This Issue’s Top Stories:
MARKETING
Reaching Her
We introduce you to SheSpeaks, a national network of smart and insightful women who have a special opportunity to test products and influence them. SheSpeaks gives you a forum to tell companies what you need, what you want, what you like and what you don’t. And, as the SheSpeaks network grows, so does the power of our collective voices.
NON-PROFIT & CHARITY
White Cane Label
Two Rochester Institute of Technology students, Jaimen Brill and Asmah Abushagur, are launching an online clothing site for the blind and visually impaired. The site, White Cane Label, is a non-profit effort to help blind people shop online and easily keep track of their wardrobe without the help of a sighted friend.
GADGETS
New MP3 Concept
Why is it that the best designs almost always seem to be just concepts? Oh right, they don’t have to work. Still, that won’t stop us from admiring this lighted, cylindrical MP3 player, which looks more like a Lightsaber than a music gadget. (There’s no reason, of course, it can’t be both.)
AUTOMOBILES
Easy Car Buying
Americans who are in the market for new automobiles, but don’t want the headaches of searching or haggling for the best price, now have an alternative that can help them sidestep the usual dealership woes—No Haggles, a new car buying service that promises to save customers time and money by negotiating all of the details of the sale on their behalf.
CONSUMER GOODS
Chew For Babies
These pendants by Smart Mom Jewelry look good enough to eat, which is the whole idea. Colorful heart- or donut-shaped pendants of food-safe, phthalate-free, federally approved silicone adorn the mom and satisfy her teething baby at the same time.
FOOD & BEVERAGES
All-Natural Worcestershire Sauce
Enjoyed by the British since the reign of Queen Victoria, Worcestershire Sauce is surely one of our more versatile and well-loved “secret ingredients”. So when Geo Organics decided to produce a version that is not only organic but vegetarian and gluten-free, they knew they faced a challenge to meet the exacting standards of Worcestershire Sauce fans.
EDUCATION
Baby Jamz
Mathew Knowles’ Music World Entertainment has partnered with Planet Toys to launch the first ever hip-hop/rhythm inspired preschool toy line promoting creativity, learning and movement through music. Mr. Knowles, who has made it a top priority to create and release “child-friendly” music content over the past year with his Kid’s Rap Radio series, has brought to fruition this groundbreaking line of innovative, educational and musically stimulating toys.
GADGETS
Gamers’ Chair
Lumisource presents BoomChair, a piece of multi- media furniture for the purpose of entertainment. They feature interior speakers and vibration motors that enhance video games, music and movies. You’ll actually feel a part of them. They are made out of different materials including, Microsaude, vinyl, and mesh.
TECHNOLOGY
Best Tech Help
Most small-business owners can’t afford consultants or an IT staff. For tech support, they draw on other resources: neighbors, friends, relatives — anyone they know who might have a handle on a tech issue they don’t understand. But there are other sources that small businesses can turn to for reliable, inexpensive and even free tech support: online, government, and academics.
HOW-TO GUIDES
How To Get More Customers
The good news and bad news about marketing is that price and results are not necessarily connected. You can pay the same price for poor results as you would for great results. By planning your marketing well, you can put more quality into it and therefore, get better results out of it.
WORK LIFE
Time of Crisis
The everyday pressures of running our businesses may feel like life and death on a daily basis – collecting payment, running payroll and managing various personalities. These can lead to high pressure situations for even the most prepared entrepreneurs. When crises do happen, they put real life in perspective.
SALES & MARKETING
WOM Important For Business
With the increasing number of blogs and consumer review sites on the web many marketers are concentrating all of their efforts with these kinds of word-of-mouth efforts. And with 66 million adults sharing information online it is understandable why online may take precedence. However, marketers need to be just as aware of how their products and brands are faring offline.
PEOPLE & MANAGEMENT
Develop Profitable Relationships
No question about it; you provide one of the most valuable services imaginable. However, without an ongoing and ever-increasing number of new, quality prospects, you’ll eventually run out of people with whom to share the benefits. Develop profitable, win/win relationships with practically every new person you meet – whether one on one or in a social setting.
ONLINE BUSINESS
Neighbour + Navigate
The search-engine leader in South Korea, with 77 percent of searches, is a home-grown site called Naver.com. Founded in 1999 by NHN, an online gaming company, Naver capitalizes on both the lack of Korean-language content online as well as the interest amongst Koreans to try to help each other out.
STARTING UP
Now Your Passionate Job
You’ve worked hard, you’ve invested well, and now you have the financial means to exit early. While others might be perplexed by the unscheduled blocks of time in retirement, you know exactly what you want to do. Now you’d like to turn that hobby or passion into your life’s work.
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Influx Insights: One of the secrets behind the new premiums was that they didn’t rely on advertising, instead they found a way to get the bar staff and bar tenders on their side and used the power of recommendation.
