Archive for February 2011
Moms in Business Unite Expanding Across US
Mompreneurs that wished they could have attended the Moms in Business Unite conference in the past are in luck. It has expanded to include 4 more cities. Women in San Diego, Atlanta, Denver, Boston, and Detroit, can now benefit from meeting fellow mompreneurs from around the state and beyond. The dates for each conference is [...]
A New Breed Of Picture Business
In the late 90s it was companies like Shutterfly that ruled the Internet photo industry. Today it is services like Photobucket, Flicr, or Picasa that seem to be taking up the biggest chunk. According to Bloomburg Businessweek, a new company, Instagram, is beginning to get the attention of the people now. With their iPhone app, [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: February 4
1825 – The Ohio Legislature authorizes the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Miami and Erie Canal. 2004 – Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.
The Food and Drug Administration says that “raw milk is inherently dangerous and it should not be consumed by anyone at any time for any purpose,” and it is illegal to purchase for human consumption in most states. But that doesn’t stop raw-milk aficionados from drinking it. Enter the Amish raw-milk smugglers: Wearing a black-brimmed [...]
5 Ways to Save Big on Your Overhead Business Expenses
The following is a guest post by Adam Gottlieb. As we march full steam into the new year, maintaining adequate cash flow continues to be one of biggest concerns (read: headache) for small and home-based business owners. For this reason, a focus on cost-cutting and bootstrapping, once the domain of frugal-minded small business owners and [...]
Framing Business Turns To Apps For Sales
When he was 21 years old, Jim Brent opened up his first picture framing shop. It has been 20 years since that first shop opened, and he has decided to expand into another arena, the App world. The application, known as Frame Shop, is the first framing application that has been created for the iPhone [...]
A Lesson For Jersey Mompreneurs
As more mom’s begin to start their own businesses, more groups devoted to them and the work they do is popping up around the world. Jersey mom’s are no exception. The New Jersey Mom’s Guide has created a new network called the Moms in Business Network. They help women meet fellow mompreneurs, and learn a [...]
Inventor Generating Green Energy And Opportunity
Sameer Hajee wanted to do something good. So he set out with his company, Nuru Designs, and created a product that would benefit the people in third world countries. His device is called Nuru Lights. It works by plugging special light bulbs into the device and pedaling. It charges 5 bulbs at once, providing up [...]
BottleHood makes glassware from used wine, beer, liquor and soda bottles recycled from restaurants, bars, homes and events in the community.
Personalized Books For Unique Kids
Any parent that has ever purchased a personalized book for the their child knows exactly how the process goes. The extent of the personalization is usually limited to the child’s name, a friend’s name, and maybe their favorite food. However, Shara Lawrence-Weiss, the owner of Personal Child Stories, has created a business that goes above [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: February 3
1637 – Tulip mania collapses in the United Provinces (now the Netherlands) as sellers could no longer find buyers for their bulb contracts. 1690 – The colony of Massachusetts issues the first paper money in America. 1913 – The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and [...]
Taco Truck Business Opportunities
A reader wrote: Hi Dane, thanks for your recent post about the food truck situation in El Paso. I’ve been thinking about starting a taco truck myself. Do you have any resources you can recommend? Casual sit down restaurants and fast food chains have a new competitor all across the country. According to the National [...]
Direct selling and MLM are changing. You’re unlikely to ever have a Avon lady come to your door anymore. Today, it seems that much of the network marketing in the world takes place on the internet, and on Facebook and Twitter primarily. Zimmerman also encourages salespeople to utilize social media such as Twitter and Facebook [...]
Cleaning Noses Makes Duo Money
Gross, but profitable! Cleaning out the snot-filled noses of children has become an entrepreneurial success story for Julie Pickens. She just wished her kids were more impressed. “It’s kind of gross,” confessed Pickens, 44, who launched Boogie Wipes with fellow mother and co-founder Mindee Doney, 35, in the spring of 2008. “It’s kind of a [...]
A reader wrote: Dear Mr. Carlson, How would I go about submitting an idea to the television show Shark Tank? Email them at SharkTankCasting@yahoo.com. Include your name, age, contact info, a recent photo, and a brief, NON-CONFIDENTIAL description of your idea. Good luck. Do you have a question for the reader mailbag? Send it to [...]
“You can’t turn a parked car.” This advice was given to my husband soon after he graduated college and he grappled with the question, “What now?” The idea is that you have to do something to figure out where to “steer” your life. You need to try new things, endure boring jobs, experiment with new [...]
A reader named Russ asked: Dear Mr. Carlson, I have enjoyed reading your articles, thank you for sending them. I read an article about Real Estate Photography in Australia and was very interested in this idea. The problem is that I have lost this information, and want to ask you to send it to me [...]
From Idea to Ownership: Heated Underwear
I’m glad I don’t live somewhere cold enough to require heated underwear, but if you’re suffering under the blizzard of 2011, you might want to consider them. WCAX: When it comes to being cold, Julia Aiken is somewhat of an expert. She is a former professional snowboarder and has designed women’s boards and boots for [...]
9000+ Available Six Letter Domain Names
Oops, this post originally stated that the domains were five letter ones. They’re really six character dot coms. If you’re looking for a domain name with three, four or five letters and a dot com, you’re completely out of luck. There are none available. As far as six letter dot com domains go, though, it’s [...]
Have you ever been stuck inside on a freezing night and looked in the cupboard for a board game to play only to find nothing interesting? What’d you do next? Did you flop down on the sofa and watch a recorded episode of American Inventor, or did you jump into action and make your own? [...]
It may be easier, but throwing just anything together and calling it a website will not work. Making an effective website can take time, money, and patience. Business Insider has created a list of six must-have features that your business website needs to succeed. 1. Intuitive Navigation A user landing on your website should not [...]
The ABC television reality show Shark Tank is back. The first episode of season two will air on Friday, March 25th on ABC. Season Two of “Shark Tank” promises to make TV history with the Sharks offering over $10 million in investment deals to bankroll a creative array of innovative entrepreneurs. The Season Premiere, “Episode [...]
Niche Biz: Backyard Cat Boarding
Kathy Griffiths was ready for a change. Deciding it was time to do what she wants before it is too late, Kathy asked her husband to build her a cattery in their yard, reports Bay of Plenty Times. Called the Top Katz Boarding Cattery, Kathy offers a five star service to all cats that are [...]
When Sarah Palin criticized President Obama’s State of the Union Address, she mentioned a little coffee shop called Spudnuts. Spudnuts sounded familiar, so I checked into it. Turns out that Spudnut Shops were a franchised chain of stores selling potato flour donuts called Spudnuts. The parent company no longer exists, but independent stores, including the [...]
It is relatively safe to say that many people do not have a natural talent for gardening. However, Sue Goetz does. Like many entrepreneurs before her, Sue took advantage of her talent and found a way to make money through it. According to Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, she is a garden designer, coach, garden writer, [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: February 2
1812 – Russia establishes a fur trading colony at Fort Ross, California. 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated. 1848 – California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese immigrants arrives in San Francisco, California. 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is [...]
There are two problems that most avocado growers have when going out into the field to pick their product: safety issues and access. Don Rust has created a platform called the ATP (All Terrain Platform), which will hopefully eliminate both problems. According to Bay of Plenty Times, his invention is off to a good start. [...]
Coming Soon: Flashing Cereal Boxes
We all know that cereal packaging is designed to attract the eyes of your five year old as you drag him down the breakfast aisle of the supermarket. Of all the aisles in the grocery store, none is more captivating to tiny eyes than the the one with row upon row of garish cereal boxes. [...]
El Paso’s Attack on Street Vendors
From the Institute of Justice: Should the city of El Paso, Texas, be allowed to turn itself into a No-Vending Zone in order to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants from competition? That’s the question to be answered by a major federal lawsuit filed January 26, 2011 by the Institute for Justice and four El Paso mobile food [...]
Small Town Doctor Runs ‘Donations Only’ Clinic
About twelve years ago Dr. Keith Swanson, 78, retired and planned to go overseas to do missionary work. After talking it over with his wife, he instead reopened his small town Iowa practice and started working for donations! KETV has a great little video of Doc’ Swanson that I wasn’t able to embed. Click over [...]
FIRST LEGO League Seeking Kid Inventors
The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is seeking teams of kid inventors from all over the world, and offering them an opportunity to compete for the chance to win up to $20,000. The winning team’s proposed invention will also have a chance at being patented in the newly created FLL Global Innovation Award. The top three [...]
Five Signs You’re About to Get Screwed in a Business Deal
No matter how well a business deal is proceeding, negotiations and best-laid plans can always take a left turn, leaving the deal dead, or trapping you in a nightmarish contract. Coco Soodek, a business law attorney at international law firm Bryan Cave LLP and author of the ebook “Birth to Buyout: Law for the Life [...]
Mom Helps Parents Find Some ‘Me’ Time
Mahita Fernandez was having trouble finding time for herself. As a stay-at-home mom, she did not need daycare. However, after her baby was born she began to miss those rare moments when she could sneak off to see a movie or spend a little time with herself. Disappointed by the lack of drop-in daycare options [...]
How To Raise Money for Your Small Business
Reader Emelia wrote: Thank you for your wonderful encouragement. I have a small graphic design company that I run out of my apartment. I would love to lease an office in town so that I can attract more customers. Can you please tell me how to raise some money to do that? Thank you. Reader [...]
As more people begin to live longer, the need for senior care is rising. There is no shortage of businesses reaching out to fill that need, either. Founded in 2002, HomeWell Senior Care has seen great success. Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 has them listed for 2011. They consider themselves to be at the forefront of [...]
Small Town Starts Own Local Currency
The tiny town at the geographic center of California (and about 30 miles from me) now has it’s own local currency. From the Los Angeles Times: Perhaps the biggest of Josh Freeman’s projects is North Fork Shares, the local currency he created last year with resident Dan Rosenberg, also 45, who was a congressional candidate [...]
US Government Launches Startup Program
At a time when unemployment cannot seem to drop below the 9% mark, the government has drafted some initiatives with the goal of kick starting job creation once again. The project, called “Startup America,” is set to focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. According to The Washington Post, it will work with different programs that are [...]
College Dropout Bets Security Company on Automation
42-year-old entrepreneur Todd Pedersen is a college dropout who started out selling pest control door-to-door working out of a trailer and bathing in a swimming pool, and ended up creating one of the fastest-growing home security company in the U.S. His company APX Alarm, now called Vivint, is betting that many of it’s more than [...]
When there is snow on the ground and the roads are icy, most people would stay at home. However, Russian inventor, Sergei Khvalin, thought of a better idea. When the ground is covered, he gets out his homemade propeller and a pair of ski’s. After strapping it to his back, he uses it to ski [...]
