Entrepreneurship Blog
Change... and Dollars We Can Believe In!
Taking Advantage of a Politically Charged Atmosphere
Campaign season for the general election is in full swing and creative entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the campaign slogans and gaffes to earn some extra money from the endless politicking. If you have a creative mind and follow the political chatter, you can take advantage of the Presidential campaign and promote your business. Find some of the most creative political entrepreneurship here:57 States Lapel Pin
After Obama says that he has visited 57 states now with his campaign for President, creative entreprenuers developed the 57 state lapel pin. Finally, a pin Obama could be proud to wear.
Creative T-Shirts
There are several web services which let you setup shop and sell t-shirts and other gift items. Take advantage of the political season and create your own t-shirt designs, for or against a candidate!
There are countless possibilities for the next gaffe, misstatement, or just to take advantage of the emotions and desires of a political campaign. Read More >>
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NOW is the Time to Start a Business
Many people are doubling down, expecting the worse from the economy, and hoping to just ride out the storm. I'm here to tell you that... the time is NOW to start your next venture! I know, all of the economic geniuses on CNBC are predicting a recession and things are tight. Believe it or not, the true business visionaries and geniuses are taking the time now to invest - because the bottom is the right time to build, not to retract. If you build now, you will catch the economy on the upswing and your investment will return far greater than you would ever expect! 
Warren Buffet is taking an opportunity now, in this economy, to purchase companies, move further into bond insurance, and invest while the market is cooled. The epitomy of value investors, Buffet is a good sign that as the economy retracts, entrepreneurial visionaries will be setting in place their growth plans for their businesses and new ventures. I am not offering this advice lightly or without skin in the game - along with the economic retraction which is occurring, my own business's revenues are falling - quite a bit off from last year. I am reliant on ad revenues and they are soft right now, but instead of pulling back, I am pushing forward with new site launches, an expansion of ExploreStartups, and a new venture to be launched shortly. The softness in many areas of the economy right now provides the perfect backdrop to launch new businesses and stake out new business territory. Been thinking about putting off that next investment? Considering holding back for a couple of months, quarters, maybe until 2009?
Invest at the Bottom, not at the Top of the Cycle
It is ... Read More >>Email This Post | Add to: Digg ~ Del.icio.us ~ Reddit
Start Your Own Home Cleanup Business for Foreclosed Homes
Two blocks away from our house sites an empty, foreclosed home. The side fence is falling down. A realtor we know showed the home and she said it is an absolute mess. This is just one example of thousands of bank owned homes across the nation which need cleaned up and sold.
Start a Foreclosure Cleanup Business
Business for cleanup companies is booming as thousands of people default on their loans and the home becomes owned by a bank - a very motivated seller. For every home cleaned out, there are a dozen others the bank hasn't gotten to, or just doesn't want to deal with.
The Real Cost to the Bank - and the Cost to Homeowners
The bank desires to unload the property and not lose any money on the transaction. Unfortunately, leaving the houses in the condition they are in will not result in a sale near going market price and the bank often cuts the price of the house to unload. The house in our neighborhood is priced at 25% less than the market value of the property. If the bank hired a cleanup company to recondition the property, it would probably make significantly more on the sale and not further depress home prices in the area. What is the Business Concept?
You will be leading a crew to cleanup and prepare a house for sale. Your services would typically include cleaning all of the belongings and junk out of a house, but could also include services such as small repairs (e.g. holes in the walls), wall painting, new carpets, or landscaping. Most companies who perform this service dispose of any junk from the house, but keep things of value (such as furniture, lawnmowers, or appliances) for 30 days before disposing of them. There is an added ... Read More >>Email This Post | Add to: Digg ~ Del.icio.us ~ Reddit
Start Your Own Publishing Business
In 1998, I started my first website, Romancetips.com. Romancetips is a collection of romantic tips, romance advice, date ideas, and all things romantic. Romancetips.com has grown into a site with over 1,000 romantic tips and ideas and I used this as a platform to write a book, Creative Romance. 
Creative Romance was published in 2004 and has enjoyed decent success with a good community of visitors to Romancetips.com. Now, as Valentine's Day approaches, I am reminded of my roots in the web business with Romancetips.com and how it has launched a dozen sites in a variety of topics.
Start My Own Publishing Business
One business idea I recently updated on ExploreStartups.com is How to Start a Publishing Company. If you currently have a book written, or have a platform to provide credibility, you can write a book and self publish it. The finances are such that it works out very well.Print on Demand Economics
The improvements in print-on-demand technology has resulted in the ability to self-publish at a very affordable rate. Let's look at the costs to setup a book and how much money you could potentially make. Your setup charges as a publisher are about $150 to get a book ready with a ... Read More >>Email This Post | Add to: Digg ~ Del.icio.us ~ Reddit
Do You Have What It Takes?
One of the challenges entrepreneurs face is the gut check question, "Do I have what it takes to be a success?" There have been thousands of research projects studying successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs and the differences between them and the general population.
It's Tolerance for Risk, Right?
Actually, no. It is a common misconception that entrepreneurs have a higher tolerance for risk than the general population. Studies have shown that on average, entrepreneurs have the same tolerance for risk as everyone else. There are some entrepreneurs who have a greater tolerance and some who don't, but it is not a deciding factor for success as an entrepreneur.A Supreme Confidence
One of the two attributes that are common in serial entrepreneurs is a supreme confidence in themselves and their business idea. Entrepreneurs have a tendency to be much more confident that their product or service idea will succeed than people in the general population. In the context of starting a business, this is a great attribute to have. If you didn't think your business was going to be successful, you wouldn't have the guts it takes to launch a new business.Draw Conclusions from a Small Sample
The second attribute that is common among serial entrepreneurs is the willingness to draw conclusions from a very small sample. Often the sample has an N of 1, or in other words, the sample is the entrepreneur. Whatever the entrepreneur believes will happen must be what everyone else thinks as well, so it must be a success! If you combine confidence with the willingness to believe the way the entrepreneur thinks is the way everyone should think, you produce a ... Read More >>
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One Page Marketing Plan
A marketing plan is a well researched and well written report detailing the marketing, promotion, and advertising plans for an organization. Essential items in a marketing plan include:
- Internal capabilities and forces which will have a direct effect on marketing efforts
- External opportunities and threats which could affect the company
- Goals and strategies to achieve the company's goals
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs (including myself!) do not complete this planning and do not forsee many of the obstacles to come in the first few months and years of a startup enterprise. To assist in this planning process, I created a one page marketing plan. The One Page Marketing Plan is not meant as a replacement for a full marketing plan, but something to help you in the early stages of a business when you do not yet want to commit to writing a full marketing plan. The One Page Marketing Plan
The One Page Marketing Plan takes the essential parts of a ... Read More >>Email This Post | Add to: Digg ~ Del.icio.us ~ Reddit
Creative and Unique Business Cards
I have been seeking great, unique business card designs lately to base my company’s business cards on. I think a business card tells a lot about your company and I have been looking for something unique and fun to show those characteristics that I want to promote at That Network. I have found a lot of great designs – especially those on Flickr – which shows a lot of great creativity in business card designs. I would love to say “gone are the days of graphicless $9 boxes of cards from the local Printalottastuff,” but unfortunately, there are a lot of really boring cards still out there. Come on people! Liven it up! Bring on the creativity, the panache, the thing that makes me want to keep your card. Design something that drives card scanners nuts and forces people to hand type your information in (all of the Cardscan owners out there hate that!). There are endless possibilities with these little calling cards. I marvel at some of the typefaces selected, how a little type makes a big difference in the image I develop of a company. I hope this little collection of cards expands your thinking and makes you reach for something a little more fun than stock photography and a centered name and title. 
Create a cool die cut and create emptiness on your card. 
Tags for a business card. 
Reflective design – the card is printed in mirror image. Read More >>
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Welcome to the Redesigned ExploreStartups.com!
That Network launched Planthat.com (the predecessor to ExploreStartups.com) in late 2003 to provide the web's largest collection of business ideas. Over the years, it has evolved, but hasn't been what we imagined it would be. We wanted something where we could post articles, business plans, have discussion forums, and more for each business idea. Now, with this relaunch of ExploreStartups.com, we have finally met this goal!
What Will You Find on ExploreStartups.com?
ExploreStartups.com has the largest collection of free business ideas on the Internet! We are adding new business plans, articles, advice, business directories, and more. Additionally, you will find new discussion forums for each business idea where you can discuss starting your own business with fellow entrepreneurs. Each section is an individual business idea with articles, business plans, and a description of the business. This is a great resource to finding a business you can start!Good Luck!
Good luck in your new business venture! Read More >>Email This Post | Add to: Digg ~ Del.icio.us ~ Reddit