Archive for February 2009
Wall About Fun Takes Her Local Talent And Spreads It Worldwide
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing so many amazing business owners but none of them are quite like Colette Stroffolino. Not only is she a unique opportunity for me to learn about someone new, she is a unique woman. Which is a good thing in her line of business, as a children’s entertainer and a [...]
What's Hot in Organic Beauty? YOGA Magazine Chooses Softress Fragrance-free Body Oils
PRWeb: Softress fragrance-free and chemical-free body oils for chemically sensitive skin (http://www.softress.com) are featured in this month’s YOGA Magazine special section, “What’s Hot in Organic Beauty.” Softress’s benefits for sensitive skin and very dry skin are earning 5-star reviews on Amazon.com and PristinePlanet.com, an “eco-friendly comparison shopping” site. One reviewer notes: “My facial skin is [...]
The Recession Beaters: Three Women Small-Business Owners Succeeding In Today's Economy
philly.com: IN THE MIDST of the most brutal economy since the Depression, Sureya Mohammed, who emigrated from Ethiopia to America 22 years ago in search of a better life, just opened her second Philadelphia grocery store. A steady flow of neighbors patronizes the Dean Food Market, on Tasker Street near 16th, where the brightly lit [...]
Entrepreneur Creates Spill-Resistant Martini Glasses
The Dallas Morning News: Thanks to James Bond and Sex and the City, the martini glass is a chic pop- culture symbol. But for Renee Williams, the drink brings to mind something far-from-stylish: spills. Not anymore. Last month, Williams launched Sipatiniz, a line of spill-resistant martini glasses. “About two years ago, I started noticing that [...]
Your Breath Could Be Recycled into Fuel
Live Science: The Liverpool John Lennon Airport, in Liverpool, U.K., will soon become the world’s first to try a revolutionary piece of technology that will recycle the breath of passengers into biofuel. The Eco-box, developed by Origo Industries, will capture the CO2 exhaled by airport travelers and convert it to fuel to be used in [...]
Goldfish Burial Kit & 998 Other Biz Ideas
SAMBA: Ideas are a dime a dozen. The money is in the execution. Need proof? For Seth Godin’s Alternative MBA program, nine innovators came up with 111 business ideas each. But ideas are only valuable when someone (like you) makes something happen. What follows are our business ideas, free for the taking. Some good, some [...]
Tough Times Call For New Ideas
The Wall Street Journal: The savviest entrepreneurs right now aren’t hunkering down. They’re rethinking their business models and hunting for new strategies based on the assumption that consumer spending won’t be rebounding to prerecession levels and that the types of products and services people want will be much different from before. For a business owner, [...]
Absurd Inventions Ever Patented
thebizzare.com: Obtaining a patent is a costly and time consuming process. Inventors must have unstoppable faith in their vision in order to realize their dream of acquiring a patent. But sometimes these inventions come from a creative place so deep, they can be perceived by some as offbeat, unusual and possibly a bit eccentric. Pierced [...]
The Nest Collective Announces Acquisition Of Plum Organics
PR Web: The Nest Collective today announced the acquisition of Plum Organics, a leading provider of frozen, organic baby food and toddler meals. With this acquisition, The Nest Collective continues to fulfill its mission to create a suite of healthy, organic and nutritional products for babies and kids across America. The Nest Collective plans to [...]
Amy's Kitchen: From The Mind Of One Woman To Your Kitchen Table
CNNMoney.com: Like many busy couples, Andy and Rachel Berliner turned to frozen dinners when home cooking wasn’t on the agenda. One night in 1987 they came up with a better idea. The result: organic powerhouse Amy’s Kitchen. Based in Petaluma, Calif., Amy’s leads the nation in prepared organic food sales and boasted 2008 revenues of [...]
Mompreneur Launches A Line Of Maternity Belts
Comox Valley Record: Anna Mayo, Courtenay native and resident, announced this week the launch of her first entrepreneurial venture, Daisychain Maternity, a line of designer maternity support belts. Daisychain does what no other support belt on the market today does — offers all the therapeutic benefits of a pregnancy support in a stylish fashion accessory. [...]
Teacher Finds Niche Removing Junk From Foreclosures
Arizona Daily Star: Last summer, Jeffrey Swanson left his teaching job at Marana Middle School and quickly found a new calling: hauling other people’s junk. He began cleaning up properties after applying for a job with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. By the time the agency called with a job offer, Swanson said it was [...]
Fortune Small Business: A year ago, Ge Wang didn’t own an iPhone and had no plans to start a company. Today Wang, an associate music professor at Stanford, is co-founder of Smule, a startup that sells musical applications for the iPhone. Smule’s hottest program, Ocarina, is billed as the first musical instrument for the iPhone. [...]
Science Teacher Capitalizes On His Lesson Planner Software
The Register-Guard: High School science teacher Jeff Hellman is beginning to wonder if he’s bitten off more than he can chew. What started in the summer of 2006 as a personal quest to toss aside his old-style teacher planning book for a digital version has exploded into something more like a second career. Google “lesson [...]
Free Domain Name and Hosting for One Year
Webware: The words “free” and “Microsoft” don’t often appear in the same sentence, so imagine my surprise at discovering this deal: a free custom domain name, free Web hosting, free e-mail accounts, and more. As you might expect from the name, Microsoft Office Live Small Business has a decidedly business focus–but that doesn’t mean you [...]
When You Watch These Ads, The Ads Check You Out
Associated Press: Watch an advertisement on a video screen in a mall, health club or grocery store and there’s a slim – but growing – chance the ad is watching you too. Small cameras can now be embedded in the screen or hidden around it, tracking who looks at the screen and for how long. [...]
BellyLaf Has Bath Time All Tied Up, In Mitts.
What are some of the things found in your child’s bath? The washcloth? How about toys? Chris Hempel and Denise West has introduced something new for you to add: Grippees and MiniMitts. Sold under the business name, BellyLaf, the mitts have given bath time a new twist. Grippees are made for adult hands but they’re [...]
Toy Fair Sees Hard Times And Soft Sales
While this isn’t directly related to mom’s, this article gives a good overview on what the toy industry is going through at this time. This is especially important for those of you that base your business around making toys or accessories for them. NJ.com: Jim Madonna, holding a button that read “I Survived the ‘Bear’ [...]
Entrepreneur Living Dream With Tour Niche
IndyStar.com: Glenn Dunlap is often asked how he came up with the idea for his baseball tours company, Big League Tours. “It’s pretty simple, really. Just like everything else in my life, when my experience, passions and opportunities intersect, “big breaks” have occurred.” Dunlap said. “What led me to start Big League Tours is my [...]
Greatest Inventors You’ve Never Heard Of
News-Journalonline.com: To be sure, Edison deserves the credit he has received, and then some. But there are other inventors whose contributions have done as much to advance society and deserve a place of honor — and not just the more well-known inventors and innovators like the Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford or Samuel [...]
Social Networking Your Way to Fame
photo credit: alpha du centaure Social networking is kind of like building a house, you need a good frame base to start on. Plans drawn up as to where you want your business to go and what you want it to ultimately achieve. Once you have a good solid frame started, you need to consider [...]
CNNMoney.com: Business ideas are everywhere, if you know where to look. Mitch Altman was inspired by a noisy TV in a Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto. Altman, a 52-year-old electrical engineer, was trying to catch up with old friends over noodles one evening , but the tube was too distracting. “It sucked our brains out,” [...]
photo credit: Nesster The IRS kindly sent over this press release: Although no phrase may strike more fear in a taxpayer than the dreaded, “IRS audit”, the prospect of an IRS audit need not paralyze your small business. You can learn how to prepare for and what to expect during an audit by tuning in [...]
Portland BusinessJournal: Today is an excellent time to change your life for the better. It is a time when old ways of doing business are changing. Many are embracing the opportunities beyond searching for information, sending email messages and social networking. Many are embracing the Net as the main way to do business. Here are [...]
photo credit: faith goble It use to be that if you wanted to take some business courses to increase your knowledge or chances of obtaining a decent job, you would have to enroll in a big time school, spend hour’s in a boring classroom with a bunch of strangers and spend thousands of dollars that [...]
photo credit: James Jordan While big businesses and corporations are making layoffs and cutting staff left and right everyday and cutting pension plans to offset high debt costs, small businesses are going fishing — fishing for new employees that is. All those hard working people being fired and laid off, well, they have to go [...]
Consumers Complain About Work-At-Home Scam
St. Louis Business Journal: Consumers say they were misled by a Maryland Heights company, American Publications, that advertises an opportunity for people to work from home, the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois said. Spasser and American Publications advertise in Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Parenting magazines. The BBB said it [...]
RetroDress Brings Back The Vintage To Fit Your Lifestyle Now
Styles are always changing, yet they also find a way to recycle themselves into something new for each generation. Some of the latest styles borrow ideas from those older creations but nothing beats the original. Vintage items are not always easy to find and they’re not always cheap but, when you get a hold of [...]
Inspiring Mompreneurs That Just Might Inspire YOU
At then end of January MSNBC covered a series of mompreneurs in a feature called “A Day in the Life”. Each woman has her own strength and specialties which helped her succeed. Are any of them inspiring to you? Below is just one of the women they mentioned. MSNBC: Name: Joanna Meiseles Name of Company:The [...]
In Midlothian? Maybe You Should Chat While Your Kids Play!
examiner.com: When is the last time you had a leisurely cup fo coffee or a nice chat with your friend or spouse? If you have to think too long about your answer, then consider heading to Chat & Play Cafe in Midlothian. Chat & Play was started by a local mom who clearly understands what [...]
Young Australian Entrepreneurs Say “Start Now!”
Out of Australia comes the interesting story of a number of young entrepreneurs with one thing in common. They all think that now, in this “recession”, is the best time to start a business. “If we can start up in a recession and be successful, we can survive anything,” said 20-year-old Ryan Djurovich, who started [...]
Easing Into Business Ownership
Thinking about starting your own business is both exciting and daunting, especially when the economy seems uncertain. But, if you have the option to ease into it, it could be a sound decision for your future. Franchises such as Snap-on Tools are creating opportunities that assist qualified candidates get their business up and rolling. Through [...]
photo credit: jenn_jenn Everywhere we look it is hard not to see some sort of interview, article or survey on how bad thing’s are going to be for businesses in 2009. Whether or not things are really so bad will have to wait for a different post. While consumers are not shopping as often as [...]
Defining your personal brand can be overwhelming. We are complex individuals with so many passions and aspects to our lives. So where do you start? You should begin by taking a step back and looking at where you are in your career and where you would like to be. This helps you to define your [...]
photo credit: wakalani The most popular resolution almost every year is either to loose weight, or to be more organized, since organization goes along with business… we’ll discuss that one. In a recent article I read that it was advised to STOP cleaning your office. Really? There is a difference between clean and organized. An [...]
USA TODAY: There’s much to be said about a book that makes you pull out a pen and paper to start jotting notes and jump-starts your mind to examine the work you do, why you do it and how it makes a difference in the lives of others. That’s exactly what It’s Not What You [...]
Fast Company: David Lidsky at Fast Company is reporting that the hot items out of this year’s Toy Fair are action figures. “They were buyers’ number-one request,” says Marian Bossard, a VP at the Toy Industry Association, the fair’s host. If that strikes you as kind of low tech for kids who are wired younger [...]
Springwise: Lucky Seven makes custom caps that bear the logos of fictional companies featured in cult films and television shows. Founder Jay Jay Burridge is a self-proclaimed seventies kid, who spent much of his childhood wearing a Star Wars cap. Burridge, who is an artist by trade, founded the London-based company as a hobby, and [...]
Inc.: You have better things to do than hoard and sort receipts. Several companies have recently launched tools that can help you organize receipts and track expenses. Here’s the lowdown on three of them. Expensify tracks every purchase made on your corporate credit cards. Users can log on to Expensify.com to see their spending sorted [...]
Ways To Find Cash In A Bad Economy
Inc.: 1. Search for an angel investor. Check out this angel directory. It’s organized by geographic area and includes contact information for the angel groups. A caution, however: as banks are raising lending and investment standards, so too are angel investors. 2. Tap self-directed IRAs. Individual retirement accounts can be invested in privately held companies, [...]
Single Mom Takes The Hassle Out Of Carrying Ski Gear With Her Invention
If you ski, then you are probably aware of how hard it is to carry everything you need, from your car to the slope, at one time. Julie Hall was aware. As an avid skier herself, it wasn’t uncommon for her to lose an item while trying to carry all of her ski gear at [...]
Kids & Business Keep Single Mom Going Top Speed
thespectrum.com: During a time when bad news seems to outweigh the good in many cases, many people are looking for an inspirational story to lift their spirits. Look no further than Kenna Bowler, a designated super, single mom who is raising three children while operating a booming hair salon called Kountry Kut’n in Brookside and [...]
CNNMoney.com: Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe were a soggy, grinning mess. Wearing lab coats, safety goggles and clip-on ties, they stood in a downpour before thousands of cheering fans. It wasn’t rain that drenched them but 55 gallons of Diet Coke. For years, science geeks have known what happens when you drop a Mentos mint [...]
Harness The Power Of A Trademark
Entrepreneur.com: In the inventing world, a lot of attention is paid to patenting. Often overlooked is the power of a trademark–a wonderful tool that can provide an incredible value when it comes to protecting your product or brand name. But what’s the difference between a patent and a trademark? While a patent protects utilitarian inventions–the [...]
Lincoln Has Advice For Entrepreneurs
Rhonda Abrams At USA TODAY: Here’s a trivia question: Who’s the only U.S. president to receive a patent? Here’s a hint: He was also a small business owner and one-time retailer. The answer: Abraham Lincoln. This year we observe the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. We remember Lincoln as a great president, who helped save [...]
Nine-Year-Old Writes iPhone App
BBC: A nine-year-old Malaysian boy in Singapore has written a painting application for the Apple iPhone. Lim Ding Wen created the finger painting program, known as Doodle Kids, for his two younger sisters aged three and five. The program allows iPhone owners to draw images on the handset’s touch screen using just their fingers. The [...]
Intuit Offers Free Products And Services
Small Business Computing: The Federal bailout trough seems reserved for corporate giants, and it makes you wonder, where can a small business go to catch a break? Intuit has stepped up to the plate with an initiative called, Small Businesses United, which the company calls a small business stimulus package. The campaign is designed to [...]
Entrepreneur Goes From Buying Real Estate To Helping Others Find Affordable Bank-Owned Homes
While the economy has some people down, it also offers some opportunity as well. Kevin Kennedy isn’t new to the real estate business. Backed up by previous experience, a knowledgeable designer, and one week, he was able to launch his latest venture, ForeclosureOfTheDay.com. For a small fee, visitors can search through the available listings to [...]
Mom’s Diaper Business Is Making An Impact On The Environment & Pocketbook
Livingston Daily.com: Whitmore Lake resident Nellie Sowash has found a way to enlist infants in the battle for a greener Earth — by having them wear natural cloth, rather than disposable, diapers. The concept my seem somewhat archaic in an age when Huggies, Pampers and the like have ruled the baby-bottom market. But Sowash, through [...]
A Women's Retreat That Promises A Short, Affordable Getaway? Sign Me Up!
Stress is no stranger to professional women. That is why it’s so important to step away from work and stress and take care of yourself. Women In Nature is a short affordable getaway aimed at professional women who need a break from the day to day stress of work and life. Based around wellness and [...]
