Busch Gardens in Williamsburg might be put up for sale if a foreign brewer follows through on plans to buy the Anheuser Busch Company, according to a story in the Financial Times. InBev, which has operations around the world, would also likely layoff some of the Williamsburg brewery staff if a deal goes through. The… Read more »
Aaron Kremer
Aaron Kremer is the founder of Richmond BizSense. Email him at [email protected].
Feel-Good Marketing
Cause-related marketing, as the marketing technique is known, owes its origins to an American Express program from the 1980s, when the credit card company donated funds to help restore the Statue of Liberty. In years since, the marketing style has become an increasingly popular tool for companies to create a positive association among potential customers…. Read more »
The “Recesion-Proof” Myth
When I ask small business owners if they’re seeing a slowdown, I’m told that invoices are taking longer to get paid, that expansion plans are getting put on hold, or that new contracts are slower in coming than in the past. Construction and auto dealers so far appear to be suffering the most. But any… Read more »
Wanna Trade: bartering can help conserve cash
Most business owners have at least a few good yarns to tell about a trade gone screwy (possibly involving a goat, if you’re lucky). No hard statistics exist on the volume of bartered transactions because much of it is off the books. One accountant said it happens, “all the time.” Sometimes Scott Brown likes to… Read more »
Make Your Own Web Commercial…just don’t fall of a ladder
A number of startups think there’s a market for helping businesses make videos of their products – sort of a QVC for the masses. In Tuesday’s New York Times, Bob Tedeschi describes the nascent TalkMarket: “It begins with an online tutorial of how to shoot product demonstration videos: light well, change camera angles, speak as… Read more »
Managing Expectations: how local wealth advisors steer clients through rough seas
whenever the stock markets take a dip, Chris Williams, Director of Investment Products and Services at Virginia Asset Management, likes to tell the story about the guy who would always impulsively buy a stock at the market peak and ride it all the way to the bottom and then sell everything, ending up with a… Read more »
Begging for donations leave a bad taste in patron’s mouth
Next week restaurants around Richmond will be asking patrons who order tap water to donate $1 to The United Nations Children’s Fund, commonly known as UNICEF. VCU BrandCenter is promoting the event, called Richmond Tap Project . In their push to be creative, the BrandCenter effort shows a lack of understanding about incentives and basic… Read more »
A brothel is a small biz, right?
A few keys to operating a profitable brothel include having a website and selling advertising. Josh Levin in Slate writes about how Eliot Spitzer’s favorite escort services diversified beyond just whoring. Richmond brothels don’t have websites, according to a cursory search by me. Freelance hookers use Craigslist. Read the story here.
Ads land at airport security
Perhaps you’ve noticed them, too. At first your trip starts out normally. You approach airport security fiddling with your boarding pass. You take a laptop out of its protective sleeve and check your Ziploc bag loaded with small, see-through bottles of fluid (no more than 4 ounces, mind you!). But something seems different.
Follow the Model
Igor Jekauc often wishes he didn’t have to fork over 19% of his annual revenue, but he says he wouldn’t have been able to open a tax preparation business without Liberty Tax Service’s business model and support system. A computer software that allows Jekauc to instantly issue tax return checks to customers was essential –… Read more »