I’ve always been fascinated with company logos. Some are just perfect in simplicity and are great in showing what the company it represents is about. That’s why I just love this book by Alina Wheeler, called “Designing Brand Identity”.

The book describes a diciplined process to create and implement an effective brand identity. A company’s visual identity is important because, as Alina puts it, sight provides more information about the world than any other sense. Did you realize that repeated exposure makes symbols so recognizable that companies, such as Target, Nike and Apple have dropped their corporate signatures in national advertising? It’s because we recognize a company’s colors. Think about it: the moment you see a brown truck driving down your street, you’ll know it’s a UPS.

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Nobody’s happy about global warming, but most of us do enjoy the warm and sunny days that come along with it. Swedish Johan Sellner is doing good business with his very own ice cream shop. Johan got a job and wasn’t planning on bringing all his savings to the bank. Instead, he chose to start this business. His cones are very popular. Nobody who can say no to one on a hot summer’s day!

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What did Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell do to unwind after years of disco and drugs? You guessed it: Morgans Hotel Group Co.

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Kiplinger: To become a success in high-tech Silicon Valley, Alan Aerts used low-tech skills and hard work. He slung crates of produce for a grocery store and sold bread to restaurants while launching a vending-machine business that sells soft drinks and snack foods to workaholic computer engineers.

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Cynosure, Inc. (CYNO) can burn your fat and stretch your skin and have you back to work in no time. The company makes laser and pulsed-light devices used to perform non-invasive aesthetic procedures to remove hair, treat varicose veins, and reduce the appearance of birthmarks, freckles, and cellulite.

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Kiplinger: Maxine Clark rode to riches on the back of a teddy bear. Clark opened her first Build-A-Bear Workshop in a St. Louis shopping mall in 1997. Now the international chain generates $360 million in sales annually and has made Clark a multimillionaire.

In Clark’s stores, kids of all ages line up to create stuffed animals in what look like factories run by Dr. Seuss on casual Fridays. Guided by a peppy staff clad in denim and khakis, customers produce personalized teddy bears and other creatures. “We really are a theme park in a mall,” says Clark.

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It doesn’t matter how wonderful your product or service is if you’re not able to create demand. In case you didn’t know dear friends, marketing is Vital, capital V! Now, you can hire a consultant, but learning to do your own marketing will be a much cheaper option and probably more fun as well. Andrew Griffiths’ “101 Ways to Market your Business” is a great book which provides you with 101 great tips on creative marketing.

Griffiths is a marketing consultant and convinced small businesses fail because of two reasons: there isn’t enough money, or there’s a lack of marketing ability. You need to make your business stand out of the crowd, and 101 Ways will help you do just that. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a product of the nation, you love this brand. Who didn’t grow up with Nintendo? And pink sheets or not, Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NTDOY) may have a few power-ups left up its sleeve.

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Just about everyone has an iPod these days - even my 90-year old grandma is the proud owner of a Nano. A month ago, Apple announced that it has sold over 100 million iPods worldwide. It’s not surprinsingly then that accessories have done -and are stil doing- great, because it’s just pretty darn handy if you’ve got a stereo, car plug-in, lanyard headphones and adapter to go with it. Not to mention a sock or leather case… ah well, you get the picture. Let’s take a look at iPod businesses that are just a little bit more unique:

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Kiplinger:
Snowboarders ooze the slacker vibe. Their culture is based on baggy clothes, easygoing attitudes and acrobatic feats on the slopes. That’s hardly an environment that you’d expect to foster millionaires. Yet brothers Danny and Matt Kass have made a bundle with their company, Grenade Gloves, which designs and sells gear for snowboarders and their fans.

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