One entrepreneur weighs in on the mechanics of raising your first round of financing.
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Cash prize for the UK's most flexible small business
by Successful IBO • • 0 Comments
A £1,000 prize is up for grabs in a competition launched to find the UK’s ‘most flexible’ small business.
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J.D. Power Reviews State Ambit Energy Comes Away As Overall Winner
by Tina Williams • • 0 Comments
A recent study by J. D. Power and Associates has found that Ambit Energy, an electric and natural gas provider, receives consistently high marks in customer satisfaction. The study, based on a survey of energy consumers in nine different states, collected data for almost a year.
From September 2013 to June 2014, J. D. Power and Associates collected information from 25,757 customers for their 2014 Retail Electric Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. The results found that the Ambit Energy reviews were consistently at the top of the ranks.
The company, based in Dallas, Texas, was ranked “Highest in Residential Customer Satisfaction among Retail Electric Providers in Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.” In Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania, while not at the top of the list, Ambit Energy’s reviews were still on the rise, ranking well above average and staying competitive with the top names.
The J. D. Power and Associates study ranked energy providers on a scale from 0 to 1000, based on the responses they received from consumers. Texas was the state with the overall highest consumer satisfaction rating regarding their retail electricity providers. The overall satisfaction rating in Texas was 706, up 24 points from last year’s ranking of
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WorldVentures DreamTrips Vacation Club Wins WorldTravel Awards
by Nicole Dunkley • • 0 Comments
Worldventures, DreamTrips Vacation Club, one of the world’s leading travel and vacation club membership organizations, was named “Africa’s Leading Travel Club” for 2014.
DreamTrips was recognized as part of the World Travel Awards (WTA)—the second WTA regional award for the travel club this year. WTA acknowledges and celebrates excellence across all sectors of the global tourism industry. The World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony was held at Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Nigeria with hundreds of tourism professionals in attendance.
The award acknowledges DreamTrips exceptional travel club excellence in the Africa and Indian Ocean regions over the past year. DreamTrips were identified for exceptional services product offerings and went up against other nominees, including Four Seasons Hotels, Hilton, Kenya Airways and Royal Air Maroc.
“We are grateful to be recognized as Africa’s best travel club a month after DreamTrips was named Europe’s Leading Travel Club,” WorldVentures Co-Founder and CEO Mike Azcue said. “Together with Rovia, our travel agency partner, the team composes unforgettable travel experiences, which include a unique product offering and exceptional customer service for our worldwide membership. This is a warm handshake from the tourism industry’s leadership.”
DreamTrips delivers high-quality, uniquely curated travel and vacation experiences to its vacation club members.
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Herbalife Will Ban All USA Reps Websites
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
Herbalife Ltd. (HLF) is already dealing with the allegations of running a pyramid scheme, and has once again become the topic of discussion due to its new policy. This time, however, it’s for something that can counter the allegations.
As a part of its strategy to prove the allegations wrong and make its business model more transparent and understandable, Herbalife has come up with a new policy that is expected to be enforced on November 15. According to the reports from New York Post, Herbalife will ban all the websites run by USA distributors and will take their business to a corporate controlled website. The company designed the website goherbalife.com for specifically this purpose.
This website not only helps the company take the distributors’ business into its own hands, but will serve several other purposes as well. Herbalife has recently started to focus on improving its brand image and the use of direct marketing strategies. It is now taking new initiatives for building a strong relationship with the community and giving its consumers a feel of connection with the Herbalife brand.
This is because the website will enable the nutrition-products manufacturer to provide a consistent image of its brands. While earlier each distributor was presenting
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4Life Holds First-Ever International Convention In Asia
by Nicole Dunkley • • 0 Comments
Over the weekend, thousands of 4Life distributors gathered at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for 4Life Asia Convention 2014: Live Your Dreams. Attendees represented 21 countries around the world.
Event highlights included a state of the company address by President and CEO Steve Tew, the product launches of 4Life Transfer Factor® RioVida Stix® Tri-Factor® Formula and 4Life® Rice Brand Plus Capsules, recognition of new Platinum International Diamonds Dr. Jase and Jinsun Khyeam from South Korea and Sheri Din from Singapore, and business training from numerous 4Life entrepreneurs, including Platinum International Diamonds Dave and Gabriela Daughtrey from California, USA, Jeff and Michelle Altgilbers from Tennessee, USA, and Sadik Din and Hasnimah from Singapore.
In addition, attendees heard from keynote speaker Kyle Maynard, an ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award-winning mixed martial arts athlete known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics. Chief Scientific Officer Chris Lockwood, Ph.D., CSCS also presented an address and announced the availability of 4Life Transfer Factor Renuvo® in Singapore.
Steve Tew: “4Life’s first-ever Asia Convention was a great success. It’s amazing to see how the dream to improve lives that Founders David and Bianca Lisonbee launched the
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ForeverGreen’s September 2014 Sales Grow Over 200%
by Nicole Dunkley • • 0 Comments
ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation, a leading direct marketing company and provider of health-centered products (FG Xpress) , announced today that September 2014 revenue exceeded September 2013 sales by more than 200%.
“During September 2014, our sales reached approximately $5.4 million, which contributed to Q3 revenue which will exceed our previously reported Q2,” said Jack Eldridge, CFO.
“With the launch of several new products, we anticipate this growth continuing and accelerating moving forward. We remain on track for meeting or exceeding our previously announced revenue guidance.”
About ForeverGreen
ForeverGreen Worldwide Corporation develops, manufactures and distributes an expansive line of all natural whole foods and products to North America, Australia, Europe, Asia and South America, including their new global offerings, PowerStrips, SolarStrips and BeautyStrips.
They also offer Azul and FrequenSea, whole-food beverages with industry exclusive marine phytoplankton, the Versativa line of hemp-based whole-food products, immune support and weight management products, Pulse-8 powdered L-arginine formula, TRUessence Essential Oils and Apothecary, 24Karat Chocolate and an entire catalog of meals, snacks, household cleaners and personal care products.
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Amway Gives Stanford University $10 million For First Of Its Kind Study On Health
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
Stanford University will undertake a first-of-its kind study to track how everything from exercising to eating fresh produce can lengthen a human lifespan. Amway is picking up tab.
The direct sales giant is donating $10 million for the new Stanford project, WELL, short for Wellness Living Laboratory, which will launch next year.
The program will focus on wellness, rather than diseases, with the hypothesis that promoting wellness thwarts diseases, Dr. John Ioannidis, the head of the Stanford Prevention Research Center, told Scope, a Stanford Medical School publication.
He added that participants will track and report much of their information remotely and digitally. They also will have the opportunity to enroll in a variety of clinical trials to test various interventions, such as nutrition counseling or smoking cessation programs.
What is unusual about this study is that it is designed to monitor the health of people over a five year period, or longer.
“It really helps us understand how we characterize wellness,” said Audra Davies, vice president of nutrition product development and analytical sciences for Amway.
“What is it that is keeping people well, and helping them to thrive. What are the important characteristics. There is a strong interest in understanding biomarkers of health. It is
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ViSalus Honored With Highly-Acclaimed W3 Award for Creative Excellence In Web Content
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
ViSalus’ Content Marketing department received an esteemed 2014 W3 Silver Award in Copywriting for its Vi Blog and its blog extension program, the Vi Today’s Share.
The W3 Awards honor creative excellence on the web, and recognize the professionals behind the creative and marketing teams of the award-winning sites, marketing programs, social content and mobile sites. In its ninth year, W3 is the major web competition where companies submit content to be sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Artists (AIVA), an invitation-only, membership-based organization of leading web professionals.
More than 4,000 entries worldwide were submitted — many from Fortune 500 companies and international agencies and firms. Entries were judged by the AIVA in four categories with criteria upholding a high standard of excellence.
“We are so proud of our outstanding, hard-working and innovative team of marketing professionals,” said Blake Mallen, ViSalus Co-Founder and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. “From sharing exclusive interviews and company news, to industry tips and inspirational stories from within the Vi Community, our marketing team uses storytelling to show how we are transforming lives across the globe.”
Vi’s Content Marketing team is responsible for the Vi Blog, which has generated more than 1 million
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Top Actress Huma Qureshi To Endorse Oriflame India’s Colour Cosmetics
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
Actress Huma Qureshi has been signed as the ambassador of colour cosmetics section of direct selling brand Oriflame India.
The ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ star, dressed in a black gown with curled hair and red lips, sashayed down the ramp as she was announced as the face of the colour cosmetics section of the brand here Wednesday.
She also launched the brand’s new range called ‘The One’, which comprises Oriflame The One Everyday Beauty, Oriflame The One Long Wear and Oriflame The One High Impact.
“It’s beauty with responsibility. The company works with women and empowers them so that appealed to me,” Huma said about the Sweden-based company here.
Asked what beauty product she is addicted to, she said: “Mascara. I can’t leave home without it. It makes my lashes look better.”
Niklas Frisk, vice president and head of South Asia and managing director, Oriflame India said that the actress “personifies the strength and values of a contemporary Indian woman”.
About Oriflame:
Oriflame is a leading beauty company selling direct. We are present in more than 60 countries, of which we are the market leader in more than half. Oriflame has its origin in Sweden with corporate offices in Switzerland. We offer a wide range of high-quality beauty