Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Startup Alert - ShelfLife

Hot Tips - The Best Free Business Tool You (Probably) Don't Know About.


http://www.shelflife.net/

If you’re a passionate collector of anything collectible – Transformers action figures, Star Trek paraphernalia, those comics from DC and Marvel or even from The Walking Dead, vinyl toys, stuffed toys, gaming consoles that date back to when you were still in your diapers to the latest version – and you know how the collecting trend nowadays go, a catalog of every possible item that you can collect, along with a place where you can hang out with other collectors, is like the first drops of rain amid a seemingly endless dry spell.

Despite the proliferation of a good bit of information on the Internet, collectors have to look in a number of sites (forums, message boards, sports and action figure collectible sites, video game sites, etc.) to find what they are looking for, which can be rather frustrating, if not time-consuming.

Life on the shelf

ShelfLife, a newly launched startup for collectors, knows this pain point too well and seeks to connect avid collectors in a single site. ShelfLife, in a nutshell, is like a collection of four different sites tailored to custom fit the collector’s discerning taste: (1) Facebook where you can discuss your toys with friends, (2) Flickr/Instagram to take pictures of your collection and share them online, (3) eBay if you’re looking to buy or sell some of your toys, and (4) Wikipedia where you can become a curator and provide in-depth information about your collection. Oh, and the site works as a checklist for your collection, too.

Like Wikipedia, the information in the site is provided by volunteer curators. ShelfLife’s user base might still be in the low thousands since its beta launching in the spring of last year, but the number of items catalogued have already reached more than 80,000. Unlike Wikipedia, curators have to apply to be accepted in the fold. They are then assigned their catalogs, which they normally should complete within two weeks. And instead of relying on donations (like Wikipedia does), curators get 25% of the commission for every item sold in their catalogs.

Essentially, the more they curate, the more they can get compensated monetarily. In addition to that, they get the points awarded to the Collector Wars contest where site users stand to win credits or more items to add to their own collections.

The buying and selling game

Once an item has been curated, listing your collectible up for sale is as easy as determining what item you own and your price. If you're a buyer, there will soon be a system where all you do is put your money in, set the price you're willing to part with to obtain an item and walk away. Instead of looking unceasingly, ShelfLife will automatically grab the item for you once it finds a match. And since each item in the catalog is broken down to its individual parts, if you're out looking for just a part and not the rest of the collection, the system can help match you up with a part seller, too.

Collectible vendors can take advantage of the site’s “haves” and “wants” to determine which items will be hot in the coming days or months. If a product is announced to be released, say, at a comic conference a few months from now, a catalog entry can be set up as early as today. Depending on the number of “wants” for the product, the vendor should know whether to stock his shelves with that item or not.

What’s next

The creators of ShelfLife plan to create a mobile app next. With this app, collectors  are informed where to find the collectible they’re looking for instead of waiting for another user who saw the item to post about the “sighting.” The app should also allow users to scan a bar code that will automatically point them to the whereabouts of a collectible and how many are still available.

[Via - NicheGeek.Com]

Mobile Startups - XSync

Startup Of The Week - Mailigen

Duda Mobile Takes On iOS And Android

PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise

From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor

DoNanza - Freelance Startup That Broke All Rules
 
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into MillionsHot Startups - DashBell
 
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Cool Apps - XSync

Hot Tips - The Best Free Business Tool You (Probably) Don't Know About.

http://www.xsyncapp.com/
If a friend tells you he’s trying to send a 4GB video file to you as an e-mail attachment, you probably already know what to expect: no 4GB video file hitting your inbox anytime soon. Being too large, the attachment can be rejected, or worse, your friend may experience file upload or Internet speed trouble somewhere along the way and simply choose to give up. In other words, the cons far outweigh the pros.

Now, if your friend is using a smartphone to send the file, he doesn’t have to go through the laborious typing-and-attaching game given that there is a more effortless option in the form of a file-sharing app for smartphones called Bump. With over 100 million downloads to date, Bump has made photo, video and contact information exchange between two users a whole lot easier with a bump – yes, a literal tap or bump of their phones.

But what if you’re some kind of a germaphobe and don’t particularly relish the idea of tapping phones with a stranger?

The guys at Xsync came up with an application that makes use of existing technology – specifically, your phone’s camera – to transfer files. With a patented technology called OMS, or Optical Message Service, Xsync allows data and file transfer via QR codes, eliminating the need for Bluetooth, e-mail attachments and near-field communications.

According to co-founder Bryan Leeds, the idea for Xsync hit him and the rest of the Xsync team while trying to share several pictures stored in their phones. Attaching the pictures in e-mails wasn’t an option for the simple reason that they didn’t like it. Bluetooth posed connectivity concerns. And with the Bump app, being a group of germ-haters, bumping phones wasn’t a welcome thought. What they wanted was be able to move files between phones, minus the use of another app, and sync them directly into their private cloud.

So far, the greatest hurdle they had to overcome is people’s general resistance to QR codes. Despite the growing usage of QR codes, a lot of people still perceive them negatively.

Currently, Xsync is being bootstrapped. The team, however, acknowledges that to take the app to the next level, sooner or later, they would need help with funding.

[Via - NicheGeek.com]

Startup Of The Week - Mailigen

Jason Lucash And The Story Of OrigAudio

Duda Mobile Takes On iOS And Android

PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise

From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor

DoNanza - Freelance Startup That Broke All Rules
 
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into MillionsHot Startups - DashBell
 
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release

Hot Startups - Mailigen

Site of the day - PickyDomains.com, world's first risk free naming agency
http://mailigen.com
Regardless of size, shape or form, whether that’s a mom-and-pop shop you’re running or a conglomerate, marketing is an integral part of any business. One marketing strategy that works, if properly implemented, is e-mail marketing. If that got you furrowing your eyebrows in protest, and since I’m a betting man, I’d bet that you’re one of the many people who think spam has killed the effectiveness of e-mail campaigns. Viagra, Bangkok pills … I’m sure you’ve got your fair share already.

The very purpose of e-mail marketing can be broken down in four: maximize your ROI (return on investment), build a trustworthy brand, drive sales and boost social interaction. Inasmuch as a good percentage of the global population is equipped with a working e-mail address, e-mail marketing is one of the simplest and most cost-effective marketing methods. But remember, it has to be done properly and a trustworthy e-mail marketing software definitely helps.

A web-based online marketing application, Mailigen helps you create (surveys, newsletters, sign-up forms) and analyze (through real-time reporting tools and Google Analytics integration) your e-mail marketing campaigns. It provides a wide range of templates to choose from and an option to create your own. Other features include:

  • easy-to-navigate design editor powered by drag-and-drop technology, eliminating the need for coding and other design skills
  • auto-responder
  • API (application programming interface) integration for managing lists, sending out campaigns and gathering data
  • targeted e-mail campaigns, meaning, you send out certain newsletters to certain groups depending on their interests
  • setup wizard for creating lists and campaigns
  • social media sharing buttons
  • high deliverability rate stemming from trusted ISP relationships
  • customer-centric support team

Depending on the number of subscribers you have, Mailigen pricing starts at $10 monthly. You also have an option to test drive the software for 30 days absolutely free. You can choose to pay monthly or as you go. For longer-term sign-ups, discount rates are offered, too – 10% for 6 months and 20% for 12 months. SMS/text messaging can, as well, be included in the subscription. Message rates, of course, vary by country and provider.

If you’re too busy to personally manage your e-mail marketing campaigns, Mailigen offers pro services like campaign management, e-mail marketing audit, e-mail template design, segmentation and list management, dedicated IP and IP certification. You can even subscribe to its standard features for free forever by creating a 5000 Epic Free Account.

[Via - NicheGeek.com]

Jason Lucash And The Story Of OrigAudio

Cool Apps - StrokeLink.ca

Duda Mobile Takes On iOS And Android

PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise

From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor

DoNanza - Freelance Startup That Broke All Rules
 
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into MillionsHot Startups - DashBell
 
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release

Saturday, February 09, 2013

Jason Lucash And The Story Of OrigAudio

Site of the day - PickyDomains.com, world's first risk free naming agency

http://www.origaudio.com/

The ability to put a new spin on the old: That's what catapulted Jason Lucash and his business partner, Mike Szymczak, from aspiring entrepreneurs to creators of one of Time's 50 best inventions of the year in 2009. Each year since then, their Costa Mesa, Calif.-based company, OrigAudio (look for discounts), has doubled its sales.

Tired of lugging bulky audio players around on business trips while working for JanSport, the duo started futzing with the idea of putting speakers into Chinese-food takeout boxes. The boxes start flat, and "whenever you want to use it, you pop it up," Lucash says. The idea sounded good. The product? Not so much. They moved on to putting a very old idea--origami--to work. In 2009, with $10,000 in seed money from Lucash's mom, the two launched OrigAudio (origami + audio) with one product: speakers, made entirely from recycled materials, that come flat and fold together. "The Chinese takeout box concept inspired us, but origami is what powered us," Lucash says.

The two were selling 15 pairs a day through their website when the U.S. Marines placed a whopping order for 50,000 (launching OrigAudio's corporate gift division). Shortly after, Time waved its magic "best" wand. With the holidays coming on fast, the company quickly sold out of its stock of 25,000 units. That's when Lucash and Szymczak gave their two-week notice to JanSport.

OrigAudio's volume has been turned up ever since. Now with nine products and 14 employees, the company had 2012 sales of $4 million. The products are carried in mass-market retailers and sold online through multiple merchants. And, in a rare move, QVC approached OrigAudio about selling its wares after seeing them at the Consumer Electronics Show.

OrigAudio's top-selling product, at 750,000 units, is the Rock-It, which makes a speaker out of pretty much any object you clip it to. It's another example of the old-made-new strategy. The "really cool" technology, Lucash says, had been around for 60 years, "but we always saw these big applications of it. So we were like, This thing would be sweet if you could make it portable."

Perhaps most appealing about Lucash is his desire to teach entrepreneur wannabes, even while he has his own business to maintain. He frequently steps up to podium mics to make sure college students get an earful of the types of lessons he didn't get as a managerial economics major at the University of California, Davis. In time, he hopes to go back to school himself and get an MBA so he can teach marketing classes. "I just like educating. I want people to get something out of it," he says.

One of the biggest lessons Lucash has learned on his own? "There are so many people that rely on you. We're supporting 12 other people," he says. "You want to make sure the company is going to do well to keep your employees happy and keep them financially secure, and that's very challenging. They don't teach you that in school."

[Via - Entrepreneur]

Cool Apps - StrokeLink.ca

Duda Mobile Takes On iOS And Android

PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise

From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor

DoNanza - Freelance Startup That Broke All Rules
 
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into MillionsHot Startups - DashBell
 
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release

Thursday, February 07, 2013

Cool Startups - StrokeLink

Site of the day - PickyDomains.com, world's first risk free naming agency

http://strokelink.ca/

In the early days of the mobile phone, it was perceived as a leisure item. Fast forward to today, the cell phone has gotten a whole lot smarter, and majority of the world’s population can’t go about their day-to-day lives without one. Morgan Moe, co-founder and Chief Clinical Innovation Officer of StrokeLink, believes the iPad is poised to walk the same path.

StrokeLink, is a free iPad app that empowers stroke survivors during their care and rehabilitation process through the provision of a knowledge base and self-care tools to augment the gaps that are unfortunately inherent in health care deliveries. Just in Canada alone, 67% of stroke patients get discharged from the hospital without access to rehabilitation facilities. And even if they do, care allotment is relatively low and self-management resources range from very little to absolutely nil.

The idea for StrokeLink came about when Morgan, then a volunteer at ARBI (Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured), went to visit her great aunt who had multiple strokes. She saw that her aunt was given written exercises on pieces of scrap paper, although they were mostly stick figures with barely discernible instructions. Around the same time, Morgan got her first iPad and, according to her, it seemed obvious to piece the two together.

When asked what had been their biggest challenge so far, Morgan and co-founder/CEO Anne-Marie Paquette asserted that it had been shifting people’s perception of the iPad from a leisure gadget to a health care delivery tool.

Essentially, the app is subdivided into four categories: My Goals, which is where the patient’s personal goals are stored; My Progress, which measures daily activity to assess the patient’s progress based on his goals; My Programs, which includes photos, videos, audio and text descriptions of each exercise in the rehabilitation program; and My Library, which is a resource base to help the patient better understand his care team, how to prevent another stroke from happening, living and coping with the effects of stroke.

At the moment, StrokeLink is set to release an update that will allow users to customize the app’s built-in exercise programs, as well as create their own. Using the iPad’s microphone and camera, they should be able to substitute existing pictures, text, video and audio. As well, through StrokeLink’s web dashboard, health care providers should be able to remotely monitor their patients’ progress.

[Via - Bitrix24.com]

Hot Startups - Swipp.Com Review

Duda Mobile Takes On iOS And Android

Why Omaze Is An Amazing Startup

PickyDomains - startup that caught everyone by surprise

From 0 To $30,000 A Month With Dropshipping

Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor

DoNanza - Freelance Startup That Broke All Rules
 
How TribeHR Turned Simple Idea Into MillionsHot Startups - DashBell
 
Daily Advice Link - How I Increased Sales 350% With Press-Release