Moms Become Successful Entrepreneurs

New Internet Startup Helps Moms Become Successful Entrepreneurs

SimpleStartup.com invents software to streamline the startup, and management of businesses for mompreneurs, helping them make real income in less time.

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) September 20, 2007 -- SimpleStartup, LLC today announced the beta launch of its web-based software, designed to simplify the process of starting a business. SimpleStartup empowers moms by helping them start their own business and offers a community of support to help them succeed.

SimpleStartup offers a unique combination of small business software, business training, and online community to help mompreneurs save money, and avoid common mistakes. "This is exactly what I've been searching for", commented one mother on the company's blog.

Moms can sign up for free, and experience what its like to be an entrepreneur. They'll join a community of moms who are starting a business similar to theirs. With virtually no risk involved, they'll have the opportunity to make money working part-time from home.

SimpleStartup gives moms everything they need to start their business, including: an e-commerce website, a simplified customer database, financial reports that are easy to understand, and the ability to easily manage orders, returns and taxes. Moms can choose from one of eight businesses - from starting a day care, to becoming a freelance writer, and be up and running in under ten minutes.

"We empower moms with the tools they need to realize their financial goals; giving them the freedom to live their dreams", said company founder Dave Martin. "Mothers who use our system will be up and running quickly, have the encouragement and direction they need, and be able to make the extra money they want to keep the balance and priorities that matter so much to them."

About SimpleStartup
SimpleStartup, LLC offers web-based software that simplifies the process of starting a professional, profitable business. It significantly reduces the risks involved with starting a business, helps eliminate common entrepreneurial mistakes, and provides a community of positive support for mompreneurs. For more information about SimpleStartup, visit http://www.simplestartup.com.

Media contact:
Dave Martin
SimpleStartup, LLC
801-979-8587
dave(at)simplestartup.com

Press Contact: David Martin
Company Name: SimpleStartup, LLC
Phone: 801-979-8587
Website: http://www.simplestartup.com

Growth Continues For Gaming Industry

Gaming Industry Continues Rapid Sector Growth Garnering Interest and Activity from New Investor Group, Private Equity Funds Says Mercanti's Monthly Report

Opportunities in Middle Market Segment Especially Compelling, Report Notes

September 19, 2007 - MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It is a safe bet that the Gaming industry of today, now more than an $85 billion industry, is vastly different from the Las Vegas and Atlantic City focused casino market that existed just a decade ago, according to this month's Chronicle report published by The Mercanti Group, an investment banking firm headquartered in Minneapolis and with offices in Los Angeles and New York City.

"Over the last 10 years, the U.S. gaming industry has been transformed from a small number of large-scale casino destinations into more of a widespread and readily available public entertainment option," says Mercanti director Brian Wood, who specializes in counseling gaming companies and their management, and who authored this month's Chronicle. "This proliferation is evident in the overall acceptability of gaming in the general populace as over 80% of Americans consider casino gambling acceptable for themselves and others."

The growth of casinos operated by Native American tribes has been especially striking, the report says. In 2006, Native American casinos registered sales of $25.1 billion, with tribal casino revenues growing at 14.8 compounded growth rate (CAGR) since 1996. Spurring tribal gaming growth has been the advent of Class II gaming machines and compact arrangements for Class III gaming with an increasing diversity of states.

Additionally, the report notes, Native American gaming has also been a primary reason for expansion of commercial casino gambling which generated $32.4 billion of revenue in 2006 with a 6.6% CAGR since 1996. The visible success of tribal operations such as Foxwoods in Connecticut and Pechanga in California, and the resultant increased tax revenues these operations have brought in, has provided significant incentive for budget-constrained states to endorse new gaming initiatives.

"The significant impact a potential boost in tax revenues can have on education and public services, as well as the positive economics of new casino developments, such as job growth and increased tourism, has motivated many states, Pennsylvania and New York, among them, to support the supervised expansion of gaming," Mr. Wood observes.

During this period of sector-wide growth, the industry has been fortunate to be supported by unprecedented capital availability and liquidity in the debt and public equity markets. Mr. Wood points out, though, that 2006 led the previously hesitant private equity investor to the Gaming sector with the industry's drastically changing transaction dynamics - higher valuation multiples, companies holding larger amounts of debt and strategic acquirers forced to be more aggressive."

Nonetheless, Mr. Wood comments that despite the high profile equity deals, recent transaction activity has been "fairly limited," focusing primarily on large cap casino operators. "One of the reasons we believe private equity in the sector is in its early stages is that the area with the greatest need for capital - family and entrepreneur-owned middle market companies - has yet to be addressed," he said.

The report calls the middle market, from approximately $5 million to $25 million of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), a compelling yet undiscovered opportunity. "We believe the recent progress and precedent established by large-scale LBO transactions will establish the platform for middle market private equity in licensed gaming transactions," the Mercanti study says.

A full copy of this report can be obtained at www.mercantigroup.com.

About The Mercanti Group

The Mercanti Group is a results-oriented boutique financial advisory firm that embraces a fierce commitment to client service and provides creative Merger & Acquisition, Capital Raising and Strategic Advisory solutions to small and middle market companies, private equity firms and individual business owners in the consumer, health care, technology, business services and manufacturing industries. Mercanti offers companies the expertise and capabilities of a large investment bank with the focus, attention and energy of a small entrepreneurial firm. Mercanti has offices in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and New York. Mercanti also is strategically affiliated with Marquette Financial Companies, a diversified financial services company which is a part of the Pohlad family holdings. If you would like more information on The Mercanti Group, please visit the Web at www.mercantigroup.com, or contact a Mercanti professional at 612.333.0130 (Minneapolis); 310.444.0130 (Los Angeles); or 212.883.0130 (New York).

Contacts

The Mercanti Group
Sara Schmidt, 612-333-0130 x234
or
Anreder & Company
Steven Anreder or Paul Del Colle, 212-532-3232

Where Is My Mario Phone?

G-Phone, Hell! Where Is My Mario Phone?

by Steve Smith, Tuesday, September 18, 2007
AS THE CLOCK TICKED PAST 1:30 am the other night and I was still playing Nintendo's wonderful "Picross" puzzle game on my DS, a couple of things dawned on me.

First, what the hell was I doing playing a handheld game at 1:30 when I had to be up in four hours?

Second, why doesn't Nintendo just come in and take over mobile gaming?

The first question was easy to resolve. Caffeine. I consider Juan Valdez my patron saint.

The second question is a poser, however. Between the original Game Boy and the newer dual-screen DS, the Nintendo handhelds constitute the most successful console platforms in history. Even as the company's fortunes dipped in the last two generations of larger consoles, its dominance of handhelds is over a decade long now, through three generations of hardware. These guys know portable, small-screen gaming better than anyone.

But even as Electronic Arts, THQ and others have struggled to make a profitable business out of mobile gaming, and my phones get littered with crappy games I never play, the one great success story in portable gaming is absent.

Why doesn't Nintendo walk in and own phone gaming? The one company that is best positioned to save mobile gaming from itself has zero presence here.

They have simple, cartoonish franchise characters that play well on tiny screens. It takes about ten pixels or so to build "Mario" and a recognizable Link from the "Zelda" series.

They know how to create gaming depth out of simple control schemes. Link hops, blocks and swipes his sword -- three buttons -- and the rest is about the puzzles.

They understand novel gaming concepts. The "Wario Ware" series is among the most ingenious and new gaming experiences I have seen in recent years. It is a compilation of super-fast game challenges that come and go in five seconds. A short visual cue tells you what task to perform with one or two buttons in the next five seconds. It is like an arcade game lightning round.

They know how to develop simple stories that matter. The "Paper Mario" RPG series is a good vs. evil tale told through ironic dialogue and graphics that pokes fun at its own low-res 2D graphics.

They know puzzles. The "Brain Age" series is like an IQ trainer with visually simple test questions. "Picross" uses the basic puzzle genre of deductive reasoning on a number grid to reveal small icons. Both games are irresistible head snacks, and like most Nintendo handheld games they are perfectly crafted for mobile play. Almost every game Nintendo makes for the DS is designed for short gasps of play.

Nintendo is to portable gaming what Disney once was to animation. The company has a flair and simple elegance that makes everyone else look like frowsy overachievers.

Even better, there is a decade-long catalog of Gameboy and Gameboy Advance titles that barely need a graphics tweak to work perfectly on a handheld phone. From the original "Wario" titles to "Zelda," from "Advance Wars" to "Mario Kart," the 20 or so best GB/GBA games are better than just about anything I have seen on a cell phone in the last few years. The game I raved about months ago, "Snoopy the Flying Ace," is a classic Nintendo-like title, even though it was developed by another company. It has an enduring central cartoon character and familiar conflict that is played with a single button. And another game I wrote about last year, "Phoenix Wright," is actually a third-party DS game that was ported brilliantly to phones.

My point is that many of the problems of mobile gaming have already been solved by Nintendo. Mobile gaming has trouble merchandising titles. The high profile console game franchises have built-in marketing muscle, but they register with a small slice of hardcore gamers, and even those gamers don't want to play complex titles on phones. The simple puzzle games are perfect for phones and casual users, but they have little chance to gain traction among mobile gamers who just don't notice mobile game marketing. Nintendo, on the other hand, has characters and situations that are both simple and easily recognizable to a generation of adults.

So why am I cheerleading for Nintendo? Because it dawned on me at 1:30 a.m. that I love handheld gaming but could care less about mobile gaming. That doesn't seem right or even necessary.

I asked Nintendo whether they intended to enter the mobile phone market. Their rep told me the company had no such plans.

Tis a pity. Mobile gaming could use them. I could use them. The next time mobile game developers scratch their heads over why their genre continue to be a disappointment, they might grab their old Game Boys and learn from the masters.

Post your response to the public Mobile Insider blog.

See what others are saying on the Mobile Insider blog.

Contributing writer Steve Smith is a longtime new-media consultant and columnist, and current editor of Digital Media Report for MinOnline.com and Mobile Media Report for TelecomWeb.com Contact him at popeyesmith@comcast.net. 

  Mobile Insider for Tuesday, September 18, 2007:
  http://publications.mediapost.com/

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Chance to Receive Bonus KitchenAid Appliances

KitchenAid Culinary Excellence Event, Don't miss a Chance to Receive Bonus Appliances worth over $1,000

For those interested in the luxury of owning and operating KitchenAid brand appliances this is an opportunity not to miss. KitchenAid will be running a promotional event until September 30, 2007 offering purchasers of eligible KitchenAid appliances up to four additional bonus appliances.

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) September 14, 2007 -- For those of you interested in the luxury of owning and operating KitchenAid brand appliances this is an opportunity not to miss. KitchenAid will be running a promotional event until September 30, 2007 offering purchasers of eligible KitchenAid appliances up to four additional bonus appliances. The KitchenAid Culinary Excellence Event offers you the opportunity to receive up to four of five prizes offerings including a beautiful 4-slice KitchenAid toaster, a 16 piece KitchenAid Professional Series knife set with silicone black handles, a KitchenAid food processor, a Cook's series 5 piece bakeware set, and a KitchenAid Artisan series stand mixer.

KitchenAid continues to offer a superlative product and an exemplary customer service experience. As a leader in offering customers not only exceptional appliances but culinary suites made to fit the décor and lifestyle of the most discerning KitchenAid is meant to meld. Before time runs out on this exciting offer be sure to visit the Culinary Excellence Event and view other exciting
promotional offerings at: http://www.kitchenaid.com/custserv/promo.jsp?sectionId=240

About KitchenAid:

The KitchenAid Kitchens for Cooks Institute is dedicated to leading and fostering great thinking in the area of home culinary pursuits. Understanding that the kitchen is about much more than food, we will continue to work with experts and real Canadian cooks to identify kitchen needs and maintain a dialogue so that the kitchen can remain the room where memories are created and shared over the joy of cooking.

Press Contact: Lisa Tarticchio
Company Name: Search Engine People Inc.
Phone: (905) 426-9340
Website: www.searchenginepeople.com

Credit Counseling Trade Association Fall Conference

Credit Counseling Industry's Largest Trade Association Announces Fall Conference Sessions

This conference is designed to help credit counseling agencies understand all the changes and challenges occurring in the industry. There are significant changes to the law in the states and with the federal government, there are special requirements on providers of bankruptcy counseling regardless of DMP activity, the IRS audits are near completion and the Uniform Debt Management Services Act is being revised.

(PRWEB) September 12, 2007 -- The American Association of Debt Management Organizations (AADMO), the largest trade association for the credit counseling industry, has announced the program sessions for its Fall Conference in Austin, TX on October 22 and 23, 2007.

According to Mark Guimond, Executive Director of the AADMO, "This conference is designed to help credit counseling agencies understand all the changes and challenges occurring in the industry. There are significant changes to the law in the states and with the federal government, there are special requirements on providers of bankruptcy counseling regardless of DMP activity, the IRS audits are near completion and the Uniform Debt Management Services Act is being revised."

"We have one session in particular that no one in credit counseling should miss - it is the actual experience of one agency going through the audit and revocation process. If you want to know the truth about the audit and revocation experience, this is the only opportunity to hear first hand from one of the front line veterans. You will learn directly from the top executive of a credit counseling agency that had its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS what actually transpired and the identified problem areas that led to revocation," said Guimond.

"With 143 planned audits, so far, this is one conference everyone should attend. It's more important than ever to have timely and accurate information about the audit process, the treatment or transfer of clients, disposition of assets and other real challenges during and after revocation proceedings," added Guimond.

Sessions will include:

The Actual Experience of Audit and Revocation - One Credit Counseling Agency Shares it All!

Leads and Referrals: Not the Same Old Ballgame
Speaker: Jeffrey Tenenbaum, Venable

"60/60 Plans" and Less Than Full Balance Payments - Understanding the Applicable Laws
Speaker: Robby Birnbaum, Greenspoon Marder

Bankruptcy Reform: Value of Credit Counseling Requirement is Not Clear
Speaker: Jason Bromberg, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Credit Counseling Industry Legislative Update
Speaker: Mark Guimond, AADMO Executive Director

Valuing Account Portfolios - Results and Analysis of the Industry Survey
Speakers: Paul A. Baumann, Leslie Moreau

Credit Counseling, Debtor Education and Bankruptcy Reform at the 2 Year Mark
Speaker: Henry Hobbs, Executive Office for United States Trustees

143 Audits - Why This Exact Number is Significant

State Regulators

NCCUSL Uniform Debt Management Services Act - "Stand-By Committee" Recommendations

The AADMO Fall Conference program and registration information can be found at www.AADMO.org.

About AADMO:
AADMO is the largest trade association for the credit counseling and debt management industry. Nationwide, the majority of licensed and legally operating credit counseling agencies are members of AADMO.

AADMO is working diligently to ensure the continued operation and viability of credit counseling and debt management organizations. AADMO provides important education and information for the entire industry.

AADMO members are consumer credit counseling agencies, debt management organizations, credit counselors, personal finance educators, credit and debt information educators, consumer lawyers and many others.

AADMO is the only trade association to have held state law compliance workshops with the New York State Banking Department and the California Department of Corporations upon enactment of their respective laws governing credit counseling. AADMO is also the only trade association for the industry to publish a formal summary of state laws that has been reviewed by state regulators.


Press Contact: MARK GUIMOND
Company Name: AADMO
Phone: 281-361-2325
Website: www.AADMO.org

Wadja Mobile Offers Mobile Web Users Service

Newly Launched, Wadja Mobile Offers Unprecedented Service to Mobile Web Users

Customers are flocking to the service, which is gaining renown for customization, message management and media browsing capabilities. Over 10,000 users have logged in for the new Wadja Mobile, after barely a week of release.

(PRWEB) September 13, 2007 -- Wadja Mobile (http://m.wadja.com) is the brand new version 1.0 mobile web service, making a big splash among mobile users worldwide. Wadja Mobile's version 1.0 release continues to bring their celebrated mobile social network to all types of handsets, offering users streamlined access to social media with exceptional usability. After the first week of release, over 10,000 users logged in with their mobile devices, from over 200 countries.

The service frees mobile users from dependence on clunky java downloads and substandard, user unfriendly interfaces that offer only limited functionality. What's more, Wadja Mobile frees users from the twin tyrannies of geography and handset incompatibility. Users can access Wadja Mobile from any part of the world using any handset equipped with a mobile web browser and mobile internet connection, now an industry standard.

But user friendliness and functionality is only a small part of what Wadja offers. The mobile web service is supported by a multi award winning social networking Web site. Since its launch in September 2006, the site's extensive menu of features has helped Wadja log impressive growth, and launch an array of national sites in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

"Wadja.com is a mobile social network that allows its members to set up unique personal mobile profiles that can be linked together through networks of friends," said Alex Christoforou of Wadja Media Ltd. "Wadja.com has gained international recognition as a leader in the young and exciting mobile web industry. With its high growth rate and dedicated, fanatic, user base, Wadja.com is in a coveted position to revolutionize the mobile web industry, an industry which offers enormous revenue potential through mobile web based communication and content related services and platforms."

Users can design a customized mobile home page that allows them instant access to the features they value most. Mobile users can choose from a wide variety of useful content, including inbox alerts, media browsing and friend sharing capabilities, mobile phone photos, music and video upload and download services, comment and rating features, network feed (so-called chit chat) services, free mobile SMS services, third party mobile site integration (including pop email accounts, and popular free email services from Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! mail) and much more.

Wadja.com highlights since its introduction include:
•    Nearing one million total users
•    Over 2,500 new users added daily (100% organic, word-of-mouth, growth)
•    Over 50,000 unique visitors daily
•    Over 400,000 page views daily
•    75 percent – 80 percent user return rate
•    14 Minutes average time spent on site per visitor
•    Over 2 million friend to friend, targeted SMS messages sent monthly
 
 Wadja Mobile works with all mobile handsets, platforms and browsers including Opera Mini, Mobile Internet Explorer, Blackberry devices, iPhones, iMode platforms, Openwave browsers and just about any other device a customer can throw at them.

"Wadja Mobile bridges the gap between its web site and mobile service, giving users a full feature set of capabilities (and then some) on the mobile web service," Christoforou said. "Wadja users can always expect the near same and even more customized experience from their mobile phone as they get form the standard web site."

For more information, visit http://www.wadja.com/

Contact:
Alex Christoforou
Wadja Media LTD.
Home of the Blue Kangaroo
http://www.wadja.com/alex
Tel.: 30 210-72-17-292
Fax: 30 210-72-17-294
info(at)wadja.com


Press Contact: ALEX CHRISTOFOROU
Company Name: Wadja Media Limited
Phone: 302107217292
Website: www.wadja.com

Guitar Edge Magazine

Guitar Edge

by Larry Dobrow, Tuesday, September 4, 2007
MY FIRST JOB WAS as a mail-order peon at the original Victor's House of Music in North Jer-Z. Occasionally I answered a phone call or restrung a guitar, but mostly I sat around and listened to the fantastic ramblings of my boss Jim.

Jim was a stringy, glue-inhaling sort, prone to sudden stumbles into the styrofoam bin. He regaled me with tales of his on-the-verge metal band, the Snorkling Hamsters, and heaped praise upon an up-and-coming poet named David Coverdale by quoting liberally from "Slide It In," "Slow An' Easy" and "Spit It Out." Lazing away the afternoons with Jim impressed two things upon my adolescent mind: First, that Coverdale is a master of the subtle sexual quadruple-entendre; and second, that I better get my grades up, and fast.

Assuming Jim always remembered to open the garage door while revving the engine on his late-model party van, he's probably a huge fan of Guitar Edge nowadays. The mag, a throwback to the late, great Guitar, ranks as the leanest guitar title on the market. Ordinarily "lean" would mean "weak and/or devoid of creativity, wit and advertising," but in this case I intend it as high praise.

Guitar Edge, unlike the competition, understands that its readers don't want first-person columns by some random guy whose band opened for Mountain at the 1982 South Dakota State Fair ("when Leslie West quoted from 'Manic Depression' during his 'Mississippi Queen' outro, I realized that I was in the presence of greatness, even if he wouldn't let me use the toilet in his trailer"). No, it realizes that fledgling guitarists want tablature, tablature and more tablature, especially now that the ASCAP folks have gotten all pissy and litigious about Web sites offering transcriptions.

The mag delivers on its "less talk, more tab" tagline with 12 transcriptions in the September/October issue alone. Its choices are diverse and inspired, too, alternating between selections only playable by bona fide shredders (Stevie Ray's "Scuttle Buttin'," Steve Vai's "Bad Horsie") and those aimed at fraternity strummers and comparable neophytes ("Get Up Stand Up," Green Day's take on "Working Class Hero").

Of course, by devoting 72 of the issue's 108 pages to tablature, Guitar Edge doesn't leave a lot of room for much else -- and this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it's best, in fact, to examine what Guitar Edge doesn't offer in its pages: tens of record reviews (gee, good luck finding those elsewhere), gear reviews (ditto), best solo/guitar album/Frampton riff lists intended to foment horribly punctuated debate among uppity list-serv pundits (yup), etc.

What little non-tab content there is in the September/October issue is hit (the "Crash Course" on harmonizing guitar solos, the "Tip Jar" on B.B. King's phrasing) or miss (the overly worshipful Q&A, which includes the question, "Is it getting any easier for Lamb of God now that you've achieved so much success over the past few years?"), but that's besides the point. Guitar Edge recognizes what readers want and delivers it in a succinct package. That's all. This isn't hard.

For the record, the best harmonized guitar solo of all time is Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years." I'll also listen to arguments on behalf of the intro to "Bringin' on the Heartbreak." "More Than a Feeling"? No.

I'm an unbelievably double-super-ninja-awesome guitarist -- probably the best you'll ever hear play unless you have a relative named Yngwie -- so I tend to hold publications like Guitar Edge to a high standard. And to be honest, I doubt I'd read it regularly myself, as bands like Lamb of God make me want to perforate my eardrums with a serrated tuning fork. Still, there's more here for the average player than there is in just about any other guitar mag. Recommended.


MAG STATS
Published by: Music Dispatch Publications
Frequency: Bimonthly
Advertising information
Web site

Post your response to the public Magazine Rack blog.

Larry Dobrow (larry@mediapost.com) is a Contributing Writer. 

Magazine Rack for Tuesday, September 4, 2007: http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm
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Web Site Owners and Bloggers Paid To Make More Money

Web Site Owners and Bloggers Paid To Make More Money

09/05/2007 - (NTSWIRE) Minneapolis - New Publishers and Webmasters that join Auction Ads and start earning money with the Ebay affiliate program will find they are $25 richer just for joining. Auction Ads today announced that all new publishers would be paid a signup bonus of $25. Since the payout threshold is $50, this means a publisher would only have to earn $25 before being able to receive their first check.

The registration process is easy and adding the AuctionAds code to your site is also easy. It's as easy as using Google AdSense and you can have AuctionAds on the same pages as your existing AdSense, there is no conflict.

AuctionAds have been very popular since the ads feature small images and text from current Ebay auctions. Rather than signing up with Ebay, Webmasters and blog owners and easily sign up with Auction Ads and avoid a longer signup process and learning to use the Ebay API. Ads can be targeted with keywords and even maximum and minimum prices so that you get just the kind of ads that YOU KNOW best suit your sites.

The end date for this promotion has not been announced, but it is suggested that you sign up right away even if you are unable to add the code to your site or your blog today. Don't miss out on this great incentive to join a program that really needs no incentive.

Join Auction Ads Here

PR Contact
EbayAuctionAds.com
7141 Oak Pointe Curve
Bloomington, MN 55348