FeedPosted Mar 26th 2011 12:50PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and Services, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN), iPhone, Entrepreneurs, Smartphones
A new business model is springing up right under our noses. The big players like Apple (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN) and Google (GOOG) have put together a one-stop shop in their app stores.
First off, an app store is just that, a place where you can pick and choose the apps you want to download. The app store is also a place where entrepreneurs can develop an app and with permission place it on the iPhone, iPad or Android device.
Continue reading App Stores: A New Business Model
Posted Mar 4th 2011 3:00PM by Sheldon Liber (RSS feed)
Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Intel (INTC), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), Citigroup Inc. (C), American Express (AXP), Chubb Corp (CB), Amer Intl Group (AIG), Entrepreneurs, Serious Money, Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG), MetLife Inc. (MET), Travelers Companies Inc. (TRV), Republic Services Inc. (RSG), Stock Picks, National Grid (NGG)

Prognosticators the world over are throwing in their 2 cents about "my pal Warren's" next market moves; especially since he announced last week that his trigger finger was itchy. When Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway (
BRK.A and
BRK.B) speaks, investors listen.
On Wednesday March 2, this investor threw in his two cents worth (see:
Serious Money: What Should Warren Buffett Do Next?) discussing possible acquisitions. Since all the "pro's", I use the term loosely, have had a say I thought I would give readers a chance to express some of their ideas too.
Continue reading Serious Money: Buffett's Next Buys -- You Pick'em
Posted Jan 6th 2011 2:30PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Management, Internet, Entrepreneurs
Sources close to the social network Linkedln say it is planning to go public, as reported in Reuters. It has filed statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Owner Jeff Weiner told Reuters that he has selected Morgan Stanley (MS), Bank of America (BAC) and JP Morgan (JPM) as book runners. Book runners take the original stock offering and then resell it to retail clients.
Linkedln is a fast growing social networking site with 85 million viewers. Financial information is not available. Company revenues come from advertising. A source close to the company values it at about $2.2 billion.
Continue reading Social Network Linkedln to Go Public in 2011
Posted Jan 3rd 2011 11:00AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Internet, Google (GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO), News Corp'B' (NWS), Entrepreneurs, Technology
The world of Internet traffic moves at lightning speed. So, too, do the moods and preferences of users. Back in 2007, News Corp's (NWS) MySpace was No. 1. Google.com (GOOG) took the No. 1 spot in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Facebook has taken the No. 1 spot, with 8.9% of U.S. visits, edging Google.com, which had 7.2% of visits, Reuters reported, citing online measurement service Experian Hitwise.
Facebook was started by Mark Zuckerberg and a few classmates in 2004. Facebook users can create profiles with photos, lists of personal interests, contact details and other information. Users can communicate with friends and other users through private or public messages and a chat feature. They can also join interest groups and "like pages."
Continue reading Facebook Edges Google as Most Visited Site in the U.S.
Posted Dec 8th 2010 3:20PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Products and Services, Launches, Entrepreneurs, Film, Technology

Are you complaining about the high cost of movie tickets? If you think that's bad, try this one. The
Wall Street Journal reports that Prima Cinema Inc., a start up company, will provide first run movies in your home for a one time fee of $20,000 and an additional $500 per film.
Obviously, the price of this service puts it out of reach for most people. Nevertheless, the company hopes to install its system in 250,000 homes within five years.
Continue reading Would You Pay $20,000 for Movies in Your Home?
Posted Nov 21st 2010 11:10AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Economic Data, Entrepreneurs, Small Business, Recession
Fewer business start-ups are being launched, reports the the Wall Street Journal. The Labor Department said that the number of companies with at least one employee fell by 100,000, or 2%, in the year ended March 31. That was the second worst performance in 18 years -- the worst one was a drop of 3.4% the previous year.
Why are these numbers important? In past recessions small business start-ups were the key to spurring the economy. In the three quarters that ended in March, newly formed companies created only 2.6 million jobs, 15% fewer than in the first three quarters of the last recovery.
Continue reading Fewer Small Business Start-Ups Mean Fewer Jobs
Posted Oct 17th 2010 2:40PM by Sheldon Liber (RSS feed)
Filed under: Bad News, Management, Rants and Raves, Competitive Strategy, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), Entrepreneurs, Chasing Value™
If the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, LeBron James, was a stock, would you find it was of any value as an investment? From my perspective, it would not be, unless Mr. James were to make some key moves off the court to mirror his talent on the court. The first thing I would tell him is to SHUT UP!
He needs to recognize that it is only natural for people in Cleveland to feel betrayed after years of support and adulation ended in a sputter, with nothing to fill the void. It is only natural for them to feel even worse after the self-serving arrogant way they were informed during a totally over-the-top television special.
Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Would You Invest in LeBron James?
Posted Jul 27th 2010 1:30PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Entrepreneurs, Politics, Financial Crisis

The only question is -- how soon can the Congress get this deal done?
The potential 'deal' being $30 billion in new capital for community banks, who would then use it as a base to increase lending to small-sized/medium-sized businesses by up to $300 billion -- credit that's urgently needed and may prove to be a pivotal factor concerning the U.S. economic expansion's sustainability.
"If we can help the big banks, then we should certainly be able to help small-business lending," President Barack Obama said June 30,
Bloomberg News reported. The Senate may consider the bill as early as this week; the program, called the Small Business Lending Fund, passed the U.S. House last month
Continue reading Senate May Vote This Week on $30 Billion Community Bank Capital Bill
Posted Jun 16th 2010 6:00PM by Sheldon Liber (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Management, Coca-Cola (KO), Home Depot (HD), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), American Express (AXP), Lowe's Cos (LOW), PetroChina Co Ltd ADR (PTR), Entrepreneurs, Wells Fargo (WFC), Israel

Stories are starting to appear that
"my pal Warren" is gearing up for a major foreign acquisition. One of my dear friends Randy S. is taking a post graduate business class at UCLA where this issue is a part of the course. He is supposed to figure out what non US companies Berkshire Hathaway (
BRK.A/
BRK.B), led by Warren Buffett, might be considering for investment.
Ahh yes, the prediction business, quite tricky indeed. Starting with some basics, in most cases I would stick to the time tested philosophy that past performance is not an indicator of future success. That said, I think in the case of Buffett, it does. There are many clues along the trail based on his past performance.
Here are some basic consistencies from the existing portfolio that I would expect to hold true going forward.
Continue reading Serious Money: Buffett Looking Beyond Our Borders
Posted Jun 15th 2010 5:30PM by Gary Sattler (RSS feed)
Filed under: Deals, Products and Services, Internet, Competitive Strategy, Marketing and Advertising, News Corp'B' (NWS), Entrepreneurs, Stocks to Buy, Technology

Trading is upward and active today, on shares of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (
NWS). News Corp. shares have gained over 6%. The share hike is in reaction to News Corp.'s bid to completely swallow UK satellite service provider BSkyB.
Bloomberg reports that News Corp's current offer of $11.5 billion has been kindly rejected by BSkyB. Apparently, that company is asking for a bid increase of some 14%. Indications are that the negotiations are amicable and moving forward.
The question is, has Rupert Murdoch lost his mind? I would have to say not. Murdoch has made it quite obvious that internet content by subscription shall be his unflinching business model. He's chosen his path, and he's sticking to it, come hell or high water.
Continue reading Rupert Murdoch Looking for More Subscriber-Based Properties
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