Ever heard of Luvocracy?

This week, I read an interesting article on Mashable about a site similar to Pinterest. Luvocracy is site that launched in the fall based on the concept that most products are bought because of recommendations by others. 

The site is constructed similar to Pinterest where each individual can create a board filled with items that they recommend to their friends. In addition, they can use a plug-in to add any items from sites around the web to share with their friends. Another key aspect of the site is that all the products posted on the site must be available to prevent outdated products from being posted. Lastly, the site is working on a program that helps give users a small percentage of the sales that their followers make based on recommendations. 

The concept is quite interesting and I think Pinterest may need to watch its back. Pinterest almost seems more like a site for window shoppers while Luvocracy is for people in the market for a product. Overall, I think the site has a lot of potential to succeed. 

A True Underdog Story

Being that the past week has been all about March Madness, I found an article that epitomizes the story of a true underdog. The story was published on Mashable entitled How this Mom Ussed Gogle To Build  A Global Fashion Brand. We all dream of starting our own company and becoming successful similar to Julie Deane. You may even be asking who is this woman?

Julie Deane started her own company named Cambridge Satchel Company in 2008 with a mere 600 English pound. Essentially, the website was built by Julie after using Google to search for the knowledge and resources. In addition, she was able to research competitors to see if the business would be viable. Following the release of her satchels, she immediately tried to market her product on every free channel available on the internet. In particular, blogs and word-of-mouth become huge sources of accreditation for the company. 

After about 3 years, buzz began to give the brand more prominence. She was asked to produce more vibrant colored satchels for a fashion by a fashion magazine named Elle Uk. These bags were able to make it to bloggers attending New York Fashion week where they really caught the eyes of many people. As a result, the company grew even faster.

Following word of the story, Google Chrome sponsored a story about Deane's idea because of her use of their tools to make the company what it is today. The story aired on Google 2011-2012 allowing the company to increase sales and internet traffic. Overall,  today the company makes over 8 million pound annually with one brick and mortar store that has one floor dedicated to the company's roots, bloggers.

This article from Mashable definitely deserves a read. Cambridge Satchel Company