Suzy Michaels, an independent representative for SendOutCards, has been selling their services since 2006. Like many representatives, she started as a satisfied customer and her passion for the company eventually grew into a business.

What inspired you to join with SendOutCards?

I was shown a demo of the SendOutCards (SOC) system and I immediately liked the service! I have always been a card sender so this was a great fit. I saw it as something I could really use and would feel very comfortable promoting. It’s a simple system to send greeting cards while saving time and money. Also, I love the company’s ideas which is “You get back what you send out in life.” SOC gives us a mechanism to easily send out positives to the world.

How does the service work?

It’s internet-based so can be used anywhere in the world. To send a card, we follow a few simple steps which take about a minute or so: 1) choose a personal or business card from the SOC online card catalog (13,000+ to choose from); 2) type a personal message & add photos if desired; 3) choose a gift (ie: chocolate, coffee, pet treats, etc.) or gift card (ie: Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, etc.) to go with the card (optional); 4) preview the card & click the “send” button. The company prints it, stuffs it, puts a stamp on it and sends it for us!

How has your business grown since you joined in 2006?

When I first joined, I mainly used the service to connect with friends and family. The following year I started to promote it in referral and networking groups. As I increased my network and built relationships, my business has steadily grown one person at a time. Now I have a group of over 40 customers and distributors.

What goals do you have for yourself and your involvement with SendOutCards over the next year?

I will continue to send cards every day, listen to training calls, and attend seminars which are in various cities in the U.S. and in Australia. I’m going to continue participating in networking groups and get to know more and more business owners. I’m exploring ways of building relationships online and sharing this amazing service with those who could use it. I also intend to grow my business in other part of the country including Wisconsin, my home state, and other countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

What makes this business unique when compared to the competition?

So many things! It brings back the old-fashioned etiquette of card writing combined with modern technology. The cost of our standard card is only 62 cents which is far below the industry average of $2-$3 (according to Hoover’s Industry Statistics). We can have our own handwriting font and signatures, design our cards with personal photos, be reminded of birthdays, send campaigns (ie: send a holiday card to a large group of people in seconds), and we get paid for it! It’s easy to show people as all we need is a computer and access to the internet. As for competition, there really isn’t any since no other greeting card company offers what SOC does.

Would you mind telling us a little about the business opportunity they offer? What are the requirements? How much does it cost?

There are three different ways to join: as a retail customer, a wholesale customer, or an entrepreneur. The cost to join is different for each way, starting at $25 to be a basic retail customer to less than $500 for an entrepreneur package. I’m more than happy to discuss the options with anyone. For a business introduction, please see: www.socreview.com/suzy

What lessons have you been able to take from your experience with this business?

I’ve found out that the best way to build this business is through growing relationships. I love to meet people and make a connection with them. The key is keeping in touch by sending out positive messages to the people in your life. SOC provides us with an easy way to do so. I’ve realized it’s true that appreciation wins over self-promotion!

Is this it or would you like to consider getting involved with another business in the future?

This is it! I plan to be involved with SendOutCards for a long time. I’m very happy with this company and the business opportunity it provides. I like that I can do this business anywhere, from home or at a coffee shop or while traveling around the world, as I hope to do some day.

If you only had one minute to describe why you feel so strongly about this business and the opportunity it offers, what would you say?

It’s an amazing and unique service which is fun to use, inexpensive, and makes it easy to keep in touch with people. The best way to describe it is to let someone experience it! Send a FREE card or two on me! To do this, go to my website: www.sendoutcards.com/suzy click on my banner and you’ll be walked through the card system by the company’s founder, Kody Bateman. Or contact me and I’ll show you how it works. Who are you thinking about today? Send them a card!

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

Citigroup is suing New York’s All Citi Pawn Shop for appropriating its logo. This is after they buy a new corporate Falcon jet. Do you hate these guys yet? CNN Money reports:

You would think that Citigroup had enough on its plate these days, but that hasn’t stopped the financial behemoth from filing a copyright infringement suit against a Brooklyn, New York, pawnshop over a similar logo.

When contacted, Citgroup (C, Fortune 500) would say only that “as a matter of course, we work to protect the value of our trademarks.”

A visit to Smarta.com is the order of the day for entrepreneurs who wish to share knowledge online and meet individuals that are in a similar position.

In addition to standing as a platform where questions and answers can be posted, this new network makes for the creation of profiles and groups. Of course, events can likewise be promoted through the site.

Further aspects that should at least be mentioned include an “Inspiration” section and a “Business Tools” category which group together motivational resources and information on how to apply for accounts and loans.

Photo by Smarta.com.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

Interested in gold, but not in storing it yourself? How about investing in treasure hunters? The publicly-traded Odyssey Marine Exploration recently discovered the sunken warship HMS Victory at the bottom of the English Channel. CEO Gregg Stemm estimates the wreck has about 100,000 gold coins aboard. Spiegel interviewed him. Here are some excerpts:

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You alway stress the scientific part of what you do rather than the quest for profit. Yet you are CEO of a publicly traded company and have to think about your investors.

Stemm: There are some people in the Cultural Ministry of Spain who do not like Odyssey’s business model. We did not know the coins belonged to anybody. What do you do, if you find a huge open coinfield on the sea floor? You bring the coins to safety and hand the case over to a judge. Secrecy is key in our business if you do not want half a dozen other companies exploring your site.

See the rest of the interview here.

East Rutherford, NJ – MWW Group (www.mww.com), one of the nation’s top ten public relations firms, today launched a national initiative asking America, “What Change Are You Ready For in the First 100 Days?” MWW Group is searching for individuals and organizations to provide “100 Words for 100 Days,” defined as a written or spoken description of a positive change that can be effected within the first 100 days of the Obama administration. The winning organization will earn three full months of PR support from MWW Group to help implement that change. The winning individual will earn a paid internship.

MWW Group is one of the nation’s top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations and “Aim High… and Deliver” commitment to client service. For the past four years, MWW Group has been honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report agency client satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution. In 2006, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News, in recognition of the firm’s growth, strategic account leadership and industry-leading employee retention. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).

Thanks to the current economic downturn plus accrued expenses, it became necessary for me to get back into the work force.

However, I wasn’t interested in leaving home or working 15-hour days. That could potentially undo all of the good I’ve accomplished as a stay-at-home mom, not to mention the cost of full-time daycare.

So, I decided to utilize my skills as a publicist to start a consulting business, working out of my home.

Love the idea of a home-based business but not sure where to begin?

The Internet is an incredible resource. I have discovered through my research that there are a multitude of websites that provide all kinds of advice from “choosing a business that’s right for you” to “thriving in a slow economy.”

There are also lots of forums to explore that give you an opportunity to speak with and ask questions of other like-minded women. Facebook is a great place to begin networking.

Photo by Pascal Publicity.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

Marie Kraft started thinking about the idea for a tofu press about five years ago when she began eating healthier and wanted to learn to cook tofu dishes.

Kraft said she had trouble cooking tofu because it was watery. However, she said, there were no products on the market to assist in the pressing of tofu while allowing the tofu to remain refrigerated. Pressing tofu allows for more flavor to be absorbed during marination.

The TofuXpress, which is made in America, works by draining the tofu while it can be refrigerated.

“I never dreamed to invent something like this. It feels very gratifying to be able to create something and offer it to other people. There just wasn’t anything out there on the market to use,” Kraft said.

Photo by TofuXpress.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

The above SuperBowl commercial offered the country a free breakfast at Denny’s this morning. The free Grand Slam is available from 6am to 2pm. USA Today reports the America–at least the really hungry/college student contingent of it–is happily lapping up the free meal ($5 value):

Denny’s free ‘Grand Slam’ breakfast offer appears to be hitting it out of the park. The Dallas Morning News says 30 people were lined up at 6 a.m. at one Denny’s location in Big D to take advantage of the free breakfast of two eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausage links and two pancakes. The nationwide offer is good until 2 p.m. The newspaper quotes one customer, Francisco Flores, 53,, as saying he heard about it on the morning news and rushed over immediately. “I didn’t even shower,” says Flores.

– The Washington Examiner notes a little fine print from Denny’s Web site: offer is good as long as supplies last and beverage and tip are not included.

What is Denny’s trying to accomplish with the free food? High school and college students, late-night partiers, and budget-conscious people have and will continue to be the chain’s best customers. Who else could it attract, besides today’s opportunistic freebie lovers?

I don’t understand the business sense behind the move, but it is a friendly gesture.

The new 2009 smart fortwo brabus is taking orders in the United States, for a $99 reservation fee. Automobile Magazine reports:

The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive - first shown as a technology demonstrator at the 2008 Paris motor show - will be offered to U.S. consumers in the second half of 2010. We’ve yet to hear firm specifications of the production vehicle, but it will use lithium-ion batteries, likely produced by a new joint-venture between Daimler AG and Evonik Industries.

Initial volume of the ForTwo ED will be limited, but Schembri revealed to us that volume production of the electric microcar will begin in 2012. It’s still unknown if the cars will be sold outright to consumers, or leased to customers on a short-term basis (as with the Mini E).

Left Lane adds that Smart sales have beaten expectations in the United States, in part because of a clever, hands-on marketing campaign:

Daimler launched the Smart ForTwo with the hopes of selling 16,000 units during its first year on the U.S. market, but actually sold 24,622 ForTwos in 2008. Moreover, that momentum looks like it will carry into 2009. Smart has taken 40,000 reservations for its 2009 ForTwo, which should already put the tiny two-door close to last year’s figures.

Further proving how popular the Smart brand is, even a down market, Smart’s U.S. arm sold out its allotment of 1,500 Brabus ForTwos in just eight hours. Smart managed to get 500 more units for the U.S. market, which also sold out in eight hours.

The cheapest smart car you can get, the smart fortwo pure coupe, costs $11,990. The sporty brabus costs $17,990. But the website makes it easy to reserve a car for just $99, kind of like reserving your own personal toy, obligation-free. It’s a smart way to lock in consumers. Smart is tuned into the eco-conscious urban dweller mentality; I expect to see more Smart cars on the road soon as a result.

Some people actually consider their pets to be their children and they buy them top quality toy’s, facility care while out of town, top quality food, and even clothes. While the country is in a recession that causes people to start under buying on necessities such as paper towel, toilet paper, gas, day-care and more, it is truly amazing to me that the pet industry is still booming along.

More than $3 billion dollars will be spent on pet services in 2008 according to the APPA, which will likely continue to grow in 2009, but at a lower rate than in prior years. Pet parents are including their pets in their own lifestyles so visits to the spa, exercise regimes, and hotel-quality day care accommodations have become more common in urban areas. In the suburbs, Wal-Mart continues to expand its pet section and has even been testing grooming stations in some of its stores. Expect to see Wal-Mart roll out grooming to more of its stores in 2009, taking on PetSmart’s dominance in this area.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.