Link of the day - Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
http://www.iloveikea.se/
Based—where else?—in Sweden, I LOVE IKEA is a new online marketplace for consumers looking to buy and sell secondhand IKEA furniture.
Buyers can search by region and city to find items nearby, or by category: bathroom, kitchen, office, etc. Product descriptions include the usual: photo, price and contact details, but are generally brief—after all, buyers can easily find more information in IKEA's catalogue. Placing ads is free until August 1st. After that, the site will charge sellers a small fee per ad.
On every general classifieds site, from Craigslist to preloved.co.uk, there's an abundance of secondhand IKEA goods on offer. According to I LOVE IKEA, they're included in over 20,000 ads per month in newspapers and online marketplaces. And that's just in Sweden. So it makes sense to create a marketplace dedicated to IKEA's wares, making it easier for consumers to locate items by name or type. I LOVE IKEA isn't affiliated with the object of their affection; as they put it, they're "a tribute to IKEA's amazing range, and a response to recent developments towards a more sustainable society." Following its launch in Sweden, I LOVE IKEA aims to expand to the rest of Europe soon.
Enduringly popular around the world, IKEA will no doubt continue to spawn businesses that offer complementary goods and services. Need more inspiration to start an IKEA 'feeder business' of your own? Check out slip covers for sofas by Bemz, delivery to Nasheville by ModerNash, decorative adhesives by Grippiks and add-ons by Parts of Sweden, all of which have built successful companies on an IKEA foundation.
Crazy Barbeque Stats You've Never Known
Thuggo And Sluggo
Online Coupon Sites Thriving
Selasa, 19 Mei 2009
Jumat, 15 Mei 2009
SweetRiot.Com Success Story
Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.
http://www.sweetriot.com/
Sweetriot produces chocolate treats for the health conscious and fair-trade fanatics - "rioters," as CEO Sarah Endline calls them.
You may have seen the bite-sized tasties in Whole Foods, where Endline has seen 100% sales growth each year since 2005. Lately, the brightly colored tins designed by local artists have started popping up in other outlets as well. "In the last six months we saw more and newer opportunities unfolding. We're ready for this growth," Endline says of her product's recent debut in Lifetime Fitness and Vitamin Shop stores, as well as in Nordstrom's cafes and at smoothie chain Robeks. Sales have literally gone through the roof: Sweetriot is now an in-flight snack on Virgin America airlines.
The company launched a new product for its chocoholic rioters in January: a portion-controlled dark chocolate bar called the UnBar.
Endline attributes Sweetriot's success to its progressive ideals. "Our message isn't that we're a low calorie chocolate. It's that we're saving the world," she says. "It's an optimistic message that you're not sacrificing anything. You're getting a cool and fun and whimsical product."
Navigation By Mood
World’s Smallest Postal Service
A New Sport and a Startup
http://www.sweetriot.com/
Sweetriot produces chocolate treats for the health conscious and fair-trade fanatics - "rioters," as CEO Sarah Endline calls them.
You may have seen the bite-sized tasties in Whole Foods, where Endline has seen 100% sales growth each year since 2005. Lately, the brightly colored tins designed by local artists have started popping up in other outlets as well. "In the last six months we saw more and newer opportunities unfolding. We're ready for this growth," Endline says of her product's recent debut in Lifetime Fitness and Vitamin Shop stores, as well as in Nordstrom's cafes and at smoothie chain Robeks. Sales have literally gone through the roof: Sweetriot is now an in-flight snack on Virgin America airlines.
The company launched a new product for its chocoholic rioters in January: a portion-controlled dark chocolate bar called the UnBar.
Endline attributes Sweetriot's success to its progressive ideals. "Our message isn't that we're a low calorie chocolate. It's that we're saving the world," she says. "It's an optimistic message that you're not sacrificing anything. You're getting a cool and fun and whimsical product."
Navigation By Mood
World’s Smallest Postal Service
A New Sport and a Startup
Sabtu, 09 Mei 2009
America's Most Promising Startups - NewForBaby.Com
Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.
http://www.newforbaby.com/
In 2005, when Leigh Rubio, a Portland (Ore.) stay-at-home mother of two, saw her infant daughter accidentally scratching her face, she wished for a simple solution that she couldn’t find: baby shirts with fold-over sleeves. That only added to what she disliked about the little kid clothes on the market. Baby pants were too high so their waistbands pressed into tender, healing belly buttons. Some shirts lacked neckline snaps and were painful to stretch over soft heads. And cloying pastels and duck patterns were everywhere. So Rubio, now 34, and women’s apparel designer Lyn Huffman, 32, teamed up to design a fitted and stylish layette. Targeting newborns also helped them carve out a niche in the crowded children’s apparel market. They scraped together $75,000 in savings, a $50,000 bank loan, and, says Rubio, “supportive husbands who never second-guessed us” to create their first line. Since August, they've expanded to offer clothing made in the U.S. for toddlers up to 24 months old. Within a year they turned a profit and now bring in $5,000 to $10,000 monthly through their online store, newforbaby.com.
Socks-by-Mail Hits the U.S.
Why Didn’t I Think Of That
Novelty Telegram Service
Psychics Make Big Bucks During Recession
http://www.newforbaby.com/
In 2005, when Leigh Rubio, a Portland (Ore.) stay-at-home mother of two, saw her infant daughter accidentally scratching her face, she wished for a simple solution that she couldn’t find: baby shirts with fold-over sleeves. That only added to what she disliked about the little kid clothes on the market. Baby pants were too high so their waistbands pressed into tender, healing belly buttons. Some shirts lacked neckline snaps and were painful to stretch over soft heads. And cloying pastels and duck patterns were everywhere. So Rubio, now 34, and women’s apparel designer Lyn Huffman, 32, teamed up to design a fitted and stylish layette. Targeting newborns also helped them carve out a niche in the crowded children’s apparel market. They scraped together $75,000 in savings, a $50,000 bank loan, and, says Rubio, “supportive husbands who never second-guessed us” to create their first line. Since August, they've expanded to offer clothing made in the U.S. for toddlers up to 24 months old. Within a year they turned a profit and now bring in $5,000 to $10,000 monthly through their online store, newforbaby.com.
Socks-by-Mail Hits the U.S.
Why Didn’t I Think Of That
Novelty Telegram Service
Psychics Make Big Bucks During Recession
Kamis, 07 Mei 2009
What's The Point?
Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.
http://www.thepoint.com/
The Internet has become the podium for rants. But Andrew Mason hopes his Web site will spur actions, not just more hot air. ThePoint.com invites people to create or join a campaign on anything, from winter-proofing Chicago with a dome to pressuring Pfizer to cut drug prices in developing countries.
Signing up is free, and site users are not required to follow through on promises to act or contribute money until the campaign has reached what its creator has deemed the “tipping point”—the minimum number of members or funds needed to make a change. In the case of the Chicago Winter Dome, the tipping point is $10 billion. (So far, $233,085 has been pledged.) Mason, 27, dropped out of the master’s program in public policy at the University of Chicago to start the site last October.
He raised $1 million from angel investors and $4.8 million from New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm in Chevy Chase, Md. The site may soon reach a tipping point of its own: Mason plans to start posting ads. “If the campaign is trying to stop late fees at Hollywood Video,” he notes, “it makes a great advertising venue for Blockbuster or Netflix.”
Online Coupon Sites Thriving
Crazy Business Ideas - WeShootBottles.Com
How the man in a van outsmarted Microsoft
As thrifty customers turn to secondhand goods, resale stores are profiting from the recession.
http://www.thepoint.com/
The Internet has become the podium for rants. But Andrew Mason hopes his Web site will spur actions, not just more hot air. ThePoint.com invites people to create or join a campaign on anything, from winter-proofing Chicago with a dome to pressuring Pfizer to cut drug prices in developing countries.
Signing up is free, and site users are not required to follow through on promises to act or contribute money until the campaign has reached what its creator has deemed the “tipping point”—the minimum number of members or funds needed to make a change. In the case of the Chicago Winter Dome, the tipping point is $10 billion. (So far, $233,085 has been pledged.) Mason, 27, dropped out of the master’s program in public policy at the University of Chicago to start the site last October.
He raised $1 million from angel investors and $4.8 million from New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm in Chevy Chase, Md. The site may soon reach a tipping point of its own: Mason plans to start posting ads. “If the campaign is trying to stop late fees at Hollywood Video,” he notes, “it makes a great advertising venue for Blockbuster or Netflix.”
Online Coupon Sites Thriving
Crazy Business Ideas - WeShootBottles.Com
How the man in a van outsmarted Microsoft
As thrifty customers turn to secondhand goods, resale stores are profiting from the recession.
Minggu, 03 Mei 2009
How To Make Money With Alternative Media
Link of the day - I will pay you $25, if you come up with a cool domain name for me.
http://www.groundreport.com/
Rachel Sterne, 25
New York, N.Y.
An internship at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in 2005 convinced Sterne that there was a huge gap in the West's international news coverage and awareness in the West of what was actually happening on the ground. "I thought there must be a better way for people to share stories, create emotional engagements about the world, as well as break the barriers of censorship and media bias," she says. Her answer: democratize news publishing.
In 2007, with seed money pulled from savings and family, Sterne launched Ground Report, a Web site that enables anyone to publish news and opinion stories, as well as streaming video reports. Ad revenue and partnership fees cover operations costs and pay its 4,000 global contributors (their fees are based on story traffic; they can earn anywhere from a few cents to $250 per story). A group of 30 volunteer editors help shape about 75 to 100 stories a day, including stories on Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic and exclusive live video of Tibetan protests in Tiananmen Square during the Beijing Olympics. "We are not trying to replace the mainstream media," she says, "but complement it with a slightly different perspective." The company earned $75,000 in revenue last year and Sterne estimates it will bring in $225,000 in 2009.
Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse
Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises
Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation
http://www.groundreport.com/
Rachel Sterne, 25
New York, N.Y.
An internship at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in 2005 convinced Sterne that there was a huge gap in the West's international news coverage and awareness in the West of what was actually happening on the ground. "I thought there must be a better way for people to share stories, create emotional engagements about the world, as well as break the barriers of censorship and media bias," she says. Her answer: democratize news publishing.
In 2007, with seed money pulled from savings and family, Sterne launched Ground Report, a Web site that enables anyone to publish news and opinion stories, as well as streaming video reports. Ad revenue and partnership fees cover operations costs and pay its 4,000 global contributors (their fees are based on story traffic; they can earn anywhere from a few cents to $250 per story). A group of 30 volunteer editors help shape about 75 to 100 stories a day, including stories on Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic and exclusive live video of Tibetan protests in Tiananmen Square during the Beijing Olympics. "We are not trying to replace the mainstream media," she says, "but complement it with a slightly different perspective." The company earned $75,000 in revenue last year and Sterne estimates it will bring in $225,000 in 2009.
Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse
Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises
Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation
Jumat, 01 Mei 2009
Crazy Business Ideas - WeShootBottles.Com
Link of the day - The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life
http://www.weshootbottles.com/
The pro photography scene might be in for a revival, thanks to a Yorkshire-based studio with a razor-sharp focus and web-based approach. Their name says it all: We Shoot Bottles. The studio takes photos of everything from gin to fabric softener. As long as it’s a bottle, they’ll take a professional shot of it for GBP 30 or less.
It’s all done remotely: clients send bottles to We Shoot Bottles' office, where they're shot at high resolution by a professional photographer. After a bit of re-touching to get rid of scrapes and scratches, a cut-out path is created for the client to either use in print or web design, allowing for professional-looking white or coloured backgrounds. Finally, the images are uploaded to the Bottle Bank, where clients or their designers can access them. Or, if preferred, a cd-rom can be sent through the post.
Everything on offer is straightforward and to-the-point, from the studio’s process and copy–a single-page site says everything in around 150 words—to pricing. In contrast to most traditional studios, prices are disclosed upfront—appealing to time- and money-strapped solopreneurs who need professional services at start-up prices, and saving the studio the hassle of preparing individual quotes. We Shoot Bottles was launched earlier this year as a side project for Red Photography Ltd. One to expand on in other regions, and for other product categories?
During This Recession, Expect To Be Put On Hold
No Love For The Wedding Industry During Recession.
Man Charged With Killing Hawk To Help Squirrel
The Business Of Grease
http://www.weshootbottles.com/
The pro photography scene might be in for a revival, thanks to a Yorkshire-based studio with a razor-sharp focus and web-based approach. Their name says it all: We Shoot Bottles. The studio takes photos of everything from gin to fabric softener. As long as it’s a bottle, they’ll take a professional shot of it for GBP 30 or less.
It’s all done remotely: clients send bottles to We Shoot Bottles' office, where they're shot at high resolution by a professional photographer. After a bit of re-touching to get rid of scrapes and scratches, a cut-out path is created for the client to either use in print or web design, allowing for professional-looking white or coloured backgrounds. Finally, the images are uploaded to the Bottle Bank, where clients or their designers can access them. Or, if preferred, a cd-rom can be sent through the post.
Everything on offer is straightforward and to-the-point, from the studio’s process and copy–a single-page site says everything in around 150 words—to pricing. In contrast to most traditional studios, prices are disclosed upfront—appealing to time- and money-strapped solopreneurs who need professional services at start-up prices, and saving the studio the hassle of preparing individual quotes. We Shoot Bottles was launched earlier this year as a side project for Red Photography Ltd. One to expand on in other regions, and for other product categories?
During This Recession, Expect To Be Put On Hold
No Love For The Wedding Industry During Recession.
Man Charged With Killing Hawk To Help Squirrel
The Business Of Grease
Selasa, 28 April 2009
MissPoop.Com Success Story
Link of the day - The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don’t Need
http://misspoop.com/
When someone is trying to think of a potential business to launch, it is unlikely that poop would be the first think they’d think of. For Miriam that was an idea, and it turned out to be a profitable one.
Since MissPoop launched a couple years ago it has grown at extraordinary rates. By keeping her service area local, making smart choices, and through positive word of mouth advertising, she has continued to profit through the recession, too.
If you ever wondered whether the pooper scooper business could do well, MissPoop has the answer.
Tell us a little bit about MissPoop.
MissPoop- Dog Waste Management is basically a pooper scooper service. We visit our clients yards one to two times a week and pick up the dog feces. Once wrapped up in a brightly colored plastic bag, we leave the “package” by the owner’s garage or garbage. In addition to poop scooping, we do keep an eye out on your dogs feces to look for signs of ill-health, foreign objects and other danger signals.
How’d you manage to stumble into this kind of business?
MissPoop was started seven and a half years ago. I had a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, left during a downsizing with a healthy package and my retirement saving and invested EVERYTHING into another business with a person who I knew socially and professionally. Our business grew, however she was stealing money from the business. When I discovered the losses, she offered to buy me out. To make a very long, bloody story short, she did not buy me out, she stole more money and while I was waiting for the court to figure this out, I went back to the pharmaceutical word. Bored out of my mind and frustrated beyond belief, I knew I had to start another business. So I did some soul searching and decided that any thing I did have to involve five criteria. It has to:
* be financially responsible so I could support myself and my future.
* involve me creatively in some manner every day.
* be emotionally rewarding and stabilizing (no bullshit politics etc).
* involve outdoor, physical activity every day since I knew I needed to stay healthy.
* be spiritually fulfilling. I wasn’t even sure I know what that meant to me at the time, but I knew I needed good, clean energy and people or dogs around me.
My boyfriend said to me one night as I was trying to brainstorm complicate business ideas, why don’t you pick up dog poop? I was mortified that he would even suggest such a thing, but I went to my computer, looked it up and called a few of the early pooper scoopers and asked for advice. They were all extremely helpful and within a week, I had written a brief business plan, bought minimal supplies, printed up business cards, created flyers and started. I practiced my “technique” in my backyard.
Where are your services located?
MissPoop covers a ten mile radius area outside of Valley Forge Park, Pennsylvania. We focus on several types of neighborhoods and contrary to popular opinion; our client base is not just the wealthy, but all income levels.
Has the recession had any effect on your business?
I have been extremely fortunate. Throughout the past several years I have done several things to insure customer loyalty and it has paid off in a variety of ways. I have not added fuel taxes or increase, but tightened up my route so that we worked smarter. I offer discounts for solid referrals and we offer great service. MissPoop continues to grow every year, and in the past three years, I have added MissBehave - Dog Training to our repertoire of services. We also pet sit and specialize in fun, active, home-like pet sitting so we are always busy.
What goals would you like to achieve for your business over the next year?
I would like to continue to grow MissPoop by another 25% so that I can keep two part time staff well funded, which also allows me more time to focus on the MissBehave part of the business. MissBehave is the area where I am targeting significant growth for 2009. MissStep, a new dog walking service we started this year is also expected to grow by 50% this year.
Since it’s launch, what kind of growth has it seen?
The first several years I grew by 100% each year. Currently we average a 10-15% growth. We do not advertise at all. I have a webpage, facebook, blog, car signs, business cards and call on all sorts of pet industry suppliers - groomers, lawn services, veterinarians, dog walkers, etc. I network like crazy and it pays off.
What lessons have you learned from your experiences as an entrepreneur?
To stay focused, motivated and keep a schedule. Don’t let things slide and always maintain a professional manner no matter what sort of business you are in. Part of my success is that I present myself and my business as if it were the most honorable profession and respect it for the valuable service it offers to my clients.
What does your business have that helps separate it from the competition?
Most of my competition is pretty good and very professional. While understanding that we are all competitors, we work hard to create an atmosphere of cooperation and referrals. If one of us gets a call in an area we don’t frequent we take all the information, call the other pooper scooper and give them the lead. We also follow-up with the customer to make sure their needs have been met. I love it that my competition and I work that way. It is hard to not get greedy and want to do all the business, but it is just not possible to do it all well if you are spread too thin. I believe our customers appreciate that we go out of the way to get the right service provider to their front door.
How do you maintain balance between your life and your business?
I am not sure that I do that very well. My life revolves around MissPoop, MissBehave and Ben’s Bed and Biscuit. I do take drawing classes, write for both my businesses, and pursue very un-dog like related activities on occasion. For the most part, however, you could say my life has gone to the dogs!
If you could sum up your business pitch into one sentence, what would you say?
My logo has a dog on the toilet, reading the paper. The pitch is as follows: “Until Then, Call Us.” It works very well.
Peter Schiff Talks About The Coming Economic Collapse In US (2006 Video In 8 Parts)
They Sell WHAT On Amazon.Com?
25 Weirdest Collections
http://misspoop.com/
When someone is trying to think of a potential business to launch, it is unlikely that poop would be the first think they’d think of. For Miriam that was an idea, and it turned out to be a profitable one.
Since MissPoop launched a couple years ago it has grown at extraordinary rates. By keeping her service area local, making smart choices, and through positive word of mouth advertising, she has continued to profit through the recession, too.
If you ever wondered whether the pooper scooper business could do well, MissPoop has the answer.
Tell us a little bit about MissPoop.
MissPoop- Dog Waste Management is basically a pooper scooper service. We visit our clients yards one to two times a week and pick up the dog feces. Once wrapped up in a brightly colored plastic bag, we leave the “package” by the owner’s garage or garbage. In addition to poop scooping, we do keep an eye out on your dogs feces to look for signs of ill-health, foreign objects and other danger signals.
How’d you manage to stumble into this kind of business?
MissPoop was started seven and a half years ago. I had a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, left during a downsizing with a healthy package and my retirement saving and invested EVERYTHING into another business with a person who I knew socially and professionally. Our business grew, however she was stealing money from the business. When I discovered the losses, she offered to buy me out. To make a very long, bloody story short, she did not buy me out, she stole more money and while I was waiting for the court to figure this out, I went back to the pharmaceutical word. Bored out of my mind and frustrated beyond belief, I knew I had to start another business. So I did some soul searching and decided that any thing I did have to involve five criteria. It has to:
* be financially responsible so I could support myself and my future.
* involve me creatively in some manner every day.
* be emotionally rewarding and stabilizing (no bullshit politics etc).
* involve outdoor, physical activity every day since I knew I needed to stay healthy.
* be spiritually fulfilling. I wasn’t even sure I know what that meant to me at the time, but I knew I needed good, clean energy and people or dogs around me.
My boyfriend said to me one night as I was trying to brainstorm complicate business ideas, why don’t you pick up dog poop? I was mortified that he would even suggest such a thing, but I went to my computer, looked it up and called a few of the early pooper scoopers and asked for advice. They were all extremely helpful and within a week, I had written a brief business plan, bought minimal supplies, printed up business cards, created flyers and started. I practiced my “technique” in my backyard.
Where are your services located?
MissPoop covers a ten mile radius area outside of Valley Forge Park, Pennsylvania. We focus on several types of neighborhoods and contrary to popular opinion; our client base is not just the wealthy, but all income levels.
Has the recession had any effect on your business?
I have been extremely fortunate. Throughout the past several years I have done several things to insure customer loyalty and it has paid off in a variety of ways. I have not added fuel taxes or increase, but tightened up my route so that we worked smarter. I offer discounts for solid referrals and we offer great service. MissPoop continues to grow every year, and in the past three years, I have added MissBehave - Dog Training to our repertoire of services. We also pet sit and specialize in fun, active, home-like pet sitting so we are always busy.
What goals would you like to achieve for your business over the next year?
I would like to continue to grow MissPoop by another 25% so that I can keep two part time staff well funded, which also allows me more time to focus on the MissBehave part of the business. MissBehave is the area where I am targeting significant growth for 2009. MissStep, a new dog walking service we started this year is also expected to grow by 50% this year.
Since it’s launch, what kind of growth has it seen?
The first several years I grew by 100% each year. Currently we average a 10-15% growth. We do not advertise at all. I have a webpage, facebook, blog, car signs, business cards and call on all sorts of pet industry suppliers - groomers, lawn services, veterinarians, dog walkers, etc. I network like crazy and it pays off.
What lessons have you learned from your experiences as an entrepreneur?
To stay focused, motivated and keep a schedule. Don’t let things slide and always maintain a professional manner no matter what sort of business you are in. Part of my success is that I present myself and my business as if it were the most honorable profession and respect it for the valuable service it offers to my clients.
What does your business have that helps separate it from the competition?
Most of my competition is pretty good and very professional. While understanding that we are all competitors, we work hard to create an atmosphere of cooperation and referrals. If one of us gets a call in an area we don’t frequent we take all the information, call the other pooper scooper and give them the lead. We also follow-up with the customer to make sure their needs have been met. I love it that my competition and I work that way. It is hard to not get greedy and want to do all the business, but it is just not possible to do it all well if you are spread too thin. I believe our customers appreciate that we go out of the way to get the right service provider to their front door.
How do you maintain balance between your life and your business?
I am not sure that I do that very well. My life revolves around MissPoop, MissBehave and Ben’s Bed and Biscuit. I do take drawing classes, write for both my businesses, and pursue very un-dog like related activities on occasion. For the most part, however, you could say my life has gone to the dogs!
If you could sum up your business pitch into one sentence, what would you say?
My logo has a dog on the toilet, reading the paper. The pitch is as follows: “Until Then, Call Us.” It works very well.
Peter Schiff Talks About The Coming Economic Collapse In US (2006 Video In 8 Parts)
They Sell WHAT On Amazon.Com?
25 Weirdest Collections
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