When Bill Gates applied for a visa for a recent trip to Nigeria, his paperwork hit a snag. The Nigerian government required proof that the billionaire chairman of Microsoft would not stay in the country and become a drain on Nigeria's social services. The company helping him with his application, travel document expediter CIBT, obtained a letter from Gates' bank that reassured the Nigerian authorities, and the visa was approved.
More than 200 U.S. companies profit from helping travelers navigate the maze of documents they need to obtain visas and passports, according to Robert Smith, executive director of the National Association of Passport & Visa Services, the industry's trade group. While there isn't research available on the size of the passport and visa expediting services industry, Smith estimates it's a $150 million business in the U.S. alone. And as countries tighten their borders because of concerns about security and immigration, he expects that the market for such services will only expand.
CIBT has grown quickly. Originally founded in 1989, it had 60 employees and $15 million in revenue by 2003. That's when Jeffrey Fine, CIBT's chief executive officer, partnered with a private equity group to buy the business and lead an aggressive buyout strategy. CIBT has made 14 acquisitions in the last five years, and now has 560 employees and offices across the U.S. and Europe. Fine says CIBT processes about 800,000 visa and passport applications annually worldwide and expects 2007 sales to hit $135 million.
Fine's background in leveraged buyouts spans sectors from real estate to home health care. He describes the passport and visa expediting business as a highly fragmented industry where most of the players are mom-and-pop shops, making it ripe for consolidation. "Our ultimate goal is to create a global brand in visa and passport expediting," Fine says. What FedEx is to the U.S. Postal Service, Fine wants CIBT to be to passport services.
The changes in passport and visa rules have been a boon to the industry. Starting this year, U.S. citizens traveling by air are now required to have a passport to re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. And the Homeland Security Dept. plans to start enforcing the same requirement for U.S. citizens traveling by land and sea as early as January, 2008, as part of its "Western Hemisphere travel initiative." The new rules have increased the demand for U.S. passports from 13 million applications last year to an estimated 16 million this year, according to the State Dept.
Getting a U.S. passport through the normal channels can take 10 to 12 weeks. Even the government's expedited service takes two or three weeks. Travelers who urgently need passports in less than two weeks can make an appointment to visit one of the government's 13 Passport Agency offices in person. But for many applicants, companies like CIBT save time and headaches. The expediter can get customers' passports in one week, three days, or even 24 hours, for fees ranging from $50 to $100 on top of the government's normal processing fees.
How does it work? Passport expediters are registered with the government and allocated a limited number of slots to process urgent applications. The company makes sure all the paperwork is in order, delivers it to the agency office, and obtains the passport. Because the number of slots is limited, expediting passports is a tough business for new players to enter, Fine says. "It's kind of like a country club, because they say they're only going to expedite a million [applications], and those million are allocated right now," he says.
Many of CIBT's customers are corporate travel departments or cruise ship and tour operators—clients who need a large number of applications processed at once. Other customers are individuals traveling on short notice for funerals or family emergencies.
Even with the growing demand, passports make up only 20% of CIBT's U.S. business, Fine says. (CIBT expedites only U.S. passports, but processes visas for all nationalities.) The company's bread and butter is foreign visa applications. With roughly 200 passport-issuing countries in the world, each with different visa rules, expediters have to keep track of myriad combinations that each require particular—and often mind-boggling—documentation.
Add to that factors such as whether people are traveling for business or leisure and whether they need single-entry or multiple-entry visas. "It creates tens of thousands of combinations of visa and passport requirements," Fine says. "That's why companies outsource to us, because there's a lot of content to be aware of."
CIBT doesn't expect that to change any time soon. If anything, Fine says, he thinks terrorism concerns will make the paperwork needed for international travel more complicated. He plans to continue the company's aggressive acquisitions and open offices in more countries. "It's a highly scalable business and therefore you can achieve good operating margins the larger you become."
More at:http://www.us.cibt.com/
Via-http://uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Youlicit
What Company says:
Youlicit's underlying premise is that of reducing information overload using collaborative filtering.
We gather data from our users as well as other sources of user annotated web data (from social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, other collaborative filtering sites such as Digg and Amazon, "people-generated" classifications of sites, and a multitude of other sources) to return the most recommended and relevant websites for the topic you are interested in. All this is provided to you, the user, with a simple and easy-to-use web browser plug-in that lets you find the most similar & recommended sites to the site you are on with a click of a button.
So how are we different from the other search engines such as Google or Yahoo! or MSN?
Simple. While the other search engines return sites based on algorithms that determine the popularity of a site with other sites (how many web pages link back to the web site among other things), our unique algorithm processes the sites that people are finding important and interesting and providing you with just those results.
More at:http://www.youlicit.com/about.aspx
Youlicit's underlying premise is that of reducing information overload using collaborative filtering.
We gather data from our users as well as other sources of user annotated web data (from social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, other collaborative filtering sites such as Digg and Amazon, "people-generated" classifications of sites, and a multitude of other sources) to return the most recommended and relevant websites for the topic you are interested in. All this is provided to you, the user, with a simple and easy-to-use web browser plug-in that lets you find the most similar & recommended sites to the site you are on with a click of a button.
So how are we different from the other search engines such as Google or Yahoo! or MSN?
Simple. While the other search engines return sites based on algorithms that determine the popularity of a site with other sites (how many web pages link back to the web site among other things), our unique algorithm processes the sites that people are finding important and interesting and providing you with just those results.
More at:http://www.youlicit.com/about.aspx
Shopatron Got $6 Million from Kern Whelan Capital and Rivenrock Capital
What Company Says:
Shopatron is the leading provider of retailer-integrated e-commerce solutions, allowing branded manufacturers to accept orders online and fulfill them through their retailer or dealer channels.
Shopatron serves the needs of manufacturers, retailers and consumers, allowing consumers to purchase online from their favorite brands and still receive the service and convenience of interacting with a retail store, whether the product is shipped or picked up in a nearby store.
How Much The Got From VCs:
Shopatron received $6 Million from Kern Whelan Capital and Rivenrock Capital.
About Company:http://www.shopatron.com/on/
Shopatron is the leading provider of retailer-integrated e-commerce solutions, allowing branded manufacturers to accept orders online and fulfill them through their retailer or dealer channels.
Shopatron serves the needs of manufacturers, retailers and consumers, allowing consumers to purchase online from their favorite brands and still receive the service and convenience of interacting with a retail store, whether the product is shipped or picked up in a nearby store.
How Much The Got From VCs:
Shopatron received $6 Million from Kern Whelan Capital and Rivenrock Capital.
About Company:http://www.shopatron.com/on/
A Startup "DIAL 1298 FOR AMBULANCE - has received $1.5 million funding from New York’s Acumen Fund
What They Are Offering:
1298 Dial for Ambulance, is an initiative started by a group of young professionals with a high degree of social and public commitment with the primary objective of rolling out a nationwide network of Life Support Ambulance Service accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere through an easy to remember four digit telephone number.The project has been setup in association with London Ambulance Service, a UK Government Agency, which has provided the processes, systems, protocols, training and project implementation assistance to ZIQITZA.
The Vision
To assist saving human lives by becoming the leading network of Basic life support Ambulances in India.
How Much They Got From VCs:
DIAL 1298 FOR AMBULANCE - has received $1.5 million funding from New York’s Acumen Fund. Acumen is a nonprofit venture fund which invests in “sustainable, scalable solutions addressing poverty in South Asia and Africa”.
Acumen has made the investment in Ziqitza Healthcare Limited (ZHL), which owns the ambulance service. It plans to roll out a nationwide network of life support ambulance service, essentially filling in a gap in the emergency medical support in Indian cities.
About Company detail:http://www.1298.in/
About Funding :http://www.acumenfund.org/
1298 Dial for Ambulance, is an initiative started by a group of young professionals with a high degree of social and public commitment with the primary objective of rolling out a nationwide network of Life Support Ambulance Service accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere through an easy to remember four digit telephone number.The project has been setup in association with London Ambulance Service, a UK Government Agency, which has provided the processes, systems, protocols, training and project implementation assistance to ZIQITZA.
The Vision
To assist saving human lives by becoming the leading network of Basic life support Ambulances in India.
How Much They Got From VCs:
DIAL 1298 FOR AMBULANCE - has received $1.5 million funding from New York’s Acumen Fund. Acumen is a nonprofit venture fund which invests in “sustainable, scalable solutions addressing poverty in South Asia and Africa”.
Acumen has made the investment in Ziqitza Healthcare Limited (ZHL), which owns the ambulance service. It plans to roll out a nationwide network of life support ambulance service, essentially filling in a gap in the emergency medical support in Indian cities.
About Company detail:http://www.1298.in/
About Funding :http://www.acumenfund.org/
TryThis.com is a new player on the question & answers scene that wants to help you find answers to just about anything
What Company Says:
TryThis.com is a new player on the question & answers scene that wants to help you find answers to just about anything, and give you easy to locate recommendations while you’re at it.
How It Works:
Started by two friends, who left their jobs at a hedge fund, the site is easy to navigate, and community driven. Say you need to know a unique food item to take to an apartment warming, ask your question, and people can not only answer you, but embed a Google map showing you where to get what they suggest. Ask for a good documentary to watch, and people can reply with their answer as well as an image of the cover of the DVD or a poster for the film.
The site is wide-open as to what you can ask about, be it restaurants, movies, bars, books, music and more.
more at:http://trythis.com/
TryThis.com is a new player on the question & answers scene that wants to help you find answers to just about anything, and give you easy to locate recommendations while you’re at it.
How It Works:
Started by two friends, who left their jobs at a hedge fund, the site is easy to navigate, and community driven. Say you need to know a unique food item to take to an apartment warming, ask your question, and people can not only answer you, but embed a Google map showing you where to get what they suggest. Ask for a good documentary to watch, and people can reply with their answer as well as an image of the cover of the DVD or a poster for the film.
The site is wide-open as to what you can ask about, be it restaurants, movies, bars, books, music and more.
more at:http://trythis.com/
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Siemens Venture Capital Is Organizing Business PlanCompetition Open To Entrepreneurs
Siemens is a leading infrastructure solution provider active in areas of Energy and Environment Care, Healthcare, Automation and Control, Industrial and Public infrastructure, Lighting, Automotive, and Information Technology.
Siemens Venture Capital intends to act as a catalyst to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in these sectors in India. It invites business proposals from Indian entrepreneurs and innovators.
Participation requirements:
Competition open to entrepreneurs, innovators
and research scientists
based in India
Product or prototype ready
Focus on any of the specified sectors.
Seven finalists that have innovative and financially viable solutions in these specified sectors will get an opportunity to present at the Siemens Venture Forum in April 2008 in Mumbai.
The top three finalists will receive a token cash prize. In addition to the prize, the winners also will be evaluated for a funding opportunity from SVC and / or opportunities for collaboration with Siemens.
Detail:http://www.siemensventurecapital.com/
Submit plan:http://www.siemensventurecapital.com/india/submit.htm
Siemens Venture Capital intends to act as a catalyst to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in these sectors in India. It invites business proposals from Indian entrepreneurs and innovators.
Participation requirements:
Competition open to entrepreneurs, innovators
and research scientists
based in India
Product or prototype ready
Focus on any of the specified sectors.
Seven finalists that have innovative and financially viable solutions in these specified sectors will get an opportunity to present at the Siemens Venture Forum in April 2008 in Mumbai.
The top three finalists will receive a token cash prize. In addition to the prize, the winners also will be evaluated for a funding opportunity from SVC and / or opportunities for collaboration with Siemens.
Detail:http://www.siemensventurecapital.com/
Submit plan:http://www.siemensventurecapital.com/india/submit.htm
Upspring For Promoting Your Company
What Company says:
Upspring is a new network for businesses that’s aimed to help you promote your company through social networking with other businesses.
How It Works:
You bring the products and upspring brings the marketing tools. It’s specifically designed for local businesses looking to leverage the Internet for attracting customers and gaining offline sales. Upspring will essentially provide a space online, within its network and marketing platform, to do just this. By marketing you across search engines, offering web surfers a certain amount of information on local businesses, and offering tools to connect them directly to the businesses, Upspring hopes to bring value to both ends–businesses and consumers.
As a business, you’ll need to first complete the Essential Business Profile and Professional Profile, where you give upspring a plethora of information about what you do and who you are. This information is used to help you promote your products and also build your online network. Now you can chat with other local business owners, see what’s going on at the business chamber, and exchange ideas with others in your industry. Upspring will also offer a space for retailers to promote their products, though there doesn’t seem to be a way to purchase items online. This isn’t surprising, as upspring has determined to help local businesses get offline connections with consumers.
Upspring has a free plan which offers limited features that you can take advantage of for the business you’re promoting. For about $20 per month you can get a premium plan, which lets you do things like offer coupons, embed videos, and send and receive private messages. The Storefront plan for $50 per month lets you display products and offer real time inventory updates for site visitors.
More at:http://www.upspring.com/
Upspring is a new network for businesses that’s aimed to help you promote your company through social networking with other businesses.
How It Works:
You bring the products and upspring brings the marketing tools. It’s specifically designed for local businesses looking to leverage the Internet for attracting customers and gaining offline sales. Upspring will essentially provide a space online, within its network and marketing platform, to do just this. By marketing you across search engines, offering web surfers a certain amount of information on local businesses, and offering tools to connect them directly to the businesses, Upspring hopes to bring value to both ends–businesses and consumers.
As a business, you’ll need to first complete the Essential Business Profile and Professional Profile, where you give upspring a plethora of information about what you do and who you are. This information is used to help you promote your products and also build your online network. Now you can chat with other local business owners, see what’s going on at the business chamber, and exchange ideas with others in your industry. Upspring will also offer a space for retailers to promote their products, though there doesn’t seem to be a way to purchase items online. This isn’t surprising, as upspring has determined to help local businesses get offline connections with consumers.
Upspring has a free plan which offers limited features that you can take advantage of for the business you’re promoting. For about $20 per month you can get a premium plan, which lets you do things like offer coupons, embed videos, and send and receive private messages. The Storefront plan for $50 per month lets you display products and offer real time inventory updates for site visitors.
More at:http://www.upspring.com/
The One Minute Entrepreneur
Author of The One Minute Manager reveals how to turn customers into your big- gest fans
WHAT DOES NORDSTROM know that other department stores don't? The retailer's customers routinely praise it. Wouldn't it be great if your customers did the same--in effect becoming unpaid members of your sales force?
Impossible? Not according to Ken Blanchard, co-author of Raving Fans (William Morrow & Co.), who says just three little steps can transform your business so thoroughly that your customers are sure to become devoted fans.
But aren't all businesses already going full-bore to deliver customer service? "They all say so, but few actually deliver," says Blanchard. "Customers today are thoroughly displeased with the service they get. When you go the extra mile, you'll find you quickly create 'raving fans.' "
Blanchard issues a stern warning, though: In today's market, it's not enough to compete on price and superior product alone. "Someone will always come along who can beat you," he says. "The only way to differentiate yourself and gain lasting success is by creating raving fans."
Blanchard's credentials compel us to heed his advice. He's co-author of a business classic, The One Minute Manager (William Morrow & Co.), and in the years since that book's 1982 publication, he's built his Escondido, California, training and consulting company, Blanchard Training & Development Inc., into a thriving, multimillion-dollar business. Here, he reveals the secrets that helped him create "raving fans"--and will help you do the same.
Entrepreneur: Why do we need raving fans?
Ken Blanchard: You may have competitive prices and good products, but that's not how you differentiate yourself from the competition. The way you do that is by taking care of your customers to the point where they become raving fans and want to brag about you.
Raving Fans is about serving your customers so well, they become part of your sales force. Just satisfying them won't do that. Going the extra mile will.
Entrepreneur: What's the first secret of creating raving fans?
Blanchard: First, decide what you want. The mistake many businesses make is that they start by asking customers what they want, but that is the second step. Asking customers isn't where you start because customers don't know what the big picture is. They only know what they like or dislike about what you do.
Only you can create the picture of perfect customer service for your business. Ask yourself: If I could create perfect customer service, what would it look like?
Jan Carlzon, former CEO of SAS, set the goal of having the number-one business airline in Europe. He decided he would beat the competition in the "moments of truth," which he defined as the times a customer comes in contact with you in a way that gives him or her an impression of your company. "Moments of truth" are the way you answer the phone, how customers are greeted, how invoices look. Carlzon set out to excel in those areas, and that's a good example of building a picture of what you want.
Entrepreneur: Don't you often recognize "moments of truth" when something has gone wrong?
Blanchard: Yes, that's true. Any picture of customer service needs a built-in recovery strategy because one of the best ways to create a devoted fan is to recover from a customer's bad experience. I must say, though, that I am seeing more instances where businesses go out of their way to help customers even when there is no problem--and that creates loyal fans.
Entrepreneur: Once you know your vision of customer service, what's the next step?.
Blanchard: To complete your vision, you need to listen to what customers want. Then go back and test their desires against your vision of perfection to see if you want to include their desires or not.
Entrepreneur: Isn't that where many businesses get in trouble?
Blanchard: It's where my company gets in trouble. When a customer requests something that's not in our vision of perfection, in the spirit of customer responsiveness we may try to take care of this customer but end up screwing up the job because it never was something we were good at or saw as part of our vision.
Don't take on a customer's suggestion that you're not committed to, then do it poorly. Much better is saying to the customer, "Gee, that's an interesting idea. We can't do it, but maybe we can find a company for you that can." Do that, and you will blow the customer away.
Entrepreneur: Yet you also warn that very often customers cannot and will not tell us what they really want.
Blanchard: That's true. You can't just leave "How are we doing?" cards on the table and expect to get useful information. You have to keep after customers in creative ways. The questions you ask are important. If a restaurant manager asks, "How was everything tonight?" what's the answer? "Fine." In that case, maybe it's the question that's not very good.
Instead, we suggest managers say: "Excuse me. I'd just like to ask one ques- tion. What one thing could we have done differently tonight that would have made your time with us even better?" Managers who try that tell us they are blown away by the responses they get.
Entrepreneur: Your last step is "Deliver the vision plus 1 percent."
Blanchard: A lot of companies are much better at talking the talk about customer service than walking the walk. You've decided what you want, you've asked customers what they want, now deliver what you promised--plus 1 percent.
It all comes down to implementation. What do you do every day to prepare your people to execute good customer service? Consistency is what customers will judge you on, and consistency is about execution. Think about McDonald's. The Big Mac tastes the same in Amsterdam as it does in Arizona.
Entrepreneur: What does the "plus 1 percent" mean?
Blanchard: You should always be trying to improve, but don't get carried away. At first, concentrate on what you can do well. Trying to do too much too soon overwhelms your customers and your employees. You are better off doing less, but executing it well, than doing everything without being prepared.
Entrepreneur: Is the "raving fan" strategy a good one for a small business competing against giants?
Blanchard: Absolutely. This is the one way small businesses can clobber larger businesses. In La Jolla, California, for instance, there's a little grocery store that does a fabulous amount of business because they deliver groceries. Grocers just don't do that anymore--but this little store does. It has a vision of serving customers differently than the big stores. Even people from outside the neighborhood go there because of how they treat customers.
Entrepreneur: In seeking to improve your service, should you measure yourself against your competition--or the national sales leaders in service?
Blanchard: I was working with a fast-food company whose president said to his employees, "I don't want us to be compared to McDonald's. I want us to be thought of as in the same league as Disney and Nordstrom." I agree. You are better off comparing yourself to the very best [in any industry] than to your competition because your competition might be nowhere.
Entrepreneur: When does a business achieve perfect customer service?
Blanchard: It's a continually evolving process. And as soon as you get com- placent, someone will come along and beat you. You cannot go to sleep. Delivering excellent service is an ongoing job.
Via-nichegeek
WHAT DOES NORDSTROM know that other department stores don't? The retailer's customers routinely praise it. Wouldn't it be great if your customers did the same--in effect becoming unpaid members of your sales force?
Impossible? Not according to Ken Blanchard, co-author of Raving Fans (William Morrow & Co.), who says just three little steps can transform your business so thoroughly that your customers are sure to become devoted fans.
But aren't all businesses already going full-bore to deliver customer service? "They all say so, but few actually deliver," says Blanchard. "Customers today are thoroughly displeased with the service they get. When you go the extra mile, you'll find you quickly create 'raving fans.' "
Blanchard issues a stern warning, though: In today's market, it's not enough to compete on price and superior product alone. "Someone will always come along who can beat you," he says. "The only way to differentiate yourself and gain lasting success is by creating raving fans."
Blanchard's credentials compel us to heed his advice. He's co-author of a business classic, The One Minute Manager (William Morrow & Co.), and in the years since that book's 1982 publication, he's built his Escondido, California, training and consulting company, Blanchard Training & Development Inc., into a thriving, multimillion-dollar business. Here, he reveals the secrets that helped him create "raving fans"--and will help you do the same.
Entrepreneur: Why do we need raving fans?
Ken Blanchard: You may have competitive prices and good products, but that's not how you differentiate yourself from the competition. The way you do that is by taking care of your customers to the point where they become raving fans and want to brag about you.
Raving Fans is about serving your customers so well, they become part of your sales force. Just satisfying them won't do that. Going the extra mile will.
Entrepreneur: What's the first secret of creating raving fans?
Blanchard: First, decide what you want. The mistake many businesses make is that they start by asking customers what they want, but that is the second step. Asking customers isn't where you start because customers don't know what the big picture is. They only know what they like or dislike about what you do.
Only you can create the picture of perfect customer service for your business. Ask yourself: If I could create perfect customer service, what would it look like?
Jan Carlzon, former CEO of SAS, set the goal of having the number-one business airline in Europe. He decided he would beat the competition in the "moments of truth," which he defined as the times a customer comes in contact with you in a way that gives him or her an impression of your company. "Moments of truth" are the way you answer the phone, how customers are greeted, how invoices look. Carlzon set out to excel in those areas, and that's a good example of building a picture of what you want.
Entrepreneur: Don't you often recognize "moments of truth" when something has gone wrong?
Blanchard: Yes, that's true. Any picture of customer service needs a built-in recovery strategy because one of the best ways to create a devoted fan is to recover from a customer's bad experience. I must say, though, that I am seeing more instances where businesses go out of their way to help customers even when there is no problem--and that creates loyal fans.
Entrepreneur: Once you know your vision of customer service, what's the next step?.
Blanchard: To complete your vision, you need to listen to what customers want. Then go back and test their desires against your vision of perfection to see if you want to include their desires or not.
Entrepreneur: Isn't that where many businesses get in trouble?
Blanchard: It's where my company gets in trouble. When a customer requests something that's not in our vision of perfection, in the spirit of customer responsiveness we may try to take care of this customer but end up screwing up the job because it never was something we were good at or saw as part of our vision.
Don't take on a customer's suggestion that you're not committed to, then do it poorly. Much better is saying to the customer, "Gee, that's an interesting idea. We can't do it, but maybe we can find a company for you that can." Do that, and you will blow the customer away.
Entrepreneur: Yet you also warn that very often customers cannot and will not tell us what they really want.
Blanchard: That's true. You can't just leave "How are we doing?" cards on the table and expect to get useful information. You have to keep after customers in creative ways. The questions you ask are important. If a restaurant manager asks, "How was everything tonight?" what's the answer? "Fine." In that case, maybe it's the question that's not very good.
Instead, we suggest managers say: "Excuse me. I'd just like to ask one ques- tion. What one thing could we have done differently tonight that would have made your time with us even better?" Managers who try that tell us they are blown away by the responses they get.
Entrepreneur: Your last step is "Deliver the vision plus 1 percent."
Blanchard: A lot of companies are much better at talking the talk about customer service than walking the walk. You've decided what you want, you've asked customers what they want, now deliver what you promised--plus 1 percent.
It all comes down to implementation. What do you do every day to prepare your people to execute good customer service? Consistency is what customers will judge you on, and consistency is about execution. Think about McDonald's. The Big Mac tastes the same in Amsterdam as it does in Arizona.
Entrepreneur: What does the "plus 1 percent" mean?
Blanchard: You should always be trying to improve, but don't get carried away. At first, concentrate on what you can do well. Trying to do too much too soon overwhelms your customers and your employees. You are better off doing less, but executing it well, than doing everything without being prepared.
Entrepreneur: Is the "raving fan" strategy a good one for a small business competing against giants?
Blanchard: Absolutely. This is the one way small businesses can clobber larger businesses. In La Jolla, California, for instance, there's a little grocery store that does a fabulous amount of business because they deliver groceries. Grocers just don't do that anymore--but this little store does. It has a vision of serving customers differently than the big stores. Even people from outside the neighborhood go there because of how they treat customers.
Entrepreneur: In seeking to improve your service, should you measure yourself against your competition--or the national sales leaders in service?
Blanchard: I was working with a fast-food company whose president said to his employees, "I don't want us to be compared to McDonald's. I want us to be thought of as in the same league as Disney and Nordstrom." I agree. You are better off comparing yourself to the very best [in any industry] than to your competition because your competition might be nowhere.
Entrepreneur: When does a business achieve perfect customer service?
Blanchard: It's a continually evolving process. And as soon as you get com- placent, someone will come along and beat you. You cannot go to sleep. Delivering excellent service is an ongoing job.
Via-nichegeek
simplyCricket Is social networking site devoted to cricket
What C's :
simplyCricket may be the only social networking site devoted to cricket, so that’s one thing they’ve got going for themselves. Another is the huge forum sections which also includes many sub-forums. It’s truly all-encompassing, you can even find a sub forum devoted to what type of bat you should buy. That’s right, an entire forum, not just a few back-and-forth postings.
How It Works:
It’s basically a social network for cricket fans; you can create a modest personal profile and interact with other members. You can read recent articles about the sport or post one of your own, or hop in a discussion on the site’s forum, which features cricket training tips, suggestions, a question and answers section, an equipment guide, and anything else you’d ever want to discuss related to the sport. You can also follow your favorite teams and see who, when, and where they’re playing. In order to access most of the site’s features, including viewing profiles, you’ll need to register (it’s free). If you make a mistake at any time or perform an illegal action, the site will alert you in that characteristic polite British manner .
More at:http://www.simplycricket.net/
simplyCricket may be the only social networking site devoted to cricket, so that’s one thing they’ve got going for themselves. Another is the huge forum sections which also includes many sub-forums. It’s truly all-encompassing, you can even find a sub forum devoted to what type of bat you should buy. That’s right, an entire forum, not just a few back-and-forth postings.
How It Works:
It’s basically a social network for cricket fans; you can create a modest personal profile and interact with other members. You can read recent articles about the sport or post one of your own, or hop in a discussion on the site’s forum, which features cricket training tips, suggestions, a question and answers section, an equipment guide, and anything else you’d ever want to discuss related to the sport. You can also follow your favorite teams and see who, when, and where they’re playing. In order to access most of the site’s features, including viewing profiles, you’ll need to register (it’s free). If you make a mistake at any time or perform an illegal action, the site will alert you in that characteristic polite British manner .
More at:http://www.simplycricket.net/
TringMe allows your website visitors, friends and customers to call or leave a voicemail to you - directly from the web
What's Company About:
TringMe allows your website visitors, friends and customers to call or leave a voicemail to you - directly from the web. You will instantly receive a call or a voicemail on your existing cell phone, landline Gtalk or via e-mail. It’s pure web-based telephony.
How It Works:
When users arrive at your page, they slick on the widget to call you. You will have specified where you want your calls routed (your mobile device, Gtalk, etc), and your site visitors can either talk to your directly or leave you a voicemail. You do not need to download any software, your callers need none of your information, and if you miss a call or aren’t around to receive a voicemail, fear not: TringMe sends email notifications of all voicemails received while you were offline. Best of all, it’s completely free.
More at:http://tringme.com/
TringMe allows your website visitors, friends and customers to call or leave a voicemail to you - directly from the web. You will instantly receive a call or a voicemail on your existing cell phone, landline Gtalk or via e-mail. It’s pure web-based telephony.
How It Works:
When users arrive at your page, they slick on the widget to call you. You will have specified where you want your calls routed (your mobile device, Gtalk, etc), and your site visitors can either talk to your directly or leave you a voicemail. You do not need to download any software, your callers need none of your information, and if you miss a call or aren’t around to receive a voicemail, fear not: TringMe sends email notifications of all voicemails received while you were offline. Best of all, it’s completely free.
More at:http://tringme.com/
Revyr is a workplace review site were you can search for data on different companies, and leave reviews of your own
What's Company About:
Revyr is a workplace review site were you can search for data on different companies, and leave reviews of your own.
How It Works:
Revyr wants to be a place where you go to find information on a company you may want to work for. So in leaving a company review (which is anonymous), you enter a fair amount of data regarding your experience at the company, from your tenure, age, commute time, pay, and several other rating scales to indicate the company’s culture and such. This data is collected from users in order to provide feedback for those searching for information on a particular compan.
You can read individual reviews and see the overall ranking of various companies. You can also chart different aspects of company life, such as benefits and pay, in a comparative manner, which supports up to 5 companies at a time. Revyr also features a job search, and a personal dashboard where you can mark up to 5 favorite companies that Revyr will track, and a section for recommendations.
How Far It Will Go:
As all the data provided by Revyr is user-generated, there is a large opportunity for information to become skewed, and the system to be gamed. There doesn’t seem to be any way to confirm a user’s employment status or company. The graphical data could probably stand some outside influence, so that graphs can be based on hard facts and not solely from user-submitted content. The job search tool seems rather lightweight as well, and could stand to offer some personalization tools that are tied in with the user recommendations, reviews and tracked favorites. PayScale is another workplace comparative tool.
More at:http://revyr.com/
Revyr is a workplace review site were you can search for data on different companies, and leave reviews of your own.
How It Works:
Revyr wants to be a place where you go to find information on a company you may want to work for. So in leaving a company review (which is anonymous), you enter a fair amount of data regarding your experience at the company, from your tenure, age, commute time, pay, and several other rating scales to indicate the company’s culture and such. This data is collected from users in order to provide feedback for those searching for information on a particular compan.
You can read individual reviews and see the overall ranking of various companies. You can also chart different aspects of company life, such as benefits and pay, in a comparative manner, which supports up to 5 companies at a time. Revyr also features a job search, and a personal dashboard where you can mark up to 5 favorite companies that Revyr will track, and a section for recommendations.
How Far It Will Go:
As all the data provided by Revyr is user-generated, there is a large opportunity for information to become skewed, and the system to be gamed. There doesn’t seem to be any way to confirm a user’s employment status or company. The graphical data could probably stand some outside influence, so that graphs can be based on hard facts and not solely from user-submitted content. The job search tool seems rather lightweight as well, and could stand to offer some personalization tools that are tied in with the user recommendations, reviews and tracked favorites. PayScale is another workplace comparative tool.
More at:http://revyr.com/
StartPix is a new bookmarking tool that offers an online space to save all your links
What Company is offering:
StartPix is a new bookmarking tool that offers an online space to save all your links. These are saved on a grid, which operates like a whiteboard, complete with drag’n'drop technology. The site is currently in private beta, and I took it for a test run this morning.
How It Works:
Your saved links appear on your grid in the form of a logo, or really its th image that displays beside the site’s URL in your browser. These icons can then be arranged, rearranged and organized according to your personal preferences. You can also add what StartPix calls functional blocks. These are like widgets that you can add to your grid, enabling search boxes and RSS feed readers to display on your grid as well.
StartPix is supposed to be social, as grids can be shared with others, but the act of finding others with which to share is not easy or breezy. Getting started with your grid isn’t all that intuitive either, but StartPix offers some help by including starter links on your grid. In addition, the search functionality for StartPix will need to be improved, because looking at a page full of icons can be daunting when you’re looking for something in particular.
More at:http://www.startpix.com/
StartPix is a new bookmarking tool that offers an online space to save all your links. These are saved on a grid, which operates like a whiteboard, complete with drag’n'drop technology. The site is currently in private beta, and I took it for a test run this morning.
How It Works:
Your saved links appear on your grid in the form of a logo, or really its th image that displays beside the site’s URL in your browser. These icons can then be arranged, rearranged and organized according to your personal preferences. You can also add what StartPix calls functional blocks. These are like widgets that you can add to your grid, enabling search boxes and RSS feed readers to display on your grid as well.
StartPix is supposed to be social, as grids can be shared with others, but the act of finding others with which to share is not easy or breezy. Getting started with your grid isn’t all that intuitive either, but StartPix offers some help by including starter links on your grid. In addition, the search functionality for StartPix will need to be improved, because looking at a page full of icons can be daunting when you’re looking for something in particular.
More at:http://www.startpix.com/
SquidBids is a promotional tool for individuals that live and breath eBay, whether they’re regular sellers or have an eBay store
What Company is Offering:
Squidoo has just launched SquidBids. This is a promotional tool for individuals that live and breath eBay, whether they’re regular sellers or have an eBay store.
How It Works:
What SquidBids does is establish a sphere of associated information around you and what you do, kind of like having your own website and company blog. This enables you to establish yourself as an authority, so people will value you for your expertise, thus buying items from you just because you’re you. Branding yourself, essentially, so that you’ll be the trusted go-to person that people pay extra money for.
So tell SquidBids what your specialty is, and it will begin to build your “presence.” It offers a place for you to write blurbs, showcase your eBay items, accept notes from others, cross-promotion with other eBay sellers, Flickr photos, Twitter updates, related Google search results based on your specialty, and a few other features. It also gives you a mechanism to connect directly with your customers so you can give them email updates and newsletters on your items. SquidBids also incorporates its own user rating system that allows site visitors to offer multiple levels of feedback.
Establishing an “authoritative longtail” is what SquidBids is doing, and the result is an integrated network that does for e-commerce individuals what MySpace did for musicians. SquidBids seems to be integrated with Squidoo, and I expect integration with the newly launched SquidWho as well.
More at:http://www.squidoo.com/
Squidoo has just launched SquidBids. This is a promotional tool for individuals that live and breath eBay, whether they’re regular sellers or have an eBay store.
How It Works:
What SquidBids does is establish a sphere of associated information around you and what you do, kind of like having your own website and company blog. This enables you to establish yourself as an authority, so people will value you for your expertise, thus buying items from you just because you’re you. Branding yourself, essentially, so that you’ll be the trusted go-to person that people pay extra money for.
So tell SquidBids what your specialty is, and it will begin to build your “presence.” It offers a place for you to write blurbs, showcase your eBay items, accept notes from others, cross-promotion with other eBay sellers, Flickr photos, Twitter updates, related Google search results based on your specialty, and a few other features. It also gives you a mechanism to connect directly with your customers so you can give them email updates and newsletters on your items. SquidBids also incorporates its own user rating system that allows site visitors to offer multiple levels of feedback.
Establishing an “authoritative longtail” is what SquidBids is doing, and the result is an integrated network that does for e-commerce individuals what MySpace did for musicians. SquidBids seems to be integrated with Squidoo, and I expect integration with the newly launched SquidWho as well.
More at:http://www.squidoo.com/
Friday, October 5, 2007
After Second Life Now Enjoy Movable Life
What Is Company Offering:
3Di company based in Japan, offers a browser-based alternative to experiencing Second Life, called Movable Life. It does run the official Second Life client, and gives you the option of enjoying your Second Life account without the 3D imaging.
How It Works:
You can log in with your existing Second Life username and password and then teleport, chat with friends, create groups, track your inventory, and search for other regions to check out. One of the best options for Movable Life is the fact that you can not only still interact with your virtual friends, but also conduct transactions with your Linden dollars.
3Di does not retain any of your Second Life account information. You’ll appreciate this most if you’re an avid Second Life user and already have a significant presence in the virtual world. This slimmed-down version of Second Life doesn’t require any downloads and still manages to pack a good amount of punch into its application. EA Games launched a similar, browser-based option for Sims through Yahoo Games called Life Stories. In other news, Turner Broadcasting has just partnered with Kaneva for a virtual project.
More at:http://movablelife.net/
[via new world stories]
3Di company based in Japan, offers a browser-based alternative to experiencing Second Life, called Movable Life. It does run the official Second Life client, and gives you the option of enjoying your Second Life account without the 3D imaging.
How It Works:
You can log in with your existing Second Life username and password and then teleport, chat with friends, create groups, track your inventory, and search for other regions to check out. One of the best options for Movable Life is the fact that you can not only still interact with your virtual friends, but also conduct transactions with your Linden dollars.
3Di does not retain any of your Second Life account information. You’ll appreciate this most if you’re an avid Second Life user and already have a significant presence in the virtual world. This slimmed-down version of Second Life doesn’t require any downloads and still manages to pack a good amount of punch into its application. EA Games launched a similar, browser-based option for Sims through Yahoo Games called Life Stories. In other news, Turner Broadcasting has just partnered with Kaneva for a virtual project.
More at:http://movablelife.net/
[via new world stories]
Ceehive is a new network for contests. You can create your own, submit entries for existing contests, and be a judge for ongoing contests as well
What Company Is All About:
Ceehive is a new network for contests. You can create your own, submit entries for existing contests, and be a judge for ongoing contests as well. The site is currently in private beta.
What's Purpose:
The purpose of having a site just for contests? Ceehive is promoting its site as a way to raise awareness for your cause, get community feedback for an idea you have, or leverage the community to help you grow your project .
How It Works:
Ceehive is a very structured site for the creation, organization and maintenance of its contests. If you create a contest, there are a few categories to choose from: a blank contest means you set the parameters, topic, etc. This is free for the time being, but I think Ceehive should keep it free forever. A sponsored contest is for companies looking to engage the user base, non-profit contests can be used to help raise awareness, and lastly there’s the option to suggest a contest to Ceehive admin for the team to create a contest through sponsors. This last option is a contest in itself, and if your idea is chosen, you win.
Now when you create a basic contest, there are several categories you can choose from, like writing, photography, and more. Ceehive will provide the outline for parameters depending on which category you select, and the judging process is reflected accordingly. For example, a recipe contest will allow for entries to be judged on how appetizing it sounds and how easy the recipe is to follow. A photography contest, on the other hand, will be judged on the creativity behind the image’s story, and the creativity of the image itself.
More at:http://www.ceehive.com/
Ceehive is a new network for contests. You can create your own, submit entries for existing contests, and be a judge for ongoing contests as well. The site is currently in private beta.
What's Purpose:
The purpose of having a site just for contests? Ceehive is promoting its site as a way to raise awareness for your cause, get community feedback for an idea you have, or leverage the community to help you grow your project .
How It Works:
Ceehive is a very structured site for the creation, organization and maintenance of its contests. If you create a contest, there are a few categories to choose from: a blank contest means you set the parameters, topic, etc. This is free for the time being, but I think Ceehive should keep it free forever. A sponsored contest is for companies looking to engage the user base, non-profit contests can be used to help raise awareness, and lastly there’s the option to suggest a contest to Ceehive admin for the team to create a contest through sponsors. This last option is a contest in itself, and if your idea is chosen, you win.
Now when you create a basic contest, there are several categories you can choose from, like writing, photography, and more. Ceehive will provide the outline for parameters depending on which category you select, and the judging process is reflected accordingly. For example, a recipe contest will allow for entries to be judged on how appetizing it sounds and how easy the recipe is to follow. A photography contest, on the other hand, will be judged on the creativity behind the image’s story, and the creativity of the image itself.
More at:http://www.ceehive.com/
With TaskAnyone you can send a task to anyone with an email address; monitor progress in real time as tasks are accepted
What Company is Offering:
TaskAnyone is the latest product offering from Task Solutions. At Task Soloutions, we specialize in creating software and web based products that help people plan, organize and track the daily tasks that have to get done. Our product suite is flexible enough to serve simple task management needs for the general consumer market, but collaborative enough to serve the task management needs of small to medium size enterprises.
How It Works:
With TaskAnyone you can send a task to anyone with an email address; monitor progress in real time as tasks are accepted, updated and completed; and send "nags" to people who haven't yet completed their tasks. Unlike other services: Task recipients don't have to sign up with the service - embedded email links let them "accept", "update" or "complete" in one click.
More at:http://www.taskanyone.com/
TaskAnyone is the latest product offering from Task Solutions. At Task Soloutions, we specialize in creating software and web based products that help people plan, organize and track the daily tasks that have to get done. Our product suite is flexible enough to serve simple task management needs for the general consumer market, but collaborative enough to serve the task management needs of small to medium size enterprises.
How It Works:
With TaskAnyone you can send a task to anyone with an email address; monitor progress in real time as tasks are accepted, updated and completed; and send "nags" to people who haven't yet completed their tasks. Unlike other services: Task recipients don't have to sign up with the service - embedded email links let them "accept", "update" or "complete" in one click.
More at:http://www.taskanyone.com/
FlexiScale is Open Utility Plateform On Demand For Corporate
What They Say:
Just imagine for a moment what you would really like to have from your IT infrastructure to properly enable your business. You’d want it to be agile and flexible, highly available and scalable, quick and easy to deploy and manage.
It’s starting to sound like a big capital investment, but that’s where the good news begins.
These are the very challenges that we set ourselves in 2004 when we started to design FlexiScale. Not only has it met all of those challenges and delivered additional benefits into the bargain, it’s designed as a pay-as-you-go infrastructure, so the issue of capital investment isn’t even on the radar any more.
How It Works:
FlexiScale offers low rates and pay as you go hosting infrastructure. There is also no time commitment to the FelxiScale service, you can use it for an hour if you want, then cancel it. With FlexiScale is an open utility platform that allows users to integrate a third party. Setting up an account is quick and easy. For pay as you go utility computing on demand, visit FlexiScale.com.
Just imagine for a moment what you would really like to have from your IT infrastructure to properly enable your business. You’d want it to be agile and flexible, highly available and scalable, quick and easy to deploy and manage.
It’s starting to sound like a big capital investment, but that’s where the good news begins.
These are the very challenges that we set ourselves in 2004 when we started to design FlexiScale. Not only has it met all of those challenges and delivered additional benefits into the bargain, it’s designed as a pay-as-you-go infrastructure, so the issue of capital investment isn’t even on the radar any more.
How It Works:
FlexiScale offers low rates and pay as you go hosting infrastructure. There is also no time commitment to the FelxiScale service, you can use it for an hour if you want, then cancel it. With FlexiScale is an open utility platform that allows users to integrate a third party. Setting up an account is quick and easy. For pay as you go utility computing on demand, visit FlexiScale.com.
TheFrap.com is an online mall for creative people by creative people
What Company is All About:
TheFrap.com is an online mall for creative people by creative people.So we have defined it for you. Now use this site to rid yourself from your “frap” once and for all by expressing yourself and keeping the creativity flowing. If a 2 year old can become an internet giant through his own creativity, what could that mean for someone who is deliberately creating all the time, but just doesn’t have a way to showcase it.
How It Works:
TheFrap.com is always coming up with new ways to help you promote your product. One of the exciting ways is by giving you the ability to create a 60 seconds commercial to help sell your product and promote it on TheFrap.com.
more at:http://www.thefrap.com/
TheFrap.com is an online mall for creative people by creative people.So we have defined it for you. Now use this site to rid yourself from your “frap” once and for all by expressing yourself and keeping the creativity flowing. If a 2 year old can become an internet giant through his own creativity, what could that mean for someone who is deliberately creating all the time, but just doesn’t have a way to showcase it.
How It Works:
TheFrap.com is always coming up with new ways to help you promote your product. One of the exciting ways is by giving you the ability to create a 60 seconds commercial to help sell your product and promote it on TheFrap.com.
more at:http://www.thefrap.com/
Wall Street Idol "Investor Competition "
What They Are Saying:
We are dedicated to identifying talented investors and providing a forum where less experienced investors can learn by observing others and developing their own skills and style without risking actual invesment capital.
How It Works:
Wall Street Idol allows users to create portfolios using hypothetical funds, and enter individual portfolios into public contests for cash prizes, create and/or enter private contests with co-workers, family or friends, or just practice using Wall Street Idol’s realistic market simulation. WallStreetIdol.com is an investor competition using fictional money with investment decisions judged according to actual market results. This type of fictional investing is commonly called "Paper Trading".
More at:http://www.wallstreetidol.com/
We are dedicated to identifying talented investors and providing a forum where less experienced investors can learn by observing others and developing their own skills and style without risking actual invesment capital.
How It Works:
Wall Street Idol allows users to create portfolios using hypothetical funds, and enter individual portfolios into public contests for cash prizes, create and/or enter private contests with co-workers, family or friends, or just practice using Wall Street Idol’s realistic market simulation. WallStreetIdol.com is an investor competition using fictional money with investment decisions judged according to actual market results. This type of fictional investing is commonly called "Paper Trading".
More at:http://www.wallstreetidol.com/
Money Maker Info
What Company is Offering:
Resources of how to make money online. Find money making opportunities. Update of latest free Internet marketing e-books, reports and tools released by experts.
How It Works;
Money Maker Info blog. The blog provides a range of free services to help people take the next step in boosting their online income with a selection of useful tools, tutorials, and helpful articles that cover all aspects of the many methods of making money online. The Money Maker Info blog is a resource that is set to keep growing, with regular contributions from acknowledged experts in the Internet marketing field. By accessing the articles and tutorials available on the site, even experienced Internet marketers will be able to learn new techniques that will boost their online earnings while minimizing the often expensive cost of driving traffic to a website in order to make that all important sale.
More at:http://moneymakerinfo.blogspot.com/
Resources of how to make money online. Find money making opportunities. Update of latest free Internet marketing e-books, reports and tools released by experts.
How It Works;
Money Maker Info blog. The blog provides a range of free services to help people take the next step in boosting their online income with a selection of useful tools, tutorials, and helpful articles that cover all aspects of the many methods of making money online. The Money Maker Info blog is a resource that is set to keep growing, with regular contributions from acknowledged experts in the Internet marketing field. By accessing the articles and tutorials available on the site, even experienced Internet marketers will be able to learn new techniques that will boost their online earnings while minimizing the often expensive cost of driving traffic to a website in order to make that all important sale.
More at:http://moneymakerinfo.blogspot.com/
MicroPledge is a place where great ideas get in shapes that serves other people
What Company is offering;
MicroPledge is a place where great ideas get in shapes that serves other people. Not only do we want to do the right thing by our users, but also the right thing according to God. Also, as Christians, we want to do our small part in making the world just that little bit more user-friendly.
How It Works:
Any user can submit a project idea or pledge to existing projects. Developers can quote to develop projects and get paid, but only as pledgers are happy with their work. Imagine that 1000 people around the world need a spiffy browser plugin, and each person pledges $5 for it. Soon you have a happy developer who pockets the $5000. And quality software.
More at:http://micropledge.com/
MicroPledge is a place where great ideas get in shapes that serves other people. Not only do we want to do the right thing by our users, but also the right thing according to God. Also, as Christians, we want to do our small part in making the world just that little bit more user-friendly.
How It Works:
Any user can submit a project idea or pledge to existing projects. Developers can quote to develop projects and get paid, but only as pledgers are happy with their work. Imagine that 1000 people around the world need a spiffy browser plugin, and each person pledges $5 for it. Soon you have a happy developer who pockets the $5000. And quality software.
More at:http://micropledge.com/
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Million Euro Wiki
What Company is Offering:
What we are offering you is the opportunity to claim a word for a one time fee of €75 (or $100) and own a page with us for life or until you decide to sell it for a profit. On your page you can setup your online business and benefit from the collective traffic that's generated by the other page-owners and our marketing campaigns for this site. Thousands of paid directories online will give you just one link. We give you an entire page to edit as you see fit without any recurring charges.
How It Works:
When you own your page you can set up any type of business you like and with Million Euro Wiki you are part of a network that helps your page receive more traffic and therefore more revenue. You can set up Google ads on your page or set up links that go to your page to get more traffic. Setting up your page is simple. An automated editor helps you design your page, such as putting text in bold and adding images. If you want to be on the front page of Million Euro Wiki you can pay $10 per day and get more exposure. Join the micro- economy at MillionEuroWiki.com.
More at:http://millioneurowiki.com/
What we are offering you is the opportunity to claim a word for a one time fee of €75 (or $100) and own a page with us for life or until you decide to sell it for a profit. On your page you can setup your online business and benefit from the collective traffic that's generated by the other page-owners and our marketing campaigns for this site. Thousands of paid directories online will give you just one link. We give you an entire page to edit as you see fit without any recurring charges.
How It Works:
When you own your page you can set up any type of business you like and with Million Euro Wiki you are part of a network that helps your page receive more traffic and therefore more revenue. You can set up Google ads on your page or set up links that go to your page to get more traffic. Setting up your page is simple. An automated editor helps you design your page, such as putting text in bold and adding images. If you want to be on the front page of Million Euro Wiki you can pay $10 per day and get more exposure. Join the micro- economy at MillionEuroWiki.com.
More at:http://millioneurowiki.com/
CareerTours through online profiles, video and audio clips that tell each company's story
What Company is Offering:
CareerTours, an online recruiting site that brings all of the above to the task of matching employers with job candidates.
CareerTours goes well beyond the traditional text-based job database to allow job candidates to experience potential employers through online profiles, video and audio clips that tell each company's story and show why it's a great place to work.
How It Works:
The service is free for job seekers; employers pay a monthly fee starting at USD 199. In exchange, companies gain a way to give potential employees an online "tour" of the job, workplace and culture, thereby increasing the odds of a good match.
A built-in assessment tool provides candidates with instant feedback on whether their application will be considered, while giving employers a way to prioritize them. A word-of-mouth tool, meanwhile, allows employers to take advantage of the connections in their social networks with tailored e-mails and invitations. All postings made on CareerTours are also cross-posted to Google Base, Indeed, Simply Hired, MySpace, Oodle, WorkBlast, the National Association of Sales Professionals and JobTarget, among others, reaching an audience of more than 20 million visitors a month, CareerTours says.
CareerTours not only gains an edge in matching jobs with today's web-minded candidates, it also begins to serve as a career guide for the undecided. The Arizona-based company surpassed 375,000 candidates in July, and is planning to launch a sister business called ResumeTours soon.
More at: www.careertours.com
CareerTours, an online recruiting site that brings all of the above to the task of matching employers with job candidates.
CareerTours goes well beyond the traditional text-based job database to allow job candidates to experience potential employers through online profiles, video and audio clips that tell each company's story and show why it's a great place to work.
How It Works:
The service is free for job seekers; employers pay a monthly fee starting at USD 199. In exchange, companies gain a way to give potential employees an online "tour" of the job, workplace and culture, thereby increasing the odds of a good match.
A built-in assessment tool provides candidates with instant feedback on whether their application will be considered, while giving employers a way to prioritize them. A word-of-mouth tool, meanwhile, allows employers to take advantage of the connections in their social networks with tailored e-mails and invitations. All postings made on CareerTours are also cross-posted to Google Base, Indeed, Simply Hired, MySpace, Oodle, WorkBlast, the National Association of Sales Professionals and JobTarget, among others, reaching an audience of more than 20 million visitors a month, CareerTours says.
CareerTours not only gains an edge in matching jobs with today's web-minded candidates, it also begins to serve as a career guide for the undecided. The Arizona-based company surpassed 375,000 candidates in July, and is planning to launch a sister business called ResumeTours soon.
More at: www.careertours.com
Ponoko is offering consumers a new way to turn their creative ideas into real-world objects
What Company is Offering:
Ponoko is offering consumers a new way to turn their turn creative ideas into real-world objects.
How It Works:
After uploading their design to the website , users can choose from a variety of materials. Ponoko then runs the design through a laser cutter. Besides offering access to professional tools to manufacture products, Ponoko also helps users bring their products to market. Once they’re ready to sell, members add photos of their product to their profile page, together with a description, pricing information and descriptive tags. If a product needs to be assembled before being shipped to customers, Ponoko delivers the bits and pieces to the designer. If the product is self-assembly, Ponoko can ship directly to the end-customer.Users who aren’t interested in selling physical products can opt to sell or give away their design, for other manufacturers to produce and sell, which makes Ponoko stand out from creative consumer marketplaces like Etsy.
More at: www.ponoko.com
Ponoko is offering consumers a new way to turn their turn creative ideas into real-world objects.
How It Works:
After uploading their design to the website , users can choose from a variety of materials. Ponoko then runs the design through a laser cutter. Besides offering access to professional tools to manufacture products, Ponoko also helps users bring their products to market. Once they’re ready to sell, members add photos of their product to their profile page, together with a description, pricing information and descriptive tags. If a product needs to be assembled before being shipped to customers, Ponoko delivers the bits and pieces to the designer. If the product is self-assembly, Ponoko can ship directly to the end-customer.Users who aren’t interested in selling physical products can opt to sell or give away their design, for other manufacturers to produce and sell, which makes Ponoko stand out from creative consumer marketplaces like Etsy.
More at: www.ponoko.com
Women from all over rural Britain are being encouraged to gather in Cambridgeshire in October to share their experiences of business
Women from all over rural Britain are being encouraged to gather in Cambridgeshire in October to share their experiences of business, take advice from the experts and maybe even find new clients.
Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE), the national business support, membership and networking organisation will host the event on Wednesday 31 October at Chilford Hall, Linton with support from Business Link Eastern Region, The Enterprising Women Project and HSBC.
WiRE membership is growing, particularly in the East of England. According to research carried out by Dr Rebecca Harding, executive director of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) significant numbers of rural-based women are exploiting new business opportunities partly helped by access to new technologies.
Female entrepreneurial activity is nearly twice as high for rural women as it is for urban women at nearly 60% of rural male entrepreneurial activity. However WiRE recognises that women still face significant barriers when starting out and is using its Conferences as learning opportunities for women who might otherwise find themselves both physically and socially isolated.
The conference, expected to draw over 100 delegates, will take women through all the stages of business, from the first seeds of an idea to business in the fast lane. Business seminars on Networking and Are you an Entrepreneur? will tackle practical everyday issues whilst The Rural Marketplace provides the perfect forum for networking and buying the best of WiRE member products.
Izzy Warren-Smith, Executive Director of WiRE, and recent winner of the Prowess Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Enterprise Award says: “this event celebrates the enormous impact women are making in the rural economy. We want women to go home inspired, better informed and with a notebook fully of new contacts”.
Speakers confirmed for Linton include:
Paula Lain of www.plainspeakingpr.co.uk
Jill Roberson of www.the-living-rooms.co.uk
Rebecca Rayner of www.glebe-flour.co.uk
Vivienne Wiggins of www.revivalcoaching.co.uk
Mary Munley of www.theflyingmarketer.co.uk
Full details of the conference can be found at www.wireuk.org
Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE), the national business support, membership and networking organisation will host the event on Wednesday 31 October at Chilford Hall, Linton with support from Business Link Eastern Region, The Enterprising Women Project and HSBC.
WiRE membership is growing, particularly in the East of England. According to research carried out by Dr Rebecca Harding, executive director of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) significant numbers of rural-based women are exploiting new business opportunities partly helped by access to new technologies.
Female entrepreneurial activity is nearly twice as high for rural women as it is for urban women at nearly 60% of rural male entrepreneurial activity. However WiRE recognises that women still face significant barriers when starting out and is using its Conferences as learning opportunities for women who might otherwise find themselves both physically and socially isolated.
The conference, expected to draw over 100 delegates, will take women through all the stages of business, from the first seeds of an idea to business in the fast lane. Business seminars on Networking and Are you an Entrepreneur? will tackle practical everyday issues whilst The Rural Marketplace provides the perfect forum for networking and buying the best of WiRE member products.
Izzy Warren-Smith, Executive Director of WiRE, and recent winner of the Prowess Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Enterprise Award says: “this event celebrates the enormous impact women are making in the rural economy. We want women to go home inspired, better informed and with a notebook fully of new contacts”.
Speakers confirmed for Linton include:
Paula Lain of www.plainspeakingpr.co.uk
Jill Roberson of www.the-living-rooms.co.uk
Rebecca Rayner of www.glebe-flour.co.uk
Vivienne Wiggins of www.revivalcoaching.co.uk
Mary Munley of www.theflyingmarketer.co.uk
Full details of the conference can be found at www.wireuk.org
23andMe Is look Good For Funding VCs
What Company Is All About:
23andMe is a privately held company developing new ways to help you make sense of your own genetic information.
Even though your body contains trillions of copies of your genome, you've likely never read any of it. Our goal is to connect you to the 23 paired volumes of your own genetic blueprint (plus your mitochondrial DNA), bringing you personal insight into ancestry, genealogy, and inherited traits. By connecting you to others, we can also help put your genome into the larger context of human commonality and diversity.
23andMe a company that makes tools for learning about your genetic information. The company is best known as being founded by the wife of Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder. Google drew some scrutiny earlier this year when they used $3.6 million of company funds to invest in 23andMe.
How Much They Got From VCs:
They raised an additional $9 million in funding.
Aside from Google, other investors include Mohr Davidow Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and mega biotech company Genentech.
More at:http://www.23andme.com/
23andMe is a privately held company developing new ways to help you make sense of your own genetic information.
Even though your body contains trillions of copies of your genome, you've likely never read any of it. Our goal is to connect you to the 23 paired volumes of your own genetic blueprint (plus your mitochondrial DNA), bringing you personal insight into ancestry, genealogy, and inherited traits. By connecting you to others, we can also help put your genome into the larger context of human commonality and diversity.
23andMe a company that makes tools for learning about your genetic information. The company is best known as being founded by the wife of Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder. Google drew some scrutiny earlier this year when they used $3.6 million of company funds to invest in 23andMe.
How Much They Got From VCs:
They raised an additional $9 million in funding.
Aside from Google, other investors include Mohr Davidow Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and mega biotech company Genentech.
More at:http://www.23andme.com/
NationalGeographic widget
NationalGeographic has just launched a widget that can be placed on your blog or personal website. It brings you the incoming top news stories from National Geographic, including video footage and images.
This widget was developed by Clearspring, and offers one-click submission to your various social networks, like MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Xanga. There are also email options and the provision of embed code directly from the widget.
More at:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/
This widget was developed by Clearspring, and offers one-click submission to your various social networks, like MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Xanga. There are also email options and the provision of embed code directly from the widget.
More at:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/
BidBeaverR.com For Only Branded Things At Auctions
What Company Is Offering:
Contrary to other auctions the prices fall on BidBeaverR.com. Bidbeaver is a young startup-company from Germany. We offer you a mixture of social commerce and thrills. We sell branded stuff at auctions to hot deal prices. Thereby we turn normal auctions upside down. Users buy credits and set these on articles. With each bid the item price lowers by 10 cent. Every bid costs 50 cents. Because nearly at the same time many users make a bid, the price falls rapidly. So you have the chance to snap some great deals.
How It Works:
At BIDBEAVER there are two different possibilities on finishing an auction: The hidden end price: somewhere between the start price and 0, 00€ there is a hidden end price. If users place a bid and reduce the actual price to the hidden end price, he is automatically the winner of this auction.
The hidden end time: somewhere between the start time and the latest end of an auction is the hidden end time. When the hidden end time is reached, the last user who placed a bid on this auction is automatically the winner of this auction.
More at:http://www.bidbeaver.com/
Contrary to other auctions the prices fall on BidBeaverR.com. Bidbeaver is a young startup-company from Germany. We offer you a mixture of social commerce and thrills. We sell branded stuff at auctions to hot deal prices. Thereby we turn normal auctions upside down. Users buy credits and set these on articles. With each bid the item price lowers by 10 cent. Every bid costs 50 cents. Because nearly at the same time many users make a bid, the price falls rapidly. So you have the chance to snap some great deals.
How It Works:
At BIDBEAVER there are two different possibilities on finishing an auction: The hidden end price: somewhere between the start price and 0, 00€ there is a hidden end price. If users place a bid and reduce the actual price to the hidden end price, he is automatically the winner of this auction.
The hidden end time: somewhere between the start time and the latest end of an auction is the hidden end time. When the hidden end time is reached, the last user who placed a bid on this auction is automatically the winner of this auction.
More at:http://www.bidbeaver.com/
MashupChallenge Contest
What Company Says:
MashupChallenge, where challengers from around the world are competing to raise the bar in mashup creation.
Along with the professional recognition that comes with winning a MashupChallenge, prizes range from 50%-off hosting for life to a Nintendo Wii and are given out to the top 10 winners every quarter year.
How It Works:
Mashable, Pipes, MashupAwards, Mobile Web Design and Media Temple are sponsoring a contest for challengers all around the world to create the best mashups. The site gives away prizes for the top 10 winners each quarter that range from 50% off hosting for life to Nintendo Wii systems, but even more importantly it is a platform to help get your mashup seen by the world.
More at:http://mashupchallenge.com/
MashupChallenge, where challengers from around the world are competing to raise the bar in mashup creation.
Along with the professional recognition that comes with winning a MashupChallenge, prizes range from 50%-off hosting for life to a Nintendo Wii and are given out to the top 10 winners every quarter year.
How It Works:
Mashable, Pipes, MashupAwards, Mobile Web Design and Media Temple are sponsoring a contest for challengers all around the world to create the best mashups. The site gives away prizes for the top 10 winners each quarter that range from 50% off hosting for life to Nintendo Wii systems, but even more importantly it is a platform to help get your mashup seen by the world.
More at:http://mashupchallenge.com/
GCodes For Money Saving
What Company is Offering:
This site could save you a bit of cash before you hit the high street to do your shopping. It highlights all the special offers and discounts available online. Links take you straight to all the stores featured.
How It Works:
This site helps you track down the special vouchers and promotional codes offered by online stores. Everything is divided into categories going from electronic devices, music & video, computer and mobiles to clothes & accessories, health and beauty, home & garden and food & drinks. There’s a section where you can compare the different prices of the different brands. A very interesting feature offered by the site is the free newsletter, the only thing you have to do is submit your e-mail.
More at:http://www.gcodes.co.uk/
This site could save you a bit of cash before you hit the high street to do your shopping. It highlights all the special offers and discounts available online. Links take you straight to all the stores featured.
How It Works:
This site helps you track down the special vouchers and promotional codes offered by online stores. Everything is divided into categories going from electronic devices, music & video, computer and mobiles to clothes & accessories, health and beauty, home & garden and food & drinks. There’s a section where you can compare the different prices of the different brands. A very interesting feature offered by the site is the free newsletter, the only thing you have to do is submit your e-mail.
More at:http://www.gcodes.co.uk/
Earn Money With Easy Share
What Company Is Offering:
Easy-Share.com is an easy to use, free file hosting solution. It's composed of many servers to provide the fastest download speeds possible.
How It Works:
Easy-share.com also gives you a chance to earn money without extra effort, How? You get paid for uploading and sharing useful files, and when someone clicks a link on your site and downloads a file from Easy-Share.com you get revenue. Easy-Share.com can be used to share any types of files with friends, as well as post links to these files on message boards and blogs. It’s really easy to use, and provides really fast download speeds.
More at:http://www.easy-share.com/
Easy-Share.com is an easy to use, free file hosting solution. It's composed of many servers to provide the fastest download speeds possible.
How It Works:
Easy-share.com also gives you a chance to earn money without extra effort, How? You get paid for uploading and sharing useful files, and when someone clicks a link on your site and downloads a file from Easy-Share.com you get revenue. Easy-Share.com can be used to share any types of files with friends, as well as post links to these files on message boards and blogs. It’s really easy to use, and provides really fast download speeds.
More at:http://www.easy-share.com/
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Wikinvest Seems Good Investment For VCs
What Company Is offering:
Wikinvest is an online stock wiki.
Wikinvest is an investing resource that aims to provide investors with information about companies, trends, and concepts affecting the business world. Using a Wiki approach, Wikinvest uses crowdsourcing to help create an investment research tool that actively encourages community participation.
How It Works:
Wikinvest divides company coverage into "Neutral," "Bull," and "Bear" perspectives so that investors can understand the range of arguments for and against investing in a particular stock. In addition, the site offers insights into movements in stock prices, an ongoing frustration for individual investors who have limited research tools available to them.
One of the interesting features is the unique WikiCharts that allow users to annotate stock charts, explaining the price movements of hundreds of companies.
How Much They Got From VCs:
Wikinvest received $2.5 Million from DCM venture capital.
More at:http://www.wikinvest.com/
Sponsers: Alabama payday loans
Wikinvest is an online stock wiki.
Wikinvest is an investing resource that aims to provide investors with information about companies, trends, and concepts affecting the business world. Using a Wiki approach, Wikinvest uses crowdsourcing to help create an investment research tool that actively encourages community participation.
How It Works:
Wikinvest divides company coverage into "Neutral," "Bull," and "Bear" perspectives so that investors can understand the range of arguments for and against investing in a particular stock. In addition, the site offers insights into movements in stock prices, an ongoing frustration for individual investors who have limited research tools available to them.
One of the interesting features is the unique WikiCharts that allow users to annotate stock charts, explaining the price movements of hundreds of companies.
How Much They Got From VCs:
Wikinvest received $2.5 Million from DCM venture capital.
More at:http://www.wikinvest.com/
Sponsers: Alabama payday loans
Virtual Assistants Forum
North American Virtual Assistants and particularly Canadian VA’s have never before had the opportunity to meet and exchange views in this kind of forum and on Canadian soil. Barb Lang, a Toronto based Virtual Assistant specializing in Event Planning, saw a need for new and seasoned VA’s to meet in person in order to exchange ideas and business expertise in a mastermind / workshop type event. Other successful VA conferences, generally held in the U.S., have followed the traditional conference format where participants listen and learn from guest speakers but very little interaction is expected.
“There is an incredible amount of talent and expertise already among the VA community. We should tap into that ‘real life experience’. The entrepreneurial freedom of Virtual Assistance is becoming a very desirable alternative to the corporately employed admin or executive assistant. I get people calling me weekly to find out more about the profession and how they might start out.” At the same time, experienced VAs who have successfully been in practice for more than 3 - 5 years, are looking for ways to move their businesses forward.
Barb decided that it was time to bring VA’s together in a stimulating and safe environment where judicious and relevant business issues and information could be exchanged and debated. “I want delegates to leave the forum with a solid plan in hand to take back to their businesses and implement immediately” says the organizer. “Personally, I’m not interested in hearing about ‘Laughter Therapy’ or having my ‘Colours done’. I work in my home office wearing my slippers and what I most need to know about is what a ‘wiki’ is and how my clients can promote their businesses using the latest Webinar technology or what the best way is for me to earn some residual income. I want to know why my ACT! database doesn’t play nice with my Adobe software and what are others do when they run into problems. Based on the positive responses from the VA community, it appears that I’m not the only one who needs to know these things.” Forum delegates, new or experienced, will take home practical and actionable step-by-step plans to start or grow their VA businesses immediately. The forum will be based on a dual track system so that delegates, no matter what level they are at, can get the information they came for.
“I also hope to get some big players to help sponsor the event. Office supply chains, courier companies, printers, banks, marketing companies, software, hardware, service oriented businesses… you name it, we buy it and so do our clients. The more Sponsors brought on board to support this event, the bigger the event which in turn means more businesses shopping in their stores or using their services. It’s a win win!” Says Barb.
The Forum on Virtual Assistance or FoVA will be held in early May of 2008 and is expected to become an annual tradition.
http://www.forumonvirtualassistance.com
“There is an incredible amount of talent and expertise already among the VA community. We should tap into that ‘real life experience’. The entrepreneurial freedom of Virtual Assistance is becoming a very desirable alternative to the corporately employed admin or executive assistant. I get people calling me weekly to find out more about the profession and how they might start out.” At the same time, experienced VAs who have successfully been in practice for more than 3 - 5 years, are looking for ways to move their businesses forward.
Barb decided that it was time to bring VA’s together in a stimulating and safe environment where judicious and relevant business issues and information could be exchanged and debated. “I want delegates to leave the forum with a solid plan in hand to take back to their businesses and implement immediately” says the organizer. “Personally, I’m not interested in hearing about ‘Laughter Therapy’ or having my ‘Colours done’. I work in my home office wearing my slippers and what I most need to know about is what a ‘wiki’ is and how my clients can promote their businesses using the latest Webinar technology or what the best way is for me to earn some residual income. I want to know why my ACT! database doesn’t play nice with my Adobe software and what are others do when they run into problems. Based on the positive responses from the VA community, it appears that I’m not the only one who needs to know these things.” Forum delegates, new or experienced, will take home practical and actionable step-by-step plans to start or grow their VA businesses immediately. The forum will be based on a dual track system so that delegates, no matter what level they are at, can get the information they came for.
“I also hope to get some big players to help sponsor the event. Office supply chains, courier companies, printers, banks, marketing companies, software, hardware, service oriented businesses… you name it, we buy it and so do our clients. The more Sponsors brought on board to support this event, the bigger the event which in turn means more businesses shopping in their stores or using their services. It’s a win win!” Says Barb.
The Forum on Virtual Assistance or FoVA will be held in early May of 2008 and is expected to become an annual tradition.
http://www.forumonvirtualassistance.com
Are all things equal in the pursuit of entrepreneurship?
Are all things equal in the pursuit of entrepreneurship?
An entrepreneur's gender does not correlate with a new venture's performance, according to a new report by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Factors
While gender may not have an effect on overall success rates, however, the report shows that there are still several areas where men and women differ on the subject of starting a business. The report looked at data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, which yielded a representative sample of 685 entrepreneurs who started their business in 1998 or 1999. Factors such as the entrepreneur's preferences, motivation, and expectations were controlled for, in the case of the report.
Researchers found that one of the main differences between male and female entrepreneurs is in the kind of businesses they start. Female entrepreneurs are more likely to start businesses in personal services and retail trade, while males tend to get involved in the technology and manufacturing sectors.
One possible explanation for this, according to the report, is that women often face barriers to entry in starting a business. As a result, women may be more likely to start businesses that do not have high demands for human or financial capital often because they lack access to it early on. Along the same lines, women-owned businesses tend to be smaller in scale than those started by men, the report found.
The study also highlighted the fact that female entrepreneurs work fewer hours, on average, than their male counterparts. Researchers found that because women generally have more domestic demands competing for their time, they also spend fewer hours on developing their new ventures.
Additionally, the report also examined risk preferences among male and female entrepreneurs. Previous studies have determined that women in general have a greater aversion to financial risk than men. As entrepreneurs, women are more likely to start ventures that have a lower risk factor, and consequently focus more on minimizing risk during the start-up process than males do.
Finally, the report compared men and women on the basis of their business savvy and found that the genders differ in the way they identify and seek out new business opportunities. Women pursue information through their social networks, and therefore have a greater variety of sources than men, while male entrepreneurs tend to identify business opportunities through conversations with investors and bankers, the report found.
Via-INC
An entrepreneur's gender does not correlate with a new venture's performance, according to a new report by the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy. Factors
While gender may not have an effect on overall success rates, however, the report shows that there are still several areas where men and women differ on the subject of starting a business. The report looked at data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, which yielded a representative sample of 685 entrepreneurs who started their business in 1998 or 1999. Factors such as the entrepreneur's preferences, motivation, and expectations were controlled for, in the case of the report.
Researchers found that one of the main differences between male and female entrepreneurs is in the kind of businesses they start. Female entrepreneurs are more likely to start businesses in personal services and retail trade, while males tend to get involved in the technology and manufacturing sectors.
One possible explanation for this, according to the report, is that women often face barriers to entry in starting a business. As a result, women may be more likely to start businesses that do not have high demands for human or financial capital often because they lack access to it early on. Along the same lines, women-owned businesses tend to be smaller in scale than those started by men, the report found.
The study also highlighted the fact that female entrepreneurs work fewer hours, on average, than their male counterparts. Researchers found that because women generally have more domestic demands competing for their time, they also spend fewer hours on developing their new ventures.
Additionally, the report also examined risk preferences among male and female entrepreneurs. Previous studies have determined that women in general have a greater aversion to financial risk than men. As entrepreneurs, women are more likely to start ventures that have a lower risk factor, and consequently focus more on minimizing risk during the start-up process than males do.
Finally, the report compared men and women on the basis of their business savvy and found that the genders differ in the way they identify and seek out new business opportunities. Women pursue information through their social networks, and therefore have a greater variety of sources than men, while male entrepreneurs tend to identify business opportunities through conversations with investors and bankers, the report found.
Via-INC
Ernst and Young’s National Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Matthew Riley, chief executive officer of Daisy Communications, was awarded the accolade of Ernst and Young’s National Young Entrepreneur of the Year during a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 1 October.
Having been named the young entrepreneur for the North Region in June he was pitted against winners from other regions of the country who had shown enterprise at a young age.
Daisy is the 33-year-old’s fourth company, and last night’s award is recognition of a level of expansion that has seen the business become one of the fastest growing technology companies and Riley one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the North West, and now the UK. The company recently recorded a turnover of more than £23 million for the year ending March 2007.
He received the award in front of 800 entrepreneurs and their guests, and was one of 36 finalists to battle out the awards in nine different categories.
“To win the regional award in June was amazing, but to win the national award gives me an overwhelming sense of pride,” said Riley.
“The competition was very fierce in the ‘young’ category and I really do feel honoured to have won this accolade. I look forward to heading back up to Nelson and celebrating with my colleagues - without them this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Having left school at 16 to take up a YTS place as a trainee fax machine engineer, Riley has now spent a career spanning 17 years in the communications industry.
Daisy was established in his home town of Nelson in 2001 with just three employees. The company now operates from a 20,000sq ft state of the art office complex and employees more than 130 people and selling business communications solutions to businesses it is one of the UK’s leading independent companies for telephone, mobile, data and broadband.
Ernst & Young’s Manchester senior partner, Jan Gregory said: “The judges described Matthew as a great salesman, who has built a niche business, has good ideas and is continuously improving his business's offering and service. He has a thoughtful leadership style and invests in his people.
“The Entrepreneur of the Year programme recognises the determination, hard work and passion of entrepreneurs in over 40 countries on six continents. Our North West winners are shining examples of how entrepreneurial spirit can create world class businesses that make an enormous contribution to the local and UK economy.”
Via-http://www.cbmagazine.co.uk/News_Article_JS.cfm?X=0&Y=0&YearViewed=&Newsmonth=&EndDay=&NoNews=0&NewsID=3856
Having been named the young entrepreneur for the North Region in June he was pitted against winners from other regions of the country who had shown enterprise at a young age.
Daisy is the 33-year-old’s fourth company, and last night’s award is recognition of a level of expansion that has seen the business become one of the fastest growing technology companies and Riley one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the North West, and now the UK. The company recently recorded a turnover of more than £23 million for the year ending March 2007.
He received the award in front of 800 entrepreneurs and their guests, and was one of 36 finalists to battle out the awards in nine different categories.
“To win the regional award in June was amazing, but to win the national award gives me an overwhelming sense of pride,” said Riley.
“The competition was very fierce in the ‘young’ category and I really do feel honoured to have won this accolade. I look forward to heading back up to Nelson and celebrating with my colleagues - without them this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Having left school at 16 to take up a YTS place as a trainee fax machine engineer, Riley has now spent a career spanning 17 years in the communications industry.
Daisy was established in his home town of Nelson in 2001 with just three employees. The company now operates from a 20,000sq ft state of the art office complex and employees more than 130 people and selling business communications solutions to businesses it is one of the UK’s leading independent companies for telephone, mobile, data and broadband.
Ernst & Young’s Manchester senior partner, Jan Gregory said: “The judges described Matthew as a great salesman, who has built a niche business, has good ideas and is continuously improving his business's offering and service. He has a thoughtful leadership style and invests in his people.
“The Entrepreneur of the Year programme recognises the determination, hard work and passion of entrepreneurs in over 40 countries on six continents. Our North West winners are shining examples of how entrepreneurial spirit can create world class businesses that make an enormous contribution to the local and UK economy.”
Via-http://www.cbmagazine.co.uk/News_Article_JS.cfm?X=0&Y=0&YearViewed=&Newsmonth=&EndDay=&NoNews=0&NewsID=3856
Unusual Business Idea
A couple of years ago, Jonathan Hall and his wife, Kate, decided that there must be a way to capitalize on the popularity of iPod add-ons. Cases and “skins,” had become big business by then — but those items decorated only the main device, which was usually stuffed in a pocket, out of sight.
Today, the Halls have sold tens of thousands of pairs of flexible rubber charms called Emotibuds, which clip onto earbuds, almost like earrings. Each pair features a blocky little face that incorporates an emoticon into a cute cartoon visage. There are a variety of faces, each set against a bright color and corresponding with a mood, like “starry-eyed” or “frisky.”
When they first dreamed up their idea, they knew nothing about making a product. They contacted a manufacturer of injection-molded plastics, but they didn’t know how to make the detailed computer-aided drawings such manufacturers require.
Hall bought the appropriate “For Dummies” book, and after some false starts they sent out the drawings and received price quotes only to realize they needed an investor.
Not surprisingly, potential investors wanted to know if the Halls had any market research suggesting consumer interest. So the couple put the drawings of their design on a Web site and sent e-mail messages to about 10 online cool-hunter types, in the hope of gauging interest.
Then, eight months later, Hall received a sudden flood of e-mail from people demanding to know where they could buy Emotibuds.
It turned out that an online trend-hunter — thecoolhunter.net — had belatedly posted a link to their site. The Halls, of course, had no actual product. They decided that with the help of an uncle, they would bankroll a first run themselves.
By the start of this year, Emotibuds were popping up all over the cool-little-design-product ecosystem, which includes retailers like the online shop Shana Logic as well as the Daily Candy e-mail newsletter.
More at:http://www.emotibles.com/
Via-Uncommon Business Blog
Today, the Halls have sold tens of thousands of pairs of flexible rubber charms called Emotibuds, which clip onto earbuds, almost like earrings. Each pair features a blocky little face that incorporates an emoticon into a cute cartoon visage. There are a variety of faces, each set against a bright color and corresponding with a mood, like “starry-eyed” or “frisky.”
When they first dreamed up their idea, they knew nothing about making a product. They contacted a manufacturer of injection-molded plastics, but they didn’t know how to make the detailed computer-aided drawings such manufacturers require.
Hall bought the appropriate “For Dummies” book, and after some false starts they sent out the drawings and received price quotes only to realize they needed an investor.
Not surprisingly, potential investors wanted to know if the Halls had any market research suggesting consumer interest. So the couple put the drawings of their design on a Web site and sent e-mail messages to about 10 online cool-hunter types, in the hope of gauging interest.
Then, eight months later, Hall received a sudden flood of e-mail from people demanding to know where they could buy Emotibuds.
It turned out that an online trend-hunter — thecoolhunter.net — had belatedly posted a link to their site. The Halls, of course, had no actual product. They decided that with the help of an uncle, they would bankroll a first run themselves.
By the start of this year, Emotibuds were popping up all over the cool-little-design-product ecosystem, which includes retailers like the online shop Shana Logic as well as the Daily Candy e-mail newsletter.
More at:http://www.emotibles.com/
Via-Uncommon Business Blog
eWORDofMOUTH gives online companies a cost-effective alternative for advertrising
What Company is Offering:
eWORDofMOUTH gives online companies a cost-effective alternative for driving a steady stream of qualified traffic to their Website. Not only does eWORDofMOUTH create an ongoing flow of potential customers for users, but it goes a step further. It attracts motivated prospects who are pre-sold on the user’s brand by a referral from a friend or family member, which provides important advantages for users. According to research, referred customers spend more money on each purchase, buy more often, are more loyal and refer others more frequently. They also have greater trust for the referred company and its recommendations, and negotiate on price less. eWORDofMOUTH is ideal for e-tailers, membership Websites, offline retailers and direct marketing companies, and nonprofit organizations.
How It Works:
eWORDofMOUTH capitalizes on this trend by enabling Web users to recommend products and services that they value to their associates. The eWORDofMOUTH system combines the power of word-of-mouth marketing with the Internet to drive continuous traffic to users’ Websites. eWORDofMOUTH gives online companies an easy, cost-effective method for acquiring and retaining customers, as well as increasing sales.
More at:http://www.ewordofmouth.com/
eWORDofMOUTH gives online companies a cost-effective alternative for driving a steady stream of qualified traffic to their Website. Not only does eWORDofMOUTH create an ongoing flow of potential customers for users, but it goes a step further. It attracts motivated prospects who are pre-sold on the user’s brand by a referral from a friend or family member, which provides important advantages for users. According to research, referred customers spend more money on each purchase, buy more often, are more loyal and refer others more frequently. They also have greater trust for the referred company and its recommendations, and negotiate on price less. eWORDofMOUTH is ideal for e-tailers, membership Websites, offline retailers and direct marketing companies, and nonprofit organizations.
How It Works:
eWORDofMOUTH capitalizes on this trend by enabling Web users to recommend products and services that they value to their associates. The eWORDofMOUTH system combines the power of word-of-mouth marketing with the Internet to drive continuous traffic to users’ Websites. eWORDofMOUTH gives online companies an easy, cost-effective method for acquiring and retaining customers, as well as increasing sales.
More at:http://www.ewordofmouth.com/
Actionize For Finishing Your Business Well
What Company Is Offering:
Actionize is a web-based, highly integrated team, task, and contact manager and is ideal for both recurring business processes as well as time-constrained projects. Actionize automates and tracks all team interaction while simultaneously keeping you completely up-to-date on if, when, and why you’re meeting your goals on time, to specification, and on budget. Use the Actionize task list templates to immediately begin to collaborate online. Then invite your team to join the mission, assign responsibilities and milestones, and get to work.
How It Works:
The site allows there to be a central location where everyone can see the task lists, time-lines, responsibility charts, goal sheets, sales revenue... whatever tracking device the team needs to stay together and on target. As important, all the data is safe and secure under this site. The site is well designed and easy to use, and was obviously made by people who know the difficulty of maintaining communication and accountability within a group setting.
More at:http://www.actionize.com/
Actionize is a web-based, highly integrated team, task, and contact manager and is ideal for both recurring business processes as well as time-constrained projects. Actionize automates and tracks all team interaction while simultaneously keeping you completely up-to-date on if, when, and why you’re meeting your goals on time, to specification, and on budget. Use the Actionize task list templates to immediately begin to collaborate online. Then invite your team to join the mission, assign responsibilities and milestones, and get to work.
How It Works:
The site allows there to be a central location where everyone can see the task lists, time-lines, responsibility charts, goal sheets, sales revenue... whatever tracking device the team needs to stay together and on target. As important, all the data is safe and secure under this site. The site is well designed and easy to use, and was obviously made by people who know the difficulty of maintaining communication and accountability within a group setting.
More at:http://www.actionize.com/
Get Paid To Make Accurate Predictions
What Company Is Saying:
Predictify.com which pays you for the accuracy of your predictions. They use an interesting system by which to pay people for the correctness of their guesses. With predictify there are many answers that you are able to answer for free, and the percentage that you get correctly boost up your score and you are able to make more money for the answers that you answer correctly that are pay answers. Some of the questions you need to pay to answer, and the ones that you pay to answer, and do answer correctly give you monetary rewards for answering correctly dependent upon the percentage of correct answers you have accrued with the free questions.
More at:http://predictify.com/
Predictify.com which pays you for the accuracy of your predictions. They use an interesting system by which to pay people for the correctness of their guesses. With predictify there are many answers that you are able to answer for free, and the percentage that you get correctly boost up your score and you are able to make more money for the answers that you answer correctly that are pay answers. Some of the questions you need to pay to answer, and the ones that you pay to answer, and do answer correctly give you monetary rewards for answering correctly dependent upon the percentage of correct answers you have accrued with the free questions.
More at:http://predictify.com/
Win Money
What Company is Saying:
ZeroRiskPoker.com – a new site for Texas Hold’em fans who like the idea of holding onto their money and winning large. Pull up a chair at our sponsor-based online poker tables and play for prizes like your very own home gym, energy drinks, magazine subscriptions, and more. Thanks to our sponsors, we have over $25,000 worth of free stuff to give away every month and more is being added every day.
They are totally free which makes them legal in the US. They do not charge players to play poker ever. In addition their product crosses numerous verticals. They are an entertainment software package, they help companies market their products and services, offer turn key solutions for companies and at the end of the day, and they might lose money.
How It Works:
Players are attracted to the site because they love poker and they love the prospect of winning something for nothing. While other free poker sites are simply offshoots of real-money poker sites designed to convert you to a real-money player, this website is dedicated to keeping poker 100% free while making it more lucrative, more enticing, and more exciting than ever before. The site offers an opportunity for advertisers to meet those who like to play the game and will cater a marketing proposal for them in which we guarantee results or the sponsor does not have to pay.
More at:http://www.zeroriskpoker.com/
ZeroRiskPoker.com – a new site for Texas Hold’em fans who like the idea of holding onto their money and winning large. Pull up a chair at our sponsor-based online poker tables and play for prizes like your very own home gym, energy drinks, magazine subscriptions, and more. Thanks to our sponsors, we have over $25,000 worth of free stuff to give away every month and more is being added every day.
They are totally free which makes them legal in the US. They do not charge players to play poker ever. In addition their product crosses numerous verticals. They are an entertainment software package, they help companies market their products and services, offer turn key solutions for companies and at the end of the day, and they might lose money.
How It Works:
Players are attracted to the site because they love poker and they love the prospect of winning something for nothing. While other free poker sites are simply offshoots of real-money poker sites designed to convert you to a real-money player, this website is dedicated to keeping poker 100% free while making it more lucrative, more enticing, and more exciting than ever before. The site offers an opportunity for advertisers to meet those who like to play the game and will cater a marketing proposal for them in which we guarantee results or the sponsor does not have to pay.
More at:http://www.zeroriskpoker.com/
Business Plan Competition
The annual BYU Business Plan Competition gives students the opportunity to create a business plan or start a business over the course of the school year.
The event kick-off will be Oct. 10. The competition will consist of several events and workshops throughout the year, with final deadlines in February.
Students are encouraged to get involved and get started early, said John Rasmussen, the leader of the student team organizing the event.
The theme for this year's contest is Begin Your Adventure.
The competition is open for all students.
"Many teams come from outside the business school and do well," Rasmussen said. Some recent winners were from history and engineering majors, among many others.
The competition of several events will include smaller competitions and workshops to help students develop their business plans, and ventures for the final competition in March, he said.
There are many categories that students can get involved in, depending on their interests and ideas. There are separate competitions for plans, ventures, stay-at-home businesses, social entrepreneurship and global categories.
The Business Plan competition at BYU is a great opportunity for students, said Nile Hatch, a professor at BYU. More than 60 new ventures were created on campus last year.
"We get attention from all over the country," he said.
Students who participated in last year's competition went on to compete at the University of Texas-Austin, "the super bowl of Business Plan competitions," Hatch said. Winners at BYU get an automatic invitation.
The competition is a great way to help students who have an idea get started, said John Richards, a professor at BYU.
"It provides a central focal point for good ideas and good teams to put their time and attention into a packaged business plan that will help further the interests of all involved," he said in an e-mail.
The competition offers many advantages, said Gary Williams, a business professor at BYU. Workshops help students create teams and improve plans.
"The average investor is going to see 1,000 plans. There is a lot of finesse that goes into creating [written] plans," Williams said. Some investors will decide if they are interested in a business in as little as three pages
The business workshops will help students create plans, start businesses and learn to pitch their ideas to investors.
"We're helping share vision and providing opportunity," Williams said. The professors put structure in place and the students do the rest.
Full Deatil:http://nn.byu.edu/story.cfm/65543
The event kick-off will be Oct. 10. The competition will consist of several events and workshops throughout the year, with final deadlines in February.
Students are encouraged to get involved and get started early, said John Rasmussen, the leader of the student team organizing the event.
The theme for this year's contest is Begin Your Adventure.
The competition is open for all students.
"Many teams come from outside the business school and do well," Rasmussen said. Some recent winners were from history and engineering majors, among many others.
The competition of several events will include smaller competitions and workshops to help students develop their business plans, and ventures for the final competition in March, he said.
There are many categories that students can get involved in, depending on their interests and ideas. There are separate competitions for plans, ventures, stay-at-home businesses, social entrepreneurship and global categories.
The Business Plan competition at BYU is a great opportunity for students, said Nile Hatch, a professor at BYU. More than 60 new ventures were created on campus last year.
"We get attention from all over the country," he said.
Students who participated in last year's competition went on to compete at the University of Texas-Austin, "the super bowl of Business Plan competitions," Hatch said. Winners at BYU get an automatic invitation.
The competition is a great way to help students who have an idea get started, said John Richards, a professor at BYU.
"It provides a central focal point for good ideas and good teams to put their time and attention into a packaged business plan that will help further the interests of all involved," he said in an e-mail.
The competition offers many advantages, said Gary Williams, a business professor at BYU. Workshops help students create teams and improve plans.
"The average investor is going to see 1,000 plans. There is a lot of finesse that goes into creating [written] plans," Williams said. Some investors will decide if they are interested in a business in as little as three pages
The business workshops will help students create plans, start businesses and learn to pitch their ideas to investors.
"We're helping share vision and providing opportunity," Williams said. The professors put structure in place and the students do the rest.
Full Deatil:http://nn.byu.edu/story.cfm/65543
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
WidgetBucks Gives You $25 For Signing Up And Earn Money Every Time Someone Clicks On It
What Company Is Offering:
WidgetBucks is a shopping widget that you can place on your website or blog. You earn money every time someone clicks on it.
Launched through mpire’s affiliate widget program, the widgets’ content is contextually based according to your site’s content. From there, readers and site visitors can see various information regarding certain products, such as the lowest price available, and from which online retailer.
How It Works:
There are about 5 or so different widget sizes to choose from, and they are all fairly customizable in terms of color, to be better matched with your existing website. As with Proximic, a “grab it” option will soon be made available for its widgets, enabling visitors to take the widgets to be placed on their own site.
In order to encourage you to sign up or the WidgetBucks program, it’s offering you a $25 credit, meaning you’ll only need to earn another $25 to get your first check. The shopping widgets are a bit flashy and very much resemble an ad. I imagine that some web users could easily overlook these shopping widgets if they’re placed too far out of context on a given website.
More at:http://www.widgetbucks.com/
WidgetBucks is a shopping widget that you can place on your website or blog. You earn money every time someone clicks on it.
Launched through mpire’s affiliate widget program, the widgets’ content is contextually based according to your site’s content. From there, readers and site visitors can see various information regarding certain products, such as the lowest price available, and from which online retailer.
How It Works:
There are about 5 or so different widget sizes to choose from, and they are all fairly customizable in terms of color, to be better matched with your existing website. As with Proximic, a “grab it” option will soon be made available for its widgets, enabling visitors to take the widgets to be placed on their own site.
In order to encourage you to sign up or the WidgetBucks program, it’s offering you a $25 credit, meaning you’ll only need to earn another $25 to get your first check. The shopping widgets are a bit flashy and very much resemble an ad. I imagine that some web users could easily overlook these shopping widgets if they’re placed too far out of context on a given website.
More at:http://www.widgetbucks.com/
Evergreen Team Concepts is committed to leadership through its integrity, innovation and client satisfaction
What Company is Offering:
Evergreen Team Concepts is committed to leadership through its integrity, innovation and client satisfaction. Its strength is generated from commitment to clients, employees and industry. Through its strategic alliance with industry leader National Seminars, Evergreen Team Concepts helps clients easily and successfully complete all business training needs.
How It Works:
They have created a unique and comprehensive service (Team Development Group) that allows businesses to ask unlimited online consulting questions ranging from safety, human resources, six sigma, Lean 5S, operations, labor management, training, federal and state regulations and requirements and more. Responses are generated within one business day from professional consultants specializing in particular areas of need. By having a membership in the Team Development Group companies may participate in dynamic web forums, regular distribution of spotlighted resource materials, team growth planning services such as the Team Growth Matrix (patent pending) and professional training services at a discounted rate. This is much more than a co-op buy-in for training services. They develop unique programs designed to facilitate success for their partners and clients. They empower people through interactive community programs ranging from parenting skills to personal energy development. They foster continuous learning for professional organizations to meet the needs they have for CEUs or classroom contact hours.
More at:http://www.etcwa.com/
Evergreen Team Concepts is committed to leadership through its integrity, innovation and client satisfaction. Its strength is generated from commitment to clients, employees and industry. Through its strategic alliance with industry leader National Seminars, Evergreen Team Concepts helps clients easily and successfully complete all business training needs.
How It Works:
They have created a unique and comprehensive service (Team Development Group) that allows businesses to ask unlimited online consulting questions ranging from safety, human resources, six sigma, Lean 5S, operations, labor management, training, federal and state regulations and requirements and more. Responses are generated within one business day from professional consultants specializing in particular areas of need. By having a membership in the Team Development Group companies may participate in dynamic web forums, regular distribution of spotlighted resource materials, team growth planning services such as the Team Growth Matrix (patent pending) and professional training services at a discounted rate. This is much more than a co-op buy-in for training services. They develop unique programs designed to facilitate success for their partners and clients. They empower people through interactive community programs ranging from parenting skills to personal energy development. They foster continuous learning for professional organizations to meet the needs they have for CEUs or classroom contact hours.
More at:http://www.etcwa.com/
Cherry For Global Micropayment
What Company Is Offering:
Founded and spearheaded by Mr. Addison Kang, an industry veteran in virtual payment systems and Online Gaming in Asia, Cherry Credits provides the world’s first Unified Global Virtual Credit (UGVC) to facilitate commerce and connects international content to the global consumer.
How It Works:
Cherry Credits assists Online Content Developers, Aggregators and Publishers to penetrate into untapped consumer markets. Empowering Merchants and Consumers with a global transaction alternative to the dominant use of Credit Cards, Cherry Credits provides a global Physical Scratch Card which is available at major retail stores worldwide. Consumers will be able to shop online for great content using a Unified Virtual Global Credit (UGVC) known as CC.
More at:http://www.cherrycredits.com/
Founded and spearheaded by Mr. Addison Kang, an industry veteran in virtual payment systems and Online Gaming in Asia, Cherry Credits provides the world’s first Unified Global Virtual Credit (UGVC) to facilitate commerce and connects international content to the global consumer.
How It Works:
Cherry Credits assists Online Content Developers, Aggregators and Publishers to penetrate into untapped consumer markets. Empowering Merchants and Consumers with a global transaction alternative to the dominant use of Credit Cards, Cherry Credits provides a global Physical Scratch Card which is available at major retail stores worldwide. Consumers will be able to shop online for great content using a Unified Virtual Global Credit (UGVC) known as CC.
More at:http://www.cherrycredits.com/
Projectstars is an online business community for enterprise professionals to share expertise, build relationships, and find projects
What Company Is About:
Projectstars is an online business community for enterprise professionals to share expertise, build relationships, and find projects. The Projectstars network consists of over 300 communities covering enterprise departments, topics and issues. We are dedicated to improving the careers of corporate professionals.
How It Works:
The Projectstars network consists of over 300 communities covering enterprise departments, topics and issues. They are dedicated to improving the careers of corporate professionals. Professionals on Projectstars have the opportunity to get their expertise discovered and propel their career forward. By participating in the community, their knowledge and experience is noticed by recruiters, executives, and business partners. With over 300 communities, Projectstars is the most comprehensive network of business topics. If you are looking for advice on enterprise products and services, you have an entire community willing to help you. Those who participate in the community own it. Every quarter we reward the top contributors with shares in the company.
More at:http://www.projectstars.com/
Projectstars is an online business community for enterprise professionals to share expertise, build relationships, and find projects. The Projectstars network consists of over 300 communities covering enterprise departments, topics and issues. We are dedicated to improving the careers of corporate professionals.
How It Works:
The Projectstars network consists of over 300 communities covering enterprise departments, topics and issues. They are dedicated to improving the careers of corporate professionals. Professionals on Projectstars have the opportunity to get their expertise discovered and propel their career forward. By participating in the community, their knowledge and experience is noticed by recruiters, executives, and business partners. With over 300 communities, Projectstars is the most comprehensive network of business topics. If you are looking for advice on enterprise products and services, you have an entire community willing to help you. Those who participate in the community own it. Every quarter we reward the top contributors with shares in the company.
More at:http://www.projectstars.com/
Connecting Local Merchants With Locogopher
What Company Says:
Our mission is founded on a fairly simple premise: to connect local communities and local businesses in ways that are simple and engaging. We want to provide a place where together, we can bridge the gap to provide a local and relevant connection to your local community.
How It Works:
Merchants submit their information along with customer coupons, menus, sale dates, and other relevant information. In turn, users can review these local businesses as well as search for them. To perform a search, enter in a few search terms, say, “Book store”, followed by a city, state and/or zip code. The list of results will include not only the names of any local businesses that have provided their information, but also a map of where they are located and their addresses, and any reviews that users have submitted about them. The site is completely ad-free, so your results will always be unbiased and uncluttered.
More at:http://www.locogopher.com/
Our mission is founded on a fairly simple premise: to connect local communities and local businesses in ways that are simple and engaging. We want to provide a place where together, we can bridge the gap to provide a local and relevant connection to your local community.
How It Works:
Merchants submit their information along with customer coupons, menus, sale dates, and other relevant information. In turn, users can review these local businesses as well as search for them. To perform a search, enter in a few search terms, say, “Book store”, followed by a city, state and/or zip code. The list of results will include not only the names of any local businesses that have provided their information, but also a map of where they are located and their addresses, and any reviews that users have submitted about them. The site is completely ad-free, so your results will always be unbiased and uncluttered.
More at:http://www.locogopher.com/
BargainJack is a shopping site focusing on deals and bargain prices from major online retailers such as Amazon and Buy.com.
What Company Is Offering:
BargainJack.com is a bargain shopping website through which Jack posts his favorite deals during the day from major merchant sites like Buy.com, Amazon, etc. Jack waxes poetic about one specific deal in his daily commentary and aims to make shopping easy and enjoyable. Products tend to be gadgety in nature, but clothing and housewares also make their presence known.
Another aspect of BargainJack is the One Day Deals page which is a masterlist of over 100 one-day-deals from sites like Woot. This enables impulse-buying on a dangerously convenient level.
How It Works:You’ll find Jack’s own daily picks which are accompanied by interesting commentary, perhaps a quick story or review about how the product turns out. Under the tab labeled One Day Deals you’ll find the day’s best deals picked out from other bargains sites like Woot and Yugster; there’s an accompanying RSS feed and users can share their experience and discuss deals in the Daily Deal Forum. Most of the products tend to be gadgets however there are whole sections dedicated to home and garden, sports, and apparel. Refine your search by popularity, price, free shipping, post date, store, or by discount.
More at:http://www.bargainjack.com/
BargainJack.com is a bargain shopping website through which Jack posts his favorite deals during the day from major merchant sites like Buy.com, Amazon, etc. Jack waxes poetic about one specific deal in his daily commentary and aims to make shopping easy and enjoyable. Products tend to be gadgety in nature, but clothing and housewares also make their presence known.
Another aspect of BargainJack is the One Day Deals page which is a masterlist of over 100 one-day-deals from sites like Woot. This enables impulse-buying on a dangerously convenient level.
How It Works:You’ll find Jack’s own daily picks which are accompanied by interesting commentary, perhaps a quick story or review about how the product turns out. Under the tab labeled One Day Deals you’ll find the day’s best deals picked out from other bargains sites like Woot and Yugster; there’s an accompanying RSS feed and users can share their experience and discuss deals in the Daily Deal Forum. Most of the products tend to be gadgets however there are whole sections dedicated to home and garden, sports, and apparel. Refine your search by popularity, price, free shipping, post date, store, or by discount.
More at:http://www.bargainjack.com/
Monday, October 1, 2007
Error Makes Every Lotto Ticket A $1000 Winner
An advertising promotion for a Roswell car dealership has backfired.
A direct mailing of 50,000 scratch-off games touted a grand prize of $1,000. The small type said the odds of winning were 1 in 50,000.
But it turns out all 50,000 scratch-off ads were $1,000 winners.
The dealership's general manager, Jeff Kohn, blamed Atlanta-based Force Events Direct Marketing for printing the ads with a typographical error.
The dealership is offering $5 Wal-Mart gift cards to all participants.
The marketing company, Force Events, sent representatives to Roswell Thursday. Force Events said they would give anyone who came to collect that day a chance to win $5,000 in a drawing. The company would also hold another series of drawings where 20 people will win $1,000 a piece.
A direct mailing of 50,000 scratch-off games touted a grand prize of $1,000. The small type said the odds of winning were 1 in 50,000.
But it turns out all 50,000 scratch-off ads were $1,000 winners.
The dealership's general manager, Jeff Kohn, blamed Atlanta-based Force Events Direct Marketing for printing the ads with a typographical error.
The dealership is offering $5 Wal-Mart gift cards to all participants.
The marketing company, Force Events, sent representatives to Roswell Thursday. Force Events said they would give anyone who came to collect that day a chance to win $5,000 in a drawing. The company would also hold another series of drawings where 20 people will win $1,000 a piece.
Start Up's king Working On New Idea
Some people can't stop thinking about food. Bill Gross can't stop thinking about new businesses. One of the world's great serial entrepreneurs, he's launched more than 50 startups through Idealab, his incubator in Pasadena, Calif. His track record includes both winners (CitySearch, Cooking.com, NetZero/United Online) and losers (eToys, Eve.com, Free-PC). But he's best known for inventing the pay-per-click advertising model behind Overture Services (formerly GoTo.com), the pioneering search engine he sold to Yahoo! in 2003 for $1.6 billion.
Now, after more than a decade of launching dotcoms, Gross has rediscovered the pleasures - and profitability - of the physical world. Idealab's current lineup is crowded with companies that make actual products: robots, 3-D printers, electric cars, rooftop solar collectors. As Gross puts it, he's much more interested today in "atoms businesses" than "bits businesses." He recently sat down with Business 2.0 Editor-at-large Erick Schonfeld to talk about why.
Q. What do you look for when you start a company?
We like to challenge the status quo, to take on something that other people wouldn't do to solve a big problem. So when we look for a disruptive opportunity, we're really looking for a big problem and a way to solve it that no one else was willing to try.
Q. Do you go after industry incumbents, or are you looking for white space where customers aren't being served?
I would say we're going much more after white space. There are opportunities in both areas, and looking for a big industry gives you a lot of confidence that there will be customers there. But we prefer to look for a big itch that isn't being scratched.
Q. What are the drawbacks to going straight after a big industry incumbent?
The main drawback is that they are actually quite powerful. I think people underestimate big companies when they think of them as dinosaurs, as if they didn't have the power to fight back. For me, personally, if a customer is already being served, but just a little bit less efficiently, that's not as exciting as a customer with a problem that no one is trying to solve.
Q. Of all the companies you've started, which one was the most disruptive?
Probably GoTo. That company was designed to scratch an itch that wasn't being met. We had a whole bunch of small companies in the building that were all trying to buy advertising, but small advertisers were not being well served online. We thought the small advertiser needed some voice, some way to do business on a more cost-effective basis than cutting big deals with AOL. We had no idea that cost-per-click would have such a big impact - that it would change the economics of the Web. It was a disruptive thing that went beyond what we were hoping for.
Q. Didn't it become the basis for paid search, the economic driver for Google and Yahoo?
Yes, paid search has had an impact for Google (Charts, Fortune 500) and Yahoo (Charts, Fortune 500). But it's had an impact as well on many small publishers. Just as eBay (Charts, Fortune 500) empowers people to make a business online, so many publishers use AdSense and the price-per-click model to earn money online.
Q. How are you bringing search into the next phase?
Cost-per-click judges how many visitors you get, but it doesn't measure how effective those visitors are. Do they actually complete a transaction at the end? Do they become a customer of your Web site? We started Snap with the explicit purpose of introducing cost-per-action into search. An action could be anything the Web site cares about: a visitor signing up for a subscription or buying a book or deciding to become one of your customers. Since we introduced Snap, other search engines are starting to blend measurable actions into their final results.
Q. Is it frustrating that everyone copies you?
Well, we start these new companies for multiple reasons. Of course we're looking for economic gain; we have shareholders. But we are also looking to have an impact - and that's what makes us most proud.
Q. Was there a company you thought would be disruptive that turned out not to be?
Well, we felt sure Free-PC would be very disruptive - and it was, in fact. We were giving away free computers solely based on advertising. We started this in 1999. With today's economic model of online advertising, we might have been able to sustain it. We were just too far ahead of our time.
Q. What were some of Idealab's early successes?
We had a very big success with our first company, called CitySearch. It was doing local search way before it was popular. That was 1995 to 1996, and that company eventually grew up, merged with Ticketmaster Online, went public, and is now part of the IAC/InterActiveCorp family. We wanted to show that you could find local merchants much more powerfully and efficiently online, and I think we did. Of course, today everybody accepts that.
Read Full Text:http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/25/news/companies/Startupking.biz2/index.htm
Now, after more than a decade of launching dotcoms, Gross has rediscovered the pleasures - and profitability - of the physical world. Idealab's current lineup is crowded with companies that make actual products: robots, 3-D printers, electric cars, rooftop solar collectors. As Gross puts it, he's much more interested today in "atoms businesses" than "bits businesses." He recently sat down with Business 2.0 Editor-at-large Erick Schonfeld to talk about why.
Q. What do you look for when you start a company?
We like to challenge the status quo, to take on something that other people wouldn't do to solve a big problem. So when we look for a disruptive opportunity, we're really looking for a big problem and a way to solve it that no one else was willing to try.
Q. Do you go after industry incumbents, or are you looking for white space where customers aren't being served?
I would say we're going much more after white space. There are opportunities in both areas, and looking for a big industry gives you a lot of confidence that there will be customers there. But we prefer to look for a big itch that isn't being scratched.
Q. What are the drawbacks to going straight after a big industry incumbent?
The main drawback is that they are actually quite powerful. I think people underestimate big companies when they think of them as dinosaurs, as if they didn't have the power to fight back. For me, personally, if a customer is already being served, but just a little bit less efficiently, that's not as exciting as a customer with a problem that no one is trying to solve.
Q. Of all the companies you've started, which one was the most disruptive?
Probably GoTo. That company was designed to scratch an itch that wasn't being met. We had a whole bunch of small companies in the building that were all trying to buy advertising, but small advertisers were not being well served online. We thought the small advertiser needed some voice, some way to do business on a more cost-effective basis than cutting big deals with AOL. We had no idea that cost-per-click would have such a big impact - that it would change the economics of the Web. It was a disruptive thing that went beyond what we were hoping for.
Q. Didn't it become the basis for paid search, the economic driver for Google and Yahoo?
Yes, paid search has had an impact for Google (Charts, Fortune 500) and Yahoo (Charts, Fortune 500). But it's had an impact as well on many small publishers. Just as eBay (Charts, Fortune 500) empowers people to make a business online, so many publishers use AdSense and the price-per-click model to earn money online.
Q. How are you bringing search into the next phase?
Cost-per-click judges how many visitors you get, but it doesn't measure how effective those visitors are. Do they actually complete a transaction at the end? Do they become a customer of your Web site? We started Snap with the explicit purpose of introducing cost-per-action into search. An action could be anything the Web site cares about: a visitor signing up for a subscription or buying a book or deciding to become one of your customers. Since we introduced Snap, other search engines are starting to blend measurable actions into their final results.
Q. Is it frustrating that everyone copies you?
Well, we start these new companies for multiple reasons. Of course we're looking for economic gain; we have shareholders. But we are also looking to have an impact - and that's what makes us most proud.
Q. Was there a company you thought would be disruptive that turned out not to be?
Well, we felt sure Free-PC would be very disruptive - and it was, in fact. We were giving away free computers solely based on advertising. We started this in 1999. With today's economic model of online advertising, we might have been able to sustain it. We were just too far ahead of our time.
Q. What were some of Idealab's early successes?
We had a very big success with our first company, called CitySearch. It was doing local search way before it was popular. That was 1995 to 1996, and that company eventually grew up, merged with Ticketmaster Online, went public, and is now part of the IAC/InterActiveCorp family. We wanted to show that you could find local merchants much more powerfully and efficiently online, and I think we did. Of course, today everybody accepts that.
Read Full Text:http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/25/news/companies/Startupking.biz2/index.htm
Who Is behind ThFunded.com?
As a successful venture capitalist, Howard Hartenbaum had grown accustomed to some measure of deference from the entrepreneurs who pitched him. So when one particularly brash CEO called him a "nut case" and then said that a meeting with him "made me want to vomit," Hartenbaum was livid.
Hartenbaum, a partner at Draper Richards in San Francisco and an early backer of the online phone service Skype, stumbled upon those comments, posted by an anonymous entrepreneur, on a website called TheFunded.com. Incensed, Hartenbaum fired off a series of e-mails, threatening litigation and demanding to know who ran the site. He also expressed interest in investing.
If this reaction seems a tad schizophrenic, it reflects the mix of indignation and curiosity that The Funded has sparked in the world of venture-backed companies. The site, which was launched in March, is at once a Zagat guide to VCs and a place for disgruntled entrepreneurs to gather. More than 350 funds have been ranked and reviewed, with the juiciest postings sending BlackBerrys buzzing throughout Silicon Valley. Although the site is ostensibly off-limits to all but the founders of fast-growing companies, they're not its only readers. "We all have friends who have passwords," says David Stern, a partner with Clearstone, a venture firm in Santa Monica, California.
Complaining about VCs is a practice nearly as old as venture capital investing itself, of course. But the VC world is small and entrepreneurs have had to keep their complaints under wraps if they hoped to attract future rounds of funding. Now the 1,500 company founders who have signed up for The Funded feel liberated enough to share opinions (most often anonymously) that range from balanced to harsh.
Adding to The Funded's mystique is the fact that no one knows who runs it. The site's founder is known only as Ted, and guessing his identity has become something of a Silicon Valley parlor game. Prime suspects include Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg (a company Ted is fond of referencing), Blogger co-founder Evan Williams, and Gawker founder Nick Denton, who until recently edited the site Valley Wag. Then there's Jason Calacanis, a former entrepreneur in residence at Sequoia Capital and the founder of Weblogs, a company that he sold in late 2005. Calacanis, who is now running Mahalo.com, a Sequoia-backed search start-up, was one of the first CEOs to tout The Funded on his blog. He says he "knows" Ted but denies that he's running the site. (Rose did not respond to Inc.; Williams and Denton declined to comment.)
Of course, it's entirely possible that Ted is an obscure, rejected entrepreneur with an ax to grind (Hartenbaum's favored theory) or a tech-savvy student. After exchanging a few e-mails, Ted agreed to call Inc. for a phone interview. He claims to be a well-known serial entrepreneur who is currently the CEO of a venture-backed company. He says he started The Funded following a run-in with a firm. A VC wooed Ted initially, treating him to sports tickets and fancy dinners. But after the deal was signed, the relationship soured. "It was straight-up bad behavior," says Ted, who has a youthful voice and a distinctive, slightly devious laugh. "The person was cursing in meetings and insulting other board members." Ted's revenge: a site that is, he asserts, "changing the venture capital world."
Some VCs dismiss The Funded as idle chatter. Money, after all, is money, and a start-up that intends to burn some cash can rarely afford to dismiss an investor no matter how rude he or she is. But The Funded's supporters hope to upset that balance of power. The growth of the venture capital industry--VCs raised $28.5 billion last year, up from $3.8 billion in 2002--coupled with a tepid market for initial public offerings has made the competition among VCs for good deals more intense than ever. Simultaneously, the very social networking technology that produced home-run returns for investors--and disrupted industries from publishing to air travel--is now being used against them, as entrepreneurs organize themselves into online communities and share information.
Indeed, The Funded is just one of dozens of insider blogs on venture capital that have sprung up recently, most prominently Pmarca, a site written by Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen, whose "The Truth About Venture Capitalists," a 4,400-word essay posted on the site, has become a must-read for any CEO raising capital. (One section, "How to make a VC's head explode in one easy step," suggests needling investors about preferential tax treatment.)
More at:www.TheFunded.com
Via-INC
Hartenbaum, a partner at Draper Richards in San Francisco and an early backer of the online phone service Skype, stumbled upon those comments, posted by an anonymous entrepreneur, on a website called TheFunded.com. Incensed, Hartenbaum fired off a series of e-mails, threatening litigation and demanding to know who ran the site. He also expressed interest in investing.
If this reaction seems a tad schizophrenic, it reflects the mix of indignation and curiosity that The Funded has sparked in the world of venture-backed companies. The site, which was launched in March, is at once a Zagat guide to VCs and a place for disgruntled entrepreneurs to gather. More than 350 funds have been ranked and reviewed, with the juiciest postings sending BlackBerrys buzzing throughout Silicon Valley. Although the site is ostensibly off-limits to all but the founders of fast-growing companies, they're not its only readers. "We all have friends who have passwords," says David Stern, a partner with Clearstone, a venture firm in Santa Monica, California.
Complaining about VCs is a practice nearly as old as venture capital investing itself, of course. But the VC world is small and entrepreneurs have had to keep their complaints under wraps if they hoped to attract future rounds of funding. Now the 1,500 company founders who have signed up for The Funded feel liberated enough to share opinions (most often anonymously) that range from balanced to harsh.
Adding to The Funded's mystique is the fact that no one knows who runs it. The site's founder is known only as Ted, and guessing his identity has become something of a Silicon Valley parlor game. Prime suspects include Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg (a company Ted is fond of referencing), Blogger co-founder Evan Williams, and Gawker founder Nick Denton, who until recently edited the site Valley Wag. Then there's Jason Calacanis, a former entrepreneur in residence at Sequoia Capital and the founder of Weblogs, a company that he sold in late 2005. Calacanis, who is now running Mahalo.com, a Sequoia-backed search start-up, was one of the first CEOs to tout The Funded on his blog. He says he "knows" Ted but denies that he's running the site. (Rose did not respond to Inc.; Williams and Denton declined to comment.)
Of course, it's entirely possible that Ted is an obscure, rejected entrepreneur with an ax to grind (Hartenbaum's favored theory) or a tech-savvy student. After exchanging a few e-mails, Ted agreed to call Inc. for a phone interview. He claims to be a well-known serial entrepreneur who is currently the CEO of a venture-backed company. He says he started The Funded following a run-in with a firm. A VC wooed Ted initially, treating him to sports tickets and fancy dinners. But after the deal was signed, the relationship soured. "It was straight-up bad behavior," says Ted, who has a youthful voice and a distinctive, slightly devious laugh. "The person was cursing in meetings and insulting other board members." Ted's revenge: a site that is, he asserts, "changing the venture capital world."
Some VCs dismiss The Funded as idle chatter. Money, after all, is money, and a start-up that intends to burn some cash can rarely afford to dismiss an investor no matter how rude he or she is. But The Funded's supporters hope to upset that balance of power. The growth of the venture capital industry--VCs raised $28.5 billion last year, up from $3.8 billion in 2002--coupled with a tepid market for initial public offerings has made the competition among VCs for good deals more intense than ever. Simultaneously, the very social networking technology that produced home-run returns for investors--and disrupted industries from publishing to air travel--is now being used against them, as entrepreneurs organize themselves into online communities and share information.
Indeed, The Funded is just one of dozens of insider blogs on venture capital that have sprung up recently, most prominently Pmarca, a site written by Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen, whose "The Truth About Venture Capitalists," a 4,400-word essay posted on the site, has become a must-read for any CEO raising capital. (One section, "How to make a VC's head explode in one easy step," suggests needling investors about preferential tax treatment.)
More at:www.TheFunded.com
Via-INC
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