Niche Marketing
Why Things Cost $19.95
Ever wondered why retailers price goods at $4.99 rather than $5.00? Here is the best scientific explanation I read:
Why Things Cost $19.95, by Wray Herbert, SciAm Mind Matters: ...[M]ost of us are motivated by the desire for a fair deal, and we employ some sophisticated cognitive tools to weigh offers, fashion responses, and so forth—all the to-and-fro in getting to an agreement.
Cards And Business
Author Robert Fulghum said he learned everything he needed to know in kindergarten. Jon Hirschtick, founder of SolidWorks Corp., a Concord, Mass., engineering-software company, says much the same thing about the blackjack table.
Social Saving
Consumer credit is ubiquitous and the notion of saving up for something is almost foreign. But it's an essential step toward regaining control over spending, and SmartyPig wants to help.
The hunt for angel investors is tough enough. Finding one who offers more than money adds to the challenge--but it's worth it.
Laura Bennett found her angel investor in a mentor at Canada Life, her former employer. The life insurance executive asked Bill Acton, executive vice president of the company's European division, for advice on starting Embrace Pet Insurance, the Mayfield Village, Ohio, business she was launching with Alex Krooglik, 35. Acton was intrigued, and he invested $50,000 in the company, which wrote its first policies in 2006.
Riding Nostalgia To Profts
Keith DeWitt was looking for a unique present for his new granddaughter when he stumbled upon a Web site, kiddieridesusa.com, selling a lion kiddie ride for $2,000.
Build-A-Bear's Founder Shares Her Story
Background: Clark left a successful corporate career to start her own business, Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW - News), then a relatively new concept in retail entertainment.
The Company: Since launching its first workshop in St. Louis in 1997, the business has expanded to 300 shops across Asia, Canada, Europe, and the U.S., with sales of $437 million. In June, Build-A-Bear Workshop helped launch Ridemakerz(BusinessWeek.com, 7/19/07) a build-your-own model toy car retailer -- in which it has a major investment stake.
Why is the US economy crashing?
Leisure Economy And What It Means For Your Future
For this week’s Shifting Career’s column, I spoke with Linda Nazareth, an economist in Toronto for Business News Network, Canada’s national cable station for business news. She is the author of a new book, “The Leisure Economy.” Below are excerpts from our conversation:
Should You Pay $500 For Review On JohnChow.Com?
I am a big fan of Johh Chow. So, I figured, I should try ordering a review for PickyDomains on his website, which ain't cheap - $500 to be exact.
Want to know if it was worth it? OK, you decide.
Economic Facts and Fallacies
I preface my review of Thomas Sowell's Economic Facts and Fallacies with two semi-personal accounts. First, many years ago my young wife and I took the subway to Boston Common to a Fair Play for Cuba demonstration (this was before we drove Castro into the USSR's arms with a trade embargo and other hostilities).
