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The Resource Center has all the info you'll need From content to user feedback, the resource center has the information you need for every level of the entrepreneurial process.
The rise of today's participant economy should be viewed by marketers as an opportunity. Technorati's David Sifry says the overall goal is to build a concrete two-way relationship with your customers in this new e-communications era.
Online publishing is a key tool for building credibility and growing relationships for your business. To attract customer attention to your products, direct your communications to the right customers with the right message.
eBay has become one of the leading marketing resources and distribution channels for individuals and businesses. Noting the fast and diversified growth of the eBay marketplace, this article describes eBay's utility for entrepreneurs interested in getting started as an eBay seller.
Going international requires careful thought and planning. This article poses a set of questions (by category) for entrepreneurs to answer to prepare them for going abroad for customers and sales. Questions include market and channel issues, product translation and localization, and IP protection.
An international expert in agricultural biotechnology and biopesticide science and business, Pam Marrone, Ph.D., is founder and former Chairman/CEO of AgraQuest Inc. which she established in Davis, CA in 1995. She recently left AgraQuest to start Marrone Organic Innovations, Inc. which is focused on finding solutions to unmet market needs, especially weed control for organic farmers. AgraQuest researches, develops and markets environmentally friendly, natural products for farm, home and public health pest management. Marrone's interest in this area began as a child, blossomed into a Ph.D. in entomology, and took flight in 1983 when she became head of the Insect Biology group for Monsanto Agricultural Co. In 1990, Marrone became president of Entotech, a Davis-based biopesticide subsidiary of Danish company Novo Nordisk. She launched AgraQuest after Entotech was sold to Abbott Laboratories. AgraQuest discovered Serenade, for controlling diseases of fruits and vegetables, and began selling the biofungicide in late 2000. Marrone and AgraQuest won the 2003 Presidential Green Chemistry award (small business) for the discovery and commercialization of Serenade and a 2004 Red Herring Top 100 company award. The company also has several other products either in development or on the market. Marrone has raised more than $50 million through private equity investments to fund AgraQuest's operations. Amid the post-September 11 stock market sell-off, Marrone postponed the company's initial public offering until the window opens again for new biotech investments. Marrone received a BS in entomology from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. Courtesy of Hoover Institution
Gil Penchina recently agreed to become CEO of Wikia, a start-up founded by Jimmy Wales, the creator of Wikipedia. Wikia is a community site built on open-source software that allows anyone to contribute to guides on subjects as diverse as star trek, pet diabetes and travel guides. Wikia operates under the GFDL Free content license and is positioned to become the first sustainable business built around the vision of free content. Prior to Wikia, Mr. Penchina was an 8-year veteran of eBay. Mr. Penchina worked in Europe, directing eBay's presence in Southern Europe, and oversaw the company's expansion efforts in Eastern Europe. Previously he was responsible for launching sites in Hong Kong and Singapore, and for the company's entry into India. Mr. Penchina also played a role in eBay's entry into South Korea and China. Mr. Penchina came to eBay in 1998, first working in business development and then running the mergers and acquisitions department. In 2001 he was named vice president of business development where he built business and marketing relationships for eBay with a number of the top brands in the U.S.A including Microsoft, AOL, Disney and Yahoo. Mr. Penchina began his career at General Electric in 1991, first in manufacturing and later in marketing on GE's corporate staff. He has worked as a management consultant at Bain & Co and an Internet entrepreneur, creating a content, commerce and community vertical for business travelers. An active angel investor, he has investments or advisory roles with many internet startups including: Linkedin, Flock, Wink, Vamoose, Become, Feedster, Koders, Voicestar, Reify and Betzip. A native of Amherst, Massachusetts, he holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business. Courtesy of Wikia
Katie Rodan, M.D., is the co-developer of Proactiv Solution, a highly successful acne skin care system for adults and teens, launched in 1995. Proactiv Solution continues to monopolize the acne skin care market as it offers a solution for both treatment and prevention. Proactiv Solution has been used by over three million people, positioning Dr. Rodan in the forefront of acne treatment in the medical community. A well-recognized expert in her field, Dr. Rodan has been interviewed and quoted in many national magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Self, McCall's, Allure, Teen, Cosmogirl, Oprah, Redbook, Mirabella, Elle and Reader's Digest. She was featured in First Magazine for Women, "Secrets of the Beauty Docs" (July 1996) and in Harper's Bazaar, "Five Hot Derms" (April 1998). She is a guest medical correspondent for KRON-TV News, the NBC affiliate in San Francisco, and has appeared on national television shows, such as The Montel Williams Show, Barbara Walters' The View, and Later Today. In addition, Dr. Rodan has been included in Best Doctors in America. Dr. Rodan is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine. She has a private practice in medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology in Oakland, CA. Dr. Rodan received her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Virginia and her medical degree from the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles. She completed her residency in dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Courtesy of Proactiv Solution
After many years studying sales organizations and working as a consultant, this entrepreneur offers practical tips for ensuring your sales force and compensation plans are highly effective. His premise: start with a great salesperson and pay them what they are worth. Otherwise, your sales compensation plan won't be worth anything.
This expert in sales and finance writes about how technology has helped meet the needs of his increasingly complex sales compensation structures as his company continues to grow and diversify. He shares how specialized automation software has simplified accounting, enhanced reporting capabilities, and provided management and sales reps effective tools for tracking production, revenues, commissions, and payouts.
To help motivate and reward his senior-level sales force, this entrepreneur writes that he uses phantom stock to allow associates to feel they own a piece of the company while retaining his full ownership of the firm. This compensation plan is based on sales reps' performance or time, and can serve as the basis for junior-level bonuses.
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