North Start Solutions – A Small Business Story

I started my business in 1994, which was essentially pre-Internet days (at least before it became the commercial entity we know it as today).  I was writing software programs and needed a way to take orders easily.  At the time, it was customary for software developers to put an address in their documents and ask for donations.  Of course, if they ever moved, the address they had would quickly become outdated.  The whole process of having to mail in checks and wait/hope for a reply was clumsy.  So I decided to set up an 800 number and get a merchant account to accept credit card orders telephonically.  As it turned out, a lot of other independent software developers needed the same services, so the process was quickly expanded as an order call center.  Before long, it was a very busy phone line, and I had to hire some help to answer phones and take orders. Read more

Small Business Story – Newsforce Inc

Newsforce Network gives marketers an always-on voice in the online news media, through placement of "storytelling media" or sponsored content on premium news sites. We replace what is ordinarily a banner ad with our unique storyboards and editorial treatment. The result is that customers can enact their own content strategy to change public perceptions, one story at a time, without having to solicit journalists to write about them. It's like a mashup between advertising and PR, and it ultimately gives companies more control of their brand messages in news media online.Read more