Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: LegalZoom
Why It’s a Gem: Affordable self-help legal services help small businesses get a jumpstart without the pricey overhead

One of the great things about technology is that it creates a level playing field. Just as Get Satisfaction helps small businesses get a handle on customer service, LegalZoom makes performing certain everyday legal tasks fast, efficient, and utterly affordable. Now even small entrepreneurs can jump in the game and play right alongside the big guys. And with the opportunity of the Great Recession upon us, the timing couldn’t be better.
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Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Why It’s a Gem: Creating a story – with humor – that appeals to all faiths gave an added boost to a craft beer of divine quality

Even before the Great Recession, small businesses knew that if they were to compete against the big guys, they had to stand out. One way to do so was by telling their story – of the company’s creation, their philanthropic ties, their unique ingredients – in order to appeal to an audience that might otherwise have been lured away by the big-budget marketing campaigns of larger competitors.

That’s precisely what Shmaltz Brewing Company did. By creating a brand tied to a heritage, Jeremy Cowan’s brainchild tapped into a ready-made tale thousands of years in the making – and they do it all with a hearty dose of humor.
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Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: K9 Cuisine
Why It’s a Gem: Learning from competitors’ customer-service mistakes has helped this pet food supplier leave the others in the dust

When Anthony Holloway experienced lackluster customer service while buying specialty dog food, he didn’t gripe. Instead, he saw the experience for the opportunity it was.  Holloway used other companies’ mistakes as a blueprint for what not to do, a strategy that saw his company become top dog, with a 50-percent growth each month in its first year. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Zipcar
Why It’s a Gem: Harnessing cutting-edge technology has allowed one green-minded company to overtake – and take over – its competition

As the national zeitgeist begins to embrace both environmentalism and thriftiness, Zipcar finds itself at quite a profitable intersection. The rent-as-you-go car company has developed a business model so successful that they’ve convinced some Americans to give up their most prized possession: their cars. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Climb On!
Why It’s a Gem:  What began as a niche product proves valuable to a much larger population

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Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Designs by Lolita
Why It’s a Gem: Learning the licensing ropes helps a home-grown artist become a worldwide sensation

Just as Jason Thompson proved that art can be profitable, Lolita Healey has also turned her talent to riches. But unlike Thompson’s Rag and Bone Bindery, Designs by Lolita has taken the licensing route, which has given Healey a whole different ballpark to play in. So far, she’s batting a thousand. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Get Satisfaction
Why It’s a Gem: One website helps both companies and their customers with an improved customer-service experience

Many small businesses put customer service on the back burner not because they don’t believe in it, but because it’s just too darn time consuming. But one website is changing that. Get Satisfaction is using technology to build communities that save both companies and customers time, money, and a whole lot of hair-pulling.

Any entrepreneur who has ever lamented the time spent performing redundant customer-service tasks needs to examine Get Satisfaction’s wide range of tools – or stop calling himself an entrepreneur. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: sweetgreen
Why It’s a Gem: A back-to-basics menu draws upon new trends in healthful eating.

When money’s tight, eating out may seem like an unnecessary indulgence, especially when all the affordable options seem about as nutritious as a deep-fried Twinkie. That’s where sweetgreen comes in. By serving wholesome yet filling meals for less than $10 per person, the D.C.-based chain is changing the definition of fast food, one salad at a time. (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Rag & Bone Bindery
Why It’s a Gem: Proof that passion and a nontraditional education can be every bit as valuable as a college degree.

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Sometimes a product stands out so much that I just have to talk to the visionary behind it. Such is the case with Monica Williams’ creation, Pacimals, a combination pacifier/plush toy that she created after noticing that daughter Mackenzie kept dropping her pacifier, something that drives most tots to tears. That small observation has morphed into a new product that begs to be noticed in an already-saturated baby-product market.

In this week’s Ask Lynda, I break from the regular letter format to speak directly with the radiologist-turned-entrepreneur, who never expected that her email asking for business advice would prompt a response – much less an hour-long phone call from the author of the book she’d just read. “Holy cow – you replied!” Yes, Monica. Your product was just too cute and inventive to pass up!

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