Clipmarks | Business Clips

How to piss off credit card companies and get away with it

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:39:46 GMT

clipped by: rocker
clipper's remarks: Hilarious! Genius!

Clip Source: www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net

There are two types of junk mail that everyone gets: coupons for stupid bullshit that you don't want, and credit card applications for credit to buy stupid bullshit that you don't need. Here's how to take care of all your junk mail in one fell swoop: use the postage-paid envelope that credit card companies send you with their applications to send them the OTHER junk mail you receive. It's just that simple. Imagine the frustration of credit card companies when they have to spend millions of dollars every year on first-class postage just to open up an envelope and find Pizza Hut coupons inside. The envelopes are intended to be used for "BUSINESS REPLY MAIL," and so use them for their intended purpose. You're sending them valuable money-saving coupons which could mean big savings to credit card companies, and it makes good business sense to use them. Consider it a reply to their business proposition with a business proposition of your own: 35 cents off a large, one-topping pizza. In fact, they should be thanking you for giving them these money-saving opportunities. Or how about sending them credit card applications from other credit card companies? Be creative.

Tags: a must-do

10 really stupid ideas that made somebody rich

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 01:46:27 GMT

clipped by: ejoiner2
clipper's remarks: What looks stupid could still make you wealthy...it gives me hope...I think.

Clip Source: nichegeek.com

10 Totally Stupid Online Business Ideas That Made Someone Rich

1. Million Dollar Homepage

1000000 pixels, charge a dollar per pixel – that’s perhaps the dumbest idea for online business anyone could have possible come up with. Still, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old who came up with the idea, is now a millionaire.

2. SantaMail

Ok, how’s that for a brilliant idea. Get a postal address at North Pole, Alaska, pretend you are Santa Claus and charge parents 10 bucks for every letter you send to their kids? Well, Byron Reese sent over 200000 letters since the start of the business in 2001, which makes him a couple million dollars richer. Full Story

3. Doggles

Create goggles for dogs and sell them online? Boy, this IS the dumbest idea for a business. How in the world did they manage to become millionaires and have shops all over the world with that one? Beyond me.

4. LaserMonks

LaserMonks.com is a for-profit subsidiary of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank, an eight-monk monastery in the hills of Monroe County, 90 miles northwest of Madison. Yeah, real monks refilling your cartridges. Hallelujah! Their 2005 sales were $2.5 million! Praise the Lord. Full Story

5. AntennaBalls

You can’t sell antenna ball online. There is no way. And surely it wouldn’t make you rich. But this is exactly what Jason Wall did, and now he is now a millionaire. Full Story

6. FitDeck

Create a deck of cards featuring exercise routines, and sell it online for $18.95. Sounds like a disaster idea to me. But former Navy SEAL and fitness instructor Phil Black reported last year sales of $4.7 million. Surely beats what military pays.

7. PositivesDating.Com

How would you like to go on a date with an HIV positive person? Paul Graves and Brandon Koechlin thought that someone would, so they created a dating site for HIV positive folks last year. Projected 2006 sales are $110,000, and the two hope to have 50,000 members by their two-year mark.

Tags: rich, stupid, business, internet, strategy

Free Online Documentaries

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:50:42 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: best.online.docus.googlepages.com

Documentaries

Anthropology

Biographies

Business

Environment

Foreign

(Geo)Politics

Health

History

Lifestyle/Society

Mystery

Religion

Science

Technology/Future

Tags: educatiion

RFID Technology demo video

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 03:18:32 GMT

clipped by: ejoiner2

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: rfid, internet, blogs, business, transportation, walmart, strategy

Bush orders every regulatory office to be supervised by political appointee

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:10:02 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Be scared. Be very, very, scared.

Via Ezra Klein.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

January 30, 2007

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation

By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.

The White House said the executive order was not meant to rein in any one agency. But business executives and consumer advocates said the administration was particularly concerned about rules and guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Business groups welcomed the executive order, saying it had the potential to reduce what they saw as the burden of federal regulations. This burden is of great concern to many groups, including small businesses, that have given strong political and financial backing to Mr. Bush.

Consumer, labor and environmental groups denounced the executive order, saying it gave too much control to the White House and would hinder agencies’ efforts to protect the public.

Tags: regulation, who-rules-america, bush administration, business, corporate-malfeasance, osha, epa, news, politics, via:ezra klein

How to Run a Meeting Like Google

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 21:32:45 GMT

clipped by: ericskiff
clipper's remarks: I've so-far been spared the pain of excessive meetings in my work experience, but I've certainly sat through quite a few where the organizer didn't respect the attendee's time. These sound like great guidelines. Visit the page for the full low-down.

Clip Source: yahoo.businessweek.com

No one wastes time searching for a purpose at Marissa Mayer's meetings—even five-minute gatherings must have a clear agenda

Meetings get a bad rap in business today and for good reason—very little gets accomplished in them. I can recall a Dilbert cartoon in which several people sat around a table while the meeting organizer said, "There is no specific agenda for this meeting. As usual, we'll just make unrelated emotional statements about things which bother us…"

That pretty much sums it up. The majority of meetings are unstructured, uninspiring, and unproductive. But they don't have to be that way.

1. Set a firm agenda.

2. Assign a note-taker.

3. Carve out micro-meetings.

4. Hold office hours.

5. Discourage politics, use data.

6. Stick to the clock.

Please keep in mind that these meeting techniques work well for Google. They may or may not be appropriate for your place of business. But these six keys should give you some new ideas about how to transform your meetings from a waste of time to time well spent.

Tags: google, business, meetings, productivity

Holier than thou? Employees who believe they are 'ethical' or 'moral' might not be

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:52:02 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: "This study proved that their moral identity motivated them to the most extreme behaviors."

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Bad behavior seems rampant in business, and scholars are divided as to why people act ethically or unethically. Many have argued that ethical behavior is the result of simple judgments between right and wrong. Others suggest that the driving force behind ethical behavior is the individual's moral identity, or whether the individual thinks of him/herself as an ethical person.

New research from the University of Washington suggests that both of these forces are at play. In two separate studies, Scott Reynolds, an assistant professor in the Michael G. Foster School of Business, and Tara Ceranic, a doctoral student studying business, surveyed roughly 500 college students and managers about their ethical behaviors.

According to the researchers, a moral identity specifically centers on a person's moral aspects and acts as a self-regulatory mechanism that sets parameters for individual behavior and motivates specific actions that are moral.

Tags: morality, ethics, identity, cheating, behavior, business, science, research

The End of a 1,400-Year-Old Business

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:48:46 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.businessweek.com

What entrepreneurs starting family businesses can learn from the demise of Japanese temple builder Kongo Gumi

The world's oldest continuously operating family business ended its impressive run last year. Japanese temple builder Kongo Gumi, in operation under the founders' descendants since 578, succumbed to excess debt and an unfavorable business climate in 2006.

Few industries could be less flighty than Buddhist temple construction. The belief system has survived for thousands of years and has many millions of adherents. With this firm foundation, Kongo had survived some tumultuous times, notably the 19th century Meiji restoration when it lost government subsidies and began building commercial buildings for the first time. But temple construction had until recently been a reliable mainstay, contributing 80% of Kongo Gumi's $67.6 million in 2004 revenues.

Tags: japan, business, temple, japanese

The Imminent Collapse Of China

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:04:41 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Contrary to popular myth, the Chinese have very little common sense when it comes to business. Virtually no Chinese-run company is internationally competitive.

What's driving the Chinese economy? Pixie dust: The collective power of 1.3 Billion pairs of hands clapping to keep Tinker Bell alive. The business world is as riddled with corruption, nepotism and waste as the government. Often times, there is no difference at all between state and industry.

This will end the same way it did for America in the thirties: with collapse. Investing in companies based only on enthusasim, nationalism, or just excitement and ignorance. (Gee, I'd really like to buy some stocks but I don't know which ones, oh well, let's get these, they have a pretty color, and your cousin works there, doesn't he?)

I'll say it on the record right now: stay away from China if you have a business. Do everything you can to insulate yourself, because this is one house of cards that's gonna come tumbling down, and

Clip Source: www.iht.com

HONG KONG: PetroChina, the state oil and gas giant, became the world's first company to pass $1 trillion in market capitalization when it debuted on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday.

Despite PetroChina's share price trippling on debut in Shanghai and overtaking Exxon Mobil in value, it is about half as profitable as its rival. In the first half of 2007, PetroChina's net income was $10.9 billion, compared to $19.5 billion for Exxon Mobil.

The prices set on the Chinese exchanges, still largely isolated from the rest of the world by regulatory barriers that limit the amount of foreign money going into the stock markets and domestic money permitted to go out, bear little relation to company performance or to markets elsewhere.

The huge valuation underlines the scale of the asset bule that has been building as Chinese investors have dived into the share markets of Shanghai and Shenzhen, unleashing the huge savings in personal bank accounts.

Tags: china, stocks, crazy

A Call To Action On 9/11/07 - Awaken & Reclaim Democracy

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:28:21 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: "Democracy only works when the citizenry cares enough to move beyond concern to commitment."

Clip Source: www.911blogger.com

"First they came for the terrorists but I wasn't a terrorist so I stayed silent and went about my business. Then they came for those suspected of terrorism, but I certainly wasn't a suspect so I stayed silent and went about my business. Then they came for those who defended those who were suspected of terrorism, but I wasn't defending such people so I stayed silent and went about my business. Then, one day, they came and began to "suspect" me, so I stayed very, very silent and went about my business.

And that is how I lost my soul."

Tags: 9/11, democracy, rights, impeachment

Congrats Team Clipmarks, Forbes is here!!!!!!!

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 22:22:22 GMT

clipped by: sohil
clipper's remarks: You've attracted Forbes!!!!

Well Forbes guys (and gal) I hope you have a good stay here at Clipmarks and I look forward to your clips!

Eric, remember my suggestion on AIM sometime ago for Clipmarks. Looks like they're seeking you, not the other way!

Clip Source: clipmarks.com

Forbes Technology

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Forbes Markets

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Forbes

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Forbes Business

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Forbes Opinions

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Forbes Entrepreneurs

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Forbes Lifestyle

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Forbes Leadership

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Forbes Finance

Tags: clipmarks, ideas for clipmarks, forbes, business, finance

How the Wealthy Medici Changed the World

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:29:18 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Like a medieval ATM, one family bankrolled the cultural movement that dragged Europe out of the Dark Ages and into modernity.

With their love for art, science and culture, the Medici of Florence catalyzed the Renaissance that began in the 14th century, making household names of da Vinci, Michelangelo and Galileo in the process.

The revival of learning, rationality and the arts patronized by the Medici in Italy spread throughout Europe, sped along by the invention of the printing press, and forever transformed the Western world.

Big business meant extra dough for art

Europe in the 14th century was a downtrodden place, ravaged by war and a plague that killed nearly half its people. Florence was hard hit by the Black Death, but those who survived tended to be rich as well as newly critical of absolute faith in religion. The conditions were ideal for a cultural transformation, according to historians.

Tags: art, business, medici, europe

Oh (Big) Brother...this is scary!!

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 11:30:33 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: A MUST SEE video!! If you care the LEAST about your privacy or our future freedoms you just HAVE to watch this video! Scary, disturbing, frightening are just a few words that come to mind. Sheesh, how can we have let it come to this!! George Orwell could never have imagined it would be this bad.... :o(

Clip Source: www.informationclearinghouse.info

Big Brother, Big Business

CNBC Special Report:

Technology is being used to monitor Americans more than ever before.

"Big Brother Big Business," CNBC takes a look at the companies behind the powerful business of personal information and the people whose lives are affected by it, including: a woman who lost her job due to mistaken identity; a man whose cell phone records were stolen by his former employer; a woman whose personal information was stolen from a company she had never heard of; a man who discovered his rental car company was tracking his every move.

The documentary also looks at how the FBI, the Border Patrol, police departments and schools are using biometric technologies to establish identity as well as an inside peek at an AOL division that works solely to satisfy the requests of law enforcement for information about AOL's members.

Video Broadcast 11/01/06 - Runtime 120 Minutes

Tags: privacy, mca, surveillane

How Much Does Humor Help In The Workplace?

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:13:11 GMT

clipped by: sohil

Clip Source: www.canadaone.com

It's a funny thing (I mean funny-strange, not funny-ha, ha!) about humour; it's a definite necessity to a healthy life at work and at home but we don't always admit it or recognize its power. The daily challenges which contribute to our increasing stress levels continually drain us of energy. Humour binds us together, lightens our burdens and helps us keep everything in perspective

Tom Peters, a business guru who is always one step ahead in business thinking, says this about the importance of humour at work: "The number one premise of business is that it need not be boring or dull. It ought to be fun. If it's not fun, you're wasting your life."

Employers are looking for the same characteristics which are inherent in those people who have a good sense of humour, namely; more creativity and productivity, fewer absentees and sick days, and better decision-making capabilities

The Four Senses of Humour

Self-Deprecating Humour

Put-Down Humour

Bonding Humour

Observational Humour

Giggle with the gang

Tags: humor, humour, funny, fun, work, workplace, jobs, laughing, science, research

Blackwater diverts contracts intended for small businesses

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:36:00 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: $200M company gets SBA contracts designed to help $6.5M companies.

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

Blackwater Awarded Millions in Small Business Contracts

A government audit has found the private military company Blackwater has obtained dozens of contracts meant for small businesses. The Inspector General of the Small Business Administration says Blackwater was awarded $110 million in small business contracts despite uncertainty over whether it qualifies as a “small business.” From 2005 to 2007, Blackwater was awarded thirty contracts intended for companies with revenues under $6.5 million. Blackwater’s revenues exceeded $200 million for each of those years.

Tags: corruption