Standing desks are a growing trend in many workplaces because they help you avoid the health risks involved with sitting all day while building strength and fitness. If you want to try the trend, but aren’t sure about standing for eight hours at a stretch, check out the Ninja Standing Desk. The Ninja Standing Desk is the first portable sit-and-stand desk. It weighs just under 5 pounds and can be stored away in a bag the size of a laptop. The desk can be hung on a door, wall or cubicle, and by adding a third shelf, you can make the desk accessible for sitting, too.
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Posts Tagged ‘Innovation’
Web.com Small Business Toolkit: Ninja Standing Desk (Ergonomic Desk)
March 22nd, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich100 Trends to Watch for 2013
January 17th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Karen Axelton
As you prepare your small business for greater success in the coming year, be sure to take a look through trendspotting company JWT’s list of 100 Things to Watch for 2013. While you’ll want to peruse the whole list at leisure, here are a few that stood out to us as of interest to business owners:
- Allergen-free foods: JWT cites a 2011 study showing that as many as 1 in 12 American children may have a food allergy. That’s twice as high as previously believed. In 2013, JWT predicts that “allergen-free” will become as ubiquitous as gluten-free, with more food manufacturers, restaurants and retailers devoting themselves to allergy-free meals and snacks.
- Ambushed by Amazon: Is Amazon today’s Wal-Mart or Barnes & Noble? Like those mass merchants before it, the ecommerce giant is threatening to run all types of independent retailers out of town. With same-day delivery currently being tested in some cities, its Amazon Flow app that shows shoppers in your store how much the same product costs on Amazon, and everything from luxury jewelry to food for sale, Amazon is a major “disruptor” that retailers and etailers will have to take into account. Latest news? It’s reportedly considering opening brick-and-mortar stores
- Appcessories: Accessories are taking on high-tech functionality, turning into “appcessories.” Whether it’s smart eyeglasses, wristwatches or wristbands that integrate with tech toys, or even gloves and socks with RFID tags or embedded microphones, companies are creating dozens of ways for consumers to integrate technology into their clothing and accessories.
- Coaching brands: Companies now have the ability to gather unheard-of reams of data about their customers. In 2013, they’ll increasingly use that data to “coach” their customers on how to do things better, provide personalized recommendations for products and services, and otherwise provide customized assistance to help clients improve their lives.
- Hyper-personalized customer service: In a closely related trend, businesses in some industries are using information about customers to provide extremely personalized service. For example, restaurants can log details about customer preferences and then provide “the usual” cocktail or a gluten-free menu without the person even having to ask. As technology enables bigger companies to provide the kind of personal touch that used to belong to small companies, your firm will have to find new ways to keep pace.
- Dads in the aisles: With women working outside the home and the number of stay-at-home dads multiplying, more marketers that used to focus on moms will need to include dad as well. Whether you sell cleaning supplies, household products and décor, children’s clothing or food, you will need to market to men and take into account how they like to shop, buy and spend.
Read the full report for 94 more thought-provoking trends.
Image by Flickr user Steve Bowbrick (Creative Commons)
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Hot Trend: Gluten-Free Foods and Beverages
November 16th, 2012 :: Rieva LesonskyBy Rieva Lesonsky
If you’re a food or restaurant entrepreneur looking for a growth market, look no further than gluten-free foods and beverages. This relatively new category is projected to top $4.2 billion in sales by the end of this year, and since 2008, has grown by an astonishing 28 percent annually, according to the recently released Packaged Facts report Gluten-Free Foods and Beverages in the U.S.
As of August 2012, Packaged Facts reports, nearly one in five U.S. adults either buy or consume products labeled gluten-free, and the share of total shoppers who report they are buying more gluten-free products has doubled.
If you think gluten-free products have a limited audience of consumers who suffer from celiac disease, food allergies or other health conditions that require a gluten-free diet, think again. A growing number of consumers are purchasing these products not because they need them for medical reasons, but simply because they think they’re healthier. In fact, Packaged Facts research director David Sprinkle reports, “The conviction that gluten-free products are generally healthier is the top motivation for purchase of these products.”
In addition, many consumers are buying or eating them to support friends or family members who have to follow a gluten-free diet. And more than one-third of consumers in the survey said that foods they buy for other reasons, such as being organic, GMO-free or vegetarian, also happen to be gluten-free.
Going forward, growing awareness of celiac disease, food allergies and related disorders is likely to lead to more diagnoses of conditions that respond to gluten-free diets, Packaged Facts predicts. The growing number of high-quality, better-tasting gluten-free foods and beverages is leading to growing awareness of these foods and further driving demand.
The 28 percent annual growth rate will moderate a bit in the next five years, Packaged Facts predicts, but nonetheless, the U.S. market for gluten-free foods and beverages is projected to surpass $6.6 billion by 2017.
If you’re considering getting involved in gluten-free, what are the most likely areas for success? For packaged food producers, the report says the best-selling gluten-free categories in grocery, drug and mass retailers are snacks/granola bars, frozen dinners/entrées/pizza, and crackers/salty snacks.
Own a restaurant? Consider adding some gluten-free items to your menu or offering gluten-free variations of popular dishes. Be sure you advertise your options prominently on your menu, signage and in social media—people who live gluten-free are always looking for new places they can eat out, and are eager to share the news when they find more options.
Image by Flickr user foodista blog (Creative Commons)
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Web.com Small Business Toolkit: The Next Big Zing (Inventor Resource)
October 16th, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichThe Next Big Zing is a resource for inventors and entrepreneurs who want their product to hit it big. The Next Big Zing works with the inventors to improve their product, concept, packaging and marketing messages to produce the best product possible. The site also highlights the hottest trends and most innovative products on the market through their Next Big Zing Awards. And with the site’s video and ecommerce programs, inventors can sell directly through the Next Big Zing’s site. Products are categorized by the top 12 retail categories, such as food, beauty, health and pets. The application fee is $65 per product.
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Web.com Review: Small Business Resource: Create. Work. Inspire Business Edition Workshops: Interactive Business Workshops
August 30th, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichCreate. Work. Inspire: Business Edition Workshops
Create. Work. Inspire: Business Edition Workshops are a new collaboration between computer giant Dell and Manta, an online community of small business owners. The first workshop is set for September 14 in Miami, then the series heads to Los Angeles in November. The interactive sessions will feature expert speakers on business innovation and other challenges in business growth. You’ll also have opportunities to network with other small business owners, including a cocktail hour networking session featuring treats from local businesses.
Another highlight of this Dell/Manta collaboration is the selection of the “Small Business of the Week.” One lucky entrepreneur will win a Manta premium business listing for one year and be featured on the Manta.com website, giving them exposure to millions of other small businesses in the Manta community. Registration information will be announced here.
Google+How to Do a Patent Search for Your Invention
August 23rd, 2012 :: Karen AxeltonBy Karen Axelton
Does your small business have a great product idea that could make you millions? If so, the first step in protecting your idea is to do a patent search and see whether someone else has already patented your idea or something similar. Here’s what you need to now to get started.
Begin by figuring out whether your idea is patentable. What is required for this? Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website for guidelines. Most likely, you will be considering a “utility” patent, which covers a “new, nonobvious and useful” process, machine or product. You can also get a “design” patent for the design or ornamentation of a product.
Do you have a patentable invention? Then you’re ready to begin a patent search. It’s wise to do a preliminary patent search before you start the patent process. That way, if you find out someone already has a patent on your idea, you can avoid the investment of time and money in applying for a patent.
The USPTO website lets you do a preliminary search that covers both patent applications and issued patents. Be sure you also check whether the invention has been patented in a foreign country. You’ll find plenty of resources and links to guide you in the process of searching.
If you don’t find anything at the USPTO site, you’re not done yet. You also need to contact the Patent and Trademark Resource Center. You can find the nearest such center on the USPTO site. Experts at these centers can guide you to patent search resources and even train you in how to do a thorough patent search.
If developing a prototype or designing your invention will be costly, you’ll also want to contact a patent attorney with experience in this area before you invest a lot of money into the effort. You can find registered patent attorneys using a search tool on the USPTO website.
This may seem like a lot of legwork, especially considering that once you file an application for a patent, the USPTO will do its own search. However, by doing a preliminary search, you can save yourself time, effort and hassle in the long run.
Image by Flickr user Clearly Ambiguous (Creative Commons)
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Edison Nation: Product Developer and Online Inventor Social Community: Small Business Resource
May 17th, 2012 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichDid you know May is National Inventors Month? In honor of all the innovators out there, Edison Nation and the public television show Everyday Edisons are hosting an online casting call for new product ideas. Everyday Edisons narrates the development of an idea into a product, and showcases 10 new products per season. Each idea is developed into a commercially viable product at no cost to the inventor; the inventor receives 50 percent of any royalties from the licensing of their product. Enter your ideas and chance to be on the show at the EdisonNation.com website. The final casting call ends May 31, 2012.
Google+Small Biz Resource Tip: IdeaOffer
June 28th, 2011 :: Maria Valdez HaubrichHave a business idea and want some feedback? Jumping on the trend of crowdsourcing, IdeaOffer is an open call for small companies or startups with big ideas who want help making their idea a reality by throwing the idea out there to get feedback—both good and bad. Create a free account, set up a prize amount you’re offering for the help, and then see what the world has to say about your new product or service idea. You can ask the entire community, or set up a specific community of your family and friends. You can also embed the IdeaOffer project on your own website.
Google+8 Cool New Social Startups
June 13th, 2011 :: Monika Jansen
If there’s any doubt that social media is just a trend, the startups that are sprouting around the country are quickly squashing that idea. We’ve been writing about a lot of cool social startups over at Tech Cocktail this spring. Here are 8 of my favorites:
1. Trendrr
Whether or not you are in marketing, you know that keeping up with social media in real-time is an extraordinary, time-consuming challenge. NYC-based Trendrr is a business intelligence platform that helps you listen, measure and respond to the conversation about your brand, media property, service or product as it’s happening. Sign up for a free 14-day trial to see how it works, or check out their managed services, which include a social media audit, reporting services, API access, information graphics and data visualization.
2. Hail to the Mayor App
Another NYC-based startup, Ludicast, which develops Web-based tools and apps, recently introduced a Foursquare app called Hail To The Mayor. You can use it to add your “anthem” to the jukebox of a bar when you check in.
3. StagePresence
Nuvixa, a Champaign, Illinois-based startup, has a really cool product called StagePresence that embeds video of you right into an online presentation. The result is a much more engaging visual communication tool that allows your body language and enthusiasm to add dynamism to your on-line presentation. It can be used for sales presentations, lectures, seminars, webinars, webcasts or video conferences. You can download StagePresence to try it out.
4. Weave the People
Weave the People also wants to make online communications more interesting, though their product was designed to increase the productivity of meetings, connect people, and provide an engaging way to view all of the attendees in a conference room. Weaves can also help conference organizers enhance delegates’ experience, increase sales, create a sponsorship opportunity, and provide a better networking experience.
5. Flimp Media
Boston-based Flimp Media has developed technology that allows companies to create interactive video brochures, thus making it possible to take the deep connection and engagement of video and convert it to sales leads. Flimp generates 4-7 times higher response rates compared to email marketing or static brochures, and viewer engagement is 1.3 minutes, 10 times higher than print, web pages, or email marketing.
6. Social Guide
Brooklyn-based SocialGuide wants to do two things: make TV-viewing a more social experience and help you find programs to watch when you are channel surfing and coming up empty. Their first real-time social programming guide tells you what the most popular programs are based on what people are watching and discussing.
7. SweetBaby
New parents, this one’s for you. Turn piles (or files) of photos of your child (or children) into an interactive, portable, and creative baby book with Sweet Baby, an iPad app you can download from the iTunes story today!
8. Addieu
Addieu is a new iPhone app that offers a quick and simple way to connect with everyone you meet on multiple social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, as you meet them.
Image by Flickr user Melissa Sanders (Creative Commons)
Google+Will the R&D Tax Credit Be Extended Again?
April 21st, 2011 :: Karen AxeltonBy Karen Axelton
A movement to make the R&D tax credit permanent seems to be gaining momentum, according to the Kauffmann Foundation. Originally created in 1981, the Research & Experimentation Tax Credit has been renewed 14 times so far, most recently when
President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 in December.
True to form, the most recent renewal still allows the tax credit to expire at the end of 2011. But now, both political parties and a host of business interests are working to make the credit permanent so that businesses could enjoy the benefits without the uncertainty of wondering if or when the credit will be renewed.
Kauffmann cites a White House fact sheet which says the R&D tax credit directly supports jobs in the United States as well as U.S.-based investment and a 2010 study by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) which found the credit spurs job creation. Organizations ranging from large companies like Ernst & Young to smaller entrepreneurial companies support the extension of the credit.
President Obama is seeking to expand the credit by about 20 percent (which would be the biggest increase in its history) and simplify the credit so more firms will be likely to take it. Even if expanded, the R&D credit would still be behind many countries nationwide in terms of tax credits offered to businesses that invest in research and development.
The American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2011 (H.R. 942), currently under consideration by Congress, would expand the credit and make it permanent. The bill was introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and has earned strong support from both Democrats and Republicans so far.
We still have eight months until the credit expires, but if your business will benefit from extension of the credit—and an end to the uncertainty—let your elected representatives know how you feel.
Image by Flickr user Richard Chen (Creative Commons)
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