Posted by Administrator on 10 Mar 2009 at 1:10 pm under shopping
The Charleston Post and Courier:
Armed with a wand of superheated steam, Charleston’s self-proclaimed goo-buster sets out to eradicate the rainbow of petrified chewing gum that has become a sticky form of folk art in the city’s Market area.
Entrepreneur David Samios calls himself The Charleston Gum Guy, and he’s looking to build a niche industry removing gnawed-over wads from defaced spaces across the Lowcountry. Among his first targets are the monuments to mastication that inspired his business: the Charleston “gum poles.”
Samios, a 40-year-old Summerville resident, saw opportunity where others saw yuck. He bought some gum-cleaning equipment and the city of Charleston agreed to pay him about $100 to clean one of the sticky shafts.
He hopes to clean the others as well, if South Carolina Gas & Electric signs off on the work. He’s also lined up work removing chewable deposits from a local movie theater and the Charleston International Airport.
Photo [...]
Original post by Rich Whittle and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 10 Mar 2009 at 12:09 pm under Sprinkles
Trent At TheSimpleDollar.com:
Spend less than you earn doesn’t just mean cut back on your spending.
It also means striving to earn more income when you can, because the real goal is to maximize the gap between your income and your spending and then use that for a greater purpose (saving for your goals).
In a down economy, I believe the best way to set yourself up for more income over the long haul is to start a strong side business.
A side business started today will be ready to really thrive as the economy begins to rebound and people begin to spend their money more freely.
At first, it’s useful to think of a side business as a hobby with benefits. Don’t worry too much about choosing the activity that will earn you a lot of money.
start a list and keep it over a period of time. Write your ideas down now, [...]
Original post by Rich Whittle and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 10 Mar 2009 at 11:08 am under cupcake holder
The Boston Globe:
Millions of singles are suddenly jumping on the online dating bandwagon, despite the fact they may not be able to afford to go on as many actual dates these days - or expensive ones, anyway. Online matchmaking services - even those requiring fees to join - have seen an unprecedented increase in memberships in the past three months.
Some of the increase is due to the annual rituals of making New Year’s resolutions and thinking about Valentine’s Day, but experts are attributing most of the rise to the recession itself. People seek companionship during times of crisis, and stress is more bearable when there’s a special someone in your life. Some people may even be thinking that it’s easier to pay the bills when there are two people footing them.
Match.com, which now boasts 15 million members, recently had the best fourth-quarter earnings in its 14-year history, said Mandy Ginsberg, [...]
Original post by Rich Whittle and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 10 Mar 2009 at 10:07 am under Negotiation
Entrepreneur.com:
Most franchise owners will tell you that they could have easily saved quite a bit of money from the costs incurred opening their first units.
This begs the question: If this is such a universal truth, then why didn’t the franchise companies show them how to save this money as part of their training?
The answer is that they probably did.
The secret to reaching the best result in terms of startup costs is balance.
If you picture the cost vs. speed quandary as a continuum, you don’t want to be at either extreme.
Trying so hard to save money that you never open the business isn’t going to be any better for you than spending too much to open a little sooner than you otherwise would.
There are five common expense categories where most startup cost savings are found.
1. Franchise company fees
2. Turnkey packages
3. Lease terms
4. Construction costs
5. Equipment, signage and [...]
Original post by Rich Whittle and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 10 Mar 2009 at 1:32 am under Scam
While this isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned clothing that was vintage, or vintage inspired, Papa Soul is the first business I’ve interviewed in this category that caters to men.
By creating a balance of truly vintage pieces and the brands of today, they are able to offer men a sense of fashion that is unique and trendy. However, their prices also make them an attractive place to shop for those in need of original clothing at a budget-friendly price.
What was the inspiration for PapaSoul.com?
I wanted to use my creativity to add value to my daily life. Being an entrepreneur is a lot like being an artist, but instead of developing an image, you are refining the “image” of the business through media found in all industries.
How many products would you say are listed on your website at one time?
We have thousands of pieces of clothing, with our collection growing [...]
Original post by Angela Shupe and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 09 Mar 2009 at 8:47 pm under Crime
Have you ever wondered how URL shortening websites like TinyURL, bit.ly and is.gd make money? Me too.
There’s an enlightening conversation taking place on Hacker News about just that subject. The short is, they don’t make any money.
They don’t. To be honest the majority of url shorteners don’t make any money at all. I know because I run one.
It costs me nothing to run because it uses next to no resources on a server that I already pay for and I got the domain for free.
The long answer is that they don’t, but that they don’t cost much to run and hopefully, someone, someday will think of a way to make money with them. The HN discussion seems to be centered on one unproven method of profiting: market research.
# Correct, bit.ly knows all the most popular links on Twitter in real time. This is worth a ton, or [...]
Original post by Dane Carlson and software by Elliott Back
The Wall Street Journal:
When 25-year-old Justin Rockwell was laid off from his job as a Web developer last fall, he began scrounging for freelance gigs.
He also found himself spending a lot of time on Twitter, answering Web development problems for fellow Twitterers.
Eventually, Rockwell realized there was a market for his services on Twitter. Now he spends his days trolling the site for people with Web coding problems, offering to help for a fee.
For Rockwell, like most people, Twitter started a personal branding opportunity: “What sparked the idea was just that I wanted to become well known for what I do well.†Rockwell’s expertise is in a method of building Web pages called Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
So he set up his account in February which shows a picture of a superhero wearing a cape. He figured he would just swoop in and fix people’s development problems.
He finds clients by searching [...]
Original post by Rich Whittle and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 09 Mar 2009 at 4:50 pm under Pittsburgh
photo credit: Olof S
Consumers’ conversations have changed. What’s important to them has changed. The stories of their lives have changed and it seems like no one is paying attention. For example: If consumers are talking about eating out less often, then having “fun†at Applebee’s doesn’t seem like it fits (especially if mom or dad just got laid off). To be successful right now, we need to start paying attention to what consumers are talking about and where they are spending their money.
A recent study showed that nearly half of all consumers preferred to purchase “green†products. It’s time to jump on the band wagon of providing “green†products and services if you haven’t already.
Create and start telling your story. Consumers decide to purchase products based on their knowledge of you, your company, your employees, the products and services and their reputation for how well they work. So get [...]
Original post by Jaclyn and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 09 Mar 2009 at 4:49 pm under Toronto
photo credit: antwerpenR
Once people believe others are coming in to sell them, they recoil, put up defenses and begin to rehearse reasons they don’t need whatever it is you’re selling. They may disguise this or do it under the surface, but it’s there. Chalk it up to a basic human emotion: We don’t want others to push things on us that we haven’t decided we need.
When entering the room to sell your clients, remove yourself of all documents and graphs for them to read, no pamphlets or charts. This will show them that something is going to be different about your presentation.
Present ideas to them that your almost positive they have never heard before, and at the same time your totally confident that they will benefit them in some way. People may not want to be sold, but they do want to learn something new, be the first one’s [...]
Original post by Jaclyn and software by Elliott Back
Posted by Administrator on 09 Mar 2009 at 2:10 pm under Religion
Springwise:
Created by Belgian marketing and design agency Fosfor, the Boobox is a prototype for a stand-alone machine that distributes product samples.
Consumers interested in getting one simply send a free SMS, in exchange for which they are given an activation code.
That, in turn, gives them access to the sample.
Unlike most vending machines, the Boobox is completely adjustable to samples with different sizes, weights and forms; it also includes an onboard refrigeration system for items such as dairy products and cooled beverages.
The height of the machine’s display and keyboard can even be adjusted for use alongside an accompanying poster advertisement, Fosfor says. The agency is currently refining the concept, with placement in Belgian train stations hopefully to follow later this year.
Photo by Fosfor.
From Business Opportunities Weblog.
Original post by Rich Whittle and software by Elliott Back
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