Author: Pamela Swift

30 Greatest Entrepreneurs

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date July 11, 2007

BusinessWeek: Who are the greatest entrepreneurs of all time? We could spend a lifetime compiling a list without ever agreeing on who deserves a mention. From the pirates of Silicon Valley to the captains of industry, there are far too many figures to choose from to give anyone the final say.
In other words, we acknowledge our list’s inherent subjectivity. To compile it, we picked the brains of professors, authors, and BusinessWeek staffers. Our criteria for entrepreneurs to be considered among the greatest was simple. If they had the vision to create new markets or tap into underserved markets, changing the way people lived in the process, then they were candidates on a list we whittled down to 30 players.
The Greatest Entrepreneurs of All Time [BusinessWeek]

Business Ideas

The Big Idea

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date July 9, 2007

Blogtrepreneur: Everyone on the net is searching for that big idea, that one thought or brainwave that will transform their internet lives into being small and unknown to being an A-list celebrity (or bloglebrity) and mega-rich (having sold your site to Google of course).
But it’s easier said than done. With the multitude of blogs and websites out there, each and every niche is becoming saturated and full to the brim with the same clones of the original. First it was the pixel sites which tried to claw on the back of Alex Tew, then Digg clones and now Youtube clones – no-one these days seems to be taking the time to create that one big site that will dominate all.
Having just broken up for the summer holidays (or vacation for the Americans out there), I felt that I needed to get that one massive idea that would springboard me from being an average Joe blogger. These are the methods I used in attempting such a feat:
1. What have you achieved so far?
2. Stick to your comfort zone.
3. Research, research, research.
4. Plan to the final detail.
How You Can Find That One Big Idea [Blogtrepreneur]

Newsletter

BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 47

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date July 8, 2007

This Issue’s Top Stories:
LIFESTYLE & LUXURY
Dating Cards
In a variation on online dating, two new concepts allow people to connect online after first meeting (briefly) in the physical world. Canadian Admit an Attraction prints Attraction Tickets for members. Members hand out a ticket to someone they meet in public. A ticket receiver can then go online to check out the member’s profile using a unique access code, and get in touch if the attraction is mutual.
Sleep Music
If your mind wanders before three, try Bedtime Beats, a CD designed to help you snooze. Unlike your Ambien/Prosecco experiment, the sleep aid was mixed by real scientists. The smarty-pants at Case Western Reserve University discovered that classical music played at 60-80 beats per minute can improve your sleep.
Jetpack Flight
All those promises of a future with jetpacks getting you from here to there have finally come true. Before you start planning your trip to Miami, the amazing JetPack will only give you a 3 min thrill ride.
EDUCATION
Ace Test With Warcraft Manga
Good news for manga-loving teens: Reading Warcraft can help you pass the SATs. Kaplan Publishing has partnered with TokyoPop on a manga series designed to give kids a leg up on the verbal part of the dreaded test.
SERVICES
Hearts Truck
Already a hit in L.A. among the kind of crowd that populates the The Cobra Snake’s website, Heartschallenger is kind of a gourmet hipster Good Humor truck. Often making appearances (for hire) at parties and festivals, Heartschallenger is stocked with a global buffet of frozen treats ranging from Japanese mochi and Italian…
AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL
Planters’ Buddy
The 7-in-one planters’ buddy is an ingenious, trowel-like garden tool that truly multi-tasks. Why it’s cool: You’ll probably find way more than seven ways to use this slick new stainless steel tool (and the fact that it could double as a weapon of self-defense isn’t even one of
SPECIAL FEATURE
MIT’s Annual InvenTeams
Evans was suffering a stroke that day five years ago. It robbed him of his ability to walk and speak. But a device developed by a team of high school students now allows Evans, of Los Altos Hills, Calif., to use a laser pointer to do basic tasks with a turn of his head.
HOW-TO-GUIDES
How To Build Positive Relationship
Positive relationships are the key to success in business. What if we’ve already burned bridges with the people we’ve done business with in the past? Is it too late to make peace? Or, how do we prevent burning bridges with the people we’re doing business with now?
How To Start Or Grow Your Business
Are you an entrepreneur seeking to start or grow your existing business? Then you definitely want to take advantage of these exclusive training segments from educators like Brian Tracy, Dr. Joe Vitale, Dan Poynter and Bob Doyle; over 4 hours of detailed online video training. This is your “Business Success Scholarship”, compliments of Northstar Thinktank.
WORK LIFE
Beating Startup Stress
If you burn out in a new business venture, it’s the result of intense and arguably greater pressure built up over a shorter interval, and it’s infinitely harder to walk away.
SALES AND MARKETING
Consumers Evangelist
Recently, my colleague Max Kalehoff and I put together a list of “Top Ten Principles of Consumer Consumer Generated Ad Campaigns.” Max added a few additional thoughts on top of this list in his most recent MediaPost column. Key message: by all means test the waters, but keep a good check list in front of you!
CUSTOMER SERVICE
What Customers Want
JetBlue remains the best low-cost carrier for the third straight year, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. Linda Hirneise, executive director believes JetBlue kept its ranking because the airline commands a fiercely loyal customer following with its modern amenities.
BUSINESS IDEAS
Budding Business Ideas
Young British entrepreneurs are launching a new website to house spare business ideas that can be developed by anyone that finds them interesting. James Murray Wells, the twenty four-year-old multi-millionaire founder of www.glassesdirect.co.uk, and Oli Barrett, founder of new ideas company Connected Capital, are behind the venture. It will be launched this week and is called IdeaVolcano.com
STARTING UP
Beat The Rivals
Competition is as inevitable in business as death and taxes are in human existence. Even if your startup business has stolen a march on the rest of the world with your product, service, execution, distribution or customer service, somebody else will inevitably try to chase you down and beat you at your own game.

View this issue of the BIZNESS! Newsletter by clicking here. Subscribe for free by clicking here

Home-Based Business

Home Biz Myths Debunked

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date July 3, 2007

PowerHomeBiz: Be careful of myths and misconceptions about home business management presented as gospel truth! Many of these myths are as widely held as they are wrong.
Many entrepreneurs, when they start out, are so full of confidence and positive energy that no problems can stand in the way. However, in the course of starting, running and selling small businesses, it is somehow inevitable that mistakes will be made.
Minimize your mistakes by looking at the knowing myths and misconceptions with healthy skepticism about home business management presented as gospel truth.
Myth 1: A home-based business has no overhead costs.
Myth 2: I will not need childcare if l work from home.
Myth 3: If I have a home business, I will have time to clean house, continue to volunteer at church and school, cook delectable meals, taxi the kids to all their activities, and have a meaningful, personal relationship with a “significant other.”
Myth 4: I have a great idea that I know will make me lots of money, and I hope to start it next week.
Myth 5: If I work from home, I can be much more casual in both how I dress and how I treat my customers.
The Truths about Home-Based Businesses [PowerHomeBiz]

Franchise

New Franchise World

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date July 2, 2007

StartupJournal: Bob McQuillan runs a tight ship at his Hollywood Tans franchise in Arlington, Va. He knows precisely when workers clock in and out, who each of his daily customers are and which employees are selling what products, at regular price, or discount. But there’s a twist: He’s doing all this micromanaging from home — 133 miles away in Mullica Hill, N.J.
“We monitor the business remotely via the Internet,” says Mr. McQuillan, who co-owns the store with his wife and another business partner.
While a manager handles the tanning salon’s day-to-day affairs, he pulls up data from afar by computer. A fingerprint scanner monitors workers’ arrivals and departures, while intricate software tallies sales data and pricing, almost in real time. “I’m down there once every three months,” he says.
The franchising world is letting loose. Gone are the days of one owner being chained behind the counter of a single store day in, day out. Today, there are absentee owners who oversee their operations from laptops and Treos, and owners who maintain dual careers or run multiple franchises. At Hollywood Tanning Systems Inc., more than half of the 330 franchise owners have another job. The chief executive of Sport Clips Inc. hair salons estimates that 10 hours a week is a “generous allowance” for owners to physically be in stores. And franchisees for the Decor&You Inc. interior-design business can receive decorating and product training at home whenever they like via online video seminars.
Why Running a Franchise Is Easier Than Ever [StartupJournal]