Entrepreneur: Give me $1,000, and I’ll give you results.” Those were the words David Aitken used to convince the owners of The Heritage Group to invest in his idea. Aitken, 30, was a call-center manager for the Utah company, which specialized in residential mortgage refinancing. Aitken knew the refinancing boom they were riding would eventually end, so he approached owners […]
Web Business
Online Machine Shop
TRENDWATCHING.COM: Taking it one step further is US-based eMachineshop.com, which lets ordinary consumers download free, easy-to-use software which they can use to design objects like car parts, door knobs, in metal or plastic. They can then get a quote, order the product online and eMachineshop will forward the design to a ‘real world’ machine shop for manufacturing. Suddenly, MINIPRENEURS have […]
Slim Cans
bizCommunity.com: Beverage packaging manufacturer Nampak Bevcan has introduced a new slimline can which hopes to put the ‘cool’ back into the can by appealing to today’s image-conscious consumers. Managing director John Moyes says: “Changing the familiar look of the beverage can enhance the appeal of the drink it contains. We decided that with increasing competition from ‘fashionable’ containers, it was […]
Truck Drivers Agency
Western People: A Ballina man who is already one of the most successful businessmen in the West of Ireland is embarking on a new venture to match potential employers with qualified drivers who are available for work. Tiernan Gill, who established Gills Driving School thirty-five years ago, said, “I have quite a number of truck owners contacting me and asking […]
Skulls and Bugs
Iconoculture: Shiny, colorful, and, oh yeah, bugged out. Still, Weevil Bangles boast a certain creature charm. The Lucite bracelets feature real bugs as design elements. Maxilla and Mandible specializes in gruesome “museum specimen” delights, like skull beads, candy crickets, and curious rocks and fossils (Frommer’s New York Guide 2005). But its Weevil Bangles are attracting fashion lab rats (Lucky 9.05). […]
Social Networking for Clubbers
BarPeople.net: With an innovative approach to social networking and based on the premise that “people with similar interests share similar spaces”, BarPeople.net is set to take the London social scene by storm. BarPeople.net is currently giving visitors exclusive and free prelaunch invitations. Visitors to the site can signup for these at http://www.barpeople.net BarPeople.net revolves around the simple premise that “people […]
My DNA
Springwise: TRENDWATCHING.COM’s GRAVANITY trend is not exactly fading yet: every month, we receive spottings of new goods, services and experiences designed to make consumers feel like VIPs, if not guaranteeing them immortality. From MyTwinn dolls to the Reality Village (see this edition). The most personal service spotted so far? CATGee, part of DNA Products, which lets ordinary folks capture and […]
Sustainable Change
CNET: A new shopping Web site due to launch Aug. 22 will let people buy products online from companies that share their customers’ social values. Alonovo.com lets people define the social and environmental values they feel are important and see how different merchants perform in those areas using data from KLD Research and Analytics. The areas include labor relations, animal […]
Mobile Boutiques
ChannelNewsAsia.com: Xavel Inc. has a client base marketing gurus dream about. When they’re done shopping, customers are in the habit of e-mailing their friends to pass on a recommendation. The Tokyo-based fashion retailer operates a cellphone shopping site, not a conventional outlet. It means the referred customer can be making the same purchase within minutes. Net effect: Projected sales of […]
Buy Me A Beer
TrendBlog: “Sorry I can’t make tonight, but this round is on me.” Corney & Barrow, one of London’s Financial District’s largest bar operators, have joined forces with Buy Me a Beer.com to makes it possible for people to buy their friends a drink online. These drinks may be “virtual,” but they still quench the thirst after a hard day at […]