iHipo is a place which connects a student and a young professional with international employers and hence provides them a platform that gives a larger arena to prove their worth. So it a peer to peer communication and recruitment happening at the same time. It acts like a double-edged sword that gives you a twin advantage.
It is a one stop meeting point for students and young professionals that look for international assignments and networking opportunities. Besides, employers that seek to recruit international top-tier talent can create profiles and post vacancies on iHipo. It is really easy to land up on the international circuit with iHipo at your fingertips. Get international internships and move towards a brighter future.
Make your profile visible to recruiters and get hired by the top most organizations of the international circuit. You can build an international network that will help you later in climbing the corporate ladder. You can also join communities which are country based. The iHipo database is huge and it can link you to a host of organizations. So there can be a preference based sort and the right choice can be made.
It does not search a job for you. It connects you to the world business forum where you can find yourself amongst the biggest players of the market. So fasten your seat belts and get into a high potential network dedicated to empower international careers.
More at:http://ihipo.com/
Via -Amazing startups
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
For Funding Would Be Entreprenurs In India
This funding team is consist of people who worked in Big Consulting firms like KPMG,Arthur &Anderson and all of them pass out from world's and india's best business schools.
Positron assists existing and would be entrepreneurs in securing funding. They meet with entrepreneurs in different cities with the objective of assessing their businesses and ideas.
With a few entrepreneurs, Positron does go forward and sign a mandate to secure funding. On signing a mandate, Positron works on a success fee model and does not charge any fixed retainer. Given their relationship with the venture capitalist community and their experience in this area, there is a strong probability that if Positron does take up a mandate, funding can be sourced.
Positron also makes direct investments in select companies.
The Process:
Positron partners regularly travel to key metros (Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, etc) for one to one meetings with entrepreneurs. These are invitation only meetings to explore possibilities of signing funding mandates. To schedule a meeting, the entrepreneur needs to provide critical information about his business/idea by completing our "Funding Application Form".
The Funding Application Form while extensive (over 10 pages) can be completed in 2-3 hours. Completing the Form is a prerequisite for a meeting with us since Positron continues to get 25-30 funding requests each day. Positron partners review the Form once it has been sent back and carry out research on the opportunity. The research and due-diligence takes between 7-10 days. Meetings with the entrepreneur are scheduled, when necessary.
More at:http://www.positronservices.com/
Positron assists existing and would be entrepreneurs in securing funding. They meet with entrepreneurs in different cities with the objective of assessing their businesses and ideas.
With a few entrepreneurs, Positron does go forward and sign a mandate to secure funding. On signing a mandate, Positron works on a success fee model and does not charge any fixed retainer. Given their relationship with the venture capitalist community and their experience in this area, there is a strong probability that if Positron does take up a mandate, funding can be sourced.
Positron also makes direct investments in select companies.
The Process:
Positron partners regularly travel to key metros (Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, etc) for one to one meetings with entrepreneurs. These are invitation only meetings to explore possibilities of signing funding mandates. To schedule a meeting, the entrepreneur needs to provide critical information about his business/idea by completing our "Funding Application Form".
The Funding Application Form while extensive (over 10 pages) can be completed in 2-3 hours. Completing the Form is a prerequisite for a meeting with us since Positron continues to get 25-30 funding requests each day. Positron partners review the Form once it has been sent back and carry out research on the opportunity. The research and due-diligence takes between 7-10 days. Meetings with the entrepreneur are scheduled, when necessary.
More at:http://www.positronservices.com/
FreeIQ.com is the place for you to find resources to help you start and grow your business
FreeIQ.com is brainchild of Brad Fallon, FreeIQ.com is the place for you to find resources to help you start and grow your business.
Coined as the YouTube for entrepreneurs, FreeIQ.com contains video, audio and ebooks from experts around the globe -- and most of it is free. It will also be a place where any small business owner can sell what they have to offer to the masses. And the site is user controlled too. As with anything, there will be a share of resources that aren't worth your time, but FreeIQ.com will be using a patented Review Rank algorithm which will help the really good stuff to rise to the top.
There are two ways you can use FreeIQ.com in addition to searching for resources. You can become a member and upload your resources for sharing with the world -- for free. There are no membership fees of any kind. They'll store your content and deliver it for you at absolutely no cost. You can take a look at my FreeIQ.com page. And what's really neat is that you can also become an affiliate -- for free. That means you can sell other people's content as it grows on FreeIQ.com.
A new one resource for small business owners. It's time for you to stop by. Go to FreeIQ.com now.
More at:http://freeiq.com/
Coined as the YouTube for entrepreneurs, FreeIQ.com contains video, audio and ebooks from experts around the globe -- and most of it is free. It will also be a place where any small business owner can sell what they have to offer to the masses. And the site is user controlled too. As with anything, there will be a share of resources that aren't worth your time, but FreeIQ.com will be using a patented Review Rank algorithm which will help the really good stuff to rise to the top.
There are two ways you can use FreeIQ.com in addition to searching for resources. You can become a member and upload your resources for sharing with the world -- for free. There are no membership fees of any kind. They'll store your content and deliver it for you at absolutely no cost. You can take a look at my FreeIQ.com page. And what's really neat is that you can also become an affiliate -- for free. That means you can sell other people's content as it grows on FreeIQ.com.
A new one resource for small business owners. It's time for you to stop by. Go to FreeIQ.com now.
More at:http://freeiq.com/
Adwords Optimizer"Clickmuse"
A tool to help you fine tune your AdWords ads.Its free and very simple in use and would certainly help you.
Savvy AdWords users write two or more ads for a given ad group. Google then uses both ads and you can learn which ad performs the best by watching the CTR (click through rate) and conversion over time.
Adwords Optimizer sends you a daily report of how your different ads are performing and which one has the best CTR, then offers suggestions for improving. It's a simple thing, and something you can do by hand-checking your AdWords account every day and keeping track, but Adwords Optimizer makes a tedious thing you should do every day (but probably don't because it's tedious) very simple.
More at:http://adwords.clickmuse.com/
Savvy AdWords users write two or more ads for a given ad group. Google then uses both ads and you can learn which ad performs the best by watching the CTR (click through rate) and conversion over time.
Adwords Optimizer sends you a daily report of how your different ads are performing and which one has the best CTR, then offers suggestions for improving. It's a simple thing, and something you can do by hand-checking your AdWords account every day and keeping track, but Adwords Optimizer makes a tedious thing you should do every day (but probably don't because it's tedious) very simple.
More at:http://adwords.clickmuse.com/
FreeMovie Online
FreeMoviesCinema is a site which indexes and embeds movies it finds online, allowing viewers to find and download them through their site. This is as much information as the site will give about itself in small print at the bottom. Oh, it also tells you that site itself is not hosting these videos. If people have copyright issues, they urge them to contact "the responsible hosting party." Listed hosts of these movies are Stage6, Google video, Daily Motion, Veoh, MySpace, Volt, Guba, OUOU, and YouTube. The movies they do have here are mostly random. There are not many famous movies, except a few like Pulp Fiction and Easy Rider. The site also offers links to video games and live interviews. Overall, the site just seems an index of free online movies with little more purpose than that.
More at:http://www.freemoviescinema.com/
More at:http://www.freemoviescinema.com/
Leading Search Engine For Classified Ads"GoSasa"
Search for merchandise, jobs, real estate, rentals, services, and vehicles at GoSasa, a mega search engine that looks through over 50,000 online classifieds in order to find what you are looking for. To conduct the search, you just put in a keyword, the type of search you are doing, and a location. The site lets you choose how many results per page and whether to sort by date. Overall a great search engine.
America"s leading search engine for classified ads. Visiting multiple Internet sites is now a thing of the past because we search hundreds for you and link you to them for free! GoSasa is a faster, easier way to get the best free classified ads based on your unique search requests. Get smart, fast! SasaIndex provides valuable statistical information related to your search for free, so you can make smarter decisions on whatever it is you"re seeking. Finally you have a best friend on the World Wide Web. Tell your friends to visit GoSasa, too!
More at:http://www.gosasa.com/
America"s leading search engine for classified ads. Visiting multiple Internet sites is now a thing of the past because we search hundreds for you and link you to them for free! GoSasa is a faster, easier way to get the best free classified ads based on your unique search requests. Get smart, fast! SasaIndex provides valuable statistical information related to your search for free, so you can make smarter decisions on whatever it is you"re seeking. Finally you have a best friend on the World Wide Web. Tell your friends to visit GoSasa, too!
More at:http://www.gosasa.com/
Electronic Calling Card
Zakly is a mobile electronic calling card. It contains all your profile info, just like your regular business card, but without the need for paper. Register and fill out your info at the Zakly site. The next time someone needs to contact you give them your mobi-d. Your info is accessible via any mobile device. Zakly is ideal for promoters, individuals, businessmen, and professionals. With your mobi-d, you’ll never have to dig for paper cards or spend cash on ads. It’s completely free to use.
you need info? you"ll get zakly that business cards and billboards are passé. all you have to now do is - register yourself with an appropriate username (mobi_d) e.g.johndoe - complete your profile with relevant contact info - next time someone needs to contact you, just pass on your mobi_d - your info is now accessible via any mobile device
More at:http://www.zakly.info/
you need info? you"ll get zakly that business cards and billboards are passé. all you have to now do is - register yourself with an appropriate username (mobi_d) e.g.johndoe - complete your profile with relevant contact info - next time someone needs to contact you, just pass on your mobi_d - your info is now accessible via any mobile device
More at:http://www.zakly.info/
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Alternative Of VC's Funding
If you’re struggling to find success in your quest for venture capital, maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.
Here are few alternative of VCs:
There are plenty of other options available when it comes to finding capital. From angels to credit cards, here are 25 alternatives to consider when it comes to funding your business.
1. Angels
Most venture capital funds will not consider investing in anything under $1 million to $2 million. Angels, however, are wealthy individuals who will provide capital for a startup business. These investors have usually earned their money as entrepreneurs and business managers and can serve as a prime resource for advice on top of capital. On the other hand, due to typically limited resources, angels usually have a shorter investment horizon than venture capitalists and tend to have less tolerance for losses.
2. Private Placement
An investment bank or agent may be able to raise equity for your company by placing your unregistered securities with accredited investors. However, you should be aware that the fees and expenses associated with this practice are generally higher than those that come with venture and angel investors. You will likely receive little or no business counsel from private investors who also tend to have little tolerance for losses and under-performance.
3. Initial Public Offering
If you are somehow able to gain access to public equity markets than an initial public offering (IPO) can be an effective way to raise capital. Keep in mind that, while the public market’s high valuations, abundant capital and liquidity characteristics make it attractive, the transaction costs are high and there are ongoing legal expenses associated with public disclosure requirements.
4. Bootstrap Financing
This method is intended to develop a foundation for your business from scratch. Financial management is essential to make this work. With bootstrap financing you’re building a business from nothing, which means there is little to no margin for error in the finance department. Keep a rigid account of all transactions and don’t stray from your budget.
A few different methods of bootstrapping include:
Factoring, which generates cash flow through the sale of your accounts receivable to a “factor” at a discounted price for cash.
Trade Credit is an option if you are able to find a vendor or supplier that will allow you to order goods on net 30, 60 or 90 day terms. If you can sell the goods before the bill comes due then you have generated cash flow without spending any money.
Customers can pay you up front for your services.
Leasing your equipment instead of purchasing it outright.
5. Fund From Operations
Look for ways to tweak your business in order to reduce the cash flowing out and increase the cash flowing in. Funding found in business operations come free of finance charges, can reduce future financing charges and can increase the value of your business. Month-by-month operating and cash projections will show how well you have planned, how you can optimize the elements of your business that generate cash and allow you to plan for new investments and contingencies.
6. Licensing
Sell licenses to technology that is non-essential to your company or grant limited licensing to essential technology that can be shared. Through outlicensing you can generate revenue from up-front fees, access fees, royalties or milestone payments.
7. Launch Customers
Find out if you have any customers willing to fund research and development in exchange for the product produced.
8. Vendor Financing
Similar to the trade credit related to bootstrap financing, vendors can play a big role in financing your new business. Establish vendor relationships through your trade association and strike deals to offer their product and pay for it at a date in the near future. Selling the product in time is up to you. In hopes of keeping you as a customer, vendors may also be willing to work out an arrangement if you need to finance equipment or supplies. Just make sure to look for stability when you research a vendor’s credentials and reputation before you sign any kind of agreement. And keep in mind that many major suppliers (GE Small Business Solutions, IBM Global Financing) own financial companies that can help you.
9. Sweat Equity
You may be able to find people willing to work for stock options in exchange for a lower salary or a delay in compensation until a later date.
10. Self Funding
Search between the couch cushions and in old jacket pockets for whatever extra money you might have lying around and invest it into your business. Obviously loose change will not be enough for extra business funding, but take a look at your savings, investment portfolio, retirement funds and employee buyout options from your previous employer. You won’t have to deal with any creditors or interest and the return on your investment could be much higher.
However, make sure that you consider the risks involved with using your own resources. How competitive is the market that you are about to enter into? How long will it take to pay yourself back? Will you be able to pay yourself back? Can you afford to lose everything that you are investing if your business were to fail? It’s important that your projected returns are more than enough to cover the risk that you will be taking.
Read full text at:http://www.businessfund.com/2007/top-25-alternatives-to-venture-capital/
Here are few alternative of VCs:
There are plenty of other options available when it comes to finding capital. From angels to credit cards, here are 25 alternatives to consider when it comes to funding your business.
1. Angels
Most venture capital funds will not consider investing in anything under $1 million to $2 million. Angels, however, are wealthy individuals who will provide capital for a startup business. These investors have usually earned their money as entrepreneurs and business managers and can serve as a prime resource for advice on top of capital. On the other hand, due to typically limited resources, angels usually have a shorter investment horizon than venture capitalists and tend to have less tolerance for losses.
2. Private Placement
An investment bank or agent may be able to raise equity for your company by placing your unregistered securities with accredited investors. However, you should be aware that the fees and expenses associated with this practice are generally higher than those that come with venture and angel investors. You will likely receive little or no business counsel from private investors who also tend to have little tolerance for losses and under-performance.
3. Initial Public Offering
If you are somehow able to gain access to public equity markets than an initial public offering (IPO) can be an effective way to raise capital. Keep in mind that, while the public market’s high valuations, abundant capital and liquidity characteristics make it attractive, the transaction costs are high and there are ongoing legal expenses associated with public disclosure requirements.
4. Bootstrap Financing
This method is intended to develop a foundation for your business from scratch. Financial management is essential to make this work. With bootstrap financing you’re building a business from nothing, which means there is little to no margin for error in the finance department. Keep a rigid account of all transactions and don’t stray from your budget.
A few different methods of bootstrapping include:
Factoring, which generates cash flow through the sale of your accounts receivable to a “factor” at a discounted price for cash.
Trade Credit is an option if you are able to find a vendor or supplier that will allow you to order goods on net 30, 60 or 90 day terms. If you can sell the goods before the bill comes due then you have generated cash flow without spending any money.
Customers can pay you up front for your services.
Leasing your equipment instead of purchasing it outright.
5. Fund From Operations
Look for ways to tweak your business in order to reduce the cash flowing out and increase the cash flowing in. Funding found in business operations come free of finance charges, can reduce future financing charges and can increase the value of your business. Month-by-month operating and cash projections will show how well you have planned, how you can optimize the elements of your business that generate cash and allow you to plan for new investments and contingencies.
6. Licensing
Sell licenses to technology that is non-essential to your company or grant limited licensing to essential technology that can be shared. Through outlicensing you can generate revenue from up-front fees, access fees, royalties or milestone payments.
7. Launch Customers
Find out if you have any customers willing to fund research and development in exchange for the product produced.
8. Vendor Financing
Similar to the trade credit related to bootstrap financing, vendors can play a big role in financing your new business. Establish vendor relationships through your trade association and strike deals to offer their product and pay for it at a date in the near future. Selling the product in time is up to you. In hopes of keeping you as a customer, vendors may also be willing to work out an arrangement if you need to finance equipment or supplies. Just make sure to look for stability when you research a vendor’s credentials and reputation before you sign any kind of agreement. And keep in mind that many major suppliers (GE Small Business Solutions, IBM Global Financing) own financial companies that can help you.
9. Sweat Equity
You may be able to find people willing to work for stock options in exchange for a lower salary or a delay in compensation until a later date.
10. Self Funding
Search between the couch cushions and in old jacket pockets for whatever extra money you might have lying around and invest it into your business. Obviously loose change will not be enough for extra business funding, but take a look at your savings, investment portfolio, retirement funds and employee buyout options from your previous employer. You won’t have to deal with any creditors or interest and the return on your investment could be much higher.
However, make sure that you consider the risks involved with using your own resources. How competitive is the market that you are about to enter into? How long will it take to pay yourself back? Will you be able to pay yourself back? Can you afford to lose everything that you are investing if your business were to fail? It’s important that your projected returns are more than enough to cover the risk that you will be taking.
Read full text at:http://www.businessfund.com/2007/top-25-alternatives-to-venture-capital/
They Felt That Town "Was Filled With Wide-Open Business Opportunities"
In 2004 the brothers, both software engineers, quit their jobs in Santa Barbara and decamped to Buckeye, Ariz. After visiting relatives there earlier that year, Kyle had become convinced that the town was "filled with wide-open opportunities," especially compared with the software biz. "The tech sector was getting hit hard," says Aaron. "I didn't have a good feeling."
Aaron and Kyle, neither of whom had run a business before, began brainstorming about starting one together. Both had frequented a smoothie joint in Santa Barbara, and they fell in love with the idea of starting their own. They found an industry consultant online who helped them write a business plan. Then they hired an experienced designer. The Main Squeeze would be a 1,200-square-foot store with hardwood floors and stainless-steel tables. And it would cost more than the $130,000 they had saved.
That's when they drew up a list of 40 friends and relatives they could solicit as investors. "We wanted it to seem like we were offering them an authentic business opportunity," notes Kyle. For that they turned to CircleLending, a site that helps informal borrowers create formal lending deals. The siblings spent $99 to set up a loan agreement, choosing an attractive interest rate (9%), a repayment schedule they figured they could afford (either five or seven years) and a $1,000 minimum. Four folks each lent them $1,000, and another four each threw in $5,000. Last year the Campos brothers whipped up a profitable $210,000 in sales, and they've been paying their investors on schedule for close to two years. Says Kyle: "Not one has complained."
Read more at:http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0706/gallery.success_stories.moneymag/index.html
Aaron and Kyle, neither of whom had run a business before, began brainstorming about starting one together. Both had frequented a smoothie joint in Santa Barbara, and they fell in love with the idea of starting their own. They found an industry consultant online who helped them write a business plan. Then they hired an experienced designer. The Main Squeeze would be a 1,200-square-foot store with hardwood floors and stainless-steel tables. And it would cost more than the $130,000 they had saved.
That's when they drew up a list of 40 friends and relatives they could solicit as investors. "We wanted it to seem like we were offering them an authentic business opportunity," notes Kyle. For that they turned to CircleLending, a site that helps informal borrowers create formal lending deals. The siblings spent $99 to set up a loan agreement, choosing an attractive interest rate (9%), a repayment schedule they figured they could afford (either five or seven years) and a $1,000 minimum. Four folks each lent them $1,000, and another four each threw in $5,000. Last year the Campos brothers whipped up a profitable $210,000 in sales, and they've been paying their investors on schedule for close to two years. Says Kyle: "Not one has complained."
Read more at:http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0706/gallery.success_stories.moneymag/index.html
Great Innovater
Clayton Christensen is a giant in the world of innovation thinkers. And that's not just because the Harvard Business School professor stands 6 feet, 8 inches tall. Christensen's first book, The Innovator's Dilemma, became a bible for technology executives and Internet entrepreneurs not long after it was published 10 years ago. To date, it's sold 500,000 copies worldwide, while in 1999, Christensen was described by Forbes as "Andy Grove's Big Thinker" and featured on the magazine's cover with the former Intel chairman and Silicon Valley sage.
The book's theme—that good management is no guard against the disruptive power of new entrants who go after new customer groups or low-end markets—remains important today. "More than ever it has become shorthand for a classic problem," says Patrick Whitney, director of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. "People never have to explain it, they just mention Clayton's name or The Innovator's Dilemma and everyone gets what the problem is."
Ten years later, however, the innovation landscape is rather different. Globalization has exponentially expanded where threats lie. Design thinking and its focus on the customer has captured the minds of managers. And as chief executives increasingly look to reinvent their business models, innovation is no longer defined in terms of mere technological breakthroughs. So how relevant is a book that chronicles the upending of the disk drive, steel, and earth excavator industries?
Ideas Still Resonate
Very, says Robert Sutton, professor of management science and engineering at the Stanford Engineering School and co-founder of Stanford's d.school. "There are very few books, whether you do innovation in the academic world or in the business world, that you have to understand equally well," he says. "You have to know it." In essence, the dilemma Christensen describes—how to serve your core business while finding new markets and watching out for new entrants in your blind spot—is as critical today as it was 10 years ago.
While reading it today can plunge you into a bit of a time warp—"Internet appliances," those devices for the kitchen counter that would only browse the Web and respond to e-mail, did not upend the PC industry—Christensen's ideas still resonate. Criticisms of the book tend to surround its lack of solutions, which Christensen tried to correct in his follow-up, The Innovator's Solution, which was published in 2003 to less fanfare.
One reason the first book was so well-received, says Roger Martin, the dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is that Christensen doesn't criticize managers, as many ivory tower professors do in their books. Rather, a major theme is that great managers miss disruptive innovations precisely because they're focused on their customers, working hard to create returns for shareholders, and trying to do everything right.
"He takes a 'there but for the grace of god go you,' positive, blame-free approach [that managers both respond to and appreciate]," Martin says.
BusinessWeek Associate Editor Jena McGregor caught up with Christensen on June 11, exactly 10 years after the release of his book. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:
Back in 1997, did you ever think the book would achieve the sort of popularity that it did?
I thought I had a good idea. It emerged from my doctoral thesis on the disk drive industry, and at the beginning I thought it applied a bit in computers and disk drives, but I didn't know how far it would reach. Then one by one people read the research and said this is "exactly what is happening in my industry." I really didn't understand that it was as generalized a phenomenon as it has turned out to be.
Your book focuses heavily on disruptions that are caused by advances in technology. More than ever, however, managers are defining "innovation" in a broader context, from breakthrough business processes to business models to customer experiences.
I think when I wrote The Innovator's Dilemma, my brain really was a technological brain and I was looking for a technological explanation. So I called it "disruptive technology." Then as I helped people to try and use the ideas, it became very clear there really isn't anything [it doesn't apply to].
Read more at:http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2007/id20070615_198176.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_top+stories
The book's theme—that good management is no guard against the disruptive power of new entrants who go after new customer groups or low-end markets—remains important today. "More than ever it has become shorthand for a classic problem," says Patrick Whitney, director of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. "People never have to explain it, they just mention Clayton's name or The Innovator's Dilemma and everyone gets what the problem is."
Ten years later, however, the innovation landscape is rather different. Globalization has exponentially expanded where threats lie. Design thinking and its focus on the customer has captured the minds of managers. And as chief executives increasingly look to reinvent their business models, innovation is no longer defined in terms of mere technological breakthroughs. So how relevant is a book that chronicles the upending of the disk drive, steel, and earth excavator industries?
Ideas Still Resonate
Very, says Robert Sutton, professor of management science and engineering at the Stanford Engineering School and co-founder of Stanford's d.school. "There are very few books, whether you do innovation in the academic world or in the business world, that you have to understand equally well," he says. "You have to know it." In essence, the dilemma Christensen describes—how to serve your core business while finding new markets and watching out for new entrants in your blind spot—is as critical today as it was 10 years ago.
While reading it today can plunge you into a bit of a time warp—"Internet appliances," those devices for the kitchen counter that would only browse the Web and respond to e-mail, did not upend the PC industry—Christensen's ideas still resonate. Criticisms of the book tend to surround its lack of solutions, which Christensen tried to correct in his follow-up, The Innovator's Solution, which was published in 2003 to less fanfare.
One reason the first book was so well-received, says Roger Martin, the dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is that Christensen doesn't criticize managers, as many ivory tower professors do in their books. Rather, a major theme is that great managers miss disruptive innovations precisely because they're focused on their customers, working hard to create returns for shareholders, and trying to do everything right.
"He takes a 'there but for the grace of god go you,' positive, blame-free approach [that managers both respond to and appreciate]," Martin says.
BusinessWeek Associate Editor Jena McGregor caught up with Christensen on June 11, exactly 10 years after the release of his book. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:
Back in 1997, did you ever think the book would achieve the sort of popularity that it did?
I thought I had a good idea. It emerged from my doctoral thesis on the disk drive industry, and at the beginning I thought it applied a bit in computers and disk drives, but I didn't know how far it would reach. Then one by one people read the research and said this is "exactly what is happening in my industry." I really didn't understand that it was as generalized a phenomenon as it has turned out to be.
Your book focuses heavily on disruptions that are caused by advances in technology. More than ever, however, managers are defining "innovation" in a broader context, from breakthrough business processes to business models to customer experiences.
I think when I wrote The Innovator's Dilemma, my brain really was a technological brain and I was looking for a technological explanation. So I called it "disruptive technology." Then as I helped people to try and use the ideas, it became very clear there really isn't anything [it doesn't apply to].
Read more at:http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2007/id20070615_198176.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_top+stories
Uncommon Business Idea
What: A training surfboard or skateboard
Who: Robert Ellis and Stewart Cohen of GarageCo Toys Inc.
Where: Woodland Hills, California
When: Started in 2005
Startup costs: $69,831
Robert Ellis is a surfer at heart. The sport runs through his veins--and in his family. After all, it was watching his son, Brooks, jumping on a trampoline with a skateboard deck taped to his shoes that inspired Ellis to create a plastic toy with a similar purpose.
Working from his garage, Ellis developed a wooden prototype for what he eventually named the Yo Baby. He later hired a sculptor to create a mold for the final plastic version. Like a bike with training wheels, the Yo Baby is a training board for sports such as surfing or skateboarding--minus the wax or wheels.
Two years after creating the product, Ellis co-founded GarageCo Toys with surfing buddy Stewart Cohen to launch the toy into the market. The business allowed the 46-year-olds freedom to focus on what they loved: "The idea was to take our savings and put it into this business, so we could surf," Ellis says.
Today, Yo Baby rides on the popularity of board sports to create marketing buzz, with pro athletes such as longboard surfer Garrett McNamara representing it. Ellis says he also regularly visits surf and skate shops to sell the toy, concentrating on three major selling points: "name, product and our [logo character], Newt." Although the company did not begin shipping orders until last June, 2006 sales were $94,000, with 2007 projections of nearly $400,000. Ellis and Cohen have plans to expand the product line to include clothing and accessories while keeping business costs low by hiring people on a temporary basis.
Via-Entreprenuer Magzine
Who: Robert Ellis and Stewart Cohen of GarageCo Toys Inc.
Where: Woodland Hills, California
When: Started in 2005
Startup costs: $69,831
Robert Ellis is a surfer at heart. The sport runs through his veins--and in his family. After all, it was watching his son, Brooks, jumping on a trampoline with a skateboard deck taped to his shoes that inspired Ellis to create a plastic toy with a similar purpose.
Working from his garage, Ellis developed a wooden prototype for what he eventually named the Yo Baby. He later hired a sculptor to create a mold for the final plastic version. Like a bike with training wheels, the Yo Baby is a training board for sports such as surfing or skateboarding--minus the wax or wheels.
Two years after creating the product, Ellis co-founded GarageCo Toys with surfing buddy Stewart Cohen to launch the toy into the market. The business allowed the 46-year-olds freedom to focus on what they loved: "The idea was to take our savings and put it into this business, so we could surf," Ellis says.
Today, Yo Baby rides on the popularity of board sports to create marketing buzz, with pro athletes such as longboard surfer Garrett McNamara representing it. Ellis says he also regularly visits surf and skate shops to sell the toy, concentrating on three major selling points: "name, product and our [logo character], Newt." Although the company did not begin shipping orders until last June, 2006 sales were $94,000, with 2007 projections of nearly $400,000. Ellis and Cohen have plans to expand the product line to include clothing and accessories while keeping business costs low by hiring people on a temporary basis.
Via-Entreprenuer Magzine
IT Link For IT Professionals To Network And Learn From Each Other
Ziff Davis Media now has an online community, IT Link, for IT professionals to network and learn from each other.
IT Link is very specific in its networking offerings for those involved with IT. You an indicate your profession, your reasons for joining the network, as well as what you’re looking for in terms of networking opportunities. Find others to learn from or collaborate with, among other things. Your profile lets others know what it is you’re looking for, so getting right to the heart of the matter is not an issue, and setting up a meeting with another user is very easy, too. There are also some pretty handy ways to search for others, including a People Map, which shows members that can be of most service to you and your needs.
The profile matching capabilities of IT Link are the most beneficial aspects of this community, and it keeps this network focused on what matters most. Others seem to feel the same way, as IT Link has reportedly gained some 2,200 members since its launch two months ago. You also have easy access to the other web properties within the Ziff Davis Media network, though they aren’t very directly integrated with the IT Link community.
Other networks for professionals include LinkedIn, Xing, and Zoodango.
More at:http://www.ziffdavis.com/index.php
[via]Mashable
IT Link is very specific in its networking offerings for those involved with IT. You an indicate your profession, your reasons for joining the network, as well as what you’re looking for in terms of networking opportunities. Find others to learn from or collaborate with, among other things. Your profile lets others know what it is you’re looking for, so getting right to the heart of the matter is not an issue, and setting up a meeting with another user is very easy, too. There are also some pretty handy ways to search for others, including a People Map, which shows members that can be of most service to you and your needs.
The profile matching capabilities of IT Link are the most beneficial aspects of this community, and it keeps this network focused on what matters most. Others seem to feel the same way, as IT Link has reportedly gained some 2,200 members since its launch two months ago. You also have easy access to the other web properties within the Ziff Davis Media network, though they aren’t very directly integrated with the IT Link community.
Other networks for professionals include LinkedIn, Xing, and Zoodango.
More at:http://www.ziffdavis.com/index.php
[via]Mashable
Blog Searching Tool
WizWag the blog searching tool, has created an auto-discovery widget for bloggers to provide an extended blogosphere search for their readers. This service is currently in private beta.
The auto-discovery tool is powered by WizWag and operates by giving your readers a blogosphere search for related posts based on the keywords you’ve assigned to your article. These search results are separated into those that are very related, and those that are less related. Readers will get about eight search results total, with the option of finding more results on WizWag’s main page. The added perk of the auto-discovery widget is that you can insert two of your site’s ads (125 x 125) or Google Adsense to display below a reader’s search results.
The actual search results vary little from those you’ll find on Technorati or Google. A similar service for bloggers is Sphere, while other blogosphere search tools include BlogRovr and Heeii.
More at:http://www.wizag.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
Via-Mashable
The auto-discovery tool is powered by WizWag and operates by giving your readers a blogosphere search for related posts based on the keywords you’ve assigned to your article. These search results are separated into those that are very related, and those that are less related. Readers will get about eight search results total, with the option of finding more results on WizWag’s main page. The added perk of the auto-discovery widget is that you can insert two of your site’s ads (125 x 125) or Google Adsense to display below a reader’s search results.
The actual search results vary little from those you’ll find on Technorati or Google. A similar service for bloggers is Sphere, while other blogosphere search tools include BlogRovr and Heeii.
More at:http://www.wizag.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
Via-Mashable
AroundMe is a free software solution for those who would like to create a collaborative web space as MySpace clone
AroundMe is a free software solution for those who would like to create a collaborative web space as MySpace clone.People who dreamed off eariler aboout making his own website and his social networking site components could be true with this tool.
With this tool you can make your own website and layer in social networking components such as wikis, blogs, and forums. OpenID integration is one of the options that can be extended to the end users as well. AroundMe is released under a GPL license, is free to download, and also features a plug-in API. The hope for the creators of AroundMe is that people will use this tool to create websites for others to network around, forming groups (as with Ning) and offering up user-generated content.
More at:http://www.barnraiser.org/index.php?ws=1&wpn=SwAmOverviewPage
With this tool you can make your own website and layer in social networking components such as wikis, blogs, and forums. OpenID integration is one of the options that can be extended to the end users as well. AroundMe is released under a GPL license, is free to download, and also features a plug-in API. The hope for the creators of AroundMe is that people will use this tool to create websites for others to network around, forming groups (as with Ning) and offering up user-generated content.
More at:http://www.barnraiser.org/index.php?ws=1&wpn=SwAmOverviewPage
Monday, June 18, 2007
Fuzz is a new music community for artists and bands to sell music and connect with friends.
Fuzz is a new music community for artists and bands to sell music and connect with friends.
The focus of Fuzz is on the musicians, and it’s created a music label for unsigned artists to work under to help promote undiscovered musicians. Artists can sell music, and will soon be able to sell merchandise as well. There are a few ways to share information about the site, as Fuzz has badges in a few different sizes that can be placed on websites or blogs and link back to Fuzz profiles. New users can sign up as a fan or as a musician, add artists’ music to their playlists or listen to another user’s playlist.
No widgets yet for selling (or even playing) music, which limits the marketing potential of artists signed under Fuzz’s label. There are sections for people, music and buzz, but there is no section dedicated to events and concerts, which is unfortunate. Incorporating ways for users to subscribe to events, add events to their own calendars, or search through events that have been added by artists would reaffirm Fuzz’s focus on musicians.
Fuzz of course is entering an extremely crowded space which is dominated by MySpace, and includes Sonific, which recently expanded its service to allow artists to submit music, and VLES, which uses avatars and a neighborhood replica for bands to promote music, among others.
More at:http://www.fuzz.com/
The focus of Fuzz is on the musicians, and it’s created a music label for unsigned artists to work under to help promote undiscovered musicians. Artists can sell music, and will soon be able to sell merchandise as well. There are a few ways to share information about the site, as Fuzz has badges in a few different sizes that can be placed on websites or blogs and link back to Fuzz profiles. New users can sign up as a fan or as a musician, add artists’ music to their playlists or listen to another user’s playlist.
No widgets yet for selling (or even playing) music, which limits the marketing potential of artists signed under Fuzz’s label. There are sections for people, music and buzz, but there is no section dedicated to events and concerts, which is unfortunate. Incorporating ways for users to subscribe to events, add events to their own calendars, or search through events that have been added by artists would reaffirm Fuzz’s focus on musicians.
Fuzz of course is entering an extremely crowded space which is dominated by MySpace, and includes Sonific, which recently expanded its service to allow artists to submit music, and VLES, which uses avatars and a neighborhood replica for bands to promote music, among others.
More at:http://www.fuzz.com/
Iloho is a new online community for travelers
Iloho is a new online community for travelers, with a distinct focus on airfare, set to launch sometime tonight. The company is backed by WebFlyer Network owner Randy Petersen.
This community is for user-generated news and reviews from travelers. Partnering with FlyerTalk and the WebFlyer Network, Iloho has created a community for trip planning in a more defined manner while layering in information gathered from other users. Stories can be rated so that the most helpful users’ content is the most relevant for searches. Users can share itineraries and use geo-tagging to better provide an integrated travel experience, while Iloho provides fare comparison functionality to help you find the best airfare deals.
More at:http://www.iloho.com/
This community is for user-generated news and reviews from travelers. Partnering with FlyerTalk and the WebFlyer Network, Iloho has created a community for trip planning in a more defined manner while layering in information gathered from other users. Stories can be rated so that the most helpful users’ content is the most relevant for searches. Users can share itineraries and use geo-tagging to better provide an integrated travel experience, while Iloho provides fare comparison functionality to help you find the best airfare deals.
More at:http://www.iloho.com/
Double Your Earning By Google Referals
Business
Anyone who is new to computers or unfamiliar with the Internet can appreciate the usefulness of grownupgeek.com. Founder Randy Brown started the site because friends and acquaintances constantly asked him for computer help. Today, Brown’s audience has expanded beyond his immediate circle of friends. Between 5,000 and 6,000 unique visitors each day come to his site for referrals, recommendations on security products, tips and information to help them keep their PCs running smoothly and securely. The site is written in plain English, making it ideal for technology novices.
Approach
"AdSense is superior in terms of ad targeting, reporting, and a richer inventory of ads. If I had to choose between AdSense and other services, I would choose AdSense every time. It is my most effective tool for generating income."
Randy Brown
Founder GrownUpGeek.com
At first, Brown was wary of starting grownupgeek.com because of the cost of website hosting. He heard about Google AdSense™ in an online forum, and thought it might be a way for him to cover his costs. "I wanted to start a computer information site for beginners, but not unless I could at least break even," he recalls. "I probably wouldn’t have started the site if it weren’t for the ability to earn revenue from AdSense."
Implementing AdSense on his site, according to Brown, "couldn’t have been any easier," despite the fact that Brown says he’s not a practiced webmaster. He was immediately satisfied with his revenues. "I only wanted to cover my $7.77 per month hosting fees, but AdSense far surpassed that right away," Brown proclaims. "The income I started earning blew me away."
Although he was immediately happy with this revenue, Brown heard about AdSense Referrals and realized that it could help him earn more money and improve his visitors’ experience. This is an AdSense feature that enables website publishers to increase their revenue while expanding their visitors’ awareness of useful products and services.
For example, Brown often recommends the Firefox web browser because of its powerful security features. By adding a referral button to his site, Brown realized he could direct users to Firefox with the Google Toolbar. When a referral connects a user to Firefox, Google pays Brown each time.
"Much of the information on my site is security-related, so I immediately saw that AdSense Referrals for Firefox were the perfect match with the content on my site," says Brown. "I believe in Firefox and use it myself, so it made sense for me to recommend it to my readers."
Results
Brown reports that "about 50 percent of my income now comes from AdSense Referrals – and sometimes it even accounts for 75 percent of my earnings." He says he’s tried other services, but AdSense and AdSense Referrals surpass other options. Plus, advanced features in AdSense such as channel reporting and the ability to combine several ads in a single box have helped him optimize his earnings performance.
"AdSense is superior in terms of ad targeting, reporting, and a richer inventory of ads," says Brown. "If I had to choose between AdSense and other services, I would choose AdSense every time. It is my most effective tool for generating income."
More at:here
www.grownupgeek.com
Anyone who is new to computers or unfamiliar with the Internet can appreciate the usefulness of grownupgeek.com. Founder Randy Brown started the site because friends and acquaintances constantly asked him for computer help. Today, Brown’s audience has expanded beyond his immediate circle of friends. Between 5,000 and 6,000 unique visitors each day come to his site for referrals, recommendations on security products, tips and information to help them keep their PCs running smoothly and securely. The site is written in plain English, making it ideal for technology novices.
Approach
"AdSense is superior in terms of ad targeting, reporting, and a richer inventory of ads. If I had to choose between AdSense and other services, I would choose AdSense every time. It is my most effective tool for generating income."
Randy Brown
Founder GrownUpGeek.com
At first, Brown was wary of starting grownupgeek.com because of the cost of website hosting. He heard about Google AdSense™ in an online forum, and thought it might be a way for him to cover his costs. "I wanted to start a computer information site for beginners, but not unless I could at least break even," he recalls. "I probably wouldn’t have started the site if it weren’t for the ability to earn revenue from AdSense."
Implementing AdSense on his site, according to Brown, "couldn’t have been any easier," despite the fact that Brown says he’s not a practiced webmaster. He was immediately satisfied with his revenues. "I only wanted to cover my $7.77 per month hosting fees, but AdSense far surpassed that right away," Brown proclaims. "The income I started earning blew me away."
Although he was immediately happy with this revenue, Brown heard about AdSense Referrals and realized that it could help him earn more money and improve his visitors’ experience. This is an AdSense feature that enables website publishers to increase their revenue while expanding their visitors’ awareness of useful products and services.
For example, Brown often recommends the Firefox web browser because of its powerful security features. By adding a referral button to his site, Brown realized he could direct users to Firefox with the Google Toolbar. When a referral connects a user to Firefox, Google pays Brown each time.
"Much of the information on my site is security-related, so I immediately saw that AdSense Referrals for Firefox were the perfect match with the content on my site," says Brown. "I believe in Firefox and use it myself, so it made sense for me to recommend it to my readers."
Results
Brown reports that "about 50 percent of my income now comes from AdSense Referrals – and sometimes it even accounts for 75 percent of my earnings." He says he’s tried other services, but AdSense and AdSense Referrals surpass other options. Plus, advanced features in AdSense such as channel reporting and the ability to combine several ads in a single box have helped him optimize his earnings performance.
"AdSense is superior in terms of ad targeting, reporting, and a richer inventory of ads," says Brown. "If I had to choose between AdSense and other services, I would choose AdSense every time. It is my most effective tool for generating income."
More at:here
www.grownupgeek.com
Thoof
Thoof is the latest company seeking to offer news readers articles that are relevant to them.But its totally different from digg,reddit,rojo etc.
The Austin, Tex. company launched today, boasting an approach it says is more useful to the wider masses than competitors such as Digg, Reddit, NewsVine, NowPublic, Topix and others that seek to rank articles. Thoof's trick is to latch on to information it finds about users' news tastes, store this information in a place where it constantly updates its list about you, and then steadily improve ...
More at:
http://www.thoof.com/
The Austin, Tex. company launched today, boasting an approach it says is more useful to the wider masses than competitors such as Digg, Reddit, NewsVine, NowPublic, Topix and others that seek to rank articles. Thoof's trick is to latch on to information it finds about users' news tastes, store this information in a place where it constantly updates its list about you, and then steadily improve ...
More at:
http://www.thoof.com/
Venture Capital's Survey By Silicon Valley For2007
Background — We analyzed the terms of venture financings for 117 companies headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area that reported raising money in the first quarter of 2007.
Overview
The results of the 1Q07 survey showed a continuation of the strong positive trend in venture valuations. The highlights of the quarter were as follows:
Up rounds exceeded down rounds for the thirteenth quarter in a row (79% up vs. 9% down, with 12% flat). This was the largest ratio of up rounds to down rounds since we started the survey in early 2002.
Barry J. Kramer
Author
Michael J. Patrick
Author
Start-ups & VC
Start-ups and Venture Capital Group
Life Science VC Survey (2006)
Israel VC Survey (Second Half of 2006)
Explanation of Certain Terms Used in Venture Capital Surveys
The Fenwick & West Venture Capital Barometer showed a 75% average price increase for companies receiving venture capital in 1Q07 compared to such companies’ previous financing round. This was the largest increase since the survey began. This increase was driven in part by eleven 1Q07 financings in which the purchase price of the stock sold in the financing was at least three times higher than the prior round. Of these eleven financings, most were in Web 2.0 and related fields.
The non price terms of financings in 1Q07 were also company favorable, with the use of senior liquidation preference and participating liquidation preference at the lowest levels since the survey began.
Other U.S. venture industry related results for the quarter include the following:
The amount invested by venture capitalists in the U.S. in 1Q07 was approximately $7 billion in 584 transactions, compared to $6.3 billion raised in 598 transactions in 4Q06. The amount invested this quarter was the second highest amount of venture investment in a quarter since 4Q01. Venture investment in healthcare hit $2.9 billion, the highest investment level on record for that industry.1
Investments in internet and cleantech companies also increased significantly.2
Acquisitions of venture-backed companies in the U.S. in 1Q07 was very strong, with 95 transactions totaling $9.4 billion compared to 79 transactions totaling $7.5 billion in 4Q06. Acquisition activity in 1Q07 was the highest amount in dollar terms since 4Q00. The median acquisition amount, at $105 million, was very strong, and approximately equal with the internet bubble year of 2000.1
IPOs of venture-backed companies declined on a transaction basis but were flat in dollar terms compared to 4Q06, with 13 IPOs raising $1.2 million in 1Q07 compared to 18 IPOs raising $1.2 million in 4Q06. Seven of the 13 IPOs were IT, the most since 3Q04, five were healthcare and one was retail.1
Nasdaq was flat in 1Q07, but is up 5.6% in 2Q07 to date.
More at:http://www.fenwick.com/publications/6.12.1.asp?vid=1&WT_mc_id=venture-beat_052407_VCQ107
Overview
The results of the 1Q07 survey showed a continuation of the strong positive trend in venture valuations. The highlights of the quarter were as follows:
Up rounds exceeded down rounds for the thirteenth quarter in a row (79% up vs. 9% down, with 12% flat). This was the largest ratio of up rounds to down rounds since we started the survey in early 2002.
Barry J. Kramer
Author
Michael J. Patrick
Author
Start-ups & VC
Start-ups and Venture Capital Group
Life Science VC Survey (2006)
Israel VC Survey (Second Half of 2006)
Explanation of Certain Terms Used in Venture Capital Surveys
The Fenwick & West Venture Capital Barometer showed a 75% average price increase for companies receiving venture capital in 1Q07 compared to such companies’ previous financing round. This was the largest increase since the survey began. This increase was driven in part by eleven 1Q07 financings in which the purchase price of the stock sold in the financing was at least three times higher than the prior round. Of these eleven financings, most were in Web 2.0 and related fields.
The non price terms of financings in 1Q07 were also company favorable, with the use of senior liquidation preference and participating liquidation preference at the lowest levels since the survey began.
Other U.S. venture industry related results for the quarter include the following:
The amount invested by venture capitalists in the U.S. in 1Q07 was approximately $7 billion in 584 transactions, compared to $6.3 billion raised in 598 transactions in 4Q06. The amount invested this quarter was the second highest amount of venture investment in a quarter since 4Q01. Venture investment in healthcare hit $2.9 billion, the highest investment level on record for that industry.1
Investments in internet and cleantech companies also increased significantly.2
Acquisitions of venture-backed companies in the U.S. in 1Q07 was very strong, with 95 transactions totaling $9.4 billion compared to 79 transactions totaling $7.5 billion in 4Q06. Acquisition activity in 1Q07 was the highest amount in dollar terms since 4Q00. The median acquisition amount, at $105 million, was very strong, and approximately equal with the internet bubble year of 2000.1
IPOs of venture-backed companies declined on a transaction basis but were flat in dollar terms compared to 4Q06, with 13 IPOs raising $1.2 million in 1Q07 compared to 18 IPOs raising $1.2 million in 4Q06. Seven of the 13 IPOs were IT, the most since 3Q04, five were healthcare and one was retail.1
Nasdaq was flat in 1Q07, but is up 5.6% in 2Q07 to date.
More at:http://www.fenwick.com/publications/6.12.1.asp?vid=1&WT_mc_id=venture-beat_052407_VCQ107
GlamMedia
Glam Media is going to become the number one online destination for women, overtaking iVillage, which had the stronghold on the market for the past eight years.
With its large network of blogs and premium content, Glam has grown rapidly, gained over $150 million in funding, and amassed a great amount of media and advertising partners along the way. The media company has about 350 magazines, blogs and websites included in its network, providing information and outlets for women in topics such as well-being and shopping. With women being a primary target for advertisers, Glam has also earned a high CPM rate and very targeted marketing options for companies as well. iVillage commanded a high valuation when it was acquired by NBC for $650 million. Analysts are giving Glam a current valuation of $500 million.
In related news, Glam signed an advertising and search deal with Google earlier this month.
More at:
http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/17/glam-surges-to-no-1-womens-property-overtakes-ivillage/
With its large network of blogs and premium content, Glam has grown rapidly, gained over $150 million in funding, and amassed a great amount of media and advertising partners along the way. The media company has about 350 magazines, blogs and websites included in its network, providing information and outlets for women in topics such as well-being and shopping. With women being a primary target for advertisers, Glam has also earned a high CPM rate and very targeted marketing options for companies as well. iVillage commanded a high valuation when it was acquired by NBC for $650 million. Analysts are giving Glam a current valuation of $500 million.
In related news, Glam signed an advertising and search deal with Google earlier this month.
More at:
http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/17/glam-surges-to-no-1-womens-property-overtakes-ivillage/
Mobile Website
On Zinadoo you get to customise your site even more .Change your text font size, type and colour .Link to another mobile sites .Link from any page to any page on your site .Have your site visitors call or email you at the click of a button .Get feedback from site visitors The list goes on, What will we do next?”
Zinadoo, rather, is a new kind of mobile community. The promote and enhance mobile communities by proving the user with a single, unique application which allows you to create, publish, costumize and share your very own mobile site. You can sign up for a free website, use their provided customization options, and then send out invitations to your friends to view it. From there, you can SMS for your friends, interact with the people who are visiting your page, create polls and much more.
More at:www.zinadoo.com
Zinadoo, rather, is a new kind of mobile community. The promote and enhance mobile communities by proving the user with a single, unique application which allows you to create, publish, costumize and share your very own mobile site. You can sign up for a free website, use their provided customization options, and then send out invitations to your friends to view it. From there, you can SMS for your friends, interact with the people who are visiting your page, create polls and much more.
More at:www.zinadoo.com
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Moodmill
Mood Mill is a social mood management website. Who made this site wanted to know mood fast. He found out that he was very lazy to update blog (2 blog sites had already abandoned). He want a good personal mood management, a log, a quick ‘n easy website for managing and sharing my short logs.
The research and development continued. The mock-up was done in October 2006. After hair-pulling domain search phase (nearly 1 month), the project officially named: Mood Mill.
Due to the lacking of spare time, the project was abandoned for nearly 3 months. Just the moment before he decided to launch it, Twitter launched! He was thinking that Mood Mill really needed more developers, especially a decent designer and a programmer. The condition was: 80% code, 0% design.
The search for a team didn’t go quite well. One local ex-office mate designer said no, another ex-office mate designer never gave an answer. And yet another ex-office mate designer said yes but she never worked it out eventually.
Finally, when Christine (ex-office mate programmer) joined the Mood Mill wagon, He decided to stop searching for any designer. Both’ve decided that she will focus on the code and I’ll take care of the design & marketing.
So here we are, ready to begin our dream.
Here:http://www.moodmill.com/
Felix Widjaja - he considers himself as a web technology activist, mac enthusiast & sushi lover. Spends his time reading news feeds, dating his lovely girl, playing Warcraft III while thinking what’s the next web big thing while putting up ideas for moodmill.
The research and development continued. The mock-up was done in October 2006. After hair-pulling domain search phase (nearly 1 month), the project officially named: Mood Mill.
Due to the lacking of spare time, the project was abandoned for nearly 3 months. Just the moment before he decided to launch it, Twitter launched! He was thinking that Mood Mill really needed more developers, especially a decent designer and a programmer. The condition was: 80% code, 0% design.
The search for a team didn’t go quite well. One local ex-office mate designer said no, another ex-office mate designer never gave an answer. And yet another ex-office mate designer said yes but she never worked it out eventually.
Finally, when Christine (ex-office mate programmer) joined the Mood Mill wagon, He decided to stop searching for any designer. Both’ve decided that she will focus on the code and I’ll take care of the design & marketing.
So here we are, ready to begin our dream.
Here:http://www.moodmill.com/
Felix Widjaja - he considers himself as a web technology activist, mac enthusiast & sushi lover. Spends his time reading news feeds, dating his lovely girl, playing Warcraft III while thinking what’s the next web big thing while putting up ideas for moodmill.
Code Generator
Generating code and scripts will save time and give you the fine grain control of being able to modify the code to suit your business needs. GENNIT code is FXCOP"d, Unit Tested and uses solid industrial stength foundations (ActiveRecord, NHibernate). There"s no black box with GENNIT, you get all the code in a ZIP file ready to be built and run. What you get with GENNIT: Access to tested generators, a designer for building your project, FXCOP"d source files, XHTML, NUnit Testing Code, VS.NET 2005/Express solution files and SQL scripts. Does it Work?: The proof is in the pudding! GENNIT web site and account management was built on top of a code generated DAL using the same templates available here."
http://www.tangler.com/group/7951
http://www.tangler.com/group/7951
Photobucket has created a new application for Facebook–Photobucket Postcards can now be sent to your friends on Facebook’s social networking site.
Photobucket has created a new application for Facebook–Photobucket Postcards can now be sent to your friends on Facebook’s social networking site.
With Photobucket Postcards, you can send an image, slideshow, mashup or video with a greeting attached. You can use your own Photobucket media, or choose from Photobucket’s images and videos catalog for your postcard, which is searchable directly on Facebook. Friends will need to install this application in order to view the postcard you sent. You can also add a postcard to your own profile. From here, friends will be able to forward postcards to other friends, or view the full size on Photobucket. This all works in the same manner as gifting other friends; unless you change your settings for this app, your postcard and who you sent it to will show in your feeds.
While the postcards you add to your own profile are saved, it would be handy to save those sent to friends as well. And while the other slide show creators like Slide and RockYou already have Facebook apps, this is the first for Photobucket. Considering its acquisition by MySpace, and MySpace’s own views on widgets, we’re rather surprised to see a Photobucket application on Facebook at all.
More at:http://apps.facebook.com
Via -mas
With Photobucket Postcards, you can send an image, slideshow, mashup or video with a greeting attached. You can use your own Photobucket media, or choose from Photobucket’s images and videos catalog for your postcard, which is searchable directly on Facebook. Friends will need to install this application in order to view the postcard you sent. You can also add a postcard to your own profile. From here, friends will be able to forward postcards to other friends, or view the full size on Photobucket. This all works in the same manner as gifting other friends; unless you change your settings for this app, your postcard and who you sent it to will show in your feeds.
While the postcards you add to your own profile are saved, it would be handy to save those sent to friends as well. And while the other slide show creators like Slide and RockYou already have Facebook apps, this is the first for Photobucket. Considering its acquisition by MySpace, and MySpace’s own views on widgets, we’re rather surprised to see a Photobucket application on Facebook at all.
More at:http://apps.facebook.com
Via -mas
Cluztr
Cluztr takes it to the web by tracking every site you visit online through your browser. Not only that, it also keeps a history log or “clickstream” of all those sites. One word of advice, avoid visiting sites that your mother would not think much of, as it’s all out there for your friends to view. Cluztr installs a plug-in to your FireFox or Flock browser (sorry IE and Safari users, Cluztr is hopeful for a mid to late 2007 release) where it then captures your entire web surfing history and compiles it into your “clickstream” which you are free to share or publish on the web for all your friends to see. There are also social functions built into the sidebar which allow for posting of messages for that specific site which other users can see when visiting that same site.
For more :http://www.cluztr.com/
(Via)-Mashable
For more :http://www.cluztr.com/
(Via)-Mashable
Saturday, June 16, 2007
iphone Boom Could Create Good Business Opporunities
Core Cases has been developing and selling metal cases for consumer electronics since 1999. Now the tiny company is designing at least six products for the iPhone, including what it calls the "fusion case," which uses a combination of metal and other materials to protect the phone. It expects to sell about 25,000 of these cases, helping double revenues this year.
More at:http://corecases.com/
2.
IStyles has been making and marketing iPod fashion accessories for the last three years and just launched a new collection of sleeves to hold the iPhone. The company, which relies mostly on wholesale and e-commerce sales of fashion accessories for various gadgets, also intends to launch patterned skins for the iPhone once the device is released. "We can't estimate the success of the device, but if the iPod is any indication, Apple will soon be a dominant player in the mobile-phone market by the second or third revision of the iPhone, and we want to be in on the bandwagon starting from revision one," says Ming Keong Kuan, the business's director.
More at:http://www.istyles.com/
More at:http://corecases.com/
2.
IStyles has been making and marketing iPod fashion accessories for the last three years and just launched a new collection of sleeves to hold the iPhone. The company, which relies mostly on wholesale and e-commerce sales of fashion accessories for various gadgets, also intends to launch patterned skins for the iPhone once the device is released. "We can't estimate the success of the device, but if the iPod is any indication, Apple will soon be a dominant player in the mobile-phone market by the second or third revision of the iPhone, and we want to be in on the bandwagon starting from revision one," says Ming Keong Kuan, the business's director.
More at:http://www.istyles.com/
Sites Personality
How about giving site as a form of personality which can impress others from head to heart.I 'm still finding the best way to develop a site personality as I'm just teen in that field but here are lot of sites which have full blown personality and their charm speaks louder.Here are few:
http://www.demotivation.com/
http://www.despair.com/
http://www.surefiremarketing.com/
http://www.demotivation.com/
http://www.despair.com/
http://www.surefiremarketing.com/
Become.com provides to be your favorite site for online shopping, as they combine product research with comparison shopping
Thats What They claim"Search and shopping in one easy to use site. Frustrated with researching products on the web? Tired of time-wasting spam results from general search engines? Exhausted from scouring the web for the best products and prices? Well, so are we! That"s why we created Become.com: the only fully integrated Web-wide product search and comparison shopping site on the Internet. Become.com is fast and easy to use whether you are researching what to buy or simply deciding whom to buy it from. Here"s a quick look at some of the powerful, intuitive features on our site. Our relevant research results save you time We designed our search engine with your shopping needs in mind. We"ve reduced the spam and irrelevant results that general search engines produce. We know that Become.com users are focused on researching and/or buying products so we eliminate results that don"t fit the bill. We crawl over 3.2 billion web pages to bring you current buying guides, expert reviews, consumer reviews, articles, specifications, forums, merchants, and a variety of other useful information to help you make better buying decisions. Zoom in on what you want. We can fine tune your search results even further by giving you the specific types of information you want. Only want to read buying guides? Prefer to focus on technical specifications? Love reading discussions between real customers? Then click on our new Search Zoom feature and we"ll prioritize your results that way. No other site can zoom in on your search requirements the way Become.com can. You"ll find this feature at the top of your search results page. Choose the button that delivers the results you want: all results; product reviews; buying guides; discussion forums; product details."
More at:Here
More at:Here
Business Or Company Who Want To Make His Brand Of Channel
PermissionTV Says Quote" is a media technology company that empowers media brands and video content owners to create one-to-one relationships with their audience. Our quality Internet video publishing platform is used to build profitable on-demand broadband TV audiences. Media companies use PermissionTV to configure and manage their own branded Internet TV channels and monetize their audience through ad-supported, pay-per-view and subscription-based services. Viewers love the high-quality experience that PermissionTV delivers. With PermissionTV, you offer top-notch video programming accessed at will by measurable audiences. PermissionTV: your profitable video platform on the web."
PermissionTV is aimed at those businesses who want to create their own online video programming or their own internet TV channel. It simplies the creation and management of branded internet TV programming by providing its own video player and content management tools so a business can integrate their brand name into a professionally produced video, while making money from that program as well.
More at: Here
PermissionTV is aimed at those businesses who want to create their own online video programming or their own internet TV channel. It simplies the creation and management of branded internet TV programming by providing its own video player and content management tools so a business can integrate their brand name into a professionally produced video, while making money from that program as well.
More at: Here
Blurb offers free software to create, publish, and ultimately market bookstore-quality books
In past there were so many writers and poets died without publishing their cherished work due to unwillingness of publishers who most of the time bought or published only selected works but internet and blogging has changed all ,in that direction Blurb is another addition. Blurb offers free software to create, publish, and ultimately market bookstore-quality books. Users pay only when they publish their books. Given that their are million blogs out there, Blurb believes they are providing a long-overdue service that could help bloggers and other writers turn their ramblings into actual for-sale books. This is a populist site and exactly why the internet is revolutionizing so many industries, from art to politics. The site is well-funded, well-designed and great fun.
Blurb is a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books – reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them. Holding a finished book with your name on the cover is a truly amazing feeling; it"s one of those experiences everyone should have. we put our minds together, and developed a creative publishing service simple and smart enough to make anyone an author – every blogger, cook, photographer, parent, traveler, poet, pet owner, marketer, everyone.
More at: www.blurb.com
Blurb is a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books – reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them. Holding a finished book with your name on the cover is a truly amazing feeling; it"s one of those experiences everyone should have. we put our minds together, and developed a creative publishing service simple and smart enough to make anyone an author – every blogger, cook, photographer, parent, traveler, poet, pet owner, marketer, everyone.
More at: www.blurb.com
Friday, June 15, 2007
Find The Professionals And Get The Job Done
Elance is an online agency that matches technical, design and other professionals with businesses needing such services. Project “owners” post their requirements and service providers bid on them. The company was founded in 1999, currently receives 130,000 unique visitors per week, and matches 2,500 projects with service providers every week.
Elance launched in 1999 as an “eBay for outsourcing”, a marketplace where project sellers could shop for professionals to get the work done, and vice versa. The company raised $80M, $60M at the height of the bubble, only to see the market collapse. Worse, at the time “outsourcing” was viewed by many as distasteful and distributed workforces were not well understood. Due to all of these factors the online marketplace struggled.
One bright spot, however, was in large corporations. Although Elance was founded to bring outsourced, decentralized workforces to a range of businesses, it found that big companies were the segment of the market that had most embraced the concept. Many of these companies had engaged the services of numerous contractors, yet had no reliable systems to manage their distributed workforces.
In 2001, then, Elance both scaled down to conserve its cash and refocused on the opportunity to serve large corporations. It kept the online marketplace, but put its principal energy behind the development of an enterprise software package to permit big companies to manage and track contract workers. By 2005 the enterprise software product was used by 200,000 employees of companies such as American Express, BP, FedEx and GE, to procure manage over $10B of contract work.
In 2005 Elance perceived that the enterprise software industry had started to consolidate while the general public had come to understand and accept distributed workforces. Elance then re-evaluated its product line and decided to return to the original business idea by selling the enterprise suite to ClickCommerce for a reported $15M. Elance’s CEO Fabio Rosati described this product arc as a “long detour” on the road to deployment of the founders’ original vision.
Elance could have sold off or simply abandoned the marketplace product to simplify its operational workload. I asked Rosati why the company didn’t do this, and he told me that the company analyzed the situation and concluded that the marketplace, if properly managed, would not damage the enterprise product or divert undue resources from it (in cash or personnel). That being the case, there was no reason to abandon the possible long-term opportunity it represented.
The founders and investors originally envisioned the idea of a broad market to match many thousands of service sellers with buyers. The enterprise software “detour” secured the company’s survival during the dot com meltdown and culminated in the sale of the enterprise suite for $15M, a return of less than 20% of investors’ capital but more than adequate to fund future growth. If Elance’s only product line were enterprise software it would be deemed a less-than-successful exit for the company. Maintaining and returning to the original idea, however, gives the company another chance to fulfill the original vision.
Elance’s early vision caused it to launch before the market was ready. As noted earlier, I suspect that many companies have the same problem and need to adapt. Elance adapted by reviewing the market landscape and developing a product to satisfy the immediate revenue-generating opportunity. Many businesses may be able to develop a service offering that can bring steady cash flow sooner, and fund development of the original product.
At the same time, keeping the original product rather than changing the business model entirely gave the company a chance to evolve with the market. Elance’s strategy illustrates one way a company can be flexible and capitalize on available opportunities while preserving a range of options for the future.
More at:http://www.elance.com/
Elance launched in 1999 as an “eBay for outsourcing”, a marketplace where project sellers could shop for professionals to get the work done, and vice versa. The company raised $80M, $60M at the height of the bubble, only to see the market collapse. Worse, at the time “outsourcing” was viewed by many as distasteful and distributed workforces were not well understood. Due to all of these factors the online marketplace struggled.
One bright spot, however, was in large corporations. Although Elance was founded to bring outsourced, decentralized workforces to a range of businesses, it found that big companies were the segment of the market that had most embraced the concept. Many of these companies had engaged the services of numerous contractors, yet had no reliable systems to manage their distributed workforces.
In 2001, then, Elance both scaled down to conserve its cash and refocused on the opportunity to serve large corporations. It kept the online marketplace, but put its principal energy behind the development of an enterprise software package to permit big companies to manage and track contract workers. By 2005 the enterprise software product was used by 200,000 employees of companies such as American Express, BP, FedEx and GE, to procure manage over $10B of contract work.
In 2005 Elance perceived that the enterprise software industry had started to consolidate while the general public had come to understand and accept distributed workforces. Elance then re-evaluated its product line and decided to return to the original business idea by selling the enterprise suite to ClickCommerce for a reported $15M. Elance’s CEO Fabio Rosati described this product arc as a “long detour” on the road to deployment of the founders’ original vision.
Elance could have sold off or simply abandoned the marketplace product to simplify its operational workload. I asked Rosati why the company didn’t do this, and he told me that the company analyzed the situation and concluded that the marketplace, if properly managed, would not damage the enterprise product or divert undue resources from it (in cash or personnel). That being the case, there was no reason to abandon the possible long-term opportunity it represented.
The founders and investors originally envisioned the idea of a broad market to match many thousands of service sellers with buyers. The enterprise software “detour” secured the company’s survival during the dot com meltdown and culminated in the sale of the enterprise suite for $15M, a return of less than 20% of investors’ capital but more than adequate to fund future growth. If Elance’s only product line were enterprise software it would be deemed a less-than-successful exit for the company. Maintaining and returning to the original idea, however, gives the company another chance to fulfill the original vision.
Elance’s early vision caused it to launch before the market was ready. As noted earlier, I suspect that many companies have the same problem and need to adapt. Elance adapted by reviewing the market landscape and developing a product to satisfy the immediate revenue-generating opportunity. Many businesses may be able to develop a service offering that can bring steady cash flow sooner, and fund development of the original product.
At the same time, keeping the original product rather than changing the business model entirely gave the company a chance to evolve with the market. Elance’s strategy illustrates one way a company can be flexible and capitalize on available opportunities while preserving a range of options for the future.
More at:http://www.elance.com/
On Becoming Entreprenuer
I always wonder and sometimes get amused when I see people who are exceptionally successful in their respective field.But,one thing is quite common among all of them or most of them,whether they are scientist,artist,film makers,politicians or entreprenuers.
They had always a different vision and they are quite apart in passion of their work,approach,excutation and most of them far ahead from their time.Since childhood I love ,admire and follow those people who have different vision or look towards life and work.I always wanted to be an artist or entreprenuer.On net ,I found million of people who had vision and drive but lack direction how to excute it.Only those people achieve who fiercely believe in what they think or say.As John Chow prove it,he love to say "the best entreprenuer idea is which have minimum input and maximum output".As far example ,John Chow himeslf who become millionaire and how much he had invested?Do you know?Just registered his domain name for $8.Making money with his different idea or vision.So the ultimate winner in the race of entreprenuership is,Vision or Idea is king,no matter,how weird it looks at first.When Sabir Bhatia of hotmail fame went for selling his "e-mail vision",many Vcs laughed at him Or king of all entreprenuership is Richard Branson who took world by storm with his all wierd ideas.I update everyday in my blog about new start ups but many of them just copy others idea.I"ll keep saying to those person who are keen to jump in any creative field or in pure entreprenuership.Vision or idea must be original ,its not important how much time you waste on investing on it.At last it bound to rock....
They had always a different vision and they are quite apart in passion of their work,approach,excutation and most of them far ahead from their time.Since childhood I love ,admire and follow those people who have different vision or look towards life and work.I always wanted to be an artist or entreprenuer.On net ,I found million of people who had vision and drive but lack direction how to excute it.Only those people achieve who fiercely believe in what they think or say.As John Chow prove it,he love to say "the best entreprenuer idea is which have minimum input and maximum output".As far example ,John Chow himeslf who become millionaire and how much he had invested?Do you know?Just registered his domain name for $8.Making money with his different idea or vision.So the ultimate winner in the race of entreprenuership is,Vision or Idea is king,no matter,how weird it looks at first.When Sabir Bhatia of hotmail fame went for selling his "e-mail vision",many Vcs laughed at him Or king of all entreprenuership is Richard Branson who took world by storm with his all wierd ideas.I update everyday in my blog about new start ups but many of them just copy others idea.I"ll keep saying to those person who are keen to jump in any creative field or in pure entreprenuership.Vision or idea must be original ,its not important how much time you waste on investing on it.At last it bound to rock....
Geezeo is an online community and service that operates around helping you track your personal finances.
Geezeo is an online community and service that operates around helping you track your personal finances.
You can create accounts within Geezeo to connect to your checking and savings, student loans, car payments, brokerage payments, credit cards, and mortgage. Now Geezeo will keep track of all your transactions and balances for you, giving you an at-a-glance view of your debt as well as your balances in a consolidated manner. Geezeo can also send you account balances on your mobile phone via text messaging.
More than a tracking service, Geezeo is also a community, where groups can be formed for users to discuss planning and spending behavior, hints and tips. You have the option of sharing your personal information with other users to get advice and feedback. With this social structure integrated into Geezeo, adding a blog option for users wouldn’t hurt. Geezeo is currently a bit focused on students, but could easily extend its service to just about anyone else, offering tailored advice and planning and tracking tools for those looking to buy a home, new car, or start a family.
More at:https://www.geezeo.com/
Via-Mashable
You can create accounts within Geezeo to connect to your checking and savings, student loans, car payments, brokerage payments, credit cards, and mortgage. Now Geezeo will keep track of all your transactions and balances for you, giving you an at-a-glance view of your debt as well as your balances in a consolidated manner. Geezeo can also send you account balances on your mobile phone via text messaging.
More than a tracking service, Geezeo is also a community, where groups can be formed for users to discuss planning and spending behavior, hints and tips. You have the option of sharing your personal information with other users to get advice and feedback. With this social structure integrated into Geezeo, adding a blog option for users wouldn’t hurt. Geezeo is currently a bit focused on students, but could easily extend its service to just about anyone else, offering tailored advice and planning and tracking tools for those looking to buy a home, new car, or start a family.
More at:https://www.geezeo.com/
Via-Mashable
Cuts.com
Cuts.com lets anyone edit and annotate online video. The site's CutMaker software lets members import an existing video and save only the clips of interest. Clip producers can add captions and sound effects before republishing the video to the Cuts.com website or across the Web using an embedded Flash player.
Its rivals are jumpcut and vSocial.
More at:http://cuts.com/blog/
Its rivals are jumpcut and vSocial.
More at:http://cuts.com/blog/
Pipeline Deals
Pipeline Deals is a hosted CRM and sales tracking product. Small businesses can keep track of key contacts, open leads, outstanding payments, and upcoming tasks. A single user account is available at no cost. Paid accounts receive unlimited deal tracking, secure web access, and other premium features.Highrise and Streetsmarts are their competitors.
More at:http://downtownecommerce.com/
More at:http://downtownecommerce.com/
Become Millionaire Through "Artoprenuer"
After launching a successful natural-gas and electricity brokerage firm on Wall Street in the 1990s, Bruce Silverstein was making a seven-figure income by his mid-20s. But while he enjoyed building the business, the trading world left him miserable. "I couldn't convert any of the money into happiness," he says.
Though not yet financially secure enough to retire, Mr. Silverstein amassed enough of a cushion to take a risk with a business that tapped into his real passion in life: photography. He quit trading and, in April 2001, opened a small gallery in a 500-square-foot studio on the first floor of a townhouse on West 22nd Street in New York; today, Silverstein Photography is in a space 10 times that size a few blocks away, on the hottest block in the sizzling Chelsea art district, selling works from iconographic photographers like the late Hungarian-born André Kertész alongside edgy emerging artists.
Ditching the corporate life to pursue a personal passion is a dream for many executives and entrepreneurs, whether they make a windfall on Wall Street, take a golden parachute or sell their start-up. And if that passion can translate into more financial success, all the better. Of all the passions to cash in on, the art market seems a potent place to make a second fortune these days: A flood of new collectors and a weak U.S. dollar have driven prices to new highs. Photography prices, though not in the same stratosphere as paintings, are setting records, especially for the vintage prints in which Mr. Silverstein specializes. Some fine-art photographs that sold for a few thousand dollars in the 1980s can now fetch $1 million or more.
But as Mr. Silverstein and others who have jumped into the art business can attest, it takes deep pockets, patience and plenty of determination to break into the famously clubby art world -- and higher prices are translating into more competitive scrambles for salable works. Finding and nurturing new artists whose work can sell at prices high enough to justify mounting their shows is tough. And outside major cities, luring buyers is a challenge.
Just ask Ben Gall, who left a career heading smaller high-technology companies and, at age 54, started Holland Art House in 2002 in West Chester, Pa., a historic city 25 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Born in the Netherlands, he wanted to sell works of the contemporary Dutch artists he collected, including abstract landscape painter Luc Leestemaker. But it was a tough slog in a competitive market, where 12 galleries that started in recent years have been whittled to three.
Mr. Gall closed his gallery in 2005, and is now trying his luck with a venue called The Arts Scene, which he opened a few miles out of town. It includes lower-priced emerging artists, a frame shop, a café and musical events. Says Mr. Gall: "If you want to do something for artists and promote more progressive art outside big cities, don't ever expect to make money or do more than break even."
Laura Grenning, a former Wall Street analyst, has had better luck with the gallery she opened a decade ago at age 32 in Sag Harbor, N.Y., close to the fashionable Hamptons. She specializes in contemporary artists including Paul Rafferty, Walter Us and Nelson H. White, who paint in a classic style, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $45,000. She lost money the first three years, and has had good and bad years since. But she is now able to contemplate buying a larger building and diversifying into sculpture. "The last two years have been great," she says, allowing her to work on her own paintings, some of which she has sold.
Mr. Silverstein, who turns 40 Monday, had an early influence: His father, Larry Silver, was a commercial photographer whose award-winning artistic and documentary works appear in museums. Mr. Silverstein started collecting in 1993 when he began earning money from brokering natural-gas contracts, spending his spare time exploring the history of photography. His timing was perfect; vintage prints by famous photographers such as Walker Evans, who documented the Depression, and Harry Callahan's intimate portraits and streetscapes could be had for as little as $3,000.
He couldn't afford a big inventory at first, so he started his gallery with works on consignment from other dealers, including the lesser known early works of Aaron Siskind, a documentary photographer who made the transition to abstract expressionism. And he struck a deal to represent the estate of Mr. Kertész, whose still-lifes, portraits and street scenes of Budapest, Paris and New York from about 1915 until his death in 1985 are in leading museums. He was the sole employee, designing his Web site, doing framing, sending out invitations, hanging his own shows -- and mopping the floors. "I worked as hard as I could and immediately saw the benefits and mistakes," he says. "It was great." (He now has four other employees.)
Mr. Silverstein also made some astute purchases, paying $145,000 at auction for a work by eccentric Boston photographer F. Holland Day in which he depicts himself as the dying Christ in seven portraits. Though he was a bit nervous -- no one was bidding against him -- he got his validation when the Whitney Museum of American Art borrowed the series as the centerpiece of a show last March titled "Photography and the Self: the Legacy of F. Holland Day." Though Mr. Silverstein won't estimate what he thinks he could sell the picture for now, he smiles and says, "It could be worth considerably more."
Collectors who buy regularly from Mr. Silverstein say the business skills he honed on Wall Street have served him well.
More at:http://www.silversteinphotography.com/
Via_(http://uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com/)
Though not yet financially secure enough to retire, Mr. Silverstein amassed enough of a cushion to take a risk with a business that tapped into his real passion in life: photography. He quit trading and, in April 2001, opened a small gallery in a 500-square-foot studio on the first floor of a townhouse on West 22nd Street in New York; today, Silverstein Photography is in a space 10 times that size a few blocks away, on the hottest block in the sizzling Chelsea art district, selling works from iconographic photographers like the late Hungarian-born André Kertész alongside edgy emerging artists.
Ditching the corporate life to pursue a personal passion is a dream for many executives and entrepreneurs, whether they make a windfall on Wall Street, take a golden parachute or sell their start-up. And if that passion can translate into more financial success, all the better. Of all the passions to cash in on, the art market seems a potent place to make a second fortune these days: A flood of new collectors and a weak U.S. dollar have driven prices to new highs. Photography prices, though not in the same stratosphere as paintings, are setting records, especially for the vintage prints in which Mr. Silverstein specializes. Some fine-art photographs that sold for a few thousand dollars in the 1980s can now fetch $1 million or more.
But as Mr. Silverstein and others who have jumped into the art business can attest, it takes deep pockets, patience and plenty of determination to break into the famously clubby art world -- and higher prices are translating into more competitive scrambles for salable works. Finding and nurturing new artists whose work can sell at prices high enough to justify mounting their shows is tough. And outside major cities, luring buyers is a challenge.
Just ask Ben Gall, who left a career heading smaller high-technology companies and, at age 54, started Holland Art House in 2002 in West Chester, Pa., a historic city 25 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Born in the Netherlands, he wanted to sell works of the contemporary Dutch artists he collected, including abstract landscape painter Luc Leestemaker. But it was a tough slog in a competitive market, where 12 galleries that started in recent years have been whittled to three.
Mr. Gall closed his gallery in 2005, and is now trying his luck with a venue called The Arts Scene, which he opened a few miles out of town. It includes lower-priced emerging artists, a frame shop, a café and musical events. Says Mr. Gall: "If you want to do something for artists and promote more progressive art outside big cities, don't ever expect to make money or do more than break even."
Laura Grenning, a former Wall Street analyst, has had better luck with the gallery she opened a decade ago at age 32 in Sag Harbor, N.Y., close to the fashionable Hamptons. She specializes in contemporary artists including Paul Rafferty, Walter Us and Nelson H. White, who paint in a classic style, with prices ranging from $1,000 to $45,000. She lost money the first three years, and has had good and bad years since. But she is now able to contemplate buying a larger building and diversifying into sculpture. "The last two years have been great," she says, allowing her to work on her own paintings, some of which she has sold.
Mr. Silverstein, who turns 40 Monday, had an early influence: His father, Larry Silver, was a commercial photographer whose award-winning artistic and documentary works appear in museums. Mr. Silverstein started collecting in 1993 when he began earning money from brokering natural-gas contracts, spending his spare time exploring the history of photography. His timing was perfect; vintage prints by famous photographers such as Walker Evans, who documented the Depression, and Harry Callahan's intimate portraits and streetscapes could be had for as little as $3,000.
He couldn't afford a big inventory at first, so he started his gallery with works on consignment from other dealers, including the lesser known early works of Aaron Siskind, a documentary photographer who made the transition to abstract expressionism. And he struck a deal to represent the estate of Mr. Kertész, whose still-lifes, portraits and street scenes of Budapest, Paris and New York from about 1915 until his death in 1985 are in leading museums. He was the sole employee, designing his Web site, doing framing, sending out invitations, hanging his own shows -- and mopping the floors. "I worked as hard as I could and immediately saw the benefits and mistakes," he says. "It was great." (He now has four other employees.)
Mr. Silverstein also made some astute purchases, paying $145,000 at auction for a work by eccentric Boston photographer F. Holland Day in which he depicts himself as the dying Christ in seven portraits. Though he was a bit nervous -- no one was bidding against him -- he got his validation when the Whitney Museum of American Art borrowed the series as the centerpiece of a show last March titled "Photography and the Self: the Legacy of F. Holland Day." Though Mr. Silverstein won't estimate what he thinks he could sell the picture for now, he smiles and says, "It could be worth considerably more."
Collectors who buy regularly from Mr. Silverstein say the business skills he honed on Wall Street have served him well.
More at:http://www.silversteinphotography.com/
Via_(http://uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com/)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch
Ryan Allis, the 22 year old CEO of North Carolina-based iContact was interviewed the other day on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on CNBC. Ryan offers some great advice for young entrepreneurs and talks about his entrepreneurial background. Here is the video clip:
Clip: Here
Clip: Here
ON Building The Next Billion Dollor Company In Massachusetts
Interested people can join conference.Here
Promote Your Business And Start Up At Jump.com
JumpUp.com — is a small business community created by Intuit for small business owners. The community is designed to assist you in getting your business up and running quickly by providing the support and networking needed to promote your new business.
FREE tools and services – are available at Jumpup.com. Some of which are sample business plans, a starting cost calculator, and an interactive business planner.
You can request — to appear on JumpUp.com’s Small Business Spotlight page for additional visibility and promotion of your business.
The JumpUp.com forum — is a great place to participate and share or gain access to knowledge, advice, and tips, from other small business owners and entrepreneurs.
You can bookmark — website pages in JumpUp.com and benefit from Intuit’s performance and page rank, which also helps you to gain visibility for your business.
More at:http://jumpup.intuit.com/
FREE tools and services – are available at Jumpup.com. Some of which are sample business plans, a starting cost calculator, and an interactive business planner.
You can request — to appear on JumpUp.com’s Small Business Spotlight page for additional visibility and promotion of your business.
The JumpUp.com forum — is a great place to participate and share or gain access to knowledge, advice, and tips, from other small business owners and entrepreneurs.
You can bookmark — website pages in JumpUp.com and benefit from Intuit’s performance and page rank, which also helps you to gain visibility for your business.
More at:http://jumpup.intuit.com/
SiteTradr
SiteTradr allows educators to post their favorite web sites in an educational community forum with other educators from around the world. Search SiteTradr to find sites that have been tested and approved by other educators.
More at:http://sitetradr.com/
More at:http://sitetradr.com/
Audio Search
Thats for those people who were till then wondering how to search audio.To find a certain song, or audio clip, and surfing the web just isn’t cutting it? Skreemr can help you find the song you are looking for. It is a search engine for only audio files on the web. Currently, the search results only include MP3 files, but in the future more file types will be available. Other site features that are available to users include a suggestion page, where users can suggest a song or blog to be included by providing a direct link to the MP3 file, or the URL of the blog. Users also can search MP3 files in the most popular page, where it provides results of the most popular searches. The MP3 is played in a flash player, requires no downloads, and is free to listen to. Each song is accompanied with a pop-up window that includes information about the song, such as artist, year, album cover and others.
More at:http://www.skreemr.com/
More at:http://www.skreemr.com/
xalead is an alternative search engine with lot of new features which is not in any other search engines
xalead is an alternative search engine with lot of new features which is not in any other search engines. First thing is the ability to customize shortcuts; you’ll be able to access your favorite sites from within Exalead; if you have an account, your preferences will be accessible from any computer. Other features include phonetic search, if you don’t know how to spell a word, type it out phonetically and Exalead will find results that sound like what you typed. Search for topics in a specific language or date. Search by prefix or specific sites. With Exalead you can search over four million videos and images. Narrow your image search by specifying size, width, height and you can even search for faces only. All Exalead results show a thumbnail preview. A side panel lets you narrow your search further by related terms, site type, media, language and file type. Advanced search functionality lets you filter searches by date, country and terms. Exalead can also be used to search your desktop. There are widgets for your blog, for Mac and PC. Overall, Exalead packs a decent punch.
More at:http://www.exalead.com/search
More at:http://www.exalead.com/search
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
incuby
incuby is an online community for
inventors to show the world
their innovations.
More at:http://www.incuby.com/
inventors to show the world
their innovations.
More at:http://www.incuby.com/
ArenaAsia,All About Business Networking
ArebaAsia is an online place where you can show to market your ptofile and experties,skill etc and start business networking in asia.
Professional success is usually driven by the personal relationships you have and your contributions in it. It’s not just about who you know. ArenAsia is an online place that will let you do just that in Asia! Create a profile and a showcase to market your skills and business. Find people, join groups and meet at events to expand your network in Asia. Share business expertise and news via blogs and comments to build reputation and get discovered.
More at:http://www.arenasia.com/
Professional success is usually driven by the personal relationships you have and your contributions in it. It’s not just about who you know. ArenAsia is an online place that will let you do just that in Asia! Create a profile and a showcase to market your skills and business. Find people, join groups and meet at events to expand your network in Asia. Share business expertise and news via blogs and comments to build reputation and get discovered.
More at:http://www.arenasia.com/
Unique Business Idea About How To Gain From Single People
Singles are into anything that can make their lives easier, says Peg Samuel, founder of Social Diva, a New York City-based event marketing company. Samuel, 36, reports on the hottest trends for single women in Atlanta, Miami and New York City via her website, www.socialdiva.com, building her business to $550,000 in annual revenue. "I'm great at finding what the demographic likes because I am the demographic," says Samuel. "The challenge with so many opportunities is making sure you're catching them all."
More than 89 million unmarried adults in the U.S. are single and loving it. Most, according to experts, are not spending every minute looking for a mate, but enjoying life in the now. Census figures reveal that for the first time in history, more than half of women are single, says Thomas F. Coleman, director of Unmarried America, an informational resource for unmarried people. "You hear the word single and you think partygoers," says Coleman. "Most single people have a lot more on their minds than that."
Singles are thinking about work, family, home, leisure time, retirement--everything married folks do. Coleman cites market opportunities for homebuilders to cater to single home-buyers. Home improvement products could be a niche as well. Financial services and insurance products are also important to singles, notes Jennifer Ganshirt, senior vice president and director of strategic planning for Frank About Women, a marketing firm specializing in female consumers. "Older single women in particular have the means, so give them the opportunity to invest in luxury-type purchases," says Ganshirt. Industries such as travel and food hold other possible niches.
More at:http://www.socialdiva.com/
More than 89 million unmarried adults in the U.S. are single and loving it. Most, according to experts, are not spending every minute looking for a mate, but enjoying life in the now. Census figures reveal that for the first time in history, more than half of women are single, says Thomas F. Coleman, director of Unmarried America, an informational resource for unmarried people. "You hear the word single and you think partygoers," says Coleman. "Most single people have a lot more on their minds than that."
Singles are thinking about work, family, home, leisure time, retirement--everything married folks do. Coleman cites market opportunities for homebuilders to cater to single home-buyers. Home improvement products could be a niche as well. Financial services and insurance products are also important to singles, notes Jennifer Ganshirt, senior vice president and director of strategic planning for Frank About Women, a marketing firm specializing in female consumers. "Older single women in particular have the means, so give them the opportunity to invest in luxury-type purchases," says Ganshirt. Industries such as travel and food hold other possible niches.
More at:http://www.socialdiva.com/
One Click
“Sxipper is a free Firefox extension that saves you time on the web enabling you to easily control the release and management of your identity data. With a single click, Sxipper is trained to securely log you in with a username or an Identity 2.0 authentication mechanism such as OpenID.”
Are you tired of always having to fill in the same information when logging into sites, or when registering online? Well, now you can save time by using Sxipper. It is a free Firefox add-on that lets you login into any website with just one click. It stores all the users’ passwords and usernames securely in the users computer, and when the user is confronted with a form to fill out, Sxipper takes the users personal data it was provided with, and fills in the form for the user. Users can create multiple personas, whereas, when filling out a form they can opt to use professional info, personal, or private, depending upon the form they are filling out. At every login or form, users are able to choose which information they want shared and what they don’t want shared.
More at:http://www.sxipper.com/
Are you tired of always having to fill in the same information when logging into sites, or when registering online? Well, now you can save time by using Sxipper. It is a free Firefox add-on that lets you login into any website with just one click. It stores all the users’ passwords and usernames securely in the users computer, and when the user is confronted with a form to fill out, Sxipper takes the users personal data it was provided with, and fills in the form for the user. Users can create multiple personas, whereas, when filling out a form they can opt to use professional info, personal, or private, depending upon the form they are filling out. At every login or form, users are able to choose which information they want shared and what they don’t want shared.
More at:http://www.sxipper.com/
Just like Microsoft Windows is the personal computing platform to manage your data, Ponoko is the personal manufacturing platform to manage your atoms
Ponoko is a creative space where people meet to buy, sell and share product designs, and make them for real. Creators can become famous, consumers can get individualized products and everyone can click to make almost any product, on demand. With no traditional manufacturers in the middle, everyone gets a better deal and the environmental impacts of manufacturing are reduced. Ponoko’s personal manufacturing platform is changing your world by connecting creators, consumers, product designs and raw materials with a global network of digital manufacturing hardware controlled direct from your PC.
Just like Microsoft Windows is the personal computing platform to manage your data, Ponoko is the personal manufacturing platform to manage your atoms.
How to make products
1) Upload your product designs to Ponoko
2) Select production materials and manufacturer
3) Get instant price and pay
4) Products made and delivered, on demand
How to sell products
1) Set licence rights and pricing
2) Display product online in the Ponoko showroom
3) Customers see, love and order it
4) Product made and delivered, on demand
More at:http://www.ponoko.com/
Just like Microsoft Windows is the personal computing platform to manage your data, Ponoko is the personal manufacturing platform to manage your atoms.
How to make products
1) Upload your product designs to Ponoko
2) Select production materials and manufacturer
3) Get instant price and pay
4) Products made and delivered, on demand
How to sell products
1) Set licence rights and pricing
2) Display product online in the Ponoko showroom
3) Customers see, love and order it
4) Product made and delivered, on demand
More at:http://www.ponoko.com/
Marketing Master Of Online Business
Patrick Pretty offers marketing tips for owners of online businesses. Discovered by famed photographer Hedda Christiansen, Patrick Pretty was voted the "Most Beautiful Little Boy In The World" in 1964. He began his career as "child spokesman" for the United States Grape Federation. When grape and raisin sales skyrocketed, Patrick Pretty was on his way. Patrick Pretty has been in the public eye for decades, having appeared on thousands of magazine covers and on more than 800 television .
More at:http://patrickpretty.com/blog.html
More at:http://patrickpretty.com/blog.html
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