for roughly $40,000, ArmsLength Promotions has continued to expand the use of its product to new and innovative venues. No longer limited to theaters and stadiums, the Stand-In is now found in airports, hotels, gyms, hospitals and even rental cars--basically anywhere and everywhere there's a cup holder. Clients are praising the Stand-In's unique ability to get into the personal space of consumers, and ArmsLength Promotions is expected to grab sales of more than $500,000 in 2007.
Via-Uncommon Business Blog
After arriving early to a movie with his son, ArmsLength founder and CEO Matt Faulkner, 48, noticed the untapped potential of stadium seating cup holders as a medium for advertising. By 2002, Faulkner secured a patent for the Stand-In and set the stage for a new wave of advertising in entertainment venues across the nation. Using only friction and postcard-weight card stock, the Stand-In fits securely into and stands upright in almost any cup holder without blocking it.
ArmsLength's clients, including McDonald's and Major League Baseball, have the opportunity to customize their Stand-Ins beyond strict advertisements. Not only does the perforated base double as a detachable coupon, but the attention-grabbing vertical advertisement can put promotional items such as schedules, collectibles or even DVDs within easy reach of each person in the audience. "The intimacy of [the Stand-In]," says Faulkner, "demands [that consumers] interact with it because it is so close." In addition, ArmsLength's ability to adapt to the predicted interests of a target demographic based on the type of event they are attending ensures the message will be received.
After patenting the Stand-In for roughly $40,000, ArmsLength Promotions has continued to expand the use of its product to new and innovative venues. No longer limited to theaters and stadiums, the Stand-In is now found in airports, hotels, gyms, hospitals and even rental cars--basically anywhere and everywhere there's a cup holder. Clients are praising the Stand-In's unique ability to get into the personal space of consumers, and ArmsLength Promotions is expected to grab sales of more than $500,000 in 2007.
Via-Uncommon Business Blog
Getting Rich Is Not As Difficult As You Think
On the surface Michael Vien's move sounds ridiculously impulsive: He walked away from a mid-six-figure job in product development at Fidelity Investments to make games for kids. "I got strange looks from everyone," admits Vien. And that was before he said he was intent on making board games - you know, the kind folks played before computer games.
Yet in a key way, the move was thoroughly calculated. By the time he left his job this past February to make Poppo Brands a full-time occupation, Vien had already designed the word games Poppo and Zotto and tested them on 500 children. He'd manufactured thousands in China and found free storage space in a friend's warehouse. And he was signed up for the Toy Fair, the industry trade show, and had stashed away $200,000 - half from savings, half from friends - enough for nearly two years, according to his budget. All while working full time.
Vien, who had toiled at a desk for 14 years, came up with his idea on New Year's Eve 2005 while playing a board game with his two kids. The next morning he grabbed 24 games from store shelves, then used the parts to make a prototype of a game that requires players to press a plastic "popper" to shake an eight-sided die covered with letters. Vien often worked from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. writing a business plan and finding suppliers in China. He even took night shifts at toy stores so he could gauge consumer interest, see which packaging worked and figure out how much to charge. Six months into his part-time venture, he told HR he had something on the side. Another six months later, "I opened the escape hatch and out I went," says Vien, who sold almost $50,000 in games within 90 days of leaving.
Read and watch video at:http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0706/gallery.success_stories.moneymag/2.html
Yet in a key way, the move was thoroughly calculated. By the time he left his job this past February to make Poppo Brands a full-time occupation, Vien had already designed the word games Poppo and Zotto and tested them on 500 children. He'd manufactured thousands in China and found free storage space in a friend's warehouse. And he was signed up for the Toy Fair, the industry trade show, and had stashed away $200,000 - half from savings, half from friends - enough for nearly two years, according to his budget. All while working full time.
Vien, who had toiled at a desk for 14 years, came up with his idea on New Year's Eve 2005 while playing a board game with his two kids. The next morning he grabbed 24 games from store shelves, then used the parts to make a prototype of a game that requires players to press a plastic "popper" to shake an eight-sided die covered with letters. Vien often worked from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. writing a business plan and finding suppliers in China. He even took night shifts at toy stores so he could gauge consumer interest, see which packaging worked and figure out how much to charge. Six months into his part-time venture, he told HR he had something on the side. Another six months later, "I opened the escape hatch and out I went," says Vien, who sold almost $50,000 in games within 90 days of leaving.
Read and watch video at:http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0706/gallery.success_stories.moneymag/2.html
MobIncentive is for motivating people to action by offering cold hard cash.
MobIncentive is for motivating people to action by offering cold hard cash. The service allows users to post challenges and invite people to pledge funds towards the cause. For example, the site currently features a challenge someone has setup to try and motivate their brother in law to quit smoking, and friends have pledged $65 if he can stop smoking for six months.
Once a challenge is completed, MobIncentive sends out PayPal invoices to the pledges and keeps track of who still owes money. The site also includes basic social networking features including user profiles, friend’s lists, and tagging of challenges.
MobIncentive is founded by Andrew Lin and Brian Sabino, two former Microsoft employees.
More at:http://mobincentive.com/
Via-Mashable
Once a challenge is completed, MobIncentive sends out PayPal invoices to the pledges and keeps track of who still owes money. The site also includes basic social networking features including user profiles, friend’s lists, and tagging of challenges.
MobIncentive is founded by Andrew Lin and Brian Sabino, two former Microsoft employees.
More at:http://mobincentive.com/
Via-Mashable
When Full-Time Life Guard Become Entreprenuer
Douglas Smith, a full-time lifeguard, had never considered owning his own business until his friend, Matthew Farruggio, asked him if he was interested in becoming a franchisee. Farruggio's company, California Quivers, sells frozen fruit beverages called Quivers as well as other snacks like funnel cakes and pretzels. Smith had watched Farruggio's business grow from its start in 1997, so in April 2006, Smith and friend Nick Lehman, 27, became the company's first franchisees.
Thus far, business ownership has been a great learning experience for Smith, 32. The first thing he learned was the importance of a good location. He focused on getting his cart into an outlet mall in Carlsbad, California, for the summer. "You have to be pretty persistent to get your product in anywhere," says Smith. "You actually have to go out and attack to get the business. I just kept going [back] and they took a chance on us." It paid off, grossing the pair about $75,000 in three months.
After summer's end, Smith takes his California Quivers cart to street fairs, festivals and even high school football games. "Every weekend's a new adventure," Smith says. "Every time we go out and work it's fun.
With his first year as a California Quivers franchisee under his belt, Smith is ready to grow. He is currently looking into buying a second cart and is already considering all the possible locations for it, from shopping centers to piers.
Via-Entreprenuer's Magzine
Thus far, business ownership has been a great learning experience for Smith, 32. The first thing he learned was the importance of a good location. He focused on getting his cart into an outlet mall in Carlsbad, California, for the summer. "You have to be pretty persistent to get your product in anywhere," says Smith. "You actually have to go out and attack to get the business. I just kept going [back] and they took a chance on us." It paid off, grossing the pair about $75,000 in three months.
After summer's end, Smith takes his California Quivers cart to street fairs, festivals and even high school football games. "Every weekend's a new adventure," Smith says. "Every time we go out and work it's fun.
With his first year as a California Quivers franchisee under his belt, Smith is ready to grow. He is currently looking into buying a second cart and is already considering all the possible locations for it, from shopping centers to piers.
Via-Entreprenuer's Magzine
Ironbox
Ironbox is a front-end platform to help build and deploy Web applications. It is also a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that hosts Web applications in a desktop environment entirely contained within and run by a browser. This is the Ironbox desktop.
Contact:http://www.ironbox.com/
Contact:http://www.ironbox.com/
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