By: Co-Editor, RS:
As the decade came to a close, I took a small amount of time to reflect on another year of my life and how the business world has changed. For one reason or another, I started to think about various businesses that used to be in my neck of the woods on Long Island, New York.
One of the things I started to realize is that despite all of the advances in technology its impact on business over the last 10-15 years, the overall effect has not been good for the entrepreneur or the small business owner.
Can you imagine if you wanted to open a hardware store in the suburbs of any large or small city? Good luck. You will never be able to compete with the likes of The Home Depot. How about opening an office supply business? Once again, good luck, as Staples or Office Depot buys in such bulk that one cannot possibly compete on pricing or national advertising.
My recollection of the beginnings of this trend of “Big Business” domination ruining it for entrepreneurs, started in the mid to late 1980’s. It seemed that on every corner of the universe you were able to find a neighborhood video store. Then in the late 1980’s after Wayne Huizenga acquired the Blockbuster name, we started to see these mega-video stores all over the place. There were times you could find numerous Blockbuster stores within a few miles of each other. This phenomenon crushed the small mom and pop video retailer as everyone enjoyed the variety that Blockbuster could offer the consumer due to its ability to carry more inventory.
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By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
As my readers know, this space does not focus solely (or even primarily) on gadgets or the latest technology craze. We focus on startups and issues affecting startups and small business. However, I was recently tipped of to the latest offering from Skullcandy.com. The company that recently launched new earbuds, and based on the fervor in which people espouse the “coolness” of Skullcandy’s other products, this interested me.
As an iPhone user and a user of many things Apple, I am consistently intrigued with how other users defend and protect their mode of headphone (be it earpuds, noise cancellers, etc.). Moreover, the type of headphone (or earbud) one uses can apparently say something about one’s style. Skullcandy has been wildly successful reaching that market.
Skullcandy is a privately held company based in Park City, Utah. Skullcandy designs headphones, mp3 player watches, audio accessories and other audio-enabled lifestyle products, such as backpacks with built-in speakers and iPod controls. Skullcandy also collaborates with select brands to integrate its audio technology into products from snow helmets to outerwear, apparel, packs and bags. Skullcandy gear is sold worldwide through top retailers, specialty outlets.
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By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
Muumuu Heaven operators of MuumuuHeaven.com and its retail outlets, is a true small business success story. They offer one-of-a-kind eco-conscious clothing, jewelry, accessories, homewares and art. The traditional Hawaiian dress, the muumuu, is the inspiration and “objet d’art” that forms the basis for the business with fabric from muumuus transformed into beautiful handmade garments, products and stylish works of art with a contemporary Hawaiian flair. The muumuus are given a new life, hence the name, Muumuu Heaven.
Muumuu Heaven’s small business success story is a great one. Deb and Eric Mascia, a couple in their mid-30s, have built their business from the ground up. When Deb Mascia saw a huge trash bag full of muumuus being thrown out at the thrift store where she volunteered, she asked to keep them, knowing she could give them another life. While the traditional muumuu wasn’t really her style as a fashionable 29 year-old fresh from NYC, Deb was drawn to their wonderfully bright and colorful fabrics with Polynesian motifs. She took the muumuus home and used swatches of the material to create her own personal collection of chic dresses and skirts.
Each time Deb wore her own designs she received compliments from friends and was frequently stopped on the street by eager fashionistas who knew style when they saw it. . She started receiving orders for outfits, and the Mascias’ living room quickly turned into a dressmaker’s workshop.
To market her distinctive threads, Deb started hosting what she calls “skirt parties.” Groups of women would gather to gossip, sip champagne, try on Deb’s latest creations and of course, buy. Deb would not only walk away with all her outfits sold; she’d have pages of orders for custom-made designs.
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By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
There is a great deal of educational content on the Internet; Wikieducator.org, edu.com, Educause, plus many institutions of higher learning offer educational content for free.
Now comes NalandaU.com, a site launched on November 6, 2009 and based in Chennai, India. NalandaU.com is a site with free educational content from top universities and other institutions. There are about 300 courses (6000 videos) in topics ranging from finance to quantum mechanics to iphone programming to macroeconomics. You can watch the lecture videos, take notes, connect with your Facebook friends, take tests, etc.
There are sample courses on the site. The site has one of the largest lecture video collections on the Internet. The site makes it easy to learn and understand ideas that text alone cannot teach. NalandaU.com categorizes and organizes content that makes it easy to find and discover what you need. The site also allows students to connect to each other, take notes and take tests.
As stated, they have about 300 courses in 75 subjects organized fewer than 10 top-level departments. Out of these include 47 are from MIT, 33 from Stanford, 24 from Yale, 11 from UCLA, 22 from Berkeley and 36 from Indian Institutes of Technology.
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By: The Editors and Employees of GreatStartups.com
We wanted to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
Greatstartups.com has made some great strides in 2009 and have the loyal readers to thank for our continued growth.
One of our many goals for 2010 is to add more companies to bring you on a daily basis.
A safe, healthy, happy and successful 2010 to all !!
By: The Editors and Staff of GreatStartups.com
Today is one of those few days that we are taking off to enjoy the Holiday.
We wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season.
We hope you all get a chance to spend time with family and friends this season. We thank you for your continued support.
By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
Many new companies (and old) have a web presence or a website or are strictly a web-based business model. However, in many cases they are not fully exploiting all the web has to offer.
Software solution for Referral marketing, Buzz Marketing, Reward Systems, Viral Marketing, and more. Effective Internet Marketing Solutions to Build Customer Loyalty and a neat Word of Mouth Campaign. NextBee Media provides unique software solutions for the most influential section of the consumer chunk. NextBee is an effort to provide automation for the most effective marketing techniques.
NextBee.com offers what they call the “Premier Software Platform for Word of Mouth Marketing. The software solution provides for referral marketing, buzz marketing, reward systems, and viral marketing.
NextBee’s word of mouth marketing platform is built by analyzing tools and interface components needed for successful word of mouth marketing campaigns. The founding team spent years marketing both enterprise and consumer products, and most recently had the good fortune to work in the trenches of Web 2.0 world when they marketed their last venture, GetVendors (acquired by MatchPoint - a division of Connexus Corp).
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By: Co-Editor, Bobby B:
Today, I would like to discuss a company that is not typical of the type of company featured on our site. However, with the holidays just around the corner, I wanted to let our readers know about a company that manufactures really neat merchandise for men.
Peasants & Travelers is a new San Francisco-based company that manufactures luxe men’s bags and luggage for young urban professionals. Launched in August, 2008, Jee Kim started the brand because of her passion for travel and interest and captivation with how people carry things. Jee quickly realized there was a beauty in the simplicity of design, and beyond that, the men’s luggage market was lacking pieces that were stylish, without being overly fussy, but above all functional.
According to its press clippings, Peasants & Travelers will launch twelve new and updated designs in its 2010 travel bag collection. Born from retro-inspired styles including the knapsack, rucksack and saddlebag, Peasants & Travelers’ new line attempts to strike the perfect balance between function and fashion, infusing innovative design with polished style.
“Peasants & Travelers strives to satisfy the urban professional’s travel, work and weekend needs,” said Peasants & Travelers Founder and Designer, Jee Kim. “Spring 2010 is for that urban professional who wants to make a statement and when I saw the cork fabric I was inspired to bring it to life to achieve a classic collection of modern silhouettes.”
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By: The Editor
The first American railroad charter was obtained on February 6, 1815, by Colonel John Stevens of Hoboken, New Jersey. Stevens was granted permission by the government to build and operate a railroad between the Delaware and Raritan Rivers near Trenton, New Jersey, and New Brunswick, Canada.
In the last 194 years since Colonel Stevens vision, the entire global transportation system has grown beyond what most people can even comprehend.
NewEnglandRailroad which is located in Maine plans on bring back some of the classic charm that railroads once represented. The have estimated launch date of summer 2010. They initially plan to travel between Portland, Maine and Montreal. They have the most unbelievable trains that makes you want to remember a time where the world operated at a slower pace.
By: The Editor
Right away I liked this company because they are in “growth mode”. They are expanding despite this lagging real estate market that we hear about every day. It is good to see some positive people expanding their business !!!!!
Who are we talking about?? CondoCompare.com - based in Seattle Washington.
At CondoCompare you can compare condos on many different levels. From building to building and unit to unit, you can compare all of the components necessary to help make sense of complex information. They believe that live listing data coupled with strong analytic tools is what every condo owner and buyer needs. Behind their analytic tools, they also offer a customer service model that is unrivaled and simplifies the industry.
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