Archive for December 2008
Great American Hanger CEO, Devon Rifkin, Named Entrepreneur Of The Year
The Miami Herald: The small act of hanging up clothes, which is mundane to most, has become a symbol of success for a Miami-based entrepreneur. Devon Rifkin, 34, the founder and CEO of the Great American Hanger Co. and Hangers.com, has been able to thrive in a field of uncertainty and risk and turn his [...]
Device Turns Air Into Drinking Water
MSNBC: Remember those sweltering summer days when the air was so muggy you could practically drink it? A new home appliance is promising to make that possible by converting outdoor air into nearly 13 quarts of fresh water every day. Originally envisioned as an antidote to the shortage of clean drinking water in the world, [...]
Chinese Web Giant Continues To See Success
Business Week: Like most Chinese Internet companies, instant-messaging champion Tencent has never known anything but fat times. It was a mere infant during the dot-com collapse in 2000, so it avoided most of the pain. And since Tencent went public in 2004, it has built on its lead in instant messaging—both on computers and mobile [...]
Inventor Finds Success In Slumping Economy
lehighvalleyhigh.com: Tom Sulick Jr. said he has always been creative, but it wasn’t until after some unfortunate circumstances that he put that creativity to work. Sulick, 49, of Phillipsburg, lost his job about five years ago when his employer, FiberMark Inc., closed its Holland Township operation. He took the opportunity to learn a new trade [...]
Organic Baby Food Sweet For Local Firm
Washington Business Journal: Mom Made Foods just hit the bull’s-eye. The Target bull’s-eye, that is. The Alexandria-based company, which makes organic baby and toddler food, has struck a national deal that will put its line of frozen children’s foods in 121 SuperTarget stores around the country. Founder Heather Stouffer, who met with buyers during a [...]
How Cynthia Rubio Turned An Idea Into A Million Dollar Business
Readers Digest: On a steamy afternoon last September, an exhausted Cynthia Rubio watched Texas National Guard troops help passengers off military planes at a small airport near College Station. Some people were on gurneys, others in wheelchairs. There were disoriented nursing home residents and frightened children. All were fleeing Hurricane Ike, one of the most [...]
Entrepreneurs Find Funding In Small Doses
MSNBC: For those seeking an alternative holiday gift, microloans are one way to give. And, little known to many investors, some microlending agencies offer relatively low-risk investment opportunities that can pay 2 to 3 percent interest, offering an opportunity for a modest return coupled with a chance to help budding entrepreneurs. Some agencies accept tax-deductible [...]
Age Is No Barrier For An Entrepreneur’s Spirit
Birmingham Post.net: One of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs sails across the Atlantic, abseils down Las Vegas skyscrapers, and attempts to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon – while running a £3billion business empire. But he is no fresh-faced 20-year-old. For Richard Branson, his 58 years are an advantage on younger entrepreneurs, giving him [...]
Navy Wife Is National Finalist
Washington Post: Corina DuBois calls herself a stay-at-home mom, but the Military Spouse of the Year contender’s roles as entrepreneur, fitness franchise owner, promising children’s author and potential foster parent suggest there’s more to the story. The Silver Spring mother of three is the sole Washington area finalist for Military Spouse magazine’s second annual award, [...]
Best Baby Shower Offers Budget-Friendly Holiday Gifts
Market Watch: With economic concerns weighing heavy on the minds of many consumers this holiday season, BestBabyShower.com has introduced over 100 holiday gift items, all under 30 dollars, to celebrate baby’s first Christmas as well as gifts for each member of the new family. “Families love to celebrate the birth or anticipated birth of a [...]
Entrepreneur Turns Bright Idea Into A Business
Tampa Bay Online: If the Grinch stole your Christmas lights or you don’t have time to decorate the exterior of your house or business for the holidays, then Deck the Lights has the solution for you. The start-up business is the brainchild of Wendy Gedaro. Recognizing the popularity of holiday lighting and the fact that [...]
Etailer Is Chosen As Britain’s Best Entrepreneur
Times Online: Internet retailer The Hut Group has won the Bank of Scotland Corporate’s £35m Entrepreneur Challenge, beating six other regional finalists to the fiercely contested prize. The nationwide hunt for Britain’s best entrepreneurial business reached its climax during a packed award ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. In addition to the [...]
Young Inventor Reaches Semi-Finals In Bubble Wrap Competition
NewsHerald.com: Meredith Bush plans on putting the $10,000 saving bond towards college – or maybe a car – if she wins the third annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors. The 12-year-old inventor created a system for helping her grandmother remember what pills to take and when to take them using Bubble Wrap. “I made [...]
Family's Adopted Golden Retriever Inspires Home-Based Business
Kansas City info Zine: Following the loss of their 15-year-old sheltie, the Simon family endured the longest stretch of their lifetime without a canine family member. They were hoping that a seizure assistance dog would come through. The Simons’ youngest child has juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, a form of epilepsy which often increases in severity when [...]
Who Said 20 Is Too Young To Own A Business?
nwlanews.com: For most people, juggling is difficult. For 20-year-old Ashley Carpenter, she juggles raising her daughter and running her own thrift store. Those who stop by Beautiful Bowtique located at 803 Mason Dr., will find a shopkeeper that looks fresh out of high school holding a baby while haggling with them. “I’ve always been an [...]
Inventor’s Simple Idea Works Wonders For Wine Industry Workers
3 New: Making wine is full of tradition and history, and behind the scenes some backbreaking work goes on. But one Marlborough inventor has transformed one of the most labour-intensive jobs in growing grapes – bud rubbing – with a simple scrubbing brush on a stick. Rubbing off unwanted new growth so the vines can [...]
Don’t Fear Failure, Learn From It
MSNBC: In the early 1980s, when my first major business failed, I thought I was the stupidest person in the world. Being flat broke and getting calls from creditors made me wish I had never wanted to be an entrepreneur. I even wanted my old job back. But instead of condemning me for failing, my [...]
Invention Saves Time And Water In The Shower
North County Times: Randy Sonderhouse says he knows how easy it is to waste time —- and water —- in the shower. After his wife noticed he was taking unusually long showers, the Murrieta resident decided to invent a solution. That solution, a water-proof alarm timer Sonderhouse designed, the Shower Professor, is now for sale [...]
Students Make Inventions That Address Everyday Problems
The Record-Courier: Meneley teacher Cathy Hackler, organizer of the school’s annual invention convention, said the event gives students the opportunity to problem solve and look at the world in new ways. “Students were asked to think about problems in their lives, or in the life of someone they knew, that could be solved with an [...]
Dripstik Inventor Featured On the Today Show
NBC Newschannel 6: Mecinna Price is a local inventor who has turned a simple idea into a multi-million dollar business. Thursday morning she appeared on the Today show to talk about her invention and get some good advice. She started her company with an $80,000 loan from her father-in-law and was on the Today show [...]
Web Opens Door For Net-Savvy Moms
24 Hours Vancouver: Twenty years ago, moms swapped advice over the backyard clothes line. Today, they connect over a different kind of line – the intangible thread known as the web. So it’s no surprise that two Internet-mom companies cleaned up in the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of the Year Award. A Nanaimo mom took top prize [...]
Mom Pins Hopes On Diapering Business
knoxvillebiz.com: After having triplets more than three years ago, Sunny Hall turned to cloth diapering to save money. Today, the Knoxville mom is selling cloth diapers to make money. Hall is the owner of Cutie Tooties, a retail store that opened last week at 5807 Kingston Pike in Bearden selling natural and organic baby products. [...]
Artfire Handcrafts A New Way For Artisans To Sell Online
If you’re looking to sell handmade items, you’ll find that there are a lot of choices to make as to where and how you’d like them to be sold. Starting a business is never easy, but marketing handmade products isn’t one of the easiest routes to go. Thankfully there have been wonderful websites online that [...]
Chains Aim To Bully Small Shops Off Web
Kentucky.com: Everyone is talking about the tough times that have hit our economy. For small business owners, tough times have been here for awhile. The credit crunch is just the latest assault on the mom-and-pop shops that make up the backbone of our economy. To see what is happening to small business, just take a [...]
Selling Online Takes A New Angle, With Wine
Times Online: When Rowan Gormley was running Virgin Wine, he conducted a simple experiment. He took ten pairs of different bottles of wine and carefully wrapped them in paper so that the labels were unreadable. He took four professional wine experts. Each was asked to write notes on each bottle, tasted blind. There should have [...]
Stay-At-Home Mom Hopes To Grow Jewelry Line
Lake County Journals: It’s not always easy to turn a hobby into a successful business, but that’s exactly what Dawn Skowronnek is trying to do. A stay-at-home mom for the last seven years, Skowronnek’s youngest of two children is finally off to first grade. With the new time she’ll have on her hands, she plans [...]
Chicago Mom Introduces Children To Indian Culture
PR Web: Pooja Pittie, Indian mom and MBA graduate from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, has launched Little GuruSkool in the U.S. Little GuruSkool is a collection of DVDs and books to help parents around the world introduce their children to Indian culture in a fun and interactive way. Hindi Books and [...]
The SBA Office Of Advocacy Reaches Out To Small Biz Through Their New Blog
If you’re a small business owner, then I’d hope you’re aware of The Office of Advocacy. They are the link small business needs to connect with the Government. They are the voice for small businesses all over the US. With you in mind, they have recently launched their blog – The Small Business Watchdog. I’ve [...]
Owners Receive American Express Count Me In Program And Sam Walton's Emerging Entrepreneur Award
Kids Today: Amy Michelle owners Amy Wright and Michelle Herbert were recently recognized for their entrepreneurial spirit, success and promise by American Express’ Count Me In Program and also received Sam Walton’s Emerging Entrepreneur Award. In the company’s first five years, Amy Michelle introduced four different lines of mommy-baby bags for the fashionable, active mom [...]
Single Mom Creates Financial Freedom With Unified Wealth Solutions
WebWire: When her marriage fell apart Wendy Stevens found herself, like many in her situation, struggling to provide for herself and her children. Her previous experience of running her own successful real estate business put her in a great position to capitalize on the support of Unified Wealth Solutions. The tools, training and materials of [...]
Is Your Hobby Really Made To Become A Business?
Canadian Business: Ontario accountant Brian Allward turned his love of Elvis Presley into a global memorabilia business based in the appropriately named King City. In Burnaby, B.C., new mom Sandra Wilson transformed a pair of non-slip shoes she’d sewn for her infant son Robert into a full-time business called Robeez Footwear. And my brother opened [...]
Former Walt Disney Imagineering Designer Turns To Walls
Los Angeles Times: Painting a jungle mural from a kit in the bedroom of her new twin grandchildren was giving the artist in Patricia Newton a pain in the neck. Why was the lion frowning? What was with the toucan’s backward ankles? And, darn, that monkey was ugly! The former Walt Disney Imagineering designer couldn’t [...]
Share Your Photography By Cellphone Through Moborazzi
The moment cellphones started coming with cameras and video, anyone who owned one suddenly had the ability to grab candid shots of any moment. This opportunity has spawned a variety of websites which offer people a chance to send a photo text message to a special email address or number which will publish that photo [...]
Who Said 20 Is Too Young To Own A Business?
nwlanews.com: For most people, juggling is difficult. For 20-year-old Ashley Carpenter, she juggles raising her daughter and running her own thrift store. Those who stop by Beautiful Bowtique will find a shopkeeper that looks fresh out of high school holding a baby while haggling with them. “I’ve always been an entrepeneur. Ever since I was [...]
Fashion Entrepreneur Takes On The Recession With Innovation
Market Watch: Approaching the winter of this nation’s economic struggle, Jen Groover, fashion entrepreneur and creator of the handbag company Butler Bag LLC, credits her industry success going into the holiday season by adapting to the trend of consumers creating more worth for what they’re wearing. Brand evolutionists like Jen Groover are meeting this need [...]
Small Idea Turns Into A Big Business For One Dallas Girl
The Dallas Morning News: If there’s a tween girl in your household, chances are you’ve heard of the latest rage: magnetic bottlecap necklaces. What most Dallasites probably don’t realize is that they’re made right here, the brainchild of a Hockaday student. Maddie Bradshaw, now 12, was doodling one summer when she came up with creative [...]
Mom Creates The Perfect Recipe For An Organic Baby Food Business
Ledger-Enquirer.com: Heather Schoenrock, a Duluth mother of three, had been making organic baby food for her children for years – steaming, pureeing and freezing fresh fruit and vegetable recipes at home. The personal endeavor took an unexpected turn when Schoenrock brought some food for her third child, Jack, to a play date with friend Connie [...]
Family Support Aids In Business Success
MSNBC: Most mom entrepreneurs start a business to help support their families. So why not get your family to help support your business? You’re in business for yourself, not by yourself. Let your family be part of your growing business. Not only can family members provide support and assistance, they can also learn about business [...]
Yosemite Blog Brings Information On The National Park To Its Readers
We can thank the internet for giving us the ability to offer a voice to those topics which mean the most to us. If it weren’t for blogs and the bloggers behind them, many of us wouldn’t know how to share our thoughts with the world. While some topics are definitely much more popular than [...]
Feeling Tired and Overworked? Hire A Wife
The Wichita Eagle: When her only child left for college this fall, Wichita mom Juliann Mathews wanted to stay a busy homemaker. But now she gets paid to do it. She recently launched Modern-Day June Homemaking Services — a private concierge service with a decidedly old-fashioned twist. “‘Concierge’ sounds so pretentious,” says Mathews, 45. “I’m [...]
Seacoastonline.com: Sadly, there just isn’t a Mary Poppins around the corner, waiting to come to you and care for your kiddies. Do not overly fret. There is help. Yes, you can have a “date night” with your husband, even if you don’t have helpful family members nearby just dying to babysit. You can go out [...]
Niche Biz: Open 24 Hours A Day
Springwise: There can be a variety of reasons consumers seek businesses that are open round the clock, whether it’s to pick up medicine for a coughing child or to find someplace to eat in the middle of the night. Whatever the motivation, 2itch is a new Google Maps mashup that can help, offering a maps-based [...]
Beth Harte At SearchEngineGuide.com: Thinking about starting up a Twitter account for your business? Or considering allowing employees to use Twitter? Here are 10 tips to consider before getting started. 1. Decide before you join how you want to use Twitter. Will it be used for Customer Support (like Comcast does via @ComcastCares) or will [...]
Associated Press: Several men wordlessly carry out furniture, broken computers and boxes of garbage from a large blue house on a quiet upstate street on a brisk autumn morning. Rusting bikes and an old grill lay discarded in the overgrown backyard which is spotted with empty beer cans and crushed milk cartons. The mood is [...]
Wallet Pop: 1. Phishing scams related to the financial crisis According to the Federal Trade Commission, there is a new round of email scams out there that are tied to the financial crisis. Many of these emails “phish” for personal information — your Social Security number, account numbers, passwords, etc. The scammer then uses that [...]
Work More Effectively From Home
TechRepublic: Whether you’re an employee of a company or an independent professional working for yourself, you might have a chance to work from home. Be aware, though, that this arrangement can cause problems if you’re not prepared. Here are some tips. 1: Dress the part 2: Keep a separate office 3: Discipline yourself regarding break [...]
