Archive for the ‘Site Launch’ Category

Expert Opinion - Joel G. Block
Founder of Growth-Logic Inc.
(www.Growth-Logic.com) & JoelBlock.com

One of our many experts to weigh in his opinion was serial entrepreneur, author, speaker, and “Growth Architect” Joel G. Block.

Joel has a long history of success in business. Starting at Price Waterhouse, he has since founded and sold a successful property management firm, and three separate successful fax publication businesses. After this string of success he founded his most recent venture, Growth-Logic Inc.

Joel uses Growth-Logic as a way to help startup companies develop the correct ‘architecture’ to be successful, as well as a venue for him to teach proper business principles to clients and motivated entrepreneurs all over the world.

Here was Joel’s response to iRent2u.com:

“This is a very user friendly web site. I like it and found it easy to register and get set up. As you increase your inventory it will be great!”

Congratulations.

Thanks again Joel!

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Industry Experts to Review Site Pre-Launch

In the march to our upcoming launch, we have had a number of people sign up for early access to the site.

Here is a sample of the Industry experts who will be given access to the site Thursday:
(listed in order of sign-up)

Michael Fox-Rabinovitz: Member of Advisory Board at Grunwald Capital Management; Vice President, Portfolio Management & Investment Analysis at Citigroup Private Bank; President at Risk Analytics

Roger Hamilton: Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Contact Science

Dan Garvin: Account Manager at Garvin Media Group LLC; Member, 2007 Board Of Governors at American Biofuels Council; RNIA Advisor at Relationship Networking Industry Association; Co-Founder and VP Sales at Seamless LLC; Advisor - Process Efficiency/Effectiveness at Society of Industry Leaders; Co-Founder at Upstate Entrepreneurs Forum; Lead Moderator at LinkedIn Consultants Yahoo Group; Consultant at Stellar Group Recruiting LLC

Kevin Crosthwaite: Founder & Principal at The Crosthwaite Group, Inc.

Bill Stankiewicz: Vice President and General Manager at Shippers Warehouse Distribution Services; Managing Director-Principal & Owner at Atlanta Supply Chain Inc

Paul Bellon: Internet Business Development Resultant at Kingfisher2

Nina Camp: Independent Distributor at Send Out Cards (Sole Proprietorship); Business Development at Beacon Technology Enterprise Corp.

Marvin Corea: Real Estate Professional at Fairfax Realty; Director of Investment Research at MDCREI; Founder at Intellipedia.NET; Idea Dude at Vocess.com; Member at Active Angel Investors; Investor at TerraCycle; Partner at Corea Ventures; Founder at sharedIntel.com; Founder/Chief Idea Dude at The Succeed Network!; Managing Partner at Corea Restaurants; Principal at Corea Properties, LLC; President/CEO at Esenai Corporation

Joel Block: Owner at Growth-Logic, Inc; Author & Speaker

Abir Bhattacharyya: Co-Founder at Rentalanalytics.com; Co-Founder/Investor at Fasterflats; CEO at A++ Talent Inc.; Recruiting Consultant at A+Talent (A-Talent.com)

Rod Nazari: Regional Recruiter at BT (British Telecom) INS

Giorgio Occhioni: Co-Owner at Vacance à Abidjan (Holidays in Ivory Coast) [temporary name]; Team Leader at Engitech Ltd

Kevin Shepela: VP, Business Development at Ripple (RippleTV.com)

Stefanie van der Poel: Partner Macallan Search Partners

Josh Stomel: Business Development at Low.com; Sr. Business Development /Strategic Recruiter at Oversee.net; Founder at Neohire.com; Commercial Real Estate Investor/Manager at Felfam LTD

Marty Secada: Managing Director at Broad and Wall Advisors

Michael Sheridan: President at Global Debt Exchange; Director of Finance at Management Partners Leadership Committee

Warren Sukernek: Senior Strategist at VML

A big Thank You to everyone who is participating. The names are still rolling in, and even this list is incomplete. We will add a few more names before Thursday for sure.

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Popularity: 13% [?]

We are looking for about ten volunteers in the Inland Empire to try our site, by renting out things you own.

We are looking for volunteers who will let us go with them through their home and choose things to lend out. Anyone willing to videotape the process could be featured on our website. This should be great fun, while also giving you a new way to make money & help people.

To volunteer you need:
1) A computer & Internet connection.
2) Own things you don’t need everyday, that you would be willing to lend to other people for money.
3) You must be at least 18 years of age & have a credit card to use the site.

Please contact us at (805) 617-4654 to volunteer. Ask for Tim.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Inviting 25 Industry Experts to our latest Web 2.0 Start Up: iRent2u.com.

Do You Qualify?
We’re Inviting 25 Industry Experts to a sneak peak of our site.

iRent2u.com is in Live Private Beta set to launch publicly November 15th. We will allow a select group of people early access on Nov 8th. This is your chance to be the first to view this exciting new site.

What is iRent2u.com?
It’s the solution to a problem we all have. A way to get more from less. Its an EBay for Rentals, an Online Rental Marketplace. A two sided market that allows people to lend and borrow private assets from each other. Launching with over 1 million items online, it is sure to make a dramatic impact on the over $100 Billion US rental market.

We are Seeking:
Industry experts in Web 2.0; Online Sales and Marketing, Legal Affairs, Business Development, Venture Firms, Avid Online Users, and of course Bloggers & Podcasters.

Would you like to participate? All recommendations and feedback welcome.

Email: feedback@irent2u.com (subject: industry expert) or reply to this question.

Thank You

Popularity: 11% [?]

iRent2u Prepares for Nov. 15th launch…

November 15th is coming up fast, and we are very excited about it. This is the day that we open up iRent2u.com for the whole world to see. Of course we want to show off our baby a little bit, because we think it looks pretty nice (here’s a screenshot), but we are much more excited for its potential to help people.

With this site we have big plans. Specifically we are going to give people a way to change their worlds. Many people would like the chance to change the world, but it is hard to know where to begin. Well we say, start in your garage. Start by taking all those valuable items that you purchased but are now just waisting away in storage and put them online. Take that power drill, that bike you never use, your super 100 foot hose you bought last year, and your extra set of golf clubs. Take those items, and about ten minutes of your time, and put them online for the whole world to use.

By allowing other people to use your valuable but rarely used possessions, you not only make a little money for yourself, you also help your friends and neighbors save a lot of money. Then someday in the future when you need something, you can also borrow it from one of your neighbors saving time and money. The website makes it easy to find what you need, and helps everyone get more from what they already have, be that money or possessions.

Change Your World

A lot of people talk about changing the world. Usually it is a big idea that has the potential to make everyones lives better. We hope to create a system to do this, but in reality it is not a big change, it is a series of many small changes. Last night I saw ‘Evan Almighty’. In the movie, a politician campaigns that if he is put into office he is going to change the world, but when he wins and gets into office he doesn’t know where to begin. At this point God speaks to him and tells him that the way to change the world is by one random act of kindness at a time.

This is what you will be able to do through iRent2u.com. Each time you create a listing for your items on the site you are doing a small act of kindness, creating a way your neighbors can benefit from what you own. Then every time someone borrows something they save money, and you know you helped someone. Add to this the safeguards that ensure your item is returned in the same condition you lent it, and the bonus that you get paid for lending your items, and you have the perfect system. Everyone is helping each other, and they all are better off for it.

People Helping People

We call this our ‘People Helping People’ lending network. And it is our little way to change the world. And once many people start to use it, together we can take all these little changes and create a real movement, and truly make the world a better place to live.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. In some regards the launching of this site is the end of one thousand mile journey, as we have been working on this a long time. On November 15th we start another journey though, and this one will be a lot more fun because we get to take all of you along with us. We can’t wait to hear your stories of how you used the site, or your ideas for how together we can make it better.

Just the Beginning

The site, as it will launch in a couple weeks, is only the beginning. It will shape and grow over time into whatever you want it to be. We know that people are inherently good. They enjoy being able to help their neighbors, reduce pollution, and save money. They enjoy finding ways to meet new friends, and share their experiences. We know that if we give people the right tools, and then give them the power to improve them, we will all be better off for it.

We already know that ‘Together We Have More’. On November 15th, we finally get the chance to put it into action.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Eco Festival - Recap

As you know I (Tim McCormack) spoke Saturday at an event in Malibu called the Wallflower Organic & Eco Festival. You can see pictures from the even here.

Well it turned out to be a fun event, with a lot going on and very interesting speakers. I thought I would give you a quick recap.

I was on the first panel of the day, and it started out better than I expected. We spoke about green investing and the ways that new green startups were being funded and have the potential to change the world. This was of course a great time for me to tell everyone about our upcoming launch, and how iRent2u.com gives everyone the ability to get more from what they already have. They liked the analogy that it is recycling on steroids, because it allows people to cycle around useful items, and not just recreate things from what is otherwise trash.

The resounding message that came from our panel was that there is a revolution occurring right now in the United States. Something happened recently, when Al Gore’s movie caught so much attention, and people are really starting to understand the importance of taking care of the environment, and the potential impact of our enormous national consumption. Because of this, entrepreneurs with incredible inventions have stepped up with great ways that we can make the world more efficient, and thus hopefully reduce our impact on it.

We are seeing huge advances in alternative energies, with everything from solar to alternative oils popping up all over. Additionally new technologies that reduce energy consumption, reduce pollution and save money are also more common.

Plus there are many companies like ours, who offer unique new ways to get more from less. All of these together, along with a growing trend towards green investments, have the great possibility to change the world. It is exciting and inspiring, and you could feel a real buzz at the event.

Speakers throughout the day included such well known activists as Robert Craymer of RC Green, who recently did Live Earth and creates toxin free furniture.

We spoke after his panel, and he really likes our idea. He said that he would like to cover us on his blog, so check in a couple weeks and we may be there.

Also in attendance was Ed Begley Jr., who on top of acting and speaking, also now has his own line of eco-friendly cleaning supplies, called Begley’s Best. Check out his store here

As you probably know I co-host a podcast regarding emerging green technologies with Robert Mechielsen of StudioRMA. He spoke on a couple panels, and talked a lot about his new building system that is 80% more energy efficient than normal homes, is highly earthquake resistant, hurricane resistant, has a fire rating 400% higher than the normal home, and is virtually impervious to all insects and vermin! Wow. It is called SCIP and has the ability to revolutionize the housing market in the US.

Another person I met was Lisa Osborne, of Lisa.fm. She interviewed me after the panel, and so you may get to hear my voice on her show sometime in the next couple of weeks. I will let you know when it is posted. Lisa seemed to be particularly interested in what the majority of people can do to help, and a common theme that was heard yesterday is “voting with your dollars”. The idea behind that is to try to understand what companies you are purchasing from, and buy from companies that sponsor sustainable and healthy business practices.

Well there was more, like a fuel additive that reduces emissions and increases performance on your car, as well as shirts made from bamboo and cars that run on cooking grease, but this is enough for now. Suffice it to say that it was an interesting event and I was glad to be able to feature our company to such a lively and motivated crowd.

Popularity: 11% [?]

New Screenshots!

A lot is happening at iRent2u.com right now, and to all of you who aren’t presently alpha testers we would like to give you a little peak behind the curtain.

We will migrate these shots over to the “How” page, but we wanted to get them out as quick as possible. We have made a lot of changes, and in all things are working to make the site as easy to use as possible.

Here is a shot of the home page. Not too much new here, but it’s always nice to start the day at home.

Home Page

Next we have a sneak peak at Search Results page. Again, the changes may not be immediately obvious, but they are important. We have adjusted the results by user feedback, added more icons for ease-of-use, and improved the way search results and categorized.

Search Results Page

Next we have a peak at our message center. Of course our users want the opportunity to chat to each other about the different transactions they are executing.

Message Center

Another sneak peak is of our Lending Wizard. Many of our users said that they want the process of listing an item to be as easy as possible. We listened, and created a great listing wizard to walk users through the process of putting their items online.

Lending Wizard

Our final new screen shot for the day is of the view you have of your own item once it is listed on the site. From here you can easily see the details of the item, when it is available, and either make it available or take it offline.

Item Management Screen

Hope you like the new screen shots. If you are interested in being one of our alpha testers, let me know. We are pretty stingy about who we give these invites out to, but if you make a good case I might be able to sneak it by the team. =^)

Popularity: 4% [?]

Quick Facts About iRent2u™:

• A simple to use website (www.iRent2u.com)
• A place to rent anything TO or FROM anyone
• EBay for Rentals
• The “Online Rental Marketplace”™

Features & Benefits:

• No Risk – Try the service for free, because we have no upfront listing fees. Forget your worries about paying lots of money to a marketing company or publication without knowing if it will return sales.

• Safety – Sure you could list your stuff on CraigsList, but you have no idea if you will ever see it again. We provide deposit systems to make sure you don’t lose everything, user feedback so you know who you can trust, and optional insurance to really protect your assets.

• Do it Online – Online reservation systems are shown to improve sales. One customer implemented an online ordering system and had a 23% increase in the first month.

• You Keep Control – Do sales the way it makes sense for you, not us. Publish your prices, or keep them secret. Allow discounts for frequent customers, or charge everyone the same rate. Deliver to them, or have them pick it up where you want. Either way, you control the process.

• Conquer the Internet – If you know how to do online marketing and search engine optimization, and can create an easy to use website, you can make lots of money online. But that is not easy to do! Now we make it easy because we handle all the tricky stuff for you. We are experts in the internet. We bring customers to you, you just need to supply the goods!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Alpha Testing to Start This Week!

For everyone keeping track, we have reached a great milestone.Our website is now ready for alpha testing!

What is alpha testing you may ask? Well I could tell you but then I’d have to…

Oh well, I’ll just tell you.

According to Wikipedia (my favorite resource for knowledge), alpha testing is:

“simulated or actual operational testing by potential users/customers or an independent test team at the developers’ site.”

Huh? simulated operational testing? You want it in regular English?

Basically what it means is that we have gotten so far with the site it is time for OTHER people to test it. This is right on schedule, as we had predicted letting the world in on our little secret in the beginning of September. That means now!

Unfortunately we cannot make it totally public yet (believe me, we would love to). We want to have some of our good friends test it out themselves first. That way if there are any obvious mistakes we can get rid of them before you, our most precious asset, gets a chance to run amok on the site.

So this week we send out some invitations to some very specific people we have chosen for specific reasons (ooh, sounds intriguing).

Besides that, a lot is going on. Much more than I can talk about here. Keep watching, you are going to see some really neat things pop up over the next couple of months!

Is this the first you have heard of iRent2u.com? Go check out our quick survey for a detailed understanding of our revolutionary new concept! http://www.surveymonkey.com

Look for something fun this Wednesday (tomorrow night). We are going to have a little contest for our readers!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Welcome TreeHugger Readers!

Today I received a very nice surprise. The exact kind of surprise a new business owner and fervent blog writer loves to receive. Our company made it onto TreeHugger!

For anyone who has not seen the article, you can read it here.

I have been a long time reader of TreeHugger, and saw the post that Tamara had done on a similar site in Europe, Erento.com - but I was sure happy to see that we hadn’t fallen through the cracks in our efforts to bring this excellent opportunity to the United States.

For anyone who is curious to learn more about our service, click here to take our short survey. Make sure to leave your email address at the end and we will send you updates for when our site launches.

In the article, Tamara makes a very important point. I have quoted her here:

“Rental” has typically been synonymous with the less affluent that can’t afford to buy something outright, so instead pays an ongoing fee for the receipt of using it. But in a world of finite natural resources, waste and the legacy of post consumer goods becoming everyone’s issue, renting and not having the burden of owning and then dealing with the disposal or storage of goods is a compelling proposition.

We all feel that this is a very exciting time in the world. While we are confronted with so many important issues, we are also faced with incredible opportunities. We fully believe that together we can find solutions that will make sense for everyone, and make the world a better place to live.

It is really an honor to make it onto a blog that we respect so much. Again we would like to welcome all the new visitors we have from TreeHugger, and extend a special “Thank You” to Tamara for writing such a nice article about us.

Popularity: 16% [?]