Maps Explaining Why Americans Know Less About the World
By Sebastien | Filed under News, Opinions, Random
Speaking at the TED Conference, Alisa Miller (CEO of Public Radio International) explains why Americans know less and less about the rest of the world. Along the way, she uses some eye-popping graphs to put things in perspective.
Obey Sample Sales
By Sebastien | Filed under News, Random
Obey is having a sample sale this week:
Date:
Friday, May 30th (9am - 7pm)
Saturday, May31st (8am - 3pm)
Location:
3500 W. Carriage Dr.
Santa Ana CA, 92704
Last time we went, we had to wait 2.5 hours in line! I still can’t believe I waited that long without ending up on the news for murder…
This year my friend Sean, ex Obey employee, is getting us in day earlier. Thanks, buddy!
42 Original Business Cards Designs
By Sebastien | Filed under Art, Random
Reenconded lists 42 awesome business cards designs. They are the most original biz cards I’ve ever seen.
Here are just a few samples. Go to Reencoded to see all of them.
Google Earth (or similar) for the iPhone
By Sebastien | Filed under iPhone
Earthcape developed a native version of Google Earth for your favorite phone/mp3 player/email/map/internet device (talking about the iPhone here!).
The demo (see video below) is of a mobile application in development that puts virtual earth software on the iPhone. The app runs locally on the phone, so you will have to download updated geo-spatial information over WiFi or 3G, which would take a ton of bandwidth and effect performance.
TechCrunch reports that:
What you see in the video is not Google Earth, although it looks very similar. Earthscape has created its own virtual earth program that it describes as a social geobrowser. As with Google Earth, it allows you to tag places with text, photos, restaurant reviews, and Wikipedia articles. It also lets you see different image overlays of the same spot during different seasons and different times in history.
The software is available only in private beta (sign up here).
6 Tools To Find The Right Keywords
By Sebastien | Filed under SEO
Targeting the right keywords for your website is critical. There are many keywords generators available and MakeUseOf.com listed the 6 best tools available to research specific keywords.
- Google Keyword Tool
- WordTracker Free Edition
- Google Suggest
- SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool
- Good Keywords
- Keyword Discovery
The new iPhone is an “electric computer”
By Sebastien | Filed under iPhone
By analyzing thousands of U.S. customs records for Apple Computer, employees of the search engine for container shipment data ImportGenius.com identified a major spike in imports generated by a new product type.
“They have never before reported this product on their customs declarations,” says Ryan Petersen of ImportGenius.com. “The fact that they are importing millions of units, combined with dwindling stocks of the first generation of iPhones, clearly supports the Citi analysts predictions.”
On March 19 Quanta delivered ocean containers of merchandise, described on the Bills of Lading as “electric computers,” to Apple, Inc. Neither Apple, Quanta, nor any other company has ever used this product description for any shipments to the U.S.
The advanced features of the iPhone make it perfectly legitimate for Apple to declare the products as computers, rather than telephones.
This unusual large shipment of 188 containers could well be our new iPhones…
Warning Signs When Buying a Franchise
By Sebastien | Filed under Franchising
Because investing in a franchise is a life-changing event, every prospective franchisee should thoroughly investigate a franchise opportunity before signing any sort of franchise agreement.
While there are multiple websites and books floating around that outline the steps that ought to be taken in the interests of due diligence, you should take a minute to review the “red flags” we’ve outlined below:
1) Is the franchise salesperson putting on the pressure? One of the traits of a good franchisor is that it wants to make sure there is a mutually good fit before “closing the sale.” Should you find yourself being pressured into making a decision but feel like you haven’t been given adequate time to think everything through, don’t sign an agreement. Frankly, the franchisor wouldn’t be hounding you like that if the franchise opportunity were, in fact, spectacular or if there were, in fact, a long line of potential franchisees. What’s more likely in a pressure situation is that the franchise opportunity is not that spectacular, their line is not that long, and, conversely, they need your money in order to make their payroll. »Read More
How Do You Survive Franchisor Bankruptcy?
By Sebastien | Filed under Franchising
It takes immense discipline and fortitude to survive a franchisor’s bankruptcy. It’s a good idea to have a plan to minimize any potential losses in revenue and reputation, just in case such an unfortunate circumstance arises. When armed with a plan, you’re more likely to avoid disaster and consequently keep your business afloat.
The following are tips designed to help you get through franchisor bankruptcy:
- Heed warning signs: Hear a rumor? Investigate it. You do not want to find out the hard way – i.e., through a third party like a customer or the paper – that the franchisor is bankrupt, since doing so can compromise your rights and interests. If someone murmurs “bankruptcy,” be on the alert. The worst case scenario is that you determine that the rumor is no more than a rumor, and business resumes as usual. Some signs are very subtle, so pay attention. For example, if your franchisor is collecting advertising money from you but you don’t see any advertising happening, be on guard. »Read More
Finding a Franchise
By Sebastien | Filed under Franchising
There are a number of ways you can find and purchase franchises. Keep in mind that due diligence is necessary, and anything that sounds too good to be true probably is.
The ways in which you can locate and purchase franchises include:
Directly Through the Franchisor: As a general rule, franchisors list information on their websites or will send you an information packet per request.
Internet: When it comes to online franchise directories, there are nearly too many to count. Many of these lead generation sites offer additional features, including advice on franchising, franchise law, and financing. Be aware, though, that, due to the sheer volume of available information, you may have difficulty deciding where to begin your search for the ideal franchise opportunity. »Read More
Franchise Financial Performance
By Sebastien | Filed under Franchising
Your status as either a potential purchaser or merely a curious member of the public partially determines the amount and quality of information you’ll be able to discover about the financial performance of a specific franchise. Potential purchasers are able to find out about a franchise’s financial performance via the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Franchise and Business Opportunity Rule. Under the Franchise and Business Opportunity Rule, franchisors are required to make a series of detailed disclosures to potential purchasers, either in the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC) form or in the form provided by the rule. »Read More
