Metro Innovation founder publishes Startup book for entrepreneurs on a budget

A year ago, Cincinnati Innovates founder and VC investor Elizabeth Edwards vowed to start her own company, and bootstrapped it. Today she wants to help other entrepreneurs do the same. Edwards, of Oakley, in a style befitting her business advice, just self-published her first book Startup: the complete handbook for launching a company for less. Part how-to, part resource, the book is partially based on her experience starting Metro Innovation, a consulting company aimed at upping entrepreneurial investment across the Midwest and South. She started the company after leaving her job as a Neyer Holdings Venture Capital Investor. The 400-page book covers cost effective ways to start a business including the areas of finance, branding and PR, accounting and law.  She offers readers a comprehensive place to find tools that don't break the bank, but are up to industry standards across business types. "The cost for starting the average tech company has gone way down. Ten years ago it was $1 million; today it's 65,000. When I started (Metro Innovation), I knew I could do it for less," Edwards said. "I did it for $5,000, and then I wrote a book about it." The book is geared toward a wide variety of entrepreneurs from freelance writers and coffee shop owners to landscapers and techies. Current technology geared toward the small business owner drastically has reduced the costs of starting a new business, she said, especially in the important areas of branding and marketing. There are a myriad of tools that can slash the costs of everyday business needs like an office phone line, project management and accounting tools. "I have a lot of do-it-yourself guides in the book," she said. The book outlines ways to finance a business including through Small Business Administration loans, investors, grants and more. For those contemplating starting a business, Edwards walks through the questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves before deciding if a business is feasible and has profit potential. The new author believes the timing is right up for Startup because the economy has forced many people to create their own work opportunities. "The main inspiration is the economy," Edwards said. "A lot of the people are very talented, especially recent college grads, in any other job market would be very sought after. They now find themselves out of job and entrepreneurship is a real viable career path." You can find the buy the book online here. It will be available in major bookstores and on Kindle in mid-January, Edwards said. Writer: Feoshia Henderson Source: Elizabeth Edwards, author Startup founder Metro Innovation You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites

Northern KY attorney launches ScannerShirts to protect passenger modesty at the airport

Improving the city: David Ginsburg of DCI

David Ginsburg, President and CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., was designated the Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year award by Smart Business. Ginsburg focuses on helping Downtown Cincinnati promote vitality by working with partners to improve the city and make downtown the "dynamic metropolitan center valued as the heart of the region." Ginsburg has worked with the organization for more than fifteen years.Read the full story here.

North College Hill among America’s best, affordable places to raise kids

North College Hill ranked among "America's Best, Affordable Places to Raise Kids." Ten miles from downtown, the area offers affordable housing for middle-income families, proximity to employment hubs, decent public schools, and low crime rates. Read the full story here.

Cincinnati among most charitable cities in America

Cincinnati landed the number seven spot on Bundle's most charitable cities in America. The survey collected data for the month of December, which is the most giving month of the year. Bundle used numbers for online donations per 1,000 people, the average online donation amount per 1,000 people, the number of nonprofit associations by city, and the average spending on charity from July 2009 to June 2010.Read the full story here.

Famed designer says DAAP one of few design schools not failing their students

Famed designer,Gadi Amit, questions if design schools are failing their students. As Amit reviewed candidate's portfolios to join his growing team, he noticed the lack of quality in student's work. According to Amit, fortunately the one U.S. exception is the University of Cincinnati with "an excellent program and very solid graduates." Read the full story here.

Blood test to spot cancer gets big boost from J&J

A blood test so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor's office, and health care giant Johnson & Johnson is joining forces to bring it to market. Four big cancer centers also will start studies using the experimental test this year.Read the full story here.

Children’s Hospital part of mother’s crusade against rare form of muscular dystrophy

Children's Hospital part of mother's crusade against rare form of muscular dystrophy. A mother of two sons with Duhenne Muscular Dystrophy in Middletown, Ohio is an activist for research for a cure. She also helped lobby congress to pass legislation in order to fund research and founded the organization Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. Cincinnati's Children's Hospital is the leading clinical treatment center for Duhenne in the country. Read the full story here.

AdRogues.com broadens opportunities for creative class, advertisers

Tom Hagerty has spent much of his professional life in the advertising business.  And while the means of delivering effective advertising continues to evolve, the crux of a good campaign remains the same: creativity and innovation.Today, companies increasingly are turning to the digital world to capture buyers' attention. But Hagerty, a Pleasant Ridge ad consultant, saw an opportunity by using the same technology to link smaller ad agencies or individuals to companies looking for a great advertising campaign."In the ad business, the Web had been nothing more than a revenue source. The technology itself has not been used to create additional opportunities," Hagerty said.That's why he created AdRouges.com, a site that links creative types like writers, graphic designers and producers with advertisers. The site launched in BETA in November.Hagerty, AdRouges founder and CEO, sees the site as a way for smaller agencies and creative individuals can gain access to more marketplace opportunities. "They are people who have big ideas, but no access to brands because they're not big enough to capture brands," Hagerty said. "That doesn't mean they don't have good, creative ideas or don't know how to deal with strategy. It simply means they don't have access."Here's how AdRouges works. Those on the creative side can purchase a membership to AdRouges, the fees range from free to 59.95 a month depending on the level of service and use on which a member decides. Members can then post ideas and pitches through the site in a secure manner which only they and advertisers can access."They're actually pitching their ideas, from briefs to full commercials. It's unrestricted by length or language," Hagerty said.Advertisers, who can sign up for free, can peruse the ideas. If they see a concept or pitch they like, they can get in touch with the creator and pay them for their work. AdRouges is then paid a commission."They shop for the concept they want, and the characteristics they are looking for. They can also create a relationship with the creative by looking at other work after the initial purchase is made," Hagerty said.The site has built-in protection of ideas. Only subscriber advertisers can view them, and the site has strict condition of use terms, an intellectual property protection statement and an FBI-type warning prior to each viewing and posting session. AdRouges also applies watermarks and bars downloading or emailing postings before a sale. The site also tracks URLs.Hagerty says the site has already gotten some positive feedback, and more than 100 members have signed up. Forty percent of site traffic is outside the U.S. and the AdRouges has been viewed in 39 countries.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Tom Hagerty, founder and CEO AdRouges.comYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites