Back in 2003, Heidi Baker purchased her first condo and did much of the remodeling herself. However, she quickly realized there were not many resources for her to turn to.

It got her thinking: Why not start a business to help women with home improvement? She talked to a friend (and future co-founder), Phil Breman, and they brainstormed a new concept for a television show: "Jane of All Trades."

It also attracted a veteran entrepreneur, Eden Jarrin. "I just knew that it could be something big," she said. "I saw opportunities much beyond TV and into a complete cross-media platform that combined the boom in home improvement with the expansion of online content and community."

It was excellent timing. After all, the female homeowner and home improvement market is growing quickly. For example, the number of single female homeowners is expected to grow from 17 million in 2005 to 32 million in 2010. What's more, female spending on home improvement is in excess of $70 billion.

As for BeJane, it takes a hybrid media approach; that is, the company's how-to content is in newspapers, radio and web properties. There is even branded merchandise (eg, the Multi-use Pink Toolbelt).

Continue reading The next big thing: BeJane creating new mega market

The next big thing: BeJane creating new mega market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week, I was a moderator at a conference called TiECON SOUTHWEST 2006.

The topic was certainly interesting - "The New Internet: YouTube, MySpace and Beyond."

As is always key for a moderator, I was lucky to have a great panel. There was the money guy, that is, a venture capitalist from Softbank, Tarang Shah. The others included company founders, such as Gordon Gould from ThisNext, Eden Jarrin of Be Jane, Michael Sawtell of The Family Post and Erik Hawkins of PureVideo.

For the most part, it was a free-form discussion (there were also smart questions from the audience).

Here are some of my takeaways:

Continue reading The next big thing: Where is Web 2.0 going?

The next big thing: Where is Web 2.0 going? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.