Define Your Business Model Archives

Using social networking to increase company visibility

With hundreds of millions of registered users across the world, social networking web sites are among the most popular places to communicate and trade information. There are numerous reasons why people use these sites: to...

byRyan Allis

June 27, 2008

eBay Feedback Improvement Idea – What Do You Think?

Hi gang, So, since we all know now that the current war between eBay and their sellers centers around Feedback, I thought I'd throw this idea on the fire. As a seller, what really upsets...

byKevin Harmon

June 25, 2008

What the heck is an S-Corp??

“Sufferin’ succotash! What is the deal with that thing called an S-Corp and how do I get me one?” Yes, in my last blog I told you about the many benefits of an LLC and...

byJessica Eaves Mathews

June 25, 2008

Email marketing makes it easy being green

In the past few years, we have seen a dramatic shift in the way we talk about our environment. From heated debates in Congress about amending our energy policies, to the fervor generated by Al...

byRyan Allis

June 24, 2008

eBay Live – So Why Is Everybody So Upset, Anyway?

Hi gang, Ahhhhh, back home in beautiful Charlotte. 95 degrees and raining. Welcome to the South in a prematurely hot summer. I wanted to give my opinion as to why there was so much venom...

byKevin Harmon

June 23, 2008

Modeling The Way To Green, One House At A Time

If there was an action figure of Shane Petersen (GreenLivingSeattle.com), it would have the following accessories: the proverbial Seattle coffee, his marketing materials (printed on 100% recycled paper) and all the accouterments for an REI...

byChristine Haskell

June 23, 2008

eBay Live – Somebody Get Me A Helmet!

Hi gang, Well, I've got a lot to digest after 3 days of eBay Live here in Chicago. I'll be posting thoughts/announcements all week, but here are my overall impressions: 1. I thought eBay Live...

byKevin Harmon

June 21, 2008

Changes in the CAN-SPAM Act

I’ve spoken in the past about the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and how it affects email marketers. Congress passed the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing) to establish guidelines for those...

byRyan Allis

June 20, 2008

Happy eBay Live Eve

Hi gang, Well, it's that time of year again - eBay Live - Chicago. I remember my first eBay Live very well. It was in New Orleans several years ago, back when I was but...

byKevin Harmon

June 18, 2008

(Part 3) How Suzy Batiz made $1 million: She was a marketing maniac

Here's more from Suzy Batiz, our latest source of inspiration in the StartupNation community. She's made over $1 million in first year revenue for her Poo-Pourri product line. Want your own success story featured here...

byRich Sloan

June 18, 2008

Hello StartupNation!

My name is Heather Nolte, and I have enjoyed being a small business owner for the past four years. My company, Glamajama.com , is a lifestyle clothing company that creates glam-studded clothes for women, toddlers, and...

byHeather Schuck

June 17, 2008

Do You Believe In (Imaginary) Friends?

When talking to Jody DeVere about her company Ask Patty, it's hard to know where DeVere ends and Patty begins. Both are smart, accomplished and energetic women, but only one has built several businesses, had...

byChristine Haskell

June 17, 2008

Personalizing your messages contd.

In the last post, I discussed the benefits your business can receive by personalizing your email messages. Personalization can be a powerful way to reinforce the connection between your company and your customers. Although a...

byRyan Allis

June 17, 2008

Business School Experiment Pays Off…How Green Cleaning Became A Platform For Customer Experience

I met with Stephanie Toler of Sage Clean this week and I have to say: House cleaning hasn’t been this upbeat or bright a topic since Carol Burnett sat on a bucket to watch her...

byChristine Haskell

June 12, 2008

Tilth: Letting Your Inner Philosophy Be Your Guide

If you’re new to Seattle and looking for that list of three things you have to experience, here they are: the mountains, the sea…and Tilth. The experience is everything everyone has told you and more...

byChristine Haskell

June 11, 2008

Internet Retailer Conference 2008 – Caught In The Web

Hi gang, Large eBay sellers are spending a lot of time these days developing other sales channels, and I am certainly no exception. Multichannel commerce is the way to go for an online seller. Our...

byKevin Harmon

June 11, 2008

Vision to Venture webcast is live!

Here's a link to the webcast of my 8 Secrets to Startup Success. Throughout April and into early May, I was on a seminar tour with the folks at Microsoft Office Live Small Business. The...

byRich Sloan

June 7, 2008

The Eight Deadly Sins of Email Marketing cont.

Earlier in the week, I began a discussion about what you should not do with your email newsletters. In his article, “The Eight Deadly Sins of Email Marketing,” Ron Evans talks about the worst things...

byRyan Allis

June 6, 2008

Doing Good, And Wanting A Piece Of It

On my way home from work, I heard a piece on NPR about the Quaker Oats Company sponsoring a northwest adventure Sergeant Preston of the Yukon/CBS/1955-58 and gave away one-inch plots of Yukon land as...

byChristine Haskell

June 5, 2008