Business Idea of the Day

According to a story in The Wall Street Journal , hidden inside Ashley Hayes-Beaty’s computer, a tiny file helps gather personal details about her, all to be put up for sale for a tenth of a penny. The file consists of a single code— 4c812db292272995e5416a323e79bd37—that secretly identifies her as a 26-year-old female in Nashville, Tenn. The code knows that her favorite movies include “The Princess Bride,” “50 First Dates” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” It knows she enjoys the “Sex and the City” series. It knows she browses entertainment news and likes to take quizzes. “Well, I like to think I have some mystery left to me, but apparently not!” Hayes-Beaty said when told what that snippet of code reveals about her.

According to a story in The Wall Street Journal , hidden inside Ashley Hayes-Beaty’s computer, a tiny file helps gather personal details about her, all to be put up for sale for a tenth of a penny. The file consists of a single code— 4c812db292272995e5416a323e79bd37—that secretly identifies her as a 26-year-old female in Nashville, Tenn. The code knows that her favorite movies include “The Princess Bride,” “50 First Dates” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” It knows she enjoys the “Sex and the City” series. It knows she browses entertainment news and likes to take quizzes.

NY Times : The Shopify Build-A-Business competition for new Web stores today announced the winner of its $100,000 grand prize. The store that achieved the highest revenue total during any two consecutive months from January to June — using Shopify’s e-commerce platform to sell its wares — was San Francisco-based DODOcase , makers of protective cases for the Apple iPad that have the look and feel of a luxury, hardcover notebook. DODOcase was founded by friends who met while training for the 2005 Iron Man Canada triathlon: Patrick Buckley, the chief executive, and Craig Dalton, the president and business development director (based on the since-corrected recollection of one of the co-founders, a previous version of this post gave a different year for the triathlon).

The modern American couple starts life with a heavy financial burden: In a big city like Chicago, the average wedding costs between $22,500 and $37,500. Yet in the 1930s, it was cheap, costing around $400. There’s no question that wedding prices are out of control. What went wrong? Jason Cochran of WalletPop went to the Chicago History Museum’s “I Do! Chicago Ties the Knot” exhibition, whose historians have figured out how it happened

According to Bloomberg Businessweek , the economy may not be as vibrant as it was a few years ago. Yet by some measures, wealth is back. Global wealth has returned to 2007 pre-crisis levels, largely because of the recovery in stock and bond markets, according to a new study by the Boston Consulting Group. Assets under management—investable assets that do not include the money in investors’ own businesses, real estate, and luxury goods—increased by 11.5 percent, to $111.5 trillion last year, the report found. Wealth also grew more concentrated: Millionaire households, which represent less than 1 percent of all households, owned 38 percent of the world’s wealth last year, up from 36 percent in 2008.

Teen Money Making Ideas brings you some pretty sweet ideas for your business. Read, be inspired, and get into action – there’s nothing like a craving to get you going. 1. Candy Store

Ever since transportation authorities placed rigorous limits on the amount of liquids allowed on flights, travellers have had to figure out how to both pack their favourite toiletries and comply with those regulations. According to trendspotter Springwise , helping consumers avoid bag-check charges or confiscation of their non-compliant toiletries and cosmetics, New York-based 3floz is an online boutique that sells beauty and grooming products in TSA-approved sizes only. Launched in February, 3floz offers a range of luxury skin and hair care products for men and women, all in travel-friendly sizes of 3 fluid ounces (100 ml) or less. 3floz is also marketing itself as a sample site, catering to consumers who want to try out high-end beauty products without committing to pricey full-sized versions

photo credit: luc legay Often times we see that our competitors are lapping in the luxury of big business while we maintain just enough to keep us afloat. We then begin questioning this fact, why do they have more business then we do? I recently came across an article located on Retaildoc.com  that covers the main reasons why this could be happening to you so that you can change things accordingly.

photo credit: karlfrankowski Today has proven to be most definitely a buyers market as the economy is still quite rocky to most of us. Buyers have more power than sellers as they are only buying products that are absolutely needed by them and their family, rather than going out and impulse shopping or shopping their “want” list. So how does a seller sell in the middle of a buyers market? Look below for some great tips on selling your business that I came across on Entrepreneur.com

Inhabitat: The latest lighting design from LZF Lamps puts paper swans to shame. The Spanish design firm used origami figures to inspire its giant, geometric pendant lamps, which debuted at this week’s Milan Furniture Fair. Not only are the lights arrestingly beautiful, they’re crafted from eco-friendly materials