23February 2010

Are we putting all our eggs in one
technology basket?

Last week, the death of the woman at the Seattle YMCA spurred quite the discussion in my online mostly-NW-women's group.

One woman responded that she is putting together a list of alumni of an organization many of us originally belonged to, and asked for people's Twitter names. Several members gave theirs publicly.

One of our members thoughtfully posted that she wondered how many of us have a buddy system in place.

Then a few members chimed in with gruesome stories of somebody who died alone and wasn't found for days/weeks, and some close calls. Read the rest

9January 2010

Happy New Year

I got an email the other day from a gentleman in Canada who wanted help deciding whether to pursue an online-business idea he had. Advance market research is a service I provide because it utilizes my keyword research skills, marketing savvy, and creative resourcefulness.

When I replied that I would be happy to research the viability of his prospective project and gave an overview of my methods, he revealed that he had already done some keyword research. Plus he had already talked to an Internet marketing company that said there was too much competition for his idea. I could tell he had just talked himself out of hiring me after all.

However, I persuaded him to call and tell me his business idea. As usual, the  entrepreneur was aiming for too broad a market. It always amazes me how tunnel-visioned people are when it comes to marketing. I encouraged him to narrow his focus to a niche market and gave him the 2 examples that are near and dear to my own heart: new parents (I just became a grandmother) and pets (I have 5 cats and a dog).

While we were talking, I suddenly came up with a fantastic idea for a pet product that was perfect for his project. Then and there I decided it's finally time to launch that site I've been ruminating over: RpetsRRkids.com (Our Pets Are Our Kids). Lately I keep hearing the phrase on a commercial, so I'm hopeful that it will catch on online. My target market is empty nesters and childless-by-choice couples who pamper their pets.

Looks like I will have at least one product to sell if this guy comes through!