January 2008 Hall of Fame
Expand my global tech company
Bizooki is a talent network that enables you to connect with multiple work teams, find new talent based on reputation and experience, and utilize a range of popular web-based business tools in one environment. Users can invite existing team members and find new talent with Team Builder.
Simply put, tags are keywords used to identify an idea. Just click on one of the tags below to find like-minded ideas.
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Q2: Where will I raise start-up capital? (3 pieces of advice)
by Crowne01.07.08 | 02:11 PMAll capital starts with a solid business plan and financial proposal. A good plan will take 3 to 6 months and will answer any and all questions that an investor will want to know. Generally, the plans I write cost about $3,500 to $5,000 and average about 50 pages. This requires extensive research and analysis of the viability of your idea. It also goes into your infrastructure and challenges the company will face in its first few years. A well written plan is a good exercise in planning and problem solving before the doors open. Once the plan is built, there are quite a few investors who will take notice. Finding the capital is easier than most expect. The hard part is negotiating with the capitalists so you don't loose your shirt. You may say "no thank you" to the first few money guys you come in contact with. You need to know what you are willing to give up for the capital before you put your hand out.
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by geekdad01.19.08 | 05:02 PMI would recommend looking at your potential competitors and see who they got start-up capital from. They'll be easier to sell a similar idea and also the ones who'll understand the market just as good, if not better, than you. These same organizations will also be keeping tabs on you for potential buy-out if you want to go that direction. If you're not comfortable with VC then I'd look at going the traditional SBA loan or federal grant route. There are some federal grant programs available for specific areas in the US that wll definitely support your growth fiscally.
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Q3: How will fast growth be managed? (2 pieces of advice)
by Crowne01.07.08 | 02:16 PMI love this idea and that is why I will impart all the advice I can. Growing pains are a very real problem. When a tech company gets popular it can go from 15 to 15,000 employees relatively quickly. The best way to deal with this growth is to have a plan in place to help control the growth and have a relationship with a number of employee contractors to help you survive the ebb and flow of hiring. Also, make sure you are positioned in a location that allows you to hire the people you want. College towns are great for this. You should also consider virtual assistants...a way to be boundary-less in an industry that greatly benefits from removing the restrictions of location. Another way to deal with this is to hire great people as your core and then get referrals from that core. You can grow exponentially that way.
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by ErickB01.17.08 | 04:45 PMI just found out about this conference...you might want to check it out. It's focused on how to grow your company effectively...by Inc Magazine.
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Q4: How will Bizooki become a market leader? (1 pieces of advice)
by Crowne01.07.08 | 02:20 PMin a word, "empathy". Find out what your clients want. What they need, and what they like about your company. Live a day in their shoes and custom build your company to meet their needs, wants, and desires. If you have empathy for your clients you will give them exactly what they need. This requires some skill in interviewing and understanding their needs. This takes time and money but will be well worth it as you present to them a product that reflects their specific situations. As long as you stay in touch with the lowest denominator, you will always be a market force. This sounds pretty philosophical and idealistic, but it has been proven many times over. if you want more details and the specific formula for what I am talking about, please email me.
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What advice do you have to help me grow my idea?
(2 pieces of advice)by tibor01.27.08 | 07:37 PMTo be a market leader one of the first steps you must take is to redesign your web site.
You got red buttons on the side that say that you design web sites but your web site does not convey that message
See what your competitors that are leaders in their field are doing and copy them.
Good examples are the network marketing web sites; check them out to see what they are doing to get distributors or clients. Check their intro pages. These pages are hard hitting interest-provoking advertisements.
Market leaders are innovators that think outside the box.
Please vote and post a comment. Thanks for your support!
Great Ideas and there's a definite need!
Good idea, I know a lot of people that could benefit from this if the idea works out. Keep at it !
Sounds like you have some great ideas and just need a little boost to get 'em rolling! Good luck.
Hi Andy, Great insight from Mark Cuban. http://www.blogmaverick.com/2008/01/02/the-best-equity-is-sweat-equity/
This plan sounds fantastic! Can't wait to see it in action. Best of luck
Don't take it personally but aren't there like thousands upon thousands of companies that do this today?
jcrump64, thanks for the feedback! Yes there are thousands of web services companies, but ours involves streamlining the CUSTOM web development process. Our customers can select the graphic designer to work with (based on our match-making and reputation algorithms and ratings). Our company develops the back-end of the sites and focuses on generating actual results for these businesses. Key competitors are LogoWorks.com, SiteMason.com, DoodleKit.com. We are making the process of CUSTOM web site development more practical for small to medium sized businesses. Please contact me personally if you are interested in specific plans and opportunity assessment.
Andy: That helps clarify it; thanks. Let me throw out one idea (that's why we're here!) for you to chew on. Once you have established your network I'd create a widget that runs on your customer and prospect's computer that provides real-time updates when a development resource that matches their criteria becomes available or joins the network. I've had the idea for this widget for a while now and figured it would play well in a staffing company model but could work for your project as well. Best of luck.
I think that Andy's idea for helping customers obtain positive results in the web development process is outstanding - through his efforts to systematically (a) identify best-in-class graphic artists, and (b) create a results-oriented web presence for businesses, in tandem with (a).
Great idea, and even better from someone that's plugging away at a degree in Entrepreneurship...best of luck to you...I know you have many happy customers already!!
jcrump64: I will chew on your idea; thanks for your input!!
This looks awesome! Good luck Andy!
Best Wishes on your idea! I think it's great :~) Let me know how it goes!
GO ANDY!!! woooooo!! Good luck with all of this! AWESOME! :)
Great Job Andrew. -KAB
Andy, hey it's Andrew Jacobson from Belmont. Just received Dr. C's email about this. Followed the link and bammm!!! Sounds exciting. I might be able to help in some ways. My cousin who i am working on some ideas with actually started LogoWorks. The world works again. Ha. He recently sold his stake so he wouldn't still be your main competition, but nonetheless i am sure i can get him to shed some light where needed. times are busy right now but maybe you would like to get together sometime or i could do an email intro. Let me know your thoughts. Tell everyone hello. I send all my love.
Sounds like a great idea, Andy! Please check out my idea, and reciprocate the vote. Your comment is also appreciated as a student. Thanks!
Just a funding idea - try Cleveland's JumpStart for venture capital - the big wig over there used to be Jamie Ireland. Study up on the contributions the Ireland family has made to Cleveland, including saving the Mather freighter down on the lakefront. Ireland family has been huge in Cleveland. There are 3-4 firms around Cleveland that I know have funded little ventures like this around town. Good luck to you, but be sure to have a solid business plan in writing, spellcheck and dress appropriately when you go see them. You might also contact Ed Morrison for some ideas - Susie Sharp
As a former client of Andy's, I really hope he gets this cash for his venture. He exceeded all of my expectations, and I think his model for Bizooki is good. Good luck Andy.
Best of luck, Andy! Joel Libava-Cleveland
Best of Luck, from a Canadian expat living in downtown Cleveland...link from BFD
Andy is an incredibly hard working, forward thinking entrepreneur. He remains flexible and open to change, while keeping a firm grasp on foundational details. I have complete faith that he will succeed at whatever he puts his mind to because he knows how to work hard and is always open to suggestions. Good luck, Andy!
Surround yourself with a team of trusted advisors who will challenge you and share what they know. Good Luck Ron Finklestein http://www.businessmasterynow.com
You have been doing a great job pursuing this opportunity. After reading many of the other ideas listed on ideablob, I have complete confidence that this idea will succeed. Your idea is innovative, useful and original. Good luck Andy!
Well played, good sir. Keep the ETP name at belmont going strong for us graduates and don't forget give cornwall as much (fun) grief as possible.
Terrific idea, well executed and thought out. Passion + hard work = success. Best of luck.
what about guru.com??
I voted for you. remember me when your company goes IPO!
huyuno: Thanks for the feedback. Guru.com is a good resource for finding freelancers. However, Bizooki will be more of A) an intuitive web site that guides clients through the custom web development process, while Bizooki executes the projects, or more realistically B) a specialist in social networking and knowledge sharing applications for large corporations and organizations, or C) combination of A and B. My business started as a typical web site services company, but I'm looking to make it more specialized and effective. We have our own social networking platform that is comparable to Facebook in complexity and features, which has great potential based on feedback from our first user group. I've done several overhauls of my 50 page business plan, consistently assessing the many opp…moreortunities, and fine tuning the business model. This will look much different than the existing Bizooki.com business model. Stay plugged in for more, or contact me: andy@bizooki.com
well im definitely impressed...keep up the great work andy! cheers!
I am a designer and flash programmist from Russia, Saint Petersburg. I was working with Andrew Tabar and his company Bizooki. It was a great pleasure to work with a professional that high level and I think his idea will unite designers and programmers from all over the world. It will be a new web of emloyers and employees. And that is super good, as I consider! Thank you! See you on Skype, Andy! Best wishes with that!
Thanks everyone for making me a finalist! Your feedback has been equally as supportive. Voting opens back up this week to determine the winner. Please vote again and forward this to your friends and partners! Also, the description above has been updated to better reflect the projects we are involved with. More details will unfold in the coming weeks. -Andy Tabar
In related news, Bizooki is one of ten national finalists in the SEED 2008 business plan competition. More on that here: www.bizooki.com/press/seed.pdf
Are you like any of the following? www.connectbeam.com www.mindtouch.com www.koral.com Not sure I understand what Bizooki is/does. Thanks!
jp389380: Along those lines, but more specialized to client needs. In addition to providing social networking and collaboration portals, we are focused on user retention...encouraging day-to-day use. It's more than a wiki or a glorified search portal. We've created add-on components that are ideal for sharing best practices, disputes/resolutions, to name only a couple. The platform is also customizable as a full-blown social network site for companies that are looking to promote their brand or product online. Please contact me for further discussion: andy@bizooki.com
well done son. keep up the good work. I know Belmont will be proud. We will take over the world one day, don't you worry.
Good stuff Andy, who knows maybe when you're a famous entrepreneur you could speak at one of our Future Entrepreneurs of the World Summits!
Thanks everyone! Checkout the new YouTube video, and spread the word! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGHC2XxHspc
Thanks everyone! Check out the new YouTube video, and spread the word! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGHC2XxHspc
Andy, great ideas and great product.
very nice video, by the way :)
Another social networking? Facebook? An idea that everyone is doing. What changes are you going to make to stand out and truly be unique. I looked at your video on Youtube and I did not hear substance all I saw was the lips moving. This is my first time on IdeaBlob maybe I am supposed to give you encouragement to go on and try your best or maybe I am supposed to tell you to wake up and smell the coffee because in the real world they aren’t so kind. As Kevin O'Leary from the Canadian produced TV show The Dragons Den says to the would be entrepreneurs “Show daddy the plan” or “I don’t smell the money”
tibor: Thanks for your vote! Your discussion on a coffee smelling, real world and trying is simply not the case. Are you experiencing this? We are already operating and doing quite well, both financially and with our market analysis/plan, development, and business model. You can't always rock the market overnight...did you? Our tools are unique, but I can't get too specific at this stage. That show you watch is not comprehensive of what really goes into the funding process, maybe for those who are desperate enough to give away majority stake. But let's be clear about the purpose of the Ideablob competition -- it's to provide a grant to contribute to the further growth of our business. Email me with specific questions: andy@bizooki.com
I looked at Bizooki.com and I checked Alexa.com and I even checked google.com and I can see why you want to expand. Good luck
Hey Andy, Keep it up. I know you will win this contest. Best of Luck. --Sachin
Hi Andy, Thanks so much for your great feedback! I really appreciate it. Your advice is GREAT! I wish I had the opportunity to vote for this idea back when you were running, but I only just found out about this contest recently. This idea and your website look fantastic! I almost feel like our companies could be complimentary in some way.. We should talk about how we might be able to work together in the future! Thanks again.