Posts Tagged ‘start-up’

Collaborative Consumption

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

collaborative-home.png
(image credit: Collaborative Consumption)

But isn’t that like, communism, man?

Not exactly – people still own things and are making a profit from them, and that’s sort of the point.

Technology (i.e. the internet) is allowing regular people like you and me to share their skills, stuff or space with the world – for profit. New websites and services like TaskRabbit, SkillShare and Airbnb (and even old stuff like eBay and Craigslist) allow people to take advantage of stuff they own or stuff they can do by lowering barriers-to-entry.

But, wait, if, like, everyone can easily buy and sell stuff, isn’t that at least, like, socialism, man?

Not exactly.

A Business From A Buck

Monday, August 16th, 2010

In an economy like this one, it seems unlikely that any bright business idea could be realized without a significant amount of startup cash. However, a few savvy entrepreneurs are making it work.

  • Small businesses are getting their start from very little money.
  • The Wall Street Journal found three booming businesses that were launched on only a couple of hundred dollars.
  • Technology plays a large part in helping new businesses because professional looking websites and automated phone systems are widely accessible.

Facts & Figures

  • About half of all start-ups close within five years, usually due to lack of capital.
  • Babson College estimates that it costs up to $65,000 to start a business.

Best Quote

“It’s gotten so much easier to reach mass markets and test out ideas. This is something that’s becoming accessible to anyone with an idea.” – Bo Fishback, Vice President of Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation