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Archive for the ‘business’ Category

Hot New Businesses Getting Funded Now

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Ethos 360 has recently acquired two new clients:  Cherry Voodoo LLC and showbizzle.com.  Both are fresh new businesses that are already making their names known in their respected fields. 

Showbizzle.com is the brainchild of Charles Rosin, a long time veteran of the entertainment industry.  This current project will act as a tandem scripted web series and information site for budding Hollywood talent. Showbizzle, www.showbizzle.com, will offer the opportunity for fresh talent interested in breaking into Hollywood a chance to create profiles of their work and skills in a social networking setting.  

Cherry Voodoo LLC is a start-up craft brewery based out of San Francisco that is aiming to become one of the fresh new labels in the high-end craft beer and premium liquor markets.  With an aggressive marketing campaign designed to carve their brand into the public psyche, Cherry Voodoo, www.CherryVoodoo.com, will be able to become a household name within two years. 

With clients as diverse as showbizzle.com and Cherry Voodoo, Ethos 360 is poised to continue to grow its list of satisfied clients.

How To Get The Most Bang For Your Marketing Buck

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Every business owner wants to use time-proven, effective marketing tactics that build strong brand awareness and increase its clientele.   Small business owners today may not necessarily have the tools to spend an insane amount of money on television advertising, radio spots, or other costly advertising avenues such as billboards emblazoned with state-of-the-art graphics.  Other advertising methods exist that are cost-effective and have the ability to get the company’s branding message across.   We have looked at some of the most efficient and least expensive advertising measures from websites such as www.BusinessKnowledgeSource.com for small business owners that we believe will fit in with your budget while helping to create a profitable business.  These include:  

  1. Postcard marketing
  2. E-mail blasts
  3. Social networking sites (i.e. Twitter or Facebook)
  4. Podcasting
  5. Creating a website 

It is no surprise that 163.3 million Americans use the Internet whether it is to find out new information, shop online, or learn about a business.  For this reason, it is crucial for start-up and small businesses to leverage the power of the Internet instead of focusing on traditional advertising maneuvers such as print media and television advertising.  

Postcard marketing may seem slightly outdated, but it is important to highlight the massive effect of postcards.  Postcards printed on 4” by 6” index cards are highly noticeable in the mail because they can be flipped over and read in a matter of seconds.  Immediately, the message is sent across to the end-user without them having to peruse through a pamphlet or packet that usually instills a lack of interest or frustration.  

E-mail blasts are excellent for small business owners to send out to their network of contacts.  Even better, they’re excellent for building a database on a website.  E-mail blasts should be kept simple, to-the-point, and underscore promotional offers to gain the reader’s attention.  Moreover, they can be sent out to multiple parties from the recipient, increasing word of mouth buzz.  

Social networking sites have become a marketing phenomenon that is helpful for businesses in spreading their brand, mission, and services and/or products in the form of a user-profile.  Also, sites such as www.Twitter.com and www.Facebook.com have changed the face of Internet marketing by establishing the online sphere as a word of mouth metropolis.  Now is the time to take advantage of social networking sites.  

Another helpful marketing suggestion is to create a simple podcast.  Not sure how or where to start?  Make sure your computer has a web cam.  If it doesn’t, these gadgets can be bought at inexpensive price at large computer and electronic retailers.  Introduce your business concept through the podcast that is less than 30 seconds.  Podcasts are an excellent marketing tool because they can be posted on a website, sent through e-mail, and posted on sites such as www.YouTube.com. According to www.Quantcast.com, www.YouTube.com averages 72.5 million users per month.  

With the implementation of these media, businesses are likely to see an increase in interest.  The next step would be to create an intuitive, user-friendly website that summarizes the concept of the business without too many graphics or distractions.  For example Ethos 360 (www.Ethos360.com) offers affordable branding solutions for entrepreneurs. Following these steps can help an entrepreneur bolster their brand and reach their selected demographic.

What's In A Logo?

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

A logo is so significant to a business or organization that you’ll be hard pressed to find one without the other. A logo sums up everything in a small, tidy ideogram, and it could help make or break a company. Some are clever, some are plain, but what is it that separates the brilliant from the bland? Here you’ll find the main things that make a logo great using examples from famous logos we see every day as well as some of my work done at GreenLeaf Imaging.

1. Simplicity: You see it all the time, it’s a common theme among all the iconic corporations. IBM is nothing more than the text, Apple is a cut-out apple, and Target, one of the most popular department stores, is just a circle in a circle. Let’s look at another example: Nike, the shoe of athletes, is just a check. This simplicity allows it to appear just about anywhere and still look good. Some crazy complex logo would just be lost on anyone who sees it.

2. Narrow color scheme: A few choice “company colors” are also important for a logo to define the company. Normally, a good logo will have just one or two colors. The colors should both reflect some aspect of the company (eg my GreenLeaf Imaging logo is green) as well as be able to work in black/white. A complicated drawing with many colors may not be able to do that, and it would then be harder, say, to turn it into a large building-side sign.

3. Appropriate font type: If text is used in the logo, a font style can go a long way beyond making it easy or hard to read. Serif-style fonts (fonts with little lines on all the ends of the letters, such as in the AIG logo to the right) give a sturdy and trustworthy impression. Sans-serif fonts (which are smooth on the ends), on the other hand, can give a sleek, modern, and high-tech feel. How thick the font is could also influence the message it sends; a very thick font (like for Ben & Jerry’s) could give more of a fun feeling, while a thinner font (such as in the Nordstrom logo) gives the impression of being modern.

4. Memorable: Perhaps the most important trait of a logo is that it’s memorable. When someone looks at a logo, it has to immediately make a connection to the brand. To do this, it has to be simple, yet unique. The Apple logo, for example, is a simple cutout apple. However, with a big bite taken out of the side, it becomes unique and the symbol of the company. Make it a full green, even 3-D picture of an apple, and it becomes lost in thoughts of fruit bowls and orchards, nothing unique to a computer company.

When I design a logo, I make an effort to consider all these things so that the logo works wonders. A logo could be simple, bold, silly or serious, yet in the end it has but one result: to make define a company in the best way possible.

Ariel Lepor is the owner of the graphic design firm GreenLeaf Imaging.

Logos used in this article may be subject to trademark and/or copyright restrictions.

Entrepreneurs Can Still Thrive Online Despite the Economic Downturn

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Remember- Fortunes are built during the bad times and cashed in during the good. If you think a recession is a bad time to start a business, think again. An entrepreneur is adaptable and is always looking for opportunities. There are many logical reasons why this is a good time to start your own online venture. Your capital maybe limited and you feel the pressure of a recession that looks like it’s not going away anytime soon so let’s get serious and look at your options.

An online business, done correctly, can be your ticket to not merely surviving tough times but thriving. They can actually provide more income than a regular 9 to 5 job allowing you to escape being a wage slave or if you’re a little older and that early retirement may have to wait a few more years this may be perfect for you.

Think about it. Now more than ever, people and companies are more conscious of their spending habits and are turning to the internet to save cash and get value for their hard earned money. This doesn’t mean that any online business will make you rich. You’ll still need to learn how to set yourself apart from the competition and determine ways to streamline your operations just like any other business.

One huge plus, especially if your 401k has taken a beating and there’s no equity in your home to borrow against an online businesses normally doesn’t need as much start-up capital compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar business, but usually requires a steep learning curve. If your currently unemployed this should present no problem but if you are hanging onto your job it might take a little longer to get up to speed. There are no shortcuts and like any business, certain skills are required to make it worth your time.

Just like any other entrepreneurial endeavor a half hearted attempt at being an online entrepreneur will get you nowhere. Before you decide to delve into this avenue of business, consider how much time you can devote to your online business. Also consider what type of business suits you best. Your personality and skill set are great tools to use in making this assessment. Look deep within yourself. Take a long hard, objective look. Keep in mind you’ll be putting a whole lot of time and effort into the new venture.

Eventually, you’ll have to decide which online business is best for you and for most people that usually means deciding which business will generate the most income.

Now let’s take a quick look at some of the top online business opportunities that await you online…

Blogging – A blog (short for web log) is a website maintained by an individual with content (text, pictures, art, videos, music, podcasts, etc). Consider it your particular take on anything and everything. Be warned. The internet is already supersaturated with blogs, so if you’re thinking of adding another, try to do some sort of business blog to help attract interested advertisers. A well constructed, well written, popular blog can attract advertisers or become part of an affiliate marketing network.

Affiliate Marketing – Basically, affiliate marketing is a marketing technique where revenue sharing occurs between advertisers/merchants and online publishers (you). Choose a search engine optimization friendly domain name, and create a website around it. Add content, drive traffic to it, and look for merchants with affiliate programs or try joining an affiliate marketing network that will link your site to related merchant sites. Create more websites. This is probably the most labor-intensive and technical online business opportunity out there but there’s considerable income for those with the technical skills to make it worth their efforts.

Online Auction / E-commerce- One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, especially in the online marketplace. You might begin by auctioning personal items online from your attic or garage. When you’ve depleted these items, you may want to sell merchandise that you have obtained cheaply from local sources, for example, to interested buyers from around the world. You could also manufacture your own uniquely marketable items like handcrafted jewelry and other arts and crafts projects. Then again, be sure you stand out from the crowd because, as many people have discovered, there are a LOT of people selling the same type of products and merchandise online.

VA (Virtual Assistant) – As more companies downsize, support services begin to shift from the real world to the virtual world. Providing administrative and business support to other business owners might not make you rich but it might be worth doing if you’re unemployed or a stay at home parent.

Freelance Services- Provide professional services like copywriting, web design, photography and illustration. These jobs are truly skill based. Therefore, learn and exceed in the necessary skills to attract and maintain your client base. An impressive portfolio will take you much farther than an impressive resume in this line of online business. So be sure to make your published work speak volumes about your skills. This online business requires a considerable amount of talent and knowledge to make it feasible as a significant source of income.

Financial Solutions Marketing and Training – Of all the online business opportunities available, the most lucrative and most rewarding appears to be that involved with internet marketing and financial education and wealth management. This business allows one to make a substantial amount of money, and allows one to teach other people how to make money. Helping other people achieve their fondest dreams of obtaining a wealthy lifestyle can be a truly rewarding experience in more ways than one. You too can learn to create wealth by using the right mindset, the proper tools and a fair amount of initiative.

In summary, do some soul searching and prepare yourself to make a big commitment. Don’t do it “half-way”; go the distance and give it your best shot possible. Whether you succeed or fail you always know you did your best and that’s what counts. If you require additional professional guidance you may want to review the mentoring and business coaching services of Ethos Mentor (www.ethos360.com).

The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate One Stop Shop for How to Start and Grow a Business

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Ethos 360 has released the cutting edge killer solution to the entrepreneur’s biggest problems; from getting started to getting funded. From Point A, to Point B and so on. Nobody has ever put such a complete set of services and funding solutions under one umbrella along with the personalized attention of a handpicked Mentor to work one on one with each Member. You gain from their experiences and learn from their mistakes. Furthermore this is done at a price that can’t be beat.

Ethos 360 provides entrepreneurs with affordable one on one mentoring, business coaching and capital raising services so they can launch and grow their businesses. They help business owners at every stage, from how to start a business, start-up and growth stage, to established firms seeking large capital funding and expansion. Most importantly, Ethos 360’s decades of experience helps entrepreneurs avoid making costly mistakes and their affordable services assist them navigating through the often treacherous waters of on-line and off-line service providers who (sometimes not so nicely) target entrepreneurs.

The Total Package

The key ingredients of our service our: 1. Every Member gets their own Mentor to work one on one with, 2. Business coaching, document preparation and strategy development i.e. “laying the groundwork”, 3. We raise capital for you, 4. Business credit building program, 5. Unlimited angel/private investor leads, 6. Advice on corporate structure and formation, 7. Pitch Coaching, 8. Investor relations. There’s even more, visit the “Services” page here- www.ethos360.com/solutions/.

Ethos 360 takes you step by step from start to finish whether you have a new concept and don’t know what to do next or you’re looking for your third round of financing from a venture capital or private equity firm. Do you want to sell shares of your company in a private offering or get introduced to the right investment banker to underwrite your IPO they’ll open up their rolodex to help you with that also.

They’ll analyze your unique situation to find you the perfect financing solution. For example: 1. Bank loans/SBA, 2. Angel/private investor leads, 3. Venture capital, 4. Angel groups, 5. Private equity, 6. Private lenders, 7. Lines of credit, 8. Bridge and construction loans, 9. Commercial financing including factoring, accounts receivables, purchase order financing, equipment leasing, 10. Build business credit.

We have more sources of capital in one spot than anyone else, visit the “Solutions” page here- http://www.ethos360.com/solutions/#funding.

Putting Their Money and Credibility Where Their Mouth Is.

All Members receive a Lifetime Membership so if your first business doesn’t work out, you’re a serial entrepreneur or you discover a better venture they’re there to help. They stand behind their services offering a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or a full refund if you’re not happy for any reason. Perfect “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau. Too good to be true, not really, YOU have to be motivated and realistic; willing to take the necessary steps to get to where you want to be. There’s no magic to what they do; just good old fashioned hard work, experience, creativity and the ability to put together a workable strategy custom tailored for your situation. Lazy unmotivated people do not apply.

What follows are the personal experiences of the owner of Ethos 360 derived from years of pursuing her own entrepreneurial dreams. She’s sharing her mistakes so you don’t have to live them yourself. She’s walked the walk not just talked the talk.

A New Concept Born Out of Necessity.

“While starting and growing my own businesses I found myself in many situations where I needed objective third party advice and found that there wasn’t a company that could take me through the process of starting and growing my business from point A to point B to point C and so on,” stated Ellisa Brenneman president of Ethos 360, “I found out that something even as supposedly simple as traditional bank or Small Business Administration (SBA) financing can be confusing since I had never applied for a business loan before. Who IS the SBA anyway? Where are they located?  Are they a lender? In addition I find a lot of “too good to be true” websites full of big promises but bad reputations.”

“I felt confused, frustrated and lost. What began as an exciting adventure was rapidly turning into an expensive nightmare. Instead of focusing on what I was good at and bringing my vision to fruition,” shares Ellisa Brenneman, “I was burning the midnight oil trying to learn about every aspect of how to start a business and being an entrepreneur. More often than not the information I received was contradictory and came from someone trying to sell me something making me skeptical and more confused than ever.”

The People and Companies That Prey on Entrepreneurs.

Small business entrepreneurs desperate for help and in need of financing will soon discover there’s no shortage of predators to be victimized by. For example, as soon as you post online on a capital raising site the feeding frenzy starts. You’ll be electronically attacked by swarms of unlicensed middlemen willing to find you money for a “small” monthly stipend ranging from $500 to a whopping $10,000! “When I mentioned that it would seem more fair to pay them a commission (even twice the amount they wanted initially) once money was actually raised I never heard from them again,” Ellisa Brenneman explained, “Just the day before they were so excited about my deal and supposedly already had the investors all lined up. I was born at night, just not last night. The first red flag came when I could never get a straight answer to a simple question; please show me proof that you’ve raised capital for someone directly because of your efforts. I asked to speak to a couple of clients who they raised money for in the past. You think they’d be motivated to promote their successes publically, like real funding groups, to capture new business.”

Another favorite is business credit building services guaranteeing huge sums of money if you just spend $4250 to learn their “secrets”. They are so accommodating that they even have monthly payment programs. “I called one such company”, said Ellisa Brenneman, “for the second time to ask the sales representative a few more questions only to find that their phone was disconnected. Wow. This recession must be real tough since their website said they’ve been in business ten years. Then the thought occurred to me, their own tried and true “secret” techniques must not have been very effective or they would still be in business!”

Many entrepreneurs sign up for business plan posting websites supposedly full of anxious investors ready to write them a check, from 2000 miles away none the less, and to their initial surprise they’re contacted right away, not by just one but several investors, extremely pumped up about their business concept and clamoring to invest. The money’s in sight, almost in your hands, they promise, just as soon as you send them $8500 for a “commitment fee”.  And to think you only have to pay $99 a month for a “Premium Listing” on a business plan posting website, for several other “quality” offers just like it!

Traps Set to Snare the Uninformed.

From attorneys charging $1500 to incorporate a business, investment banking advisors who state that you also need a $15,000 Private Placement Memorandum (PPM) before any financier will even seriously look at your project. Executive business coaching that is available for a paltry $1000 a day (with a 3 day minimum), loan brokers who want $850 upfront to “package” a loan request, and we saved the best for last…. the grant finding services. For a hefty fee they’ll search the same databases that you could for free except they’ll do it for you. And within a matter of days they’ll find you a “special grant program” that supposedly only they have access to. All you had to do is pay up to a $6,000 fee upfront and the grant money is yours for the taking! Free money! You don’t have to pay it back either!

You’re already daydreaming thinking about the beautiful office you’re going to rent and luxuriously furnish with all that free government money. Bad news, at the last minute they forgot to mention the 120 page 40 section business plan and written grant proposal you were supposed to already have prepared and the cutoff date was 3 days away. But wait, good news, they have just found a better grant program but you have to pay another $1,000 for “processing”. Wash, rinse, repeat. There are more stories, first hand, of entrepreneurs who kept falling for this over and over to the tune of $20,000 or more lost, down the drain.

More Scared and Confused than Ever?

You’re not alone. A great number of entrepreneurs end up mislead, abused and broke. They end up giving up on their dreams before they even “get into the game” because of these types of tactics. Everything described above has happened to almost all entrepreneurs at one time or another. Some entrepreneurs quit before they ever get started; they were never entrepreneurs to begin with. Others try their whole lives, never make it big but had a blast going for it and would do it all over again. Others get lucky and hit a home run during their first or second time at bat. You simply never know till you try, and luck and timing play a larger role than you can ever imagine. Most entrepreneurs are burdened with too many questions and often given only expensive and ineffective answers. More often than not, each answer is tied to a price tag that few can afford during the beginning stages of their business when every dollar counts the most.

From the Ashes a Solution Blooms.

The idea for Ethos 360 was born from the altruistic desire of Ellisa Brenneman to make sure entrepreneurs don’t repeat the same mistakes she did. Those mistakes are outlined above. There’s a lot more but this press release would have morphed into a short story. Ellisa Brenneman created Ethos 360 not to get rich (she doesn’t charge enough for the Lifetime Membership to do that) but to help other entrepreneurs benefit from her lessons learned and, fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams at a price point anyone can afford.

Ethos 360- Gain knowledge, Gain capital. Attain your dream.

Ethos 360, located in Portland, Oregon, offers a very unique value proposition for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as successful business owners. To their knowledge there hasn’t been any organization, group or business that provided one on one mentoring, business coaching and raising capital services, at an affordable flat fee, until now. The team at Ethos 360 helps business owners regardless of what industry or stage of growth they are at, including concept and seed stage businesses along with complete start-ups.

The owner of Ethos 360, Ellisa Brenneman, recognized that what entrepreneurs needed was a one stop shop that offered all the services an entrepreneur needs under one roof. The core of the concept is that each Lifetime Member is paired with their own personal Mentor to coach, motivate and guide them through the entrepreneurial process.

Everything You Need to be Successful in One Easy to Follow Program

Many companies offer ad hoc services but no company tied them altogether into a cohesive affordable program.  Ethos 360 can help the first time entrepreneur by holding their hand through the start-up process from laying the ground work all the way to funding. The grizzled, battle hardened serial entrepreneur can benefit from objective advice from a Mentor that’s stood in their shoes many times before, offering unlimited angel/private investor leads, warm venture capital introductions and even direct public offerings of the shares of their company. Visit www.Ethos360.com or call 503-501-2444 to get started fulfilling your dream today.

Ethos 360 charges a flat fee of $499 for their mentoring service plus Lifetime Membership including a 100% satisfaction guarantee. No more being nickel and dimed to death. No more sales people pushing unnecessary services at you. No more empty promises. Your Mentor is always there to help you step by step, sharing their knowledge and offering real world guidance in a motivational manner.