A clever or humorous business name is enough to make one in four people take a closer look, according to new research.
Small business insurer More Th>n conducted a poll to find the most catchy and creative business name in the UK, and the resulting effects clever names had on potential customers.
Three-quarters of those surveyed admitted to being influenced by a catchy name, while 58% said it would make them remember the business.
“Our research confirms what the UK’s most creative business owners already knew – that the right business name can offer a real advantage in the battle for customers,” said Mike Bowman, head of insurance at More Th>n Business.
“With over 400,000 new start-ups each year, it is becoming increasingly difficult for business owners to settle on a catchy yet original name, but the research shows that it’s definitely worth putting in the time and effort to get the right name.
“High street shops across Britain have built a tradition for creative, catchy names, so the number and quality of entries we received was no surprise.”
More Th>n awarded the title of most creative British business name to Aisle Alter Hymn, a wedding shop for gay and lesbian couples in South Shields.
Other businesses in the top ten included Battersea Cods Home, a fish and chip shop, Mr Bit, window cleaners, and Vinyl Resting Place, a secondhand record shop.
Via-Startups Uk
Monday, September 3, 2007
2007 Leadership in Venture Capital - One Day Event
2007 Leadership in Venture Capital - One Day Event
Location:
New York City
Address:
New York, New York 10022
USA View Map search google maps
From: September 5, 2007 @ 08:00:00 AM to: September 5, 2007 @ 06:00:00 PM
Organizer: Argyle Executive Forum
Email contact: Lucas J. Gochanour
Tel: 646.839.0027
Fax:
Conference description:
Argyle Executive Forum is pleased to present its 2007 Leadership in Venture Capital. The event, to take place in Manhattan, will bring together 135–150 CEOs & Board members of public and private large cap and mid cap corporations, complementary areas of executive leadership (CFOs & COOs), members of the endowment, foundation, and family office community, select advisory firms, and select founders / senior managing partners of investment firms.
This event is by invitation only, and an invitation code is required. If you did not receive an invitation but would like to inquire about attendance, please visit http://www.execforum.net/Forms/at_rq.html
Location:
New York City
Address:
New York, New York 10022
USA View Map search google maps
From: September 5, 2007 @ 08:00:00 AM to: September 5, 2007 @ 06:00:00 PM
Organizer: Argyle Executive Forum
Email contact: Lucas J. Gochanour
Tel: 646.839.0027
Fax:
Conference description:
Argyle Executive Forum is pleased to present its 2007 Leadership in Venture Capital. The event, to take place in Manhattan, will bring together 135–150 CEOs & Board members of public and private large cap and mid cap corporations, complementary areas of executive leadership (CFOs & COOs), members of the endowment, foundation, and family office community, select advisory firms, and select founders / senior managing partners of investment firms.
This event is by invitation only, and an invitation code is required. If you did not receive an invitation but would like to inquire about attendance, please visit http://www.execforum.net/Forms/at_rq.html
Young Social Entrepreneurs Contest
Global Young Social Entrepreneurs' Competition, deadline extended to 9 Sept
The most famous social entrepreneur today is 2006 Nobel prize winner Mohammad Yunus. Less famous, but equally inspirational are young up-coming social entrepreneurs – over 500 have so far applied under the Global Young Social Entrepreneurs’ Competition 2007 and more are doing so every day.
Young women and men that have latched onto the vision of changing the world through business: business with a social or ecological twist. Given the tremendous interest, Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is extending the Competition deadline to 9 September 2007. The Competition is supported by GKP members UN Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
54% of the world population is aged below 25 years old. Many of these youths – in developing and developed countries alike – are motivated by a job that helps make the world a better place, yet also earns them a living. Enter the young social entrepreneurs of our time.
These young and up-coming social entrepreneurs from all around the globe are in good company – for example the company of Mohammad Yunus, the most prominent social entrepreneur these days who received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering microfinance social business in Bangladesh (Grameen Bank). But high-profile social entrepreneurs have also made their entry into the World Economic Forum and taken top places in awards programmes such as the World Challenge 2006. They all testify to the increased interest in the concept of social business over the last years, resulting in the coining of the term ‘social enterprise’.
What exactly is a social enterprise? Mohammad Yunus in his Nobel Lecture said: “Let us suppose an entrepreneur, instead of having a single source of motivation (such as, maximizing profit), now has two sources of motivation, which are mutually exclusive, but equally compelling − a) maximization of profit and b) doing good to people and the world.”
Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Executive Director of the GKP Secretariat, says: “The quality of applications received to date indicates that there are a lot of ingenious, innovative young entrepreneurs who are contributing towards a better future with new business models. With our support, they can go a long way”. All submissions are viewable by the public.
The Competition is part of GKP’s ongoing programme in the area of youth-led social enterprises. It is fully web-based and open to applicants worldwide until the (extended) closing on 9 September 2007. 100 winners selected by an international online jury will be announced on 20 October 2007.
The winners receive more than just sponsorship to attend the dedicated Young Social Entrepreneurs’ Forum, 11-13 December 2007, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia. In true entrepreneurial spirit, they are presented with the unique opportunity to potentially secure funding, networking, mentoring and knowledge for themselves – key areas in which young social entrepreneurs need support, especially in their early years.
10 of the winners will pitch for secure funding in real-time sessions. All 100 winners will meet various funding organisations, mentors, experts, potential partners or the media; be part of a crowd of innovative and motivated young social entrepreneurs; network and showcase with the 2000 participants of the larger GKP Event on the Future (GK3) – of which the Forum is a special highlight.
The Competition is supported by GKP members UN Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
How to apply?
Apply online:http://www.globalknowledge.org/ysef07/index.cfm?&menuid=7
Application criteria:http://www.globalknowledge.org/ysef07/index.cfm?&menuid=11&parentid=7
Deadline: 9 September 2007
The most famous social entrepreneur today is 2006 Nobel prize winner Mohammad Yunus. Less famous, but equally inspirational are young up-coming social entrepreneurs – over 500 have so far applied under the Global Young Social Entrepreneurs’ Competition 2007 and more are doing so every day.
Young women and men that have latched onto the vision of changing the world through business: business with a social or ecological twist. Given the tremendous interest, Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is extending the Competition deadline to 9 September 2007. The Competition is supported by GKP members UN Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
54% of the world population is aged below 25 years old. Many of these youths – in developing and developed countries alike – are motivated by a job that helps make the world a better place, yet also earns them a living. Enter the young social entrepreneurs of our time.
These young and up-coming social entrepreneurs from all around the globe are in good company – for example the company of Mohammad Yunus, the most prominent social entrepreneur these days who received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering microfinance social business in Bangladesh (Grameen Bank). But high-profile social entrepreneurs have also made their entry into the World Economic Forum and taken top places in awards programmes such as the World Challenge 2006. They all testify to the increased interest in the concept of social business over the last years, resulting in the coining of the term ‘social enterprise’.
What exactly is a social enterprise? Mohammad Yunus in his Nobel Lecture said: “Let us suppose an entrepreneur, instead of having a single source of motivation (such as, maximizing profit), now has two sources of motivation, which are mutually exclusive, but equally compelling − a) maximization of profit and b) doing good to people and the world.”
Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Executive Director of the GKP Secretariat, says: “The quality of applications received to date indicates that there are a lot of ingenious, innovative young entrepreneurs who are contributing towards a better future with new business models. With our support, they can go a long way”. All submissions are viewable by the public.
The Competition is part of GKP’s ongoing programme in the area of youth-led social enterprises. It is fully web-based and open to applicants worldwide until the (extended) closing on 9 September 2007. 100 winners selected by an international online jury will be announced on 20 October 2007.
The winners receive more than just sponsorship to attend the dedicated Young Social Entrepreneurs’ Forum, 11-13 December 2007, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia. In true entrepreneurial spirit, they are presented with the unique opportunity to potentially secure funding, networking, mentoring and knowledge for themselves – key areas in which young social entrepreneurs need support, especially in their early years.
10 of the winners will pitch for secure funding in real-time sessions. All 100 winners will meet various funding organisations, mentors, experts, potential partners or the media; be part of a crowd of innovative and motivated young social entrepreneurs; network and showcase with the 2000 participants of the larger GKP Event on the Future (GK3) – of which the Forum is a special highlight.
The Competition is supported by GKP members UN Development Programme (UNDP), Microsoft, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
How to apply?
Apply online:http://www.globalknowledge.org/ysef07/index.cfm?&menuid=7
Application criteria:http://www.globalknowledge.org/ysef07/index.cfm?&menuid=11&parentid=7
Deadline: 9 September 2007
M&A Summit
On the back of 9%+ GDP growth, ever-bullish capital markets and unshackling of regulatory restrictions, Indian entrepreneurs are looking outwards like never before in their goal to create truly global businesses. And M&A is proving to be a popular tool in this pursuit.
The ever increasing number and size of overseas companies being acquired clearly demonstrates India Inc’s rising confidence and vigor to plant its flags around the globe. However, amidst all the euphoria surrounding global acquisitions, there are several key questions that need effective addressing to ensure that such deals create long term value.
Questions like
Are cross-border acquisitions the latest seasonal fad?
What type of company is ready for such a deal?
Can SMEs play this cross-border game?
Identifying targets: Look East or West?
What are the pitfalls to watch out for – political, regulatory and cultural?
Can uncertainty concerning the rupee throw a spanner into the works?
What are the key red flags that due diligence should look out for in such deals?
How can key management talent be retained post acquisition?
What are the financing options available?
Who Should Attend?
Top executives from companies across industries like IT, Auto Components, Pharmaceuticals, etc.
Private Equity, Venture Capital and other investors
Service Providers including Investment Banks, Consulting Firms, Law Firms, Risk Consultants, Rating Agencies, Academics/Researchers, Media
For Registration:http://www.ventureintelligence.in/MAS07-Registration-Form.doc
The ever increasing number and size of overseas companies being acquired clearly demonstrates India Inc’s rising confidence and vigor to plant its flags around the globe. However, amidst all the euphoria surrounding global acquisitions, there are several key questions that need effective addressing to ensure that such deals create long term value.
Questions like
Are cross-border acquisitions the latest seasonal fad?
What type of company is ready for such a deal?
Can SMEs play this cross-border game?
Identifying targets: Look East or West?
What are the pitfalls to watch out for – political, regulatory and cultural?
Can uncertainty concerning the rupee throw a spanner into the works?
What are the key red flags that due diligence should look out for in such deals?
How can key management talent be retained post acquisition?
What are the financing options available?
Who Should Attend?
Top executives from companies across industries like IT, Auto Components, Pharmaceuticals, etc.
Private Equity, Venture Capital and other investors
Service Providers including Investment Banks, Consulting Firms, Law Firms, Risk Consultants, Rating Agencies, Academics/Researchers, Media
For Registration:http://www.ventureintelligence.in/MAS07-Registration-Form.doc
Elephants Business
Darwin pointed out that if you take one pair of breeding elephants and make some conservative estimates about their fertility, you would have more than 15 million elephants in less than 500 years (if none of them died an early death.)*
It's pretty clear it doesn't work that way. Perfect viral growth, even slow viral growth, rarely happens. If it did, we'd have an elephant problem.
The same thing happens with your idea. If one person told four and the cycle repeated itself for a few generations, everyone would know about it. But they don't. It tails off. One person often tells zero. Or people hear about it but forget.
Real viral growth comes from one of a few likely paths:
Someone sneezes your idea with amplification. They show up on Oprah, or you have $100 million to spend on ads. Great work if you can get it...
The idea spreads with fidelity. One person really does tell four, and there's not a lot of leakage. Starbucks worked this way, largely because the chain grew at just the right rate and kept its character as it did.
The idea is particularly 'viral' (using a popular understanding of the word.) One typical person doesn't tell four, she tells 400. This is the blogger effect--lots of small amplifiers, working in unison.
The idea lives a very long time and spreads slowly. In our rapid-fire world, this one is pretty rare.
It's possible to combine some of these tactics. When a political candidate starts out, for example, it's almost certainly with a grassroots approach, but then, perhaps, once enthusiasm picks up, he or she shows up on TV. You can organize around this and plan for it, but you certainly can't guarantee it.
Here's the big news: it doesn't matter much how many elephants you start with. In other words, big launches don't necessarily scale. What matters is how fertile your elephants are (number of babies per generation) and how long they live. If Darwin's elephants managed to squeeze in just one more generation, they end up with 30 million.
[Via - Seth Godin]
It's pretty clear it doesn't work that way. Perfect viral growth, even slow viral growth, rarely happens. If it did, we'd have an elephant problem.
The same thing happens with your idea. If one person told four and the cycle repeated itself for a few generations, everyone would know about it. But they don't. It tails off. One person often tells zero. Or people hear about it but forget.
Real viral growth comes from one of a few likely paths:
Someone sneezes your idea with amplification. They show up on Oprah, or you have $100 million to spend on ads. Great work if you can get it...
The idea spreads with fidelity. One person really does tell four, and there's not a lot of leakage. Starbucks worked this way, largely because the chain grew at just the right rate and kept its character as it did.
The idea is particularly 'viral' (using a popular understanding of the word.) One typical person doesn't tell four, she tells 400. This is the blogger effect--lots of small amplifiers, working in unison.
The idea lives a very long time and spreads slowly. In our rapid-fire world, this one is pretty rare.
It's possible to combine some of these tactics. When a political candidate starts out, for example, it's almost certainly with a grassroots approach, but then, perhaps, once enthusiasm picks up, he or she shows up on TV. You can organize around this and plan for it, but you certainly can't guarantee it.
Here's the big news: it doesn't matter much how many elephants you start with. In other words, big launches don't necessarily scale. What matters is how fertile your elephants are (number of babies per generation) and how long they live. If Darwin's elephants managed to squeeze in just one more generation, they end up with 30 million.
[Via - Seth Godin]
G-Pay
Google patent has come to light related to mobile payments. The so-called “GPay” patent doesn’t propose a direct Paypal competitor, however: instead, it covers a text message-based payments system. The patent was filed on February 28, 2006 and published on August 30, 2007. Google already holds a patent for a cross-platform micropayments system.
Google’s Eric Schmidt said back in March 2006 that GPay is “not made to compete with PayPal or to replace existing peer to peer payment systems but that it’s meant to be a new solution to a new problem.” However, that occurred right as Paypal launched its own mobile payments service, and it’s possible that Schmidt refers to the entire Google payments system (including Google Checkout) as GPay, not just this latest patent application.
Regardless, the patent covers:
A computer-implemented method of effectuating an electronic on-line payment includes receiving at a computer server system a text message from a payor containing a payment request representing a payment amount sent by a payor device operating independently of the computer server system, determining a payment amount associated with the text message and debiting a payor account for an amount corresponding to the amount of the payment request, and crediting an account of a payee that is independent of the computer server system.
I think it’s generous to say this isn’t a Paypal competitor, since Paypal is clearly keen to dominate mobile payments. We’ll wait and see what product, if any, materializes from the patent.
[via SEO by the SEA via Seoptimise]
Google’s Eric Schmidt said back in March 2006 that GPay is “not made to compete with PayPal or to replace existing peer to peer payment systems but that it’s meant to be a new solution to a new problem.” However, that occurred right as Paypal launched its own mobile payments service, and it’s possible that Schmidt refers to the entire Google payments system (including Google Checkout) as GPay, not just this latest patent application.
Regardless, the patent covers:
A computer-implemented method of effectuating an electronic on-line payment includes receiving at a computer server system a text message from a payor containing a payment request representing a payment amount sent by a payor device operating independently of the computer server system, determining a payment amount associated with the text message and debiting a payor account for an amount corresponding to the amount of the payment request, and crediting an account of a payee that is independent of the computer server system.
I think it’s generous to say this isn’t a Paypal competitor, since Paypal is clearly keen to dominate mobile payments. We’ll wait and see what product, if any, materializes from the patent.
[via SEO by the SEA via Seoptimise]
QuickInsert plugs into your existing website to protect and sell content
QuickInsert plugs into your existing website to protect and sell content - no programming necessary! Simply copy your content, documents, or images into QuickInsert and paste the provided line of Javascript code onto your site. Users can register, pay, or surf your content on your site without visiting ours. That's it; you can forget headaches and focus on building a user community.
You can set your website so that users must pay, which you do using Paypal or Google Checkout. QuickInsert protects your membership content so that non-users cannot see it. Creating an account is easy, simply insert your account information, then your website URL, then sync with the website. QuickInsert is free and easy to use giving you access to all the tools you need for user management, editing your sites content and establishing subscriptions to your site.
More at:https://www.quickinsert.com/
You can set your website so that users must pay, which you do using Paypal or Google Checkout. QuickInsert protects your membership content so that non-users cannot see it. Creating an account is easy, simply insert your account information, then your website URL, then sync with the website. QuickInsert is free and easy to use giving you access to all the tools you need for user management, editing your sites content and establishing subscriptions to your site.
More at:https://www.quickinsert.com/
Managing your digital assets is made easy with Fluxiom
With Fluxiom you can tag all types of files and documents, or put a group of files in one archive and upload them at once. You can brand your Fluxiom account by personalizing its appearance. You can also receive updates of content that interests you, by joining the global RSS feed which is continuously updated when new files are added or updated. You can also do a metadata search by color, author, resolution, etc. Managing your digital assets is made easy with Fluxiom.
fluxiom makes it easy to organize and share your digital assets within your company, your colleagues and friends. Manage any kind of file like corporate media assets, marketing materials, product folders, contracts, images, text documents, logos or artwork – you name it.
More at:http://www.fluxiom.com/
fluxiom makes it easy to organize and share your digital assets within your company, your colleagues and friends. Manage any kind of file like corporate media assets, marketing materials, product folders, contracts, images, text documents, logos or artwork – you name it.
More at:http://www.fluxiom.com/
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