Most of the time, online startup companies just don’t make it. SplashCast, a relatively popular Social TV network, recently announced that it will be shutting down. After originally receiving $4 million in venture funding, the startup couldn’t get another round of funding and was forced to close its doors.
Mark Berkley, the founder and CEO of SplashCast, had a classy goodbye message.
Said Berkley in a SplashCast farewell blog post: “We have a lot to be proud of. In addition we have a lot of lessons learned to humbly take with us as we move on. I want to personally thank all …read more

If you have a startup business, you should realize from the get-go that the long-term survival of your startup is unlikely, statistically speaking. For every startup idea, very few ever get off the ground and even fewer are still around in five years.
Admitting your startup has failed can be difficult to do, especially if you’ve poured your blood, sweat and tears into the company. But here are a few reasons that should make you consider closing up shop and moving on:
No sign of profits in the horizon
If your company is constantly losing money or simply not producing enough money to …read more

While there have been hundreds of startup search engine websites in the last few years, one such startup that actually started to gain momentum was Cuil.com. Going live in late July on 2008, Cuil was seen as a serious challenger in the industry and some experts thought that they could challenge Google eventually.
Cuil got much of its early fame due to its famous backers. Ex-Google employees Anna Peterson and Russell Power were joined by CEO Tom Costello, who formerly worked with IBM. Venture capitalists evidently also saw the potential and invested more than $30 million into the company.
When it launched, …read more

INDenverTimes.com is a recent startup online business that came about after the closing of the Rocky Mountain News. Basically an online newspaper, INDenverTimes.com says their goal is to bring the “most insightful news, perspective and analysis in Denver using the most advanced and innovative technologies available” .
Rocky Mountain News was a newspaper in the Denver area that was around for 150 years. But with the newspaper industry in the United States in extreme trouble, the Rocky Mountain News was folded in February.
According to reports, INDenverTimes.com may already be in trouble financially. It was to be launched during the first …read more

If you are looking to start a technology business in the UK marketplace, you have the opportunity to win a trip to Wales, where you will take part in one-on-one sessions with professionals to learn more about UK legal and business practices and strategies.
This annual business planning competition is designed to assist companies with high growth potential to develop business for the U.K. and European market.
The contest, dubbed the Technium Challenge International, is geared towards IT, biotech, sustainable technology entrepreneurs. The winner from the United States, along with finalists from 12 other nations, will be flown to Wales for a …read more

If you have a startup business, it’s important to research to figure out what business methods and which business plans succeed. However, it is also important to understand where things may go wrong. With that in mind, here are the top five pitfalls for startup businesses:
5. A lack of courage. When entering any business field, you have to be confident in your startup from the beginning. If you don’t believe in what you are doing, you can’t expect anyone else to believe in it.
4. Poor planning. It’s simply not possible to have a successful business without a plan. You should …read more

When you are in the process of coming up with ideas for a startup business, there are many things you have to consider to figure out whether you have a viable idea. Here are five questions to ask yourself about your plan for a new business:
5. Can you make the time?
Not many people can quit their day job and focus strictly on a startup business. With that in mind, the first question you should ask yourself is whether you have the time to see your idea through to the end. Time is an essential yet underrated aspect of any successful …read more

Well, the reports are out.
The National Small Business Association is reporting (based on its 2008 Year-End Economic Report) that things are looking pretty bleak for small business owners this year. And those surveyed are pointing to the recession as the reason why their profits and growth will be extremely limited in 2009.

And according to a recent Gallup poll, almost half of small business owners say their revenues decrease last year – and are expexting more of the same by cutting their spending this year.
So so you want to join all these small businesses?
I didn’t think so. And although you need …read more

Remember when domain squatting was a BIG deal? You know, when a person bought a domain with a specific company name and basically holds it for ransom, like the famous case of Madonna, who had to sue to get ownership of Madonna.com.
Well, it’s happening again, but this time on the microblogging site Twitter. Some of the big names that are being squatted include Tim Hortons, Sears and Coca-Cola.
What is really bothersome about this trend is that many squatters can tweet malicious and bad things, basically smearing a company’s reputation.
It happened recently to Exxon-Mobil – and it can happen to you.
The …read more

Who doesn’t? Especially when your are working 80 hours a week to get your business off the ground.
Have you considered outsourcing?
I know many people think that they can’t afford to add outsourcing to their budgets, especially in these economic times. You need to make money go further. If you’ve already cut your expenses to the bare bone, it may seem impossible.
But you can do it.
The key is to calculate what your time is really worth and if the tasks you are doing are worth that hourly wage.
For example, if your skill set is business development, doing the billing or creating …read more