Trending:

• It doesn’t matter what type of burger you go with, but American’s are still all about the burger.  Well known burgers like Big Macs and Whoppers are still well loved, and some new favorites are trending too.  Turkey burgers, organic burgers, and even veggie burgers are selling right now.
• Hotels and hospitality are growing and trending for 2012.  People are traveling a little more and good customer service, a fluffy bed, and breakfast can keep the customers coming back again and again.
• Fitness and health franchises are looking good for 2012.  The more locations a gym has, the better chances for more customers.  And as far as health, senior health choices are a good call because the Baby Boomers are only getting older.
• Mobile franchises are taking off due to the popularity among consumers.  The good news for franchise owners is the fact that maintaining a store front is not required.  Lawn care and maintenance, pet needs, plumbers and more are going mobile.

Done:

• Specialty food retailers or gourmet food stores like candy only, wine, or other specialty foods are not as convenient as hitting a store with a little of everything.
• Centers designed to aid in weight loss are falling out quickly.  While gyms are on the rise, these centers do not have a business model for success no matter if they work or not.
• Tanning salons are quickly fading as people become more aware about the risks associated with tanning.

Let’s take a  look at how the people you hope you reach out to are using Facebook.  This will offer you some insight as to whether you think Facebook is a good way to invest the social media marketing time and money of your business.  It can also assist you in targeting demographics for your first Facebook ad campaign.  People often rely on a dependable home security team to protect their homes from intruders;  likewise, businesses can leverage Facebook to protect them from social media obscurity.  Here’s an infographic that covers it all.

There are many ways that you can lower your stress that is triggered by operating your small business.  Some people find that there are simple things like listening to soothing music, reading, or taking a walk can do the trick.  Other people turn to things like yoga and massage.  Whatever it is that lowers your stress level, give it a try.  You may find that once you are free from stress you get more accomplished and feel better about your business at the end of the day.  Find out more valuable ways to reduce stress and other stress related facts below.

Heck, the iPad can be used by your whole business team too.  When you are equipped and your team is too with the iPad, you will be amazed at how streamlined and efficient your processes can actually become.  On top of that you’ll be saving some trees too by cutting down on notepads and printed reports.  Apple knows what it is that businesses need and want, and the iPad can do it all and then some.  If you haven’t yet implemented the use of iPads in your business, then consider it.  There are many businesses all over that are using them and loving it.  I mean I can’t even turn on my direct television without seeing an ad or something related to the iPad.

“”I don’t see a bubble,” Andreessen said.  ”I think people are confusing success with a bubble.  Maybe stuff is just working.”

Maybe stuff is just working, indeed.

In 1999, venture capitalists basked in the glow of record-setting growth as many new dot-com companies went IPO for the first time.  These companies saw unheralded rises in their stock prices, driving them to move faster, with less caution, and to launch more competitive start-ups.  The market would be left to decide which ones came out on top. Start-up capital flowed freely in 1998 and 1999, partially due to low interest rates during those two years, and partly owing to the bravery and enthusiasm of investors. The dot-com “bubble” (as this period of easy capital and growth came to be known) burst on March 10, 2000, when the stock markets bottomed out in the wake of 6 interest rate hikes in one year, and a looming sense of dread of the impending disaster people believed was coming because of the Y2k bug.

In 2001 when the bubble burst was complete, dot-com start-ups that had been successful went out of business after using up venture capital and failing to earn profits. Other companies of that era not only survived, but flourished well into the first decade of the 21st century. Some of the more successful companies, like Amazon.com, went into the unconventional business of electronic retail, setting an example for brick and mortar retail giants to venture out and expand their horizons in e-commerce.

Andreessen, who has investments far and wide across the Internet and Direct TV, thinks it’s only logical that more money should be flowing into a promising sector of the U.S. economy at this time.  He doesn’t believe that a bubble is about to burst, but rather, that the one sector that does not appear to be in as much trouble as the others currently are, such as housing, manufacturing, and agriculture, should be eagerly embraced by investors now while the profits are running high.  To live in fear of a repeat of the 1999 dot-come burst is to miss the opportunities of today.

On Tuesday, Barnes & Noble reported it sold three times the number of digital books through its website as it did physical books during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011.

The rise in sales of digital books through the company’s website and corresponding decline in sales through its physical bookstores during the fourth quarter follows a report from February, in which B&N announced it was selling two times more ebooks than physical books. Despite the ratio of ebook sales to physcial book sales, the physical books still get the most sales volume.

Barnes and Noble sells its ebooks for the proprietary Nook e-reader and  Nook application for third-party smart phones and tablets. The company is adding millions of Nook users each fiscal quarter, according to CEO William Lynch who made the announcement during a conference call.

The unexpected surge in ebook sales did not insulate the company from a loss, however. For the fourth consecutive quarter, B&N reported a consolidated net loss of $59 million, on total sales amounting to $1.37 billion.  Considering that one year ago the company reported a loss of  $33 million on sales of $1.32 billion, this year’s figure represents a reflection of the global economic crises the world is immersed in, especially US consumers.

Not surprisingly, Amazon.com was the first to report a greater ebook sales figure than traditional book sales.  Some of Amazon’s recent ebook earnings have been harmed by the existence of its app for the iPad, however, and the Internet’s first online bookseller is reportedly planning to launch its own tablet device to compete with Apple’s iPad as early as the end of this year. If they are smart, they will offer cable internet bundles for the iPad.

One rumor suggests that Amazon will sell a fully functional tablet with a proprietary OS it would design itself, while another suggests the online e-tailer will outsource for it’s operating system.  Either way, it is believed that the Kindle, the world’s most popular ebook reader device, will remain available, possibly at a much lower price than what it is now. This would give consumers who wanted a full tablet experience the chance to get more mileage for more money, if they chose.  It would also make the electronic book reader’s base model even more affordable to the masses than it already is.

Amazon earlier this year introduced an ad supported pricing model for a less expensive version of its Kindle.
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One question on a few peoples’ minds is, what might this mean for small and micro businesses?  In a recent report, Apple iPhone sales to businesses, and the adoption of iOS for business class users had grown dramatically, and was close to overtaking Blackberry in that market.  That said, it would make sense that Apple would direct at least some of its attention towards enterprise and business consumers in developing its iCloud platform.  So far, there is nothing in iCloud’s descriptions to indicate this was done.

“Business users will be able to store their files in the cloud,” said Merve Stamford, a businessman from CT.  ”File storage is great, and I think Apple offer’s about 5 gb, but the storage isn’t the same kind as, say, Google Docs, where you can collaborate in real time with people from a long way off.”

Another feature that would be important for business users, besides the ability to collaborate live when the situation arises, is an offering of some kind of accounting software that can sync with iCloud and all of a company’s authorized users or devices, and business class paid storage options for needs that go beyond the standard 5gb.  There would also need to be real, solid web site hosting offerings.

“I’m afraid Apple has always been behind the curve with Internet and Web services, and iCloud is just another instance of the company missing a great opportunity when the timing is most auspicious,” said Sherma Idly, a commodities broker.  ”I would like nothing more than to see Apple finally go ahead of the rest of the world with a groundbreaking new cloud platform that could be leveraged not only by consumers and electronic media collectors, but by businesses as well.  This is the moment when Apple could take over the world again, and it’s missing the boat.”

We will just have to wait and see whether the business world finds any creative uses for Apple’s iCloud, with a strong tendency to think “probably not.”  But who knows?  We could be wrong. Maybe they will use it for something silly like pubishing home security tips

Some channels are dedicated to playing music, as well as featuring music related programming.  These channels include those like MTV, MTV2, VH1, VH1 Classic, BET, and the likes.  If you are looking to see the newest music, hear some classics, or find out music news, then a music channel like that is a great place to do it.  They are so much fun to watch too because if you love music, you love to see the music videos and everything that goes with it all.

Aside from television programming, some television packages will give you access to satellite radio stations so you can hear music constantly whenever you want, and better yet is that you get to choose the genre of music that you would like to hear.  If you are a fan of contemporary Christian jams, then have a listen to the station.  Heavy metal lovers can get their daily metal fix without being interrupted by a random pop song, and those who love the old school country crooners even have a station to sing along with.  Whatever styling of music you happen to love the most, these satellite radio stations on your television can hook you up with your love.

So, music lovers need not be without their music ever.  Thanks to music and television collaborating, it’s all there for you at your fingertips.