Make Anything Work is the ultimate small-business resource for business owners looking to develop or enhance their business skills.

What Companyy is Offering:
Make Anything Work is the ultimate small-business resource for business owners looking to develop or enhance their business skills. The content, delivery system and course design & creation, as well as the resources provided free through our blog and to our mailing list, have all been created to help small business owners beat the odds and build successful businesses.
How It Will Help Entrepreneurs:
Make Anything Work was founded on one simple principle: to do everything possible to help entrepreneurs and small business owners beat the odds and build successful businesses. As part of that goal, Make Anything Work, a Vancouver, British Columbia based training and education company for entrepreneurs and small business owners recently launched their propitiatory new training concept, the Bookinar.

The Make Anything Work Bookinar is the perfect blend of traditional book learning combined with live seminar training. The Bookinar concept forms the backbone of all Make Anything Work training programs, such as the hugely successful Make My Marketing Work recently launched at 10am in the 10th October 2007.

“This is an amazing development in the training tools available to new business owners. The Bookinar concept not only allows business owners to easily digest all the information needed to successfully manage their business, but it also ensures they put it into action.” says company co-founder Alex Read. He continues, “Our aim is to help develop a global plethora of successful entrepreneurs. We hate to see small business owners struggle to succeed and often fail. Our new Bookinar concept will certainly help to ensure that we get successful business habits developed within as many business owners as possible.”
More at:www.makeanythingwork.com.

Myntra, start-up aimed at the personalized gifting and merchandise space in India it has secured seed funding from Erasmic Venture Fund

What Company is offering:
Myntra, a consumer internet start-up aimed at revolutionizing the personalized gifting and merchandise space in India.At Myntra.com, you can start shopping by searching and browsing through their extensive library of designs and artwork.
How It Works:
If you like something, choose your color and size and place and order. We offer wide selection of products including T-Shirts, Mugs, Greeting Cards, Mousepads, Posters etc. and are constantly expanding the available offerings at our site. We will print your order on the desired product and ship it to you within 24hrs. We accept major credit card payments.
If you want to become a seller, register on our site and upload your designs and publish them. Once you have uploaded your design, we will review it and if the design passes our legal and copyright tests, we will send you a mail confirming that your design has been published. You can then track the sale of your designs and manage your sales account. You will get paid for your designs on a monthly basis. You can get 10% of the value of the product sold.
How Much they Got From VCs:
Myntra, a consumer internet start-up aimed at revolutionizing the personalized gifting and merchandise space in India, announced today that it has secured seed funding from Erasmic Venture Fund and a few other angel investors.
About Vcs:
http://www.erasmic.com/
More at:http://www.myntra.com/

EchoSign "The Killer App for Contract Management." has announced that it has secured $6 million

What Is EchoSign:
In just one click, the EchoSign solution automates the entire signature process from the request for signature to the distribution and filing of the executed agreement or form. With nothing to download, learn or install, there is simply no faster or secure way to get your contracts signed, tracked and filed.
EchoSign has taken the 'contract close' process from its old paradigm of efaxes and misplaced emails into a sophisticated, but easy to use contract automation application with measurable and proven value. Now organizations can get both external and internal contracts signed in seconds electronically, or by an automated fax system, that intelligently routes signed copies of each contract to all parties. In addition, everyone in the organization -- sales, finance, HR -- now for the first time has instant visibility into the status of all outstanding contracts.

How Much They Got From VCs:
EchoSign , the leading web-based signature automation service, today announced that it has secured $6 million through a Series B Preferred venture capital financing agreement. The investment was led by Emergence Capital with full participation from previous investor Storm Ventures.

Whats The Purpose Of Raising Fund:

This round of funding enables EchoSign to expand sales, marketing, and product development operations to meet the increasing demand and popularity of its easy to use, web-based application. Every day over 150,000 users in over 500 global organizations say "Just EchoSign It," to get their contracts signed in the most secure, efficient and effective manner possible.
How It Value For Us Or Companies:
EchoSign's contract signature automation application adds value to organizations of all sizes from British Telecomm, Network General, PayPal, Entertainment Publications, and even bail bondsman at bailgram.com. EchoSign's seamlessly integrated application with salesforce.com -- EchoSign for Salesforce -- is one of the top rated applications on the salesforce.com AppExchange. At the recent salesforce.com Dreamforce conference, EchoSign was named "The Killer App for Contract Management." EchoSign is also a launch partner on Webex Connect, and a charter member of OpenSAM, enabling a full open ecosystem of online office applications.
About VCs:
Emergence Capital Partners is the leading venture capital firm focused on early and growth-stage Technology-Enabled Services investing. Our mission is to help build market leading, successful businesses in partnership with great entrepreneurs. Our partners have funded and helped build over 30 TES companies, including such leaders as aQuantive, DoubleClick, Salesforce.com, SuccessFactors, and HireRight more than any other early-stage venture firm. Having assessed thousands of companies in the TES sector, we have developed significant expertise and resources focused on the critical factors of success in our market. Our focus and team-based approach allow us to create unique value for our service-based portfolio companies.

Metrofunk is the latest to create a trend-setting site

What company is Offering:

Metrofunk is the latest to create a trend-setting site aimed for the networking of creatives, from fashion designers, to filmmakers and party promoters.
How It Works And For Whom:

Artists and businesses alike can use metrofunk for self-promotion with the creation of their own, branded networks. The purpose is to offer up channels of distribution, for pushing their own products. The tools for this promotion is what you’d expect: blogs, music, photos, videos, events, etc.

Metrofunk’s part in all of this is to provide a central hub for content being created through its branded networks. It can categorize content according to its four verticals: nightlife, fashion, film and music. As with other sites where you can create your own network, individuals can join your network.

Content is pushed through these networks in a Digg-like voting system, taking advantage of the popularity contest mindset that many trend-setters are born with. Incentives for the creation of your network are monetization opportunities. Dripbook and Behance are other networks for creatives while Ning and MyLifeBrand offer branded social networks. 944life and similar sites aim to bring the forefront of culture to users for promotional purposes as well.
More at:http://metrofunk.com/
Via-Mash

SignUpForCards.com provides consumers with a fast, convenient, and interactive way to search and identify credit card offers that best meet their need

What Company is offering:
Search for credit cards by category below, or use the credit card locator to quickly find the card that best meets your needs. Search, compare, read reviews, and apply online! From 0% introductory interest cards to balance transfer, rewards cards and more, find the highest rated cards right here.
How It Works:
SignUpForCards.com provides consumers with a fast, convenient, and interactive way to search and identify credit card offers that best meet their needs. After selecting their cards of choice, visitors may instantly apply for credit cards online through this portal. SignUpForCards.com offers this dynamic and interactive credit card search tool as a free service to consumers.
more at;http://www.signupforcards.com/

Do Me London is an entertainment guide for your mobile phone

What Company is Offering:
Do Me London is an entertainment guide for your mobile phone. It’s recently launched a set of mobile guides for touring the city.

How It Works:

You can request a tour via text message that’s sent to Do Me, and you’ll receive the tour guide mobile URL. Each tour guide offers a multimedia manner in which to enjoy the city, featuring both audio and video content. It will cost you between £1.00 and £1.50 for a tour guide, depending on the length of the tour.
Why Is It Different:
There are plenty of user-generated sites out there that tap into their user base to collect content and offer it back up to you via mobile phones, including sites like Whrrl. And while these can be very helpful, Do Me has an advantage with its offering of premium content, and appeals to a wider range of mobile users, especially those that are less familiar with extensive mobile browsing.

Having mobile tours like those offered by Do Me London is a good inclusion for bundled packages, such as those found with GetMobio. EveryScape is another service that’s looking to create a fuller spectrum of city tours, but lacks the accessible mobile features.
More at;http://do-me.info/

ChannelMe.TV, the network where you can have your own .tv domain and push video content withad revenue-sharing model

What company is offering:

ChannelMe.TV, the network where you can have your own .tv domain and push video content, has added an ad revenue-sharing model tat’s now being extended to its users. You own and control your channel’s brand.
How It Works:
The program is free to sign up for, but you’ll need to be at least 18 years of age. From there, you can select from three categories of advertisements tat will display on your .tv page. You get a cut from the ad revenue generated for ChannelMe.

Will it Work:
As the .tv domain hype has yet to be met in reality, with both ChannelMe and Me.tv, it will be interesting to see if this particular tactic helps to a large extent, with ChannelMe. This ad rev-share model is widely used across video-sharing networks, and has been implemented in a successful manner by only a few networks. As far as video-sharing networks go, it seemed like many couldn’t launch in the past year without boasting their ad rev program, but this proves difficult for unestablished start-ups.

ChannelMe’s ad program is currently available to US users only, and payouts occur after your account has reached $10.
More at:http://www.channelme.tv/

MicroPlace lets you make small investments through its service

What Company is Offering:
MicroPlace lets you make small investments through its service, which provides loans to those in developing countries.
Why eBay Launching It:
The launching of micro-financing tools is becoming a popular trend, and it comes as no surprise that eBay has gotten in on this type of financial institution, made possible through the use of the Internet. With most of eBay’s recent projects focusing on classifieds websites, and the improvement of eBay’s own struggling auction and VoIP services, MicroPlace enables eBay to venture in a new direction.

The importance of these types of services is of course the provision of loans with conditions that are often more reasonable than what some will find in their own countries. Ad different countries around the world have different laws pertaining to loans, businesses, etc. it’s often extremely difficult to start your own business in a developing country, and many stay in poverty as a result of minimized access to financial resources. Others in this space include Kiva, Globefunder and WordHugger.
more at:https://www.microplace.com/

Aactics is a site for gaining feedback about yourself and your company

What Company is Offering:
Actics is a new community for do-gooders. It’s a positive network that lets you earn respect and endorsements from others that recognize the goodness of your actions.
How It Works:
Aactics is a site for gaining feedback about yourself and your company. And what’s the end result of feedback? Improving yourself or your company, and having a public reason to hold yourself accountable. This encourages you to hold yourself to a slightly higher standard.


The community is connected by these values and actions, so it’s very easy to further navigate the site to find like-minded users. On your own profile, Actics will give you a snapshot of your proxy, so you can easily keep track of what your friends are doing.
How It Could Improve More:
I think a site like this will need a great deal of exporting options, and integration into other networks, like Facebook. It’s already begun to move in this direction with its offering of actics badges, which operate in a concept similar to a digg button, which lets site visitors show their support for your company directly from the company’s website.
more at:http://www.actics.com/

AdNav

What company is Offering:
Brooklyn based GPS marketing solutions company AdNav is preparing a navigation handset with hopes of eventually providing a free devices.
How It Works:
The company’s initial proposed model charges travelers a small fee for a device when renting a car or registering for a hotel. Through the functionality of AdNav’s sleek handset, participating tourists are enabled to blend into natural surroundings. Say goodbye to common “just visiting” signifiers such as the fanny pack, camera, or oversized maps.
The company eventually hopes to offer free GPS devices that come loaded with ads for various businesses.
How They Are Planing To Excute Their Business:

AdNav is already partnered with search engine Ask.com, which will provide Internet access and local business listings for the bewildered tourist. Other features include geo-coded city guides complete with historical information, popular attractions, local statistics, etc.

More at:http://www.adnavinc.com/

ChoiceA.com helps both buyers and sellers find what they are looking for

What Company Is Offering::
ChoiceA.com helps you choose choice A by creating a site that has pulled together the useful material from the web and creating a space where buyers and sellers can connect directly without a middle man.

How It works:
ChoiceA.com helps both buyers and sellers find what they are looking for. There is a search engine on the site that lets buyers search for property with filters such as; property type, price range, location, and geographic range from destination. A list of properties appear, with a photo, address, and square footage of the property. You can choose to look at a map, or photo gallery to get more details or just click on the listing to get more information on the property and the connect information of the buyer. The listing provides lots of detailed information about the property like if it needs any repairs, how many rooms are in the property, etc… ChoiceA.com has many tools for sellers to aide them in what can seem as the overwhelming process of selling their property. ChoiceA.com has tools and forms that help users list their property, negotiate, and then sell. All of the information and tools on ChoiceA.com are free, so take advantage of this site and choose ChoiceA.com
more at:http://www.choicea.com/

"Tryvertising Trend "Marketing With Taste!

What company is Offering;
Effectively market your product's flavor to consumers, via our new, groundbreaking Peel 'n TasteTM technology.First Flavor, which converts flavours into Peel 'n Taste strips that can be mass-distributed in a broad-scale tryvertising campaign.

How It works:
Using the latest in taste-matching technology, we replicate the flavor of your product and deliver it to consumers in a compact, dissolving edible film that works seamlessly within existing promotional vehicles, while exponentially increasing their value. Peel 'n TasteTM is easy, safe to use, and consumers love it.
First Flavor's strips contain no sugar or calories, and all ingredients have been FDA-approved. They're produced in bulk quantities of 100,000 to 10 million or more, and quantity-based pricing ranges from 7 to 40 cents per strip. Possible uses for the strips include not just print advertisements but also direct mail, product-on-product, and in-store coupon dispensing applications. Though only four promotions have launched so far, First Flavor's customers range from small, entrepreneurial firms to large, Fortune 50 companies, president and CEO Jay Minkoff says. The US-based company, which was founded last year, already has sales representation in the EU, but it has also received inquiries from around the world. It's open to the possibility of nonexclusive partnerships to help bring Peel n' Taste to more consumers, Minkoff says.
Will It Work:
They've already shone the spotlight on the tryvertising trend, and this is yet another piece of evidence that it's taking hold. Only time will tell how consumers take to it in this form, but it's a concept worth considering for any business in food and beverages or beyond. We're just hoping a chocolatier will sign up soon.
More at:http://www.firstflavor.com/

Touch Order Seems Good Idea For Food Or Hotel Entrepreneurs

What Is it:
McDonald's in Korea is testing food ordering by RFID (radio-frequency identification). A pilot program in Seoul's Shinchon neighbourhood lets customers place an order by pointing their cell phone at the items they want.
How It Works:
Simple—they first need to download software to their phone and then, seated at their McDonald's table, plug an RFID reader into the phone and aim their handset at a menu with built-in RFID chips. Items are automatically charged to their cell phone bill. As soon an order is ready, a message is sent to the customer's cell phone, letting them know that they can pick up their tray at the counter.
Its first in World :

According to SK Telecom, McDonald's "Touch Order" system is the first in the world that lets customers use RFID to place orders at a restaurant. Like GoMobo, the company that enables members to order food by text message at a growing number of US restaurants, Touch Order allows customers to avoid queues, making the buying process faster and more convenient for both the restaurant and its patrons. One to watch if you're in mobile commerce or the fast food business! (Related: Food ordering by text message.)

Detail: www.mcdonalds.co.kr

Unique Business Idea

What Company is offering:
The British company's Street Art service uses high-pressure cleaning machines to wash brands, logos and adverts onto dirty pavements.
Street Advertising Services is offering a less antagonizing—and more legal—solution by creating images out of water.
How It Works:

First, clients provide their design, and SAS turns it into a giant stencil. Then, working at night, the SAS team blasts the stencil with water and steam on dirty walls, roads, pavements or even road signs. The result is a sparkling clean image in the shape of the company's logo or message. Nothing but water and steam are used, and it's all perfectly environmentally friendly and legal, SAS stresses. Pricing for a street art campaign with 15 to 20 adverts throughout a city begins at GBP 1,000 per city plus initial setup costs. Clients so far have ranged from newly opened businesses to global brands.
How That Idea Came:
The idea for the service, which launched last year, came to founder Kristian Jeffrey out of sheer frustration. Jeffrey explains: "I run several small online businesses, and was searching for cost-effective advertising to attract consumers to my sites. My potential customers were walking around me every day, and it was when I was walking through the dirty streets of London that the idea came to me: why not take advertising literally to the street? Having experimented with several different methods, we wanted to apply a technique that was not just eye-catching and effective but also friendly to the environment. What could be more natural than water?"

SAS has operated primarily in the UK so far, but it's open to projects anywhere in the world (as long as there's dirty pavement!). The company is also keen to explore reciprocal arrangements with other entrepreneurial enterprises.

Detail at: www.streetadvertisingservices.com

APML allows users to personalized marketing

What Company is offering:
APML allows users to share their own personal Attention Profile in much the same way that OPML allows the exchange of reading lists between News Readers. The idea is to compress all forms of Attention Data into a portable file format containing a description of ranked user interests.
How It Works:
With APML you’d be able to share your attention profile with advertising companies and marketers, thus enabling you to gain control over your info. You’d be given more filtering power, thus making it easier for you to select what you want to be known about yourself. As deep, behavior analyzing adverts become more popular, APML should be embraced as it gives consumers a mantle of protection over their private and sacrosanct data. Advertisers wouldn’t have to do so much snooping as it were, and it’d be much easier for them to sell you stuff. Of course, APML may not go over so well with consumers, what with questions of efficiency, privacy, and the sheer amount of work involved. Currently you can see APML at work on Engagd, Particls and Clutzr among others.
More at:http://apml.org/

mFoundry have completed a $15 million Series C round of financing

What Company is Offering:
mFoundry has become one of the foremost innovators in mobile financial services. The company’s Spotlight Financial Platform offers a comprehensive and equitable solution for financial institutions, wireless operators and other mobile banking and payment providers.mFoundry's Spotlight Financial Platform is a cross-carrier, cross-platform solution with the broadest device support of any competitor.

How Much they Got From VCs:
mFoundry, the leading provider of mobile financial services, announced today they have completed a $15 million Series C round of financing. Motorola, Inc. through Motorola Ventures, its strategic venture capital arm, led the round joined by existing investors as well as other strategic investors, PayPal, NCR Corporation and a leading wireless operator. In addition, NCR has selected mFoundry’s Spotlight Financial Platform as part of their mobility technology solution.
What's Their Reason For Rasing Fund:
mFoundry will use funds to meet the strong domestic and international market demand for their mobile banking and payments products.
“As consumer demand continues to grow for anywhere, anytime information access, mFoundry is playing a key role in creating and shaping the future of personalized mobile financial services,” said Code Cubitt, investment manager, Motorola Ventures. “mFoundry’s Spotlight Financial Platform allows for a more feasible and affordable mobile financial services experience for wireless operators, financial institutions and consumers. Motorola is excited by the synergies we see between our two companies both domestically and internationally.”
More at:http://www.mfoundry.com/

Expectnation.com is a new site that offers conference managers a tool to help organize conferences

What company is saying:
We’re not just satisfied with streamlining the mechanics of organizing a conference. We want to enable new conference experiences too. So look out for features that support and enhance the conference experience for attendees and staff alike.
As an example of this approach, take a look at the personal scheduler. Not only does it make it a breeze for attendees to plan out their conference, but it lets organizers know in advance of popular talks and potential room overcrowding.
Keep an eye on the Expectnation blog for news of new features, and handy hints on how to use what’s already available.
How It Works:
Expectnation.com is a new site that offers conference managers a tool to help organize conferences and keep their participants involved and in-the-know. The basic idea is that managers create a website for a specific conference and within the templates, can keep all important information and updates on display for the invitees. The manager controls the site through a content management system that allows for easy editing and posting. Site creators can include images and downloads with the asset manager, making distributing important material hassle-free. Conference managers have complete control over the navigation of the site and can customize the navigation board, create news feeds and choose to keep information (such as behind the scenes planning) private. Other features include online payment, flexible mailmerge, press registration and many other professional tools. A URL link will bring participants directly to the conference site, creating a community of invitees who can prepare for the conference as the site progresses and take part in any pre-conference forums or blogging.
More at:http://www.expectnation.com/

EarlyMiser lets you set up feeds that will notify you when the price of a selected product has dropped below a certain level

What Company is offering:
Earlymiser is a easy to use shopping comparison site. The best way to use the site is to understand one of the basic concepts behind the site - custom feeds. You can think of custom feeds as shopping list, a want list - it's really a list of items that you want to group together. Each feed can be set up with its own pricing trigger.
How It Works:
EarlyMiser lets you set up feeds that will notify you when the price of a selected product has dropped below a certain level (or has been reduced by a certain percentage). To use Early Miser, start by searching for a product. You can search by keyword, tag cloud, or category. When you find the product you want to buy, click “Add to feed” and select the price at which you wish to purchase it. You can add tags to your feed to organize products around it. For example, if you wanted EarlyMiser to aggregate music-related products for you, you might set up a feed called “My Music”, and add tags such as “albums”, “Johnny Cash”, “entertainment systems” “laptop speakers”, etc. The publication date on each provider changes in the feed when the price is updated, so keep track of these changes with your RSS feeder to stay informed about price fluctuations. You’re not limited to viewing the content of your own feeds either; you can check out others’ feeds and corresponding products as well under the “Recently Updated Product Feeds” tab. You don’t have to register to browse around on the site, but you will definitely want to sign up if you want to build your own feeds.
More at:http://www.earlymiser.com/

Validate For Saving money On your Wireless Bill

What Company Is Saying:
Validate: Our secure technology reads your bill and makes sure your charges line up with the plan you've signed up for.
Reports: We breakdown your charges in the language you need to approach your carrier and fix any inaccuracies. We promise that you have yet to see anything like this!
Save: The average Validas subscriber saves an estimated $240 per year.
How It Works:
Validas’ secure service that provides bill validation, itemized usage histories, and best plan advice within seconds. For companies with many mobile users, monitoring usage and managing costs can be difficult because the appropriate tools are rarely provided. Validas offers a tool for enterprises that it is easy to implement and immediately provides the information required to validate operator invoices, optimize employee expensed rate plans, and create itemized expense reports. Validas answers questions that are common to all wireless subscribers who are confused about their bills. Why is my cell phone bill different from the rate plan I was offered? Is my wireless plan the one that’s best for me? Was I billed correctly for my usage? Validas provides a thorough breakdown, using deep business analytics, to highlight information that provides each user with verification details for all of their charges and allows them to compare their current wireless plan to their providers’ latest options. Validas also insures that every bill is accurate.
More at:http://www.myvalidas.com/

Find yourself a reliable local tradesman

What Company is Offering:
Find yourself a reliable local tradesman… see what other people are saying about them… and write a review of your own.
How It Works:
Combining public recommendation and user feedback, ProblemSolved.co.uk is both comprehensive and up-to-date, and provides tradesmen with a unique one-stop marketing shop. Users can browse thousands of in-depth profile pages, blogs and galleries updated by ProblemSolved members. Users can also access the service on their mobiles, by texting the name of the trade they require and their postcode to ‘TRADE’ (87233). The site relaunched in September 2007 as a web 2.0 interactive site, however the database has grown organically for several years.
More at:http://www.problemsolved.co.uk/

41pounds.org is a community of people working to eliminate a big personal nuisance and environmental hazard – junk mail

What Company is Offering:
41pounds.org is a community of people working to eliminate a big personal nuisance and environmental hazard – junk mail. Our name comes from the amount of junk mail the average person receives each year (credit card applications, catalogs, coupon books, etc.) which for the most part goes directly into the trash can or recycling bin. Even with recycling programs all over the country, the majority of household waste is junk mail, and paper takes up about 40% of landfill space.
How it Works:
The team at 41pounds.org is dedicated to helping households cut down on the junk mail that is delivered daily. Complaining about sweepstakes and credit card letters is a thing of the past, now that we can complain about spam, but the fact is we are still receiving mountains of unwanted paper that have a toxic effect on the Earth. Companies who send out junk mail are wasting valuable resources such as trees and water and emit greenhouse gasses in production. Recycling is clearly a great solution, however, the ink in junk mail has high concentrations of heavy metals, which makes it a challenge to recycle. For a small price, 41pounds.org will eliminate 80-90% of junk mail received by contacting 20-30 companies that are responsible for the most common types of junk mail (i.e. credit card companies, sweepstakes, etc.). By cutting down the amount of junk mail you receive, you can save 1.7 trees, 700 gallons of water and stop 460 pounds of CO2 from being released into our atmosphere.
More at;http://www.41pounds.org/

WiserEarth serves the people who are transforming the world

What Company is Offering:
WiserEarth serves the people who are transforming the world. It is a community-editable international directory and networking forum that maps out and connects the largest movement in the world – the hundreds of thousands of organizations within civil society that address social justice, poverty, and the environment.
WiserEarth provides the tools and a platform for non-profit organizations, funders, social entrepreneurs, students, organizers, academics, activists, scientists, and citizens to find each other, make connections, build alliances and where possible, to share resources.
How it works:
The wealth of information and opportunities available on this site is awe-inspiring yet searching for specific details is easy. Site visitors can search for jobs, events, groups, organizations and killer resources and find well-organized and bountiful results. The resources feature really brings WiserEarth to the head of its class with specific tools and information for actively protecting and cleaning up our Earth and daily lives and includes posts such as recommended books, websites, action councils, how-to guides and event promotions. Other great features include an interactive map to help users find worldwide opportunities and browsable WikiPages.
More at:http://www.wiserearth.org/

Trusted Opinion is set to announce $1.3 million in first round venture capital

What Company Is Offering:
Trusted Opinion is a free online community for sharing ratings and recommendations between trusted individuals, and visually looks a lot like Amazon’s interface.

How It Works:

Instead of going the route of many other online media sellers and reviewers where reviews are aggregated and averaged across the whole user base, Trusted Opinion weights the opinions of people in one’s social network highest, and gradually diminishes the weight of others’ opinions as the degrees of separation increase.

There are plenty of ad hoc ways to work this into other platforms - iLike and the famous Facebook Questions application come to mind - but this is the first application with this unique take on media ratings .

According To Mashable:

Trusted Opinion is set to announce $1.3 million in first round venture capital Wednesday, but the source of the funding is undisclosed Since the official launch of its beta site in February 2007, the company is reported to have had over 350,000 registered members and approximately 3,000 new members added each day.
Proceeds from the funding are supposed to “accelerate Trusted Opinion’s impressive growth.”
More at:http://www.trustedopinion.com/
Via-Mash

Google Taking Nielsen Data

Determined to sell more television ads, Internet search leader Google Inc. is sharpening its focus on the medium with demographic data from the influential Nielsen Co.

Under an agreement to be announced Wednesday, Google will pay Nielsen an undisclosed amount to obtain detailed information about the kinds of people who watch specific TV shows.

The breakdown, drawn from Nielsen's rating service, typically provides viewers' ages, gender, marital status and other personal data that help advertisers choose the audience most likely to be interested in their product or service.

New York-based Nielsen has been selling demographic data to television stations and advertisers for years.

Google's access to the information is significant because it gives the Mountain View-based company more tools to draw upon as it tries to target television ads as effectively as it has done on the Internet.

Because it processes more than 1 billion search requests per day, Google hasn't needed as much outside help to learn about the interests of its Internet users.

'This is another indication that Google is very serious about selling more ads in the mainstream media,' said Brad Adgate, director of research for Horizon Media, which helps advertisers buy television ads.

Since May, Google has been delivering television ads for about 14 million subscribers to EchoStar Communication Corp.'s Dish network and Astound Broadband cable service.

The set-top boxes used by EchoStar and Astound enabled Google to track when commercials were watched and for how long. By drawing on Nielsen's data, Google will now have information on what kinds of viewers are watching the commercial.

'This was a missing piece of puzzle for us,' said Keval Desai, Google's director of product management for TV ads.

Desai said Google is 'thrilled' with its progress so far in TV advertising but declined to provide any financial specifics.

Even as it expands its ad platform into TV, radio and print, Google continues to make most of its money from text-based ad links posted next to search results and other online content.

Google's formula has been so profitable that it now has a market value of about $210 billion, second only to Microsoft Corp. in the high-tech industry.

The Google alliance appeals to Nielsen because the rating firm is trying to develop new measurement techniques and extend its reach into more digital media, such as iPods and mobile phones.

'The relationship with Google...is a prime example of the ways Nielsen is embracing new technologies, platforms and relationships worldwide to serve clients more completely,' Nielsen Chairman David Calhoun said in a statement.
Via-ASP

Bluestreak Technology have secured US$20 million dollars in Series D financing for its "MachBlue" platform for mobile phones and digital television

What Company is Offering:
Bluestreak Technology, a start-up based in Montrea.The MachBlue platform gives network operators and OEMs the ability to create rich-media user experiences on various devices. Bluestreak Technology is a technology partner with such industry leaders as STMicroelectronics, ACCESS, Orange, KPN, Videotron, Time Warner Cable, Thomson, NDS and OpenTV.
How Much They Got From VCs:
They have secured US$20 million dollars in Series D financing for its "MachBlue" platform for mobile phones and digital television.France's Iris Capital, a new investor, led the round, which also includes internal investors Solidarity Fund QFL, BDC Venture Capital and First Capital Group along with new investor Tomorrow Group from Korea.
More at:http://www.bluestreaktech.com/

EmailBrain has powerful newsletter management features that enable you to easily manage your brand image

What Company is offering:
EmailBrain has powerful newsletter management features that enable you to easily manage your brand image. EmailBrain includes a full suite of tools within the template library for on-line content creation and on-line content storage.
How It Works:
Emailbrain will help you optimize your campaign by giving you the development and tracking tools to make it succeed. Features include WYSIWYG editing, a template library, online image and document hosting, foreign language capabilities, whitelisting status, tracking analytics, and hosted online report archive among others. There are several editions available (corporate, standard and reseller) depending on your needs. EmailBrain works with a range of industries including artists, non-profits, political campaigns, and law firms. There’s a free trial version available. Regular pricing starts at $9.95 a month (for 2,000 sends) and goes as high as about $800 a month (400,000 sends).
More at:http://emailbrain.com/eb/index.shtml

Instantbird is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client

What Company is Offering:
Instantbird is a multi-protocol Instant Messaging client. Using it, you can connect to all your different IM accounts.
It uses the Mozilla rendering engine to display IMs, and the Pidgin libpurple to connect to the different networks.
Instantbird is a free and open source software. So you are free to use, distribute and modify it.
How It Works:
Users can use the app to connect with other popular chat services such as MSN, ICQ, and AIM, without causing any disruption to any of their previous clients. Based on Mozilla technologies and Pidgin, InstantBird is a fairly light download at around 13 megs, requiring100MB of free disk space for Windows user. The app is available for Mac and Linux as well, although it’s known to be twitchy operating with Ubuntu. Downloading InstantBird runs quickly with a highspeed internet connection, and connecting with all your frequented chat apps should be a breeze.
More at:http://www.instantbird.com/

BrightRoll has secured $5 million in Series B funding

What Company is Offering:
BrightRoll helps leading agencies, representing brands such as Walmart, Hewlett-Packard and Sony Pictures, launch and scale video campaigns across the industry's leading publishers. The one-year-old start-up will use the capital to continue to grow its agency and publisher relationships, as well as accelerate product development.
How Much They Got From VCs:
The world's largest video advertising network, announced today that it has secured $5 million in Series B funding from Adams Street Capital, KPG Ventures and, existing investor, TRUE Ventures. This brings the company's total venture funding to $6M since it launched in July 2006.
What VCs Says:
"We increased our investment in BrightRoll because the company is the emerging leader in a revolutionary category," said Jon Callaghan, a partner at TRUE Ventures. "This is my third time working with the founders, Tod Sacerdoti and Dru Nelson, and I could not be more ecstatic about the team they are building."

BrightRoll can execute video campaigns across more than 50% of the top 100 online media properties in the United States. The average BrightRoll video campaign reaches over 50 million unique users over a six week period. A video advertising innovator, BrightRoll is built entirely on proprietary video ad serving, targeting and optimization technology.
More at:http://www.brightroll.com/

MeVu With New Tagging Features

What Company is offering:

MeVu, the site that offers you a profile page for displaying all your web links to various social networks, has added some new features and upgrades.
Additional Features:
Aside from the obligatory bug fixes, there’s also now a secure contact form for enabling others to send an email without seeing your contact information. A new free-form About Me field has also been added, along with a new Location field.

You can set your own meta tags for your profile page in order to make yourself show up in more search engines, and your title, description and keywords are all part of the new meta tag option. Another important addition is the RSS feed subscription options for site visitors to keep up with your ever-changing profile, and internal search has also been improved.

The changes made for better SEO and feed options are probably the most important modifications here, considering the aim of MeVu to provide you with a central site for dispersing visitors to other sites where you have a presence. This is the primary consideration for aggregation tools of this nature–they work best when people actually find them first, during a web search. And there’s a lot to compete with to this end, from other social networks, bookmarking sites, etc.
More at:http://www.mevu.com/

CapaZoo is a new social network that’s encouraging users to participate on the site by offering them money

What Company is offering:

CapaZoo is a new social network that’s encouraging users to participate on the site by offering them money. Well, you can get tipped for your awesomeness, and then cash out after certain point.
How it Works:

There are a few different types of accounts you can create: business, athlete, individual, arts, or charity. All but business profiles are free (a business account will run you about $35 per year). Once you set up your profile, you can start customizing it and adding media. Businesses will have advertising options throughout the network. You can get tipped for your media, as well as for your profile. So the goal here is to get as much content on the site in order to incur more tips.

You can’t hand them out for free, however. You start out with 25 zoops (CapaZoo’s currency) and go from there. If you’d like to tip someone, you select how many zoops you’ll give them. If you’d like to add zoops to your account, you can pay $10 for 10,000. Likewise, earning 10,000 zoops means you can get $10 on your credit card. You can’t actually cash out, though, unless you’ve upgraded your account. And that will cost you $25 or $35 per year, depending on what type of account you’d like (privileged or VIP).

Why Is It Different:
CapaZoo is finding ways to make money, and hoping it’s enough to get you to heavily participate in the site. Need more of a push? CapaZoo also has retail partners that offer discounts for users. For instance, you can get 15% off of your next Hertz car rental. This is all part of the CapaZoo Savings Program, which will calculate how much money you’ve saved through its discount offers. Again, you’ll need to upgrade your account to take part in the Savings Program. I think I’ll hold out for the CapaZoo credit card with rewards points I can earn with every purchase.

Who Is Backing Them:
CapaZoo is based in Canada and has reportedly raised over $25 million in private capital, without the aid of venture capital funding.
More at:http://www.capazoo.com/

Zimbra is open source server and client software for messaging and collaboration

What Company is offering:
Zimbra is open source server and client software for messaging and collaboration - email, group calendaring, contacts, and web document management and authoring
Zimbra provides open standards and a platform for developers, its tools can be integrated with some services that a lot of institutions already have established.
Why Is It Useful:
Considering the huge switching costs of a university with a communications system to support its current and past students, faculty and staff, signing on a new service like Zimbra is a big deal. It looks like Yahoo should be pretty satisfied with its acquisition of Zimbra.

Why It is In News Again:
Zimbra has landed more than a few deals, with some 200 educational institutions in 15 different countries for the Zimbra Collaboration Suite, making it a pretty far-reaching host of applications. That puts the suite in the hands of about 33,000 students, faculty and staff, 600,000 mailboxes.
More at:http://www.zimbra.com/

Jango is a new music social search and discovery site

What Company is Offering:
Jango is a new music social search and discovery site.
How It Works:
Jango will automatically start building your playlist from this initial setting, and you vote (smilies or frowns) which songs you like. You can also add individual artists. Similar to SeeqPod and MOG, you’ll also get additional information for each artist, like album art, more songs, videos, etc. Additionally, there is a link for you to purchase each song from iTunes or Amazon.

Jango is also a social network, you can check out other user profiles, send them shoutouts and private messages, bookmark them, and listen to their own stations. The player will also show what other users are listening to a station, so there’s a bit of socialization occurring around each playlist, similar to MxPlay and Yoinkd. Jango appears to be quite a mesh of several music playlist creation and networking sites out there, and there doesn’t seem to be any stand-out features, like Mixaloo’s playlist gifting option, that make Jango particularly better than others in the market.

More at:http://jango.com/

ShredOrDie

What Company is Offering:

ShredOrDie is a new video network from the makers of FunnyOrDie. ShredOrDie features video content about xtreme sports, and Hawk has already lined up a series of interviews, and there are clips with folks like Lance Armstrong, Sean White, Christian Slater and Ryan Sheckler.

How It Works:
With FunnyOrDie facing its own troubles, this new site looks to be a way to help build on the initial momentum that Will Ferrell launched the comic video site some time ago. Ferrell already leveraged his celebrity Rolodex in order to get additional premium content on the site, and the same tactic is being used for ShredOrDie. The expansion of the FunnyOrDie network, which is making good use of its funding and now spawning off various verticals to capture a wider audience, may or may not work. So we’ll see how viewers take to ShredOrDie.
If you haven’t guessed by now, the site is aiming at the skater and biker crowd. There will also be user-generated content included on ShredOrDie.
More at:http://www.shredordie.com/

"Think City Car" Gives great opportunities for entrepreneurs

What Company is Offering:
Norway’s two-seat, electric-powered Think City car—set to go on sale in the coming months—will come with an owner financing package unheard of in the auto industry.
How It Works:
Consumers will pay an estimated USD 15,000 to 17,000 for the vehicle, but the company plans to lease the Think’s battery. And for good reason: on its own, the battery would cost an estimated USD 34,000, more than the price of a low-end luxury vehicle in most countries. Moreover, the Think battery’s useful life will depend on how the vehicle is used. Meaning: if Think owners were compelled to buy the battery along with the car, they’d be assuming risks few vehicle buyers would tolerate.

The workaround Think has devised is a USD 100-200 per month bundle that will include the battery lease plus other services such as insurance and mobile internet access. The latter will enable the company to remotely monitor the battery’s remaining useful life. As the battery’s ability to recharge declines with age, the company will automatically offer owners the chance to replace it or alternately keep the battery in exchange for a lower monthly leasing fee.
Why It is Different:
Think’s battery-leasing business model differs sharply from that of US electric car maker Tesla Motors. With a batteries-and-all price tag of about USD 100,000, the sporty Tesla is being marketed as status symbol for Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley titans. Notwithstanding, under an agreement announced this spring, Tesla will help supply Think with battery packs. Notably, both Think and Tesla are start-ups, aptly illustrating how the switch to alternate fuels will make room for innovative upstarts in an industry dominated by giants. (Related: The going is green—and electric.)

More At www.think.no

Millionairemate.com

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Bountii.com For Searching The Best Price On Any Electronics Items

What Company Is Offering:
Bountii.com has a simple, clean interface which doesn’t distract you from your search. Conducting a search is very simple and there are many features that can help you narrow down your search if you need to use them, such as the price range feature. Many times it is difficult to find electronics within your price range and limiting your search to a maximum limit will help you stay focused. The feature that allows you to enter your zip code for pricing purposes is a great feature. Sometimes the shipping and handling costs can make quite a difference in the overall cost. It is nice that you can search for electronics and get the total price instantly.
How It Works:
You use Bountii.com such as any other search engine. Type the name of the electric device you are searching for. A list will appear of different variations and prices for the item you selected. You can choose from a price range located above the results and below the browser. Each listed item from the search has an image, its name, price, a store rating out of 4 stars, and the store or site where it can be purchased. There is a section that lets you put in your zip code so you can get the full price including shipping and handling. Once you have chosen the item you like, click on it to get more information, there will be a link that will direct you to the store site so you can purchase the product. There is also a list of similar items below once you click on the image. When you visit Bountii.com’s homepage there is a section that will bring you to the most popular products if you are interest in taking a look. Bountii.com helps you find the best prices foe electronics.
More at:http://bountii.com/

WebAdClassifieds.com is a free classifieds site for website owners and webmaster to post advertising opportunities

What Company isOffering:
WebAdClassifieds.com is a free classifieds site for website owners and webmaster to post advertising opportunities on thier websites for text links, sponsorships, banner ads, etc. Potential advertisers to these sites are provided a marketplace to review and directly compare online advertising offerings. Unlike many other classifieds sites, webadclassifieds.com is completely free to both place ads and search.
How it Works:
Publishers post their advertising opportunities in the forum. The publisher's domain ranking, traffic information and media kit is easily accessible to potential advertisers, who then can buy directly from individual website or blog publishers rather than through ad networks. Communications between sellers and buyers can be confidential. The site can be used as a stand-alone marketing vehicle or it can be tied in with publisher's other campaigns.
More at:http://www.webadclassifieds.com/

Veodia’s high-end video broadcasting service caters to both professional bloggers and business users

What Company is offering:
Veodia’s high-end video broadcasting service caters to both professional bloggers and business users in search of a simple way of creating and distributing TV-quality video while preserving full control and ownership of their content. That makes it a perfect tool for broadcasting through the Internet: independent TV shows, interviews, music or dance performances, auctions, training sessions, HR and executive announcements, product reviews, marketing events, lectures, conferences, speeches, panels, and many more.
How It Works:
Veodia dynamically optimizes viewing quality so the maximum quality video is published and stored in your private library. Broadcasters retain control over content and, through content management and reporting systems, publish videos for on-demand viewing or podcasting. Training videos, corporate communications, live streams into Second Life, and more can now all be shared without the hassle or upfront costshttp or special technology.
More at:://www.veodia.com/

Go-To Site of Internet TV Got Funding From Pond Venture Partners

What Company Is Offering:
TIOTI is a newly-launched social media aggregation site that has quickly become a major destination portal for TV programming, indexing more than 75,000 television shows and more than 500,000 individual episodes for download.

In addition to indexing TV content available across the entirety of the Web, TIOTI adds useful social tools that allow users to recommend shows to friends as well as enabling discussions and shared ‘TV watch lists’. TIOTI also enables the creation of groups to build communities around TV - it allows users to add, edit and expand the information on cast, crew, critics, fan fiction, gossip and trivia surrounding TV shows.
How It Works:
The service enables Web links, photos and videos to be easily integrated from Flickr® and YouTube™ into individual TIOTI groups. The site also includes pertinent links to a wide range of online TV services such as those from Apple®, Amazon®, AOL® and Joost™, among others.
How Much They Got From VCs:
Pond Venture Partners, Europe’s largest early-stage technology venture capital fund with more than $200 million under management, today announced it has successfully
led and closed a significant Series A investment round in TIOTI, Inc.
More at:www.TIOTI.com

Kinset has launched its new 3D shopping service

What Company is Offering:

Kinset has launched its new 3D shopping service and announced it is in the process of building a virtual store for the retailer Brookstone.
How it works:
In order to shop Kinset, which currently offers a bookstore and electronics shop through Amazon, you must first download a browser utility from the company’s web site. You can clearly see book covers, and can then mouse over them to get detailed item descriptions, reviews, and price info. If you would like to buy something, you simply use your credit card.

According to Kinset’s founders, it will allow customers who are familiar with the physical store to more quickly find what they are looking for. Meanwhile, it will allow those unfamiliar with the store to get acquainted with its layout and thus have a better experience when they show up in person.

Overall, 3D shopping experiences like Kinset and Scenecaster are a natural progression of ecommerce as broadband becomes ubiquitous.
More at:http://www.kinset.com/

PlayerBlock.com is the first ever text based service that allows people to look into the dating habits of others

What Company is Offering:
PlayerBlock.com is the first ever text based service that allows people to look into the dating habits of others. Whether you had a good experience or bad, you can post a new encounter online or from the palm of your hand. Did your date go well? Did you get PLAYED? Did they call when they said they would? We want to know! Tell us your innermost thoughts don’t let your neighbors get fooled just as you did
PlayerBlock is an SMS-based service that lets you check up on your date to see if he’s a player. … This service appears to revolve around phone numbers, so in order to find out about your date, you type in their phone number to see if you can dig up any dirt.
How it Works:

All the information found through PlayerBlock is user-generated, so in order to find any information on a date, someone else must have dated them first, and written a report on them. Likewise, you’re encouraged to dish the dirt on your dates. As this is primarily a text-messaging service, it makes it that much easier to get reports and give reports while you’re on the actual date. You can also enter a number to be “watched,” meaning you’ll receive an update on that person once a new entry has been added.

More at:http://www.playerblock.com/

RoyaltyShare have got an additional $4 million in its Series B funding from Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and Trident Capital

What Company Is offering:

RoyaltyShare, the web-based royalty processing service.
With RoyaltyShare’s focus on the changing face of digital media distribution and Internet culture, RoyaltyShare offers services to allow you to manage your distribution partners that all deliver separate reports in different formats.
How It Works:
It works with mobile, web, and physical distribution, offering a centralized way in which to handle the business of making money with the promotion of your content.
RoyaltyShare also aims to help you evaluate your multiple channels for distribution in order to optimize each, experiment with new pricing models, and better manage more data in one place. If it helps artists market more directly with consumers across the different platforms, then it could become a viable option for those looking to follow in Radiohead’s footsteps.
How Much They Got From VCs:
They have got an additional $4 million in its Series B funding from Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and Trident Capital. With this addition, the total amount of funding that RoyaltyShare has received amounts to $9 million.
More at:http://www.royaltyshare.com/

AIMpromote is the best choice for increasing sales and improving business intelligence

What Company is Offering;
AIMpromote is the best choice for increasing sales and improving business intelligence. Take a free trial and learn for yourself why AIMpromote is changing the way companies look at customer relationship management software.
AIMpromote has a significantly lower cost of implementation and total cost of ownership than our competitors for several reasons. There are no setup fees, and we even integrate your system with your website free of charge. Also, the ease of use and fast learning curve of our lead management system will keep your sales representatives working efficiently.

Its Unique Features:

Their offer is a better price than their two main competitors (leads360 and Salesforce), as well as MANY more features than those of their more established competitors.

Some of those additional features include Lead Attention Meter™, Custom Lead List Display, Lead Reselling, and Unlimited Custom Fields, among many others. What these guys are up to is giving you a “no brainer” service at a “no brainer” price.
More at:http://www.aimpromote.com/

SocialThing has received $300,000

What Company is Offering:
It offer a centralized place to manage your digital life, moving a bit beyond profile aggregators.
How Much They Got From VCs:
SocialThing has received $300,000 in early-stage funding from eonBusiness, as part of a $500,000 convertible note round, which includes investors from both Illinois and Colorado.
How It works:
You can keep your profile information at SocialThing, and update it across your social networking profiles from there. Keep updated with your friends across networks like MySpace and Facebook, and “take them with you” as you visit your various profiles on the web. SocialThing is a way to take your online identity with you across networks. Others in this space include ProfileBuilder, meeCard, and others.
More at:http://www.socialthing.com/

Infusion Software Closes $9 Million Funding Round Led by Mohr Davidow Ventures

What Company is offering:
Infusion Software Inc., provider of the best-selling customer relationship management (CRM) software for small businesses.
How Much They Got From VCs:
They announced it has secured funding of $9 million from MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm. This round represents Infusion's first round of venture financing.
What's purpose Of raising Fund:

Infusion Software will use the financing to accelerate customer acquisition via increased sales and marketing efforts and to enhance its award-winning CRM software built specifically for true small businesses that want to grow quickly and profitably. True small businesses (TSB) are owner-run organizations with 2-50 employees that have grown organically. These businesses do not have layers like larger organizations, and thus automation of business processes via easy-to-use technology is highly desired.
How They Are Different From Others CRMs:
"Infusion's unique approach to CRM technology, strong customer traction among small businesses, and winning management team have enabled the company to capture a notable share of what we believe to be a very significant market opportunity," said Nancy Schoendorf, MDV general partner and an Infusion Software board member. "What they've done is answered the need among small business owners everywhere for a tool that streamlines and boosts sales and marketing activities without the need to hire additional salesforcAbout MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures
About VCs:

For 25 years MDV, a leading Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, has identified, mentored and developed entrepreneurs and young companies redefining business, technology and medicine. The firm invests around three major business and science concerns: Personalizing Medicine; Powering the Planet; and Driving the Digital World. The firm partners with entrepreneurs who have deep expertise in life sciences, information technology and energy and materials. MDV's team engages very early in the life of a company to impact its long-term success. Category-leading companies funded by MDV include: Agile (ORCL); Broadbase (KANA); Brocade; Energy Innovations; FormFactor; Genius; hi5; Medio Systems; Nanosolar; ONI Systems (CIEN); Panasas; ParAllele (AFFX); Pivotal Technologies (BRCM); Proofpoint; Revenue Science; Shutterfly and Tethys Bioscience.
For more information, please visit www.mdv.com.

Businesses You Can Start for Under $20

Businesses You Can Start for Under $20
Whether you're starting a business on the side while still employed elsewhere, a student or homemaker looking for extra income, or unemployed and trying to figure out what to do, there are plenty of opportunities for you to start up a side business inexpensively. It's unlikely any of these will make you a living in the first few months, but they all have the potential to grow into full-time businesses. We'll take a look at 10 such opportunities and, most importantly, tell you what to do with the $20!
1. Webpreneur

It's what everyone who's ever surfed the Web dreams of—just stick a web site up there and watch the cash roll in! Well, that just doesn't happen overnight, but the fact of the matter is it's really not very hard to do. To do it right, start by picking a subject matter you know a lot about.

Then get a domain and create a web site. It doesn't even matter what technology you use—just be totally anal-retentive about it looking good and provide plenty of original content. Now find some appropriate affiliate programs—that's where your revenues are going to come from. Next, learn everything you can about search engine marketing and promote the heck out of your site. Last of all, set aside time every week to put new content on the site, delete dead links, and other maintenance. Now do this three or four times, and you've chosen your topics well, you might actually have some decent income from it.
Spend the $20 on: $8 or less for a domain (see our Online Business Guide's list of cheap domain name registrars) and $12 for a year of hosting (search for "$1 hosting").

2. Consultant

Getting into consulting is relatively simple. All you have to do is know how to do something better than most people do, and be able to either teach people how to do it or be willing to do it for them. Networking is the key to success in this business, so start by making a list of everyone you know and giving them all a call.

Spend the $20 on: $14 on a box of clean-edge laser or inkjet business cards and $6 buying your first prospect a cup of coffee one morning.

3. Housesitter / Petsitter

Particularly since 9/11, people feel an increased need for security, and housesitting gives them some reassurance while they're out of town. This one's great because it basically requires no particular skills, just trustworthiness and reliability. Be sure to have personal references available, and you'll also need reliable transportation. If you're an animal lover, petsitting is an easy add-on.

Spend the $20 on: $2 on flyers to put up on bulletin boards, and the rest on classified ads in your local neighborhood paper (not a big city-wide one).

4. Professional Organizer
People these days are simply overwhelmed by their "stuff". While there is an ever-growing trend of people wanting to simplify their lives, most of us haven't done it yet. It's not that people really have no clue how to get organized, it just keeps moving to the bottom of the stack, both figuratively and literally. There's a prime opportunity for people to come in at a reasonable rate and get houses organized. And while there is a National Association of Professional Organizers that you can join when you're ready, mostly it takes common sense, organizational skills, and a familiarity with what can be had at your local office supply and The Container Store.

Spend the $20 on: Classified ads.

5. Avon Independent Sales Representative
Cosmetics is a virtually recession-proof business, because it's an inexpensive way for people to feel good about themselves. Avon is the largest consumer direct sales company in the world, with annual sales of nearly $6 billion. In business for well over 100 years, they have both a highly reputable product line and one of the few highly reputable multi-level marketing structures (in fact, they invented it). They also offer fashion and wellness products in addition to their beauty products. And while they bill themselves as "The Company for Women", a fairly substantial number of men have actually been very successful as Avon reps. The secret to making a living at it rather than just a little extra spending money? Build your downline—just like with any other network marketing or direct selling business.

Spend the $20 on: $10 signup fee, and $10 on brochures and a few samples.
More at:http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/businessideas/a/10startupideas.htm

Free training ,Tools and Software For Small Business in India

SME Toolkit is a project of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. In India ICICI Bank has tied up with IFC to offer free business management information and training for small businesses / small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on accounting and finance, business planning, human resources (HR), marketing and sales, operations, Tenders information, Business News, Draft Agreements, Legal Notifications and information technology (IT). The SME Toolkit India offers a wide range of how-to articles, business forms, free business software, online training, self-assessment exercises, quizzes, and resources to help entrepreneurs, business owners, and managers in India to start, finance, formalize, and grow their businesses.
. More at:http://india.smetoolkit.org/india/en/index

How To Get Your Big Break

Search all you want, there is no magic formula for fame and fortune.

The truth is, big breaks don't just happen; people make them happen--through hard work, networking, courage, passion and even pain. And as much as modern culture has glorified the notion of the "big break" ( American Idol, anyone?), lasting success has less to do with singular, transcendent moments than it does with incremental progress and unflagging grit.

"We romanticize the idea of a big break, but they aren't always this wonderful, positive thing," says David Dotlich, senior partner at Portland, Ore.-based Delta Executive Learning Center. "Sometimes it's [about] a big loss."

In Pictures: How To Get Your Big Break
Barbara Corcoran knows about spinning loss into opportunity. The founder of The Corcoran Group, New York City's largest residential real estate agency, owes her rise to a painful event: breaking up with her boyfriend . Back in 1973, he lent her $1,000 to start a real estate agency , and took a 51% stake. Seven years later, he ran off with the company's secretary , ultimately giving her full control of the company.

"Thank God, or I never would have been in business on my own and learn I could stand on my own two feet," says Corcoran, who sold her business in 2001 for $71 million, and will soon host her own real-estate talk show on CNBC.

Big breaks can also sneak up on you, even as the rest of the world seems to crumble. "A lot of times, people get their big break and they don't know they're having it," says Dotlich.

Take legendary talk show host David Letterman. The late-night funnyman broke into the business with a flop. After a string of guest appearances on second-tier sitcoms and game shows, Letterman landed a hosting gig for a comedy pilot called The Riddlers. The series was a bust, but Letterman got noticed by the higher-ups at The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He soon became a regular guest, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Rather than wait for his big break, real estate mogul Larry Silverstein built his empire brick by brick. He began his career in the 1950s by converting a Manhattan industrial shack into an office building. "I didn't have a clue what I was doing in the beginning," he says. Indeed, it took myriad deals over five decades to get where Silverstein, 76, is today. "You have to stick with it," he says. He'll need every bit of that conviction to pull off his finale--rebuilding the World Trade Center site, into which he sunk $800 million the summer before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Talent and tenacity notwithstanding, having the right friends helps, too--as pop star Mariah Carey can attest. While working as a backup singer for Puerto Rican performer Brenda Starr in 1988, Carey met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party. As a favor, Starr gave Carey's demo tape to Mattola. After a listen, he bolted back to the party to track Carey down and sign her on. Good move for everyone: Carey's first five singles hit the Billboard Hot 100.

No matter what, when lady luck comes knocking, you'd better be ready to pounce. Just ask rising actor Michael C. Hall. It took three years after graduating from New York University's Tisch School, but Hall got his break when he met director Sam Mendes at a musical workshop. At the time, Mendes was directing Cabaret on Broadway . When the actor playing the "emcee" stepped down, Mendes called Hall to try out for the role.

By that evening, Hall was practicing with the choreographer, and within days he was on Broadway. Hall has since landed cherry gigs on Dexter, airing on Showtime, and HBO's Six Feet Under. "With that job [in Cabaret], I felt like I crossed some sort of threshold," he says. "Everything that happened beyond that was in this realm I never considered."

Clearly, some industries are tougher to crack in a big way than others. In the entertainment industry, getting any job--no matter how small--is considered a break. "There are myths in our business about the actor who is discovered at the lunch counter," says Michael Taylor, chair of the vaunted film and television division at the University of Southern California. "What's more likely is a combination of luck, timing and who you know."

Unless you're Rosario Dawson, that is. The oldest daughter of East Village squatters got her big acting break by sitting on the stoop of her building. Director Larry Clark and casting agent Harmony Korine were scouting scenes for the 1995 film Kids when they noticed Dawson, who later landed a role in the movie. She has since appeared in 35 films, including the 2006 remake of the Broadway smash Rent.

No, life isn't fair. But with a little effort, you can boost your odds.
Via-Forbes

Pre.vu is offering a digital-age alternative

What Company is Offering:
Pre.vu is offering a digital-age alternative that could make such tasks a little easier by allowing consumers to record a personalised message onto a CD case or gift tag instead.
How It Works:

Voice, music and sound effects can be included in a 60-second message that’s incorporated in a credit card-sized gift tag or CD case to accompany a set of holiday photos, for example. The resulting recordings can be played back hundreds of times at the touch of a button. Shockwave is required for online recording, but consumers can also record their messages by phoning in to Pre.vu. Pricing is GBP 5.50 for a gift tag or GBP 2.50 for a talking CD case. Pre.vu, operated by U.-based Origgio Ltd., sells its Talking Messages products direct to consumers via its own site, but it also offers the functionality to e-commerce retailers, which in turn can offer the service to consumers much like gift-wrapping or regular, printed gift tags.

In addition to the possibilities in online retail, Pre.vu also markets its Talking Messages products for enterprise packaging applications and direct marketing--one message can be recorded on multiple tags or CD cases, for example. Feels like the sky's the limit on the global possibilities for this one in both the B-to-B and B-to-C worlds. Novelty and personalisation tend to be a winning combination, and in this case, the language barriers take care of themselves. Now how about taking it a step further with Moving Messages, a video equivalent...? Let us know when you're done!

More at: www.pre.vu

I Want Sandy is a virtual personal assistant that’s integrated with your email

What Company is Offering:

I Want Sandy is a virtual personal assistant that’s integrated with your email so that keeping track of appointments and such is a slightly less stressful fact of every day life. Currently in private beta, I got a chance to take it for a spin this weekend.
How It Works:
This service works with text messages as well, so you can still keep track of your life and add things to your account while you’re on the go. I Want Sandy works by offering you your own email address. This is good because it means you can send something to your account from any email address, and it doesn’t need to come directly from your registered email address in order to add items. Likewise, CC’ing Sandy on an email sent to another person will also be integrated for your account.

There are a few things that you can ask Sandy to do, like remind you of a project that needs to be turned in next Friday, add items to your to-do list, or add things to your calendar. It will filter most of this information, which provides easy access via your I Want Sandy account. Anyone you send an email to with Sandy CC’ed will be added to your Friends list, and items for the current day will be displayed, along with all of your reminders, your to-do list, and your calendar. I Want Sandy can also be used to search your emails that it’s keeping track of–to this end, there’s also a tag cloud that shows on your account details.

As with similar services like IMified, there’s shorthand you can use for sending items to Sandy, as well as a help menu that can be accessed via email or text message. There doesn’t seem to be any integration with third-party tools, like your iCal.
More at:http://iwantsandy.com/