Business Mashed Report

The World's 1st Coffee Social Network Launches

CoffeePledge officially launched its social network today for its 40,000+ users. The world's first social media movement to leverage the coffee industry to fight cancer, is still in its first 120 days of birth, and is beginning to heat up the pot of tens of thousands of coffee-lovers world-wide.CoffeePledge's social movement, provides the opportunity for users to pledge to drink...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Is that Business Card Trash or a Treasure?

How many business cards do we receive a week? A year? Which one could hold the key to our dreams or even survival? For example, suppose you are at a party and just chatting about some bothersome symptoms you have been experiencing to a Doctor who is there. That Doctor...

By Karen Kanefsky | Beware - One quick exchange can change your life

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Former MySpace Chief Van Natta Joins Zynga

Former Facebook and MySpace executive Owen Van Natta has joined online gaming giant Zynga, which produces FarmVille and Mafia Wars.Van Natta will serve as executive vice president of business operations, reporting to founder and chief executive Mark Pincus. Zynga declined to provide additional details.The company has been in the news...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Chinese Economy Takes a #2. "Time to learn Mandarin"

So I was reading in the New York Times about how China has now surpassed Japan to become the second largest economy in the world. Following the US, of course. The tone of the discussions I've had about it have suggested that "we better learn Mandarin Chinese". Remember way back...

By Mike Vert

More Verizon iPhone Buzz, plus iPad, Apple TV Chatter

A pair of reports claim that Apple is -- for real, this time -- gearing up for a big Verizon iPhone launch in January, although the details remain maddeningly sketchy. Meanwhile, chatter continues over a revamped iPad and perhaps even an iPad junior, as well as a new Apple TV...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

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AT&T U-verse offers Mobile TV on Phones

Got U-verse at home, and an iPhone in your pocket? If so, you can download dozens of shows for on-the-go viewing on your handset via the just-updated U-verse Mobile app. Unfortunately, the selection of TV shows available for download is pretty limited, and you won't be able to watch recorded...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

HOW TO: Stop Facebook Photo Tagging Spammers from Bugging You

Have you Been Tagged in Some Random Photo on Facebook? Does it keep happening? You receive a message on Facebook that you've been tagged in a photo, but when you go to look at the photo you discover that it wasn't you at all, but some sort of product,...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Verizon and Google Reach Internet Traffic Deal

Verizon Communications Inc and Google Inc agreed to a deal over how Internet traffic will be treated, two people familiar with the agreement said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The deal centers on a set of rules, called net neutrality, that determines how Internet traffic moves over land lines and...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

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IPad Knockoffs Taking Over the Internet starting at $50

Low-cost Android tablets resembling Apple's iconic iPad are on sale through retail sites like eBay for US$50 to $125, though observers say they could be a pain to own since they lack hardware and software support.The inexpensive tablets come in different designs, with some resembling the iPad. The devices have...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

iPhone Exec Leaves Apple after "Antennagate"

Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of iPhone engineering, has left the company weeks after the "Antennagate" controversy over complaints of poor reception on the company's latest smartphone.Apple spokesman Steve Dowling confirmed Papermaster's exit and said Bob Mansfield is assuming his responsibilities. Dowling declined to provide a reason for...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

More Evidence that iPhone going to Verizon in January 2011 [REPORT]

Another great report from Steve Cheney at TechCrunch confirms that Verizon will be getting the CDMA iPhone in January 2011. Steve flat out confirms his sources close to the supply chain, have provided evidence to support the statement. Steve's sources with knowledge of this entire situation have assured him that...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

SeizeTheDay iPhone app good for organizing your hectic life

If your hectic life has you forgetting things that were at the top of your "list," it may be time to think about getting some help. Luckily, SeizeTheDay has been designed to be your polite, if not over-simplistic taskmaster, keeping you on top of your to-dos so you don't miss...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Apple in talks to buy China's Handseeing

Apple Inc is in talks to buy Chinese software maker Handseeing, an executive at the Chinese company said on Friday, a deal that would mark the iPhone maker's first acquisition in the country."We should have a decision in about one or two months," Tian Bo, vice-president for operations told Reuters...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Venture Investors Seek "Ninja Assassin" Entrepreneurs

What does it take to make it as a technology entrepreneur?A great idea and the skills of a "Ninja assassin," according to venture capitalists.The passion and focus associated with the Japanese discipline goes a long way in impressing would-be investors."What I'm looking for is what I call a Ninja assassin...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Inbound & Outbound Links, Google, & NoFollow Update

Rel=nofollow to the Rescue Years ago Google introduced rel=nofollow, claiming it as a cure-all for comment spam. Once in place, it was quickly promoted as a tool to use on any paid link. According to Aaron Wall, over at SeoBooks.com, Google scared webmasters about selling links so much that many...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Apple: We're No. 3, We're No. 3!

Thanks to the iPad, Apple is climbing the charts of mobile computer makers. Also in today's App Industry Roundup: An app for Lollapalooza includes Slacker Radio channel while a Foursquare tool can check in for you. Apple's share of portables PCs grows Depending on how you do the math, and...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

A Third of U.S. Socializing & Playing Games Online [REPORT]

We sure do spend a lot of time complaining about our privacy -- or lack thereof -- when it comes to social networking sites like Facebook, but a recent survey claims that Web surfers in the U.S. spend far more time being social on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace than doing...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Did Android App Steal Private Data from Millions of Users?

Late last week, VentureBeat breathlessly claimed that millions of people had downloaded a harmless-looking wallpaper application for the Android cell phone platform, unaware that their personal data was being compromised by it.The original story, from Yahoo News, suggested that the app, from an outfit called Jackeey Wallpaper, captured just about...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Android Sales Beating iPhone for First Time EVER

For the first time ever, sales of Android handsets have outpaced those of the Apple iPhone.According to Nielsen (via GigaOm & Yahoo News), Google Android phones now account for 27 percent of U.S. smartphone sales among new phone buyers, eclipsing the 23 percent share held by the iPhone.The numbers cover...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Google's Down in China - Answer Page Inaccessible

A Google question-and-answer page for Chinese users was inaccessible from mainland China on Tuesday less than a month after the search giant's Internet license was renewed amid a dispute over online censorship.The company found no technical problems with the Hong Kong-based service, said a Google Inc. spokeswoman, Courtney Hohne, in...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Social Networking More Popular Than E-Mail [REPORT]

Americans now spend more time using social networks and online games than they do on e-mail, according to a Monday report from Nielsen.In June, U.S. Internet users spent about 22.7 percent of their online time on social networking sites, up from 15.8 percent just one year ago, the report said,...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Apple has Started Removing Antenna Videos from the Web

Apple giveth and Apple apparently taketh away. This past weekend, Apple scrubbed its site of the antenna reception comparison videos that it had posted after the iPhone 4 press conference earlier this month. Instead, the page now features only information on Apple's own facilities for testing signal reception on the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Microsoft's Office for Apple computers due in October

Microsoft Corp said on Monday that it would release the updated version of its lucrative Office software package for Apple Inc computers in late October, with a starting price of $119, according to Reuters. The world's largest software company's "Office for Mac 2011" software suite, which includes popular applications Word,...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

ALERT: Reddit.com is DOWN!

Hello Reddit Lovers... It appears that the Social Network is down currently for an undetermined period of time. No response from Reddit yet. We are trying to get a comment as to what could have caused the downtime. Stand by! UPDATE: Reddit back online. We still have no answer as...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

This iPhone App calls you back instead of Waiting on Hold for almost Every Major Company

If you hate waiting on hold when you're trying to reach a company, you'll want to download the free iPhone app LucyPhone as fast as your Wi-Fi will let you.Once you have LucyPhone installed, you'll see a searchable list of companies with 1-800 numbers; ranging from utilities, to airlines, to...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Twitter down for a Long-Time Last Night... Who Was to Blame?

Not sure if you noticed... but for 100 million Tweeple around the world.... the microblogging site Twitter Inc. was out of commission for a few hours late Saturday night until early Sunday.Instead of the usual screen that allows people to send a tweet, or a big fat whale telling Twitter...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

12 Steps to Make Your Video Go Viral

You want your video to get viral. That means it has to touch a LOT of people. So, how do you take an innocent video and turn it into the life of the party? No, not through massive amounts of alcohol - but through the right mix of charm and...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Disney selling Miramax for more than $660 million

Walt Disney Co has struck a deal to sell Miramax, the studio behind such films as "Trainspotting" and "No Country for Old Men," for more than $660 million to a group that includes construction magnate Ron Tutor and investment firm Colony Capital LLC.The deal marks the culmination of a drawn-out...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Google going after Facebook with a 'NEW' Social Network

Google Inc has held talks with gaming companies as it looks to develop a new service to compete with social networking website Facebook, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.The Internet giant has had talks with makers of online games for the service including...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Android phones can be easily Hacked - Emails & Text Messages compromised [REPORT]

Two security experts said on Friday they released a tool for attacking smartphones that use Google Inc's Android operating system to persuade manufacturers to fix a bug that lets hackers read a victim's email and text messages."It wasn't difficult to build," said Nicholas Percoco, head of Spider Labs, who along...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Amazon updates Kindle App with In-line Dictionary

Amazon on Thursday released significant upgrades to its Kindle app for iPhone and iPad. Just days after the company announced the new Kindle 3, Amazon's made the iOS version of its e-reader even more competitive with its hardware device: The app now includes a dictionary with 250,000 entries, according to...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Microsoft trying to One-Up Google StreetView with the 'Street Slide'

No one will argue that Google StreetView has now become a well-established and extremely useful part of the computing landscape.But static pictures of storefronts that slowly load as you crawl your way down a road aren't exactly the state of the art anymore. This week, Microsoft is showing off a...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

CBS Entertainment using Social Media to find their Next Big Hit

CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said on Wednesday the top-rated TV network was "restless, motivated and paranoid" about developing new shows and looking increasingly to social networking and the Internet for its next big hits.At a time when traditional television audiences are being lured away by the Internet, videogames and...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

William Shatner on Twitter: WTF is Twitter? - '$#*!' My Dad Says

William Shatner confesses he has problems with the digital age. At 79 years old, he doesn't use Twitter and can't remember computer passwords. So what is the actor -- who started in television when it was aired exclusively live and became a pop culture hero in "Star Trek" 40 years...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Facebook may postpone IPO to 2012 [REPORT]

The move may give Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg more time to gain users and boost sales, but Zuckerberg could still push for a stock sale at any time, the agency said.Jonathan Thaw, a spokesman for Facebook, declined to comment, Bloomberg said. Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment by...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Excessive Worrying over SEO can cause Missed Opportunities

We found another great article from seobook, discussing the missed opportunities when it comes to keyword research, seo planning and execution. Excessive Worrying = Missed Opportunities Do you worry too much about who you are competing against? Do you feel competitive research leads to many more "move on please"...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

The Portrait of a Blogger, SEO Expert & Everything in between.

We came accross this posting from a guest contributor on seobook.com that grabbed our attention. It was a great way to sum up bloggers at various stages in their evolution. Read through this and see if any of it applies to you. A long time ago, on an...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

What's private on Facebook anyway?

Today's revelation about the existence of a document that details the names, URLs, and unique Facebook IDs of 100 million of the site's users has raised new questions about what is and what is not private on the immensely popular website.Facebook says no data was "stolen," the site was not...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

GameStop Acquires Social Gaming Company 'Kongregate'

Video game retailer GameStop on Tuesday announced that it has acquired Kongregate, a social gaming destination and community.The deal is expected to close around Aug. 1. Kongregate will become a wholly owned subsidiary of GameStop and retain its current offices in San Francisco. Co-founders Jim and Emily Greer will continue...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Disney Buying Social-Gaming Website 'Playdom'

The Walt Disney Co. is buying online social-gaming company Playdom for $563.2 million, the latest sign the company is becoming a formidable player in the video-game industry.Disney said Tuesday it is buying Playdom to strengthen its digital-gaming portfolio. According to Yahoo News, the purchase will help bring Disney's characters, stories...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Zynga Gets $150M From Japan's Softbank

Zynga, the online gaming company best known for its Farmville Facebook game, has received a US$150 million investment from Japanese Internet company Softbank.The two companies plan to form a joint venture, Zynga Japan, that will develop and distribute social games across Japan, they said in a statement.Softbank is one of...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Video Resume, The Future of Employment?

Forbes.com, MSNBC, Time.com and the Daily Show all hail that the video resume will become the wave of the future. In a search on YouTube, there are 4,590 search results under the keyword, "video resume" with video views ranging anywhere between 50 and 93,000 views. However, controversy is on all...

By darringrella | Partner / The Interview Gurus

Intel has Record Sales - Economy Improving?

The Intel Corp. delivered a better then expected turn out for sales this year. Intel's sales went up and surpassed expectations even though the economy slowed down. Intel said yesterday that their sales will reach a gross profit margin of 67 percent. Could Intel's success be a sign that the...

By Jonathon Ireland | Contributing Tech Editor

Moving from Commitment to Action

What do you need to commit to? What things in your life do you "wish" for, "hope" for, or "really" want?Because if you REALLY want it, it's up to YOU to make it happen.No one is out there waiting to magically manifest your heart's desire on your behalf. And if...

By Jacki Semerau | Contributor

CDMA iPhone in Production for Verizon.

DigiTimes, a Taiwanese industry publication, reported Thursday that Pegatron Technology received orders from Apple for a CDMA iPhone 4, according to industry sources. "Pegatron will also start shipping a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 to Apple in the fourth quarter and is currently using its plants in Shanghai, China...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Should founders stock be subject to vesting before a venture financing?

Generally yes. Even though the founders stock is issued and outstanding, the company can have the right to repurchase the shares. The right of the company to repurchase the shares will lapse over time or upon certain events, similar to vesting of options. There are two primary reasons for subjecting...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What should the vesting terms of founder stock be before a venture financing?

I think that founders stock before a venture financing should be subject to the same general vesting terms as one would expect after a venture financing. A typical vesting schedule is four year vesting with a one year cliff. This means that 25% of the shares will vest one year...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What is Series FF stock?

I've been asked by a few people about the Series FF stock that has been advocated by the Founders Fund. Matt Marshall of Venture Beat reported on this invention in December 2006. See here for an Inc.com report in March 2007. Michael Martin blogs about economic incentives associated with the...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What is an 83(b) election?

Failing to make a timely 83(b) election with the IRS is something that could lead to disastrous tax consequences for a startup company founder or employee.Founders typically purchase stock pursuant to restricted stock purchase agreements that allow the company to repurchase "unvested" stock upon termination of employment. Similarly, employees may...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What is qualified small business stock?

Under Internal Revenue Code Section 1202 , a taxpayer (other than a corporation) that recognizes gain from the sale or exchange of "qualified small business stock" held for more than five years may exclude 50% of such gain from gross income for regular income tax purposes. The amount of gain...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Should founders pay for their stock in cash or contribute intellectual property?

If a founder owns intellectual property that he or she plans on contributing to a company, the founder may want to pay for founder stock by assigning the intellectual property rather than paying cash. Even though founders typically purchase stock for $0.01 or $0.001 per share, the aggregate purchase price...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What is Class F common stock?

Extremely founder-friendly provisions in the certificate of incorporation for companies. These provisions include a special class of super-voting common stock, called "Class F" common stock, which is named for "Founders." * Voting. The COI includes Class A common stock, which has one vote per share, and Class F common stock,...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

How many shares should be authorized in the certificate of incorporation?

I usually advise companies to authorize around 10 to 15 million shares of common stock. Around 8 or 9 million shares are issued to founders with a 1 million to 2 million share option pool, for a fully-diluted base of around 10 million shares. The remaining authorized but unissued shares...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

How do you calculate Delaware franchise taxes?

A corporation's Delaware Annual Franchise Tax Report is prepared by Delaware calculating the corporation's annual tax obligation using the "authorized shares" method, reflecting a very large annual franchise tax obligation for most corporations. However, use of the optional "assumed par value capital" method of tax calculation will typically result in...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What inspection and information rights does a stockholder have?

Most states allow stockholders to demand access to a corporation's books and records, and a stockholder list, as long as the stockholder has a proper purpose and meets certain procedural requirements.Delaware General Corporation Law Section 220(b) provides that "Any stockholder, in person or by attorney or other agent, shall, upon...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What trademark and other legal issues are involved in selecting a company name?

[The following post is courtesy of John Slafsky and Aaron Hendelman in WSGR's Trademarks and Advertising Practices Group.]Among the most important tasks in the founding of a new company are the development and clearance of a company name. There are two very different sets of legal issues, and a host...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What is par value?

Par value is the minimum price per share that shares must be issued for in order to be fully paid. I typically recommend that par value be set at $0.001 or $0.0001 per share. Thus, if a founder purchases 8,000,000 shares of common stock, the minimum price that the founder...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What does fully-diluted capitalization mean?

"Fully-diluted" capitalization typically includes (1) all outstanding common stock, (2) all outstanding preferred stock (on a converted to common basis), (3) outstanding warrants (on an as exercised and as converted to common basis), (4) outstanding options, (5) options reserved for future grant, and (6) any other convertible securities on an...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What do you need to do before you quit your job to form a startup company?

There are various things a potential founder of a new startup company needs to do before quitting their job.1. Review all agreements with your current employer. Most employees may have signed an offer letter and a confidential information and invention assignment agreement, as well as other documents such as a...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What is a certificate of incorporation?

A Delaware corporation is considered to exist when its certificate of incorporation has been filed with the Secretary of State. Generally, the certificate is brief because very few items must be covered in the certificate to make it effective.The certificate must include: * the name of the corporation (this name...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What are bylaws?

The bylaws of a corporation set forth various procedures affecting the governance of the corporation. Delaware law allows a corporation's bylaws to contain any provision relating to the business of the corporation, the conduct of its affairs, or the rights or powers of its stockholders, directors, officers or employees, so...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What state should I incorporate in?

I think there are three primary choices for the state of incorporation for most technology startup companies: (i) Delaware, (ii) the state where the company has its headquarters (i.e. California), and (iii) the Cayman Islands.Almost all of the companies that I represent that intend to receive venture financing are incorporated...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

What type of entity should I form?

C corps, LLCs, and S corps differ significantly in the areas of taxation, ownership, fundraising, governance and structure, and employee compensation. Almost all technology startup companies that I work with are C corps. Any company that raises venture financing will need to be a C corp in order to issue...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

When do I need to incorporate a company?

Founders of startup companies often wait to incorporate a company until they are confident that their concept is viable or fundable. At some point, however, an entrepreneur will need to formally incorporate a company. Several reasons exist for taking the step to incorporate. * More than one founder. If there...

By Yoichiro (“Yokum”) Taku | Corporate & Securities Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Business Advice About Customer Needs

I have a business advice for all seeking to have their companies last for a long time. And that is take a step at a time each day rather than rushing to get rich quick. Companies that have made an impact in the market observe patience, humility and diligence in...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

People Skills Make a Better Business

For there to be smooth business operation, people management is crucial. Managers make the mistake of concentrating their efforts on the best performing employees who are most of the time very few. When it comes to performance the people are average after the best performance are the majority. Good business...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Improving Quality of Production to Survive

In order to make it in the current business environment, you need to be radical in your normal business operations. Taking decisive steps to cut cost and avoid imitating others in order to improve your business processes. This will enhance quality of service and also help maximize the benefits of...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

HR Management Tips

A fundamental aspect of business is having good workers. They make sure that there is smooth business operation in all departments. But even if you have the best staff, it does not necessarily guarantee you will succeed in business. It is also imperative to ensure cohesiveness and thus team work.Human...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Top 10 Mistakes of Social Media Wanabees.

Accelerate your Social Media Success by avoiding these top 10 mistakes made by social media wanabees.1) Lack of Consistent Visibility.You cannot make a path and create a presence in Social Media, without CONSISTENTLY being SEEN and HEARD with your message. Ask Carrie Wilkerson. Or Timothy Carter. NOT going to happen....

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

What is Social Media Optimization?

Social media optimization as the term indicates is related to development of constant presence in the mind of reader through different incidents or news; in short through something interesting.Search engines are always eying the website for their work. There are many websites which have understood this fact and are very...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Why Do You Need Social Media Branding?

A brand is a center stone for a company. Building a brand required a balance marketing efforts across various channels. As days are passing there are sign of new beginning of an era. In which opportunities are countless for businessman, companies, organization & etc to establish or mark their name...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Stop Thinking about it... Start Your Small Business?

There are lots of people out there thinking about starting a small business, and tons of great ideas, but few people actually go out and do it. So many people think and think about it until all of a sudden they're fifty-something, still with that great idea, but no business.There's...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Financing a Small Business the Smart Way

Are you a small business owner? If you are, you'll know that running a small business is one of the most difficult things you'll ever do in your life. You're the company's spokesperson, owner, founder, advertiser and investor. You are its inspiration. It is your livelihood and your passion. And...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

A Shortcut For Financing Small Business.

In today's world, traditional bank loans are not the only medium of financing a small business loan. It is imperative to consider all the options available before you make your choice.What are the overlooked options?Currently, many unconventional sources of finance are coming up as well, e.g. contract financing, which is...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Automate Your Work At Home Internet Business

The ideal strategy is to combine the actions with the automation. So every time you do some work at home internet business promotion, do it in a way that it works as a residual: once done and it works automatically during a long period of time. Can you believe this?The...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

4 Steps to Lower Your Home-Based Internet Business Expenses

When you as a newbie examine the different home internet business promotional strategies, you may get the impression that they all cost a lot and that the only way to success is to invest first with big amounts and then take a risk and wait whether they will bring the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

7 Ways to Save Money on Home-Based Internet Businesses

Starting and running a home internet business does takes some investment depending on your product and the type of business you intend to run.Here are top 7 tips to save you and your home internet business some money:#1 Research Before You Leap What is your dream, what is your product?...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Writing a Business Plan for Real Estate Investing

When writing a business plan free for real estate investing it is important to conduct research and understand the fundamentals of the plan. Business plans are used for many reasons, but the primary goal is to develop strategies to expand development and increase revenue.Many tools exist for writing a business...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

7 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Business Plan

A business plan guide is a great place to start when you are getting ready to write your first business plan. Perhaps you have found a book about writing business plans, or are following a template, but chances are, these materials will only focus on the steps necessary to create...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

How to Write a Great Business Plan

A great business plan is a living, breathing blueprint for your business that can help you navigate and manage your company while also helping potential investors, partners, lenders, and others understand your business strategy and your chances at success. A business plan is never quite finished because you're always revising...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Changes in China Could Raise Prices Worldwide

SHANGHAI -- The cost of doing business in China is going up. Coastal factories are raising salaries, local governments are hiking minimum wage standards and if China allows its currency, the renminbi, to appreciate against the U.S. dollar later this year, as many economists are predicting, the cost of...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Increasing Your Purpose Portfolio

It's no secret that the recession has brought about many changes in our world. But not all of these changes are negative. People trying to live within their means, bad business practices exposed, the overall greed-factor decreasing significantly, the list of positive effects goes on. My favorite is wrapped up...

By Jacki Semerau | Contributor

No, I Don't Want to Be Friends With My Butter: Brand Relationships for the Social Media Era

While brands still try hard to "crack the Social Media code," most seem to understand consumers no longer find the prospect of being friends with a brand more engaging than the single click it took to fan the brand page on Facebook. After all, what's so novel about the thought...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Direct engagement top short-term response

An oft-cited fear of brands is that online consumers will post negative comments about them, especially on social media where opinions can be broadcast far and wide. In their "Social Media and Online PR Report," Econsultancy and bigmouthmedia explored ways marketers can combat brand bashing. Asked what their company had done...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Can Facebook and Capitol Hill be friends? Lawmakers on social networking.

Inside the headquarters of the National Republican Congressional Committee, 25-year-old Adam Conner -- registered Facebook lobbyist, poster of multiple Obama attaboys and a guy whose Facebook photo is a grizzly bear wielding two chain saws -- sits to teach a course. The subject: How to use Facebook better. His student:...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

SEO - Does it still matter?

Remember the early days of the Web? Everyone was using an Internet service provider that promised unique content along with your dial-up connection. Most of those companies are gone now, though AOL is still plugging along -- albeit with the rest of the Internet giggling behind its back.But what if...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Not Just a Business Card - Could Be the Window to Your Future

I am standing in line to register and then enter a major networking event that draws upwards of 1000 people from around the city. I start a conversation with a gal behind me and ask her what she does. Frankly, most of what she talked about didn't initially made sense...

By Karen Kanefsky | Beware - One quick exchange can change your life

Lay it Down: I'm Not Tipping Anymore

So . . . I'm not tipping anymore -at least not all the time, only after exceptional circumstances. I'm not cheap. I'm not a miser. Again, no, it's not because I'm cheap. And no, it's not because of the economy. Also, I have worked as a waiter, so this is...

By Chuck Nwokocha | Prometheus Unchained

Jobless Rate Hits 9.9 Percent, But That's Not All Bad

U.S. employers added more jobs last month than at any time in the past four years, but the brightening labor picture prompted hundreds of thousands of people to start looking again, forcing the unemployment rate up to 9.9 percent. The Labor Department reported Friday that payrolls expanded by 290,000...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

World Financial Markets Follow Dow Lower

World markets fell sharply Friday following a huge sell-off on Wall Street and amid fears that Europe's debt crisis could spread and derail the global economic recovery. In Britain, where investors were grappling with uncertain general election results, the FTSE 100 index was down 52.86 points, or 1 percent,...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

Coastal Businesses Feel The Pain Of Gulf Coast Leak

As oil company BP fights an oil leak deep in the Gulf of Mexico, cleanup is under way on some of Louisiana's uninhabited barrier islands where oil began washing ashore Thursday, threatening wildlife and fragile marshes. Although the oil slick is still miles from the popular beaches that stretch...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

Market Plunge Baffles Wall Street

The stock market plunged Thursday in a harrowing five-minute selloff that appeared to be triggered by a breakdown of trading systems. After dropping nearly 1,000 points, the market rebounded but still closed down 3.2%, leaving Wall Street struggling to figure out what happened.Investors already were jittery about the ripple effects...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

The Worst Words to Say at Work

Some words and phrases are often used to buy time, avoid giving answers, and escape commitment. If you use these words and phrases yourself, take a scalpel and cut them out of your thinking, speaking, and writing. "Try" "Try" is a weasel word. "Well, I'll try," some people say. It's...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

Cities, Businesses Boycott Arizona Over New Law

Arizona's tough new immigration law has led more than a dozen U.S. cities, organizations and foreign governments to warn against traveling there. Many hotels say guests have canceled reservations. In a state that depends on tourism and conventions, business owners who had been looking for signs of an economic...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

United-Continental Merger May Cut Flights, Fares

The proposed megamerger of United and Continental airlines is being touted by the companies as a cost-saving, revenue-producing deal that would create a global powerhouse stretching from Asia to Latin America. It's a hopeful prediction in an industry that has been unprofitable for most of the past decade. But...

By Drew Grella | Associate Editor - Mashed Report

The tea party's exaggerated importance

2009 was the year when many journalists concluded they were slow to recognize the anti-government, anti-Obama rage that gave birth to the tea party movement. 2010 is the year when news organizations have decided to prove they get it. And get it. And get it some more. Part of the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Strong Home Sales Spark Stocks

NEW YORK--U.S. stocks rallied quickly after sales of new homes jumped by more than expected in March, as they posted their largest year-over-year increase in nearly five years. After opening in the red, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sharply rebounded, gaining 26 points, or 0.2%, to 11161, after new home...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

$The Flash fracas between Adobe and Apple (FAQ)$

The Flash fracas between Adobe and Apple (FAQ)

The face-off between Apple and Adobe Systems concerning Flash on the iPhone and iPad is a perfect fit for today's world of fanboys and flame wars. But beneath the surface, it's not all as simple as it seems. There are plenty convenient rhetorical points for those who want to...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Jobless Claims Post Drop; Core Inflation Still Tame

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for jobless aid fell last week as the labor market gradually improves, while producer price data showed inflation remained muted, despite a surge in food prices last month.Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 456,000 in the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Big banks mint money again: $18.7 billion

(Fortune) -- The biggest banks are minting money. Can they keep it up? Do we even want them to?The six biggest bank holding companies - Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500), Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500)...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Feds Make Big Profit from Bailout.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Federal Reserve banks that form the backbone of the nation's financial system transferred an extra-large payload to the U.S. Treasury last year, as they reaped interest from Wall Street bailouts.The 12 Federal Reserve banks reported that their 2009 income totaled $53.4 billion, a jump of...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Europe flights back to '100 percent'

London, England (CNN) -- Flights across Europe are expected to return to "100 percent" on Thursday -- seven days after ash from an Icelandic volcano forced the shutdown of airspace and stranded thousands of passengers around the world, the air traffic agency Eurocontrol said. The mood among passengers was one...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Tech Stocks Pull Down Indexes

m of the measure, falling 1.8% after its first-quarter earnings fell 29% on a host of charges as the telecommunications provider stepped back into the black after a fourth-quarter loss. Financial components also weakened ahead of a speech in which President Barack Obama is expected to castigate the financial industry....

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Obama Stronger Role on Wall Street reform

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama appears to have learned one lesson from the bruising fight over health care reform. Some Democrats criticized Obama for failing to assume a leading role in shaping the health care legislation, which they said extended the congressional wrangling needed to get the bill passed. Now...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Botched McAfee update shutting down corporate XP machines worldwide

We're hearing from all over that a bad McAfee for Windows XP update is causing computers worldwide to shut down. Apparently DAT update 5958 deletes the svchost.exe file, which then triggers a false-positive in McAfee itself and sets off a chain of uncontrolled restarts and loss of networking functionality. Yeah,...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

New $100 Bill Released Today by U.S. Treasury

The U.S. Treasury refreshes its currency every once in a while to stay a step ahead of counterfeiters, and this time they're refreshing the new $100 bill. The new bill will contain a security feature called Motion, where each bill will contain up to 650,000 microlenses embedded in the printing...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

China, U.S. business are sniping

If you've noticed a more raw tone to U.S.-China relations recently, you're not alone. The world's largest economy and the world's most populous country have indeed been sniping at each other relentlessly. It got so rough recently that President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao got on the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Goldman Sachs fills political warchests

Goldman Sachs' political action committee dished out nearly $300,000 to lawmakers' campaigns and their PACs in March, with more going to Republicans than Democrats, federal campaign filings released Tuesday show. The Goldman Sachs Group Political Action Committee shelled out $167,500 to Republican candidates and political entities and $123,000 to Democrats....

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

News Corp. Buys Social Software Studio Irata Labs

News Corp. has acquired Irata Labs, a small social software development studio based in San Francisco, the LA Times has learned. The company, which builds games and other apps for social networks, has confirmed the deal to us and on Twitter (check out these tweets from Irata Labs CEO Chris...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

54% Of Women More Likely To Date Men With iPhones

Straight from the bullshit department: a recent survey of 1500 women has found that men who own an iPhone are more attractive than those who do not. Women were particularly repulsed by men who own a Palm Pre, the study also found. Ok, I made that second part up, but...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Visa Picks Up CyberSource For $2 Billion

Payment network operator Visa has agreed to acquire e-payment company CyberSource for $26 per share, or total consideration of approximately $2 billion to be paid with cash on hand. The price represents a near 34 percent premium over Mountain View-based CyberSource's Tuesday closing price. The deal will enable Visa to...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Apple shares hit new high as profits soar

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Wall Street cheered Wednesday as Apple Inc. delivered strong quarterly earnings growth, driven mainly by blow-out sales of the iPhone. Shares of Apple /quotes/comstock/15*!aapl/quotes/nls/aapl (AAPL 258.78, +14.19, +5.80%) jumped more than 6% in morning trades to $260 -- setting a fresh all-time high for the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Adobe Calling Quits on Flash for iPhone

Adobe is halting development of a Flash-to-iPhone software tool introduced with its Creative Suite 5 last week, dashing the hopes of many that Flash will be supported in future iPhone updates. The move further escalates tensions between Apple and Adobe. Adobe now says it plans to concentrate on developing for...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Salesforce Buys Jigsaw For $142 Million In Cash Plus Earn-Out

Salesforce.com has just announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Jigsaw, which provides crowd-sourced data services in the cloud, for approximately $142 million in cash, plus a performance-based earn out of up to 10% of the purchase price. The deal is expected to close in the...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

GM Pays U.S. Back

DETROIT -- General Motors Co. has repaid the $8.1 billion in loans it got from the U.S. and Canadian governments, a move its CEO says is a sign automaker is on the road to recovery.GM CEO Whitacre will formally announce the loan paybacks Wednesday at the company's Fairfax Assembly Plant...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Paulson Fund IPO Delayed Following Goldman Sachs Case

TORONTO--Canadian retail investors will have to wait to get the opportunity to access the trading expertise of well-known hedge fund manager Paulson & Co. The planned initial public offering of Propel Multi-Strategy Fund, created to give investors exposure to two funds for which Paulson is the trading adviser, has been...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Debate continues on marijuana laws

April 20 has become a holiday for some Americans. The date, more commonly known as "4/20," has only one tradition, and it centers on gathering to smoke marijuana. The stigma of a plant, which proponents declare as medicine and opponents consider illicit and of no value, is finding itself squarely...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Knees Deep in a Mess

Thanks to Paul Kedrosky, we now have the actual sales presentation book on the notorious 'Paulson' CDOs. It sheds much more light on why the Securities and Exchange Commission thinks it has a good fraud case against Goldman Sachs. First, a quick review of the back story: John Paulson,...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Goldman Sachs Gain Ex White House Ally

Goldman Sachs is launching an aggressive response to its political and legal challenges with an unlikely ally at its side -- President Barack Obama's former White House counsel, Gregory Craig. The beleaguered Wall Street bank hired Craig -- now in private practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Democrats = Wall Street Reform?

Democratic leaders scrambled Monday to peel away the Republican votes they need to bring a Wall Street reform package to the Senate floor this week -- an effort hampered by sharp partisan divisions. Both sides are attempting to exploit a lingering resentment toward Wall Street in the election-year debate. Democrats...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Facebook says, "Targeted ads aren't so bad."

Facebook is set to unveil a new "like" button system, which will be available for external websites to use. The new system will reportedly involve a button which allows you to "like" an external webpage when you visit it. In theory, it sounds good for website owners, who may benefit...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Facebook tells Twitter to Back Off!

The battle over who owns your interests on the Web intensified today as Facebook started rolling out a set of new features designed to connect people more closely to the topics they care about. Millions of new so-called Community Pages now exist around topics such as cooking and yoga. They...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Google is going to squeeze Salesforce.com

Salesforce.com has a real problem and it's not one of the usual suspects (Oracle, SAP or Microsoft).Google's Marketplace announcement a few weeks back just confirmed if there is one company that is likely to be giving CEO Marc Benioff a really bad toothache, it's Google, and unfortunately dentures might be...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Startup, Meetup, Tweetup, Boom

A new generation of tech entrepreneurs in the city is trying to overthrow old media and build a better New York--with the help of their iPhones. Are they dreaming? Definitely. But in a good way.On any given day in New York City, there are usually close to a dozen, if...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

Sheryl Sandberg is the new COO of Facebook

With uncanny instincts--and a personal touch--Sheryl Sandberg is leading Facebook into the future. Nobody close to Sheryl Sandberg, now the COO of Facebook, is surprised to find her running the company that turned friend into a verb. In her case, it's an action verb. Sheryl remembers birthdays. She texts people...

By Mashed Report Staff | Contributor

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