TaxRelief.net – Tax Relief Network

If you find yourself staring down the IRS in an audit, according to data provided by Google one of the first things you’ll do is search for a tax attorney in your geographic area. The next is start searching for other tax relief solutions. In some cases a little free information can help you as well. In most cases though, it really pays to hire a professional. TaxRelief.net knows exactly how to address each individual’s unique situation. There are so many variables that can effect what kind of settlement can be reached that it’s not something that can be so easily decided. It’s pretty scary but lot’s of individuals are spending time behind bars for tax evasion. Jesse James’ ex-wife has just finished up a six month sentence. She obviously didn’t find it necessary to secure good representation. Dealing with the IRS or and audit isn’t something that you just leave to chance or fate. Don’t try to solve the matter yourself. Unless it’s a very minor infraction or a very small amount of money, get a great tax attorney right away.

TaxRelief.net is one of the leading providers in the country. If you are having serious tax problems we suggest that you visit their website soon. Or you can call them direct at 1-800-795-5101

BreastEnhancement.com – Interview With The Founders

When women are researching breast augmentation ( or breast enhancement ) there’s a lot of information available. More than a dozen sites can provide you with the information required to make an informed decision. BreastEnhancement.com sets the bar even higher, by providing consumers with access to industry leading information along with the ability to connect directly with Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeons. In some cases women can have an open dialog and ask question from surgeons even before an initial consultation directly through the website.

Sean Orr and Sean Sullivan are the founders of BreastEnhancement.com. SinglePill.com sat down with the two entrepreneurs to find out exactly what they’re trying to accomplish with their company.

SinglePill – “There are already a lot of companies who provide consumers with these same services,  what exactly makes BreastEnhancement.com different?”

Sean Sullivan – “Well Sean and I believe that our operation can offer better quality information as well as provide consumers with access to a field of more skilled surgeons. Our business model is different from most if not all of our competitors, so that allows us to be more selective in whom we allow to advertise within our directory.”

Sean Orr - “The consumers who are visiting our site need to feel comfortable and have confidence that all of the information we provide is accurate as possible. Cosmetic surgery, while in most cases not a life saving procedure is still a very serious undertaking and one that can’t be treated lightly.”

Sean Sullivan – “Our primary concern is the women who rely on us to make a well informed decision. Everything we do from the design of our site, the companies we partner with to the social and health initiatives we undertake all are based around helping women make the right decision. Cosmetic surgery is not for everyone, we make that clear from the beginning.”

SinglePill.com – “So from a surgeons perspective, what makes you different from your competitors?”

Sean Sullivan – “Simply put, we offer exclusivity. By that I mean we only allow a very small percentage of Board Certified Surgeons within our directory. Our model only allows us to offer advertising space to two surgeons per county. It allows us to be very selective and also provides an unmatched return on investment for our surgeons.”

SinglePill.com – “Can you elaborate on that a bit?”

Sean Orr – “Imagine if you were a business owner and the YellowPages came to you and said they were going to offer you deal where only you and one other business will be listed in their entire book, that’s essentially what we’re doing. Instead of sharing advertising space with thirty surgeons you’re only sharing it with one.”

SinglePill.com – “Doesn’t that negatively effect your company, essentially cost you and your investors money?”

Sean Sullivan – “I think that isn’t an accurate assumption. For one, we want clients who are overwhelmingly pleased with us. I’d prefer to have 1,000 surgeons nationwide who are going to be clients for as long as they are in practice. The other option is to have 20,000 clients who aren’t getting that same return on investment and who might not stay or end up raving about our company to their peers. Some of the most successful companies have focused on making their clients so happy that they end up becoming evangelists for them.”

Sean Orr – “Then there’s the issue of quality control and experience for our visitors. We want it to feel like a more personalized service. We find that because our visitors feel like they’re being more attended to and in many cases getting those necessary primary questions out of the way it leads to a more pleasant experience for them and more consultations for our surgeons.”

Sean Sullivan – “We also have other avenues that allow BreastEnhancement.com to earn revenue. Again our primary goal is the experience for our visitors. As long as we take care of that, everyone will benefit. In regard to our investors, they’re in agreement with our company philosophy. I don’t believe they’re worried either, we’re fielding a lot of calls regarding partnerships, mergers or even an outright acquisition. “

SinglePill.com – “What are these other revenue sources?”

Sean Orr – “We can’t go into that yet. We can say that we do have product sponsorship agreements in place.”

SinglePill.com – “What are your goals with this newly acquired domain BreastCancer.net?”

Sean Sullivan – “Our plans are to build out a non-profit organization who will help educate women (and men) about the dangers of breast cancer and what steps need to be taken in order to detect this deadly disease before it’s too late. We also are in the planning stages of launching a program that will help breast cancer survivors whom have had a mastectomy or double mastectomy raise the funding necessary for their reconstructive surgery.”

Sean Orr – “We have quite a bit planned over the next few months, we’d really like to check back in with you then about some new developments.”

SinglePill.com – “Well we appreciate your time and thank you for the interview.”

Sean Sullivan – “Thank you.”

Sean Orr – “Thank you.”

ImageShack.us shells out big for ImageShack.com

Back in January ImageShack.us paid an undisclosed sum to Steven Baxt to aquire the domain name ImageShack.com. Ownership of the domain name changed hands on the 20th of that month. ImageShack attempted to obtain the domain via WIPO in 2005 but  were denied. At the time of the transaction the domain had 35,000 unique visitors a month. We wrote an article that described an unamed start-up that was attempting to enter a market where they’re fighting multiple eight hundred pound gorillas with an obscure company name and a .us domain extension. It’s not necessary to have a category killing domain, but it certainly helps. I would say that in most cases you should secure the .com (or at least the .net) extension of your company name. 95% of the time if your company takes off you’re going to end up paying for it anyway. Most likely it will be a much higher premium.

ImageShack continues to use the .us extension as their url address.

 

 

Our 2009 MLB MVP Award Predictions

Last year we did fairly well in our predictions. We were surprised with Dustin Pedroia’s selection. He was our favorite but we thought that it might be going to Josh Hamilton. This year the MVP race in both leagues is pretty cut and dry.

Let’s start with the NL. Pujols. Really need I say more. He’s batting .331 with 124 Runs, 47 HR, 135 RBI, 185 Hits and tied a career high with 16 stolen bases. It’s like another day (season) at the office for this guy. He’s a dead lock, no question.

That being said, if Pujols ws playing in the AL well then Ryan Braun would be my pick. The kid has batted .318 with 111 Runs, 31 HR, 111 RBI, 19 Stolen Bases and he’s collected 200 hits, the only person to do so in the NL. If he wasn’t blessed with having to bat ahead of Prince Fielder he might have a few more RBI’S as well.

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder, they have nearly identical statistics. .295 40+ HR 140+ RBI, tons of strike outs. Also worth mentioning, Matt Kemp. Guy nearly joined the 30/30 club while leading the Dogers to the playoffs.

Our Pick: Pujols

Probable Winner: Pujols

The American League race is being more debated but in reality Joe Mauer is going to walk away with it pretty easily. The Gold Glove catcher (that’s important to note) is on his way to his third batting title in four years. He’s batting .365 with 91 Runs, 28 HR, 96 RBI and nearly 200 hits. Oh and he missed nearly 20 games with an early season injury. The guy is just clutch and he’s been the driving force on the Twins in their race for the playoffs this season. He’s making the biggest contribution both at the plate and on the field for this team, that says a whole lot about this guy.

Derek Jeter is having a career year at 35, kudos. Derek’s batting .333 with 107 runs, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 30 stolen bases and second in the league with 210 hits. He also broke Lou Gherigs record for most hits by a Yankee. All that said, he’s playing on a loaded line up and wouldn’t have had as much success without it. I think that statistically comparing like numbers, Carl Crawford is more deserving than Jeter.

Honorable Mentions: Carl Crawford, batted .300 with 15+ HR, 97 Runs, 70 RBI, 185+ Hits and 60+ stolen bases.  Miguel Cabrera, another natural. .325 Avg, 100 Runs, 30+ HR, 100+ RBI. Oh and let’s no forget the two surprises from Toronto. Adam Lind and Aaron Hill. Both put up similar numbers, roughly .300 average 35+ HR, 100 Runs and 100+ RBI neither one steals any bases and that’s for the Blue Jays! Get those guys on the Red Sox, whoa then you’ll really see some production.

Our Pick: Mauer

Probable Winner: Mauer

BusinessWeek sold off @ Fire Sale Price!

Bloomberg L.P. said Tuesday that it will acquire BusinessWeek magazine from McGraw-Hill  for an amount rumored to be in the neighborhood of $2 to $5 million. Recently there had been speculation that it might be sold off for $1 (yes, one dollar) in a deal that would be similar to the one that was negotiated between Macrovision and Open Gate Capital for TVGuide. We’re going to investigate to try to find specifics on the liabilities that Bloomberg might be taking on with this deal. Interestingly the online unit is most likely the real asset in the deal. BusinessWeek.com has more than five million unique visitors each month according to Compete.com

For any media publisher the website has great value. If an investment firm had bought out the publication there’s a very good chance that 80% of the staff would be let go. You could simply outsource your online ad sales to a broker and then keep some of the exsisting sales staff on board for the print sales.

Sadly this is where all print publication is heading. This is purely speculative but I might consider reducing news stand distrubution down to 20% and cut subscription prices by 80% and focus on online ad revenue. Reward loyal readers, try to gain new direct subscribers from the website and stop the bleeding. Otherwise there’s only so many companies that will be able to be rolled up and hope to survive.

BreastEnhancement.com Acquires Competitor

We’ve just received word that BreastEnhancement.com has acquired www.plasticsurgerypages.com for an undisclosed amount. We’re scheduled to have an official interview with the company later on this month. We don’t have any other further details on this transaction, but below if an official statement (unrelated to this story) from BreastEnhancement.com

“At BreastEnhancement.com we take pride in providing consumers with access to not only the most current information regarding cosmetic surgery but also the ability to connect directly with the top Board Certified cosmetic surgeons in their area. BreastEnhancement.com is very selective in who we allow to partner with our company. We feel that it is an absolute necessity for us to maintain the highest standards in our operations as that is what we ask of the cosmetic surgeons in our directory.

Breast augmentation is the second most popular (invasive) procedure in the United States, which is why we have so much information available within our site.

Visitors to BreastEnhancement.com have access to a wealth of knowledge regarding many types of cosmetic surgeries and procedures. We’re partnered with an industry leader in post procedure recovery garments. Just as much thoughtful planning and precision needs to taken with post operative recovery as went into the surgery.

In addition BreastEnhancement.com has an entire information database where consumers will not only be able to find answers to the many question they might have regarding the cosmetic surgery produce they are considering but the ability to submit questions to industry experts and communicate directly with some doctors even before their initial consultation.

At BreastEnhancement.com we’re far more than an advertising directory. We feel that we’re helping connect consumers with the information that they need in order to make an informed decision on such an important life changing event.”

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize!

President Barack Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. More news on this to come. Fox News should be all abuzz for the next week or so…

The Nobel Committee has awarded it to President Obama for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.

There were a record 205 nominations for this year’s prize.

The honor was voted on by a five member panel, awards a gold medal, diploma and 10m Swedish kronor ($1.4 million dollars)

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the Norwegian committee said as the prize was announced.

“His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

Mike Arrington of Techcrunch Is Afraid Of The Truth.

Mike Arrington recently posted a glowing testimate to Cash 4 Gold. It seemed as if he did little to no actual investigation into their business practices or the investigation by Consumer Reports. He got a lot of criticism in the comments so many in fact that he felt it was necessary to write a follow up explaining why he’s right and that after researching Cash 4 Gold he finds nothing wrong with their business practices. In fact he thinks that most of the negative comments were from haters essentially jealous of such a wildly profitable business.

Uh huh. Well we tried posting a follow up comment. In it we basically pointed out that according to the report from Consumer Reports C4G doesn’t pay anywhere close to the 50% of spot price that they like to claim. Like in this recent press release. In fact they only offered Consumer Reports 10 to 15% of the spot price for the gold that they sent in. Mike didn’t like that.

Mike claims that he digs deep when preparing a post about a business. We simply pointed out that it didn’t seem like he did. We also pointed out that we morally object to a business claiming to offer top dollar for a persons valuables and then not delivering on that promise.

We also pointed out that Techcrunch seems to be the only (non paid) publication (online or print) that has done a profile of Cash 4 Gold that hasn’t mentioned some of the controversy around them. We like reading TC, we just feel that Mike rushed this article out without any real objectivity and obviously doesn’t like it being pointed out in his publication.We also said that his financial data seemed incorrect based on figures released by C4G and that overall his article seemed to be nothing more than a puffed up PR piece handed over to him by his “inside source” at C4G. Our post was quickly deleted. Well he’s got the right to censor comments that he doesn’t like.

Only time will tell if the other posts will stay put.

Mike Arrington

mike4

How much is Cash 4 Gold Gold Really Making And For How Long?

Mike Arrington of Techcrunch recently profiled C4G on his influential blog. He stated that according to an inside source;

“It’s more than surprising that the company raked in $90 million in revenue in the first year of operations according to a source close to the company. Profit, even after paying out cash to sellers and a huge marketing spend, was in the $30 million range. Revenues in 2009 are on track to hit $160 million, says our source, with a similar profit margin. That implies $50 million or so in 2009 profits.”

Wow, that’s a lot of smelted gold. In case you’ve been living under a rock, didn’t watch the SuperBowl or aren’t in dire straights financially C4G according to it’s CEO and founder Jeff Aronson is a “disruptive company”. Which essentially gives consumers the ability to sell unwanted jewelry direct from their home. No more traveling to the local pawn shop in that nasty part of town. C4G has been under a lot of scrutiny (although none of which is mentioned in Arrington’s article) for their business practices. There have been many claims from postings by alleged former employees, ripped off consumers and even Consumer Reports.

This is directly from the consumer reports investigation;

Consumer Reports, using its “mystery shopper” team, sent 24 identical gold pendants and chains (purchased for $175 each) to Cash4Gold.com and its competitors. The determined melt value of the jewelry was calculated at around $70 each when gold was above $900 an ounce. In comparison with pawn shop and Jewelry store quotes (which ranged from $25 to $50), Cash4Gold.com quoted between $7.60~$12.72 melt value for the jewelry. Similar low quotes were also given by Cash4Gold.com competitors GoldKit (around $7.81~$20.59) and GoldPaq (around $8.22~$13.11).

Other accounts on the internet only seem to further speculate that consumers will receive the least for their gold when doing business with C4G. There have also been accounts by alleged former employees whom have said that the call center is run in a very boiler room type fashion. The customer service reps receive bonuses based on how little they can get a consumer to agree to accept for their gold.

In Arrington’s profile on Techcrunch he states that 2009 revenue is on track for $160 million. Wikipedia states that C4G is selling 3,000 to 4,000 ounces of gold each week. While Bloomberg media (with information provided by C4G) stated that they “typically sell 6,000 ounces of gold a week”. The current “spot price” for gold is right around $1,000 per ounce. So that means that C4G is pulling in $6 million a week in sales. Based on Techcrunch’s insider information that should net them almost $2 million a week or well over $100 million in profits by years end. Wow.

Hey if you’re a little nervous about sinking money back into the market, Aronson has the gold smelted into 1000 ounce bars (which weigh about 63lbs) which would be easy to bury in the back yard or hide in a secure safe. Just be ready to cut a check for a cool million.

So what’s up with the huge difference in Arrington’s numbers and ours? Why would C4G give him such paltry figures for publication? Especially for a company that just took on VC money from Mangrove Capital Partners. One can only speculate.

It’s pretty easy to calculate that if not for C4G paying out (based on the Consumer Reports data) 10 to 15% of the spot price of the gold they wouldn’t be so profitable. Their overhead employing 350+ people, call center and smelting facilities doesn’t come cheap. However I feel that their marketing costs must take the largest bite out of their operating budget. C4G only advertises on TV, from late night infomercial type spots to SuperBowl ads featuring cash strapped celebrities. There’s some huge advantages in trying to acquire your clients via “infomercial” style ads, statistically those consumers are less likely to purchase items via the internet.

Well so what? Well if one were to see an ad on the internet for C4G you might be inclined to read up on them to see if they’re legit. As of this posting if you Google “Cash 4 Gold” five out of the first ten results essentially call their operation a RIP OFF. The rest of the remaining spots (excluding the #1 spot) are taken by their competitors.  It might be a little more difficult to convert that prospective web based lead into a sale. Having them call the 800 number for their “refiners return pak” is a much better alternative.

An interesting aside C4G has a direct competitor, Cash For Gold (United Jewelry Buyers) which no doubt is reaping the rewards of Cash 4 Gold’s aggressive marketing.

It remains to be seen if this company can withstand the storm of negative PR. There will always be desperate people who fall for good marketing but I think that this company has a limited shelf life, certainly if they don’t begin to “refine” their image. I asked  a dozen people what they know about Cash 4 Gold and all of them essentially said it’s a rip off operation. That kind of bad PR will eventually cut their margins lower and lower. No matter how many television ads you run you won’t be able to outrun your reputation.

If I were Aronson I’d start stocking away some of those gold bars soon, if he hasn’t already.

UPDATE!

We just discovered a press release from C4G in which they’re offering Terry Herbert who discovered 1,500 pieces of gold, weighing a total of 16 lbs $164,000! Wow, that translates to about 62% of market spot price. Hey why not just make 50% of spot price your locked in rate for all transactions. Press Release

Conan’s Ratings Are Going To Dip, But Dave’s In Deep!

This will be a very interesting look into the average Americans psyche. It’s quite possible that Dave Letterman will now draw a larger audience over the next couple of weeks. People will tune in to ponder at the perv Dave, wondering if he’s even wearing pants underneath that desk. No doubt now that the story has been broken via an alleged extortion plot from a 27 year CBS employee some of the ladies will come forth. Admitting to bedding Dave Letterman hasn’t got to be at the top of most women’s lists. Even if you’re going back to 1996 when it’s alleged that Letterman got involved with his assistant, a Ms. Stephanie Birkitt. He’s not exactly what most nineteen and twenty year old women find hot.

It remains to be seen if Letterman will avoid the axe at CBS. He might lose some viewers in more conservative households but he might pick up steam with younger demographics who view him as the “old guy on the old network”. His numbers will see a major boost, whether it lasts or if he has a permanent job only time will tell.

NBC should be able to rest easy knowing it’s new late night replacement Conan O’Brien probably has too much Catholic guilt to get caught up in such a nasty (potentially litigious) ordeal. Images of Bill O’Reilly with a falafel conjure to conflict with that assertion.

We would wish Dave the best but it’s a little gross thinking of him being so old and using his position of power to be sexually involved with “women” (stressed as in projecting dozens) working on his show. Ironically Dave was the big loser via a sex scandal. Hugh Grant got busted with a hooker, Leno got the late night confession and it sent Dave’s ratings into a free fall. One that lasted for nearly a decade. IF Dave can spin this in his favor, he really will be the master of “Late Night” television.

Dave’s confession below. You can skip his whiney story about being extorted to 7:25 to hear the actual admission.