Soda Popinski

8/22/08

Today is my last day at Brilliont, and considering how hectic this past has week, I have not been able to blog as much as I have in past weeks.  I was happy to see the number of responses to my Pandamonium post earlier this week.  It is nice to know that people are actually reading this blog other than the friends and family whom I have repeatedly sent links of my blog to.

With a daily check on Springwise, I found another great entrepreneurial idea.  Roomorama is a site that lets users find and post short-term stays.  I have a feeling that sites like Craigslist dominate the market for the posting of any sort of housing arrangements, but since Craigslist provides such a wide variety of services, having a niche sight like Roomorama that is a bit more snazzy that Craigslist’s website might be a little bit more appealing to some.  On the same note, the company AirBed & Breakfast provides people a way to travel cheaper by actually staying at homes and staying on an AirBed or something similar rather than staying at hotels.

Well this has been a great summer at Brilliont where I learned quite a bit about the consulting world and of course tried getting my hand at blogging for the first time in my life.

-Amit

akooner@brilliont.com

8/11/08

The 4×100 freestyle relay last night at the Beijing Olympics was the first time I’ve screamed at the television since football season last year. For those who have not seen the race, it is worth watching.

On Saturday I attended the All Points West Festival at Liberty State Park in New Jersey.  (The festival was actually from Friday through Sunday).  For those in the New York/New Jersey area, I highly recommend the festival in coming years. It was one of the most organized festivals I’ve ever been to, and the lineup was amazing, with bands like Radiohead, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Roots performing during the day.   The views of the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline made it all worthwhile.

A quick check of Springwise today introduced me to a Dutch company dedicated to making stylish bike helmets called Yakkay. Even though there are such health risks associated with riding bikes without a helmet on, I find that I rarely wear one and I know most of the people whom I know bike do not either. A lot of bike helmets are clunky, and in a rare vain moment for me, look ridiculous. It is a shame that I put my vanity in front of my health but that is that. A quick Google search of stlylish bike helmets yielded little, so unless Yakkay can sell their helmets online, they can’t get my business.

Finally, in more news that Google may be becoming an “Evil Empire”, a New York Times online article is stating that Google’s own Wikipedia competitor, Knol, is getting a possible advantage in searches. For example, it seems that Knol’s pages are being places higher than more possibly relevant search results. I checked a few phrases, including the one in the New York Times article, “buttermilk pancakes”, and found the Knol result to be third on the list, and others to be near the middle of the page.

-Amit

akooner@brilliont.com

8/8/08

I know that I’ve been hearing that a worsening economy would lead to higher MBA applicants, and the Economist today confirmed the story.  So as corporate America is hurting, another business is thriving (the business of education that is).

With stores like American Apparel and Urban Outfitters profiting off of selling hipster merchandise in a store, they have totally destroyed the fun of shopping at thrift stores.  I remember going to thrift stores as a kid with friends and finding shirts with phrases that seem so out of place at school (but undoubtedly made sense to the previous owner).  But the American Apparels and Urban Outfitters of the world mass produce fake vintage shirts.  I was glad to find a company called Threadless that is a site for artists to design creative shirts and also sell prints of their artwork.  I am sure that I am the last person to have found this site, but I found it through my favorite site Springwise.  My list of frequently visited sites is short, but Springwise is quickly making its way to the top (along with New York Times, The Economist, and The Onion).

-Amit

akooner@brilliont.com

7/23/08

“A real entrepreneur is somebody who has no safety net underneath them.”

-Henry Kravis

There is something to be said for web creativity or web curiosity.  Let me explain.  We all hear how the internet and  staying on the computer (and not “doing”) is making “us” lazy.  But I think one of the best web features is the Google Mail scrolling header (I’m not sure of the exact definition) that seemingly “reads” our mail and sometimes posts targeted articles and advertisements based on the content in our emails.  Oftentimes these links lead to some interesting topics that I never considered pursuing, such as my find today:  naming a startup.

In early 2006 I partnered in starting a tutoring business in Dallas called DFW Tutors, and choosing the name seemed important enough but I do not remember us laboring over the decision.  I found some interesting articles that supposedly have the keys to naming businesses, and since we all love lists, they have them in list form.  With titles proclaiming “8 Mistakes To Avoid When Naming Your Business” or “The 10 Commandments of a Great Business Name” I was definitely hooked.  Lets have a quick look at the first article’s pointers:

Mistake #1: Getting the “committee” involved in your decision.

Mistake #2: Employing the “train wreck” method of creating a name.

Mistake #3: Using words so plain they’ll never stand out in a crowd.

Mistake #4: Taking the atlas approach and using a map to name your company.

Mistake #5: Turning your name into a cliche. 

Mistake #6: Making your business name so obscure, customers will never know what it means.

Mistake #7: Taking the Campbell’s soup approach to selecting a name. 

Mistake #8: Choosing the wrong name and then refusing to change it. 

Some of these mistakes seem pretty generic and mistake #5 seems to have worked well for Google or Kleenex.  Let’s look at the second article:

1. Take Naming Seriously

2. Avoid Word Play Dangers

3. Don’t be an IBM

4. Be Focused

5. Stay Out of Court

6. Think Beyond Local

7. Avoid ME Inc

8. Ask Others to Spell it

9. Be Web Friendly

10. Check AvailabilityOnce again these all seem pretty generic, but I am definitely more interested when the information is given in a list.

The name of a company does have a lot to do with how curious we might be in  the products or services delivered.  I wonder what the writers of the two articles would think of Springwise, my new favorite site?

-Amit

akooner@brilliont.com

7/16/08

There is a Finnish non-profit company that has found an alternative to simply buying electric cars.  Sähköautot - Nyt!, or “Electric Cars Now!” in English, is trying to find Toyota Corolla owners who want to get a conversion kit to fit onto their cars.

For those that are interested, the site http://www.springwise.com/ is a site dedicated to innovative ideas and start-up companies from around the world.  The site not only includes the companies, but includes pictures and small write-ups.

-Amit Kooner

akooner@brilliont.com

*By the way if you have no idea what the title of this article means, please refer to a English-Finnish translator.