Business Idea of the Day

Associated Press: People who like riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles are likely to have an affinity toward a Ford truck. That’s the thinking at Ford Motor Co. at least, as it furthers its collaboration with the motorcycle maker with the introduction of a new F-150 truck. The 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150, set to be unveiled this week at the Chicago Auto Show, blends the stylings of the popular motorcycle brand with Ford’s top-selling truck. It’s the 14th truck the two companies have designed together.

photo credit: Darwin Bell STORES Magazine has just published an interesting article based on research by BIGresearch that details just which product and services consumers can’t live without as they tighten their belts and which are expendable. Here are the top 10 things that the research indicates that people will continue to pay for even as they give up other luxuries: Internet service Cell phone service Cable or satellite TV Discount shopping for apparel Hair cuts and color Fast food restaurants Casual sit-down restaurants Charitable giving Vacations Fast-casual restaurants Phil Rist, vice president of strategy for BIGresearch, said that the research also indicates that consumers are going to be shopping online more: Amazon.com reported its best holiday [season] ever, in part because people were looking for deals, They didn’t want to spend money on gas or be tempted by promotions at the mall, so they sat at home, did their shopping, got some great deals and - in many instances - didn’t pay sales tax. From Business Opportunities Weblog .

photo credit: Mr.Thomas Wouldn’t it be great to be in business for self? You wake up in the morning, you get your cup of coffee, get your newspaper, put on your slippers and go into your office. All day long you work while relaxing in your pajamas and reclining office chair. What a great dream huh? Well, it can most certainly become a reality for most people who put their mind to it

Reuters: Starbucks Corp, whose chief executive is trying to fight “misperceptions about affordability” for the coffee chain’s brands, unveiled on Tuesday its new Via Ready Brew instant coffee that sells for less than $1 per cup. The latest move from the Seattle company, which grew rapidly by selling pricy lattes and other “affordable luxuries,” is another example of how management has changed course since its business succumbed to overexpansion and the world tumbled into recession.

Los Angeles Times : Larry Levine is hard at work in a sketchy apartment complex in Canoga Park, a noisy and joyless place with an enclosed courtyard that resembles a prison cellblock. Upstairs in the back, behind a blanket blocking the light of day, Levine paces his cramped one-bedroom. Stacks of law books purchased on EBay crowd the floor. Levine is wearing a Hawaiian shirt stretched across his belly and an L.A

Sniff n Go delivers the health benefits of aromatherapy through an innovative inhaler that fits conveniently in your pocket or purse. The synergy blend aromas of pure essentials oils are micro-infused into a personal aromapod that is discreet, non intrusive and easy-to-use.

photo credit: furryscaly In business with so many others to compete against, you definitely need the up to date, most current and top notch equipment to work with. Right down to your telephone system . And don’t be fooled, the little features that your phone system can come equipped with are very important and sometimes make the biggest difference

photo credit: i:tzharr Many new and young managers today truly want to be great managers as well as mentors to their team, the problem is that most of them feel they don’t know how to or don’t have the time to spend with each person. Don’t get trapped into thinking that leadership is an extra 50% commitment on top of your day job. You can be a terrific manager and developer of people without sacrificing a single sale. Why? Because the amount of time you spend coaching your people, mentoring them, giving them feedback, and otherwise bolstering their skills is not what leads to your — or their — success

The New York Times: Terry Gardner, a legal secretary in California, shaved her head for an advertising campaign by Air New Zealand , which had hired her to display a temporary tattoo. She turned around and showed the message, written in henna on the back of her head: “Need A Change? Head Down to New Zealand.” Gardner was among 30 of what the airline calls “cranial billboards.” For shaving their noggins and displaying the ad copy for two weeks in November, they received either a round-trip ticket to New Zealand (worth about $1,200) or $777 in cash. The participants were, in marketing parlance, ideal brand ambassadors: when co-workers or strangers behind them in the grocery store line asked about New Zealand, they could speak enthusiastically right off the top of their heads — so to speak. A similar marketing campaign in England in January for FeelUnique.com , an online beauty products store, paid 10 men and women to apply temporary tattoos with the company’s Web address on their eyelids and then wink at strangers.

Digtriad.com: Hard economic times are acting like instant fertilizer on an industry that had been growing slowly: home vegetable gardening. Amid the Washington talk of “shovel-ready” recession projects, it appears few projects are more shovel-ready than backyard gardens. Veggie seed sales are up double-digits at the nation’s biggest seed sellers this year. What’s more, the number of homes growing vegetables will jump more than 40% this year compared with just two years ago, projects the National Gardening Association, a non-profit organization for gardening education.