Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Where Web 2.0 Started
September 5th, 2007
Matthew| Google
Founded: 1998
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| Facebook
Founded 2004
Co-founder Mark Zuckerberg started the company at Harvard’s Kirkland House dorm, in the suite he shared with roommates Dustin Moskovitz (now VP for product engineering) and Chris Hughes (once a company spokesman). Facebook’s success is already legendary, although Zuckerberg now faces a federal lawsuit alleging that he stole the idea from a rival social-networking site. |
| Craigslist
Founded: 1995
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| Mozilla
Founded 2002
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| Linden Lab
Founded: 1999
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| Digg
Founded: 2004
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Print From Your Cell Phone
August 24th, 2007
MatthewIf you’re an on-the-go entrepreneur, you’ll want to check out this latest printing technology from Hewlett-Packard. Cloudprint is a free service that makes it possible to print documents on any printer just about anywhere in the world. With Cloudprint, users can store and print documents using a cell phone. The technology allows travelers to take their documents with them, no matter where they go, simply by bringing along a cell phone and access to a nearby printer. Don’t know where that local printer is? The service will also offer a directory displaying the location of the nearest available printer on Google Maps.
Free Business Software
August 24th, 2007
MatthewIn your day-to-day operations you probably use software for a variety of purposes, ranging from e-mail to accounting. Much of this software you can be using for free. But before you get too excited and think you should build your entire business on free software, take a step back.
While free software cuts down on expenditures, it often comes with minimal or no support. If the software you’re using is a critical part of your business operations, consider paying for it to get support.
Office Productivity–competes with Microsoft Office, Corel Word Perfect
Open Officeis a software suite that contains word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, illustrator, database and mathematical equation creator modules. If you don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a competing product, Open Office is a viable option.
Customer Relationship Management–competes with Salesforce.com, Microsoft CRM
Sugar CRMis open source software that provides robust sales management, marketing automation, customer support and reporting capabilities. If you find that you’re managing your customer relationships using your PDA, e-mail address book or maybe the back of a napkin, you need a system that’s more robust and has more features.
E-mail Hosting–competes with Webmail.us, Mi8.com, Kerio, Microsoft Exchange
E-mail is one of the most important services your business needs. You can pay a monthly fee for a hosted e-mail service, or you can host your e-mail server yourself and pay for someone on your staff or a local techie to manage it for you.
Google has a service–Google Apps–that offers smaller businesses free e-mail hosting. You get up to 2 GB of storage per user.
Blue Tie also offers a free e-mail hosting service. You can sign up 20 users and every one of them gets 5GB of storage.
PDF Creation–competes with Adobe Acrobat
Want to create a PDF document instead of merely reading them? Then you’ll need a PDF creator. You can buy Adobe Acrobat, or you can download the free Primo PDF creator, which is what I use. Once you download it, you’ll be able to begin creating PDF documents.
There’s also a lot of software you can download to try out for free. If you’re satisfied with it, you can then buy the full version of the software after a certain number of days–usually 15 or 30. If you don’t pay for the software, it will lock up or revert to a reduced-use mode. Download.com is a great resource for this. Look not just for large software packages, but also for add-on software that can boost your productivity. You can often find quality add-on software for your gadgets–BlackBerry, Treo and iPod–as well.
There are some things, however, you shouldn’t skimp on, such as you business’ security, your website, and your logo. It’s your business, show you care.
Temecula Wine Country
August 18th, 2007
MatthewOur office is located in Temecula, approximately 5 miles from Temecula Wine Country. I came across this article and had to add it. We have personally helped set up two wineries without a location. They are online wineries and have grown into extremely successful businesses.
Wine Without the Vineyard
With options like custom crush facilities, wine lovers don’t have to buy a vineyard or build facilities to bottle their own creations.
One of Judd Finkelstein’s favorite things about being a winemaker at his family’s Napa Valley winery is getting his hands dirty, whether that means picking the grapes, punching down the cap or working with the barrels. But being a winemaker these days doesn’t always mean attentively tending to a vineyard–or even being in the same state where your wine is produced.
In addition to Judd’s Hill Winery, which produces less than 3,000 cases of wine per year, the Finkelstein family also owns Judd’s Hill MicroCrush, a custom crush facility that helps approximately 100 clients make their own wine. They’ll do everything from sourcing the grapes from Napa Valley vineyards to designing the label and bottling. In fact, Finkelstein says some long-time clients have never visited the winery. But he also has a client from North Carolina who’ll fly to California with 48 hours notice during harvest season, arriving in the “predawn darkness with picking shears in hand.”
People have a passion for the art of winemaking and want to be involved in the process,” Finkelstein says. Virtual winemaking–making wine without owning a crushing facility–has become a popular alternative. As of November 2006, there were 5,970 wineries in the U.S., with 1,587 of those being virtual wineries, according to Wine Business Monthly. And Provina’s $3,499 egg-shaped WinePod, which allows enthusiasts to make wine in their homes, is a bestseller. The 2006 model sold out, and there’s a waiting list for the 2007 version.
Alternatives like these are turning winemaking into a more accessible process for Americans, who are embracing wine. “People are realizing it’s pretty easy to do,” says Paul Beveridge, a lawyer who also has been making wine for the past 19 years and teaches a course on winemaking for busy professionals. “It’s like any other art form; you can make it as complicated as you want.”
Many ardent wine lovers would never be able to see their name on a label or barrel without options like custom crushing facilities, co-ops that allow grape growers to share facilities and popular winemaking sites, such as Crushpadwine.com. That’s because the cost of purchasing a vineyard and building facilities continues to increase. In addition, persevering through the lengthy and complicated permitting process can cause more frustration than a glass of wine can cure. In fact, Beveridge jokes–sort of–that you need to be a lawyer to produce and sell wine.
For Trey Busch, owner of Sleight of Hand Cellars–yes, he named it after the Pearl Jam song–virtual winemaking options allowed him to start his own label by keeping capital costs to a minimum. Busch was working as a winemaker at Basel Cellars in Washington state when he created a business plan for his own winery, which he started a few months ago. “I thought, If I’m going to work this hard, I want it to be for myself,” he says. Friends and fellow enthusiasts Sandy and Jerry Solomon agreed to provide the financing and now serve as his business partners.
Busch produces two types of wines under the Sleight of Hand label: “negociant” project wines, which are blends of purchased juice that sell for less than $20, and wines made at a custom crush facility from sourced grapes. The negociant wines have allowed him to generate income immediately, since he doesn’t have to wait for the wine to age. His first harvest for the custom crush line will be in 2007, and he’ll release those wines in 2009. Customers can imbibe at the company’s tasting room in Walla Walla, Washington, which also serves as Busch’s office. “You don’t have to put up a ton of capital this way,” he says.
To differentiate his wines, Busch has put a lot of time and effort into marketing. “It’s the second most important thing next to quality,” he says. “Most consumers are guilty of buying wine based on how the label looks.” To coincide with the Sleight of Hand theme, Busch hired a graphic poster designer to create images for the labels based on 1920s and ’30s magic posters. His business cards look like a deck of cards on the back, and he hired a magician for the grand opening.
While Busch quit his day job as a corporate buyer at Nordstrom to get into the winemaking business in 2000, Beveridge says giving up your main stream of income isn’t necessary. Rather than following the model of “retiring as a wealthy lawyer and purchasing a vineyard,” he began making wine when he was a young law associate and has owned Wilridge Winery in Seattle since 1988. He says throughout the years, there have been very few occasions when he’s had to take an emergency day to harvest grapes or tend to other pressing matters at his winery, which produces 1,500 cases of wine per year. And aside from grape growers, Judd’s Hill MicroCrush counts many business executives among its clientele.
As wine’s popularity continues to grow in the U.S., the market for virtual winemaking will likely increase as well. Beveridge attributes a 1991 60 Minutes episode proclaiming wine’s health benefits to the beverage’s initial U.S. market boost. It was only one year later that Judd’s Hill began crushing grapes as a favor to two growers as a way to market their produce to grape-purchasing wineries. Both sides of the U.S. wine landscape have since continued a simultaneous upward climb.
“Wine has always held this mystique as one of life’s finer pleasures and people have maybe been a little intimidated by it,” Finkelstein says. “Now that we’ve made it accessible, and more and more people have more disposable income, too, winemaking has become very appealing.”
But for some, there’s still no substitute for the complete package. “I’m the only person who owns this piece of land,” Beveridge says of the vineyard he recently purchased after buying grapes for 19 years. “I’m going to be the only person growing grapes there. And to have total artistic control of the process–that’s the ultimate.”
Start a home based business
August 15th, 2007
MatthewHere’s the truth, beginning a successful home based business has never been easier.
Therefore, many people out there try to tear the idea down and discourage you in your efforts.
Ignore them and move forward.
Key 1: Expanding Personal Focus
It is my belief that no one will achieve long lasting success unless they are working on their one true core desire. You should first focus on what stirs you passionately and tap into that energy.
Identify your goals, desires and the purpose you have for creating a successful business at home. If the reason why you are doing this is big enough the how will reveal itself.
The essential arousing foundation of your wish to begin a home based business is the intent that you use to begin, and to push on.
Your main purpose for your work at home lifestyle is contained in this inner desire. Whereas the outer intent lets, you know what purpose your home based business will do to be beneficial to others.
You should keep in mind that more than likely someone has already begun a home based business like your own. Of course, everyone is different as well as his or her desires are different.
You will become inspired by understanding your true focus, rather than to doubt yourself.
Key 2: Instant Impact Of A Message
Normally a customer will wonder to themselves when they find a product, what will this product do for me or how will it help me?
Their question should be answered in the first ten seconds without wasting time.
Therefore, your message of impact should instantly inform the customer the value of your product or service, and persuade them to do business with you.
Creating this remarkable marketing message can be easy and does not take a long time to do. You must make sure that the message stays focused while clarifying the purpose of the item for their needs.
Once you have come up with an inspiring sales message you should use it on all your business endeavors.
For instance place the message on your web site and business cards, just about anywhere you can think to display this message will encourage people to find out about or see your business, making the world aware of you and your successful home based businesses.
Key 3: Discovering What Works
Do the research to find out which business methods have been successful for others in work at home businesses to find out what measures should be taken and then compare their applications to your own.
This will save you lots of money while figuring out the best workable methods for your at home business.
Look to see what type of article content they use and then make yours even better.
You should regularly invest time in keeping current with research and updates. Before using expensive methods, you should learn about and use the many free tools available online for use in your home business.
Key 4: Perform a Reality Check
When beginning a successful home based business, there will be many hidden complications that you may uncover. Do not let this discourage you from your route of moving forward.
You must be realistic in all ways both positive and negative.
Learn how what is successful now can be improved, while keeping in mind the obvious and unnecessary problems so you are better able to work around them to create multiple successful home based businesses.
Remember success leaves clues. You must constantly be on the look out for resources and people that will show you the path to your desires.
If not us, get someone who cares to help you quick. It will short-cut your learning curve, and save you lots of money you might spend on useless efforts.
To help you discover what works we have put together a business tips area on our website.
We are going to photoshop world 07
August 8th, 2007
MatthewWe are going to the Home of the largest Photoshop® training event in the world…
Intoday’s market, efficiency, productivity, and creativity are in very high demand, and that’s why each year thousands of Photoshop users from around the world come to Photoshop World. It’s where you’ll learn the latest cutting-edge techniques, the fastest and most effective ways to work in Adobe Photoshop, and the hottest and most amazing new Photoshop tips from a hand-picked team of the industry’s most talented and creative instructors.
This conference brings together photographers, designers, artists, educators, motion graphics designers, and Photoshop users of every kind for a three-day Photoshop love fest of training, learning, and fun.
Be warned, We will be in Vegas from Sept 6-8
Next Generation Computers
August 7th, 2007
MatthewForget about the keyboard and mouse. The next generation computers will be hands-on. Microsoft, has presented via popularmechanics.com a top secret project, codenamed Milan. This technology is called “surface computing” and uses multi-touch technology to interact with the user, or users. The beauty of multi-touch technology is that, unlike traditional devices such as the cursor of the mouse, or the touch-screen, it’s capable of processing multi-finger, multi-users screen interactions. The video will explain better. Enjoy !
YouTube.com Shut Down?
August 4th, 2007
MatthewCan Bob Tur Shut Down YouTube?
Remember the LA riots when Reginal Denny was dragged out of his red truck and beat. The video you saw was shot by Bob Tur. He is suing youtube.com.
Over the years, he estimates, the Denny tape has generated about $5 million in licensing fees. But Tur has spent almost an equal amount filing lawsuits to protect his content. All of which led to the day last spring when he happened upon an article in The Wall Street Journal about an upstart video-sharing Website whose users were uploading clips of dogs skateboarding and grandmothers belching and, oh yeah, copyrighted news footage. Tur logged on and, after two clicks, watched his Denny video. A few weeks later, like a small bottle tossed before the mob of big entertainment companies like Viacom began their battle for control of digital media, Tur became the first person to sue YouTube for copyright infringement.
Tur wants YouTube shuttered until its parent company, Google, can guarantee his videos and other copyrighted content won’t reappear after being taken down. And even if there’s a filtering technology out there that really works (despite Google’s April announcement of such a technology, Tur is skeptical), he wants a court to say the law doesn’t shield YouTube-like services, so he’s protected from whatever site becomes the next big thing.
Online Clothing Sales Grow
August 4th, 2007
adminIn the past, one of the most challenging areas of online sales was clothing. However, an article in todays’ New York Times, shows that this e-commerce sales of clothing is showing a healthy upward trend. In 2006, revenue from skirts, suits and shoes reached $18.3 billion, surpassing that from PCs, printers and word-processing programs, which totaled $17.2 billion, according to a report to be released today by a major trade group.
The surging popularity of clothing on the Web defies predictions that fashion — which is hard enough to buy in stores, with the aid of sales clerks and fitting rooms — would be difficult, if not impossible, to translate onto the Internet.
Cyber Squatters
August 2nd, 2007
MatthewI received a few calls this week in regards to “cyber-squatters” There’s a new batch of scams going around now that can damage your company as domain "squatters" steal your domain name.
In an effort to assist, I was able to find the following resources:
If you find yourself a victim of domain hijacking, there is hope for correcting the problem.
For a more formal explanation of the legal aspects of this problem, visit: http://www.llrx.com/congress/100200.htm
For specific information on the UDRP (Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy), the procedure for taking domain names that are being used in violation of a trademark, see http://wipo2.wipo.int/process1/index.html .
For information on taking action under the Anti-Cybersquatting Act (A US law that provides for damages in addition to the less severe penalties of the UDRP) contact us.