| Franchise Ownership Is No Longer the American Dream Posted: 24 May 2012 03:39 PM PDT 
Bad news for the single unit franchisee. According to Forbes many franchisors have switched their preference to larger multi-unit franchisees: For laid-off executives with a severance package, buying a franchise was once an obvious next
step. Rather than trying to figure out a business idea, you could buy into a big chain with a proven system and established brand name, rake in profits, and never have to report to a boss again. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy anymore. Over the years, competition in many franchise sectors – particularly fast food – has intensified. Franchisors also discovered that taking anyone who could put up the franchise fee didn’t always work so well. In downturns, many of these one-unit, newbie franchisees went belly-up, leaving franchisors the difficult choice to either close units or operate more company stores. Gradually, franchisors switched their preference to multi-unit operators. Photo by FXQuadro/ShutterStock. 
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| Spa To Pamper Cancer Patients Posted: 24 May 2012 03:36 PM PDT 
Yorktown Patch: Chemotherapy, radiation and cancer medications save peoples’ lives, but take a toll on their bodies. Today, Kerry Kourie, who lives in Garrison, knows cancer treatment affects people psychologically and physically and wants to do her part to help ease the pain. She aims to address one side effect of these life saving treatments by offering unique oncology spa treatments at her new business Skinchanted in Peekskill. “With chemo, the skin will change, can get itchy, get red and swell,” Koury said. “I am here to alleviate any discomfort that I can and to give people hope and comfort,” Kourie said. 
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| Odd Jobs: How to Have Fun and Make Money in a Bad Economy Posted: 24 May 2012 02:45 PM PDT 
Odd Jobs: How to Have Fun and Make Money in a Bad Economy is a book by Abigail Gehring for anyone looking to earn extra money moonlighting or to break free from the nine-to-five grind. No matter what your skillset the book will have an “odd job” that right for you. Odd jobs include: - Treasure Hunt Coordinator
- Ice Cream Taster
- Worm Farmer
- Human Statue
- Vacuum Dust Sorter
I guarantee that if you enjoy this blog, you’ll find an interesting business idea in this book! Right on the cover, Seth Godin says that he loves this book, and I do too! 
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| Small Claims Court of the Internet Posted: 24 May 2012 02:40 PM PDT 
Judge.me is an online arbitration system that allows you to submit your testimony from anywhere, anytime, from any device you want. Within days, you can have a solution for all kinds of commercial and personal conflicts. No need to sue the other party in a foreign country or in every country where he or she has assets. Just arbitrate once, since their arbitral awards are recognized and enforced by courts in 146 countries. Their fixed price is $149.50 per party, for a total of $299. There are no case filing fees, no administration fees, no hearing fees, no case transcript fees, no hidden costs: You only pay once for the entire arbitration. 
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| Connecting Drivers With Available Parking for $$$ Posted: 24 May 2012 01:52 PM PDT 
Sydney Morning Herald: Some people hate banks, some hate their telcos and others have it in for insurance companies. Daniel Battaglia’s pet hates are excessive parking fees and council parking inspectors. But unlike most of us, he’s turned his particular dislike into a business, despite having almost no financing assistance. Battaglia had been travelling around the world after five years in the finance industry and was mulling over a few ideas for start-ups. “When I got back to Sydney I went to visit a good mate in Paddington and couldn’t find any street parking,” he says. “I noticed a few empty driveways and as it turned out my mate’s garage was empty as well. That’s when it all came together for me.” Battaglia spoke to some people about the idea of a website that matched drivers in need of parking with people who had a driveway or garage to spare and wanted to make a bit of extra cash out of it. For months later, Battaglia had launched Parking Made Easy. Photo by Dmitry Yashkin/ShutterStock. 
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| Today in Entrepreneurial History: May 24 Posted: 24 May 2012 12:36 PM PDT 
You can read more about the Judgement of Paris in the book Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine. The Paris Tasting of 1976 will forever be remembered as the landmark event that transformed the wine industry. At this legendary contest — a blind tasting — a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France’s best. George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects, focusing on three gifted unknowns behind the winning wines: a college lecturer, a real estate lawyer, and a Yugoslavian immigrant. With unique access to the main players and a contagious passion for his subject, Taber renders this historic event and its tremendous aftershocks — repositioning the industry and sparking a golden age for viticulture across the globe. With an eclectic cast of characters and magnificent settings, Judgment of Paris is an illuminating tale and a story of the entrepreneurial spirit of the new world conquering the old. 
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| Inventor Stirs Up Kitchen Gadget Market Posted: 24 May 2012 04:30 AM PDT 
MarketWatch: A project that began in response to a lumpy bowl of Malt-O-Meal is now, after nearly a decade of tinkering in his spare time, ready to hit the market. “I wanted to find a way to make a better bowl of Malt-O-Meal in the microwave,” said Wylie. “I saw the potential of using the turntable as a source of motion very early. But it took quite a few attempts and designs to get it all working perfectly.” The real breakthrough in development came with the addition of his patent-pending anchor bar, which maintains a consistent downward pressure on the entire assembly, holding it securely in place. Wylie wants to use his invention to create jobs in Kansas, particularly in the Wellington area. He plans to use the money raised from the sale of the StirMate to fund research and development for future products and develop as many Kansas ideas and innovations as he can. “The StirMate has been well received by many people who want to send the production to China,” said Wylie. “But my goal is to create jobs locally and help the Wellington economy.”
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