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last update: August 29
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Doug Anderson
Doug@RicciStreet.net
Bistro: Doug
| Mike Agnello - TheMOVIEFactory.com | Don Bouchard - DemoPro |
| Matt Casper - BackStageLive.com | Sean Collins - Worldwide Sports |
| Laura Crump - Superproducers | Tara Doster |
| Natasha Fields - BluTone | Jon Gill - Sessions |
| Colleen Hunter - Community Improvement Fundraiser & Elevater | Colleen Lyons - I-Trade |
| Rick Mariano - Sportsrecruiter.com | Bob Moudgil - BarCast |
| Marc Poitras - ME (Mobile Entertainment) | Kara Pritchard - Smart Jewelry |
| Lavon Stephens - BitStream Lounge | Katia Theodule - At Your Service |
| Andrea Tirone - PopScrapInc. | LeMar Ward - LSaT |
the benefits of repeated failure:
An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can
be made in a very narrow field.
-- Neils Bohr
I make big mistakes. Like I've said, I was wrong 80 percent of the
time. But there was that 20 percent ....
-- Artie Shaw
So much of what we call management consists in making it
difficult for people to work.
-- Peter Drucker
Which future scenario (speedbumps etc) best suits your business?
Open Source Venture Capitalist Answers
Your Questions
by Roblimo
Slashdot, October 13, 2006
Richard Gorman, of Bay Partners, is a venture capitalist. Part of his job is to seek out and finance open source companies. He's not easy to snow technically; he has a Master's degree in Computer Science from MIT. And he's not easy to snow financially, either; he also has a Master's in Management. This is a golden opportunity for all you budding entrepreneurs out there to find out exactly what a tech-hip, management-hip venture capitalist looks for in an open source-based startup. (As always, Slashdot interview rules apply.)
...
The venture capitalist is, of course,
Richard
Gorman, of Bay
Partners, to whom we sent
your questions earlier this week. He prefaces his answers by saying:
"Thanks for all of your questions. They were very insightful and I enjoyed
answering them. I also want to thank Salil Deshpande of Bay Partners who
contributed to these answers and provided some healthy discussion. Salil is
a successful two-time entrepreneur and is very knowledgeable."
1) On the subject of strong teams...
by AKAImBatman
Your profile states your feelings that a "very strong team" is important to
the success of a startup. However, most startups only have the basis for a
technology team in place, and rarely have a strong executive team. In a
recent interview
with Robert X. Cringley, technologist-cum-Venture Capitalist Bill Joy stated
that his firm worked with startups to assist in installing team members that
are missing from a venture. (Google is an excellent example of this in
action, with Page and Brin turning over the Chief Executive reigns to the
more experienced Eric Schmidt.)
What are your thoughts and opinions on this practice? Does your firm assist
startups with more than just financial matters, or do you feel it important
that the startup be fully formed by the time you invest?
A: Thanks for the question. For initial investments in startups
(Series A) it is almost always the case that key members of the team need to
be recruited, and we very much help in this process. In fact we have a
person dedicated full time (Karen Loebbaka) to just recruiting people to
work for the startups that we fund - we're one of only a handful of VC firms
to have a dedicated recruiting director. So we are committed to recruiting
world class teams for our startups.
We also often help in the formation of the business strategy; this includes
target markets strategy, distribution channel strategy, product strategy,
and competitive strategy.
Important in our decision-making about early stage startups is the quality
of the team. Usually early stage startups are primarily bets on the founding
team.
There are usually a number of important questions about the team. What have
team members "done" before? What have they invented / built / grown /
managed / sold perhaps at other companies or startups? Have they worked with
each other before? Have they toiled away at something before? Even if they
haven't had entrepreneurial successes, are they just on to something big?
Are they passionate about what they're about to do next? Why? Do they like
each other? Will they be able to lead people / will people enjoy going to
battle with them? Realize not all of these questions need to have positive
answers. Some of the best startups have been founded by very driven people
under 30. YouTube is the latest example.
2) Exit Strategy
by blinder
In my (very) limited experience in dealing with the VC world, one of the key
concepts that was always in any discussion was the exit strategy. Typically
that translated into IPO or sale to someone else. Is this any different with
respect to open source companies?
It just seems to me, and I'm just a knuckle-dragging developer here (who
also engages in diy projects), that the exit strategies might be a bit
different than your traditional concerns.
A: This is a very good question. Yes, open source companies tend to
be more of a challenge than traditional companies that own all of their
intellectual property. The primary difference is that many potential
acquirers may come from traditional business models and have to accept this
new open source model that does have ownership of the intellectual property.
For instance, in the recent of acquisition of JBoss by Redhat, there was at
least one additional company that was ready to put an offer on the table,
but stopped its negotiations when it realized that JBoss did not own any of
its intellectual property.
JBoss ended up selling to Red Hat for $420M which was 28 times trailing 12
month revenue ($15M). Red Hat is a publicly held company; its shareholders
and management team are clearly comfortable with the open source business
model of not owning your intellectual property and valuing the company based
upon unit marketshare and support and service revenue. Unit marketshare is a
proxy for long term revenue because if the number is large it indicates a
lot of customers; the shareholders are betting the management team can
figure out how to get revenue from customers over time (ie by potentially
introducing new product and services).
3) Common Failures
by paulevans
What are the most common problems that most startups have when beginning
talks with you?
A: Most of the early stage startups are very technology-focused but
do not have real customers committed to using their products. Customer
feedback and adoption of the products is key.
In the consumer internet space, we are looking for initial adoption by
consumers. In the enterprise space, we want real businesses that have
evaluated the product and would be willing to buy the product if it were
available.
4) When to seek VC, when to bootstrap
by morcego
Having started a small website, that quickly turned into a medium sized
website, that led to mentions in Private Equity Weekly, calls from Turner,
speaking engagements, and emails from a couple Investment Banking firms, at
what point should a startup seek outside funding vs. trying to bootstrap
their way to success? We wanted to carry it as long as we could (we're not
losing money, we can afford to run at this level forever), but we have since
been equaled (or, in some cases passed) by a dozen or so copycats with big
bankrolls funding their marketing and PR.
At this point, it feels like we've missed the boat (though our traffic and
membership is higher than ever before), simply because we didn't take on the
outside management and marketing expertise that would have come with real
funding.
The question, then, is: does there exist a fundamental 'right time' to
contact a VC/IB to avoid losing your competitive edge? Or, does it always
vary by company?
A: The answer varies by business and target market. In the consumer
Internet space, marketshare is key. Marketshare is the percent of the market
that you own. So many companies will be burning money while they are
pursuing marketshare. The best recent example of this is YouTube.com.
Youtube is #1 in marketshare with 45%+ share of videos viewed on the web,
but they are not profitable and are burning cash. That is OK, they lead in
marketshare and were just purchased this week by Google for $1.65 billion.
This is an extreme case, but it illustrates for early stage consumer
Internet companies that marketshare is often more important than
profitability. The founders can significantly hurt the value of their
company by delaying taking investment capital in order to wait for a "higher
price." Ironically, if the founders later take investment money they will be
in the #2 marketshare position or lower and will end up getting a "lower
price" for their stock from the venture investors.
As a general rule, for early stage startups in the consumer Internet space
and/or the "open source" area being #1 in marketshare is much more important
than profitability.
5) How did you get your job?
by s20451
I have graduate degrees and experience in engineering, and I have good
managerial and interpersonal skills. I have often wondered what it would
take to sit on the other side of the table, and what it is like to have
plenty of funding, helping other people bring good ideas to market.
How did you get your job? Is it hard, easy, boring, fascinating,
soul-destroying, fulfilling, all of the above?
A: For myself I have over 20 years of software experience including
managing a set of products that had revenue over $1 billion before becoming
a venture capitalist. In general, the process for becoming a venture
capitalist varies dramatically by person. If you are interested in pursuing
this industry it is important that you get to know venture capitalists that
you can potentially work with.
I really enjoy this job because I get to work with very intelligent and
driven entrepreneurs. This is very exciting. It is also fascinating to work
across many industries and many different target markets. You are always
learning something new everyday.
6) Why Open Source?
by bit trollent
Why have you chosen to fund Open Source based companies?
From a Venture Capitalist's point of view what advantages do open source
based companies have over other software companies?
A: The big advantage open source companies have over traditional
software companies is the ability to rapidly take unit marketshare and
create a new standard. The best example of this is MySQL. Who would have
thought five years ago there would have been another database to rival IBM
DB2, Oracle, and MS SQL Server? By all estimates MySQL now has my more
installations than IBM or Oracle; some estimates show that MySQL has more
installations than SQL Server!
Open source allows a company to completely change the rules of the game.
MySQL has over $40M in revenue the past 12 months and is probably valued at
over $1 Billion. This is an amazing company.
7) First on my mind
by UbuntuDupe
What are the best ways to actually earn a profit, when you're giving away
the source code? Are entrepreneurs in this area limited to "support,
support, support", or are there other ways?
A: There are a couple of open source business models that have had
some success.
a) The open source version as a "trial" product. For Sugar CRM this is
basically the strategy. They give away an open source version that has
limited functionality, most customers upgrade to a version that is not
available 100% as an open source product. They charge customers for the full
functionality product.
b) Charge for service and support; give away the full product as open
source. This is the JBoss & MySQL version of the business. Realize companies
are then valued on a combination of their unit marketshare and their revenue
in this model.
c) New open source models. This market is still very young
and I am sure other business models will evolve for open source companies.
8) Financing / Control Questions
by grondak
I realize the answers to these questions vary by project, but let's say we
have a pretty hot idea and the only contribution is the software IP. Let's
say it's a web site. We've got something working but need money for a
production deployment (ie bandwidth, systems hosting, customer service reps,
support staff, etc. In short, our cost model can look like PayPal's cost
model).
1. What amount of control (ie % ownership) typically goes to the investors?
90% ?
2. How is the VC money returned to the investors? Examples: is it given back
as percentage of profit (20 % of gross or NIAT), or like a loan (all
returned within 5 years?) or is it in perpetuity (VCs get 20% of everything,
forever) ?
3. Does risk still equal reward? Seems to me the reward in the Internet/OSS
project space is outrageously high, but the risk can't get any greater than
the money you lay out + potential loss of goodwill/reputation.
4. What's the percentage in item 2 that VCs actually get for a project like
this? 20%?
A: Thanks for the question. Most software companies consist of
intellectual property (IT), but more importantly are the skills of the
founders. There are many challenges both from a technical and business
perspective that must be addressed by the team. So the founding team is key.
The investments from the Venture Capitalist are almost always for an equity
ownership in the company. The venture capitalist makes money when the stock
is sold (to another company or through an initial public offering - IPO). It
would be very unusual for a venture investor to take a percentage of the
profits.
The percentage ownership that an investor takes for a company varies
dramatically by company. They key for an entrepreneur is to get investors
who will actively work to make the company stronger. Good Investors will
help find and recruit key employees, make key business contacts, and help
shape the strategy of the company.
9) How do I get to talk to your kind?
by Qbertino
As a lead-maintainer / developer of a successfull open source project and a
freelancer and company partner who focuses on OSS I have a three-part
question:
1) How do I get to talk to someone like you? What would be the best
approach?
2) What do you want to see from someone who approaches you? Neat, well
formulated ideas? Implementations? Finished business plans? A running
company? All four?
3) What bores you to death and what talks have you had with VC seekers that
where a total waste of your time? What where the things they did wrong?
--
[My english is better than most other people's german, so please point out
mistakes politely. Thank you.]
A: The best approach to talk with a venture capitalist is to try to
have an introduction made through a common acquaintance. If this is not an
option, directly approach the venture capitalist by email. Be sure to give
your personal background in the email, this will hopefully entice the
venture capitalist to spend time with you. If you have a business plan
submit this as part of the email.
The ideal proposed business would have the following characteristics:
1) A large clearly identifiable untapped market; ideally an entrepreneur
would have personally experienced the pain he or she is trying to solve.
2) A strong management team. This typically includes a strong founding CEO
and technical founders. Other members of the team (sales, marketing, CFO
etc., can be added over time).
3) Ideally some type of technology lock that prevents other competitors from
closely following your success. (YouTube is a clear counterexample to this;
here the 1st mover advantage was all that was necessary. Note that YouTube
had very good traction before it received its first venture financing).
10) The Magic Ingredient
by Phoenix666
You can and must know your subject area, in this case, tech. You also need
to put together a business plan and shop it around. But the thing that there
doesn't seem to be a lot of help out there on is the magic ingredient:
learning to think like a Yankee trader. There's a certain kind of thinking
that works out ways to monetize a technology product or service. Sales
people kind of have it. MBAs don't have it, or if they do, in small degrees
(learning the CAPM doesn't teach you how). Engineers definitely don't have
it.
So where/how can the aspiring entrepreneurs among us learn how to think
about how to make money with their marvelous inventions? Do you have any
books, organizations, or workshops you could recommend?
A: This is very good question. There is no "magic bullet." The answer
varies by business and person. It is not easy to learn to be an
entrepreneur. Many entrepreneurs learn a lot through a customer experience,
where they are the customer. This often helps them to understand the need
and how to monetize it (sell it to the customers).
Sometimes entrepreneurs will learn by studying business models and then
dramatically innovating upon them. Google innovated in both its search
algorithm and its advertising model. There were a number of well known
search engines prior to its entering the market.
One of the best ways to "learn" is from other entrepreneurs.
In Northern California there is a group call
Stirr where entrepreneurs get together once a month to discuss their
proposed businesses and network with other entrepreneurs and investors.
The Women Technology Cluster is targeted at startups with women as part of the founding teams and provides the entrepreneurs with very good coaching, preparation, feedback and opportunities to meet potential investors.
TIE -- The Indus Entrepreneur -- helps entrepreneurs with seminars, networking, and forums to seek feedback from potential investors. I attend events from all three organizations on a regular basis.
Colleen H | Rick | Jon | Andrea
commYOUnity
imPROVEment
fundRAISEr
&
ELEVATEr!
Slogan: You prove, raise, & elevate!
a not-for-profit that provides the service of organizing fund-raising events for other not-for-profits
Not for profit fundraiser organization. with concerts and festivals with up and coming local talent. Major artists, too.
Local talent will be able to perform with a major act to raise money. Showcases local talent and raises $ for the non profit.
The market will have a couple of components. The community as a whole is a customer, because they will pay to see the talents shows and watch the artists perform. Secondly, the performers are part of the market, as they have the opportunity to be exposed and noticed by so many others. Lastly, community organizations that will benefit from the proceeds are customers as well.
The service is a series of organized events that will benefit the needs of the local organizations that serve our community. In addition, it will give the people of the community an opportunity to raise the funds for their community, as well as give them the chance to prove their talents and expose them to better (career) opportunities.
There are no competitors that are a threat to the success of the fundraiser. The only competitors in this non-profit are the organizations and agencies that are competing for the benefits proceeds.
logo/
Company Name: RMJM, Inc.
Business Name: Sports Recruit University . com AKA S.R.U
“Bringing college coaches to you, and you to college coaches.”
Internet portal service (free, like mySpace) for high school athletes who need visibility with college sports programs. HS athletes to put their profile out there so coaches can search them. He will pitch. Revenue from access to the demographics of these students as well as advertising space to the record industry. College coaches would have free access to the student information and the record industry could push content to the student subscribers based on demographics.
SportsRecruiterUniversity.com provides an expeditious, cost efficient search engine for college coaches recruiting effort. Concurrently, providing college bound athletes an opportunity to display their interests, skills and personal bio for every coach in the country to view.
NAICS 516110 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
This industry comprises establishments engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet exclusively. These establishments do not provide traditional (non-Internet) versions of the content that they publish or broadcast. Establishments in this industry provide textual, audio, and/or video content of general or specific interest on the Internet.
High school athletes, College coaches and athletic directors
Provide college bound, high school athletes the opportunity to display themselves and provide their information to every college coach in the country. At the same time, providing college coaches a simple, valuable cost effective way of recruiting.
SRU is a search engine website providing services specifically for college coaches, high school coaches, and high school athletes. A high school athlete interested in college athletics can join SportsRecruiterUniversity.com and display his/her bio.
College coaches can sign up with SportsRecruiterUniversity.com and access all of this information. A coach will be able to specify the search from sport of interest to height and weight and much more. For example, if a coach is looking for a shortstop, taller than 5’10”, about 170-180 lbs, from Florida, interested in going to school in Carolina. The coach can enter the search information and all members of SportsRecruiterUniversity.com that fit that description will appear on screen. The coach can do many things with this list but most impressively, with a few clicks he can send a mass email to everyone on the list informing them of his interests.
Athletes Advance - College Sports Recruiting and Stat Tracking from Athletes Advance
logo/slogan
A web community where music is broken down into its basic components-riffs from individual instruments. User compile riffs to compose their own music.
Let's Scrap - Celeb Style!

Interactive online scrap booking.
Interactive teen magazine, pop star fanclub and scrapbooking
NAICS 516110 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
This industry comprises establishments engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet exclusively. These establishments do not provide traditional (non-Internet) versions of the content that they publish or broadcast. Establishments in this industry provide textual, audio, and/or video content of general or specific interest on the Internet.
Our business is
mostly targeted to the teen market. Scrapbooking is a popular hobby and is
growing more everyday - even adults enjoy it to savor memories of their children
as they are growing up. This new business will segment a new type of hobby
bundling together a favorite hobby and the joy of music at the same time. Why
not digitally scrap book your favorite pop star's music with photos and video
clips or incorporate your own memories with some of the products we offer? We
will gain newly interested parties since this will make a great gift for the
hard core scrapbooker.
Related scrapbooking products, video clips, photos and other items.
Other online scrapbooking enterprises
Note for MBA 604: the phrase following the colons below are the contents of the title tag in the head of the HTML when you do a view source of the site's welcome pages.
ex: <title>Phanfare - Better online photo and video sharing, faster uploads, no advertising on albums</title>
Phanfare: Better online photo and video sharing, faster uploads, no advertising on albums
Scrap Girls: Printable scrapbooking supplies, digital scrapbooking supplies, card making and paper crafting supplies
Each page a user creates is a magazine page in itself.....to post, share and purchase as a tangible product if desired when complete. I feel that this is different than MySpace because you can purchase from the site and it will provide the ability to interact with music icons as a fanclub and my idea is bringing consumers together with a special interest in scrapbooking-only in a more modern and exciting way.
Marc | Sean | Bob | Mike | Matt
logo/slogan
It's all about ME
Online music management broadcast to mobile devices.
Logo: a dollar bill, with a football in the middle
(because this is the most watched, and most gambled on sport) and the initials
SSC WWS inside the football in the middle. It is basic, but it gets across the
point, which is Sports, Gambling, and Our Company. In the bottom line, it will
also have SSCWWS.COM, which is our website for now.
Sports. Gambling. Now.
24/7 simultaneous sports broadcasts and wagering from around the world.
My market has a couple of segments. First off, we offer live broadcasts of all sports from around the world, so you can use and enjoy our product even without placing a wager, you can watch for the love of sports. Secondly, we attract gamblers, who will use our system to watch sports, to wager on them. You can watch live as your wages are playing out, or you can use the system to scout teams that you may wager on in upcoming weeks. Our third segment to attract is sports reporters, such as ESPN. We have footage from around the world, and we hope for ESPN and local sports stations to use our coverage for reports and updates, this will also help us get our name out there in the industry.
Our product is an internet-based system that allows the customer to watch sports broadcasts, live, 24 hours a day from around the world. You can watch skiing in Nevada, and switch over to golf in Ireland, in less than a second. We have consulted with Bodog, to create our system for online gambling, and we will use their software to complete our "2nd Tier" package, which takes customers to the next level. Also, we have consulted with slingbox, creating our own device, which will enable customers to flip games and events to their television sets, wherever they are, even if they do not have access to their home computer.
No one offers as many sporting events as us from around the world. No one allows customers to watch the events, and have a scroll bar of their wages on the same screen. We have no competitors, we will compete with ourselves to get our name, and product out in the open, once this happens, the sky is the limit.
We have combined two of the fastest growing phenomena's in the world, and placed them in one easy to use package, sports and gambling, instantly, enough said.
logo
Music the way you want it, when you want it.
NAICS 515112 Radio Stations
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting aural programs by radio to the public. Programming may originate in their own studio, from an affiliated network, or from external sources.
Customer service and a business partner with the customer. They make $ I make $.
Bars and Restaurants across upstate NY
Target 100 bars / restaurants for the 1st year.
Why will they choose you?
Cost I will be cheaper.
Why will they choose you again? Customer service.
A wifi Sirius jukebox
Ecast
Commcast
Cost
Barcast is cheaper and is only about 22.95 per month compared to $5000.00 for the unit and a monthly fee.
Create your own DVDs...Fast, reliable and easy.
Download movies directly to your computer and transfer to DVD.
segments:
current customers of companies like Netflix and Blockbuster
everyone currently burning movies and cds with their computer
We offer any movie to be directly downloaded to their computers for free once they purchased our program. Then we offer the availability to transfer that file directly to a blank DVD with our program that we supply. This will allow people the ability to have their favorite DVD's at their house immediately without having to go to the store or wait for them to be delivered through the mail. We also include a program that will print out all the covers to make the DVD look store bought so no one would be able to tell the difference.
The reason we can offer our products for such a cheap price will come through our advertising and money generated through the sale of our program.
Our competitors would be Netflix and Blockbuster videos. They are not able to match us on our prices or on our convenience.
Once our program is downloaded they are able to download as many movies as they would like without having to worry about costs.
convenience and price
Anyone can have their favorite DVD in their hands within minutes and never have to leave their house.
This has made movie rentals worthless because now for the same price you can own that title and never have to worry about returning them on time or mailing them back.
Where everyone is VIP
Feel Backstage, never leave your house
Web site uncut video archives of favorite band,
rehearsals, tours, concerts, behind the scenes, and
interviews. Web site and streamed to mobile device.
NAICS 516110 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
This industry comprises establishments engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet exclusively. These establishments do not provide traditional (non-Internet) versions of the content that they publish or broadcast. Establishments in this industry provide textual, audio, and/or video content of general or specific interest on the Internet.
People who enjoy music and like
to see exclusive video on their favorite bands and musicians. People of ages
18-35 is the primary demographic because they are most likely the ones to have a
small disposable income and enough interest to value my product.
A website that has information, news, lyrics and merchandise of bands and musicians. There will be a subscription to access exclusive, uncut video of each musicians’ jam sessions, practices, concerts, backstage, etc.
MTV, Napster, individual musician’s websites, VH1,

Exclusive video footage that cannot be seen anywhere else. This is the focus of my business.
Big advertising for a small company
market the rejected artists from the 4 major labels at half the price but the most exposure
Marketing Musicians offer big
advertising from a small company to every musician who has the dream of being
the next Bruce Springstein, Madonna, U2 or Garth Brooks.
Marketing Musicians knows that large record labels can only select a few
musicians a year and throw big advertising dollars their way to market their CD.
At Marketing Musicians by signing many smaller musicians we can offer the same
level of marketing services the bigger labels do to smaller musicians.
Our Mission is to provide big label marketing services to many smaller
musicians. Our vision is to expand the music industry so everyone can benefit
from what only a few do today. By signing many musicians, my company can obtain
the same advertising rates the larger record labels enjoy.
NAICS 541613 Marketing Consulting Services
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing operating advice and assistance to businesses and other organizations on marketing issues, such as developing marketing objectives and policies, sales forecasting, new product developing and pricing, licensing and franchise planning, and marketing planning and strategy.
Any musician that has not been signed by a large record label.
• Marketing and advertising of the musician’s image and their music
• Distribution through the internet of the musician’s music which cuts down on distribution costs
• Eventually as the company grows we would like to expand into other entertainment industries such as providing music to the movie industry.
Any marketing service that also offers that same marketing exposure as the large record labels for half the cost.
logo/slogan
Musical production done on a budget.

putting you in the spotlight
Serving the up and coming musicians with demo
recording, web production and promotional materials to assist in their marketing effort
NAICS 512220
Integrated Record Production
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in releasing, promoting, and distributing sound recordings. These establishments manufacture or arrange for the manufacture of recordings, such as audio tapes/cassettes and compact discs, and promote and distribute these products to wholesalers, retailers, or directly to the public. Establishments in this industry produce master recordings themselves, or obtain reproduction and distribution rights to master recordings produced by record production companies or other integrated record companies.
Market - Local musicians trying to promote their talents
Customer - The up and coming musician
Services
demo recording
web design
promotional materials
full recording studios and independent labels -- name and link to several of each
Dynamic Recording Rochester NY
EastEnd Studios Rochester NY
offering web design and promotional materials to the musician along with the demo recording. Package pricing.

Be Memorable
Let's put style and fun back into business networking.
Networking Forum. Complete consulting service for all types of events. It caters to all types of business. We help you network with your industry's leaders.
Businesses and Individuals
event consultations
budget planning
decor coordination
referrals to florist, contractors, entertainers, musicians, etc.
Party Planners and Public Relations Specialist
Natasha | LeMar | Kara | Lavon | Colleen L
slogan


Ipod and phone integrated with wireless Bluetooth headset. Listen to music and accept incoming calls. Calls would interrupt the music and resume when the call was finished.
NAICS 517212 Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)
This
industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating,
maintaining or providing access to facilities for the transmission of voice,
data, text, sound, and video using wireless telecommunications networks.
Transmission facilities may be based on a single technology or a combination of
technologies
Tweens, pre-teens, college students and active on-the-go adults.
I-Pod
Bluetooth
Music Download
Telephone
Manufacturing technology companies
Cell phone companies
helping people multitask
logo/slogan
Satellite service that broadcasts video to a wireless mobile device.
Individuals who enjoy watching TV and who travel constantly and are in need of entertainment.
Mobile device satellite subscriptions
No direct competitors. Similar products exist for example cell phone that you
can download ESPN clips to, but none has the ability to receive a satellite
signal.
No mobile device on this planet has the ability to receive a satellite signal. My company is in a class of its own.


Music & Jewelry. Smart.
Don't just WATCH your day go by,
Listen to it too.
MP3 player and headset embedded in stylish jewelry
Jewelry, such as watches, necklaces, earring, and bracelets, which have an MP3 Player built into it. This product will have Bluetooth capabilities with an ear piece that is so small that people can barely see you have it in.
The NAICS code for this product is 443112 Radio, Television, and Other Electronics Stores and 541490 Jewelry Design Services.
My target market is early teens to mid twenties. This is the segment that is listening to MP3 Players. Even though a lot of teens have a MP3 player, no one has a MP3 Player that is built into jewelry and that barely no one can see that your listening to.
The products that will be offered will be watches, necklaces, earring, and bracelets that have a MP3 Player built in.
There are some
competitors out there and it will only be a matter of time before they start
making these same products.
* Sony has new ideas with shoes and MP3 players
* Nokia
* South Korea has the "smart clothes" ideas
* Fossil has a "smart watch" ( which has news, weather reports, stock quotes,
movie times, and messages via Microsoft's MSN Direct service, which uses FM
radio signals to transmit data.)
* Microsoft has a "smart watch"
The competitive advantage would be that this is a new innovated product that has never been seen before. This idea takes two products that are well know and combines them into one.
logo
Music doesn't download, people do...
Kiosks at coffee shops for downloading favorite or unknown MP3s (few restrictions) and movies. May replace regular record stores. Money from downloads, memberships, advertising and sales of accessories, snacks, etc.
Bands are also able to upload their albums to the database.
Trade What You Have
For What You Want
NAICS: Retail Trade Code 44
IPODs & Mp3 players (new and used), accessories, repair in-house, and trade ins for upgrade.
Computer Literate - Various
Ages
MSN Advertising says MSN Tech & Gadgets (MSN and partner content) is "the place to reach technology users":
Demographics
Gender: 70% male, 30% female
Age: 69% are 25-54
Income: 61% have household income $50K+, 41% have household income $75K+
Education: 50% college graduates or higher
Occupation: 42% are professional/managerial
Federated Media
says its sites "cater to cultural influencers, technology decision makers, early
adopters…":
Demographics
Gender: 79% male
Average Age: 32.7
Income: Average household income range $50,000-$74,999
Occupation: 50% management, 20% Director or above
MP3 - All ranges and types
MP3 Accessories
MP3 Repair
MP3 repair is the niche for this
last update: August 26 | L=late
Note the due dates in parentheses. The links below will
take you to the Roundtable on this course web, not to the Bistro.
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Name |
Whip | Stats | Models | PEST | SWOT | Force | Mid-Course |
Bullwhip Effect - due
August 31
Government Stats - due September 7
Business Models - due September 7
PEST analysis - due September 28
SWOT analysis - due September 28
Force-Field analysis - due September 28
Mid-Course Review - due ASAP after
September 28
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