Contests Can Attract New Customers
Editor’s Note: The deadline for this contest has been extended until Apr. 30. Elizabeth Kanna, owner of Kanna&Co., a boutique business consultancy, recently launched the Big Business Contest with the thought"there’s nothing small about running your own business,"she said. She saw a good fit for the contest in a client: Maui Millionaires. This company holds intense business brainstorming sessions in Hawaii to the tune of $30,000 a pop. Kanna notes that attendees to the conferences are successful business people who can afford to write a check and probably not a typical start-up. Elizabeth Kanna’s consultancy is spearheading a contest for small firms. (Photo courtesy of Kanna.) Award winners of the Big Business Contest win a free trip with a spouse or business partner to a week-long Maui seminar in December, 120 days of mentoring and $5,000."We will be looking at ways of increasing a company’s
Outlook for Murky Coffee Is Crystal Clear
Murky Coffee is a classic example of a well-intentioned small business that failed due to financial mismanagement - not because it lacked customers or a good product. In a story in today’s Washington Post, Staff Writer Elissa Silverman reports that the coffee shop closed its popular gathering spot, much to the dismay of its patrons on Capitol Hill. Murky Coffee, according to the D.C. tax office, owes more than $427,000 in sales and franchise taxes. The tax, which is 10 percent for takeout foods such as coffee, is due on the 20th of every month and is based on the previous month’s revenue. The store, which has been open on Capitol Hill since fall 2003, generally owed $4,000 to $5,000 a month. Although tax officials said numerous warning letters had been sent to owner Nicholas Cho, the news came as a surprise to his devoted customers as well as his
Prize Money Helps Tech Firm Expand Its Reach
ZaraCom Technologies, a developer of an artificial intelligence technology, is the winner of a business plan competition for women-owned firms that was sponsored by a Rockville, Md., economic development group. ZaraCom aids wireless carriers in identifying bottlenecks on their networks to better manage traffic flow. Its clients include telecom firms KDDI and Softbank of Japan, along with China Mobile. Lisa Chan, co-founder of ZaraCom, told the Small Business Blog that the company plans to use its $10,000 award to market its technology to U.S. carriers such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Chan said she believes ZaraCom’s network management technology could help alleviate some of the concerns telecom firms have over the"network neutrality"debate, since some data traffic carriers have been criticized for blocking or slowing certain applications on their networks, causing others to say that all traffic should be treated"neutrally"and without favoritism. Many wireless carriers currently use
Small Business Stories You May Have Missed
The Washington Post published a few stories on Monday that may be of interest to entrepreneurs and small firms: * An interview with the president of California Tortilla Group, one of the fastest growing chains in the Washington region. Fast-food chain Cal-Tort, as it’s commonly called, has 37 stores on the East Coast, starting with its flagship restaurant in downtown Bethesda, Md. * A look at the challenges and opportunities provided by starting a franchise. For a fraction of the capital it would take to launch a business from scratch, franchisers can build one that comes with a basic road map. But it’s not a guaranteed route to success. In franchise-driven industries — restaurants, hotels, motels — failure rates are significantly higher than in others such as technology and equipment. * How Bethesda, Md.-based Bean Bag, a mom-and-pop coffee shop, flourished in the shadow of Starbucks. * Regions of the