While other home improvement retailers struggle to cope with the slumping housing industry, Home Depot already has plans to win the retail wars this holiday shopping season. The home improvement giant will be offering a gift card with rectangular plastic that doubles as a DVD. The initiative, which starts next month, will feature 25-minute how-to videos like how to install a faucet or how to hang a ceiling fan. "Consumers know that in-store demos are the cornerstone of our brand so this is not a promotion; it's a strategic offer that we're making to our consumers with no up-charge," said Manish Shrivastava, president of Home Depot Incentives.

Pre-paid cards are, according to the National Retail Federation, a $76 billion industry. Circuit City was one of the first retailers to introduce the idea of the interactive gift card last year.

Parents who saw AT&T's Smart Limits program as an end to their problems with extravagant phone bills will need to start monitoring their kids again. AT&T suspended the service on Saturday due to a problem it discovered with its phone restrictions, according to a USA Today story.

As we told you a few weeks ago, the Smart Limits service enabled parents to place limits on their kids' cell phone usage. Parents could control the amount and usage of air minutes, text messages and even downloads, as well as when their kids could make and receive calls. Part of the service allowed emergency calls to 911 to override any restrictions parents had placed on the phones. However, while the user could make the emergency call, spokesman Michael Coe said a 911 operator wouldn't be able to call back if the conversation was disconnected for some reason. Coe added that the user could still call the 911 operator back, and that this scenario has not yet happened to their knowledge.

AT&T is currently contacting users about the problem and crediting their accounts, but the company has not given an indication of when the service will be reactivated. Until then, start taking those phones away again.--Kevin Manahan

If you could use some help spreading the word about your small business, let Google lend a helping hand. Google's now offering an ad creation tool to help advertisers develop newspaper ads using pre-designed templates. The tool itself is free, though it's only available to AdWords advertisers. Marketers can also search through Google's inventory of 450 newspapers and chat directly with Print Ads account representatives.

In February, we performed an experiment to see just how dirty the average desktop really is. According to the expert we interviewed, the average desktop harbors 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. To counteract statistics like these, companies are making antimicrobial office supplies. According to an ad on BuyOnlineNow.com, germs can stay active on hard surfaces for days, but by using these office products, you can prevent their growth. The site also recommends keeping antibacterial soap and instant hand sanitizer nearby.

Chill Out LA founder Erin Mahoney-Harris knew her 3-year-old spa-rating website was in desperate need of a makeover. "The readers love us; the business loves us. I know the potential is there, but I need somebody with the business acumen to take us to the next level," said Mahoney-Harris. So internet marketing expert David Towers stepped in to give her struggling site a new, hopefully more profitable, attitude. This year, revenues may hit about $20,000, and Mahoney-Harris wants to change that.

The website actually grew out of a failed book proposal on affordable spas. Now, Mahoney-Harris uncovers spa deals in Los Angeles, targeting local health and beauty devotees. Towers reviewed her operation and offered several key changes to help the website thrive. First, Towers pointed out the site needed "spa colors, sexy photographs and a Zen-like appeal." And while Mahoney-Harris was focusing on finding national advertisers and revenue sources, Towers suggested she try to create a personality for the site and develop a loyal user community by blogging and creating a site on Facebook and MySpace. To find out what other suggestions Towers had for Chill Out LA, check out the rest of this LA Times article.

If your firm could use a free makeover, send an e-mail to bizmakeover@latimes.com with a brief description of your company and its challenges.

They lined up at midnight by the thousands and attended party launches across the country. But they weren't dressed up like Harry Potter. They were fans of Halo 3, the third installment of the Halo video game series starring Master Chief. Microsoft Corp. announced today that the hot game raked in sales of $170 million on its first day--about $50 million more than its predecessor in 2004. Microsoft is counting on the success of Halo 3, the final chapter in the trilogy, to ramp up the company's declining entertainment unit. But experts aren't so sure this one event will save Microsoft in the long run. "This is an event thing around Halo 3 and that will eventually run out, while the Wii continues as an ongoing engaging platform," said Rob Enderle of Enderle Associates.

If you consider yourself an accident-prone entrepreneur, this laptop's for you. The latest version of the Sony VAIO G-Series offers something no other laptop on the market does: protection from spills. Sound impossible? The water-proofing measures involve discharging water from a "water pit" in the back of the laptop. The laptop will even shut down when there's simply too much water for it to handle. Right now, the laptop's only available in Japan, where it sells for between $1,350 and $2,400.

For more cool technologies found abroad not yet available in the U.S., check out this list.

In July, AOL co-founder Steve Case hinted to us about the possibility of his new business venture, Revolution LLC, launching a credit operating platform. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports it's happening. The internet-based payment system would cut merchants' costs by about 75 percent. Revolution Money will provide an online money-transfer service and a credit card (RevolutionCard) with lower interchange fees. According to Revolution, merchants pay about 1.9 percent per transaction. The company says with its new payment system, those merchants could slash fees to 0.5 percent.

Revolution also is launching Revolution MoneyExchange--a payment platform for social and instant messaging networks. With it, consumers can safely transfer funds to anyone, even merchants, for free. So far, the program is only available in beta form to an invitation-only list, but it should be available to the masses before 2008.

In May, we told you about some legislation passed by the House Small Business Committee, including one bill creating new Women's Business Centers across the country. Now, we have an update from a blog on Washingtonpost.com. Last week, lawmakers scrutinized the SBA for repeatedly failing to comply with laws aiding women-owned businesses. During the hearing, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) grilled the deputy administrator, saying the agency is sending the message "we're not interested in doing business with women." Velazquez also brought up the fact that the agency still hasn't implemented legislation signed into law seven years ago to help aid women with federal procurement issues. Originally, the SBA had testified that the program would be implemented by September 30, but now it's saying it can't meet that deadline.

At one point, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) asked Anoop Prakash, the associate administrator in the SBA's Office of Entrepreneurial Development, "Do deadlines mean anything [to you]?" Under pressure from Kerry, Prakash agreed that the SBA would implement new legislation that provides permanent funding to the Women's Centers within the next 120 days.

The CW network, formerly the WB, is offering fans of their new series Gossip Girl the chance to dress like their favorite characters. Fans log on to the series' website, where they can choose from featured designers like Coach, Ralph Lauren and Valentino. Keeping in mind their demographic, they also offer more affordable duds from H&M, along with fashion and style tips. For example, if you pull up the lead character, Serena, you can choose from her $195 belt or her $65 jeans. It's a great concept that makes you wonder why it hasn't already been thought up. Just think how successful it could have been in the peak days of Sex and the City.

A new survey sponsored by RSM McGladrey and the National Association of Women Business Owners has created a profile of today's average woman entrepreneur. After surveying 650 women across the country, the 2007 Survey of Women Business Owners found that women entrepreneurs are more educated. In fact, 40 percent of them have a post-graduate education, compared to 9 percent of the entire female labor force. Here are other key findings from the survey:

• They take more risks. Sixty percent of women surveyed would use up to 95 percent of their personal savings or put up their home as collateral for a loan to start or expand their business.
• They have been successful for a while. More than 60 percent of the businesses surveyed have been in operation six or more years, higher than the 40 percent reported through other surveys for all businesses.
• They started young. Forty percent of businesses with more than $6 million in revenue were started by women between the ages of 20 and 29.
• They can get financed. Less than 6 percent have gone to a bank and never been able to receive financing.
• They have a family life and run a business. Sixty-eight percent are married, higher than the national average of 53 percent for working women. And 67 percent of those surveyed have children.

Some entrepreneurs say the toughest part of building their startup is finding capital. Bang Ventures, a New York-based investment firm, wants to alleviate that problem for three lucky entrepreneurs. You Be the VC is an open call to entrepreneurs with brilliant tech ideas. Applicants must create a profile and fill out an application to be considered. Then, judges will narrow the entries down to the top 20 finalists, who will create a video pitch to be voted on by the public, American Idol style. The winners will spend next summer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with a team of expert consultants, advisors and programmers to build their dream startup company.

According to the Discover Small Business Watch, small-business economic confidence is at its lowest point in a year, mainly because of cash flow issues. The report shows that 46 percent of small-business owners have experienced cash flow issues in the past 90 days, up 5 percent from last month's survey and up 11 percent from July's. But, at the same time, 40 percent believe conditions will improve by year-end, up from 36 percent in August.

Another sign of the times: About one-third of entrepreneurs say they extend credit to their customers. Of those small-biz owners, 64 say their customers have delayed a payment in the past three months.

Entrepreneurs seem to have it all: their own business, loyal employees and the power to make their own schedule and be their own boss. But what about their relationships? Because starting their own business requires so much time, entrepreneurs tend to put their personal relationships on the back burner. That's exactly what ABC's newest Bachelor did in the past--and now, at the age of 34, he's says he's finally ready for love. Brad Womack, from Austin, Texas, is co-owner of four bars along with his two brothers, Chad and Wesley. Thanks to the success of their establishments, the trio is planning to expand into other business ventures, including a hotel.

But despite all his success, Womack says there's something missing in his life. He's ready to settle down and find a woman he can spend the rest of his life with. Tune in to find out if Womack finds that special lady tonight on the season premiere at 9:30 on ABC.

Every office has one: the annoying co-worker who somehow seems to get on everyone's nerves. And according to a SnagAJob.com survey, the worst of the worst are the office "kiss-ups" and "slackers," both receiving about 33 percent of the total vote for the most annoying co-worker. The "gossip hound" followed shortly behind with 18 percent, followed by the "loud talker" (12 percent) and hypochondriac (5 percent). "Work should be fun and as this survey makes clear, it's not fun being surrounded by Eddie Haskells and George Costanzas," said Shawn Boyer, founder and CEO of SnagAJob.com.