7 Great Home Business Ideas For Women

76 Smart Tech Solutions (part III)
A Story of Success and The Law of Attraction
If you are a woman looking for a homebiz opportunity that suites your lifestyle, I suggest you first study some real-life examples for online homebusinesses and some offline ones

http://www.homereferralbiz.com/

After buying their first home, Debra Cohen and her husband faced the unenviable chore of finding reliable home improvement contractors. Fed up with blindly picking names from the Yellow Pages and waiting for contractors who didn't show up, it occurred to Cohen that if she and her husband were having trouble finding contractors, other homeowners in their community must be facing a similar predicament. This bleak reality sparked the creation of a unique service that has since expanded into a profitable cottage industry across the U.S. and internationally. At first, Cohen worked approximately 15 hours to 20 hours per week; she now works about 30 hours per week. Last year, sales for Home Remedies exceeded $100,000.

http://www.creativebookmarks.com/

Diana Waltman came up with the idea of a bookmark business because it was a fun way to express creativity and would require a low investment. Extensive foot surgery forced her to quit office job and doctors told her she would be out of work for more than three years. She knew she had to do something while recuperating, so she decided to look into an online business and found only one Website selling handmade bookmarks. Thus her small online home based business was born.

http://www.girlonthego.biz

People often ask Sheril Cohen to talk to their family members or friends who had cancer. Ater all she is a survivor. One of the first questions people ask is: "What about my hair?" So she started a wig business for cancer patients that undergo chemotherapy. “I immersed myself in the wig business. I met with wholesalers, retailers, and stylists in Brooklyn's wig district and spoke to women who wore wigs. I hired four part-time stylists, each of whom had a connection to someone with cancer. They bring wig samples into people's homes and style them as the client likes. My prices -- anywhere from $50 to $5,000 for a wig, depending on the hair -- are comparable to those in wig stores because I have no overhead”

http://www.babyeinstein.com/

Believe it or not, Baby Einstein (sold to Disney for $25 million) was started as a home business. The Baby Einstein Company LLC based in Littleton, Colorado, came from Julie Aigner-Clark’s need for a learning tool for her infant daughter. In 1995, this former teacher and new mom read the latest research regarding babies’ capacity to learn. Finding nothing in stores that used the research and that was developmentally appropriate, educational and fun, Aigner-Clark decided to create something herself.

http://www.curliegirl.com

Vicky Prazdnik and Lori Mozzone avid knitting and crocheting hobbyists, knew that they needed to create something beyond the standard fare of knitted hats and scarves for them to succeed as a fashion company. They stumbled on the idea of dainty crocheted thong underwear, and went on to create the design and develop the right prototype. Once convinced that they have the right design, they tested the market’s reaction by showing the crocheted thongs in a Valentine’s theme party in New York. Their product got a wild response!

http://www.bestscopingtechniques.com/

In 1994, Judy Rakocinski was looking into a home based career as a scopist, a person who edits legal transcripts from home for court reporters. That's how she found Cathy Vickio and contacted her about getting started. They have only met in person once since Judy lives in Florida and Cathy lives in Texas. Regardless, a friendship immediately bloomed and has grown since. Cathy helped Judy start her successful career and they continued to be friends. After several years, the pair realized that the ratio of scopists to court reporters was about 1,000 to 60,000. It was clear that the need for professionally trained scopists was great and Judy and Cathy decided to develop a training program for that specific purpose. Thus, they began to develop their online business at BeSTScopingTechniques.com where they offer an online, self-paced course designed to teach people to become professional scopists. They just celebrated their four-year anniversary in business together in March 2007.

http://mainebalsam.com/

Wendy Newmeyer started her foray into the balsam business by selling the cut branches of the balsam fir trees for a local incense factory. Quite coincidentally, she had read in a book that Native Americans used balsam trees as herb for many different home remedies. With her long-standing interests in herbs “that got me excited into thinking about it [balsams] in a different way,” said Wendy. She became a supplier to the incense factory, which used her balsam fir boughs to stuff souvenir pillows. Through the years Wendy has experimented with trade shows, catalogue sales, the QVC home shopping network, and many other avenues to showcase her products. She recently set-up a web site, to widen her market reach and take a dip on Internet retailing. Her worldwide outlets now exceed 4,400 stores and her employees have increased to 12. Sales of Maine Balsam Fir Products have reached well over $500,000 per year.
Right Healthy Tips
Some Tips To Help You Decide On A Particular Home Business Niche

Nervous About Writing Your Business Plan?

Some things beat a hefty paycheck
Design Improvements

I recently received this message in an e-mail. I’ve edited it to hide the writer’s personal details, but here’s some of what it says:

I'm currently in the process of starting my own business. I have extensive knowledge of and experience in…

I have the necessary resources for my startup and all of the necessary partners for the business to start…

Unfortunately, I'm not a writer. This is my Achilles' heel. I have this great business concept I'd like to put on paper and have been challenged every step of the way. My startup began two weeks ago, and I've consulted with several CPAs, but to no avail. They either don't have the time, charge too much or aren't interested in assisting me with my business plan. I just couldn't believe how neglected this area of business planning is when their profession deals with financial management and, to a greater extent, consulting.

My response starts with an emphatic “No, please, no!” You're missing the point of business planning--getting caught in the trap of the plan as a document--and making your life and your planning process far more difficult than they should be.

Notice how this e-mail puts the problem into perspective. The guy's starting his business, feels quite confident in the business concept and has “extensive knowledge and experience” in the specific type of business, but can’t go further because he’s “not a writer.” That’s crazy, right?

What’s wrong with this picture? Why do people assume a business plan is about quality of writing? Hey, I was a literature major years ago in college; I was a journalist before I was an MBA and a planner; and I love good writing as much as the next person. But being a writer has nothing to do with writing a business plan.

This is really important: A business plan is about content, not writing, formatting or pictures. I've listed some of the things your business plan needs to do below. Notice how none of them have anything to do with quality of writing.

1. Define your strategy. Strategy requires focus. Figure out what you’re really selling, who wants it, why they want it and how your business provides something different from the competition.
   
   
2. Control your destiny. Determine where you want to go and break that down into specific, concrete steps with dates, deadlines and budgets. Don’t merely react to events; be proactive and set a roadmap to follow and revise it as things change--and they will change.
   
   
3. Plan your cash. You’ve got to make a good, educated guess, then manage your planned cash flow vs. actual cash flow very carefully. Growth costs money, and profits don’t necessarily mean cash, so lay this out in detail. The math isn’t hard, but getting your financials organized takes some time and effort (see "The Numbers in Your Business Plan" for more information).
   
   
4. Allocate resources realistically. This doesn't just have to do with cash, but also with know-how and responsibility. Who's in charge?
   
   
5. Communicate your plan. The business plan is the standard tool for communicating the main points of a business to a spouse, partner, boss, banker, investor, manager or other interested person. This is where we get confused, I think, about the plan as a document.
   
   First, we have to recognize that not all business plans are about communicating to outsiders. In planning, form follows function, so if you aren’t communicating to outsiders, then lighten up! Make the plan useful to you in as simple a format as possible. Maybe it’s a cash plan and a presentation, or a cash plan and notes, but nobody's saying your success depends on the document itself.
   
   Furthermore, if you're in a situation in which you have to communicate to bankers or investors, stay calm--and stay focused on business. If investors want a presentation more than a plan document, focus on the presentation. If bankers want financial projections more than an extensive look into your company's mission, focus on that.

We’re afraid our plan has to be well written because it represents us and stands for our intelligence, experience or ability to run a business. Get over it. It isn’t a writing contest; it’s a business. Tell your story. Keep it simple. Bullet points are fine.

Also, don't confuse your plan for the kind a business student would turn in. In business school, the plan is a teaching tool. When I give students a grade for a business plan, I look at writing. I judge the quality of the document in part based on spelling and grammar and, more important, completeness. That’s a special case, though, that shouldn't apply to you out there in the real world.

The bottom line is, well, the bottom line--not the editor’s pencil. A good business plan is about results, not writing. Don’t wait an extra minute for that “writer.” Get working on your plan. And never forget, the real value is in implementation. Prepare to track results, compare those results to your plan, revise, correct course and manage your business better because of your plan.

---

Tim Berry is the "Business Plans" coach at Entrepreneur.com and is president of Palo Alto Software Inc., which produces the industry's leading business planning software, Business Plan Pro, as well as other popular planning applications for businesses.
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Marketing Through Influence

16 Rules You SHOULD Violate, If You Are A Direct Response Copywriter.
A Story of Success and The Law of Attraction

First I just want to start off with this post to let everyone know reading it that there are no secret tips or tricks in this entry. So if that’s all you’re here for, here’s your heads up to leave now.

Second, I also want to warn you that this is more of a look into the psychology of marketing online through affiliate marketing, rather than just a how to guide. I’ll try and use some examples, but it may be a bit confusing to some, or even hard to follow, so if you don’t like reading too deep, it’s better you quit now and go elsewhere instead. For those of you who are interested, bear with me, and let’s see if I don’t make a complete fool out of myself with this rather different topic.

For the last year and half I’ve been doing a lot of reading and studying in the dark arts of marketing. In the beginning of my curiousity journey, I more or less just figured I’d touch up on some topics and use whatever I learned to apply to internet marketing. Well, that didn’t go as planned, at all.

Instead I found myself getting deeper and deeper in these out of the box sort of creative marketing theories and ideas that began brewing in my head on how to take a rather simple idea of marketing online, and turn it into a tool rather than just an idea.

When I refer to “studying in the dark arts of marketing”, I’m not referring to black hat seo or any type of super gray hat area. The things I’ve been learning and creating my own spin on have taken a profound effect on how I look at target markets and potential customers with whatever offer or campaign I’m running.

That doesn’t mean I use this all the time, but more or less on more challenging campaigns. The ones that people say “oh that’s too hard for me” or “there’s no way you can do that”. Those are the best challenges in the world for me, because that’s when the true mad scientist of my inner self comes out to play (in a non-creepy way though).

Almost every affiliate or webmaster I speak with or help out has a one track mind. In their minds it’s all about the following:

1. Find a niche
2. Build a page/site
3. Drive traffic
4. Convert

That’s fine and all, and works great too, but where’s the fun in that? Aside for just fun and challenges, without having a profound understanding of your target market, you are potentially losing out on a ton of would be or could be customers. Even if it’s just a simple blog style site, where a conversion or customer counts as just a clickthrough on your contextual ads. Some people can say that if you use the correct analytical apps on your sites that’s the best data to have. I agree, analytical data is a big bonus to help you out, but it is definitely not the only thing you need, or even the secret to success with monetizing your sites. I see them as what the “depth finder” hardware is on a boat when you’re going fishing, to see where all the fish are in the lake, but that doesn’t mean that you can just toss in any old type of bait and poof, instant fishing success. I’ve tried that, and you get the same damn results as you would just casting at any spot. You have to know your fish in that sense. Alright, let’s take a step back from fishing before I confuse you and myself at the same time.

So let’s say you know your users, and swear by it. For example, you’ve got a blog about designer handbags. Which is a big seller in stores and online, and almost every woman around loves that type of stuff. Great. So you say that you know your demographics and target market. The broad approach would be to target women between the ages of 16-36 in the USA. So you’d probably do some research for the keywords. Well, congrats, because you’ve already failed my test and proved my point that even though this process works, pretty well in fact, you are still losing the upperhand on your potential targeted market. What I mean by this is that in order to gain max profit from your traffic, you have to control them, but in a way so that they feel like they are making the correct decision, and that you are merely just giving them the facts and letting them make the decision on their own, when really, you are the one in complete control. And this is where we come to the topic.. Influential marketing.

What is Influential Marketing exactly? It’s when you use persuasive techniques to control the masses on a broader scale, short of saying “buy this” or “click this”, but instead pushing a crowd or someone to go towards the red door instead of the blue one by convincing them that the red door holds the key to all of their dreams and desires, whereas the blue door is a door to evil and disgusting things, or hell, just say the blue door is the office of the IRS, and don’t say anything about the red door, and I will bet they choose the red door.

Some people may think this is more deceptive than truthful. Well, you’re probably right. It’s definitely not a conventional approach by any stadard list of ethics, but guess what. These are the marketing approaches being used everyday with tv commercials, blog and program reviews, and almost every type of standard advertising within the US. I know this sounds more like a conspiracy theory than a real aspect of marketing, but I can assure you, it works, and it works very well, and isn’t even all that tough to do. There are a few names for this. The best is labeled as “propoganda” or “spin”, because that’s what all of these psychological marketing topics are broken down from. The art of spinning something one way in order to get people to think and believe another. The approach almost everyone uses right now is advertising the red door to get people into that red door. But what if you advertised the blue door as a way to get people to think “wait a second, I know all of this stuff about the blue door, but how about the red door, what’s in there?”… and in turn they think they’ve made the decision themselves to choose the red door, but really, you’ve spun it in your favor so they go that route.

Now remember. No matter what approach you use, nothing is 100% accurate and fail safe. But by adding another level of control in your favor, you can use that to your advantage to persuade your users to make it appear as if they have an option, but really they don’t have much of it.

This stuff may sound very easy as I explain it, but I can assure you it isn’t. I’ve read close to 20 books about it, from authors who aren’t even alive anymore. I’ve tackeled it from so many different perspectives and constantly learn more and more new things, and keep taking those and using them as influencing techniques to my own unique ones. Sounds confusing, I know, I’m semi-confusing myself too just speaking about it, and there were also many days where I felt like I was going nuts from trying to consume so much of this stuff in such a short period of time. Just because I’m 26 years old, have no college education, and a strong dislike for school doesn’t mean I don’t have what it takes to read material that most other psych majors or masters students are learning, because for them, this is just reference, but for me, this is a much more in-depth look into how people work, how their minds work, and how to persuade them to whatever tune I choose for them to follow. That’s why I refer to this as learning the dark arts, because while something like this can most definitely be used for something good, the power it weilds for something bad, well, just look at what happened in Germany in the 1930’s. Well, maybe not that extreme, but if you can get yourself to be a master at this stuff, you can get anyone to do just about anything you like, I kid you not.

I’ve tried some of my less powerful techniques in person, nothing business related, just as a test, and some of the results were unreal. Enough so that I literally felt like some evil wizard with hidden powers. Let’s not forget that traffic isn’t just numbers on your traffic reports. They are actual people, with brains, whether or not they are in control is their problem and can work to your benefit.

For PPC or SEO there are three types of keywords we generally look for. The first is research, which is the most common. The types that would fall under the “broad match” factor. These are people who are either doing research and looking for answers, so of course they will generate the most search volume for a particular niche. The second type is the in between user. These are the “phrase match” with a twist of the “broad match” as well. They are still doing research, but most likely at a more advanced level, still not the best type to attract for conversions, and definitely in need of coaxing and selling. But then you have the cream of the crop type. These would be the “exact match” types. The ones who are in the zone. They are searching for the best deals or better yet they are in the “buy zone”. Not much coaxing or selling needed for these types, they literally have their credit cards out and are ready to do some purchasing. Well, with influential marketing, and some spin, you can turn the first two categories of users into the “buy zone” type just so long as you aren’t overly aggressive or blatantly obvious in what you are trying to do.

I’ve seen this stuff for years. The ebook assholes do it all the time. But their approach is more car salesman or snake oil than true persuasive or influential marketing. Because they just trick you until you read their stuff or go to their seminars. They don’t actually follow through, and they more or less put pressure on you causing you to make a decision you probably don’t want to make. This is not the type of marketing I am referring to at all. Again, you do not want to come off as a salesman of any type. You don’t want to be looked as or thought of as a politician, a salesman, or anything else people make slimeball references to, you want to appear as a saint, as someone who knows their stuff and is respected for it, be as angelic as possible. Never let them know your true cruel intentions of getting them to do as you like or buy or click what you want on your websites.

[Via Aojon.com]

Good Diet's Tips
Improve your Search Engine Ranking

SEO 101: Should I Put my Business Name in the Title Tag?

Pithy Insights On Startup Marketing
Public Speaking Tips: How To Captivate Your Audience!

The html title tag of a web page's html header is the single most important "on page" element when it comes to search engine optimization. That being said, is the best use of this valuable real estate served by including your business name in the title? Chances are the answer is a resounding "no!"

The title tag is an html tag which occurs in the header of a web page's code. The first thing I look at when I get a call from a prospective client is their title tag. More often than not, this tag is being used improperly, to the extreme detriment of the client.

Recently SEOMOZ.org released its rankings of the ten most important factors in search engine rankings. The title tag came in at number 1, and this is no surprise to any SEO that has been around for awhile. Google especially pays a lot of attention to title tag content, and uses title tag information heavily to ascertain the relevant keyphrases for which to rank a site. The opinion of search engine experts is unanimous on this one - keyphrase use in the title tag is the number one "on page" factor affecting search engine rankings. This is not disputed, theorized or subject to professional debate. It is a fact.

Given this fact, we must look at how to best use the title tag to optimize our site for search engines. Many sites place the business name in the title tag (or even worse yet leave it blank or with default content such as "untitled document" or "home page"). Any of these variations can be disastrous!

Let's use an example of a company that manufactures widgets. The primary keyphrase for that company would be "widgets", this being the phrase for which the company would like to rank highly for in the search engines. Now let's assume the company name is "ACME Manufacturing Company, Ltd.". Notice that the word "widgets", which is the desired keyphrase, is not extant in the company name.

So the company goes out and builds a wonderful web site to promote their widgets. However, throughout the site the title tag contains the following content: "ACME Manufacturing Company, Ltd." What is the effect of this?

First off, the effect of this is that the site will likely rank highly for the search query "ACME Manufacturing Company, Ltd.". The problem is that nobody is searching for the company name, they are searching for widgets. So all of ACME's competition shows up in the search engines for a widget query, but poor ACME is nowhere to be found. How do we help ACME rank highly for the search query "widgets"? We must optimize the title tag for the search engines by replacing the current title tag content with the desired search query: "widgets".

Generally speaking, the company name should never appear in the title tag unless you actually expect to derive most of your traffic from searches involving your company name. As this is a rare situation, avoid the temptation to put your company name in the title tag - save it for elsewhere on your page. Put your desired search keyphrases in the title tag, and leave it at that.

Following this methodology throughout your site by optimizing title tag content for each page according to the desired search query for that page will be a major step in the right direction for high search engine rankings.

About the Author: Matt Foster is the President of ArteWorks SEO, a top 5 search engine optimization company in the world. For more information on search engine optimization, please visit http://www.arteworks.biz.

All About Diet & Nutrition
Finding an Owner That Wants to Sell

Study: Wellness Programs Catching On

E-Business Trends: It’s All About the Customer
Daily Healthy Tips And Secrets
More employees are taking part in workplace health screenings and wellness programs, according to a survey releases this week by the Principal Financial Group.

Out of 1,197 employees polled nationwide, as many as 79 percent said they took part in a workplace health screening last year, compared to just 68 percent in 2005, the survey found.

Another 60 percent said they took advantage of fitness-facility benefits when provided, up from 38 percent in 2005, while more than half said an employer-offered health program helped improve their performance at work, the study found.

"As employers offer more wellness programs at work, employees will use them," Jerry Ripperger, Principal Financial's director of consumer health, said in a statement. "We've already begun to see the financial impact of what's been done to date." he said.

Ripperger added that healthier workers also result in healthier bottom lines for employers.

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What "The Secret" Means to Solo Entrepreneurs

A New Twist On Affiliate Marketing
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Unless you've been living in a cave for the past few months, you've likely heard about the best-selling book, The Secret, and how it offers guidance and personal narratives about creating the life you want. The essential lesson of the book is how individuals attract (and create) the life they want through their thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. (The book's message is both more complex and subtle than this, but that's the telegraphic version of its theme.)

Whether you accept the full metaphysical premise of the project or not, the lessons of The Secret resonate with knowledge that successful entrepreneurs have understood for decades. So, with a tip of the hat to the creators of The Secret, here are seven principles designed to guide you in your solo business. Many are aligned with those presented by the creators of The Secret -- and all are based on my experience of working solo for more than two decades.

#1: Intention rules all.
Successful solo entrepreneurs understand that singleness of purpose is a potent force. There's no room for wishy-washy, "Oh, I'm thinking about having a successful practice," or "It would be really nice to increase my sales this year." Put a stake in the ground and commit. Recall the Goethe quote: "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

#2. Clarity is crucial.
Be specific in your targets. If there's no metric associated with a goal, you can never know your progress. Place specific parameters on what you want to achieve -- number of clients, revenue goals, time frame, percent increase over past performance -- and you'll significantly increase your chances for business success.

Similarly, be clear on what your company will and will not do. Avoid distractions from your central business focus unless you are certain they can generate a direct positive impact on your core competencies. When business challenges arise, it's easy to get tempted by unrelated business opportunities.

#3. Seek the joy.
Chase passion, not profits. If you build your company around your interests, it will sustain you during the inevitable tough times. Also, you'll be a natural salesperson for your products or services, since you believe in them so deeply. Chasing pure financial gain will only sustain you for so long; there must be deeper significance to your work for it to be personally and professionally satisfying. Build on your unique competencies to create a company that generates both money and meaning.

#4. Magnetize your connections.
Like attracts like. Be the type of person you want to associate with, the type of company you would like as a partner. If you're surrounded by negativity, look inside first and recognize its likely source. Successful soloists seek partners and clients who are positive achievers, individuals who are secure in their self-knowledge and in what they can contribute to the world. By focusing on the qualities of ideal clients and partners, you attract positive results in your business.

#5. Take action.
Merely thinking about having a successful company is not enough. Yes, positive mental focus and clarity are crucial, but you must also act. When your intuition gives you a nudge, move. When you sense the opportunity, step forward and seize it. Business success is guided by mental force, but it takes place in the physical realm.

#6. Expect the best.
Automotive entrepreneur Henry Ford stated, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." Fear and self-doubt erode self-confidence, which is the currency of successful self-employment. Expect great things from yourself and your company, and put forth the effort to build the professional foundation to support your aims. Clients and customers want to do business with companies that are best-in-class. Industry leaders never have second-class expectations of their performance, and they work hard to ensure they deliver first-class results.

#7. Multiply the gratitude.
Give thanks for all that you have, for no matter what your situation, there is much to be grateful for. By focusing on your abundance, you attract more of the same. Appreciation given to customers, clients, partners, vendors, and other business associates strengthens those important ties. Gratitude also lightens your spirit during challenging times, and keeps setbacks in perspective. It allows you to celebrate every day of working solo.

These principles create the foundation for a successful solo business -- and offer an important set of signposts on your journey of self-employment.

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Is a Super Bowl Ad Really Worth the Cost?

How To Make Every Ad Dollar Accountable
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One Super Bowl ad runs $2.6 million. Is it a good investment? What else might an advertiser do with that kind of cash? Do the people’s favorite ads even get the best results?

Super Bowl ads have, for years, been little more than a beauty contest for advertising agencies. When a company selects an agency's ad to represent it during the Super Bowl, it’s sort of like choosing a girl to represent a state in the Miss America pageant. Super Bowl ads are an iconic, cultural phenomenon that makes very little sense; essentially, they're the advertising equivalent of bathing-suit-clad girls with big eyes and high heels talking about their dreams of world peace.

Over a year, the price of one Super Bowl ad could provide your company exposure to 50 percent of the population of Southern California. It would buy you enough radio repetition for the average listener to hear your ad four times a week, 52 weeks a year throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and the Inland Empire (Riverside and San Bernardino). Altogether, $2.6 million could buy you several thousand ads, which would reach a total of nearly 15 million people.

Paying $2.6 million for an ad to air during the Super Bowl might possibly be the dumbest thing you could do with $2.6 million. Or the smartest. It all depends on what you communicate in the ad.

The Dumbest Super Bowl Ad of 2007: FedEx Ground
Although this was one of the more clever and entertaining ads this season, it'll also prove to be counterproductive. Remember the ad? A bunch of people are sitting in a conference room …

MANAGER: FedEx saved us with their overnight service, so we’ve added FedEx Ground for everyday shipping.

JOEL: Ground? That doesn’t sound fast.

RELAXED GUY LEISURELY HOLDING COFFEE: Actually, Joel, FedEx Ground is faster than you think.

MANAGER: We can’t judge things by their name. Don’t you agree, Harry?

EXTREMELY HAIRY GUY: Absolutely.

MANAGER: Eileen?

GIRL LEANING HARD ON HARRY: Of course.

MANAGER: Joy?

JOY: (Gives an effervescent giggle with a beaming smile)

MANAGER: Bob?

BOB: (Bobs his head up and down in an extreme fashion)

GUY WITH HUGE DOUBLE CHIN: You see, Joel, we all agree that FedEx Ground is fast, despite the name “Ground.”

MANAGER: Well said, Mr. Turkeyneck.

The ad ends with the FedEx logo revolving quickly to reveal four variations--FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, FedEx Kinko’s and FedEx Freight--while an off-camera announcer says, "FedEx Ground. Fast. Reliable. And for less than you think."

Here are the major problems with the ad:

1. The ad clearly illustrates that Joel was right; you can judge things by their name.
2. The people arguing that FedEx Ground is fast “despite the name” appear bizarre and ridiculous. Joel is the only normal person in the room. We identify with Joel, not with the others.
3. “For less than you think” is ambiguous ad-speak. Specifics are always more powerful than generalities. “For as little as $2 a package” is specific. And far more impressive.
4. The ending of the ad is soft and unfocused. We’re not yet convinced that FedEx Ground is a worthy alternative to UPS, and it seems that FedEx isn't completely convinced either. In the end, the company wants to be sure that we realize there are at least three other FedEx options: FedEx Express, FedEx Kinkos and FedEx Freight.

The Smartest Super Bowl Ad of 2007: Two Lions for Taco Bell
Remember the ad? A pair of lions are looking at a group of campers in the distance eating lunch while on safari. The lions smell the new steak taquito from Taco Bell. The rest of the ad is one lion trying to teach the other how to pronounce “carne asada,” the type of steak used in the taquito.

Here’s what makes the ad work:

1. A lion is king of the jungle; its opinion is respected.
2. Lions are meat-eaters, absolute carnivores.
3. Viewers learn how to pronounce a strangely spelled word--carne asada--thereby increasing their comfort level when ordering the item at Taco Bell.
4. The ad ends with a mouthwatering close-up of freshly grilled carne asada steak as it's being sliced. You definitely want to taste it.
5. The ad is focused on one thing: the carne asada steak taquito. Taco Bell’s agency had the wisdom not to include any images or descriptions of other Taco Bell products.

TV is an impact medium. But there will be no impact if the viewer isn’t paying attention or if your ad's message is unfocused. The Super Bowl is the one event each year that guarantees viewers will be paying attention. We tune in as much for the ads as for the game.

Are your ads entertaining but counterproductive, like the FedEx ad? Or are they entertaining, focused and convincing like the Taco Bell ad?

Follow the lead of FedEx Ground if your goal is to entertain America. But if you want to sell product, I suggest you study Taco Bell's script.

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Roy Williams is Entrepreneur.com's "Advertising" columnist and the founder and president of international ad agency Wizard of Ads. Roy is also the author of numerous books on improving your advertising efforts, including The Wizard of Ads and Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads.

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Maki Kaji - http://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/

Maki Kaji makes 4 million dollars a year … creating sudoku and kakuru puzzles. His private company, with just 20 employees, had annual sales of about $4 million in 2006. The core of his business is 50000 website members who test different versions of sudoku puzzles before the hit the market to determine winners. How many sudoku millionaires do you know?

Books Lambert - http://www.thebeerbelly.com

Books Lambert, who runs TheBeerbelly.com as president of Under Development Inc., is also someone who might have been viewed by some as having a less-than-perfect business model for his venture. But — after the press picked up on his contraption and he got 1 million hits to his fledgling site, as well as about 80 calls from offline media, including CNN and the like — he sold his electronics company, turned toward inventing full-time and his beer belly is jiggling as he laughs all the way to the bank. He just cleared a million. Lambert also uses a potent mix of marketing savvy and passion, spiced with some serendipity, to run his site. The Beerbelly, by the way, is a neoprene bag that fits under a shirt and can be used to avoid paying $9 for drafts at sporting events. This guy is my hero!

Patrick Misterovich - http://www.pezmp3.com

In July 2004, Patrick Misterovich was a stay-at-home dad when he read an article featuring an entrepreneur who had turned Altoid tins into iPod speakers. The idea inspired the 40-year-old ex-IT administrator to make a list of other possible candies and electronics that could be combined: laser pointers, Life Savers, USB drives. But nothing seemed to fit until he noticed “MP3 players” and “Pez dispensers” sitting idly on his list like two lost souls waiting for someone to play Cupid. The response has been positive, and current sales are at $1200000. In 2006, Misterovich sold out of his original production run and received approval from Pez to go forward with the second edition of Pez MP3 players, which have passed UL testing and will go into production early this year.

Jay Villemarette - http://www.skullsunlimited.com

OK, this is technically an offline business with online presence, but hear me out. Jay Villemarette cleans skeletons--mostly animal and human skulls--for a living. He owns Skulls Unlimited International and insists there's never a dull moment at the office. We'll take his word for it. After all, his company might be cleaning a gorilla skull one day and that of a chipmunk, a giraffe or a human the next. You probably wonder “Why would anyone want a skull, no matter how clean it is?" But museums, veterinary and medical schools, and other educational groups might take umbrage with that assessment. There are enough of these establishments, in fact, that Villemarette needs 13 full-time staffers and two part-timers and expects his company to break $2 million in sales this year.

Pascal Riffaud - http://www.primetimetables.com

New York restaurant booking service PrimeTime Tables - "specializing in impossible reservations" - has created a bit of a storm in the NYC/food blogging teacup. The service, touted as a very exclusive dining club, can procure members short-notice reservations at the hottest restaurants in New York, Miami, Colorado and The Hamptons, many of which are booked weeks in advance.

The company was founded by Pascal Riffaud, former concierge at hotels like the St. Regis in New York and the Ritz in Paris. Mr Riffaud also runs Personal Concierge International, a concierge service that can enhance its members' lives in many ways, including access to 'fully committed' restaurants. Premium membership costs USD 450 per year, plus reservation fees (free for reservations acquired the same day before noon), while non-members pay between USD 35-45 per booking, depending on how far in advance they book (48 hours - same day). Pascal just made his first million and has no intention of going back to his concierge job. I wonder why.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The first business day after a major highway collapsed could have been a snarl of traffic jams, detours and road blocks for Victor Cousins, a Sun Microsystems Inc. employee who usually car pools into San Francisco from his Oakland apartment.

Instead, Cousins bypassed the crumpled stretch of road and participated in conference calls from his home office, without changing out of his basketball shorts.

"I avoided the chaos this morning," said Cousins, 30, a human resources business partner at Sun. "From what I'm hearing, it could be six months or more of problems. I absolutely know this will change my patterns and I'll be working from home a lot more often."

The day after an elevated section of highway that funnels traffic from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to key freeways was destroyed, officials credited telecommuters like Cousins for roads that were only slightly more clogged then any other weekday.

"We are noticing that a lot of people have stayed home today," said San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokeswoman Janis Yuen. "There's a bit of a learning curve, but people are pulling it together and finding ways to make things work."

Silicon Valley technology companies have some of the world's most liberal policies on working from home. Having co-workers log in from the suburbs is no big deal for firms such as Intel Corp. and Oracle Corp., which have aggressively outsourced programming and engineering jobs to low-cost tech hubs in China, Russia and India.

"I have not heard a peep about this disrupting work so far," said Jamie Jarvis, who works from home three days a week coordinating commuting programs for Adobe Systems Inc. "Our telecommute program is always there and available, and we don't have to say, There's a disaster so we're going to turn on this program now.' "

Sun Microsystems, where Cousins works, is one of the industry's biggest advocates of telecommuting. The Santa Clara-based hardware and software company expanded its telecommute policies after the 2001 terrorist attacks, when many companies crafted emergency response plans to reduce reliance on a single building.

Today, 56 percent of Sun's 34,494 employees work without an assigned office -- either at home or at a satellite office far from the headquarters.
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Magnetic clasps - Clever Clasp.

http://www.getamenity.com/

Like every MBA student, Dwight Schultheis was waiting for a business idea to inspire him. Then he noticed something: He and his male friends had shaving-related skin problems, and the products they used didn't help. "We're spending $200 on jeans, but using soap on our faces," he says. "It felt to me like it was a really untapped market."

Months of market research and a few focus groups later, his upscale men's grooming products company, Amenity, was born. The New York City business has grown to nine employees and annual revenue surpassing $1 million--quite a leap from last year, when Schultheis and co-founders Lisa Lehan, 28, and Kimberly Pecoraro, 32, started the company with $500,000 from personal funds and angel investors. "We're trying to be a first-mover and innovator in the men's category of clinical grooming," he says.

[Via - Entrepreneur Magazine] 

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