Archive for March 2011
Take a moment and consider the amount of electricity it takes for a band to use all of their instruments. From the microphone to the electric guitar, everything seems to need a little power. Sean Stevens has completely unplugged the traditional band set, and plugged them into some self-generated power. Known as Sustainable Sound, his [...]
The Huffington Post has reported that women are now less than one percent away from making up the majority of today’s workforce. With the recession seemingly hitting men the hardest, many educated women that opted to raise children in the 90s, are now making their way back to the workforce. This year a record number [...]
SBA Program To Help Commercial Real Estate Owners
If the mortgage on your commercial real estate property is a little too high to handle, the SBA has recently set up a new program to help property owners refinance, reports Boston.com. Small business owners with eligible commercial real estate mortgages maturing after Dec. 31, 2012, will be able to secure more stable, long-term financing [...]
Turn Empty Space Into A Sporting Business Opportunity
Do you have access to empty space on a golf course, bowling alley, tennis club, or some other sport related location? You may have just enough space to set up your own franchise. Tim McCormack had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. After spending 12 years in the education industry, he felt it was time [...]
Unlikely Business Ideas: Take My Photo
Would you pay the man holding this sign $1 to take his photo? Photo by MoHDI.
Science Daily: Dr. Kleinberg discovered how saliva’s chemistry helps teeth neutralize the acidity created from eating food by balancing the pH levels in the mouth. “[It’s] like if you’ve got a swimming pool,” Dr. Kleinberg said. “You have got to get the pH right. If you’ve got a neutral pH, you’ve got the ideal condition.” [...]
[](http://www.britishhorsesurfingassociation.com/) I thought that being dragged behind a horse was a very bad thing. I guess I was wrong. Daily Mail: Thrill seekers are competing in Britain’s latest extreme sports craze of ‘horse boarding’ – where participants are towed behind a horse at 35mph on an off-road skateboard. Professional stuntman Daniel Fowler-Prime, 31, invented the [...]
Five Minutes, Five Thousand Dollars
If you have five minutes and you’re lucky enough to be picked as one of five people, you might have a chance to win $5000. According to NPR, two entrepreneurs in Grand Rapids are trying to kick start the economy by feeding the entrepreneurial spirit. Grand Rapids, like most Michigan cities, is struggling to overcome [...]
After spending years offering prosthetic care to amputees, Paula Franetti felt it was time to go in a different direction. So she started a business that would take a preventive approach to health care. According to TribLive, many of the people she was helping had lost limbs due to problems that could have been avoided. [...]
US News and World Report: Five o’clock used to mean happy hour, soccer practice, or a few hours in front of the tube. But for an increasing number of professionals, powering down the computer at the office now means powering up the laptop at home. With new technologies that make it cheaper to start your [...]
Painless Dr. Z: Father of the Father of Facebook
Edward Zuckerberg, father of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, has an interesting story of his own. A dentist in Dobbs Ferry, NY, he’s been tech savvy for nearly two decades: But in the three examination rooms, patients can watch Internet-streamed television on flat-screen monitors or soothe themselves with music on one of the office iPods. Those [...]
For anyone that has ever worried about leaving their bicycle unprotected and out-of-view, an inventor has created a new desk just for you. Known as the “Pit In,” this desk is made specifically for you to park your bike. According to Daily Mail, you just use the bicycle seat to sit while you work. It [...]
Invention: Double Sided Peanut Butter Jar
Do you have trouble getting peanut butter out of the bottom of the jar? A jar with screw on lids on both ends might solve the problem. I have no idea if this is real. Found on Flickr.
When asked what she wanted to do with her career, Mary Doherty Ellroy imagined herself working for an ad agency that specialized in toys. A lot has changed the 1970s and her days in college. However, that dream only touched on her true passion. It is a passion that she is now realizing, reports Entrepreneur. [...]
The seaweed king of Prince Edward Island hasn’t yet made a buck from the seaweed he’s been collecting to sell as fertilizer, but that’s not stopping him: He doesn’t advertise and he doesn’t have a website, but Dorgan is getting lots of calls these days from continental Europe, Ireland, Texas and other parts of the [...]
Christmas Tree Seller Offers Camel Rides in the Summer
I love reading about strange businesses like this one. Dustin Noffsinger sells Christmas trees during the winter and camel rides in the summer. The New Review has more: Since Al moved from Southern California to this rural North County town two months ago, the 7-year-old Arabian camel has spent much of the past two months [...]
Your Heartbeat Could Power Your Next iPhone
According to The Telegraph, scientists have developed a computer chip that converts tiny movements, like the twitch of a finger or a heart beat, into electricity. The team, presenting their findings at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, have used it to power LCD displays and diodes, as well as to [...]
Saying Goodbye To Super Glue’s Inventor
If you have ever kept an emergency tube of super glue for when you need to fix something in a pinch, the man to thank is Harry Wesley Coover, Jr. The product of an accident, it can now be found in almost every junk drawer. Dr. Coover passed away this weekend at 94 years old. [...]
Teen to Skip College and Open Store
For many, the typical transition from high school to real life is postponed by a forray into an extended adolescene wherein young adults rely on their parents to attend keg parties and other “college” activities. But times are changing and not all children are entering into this destructive stage. SeacostOnline has more on one such [...]
Mom’s Winning Recipe For Business
Mixing business with pleasure is not usually recommended, but for Celeste Bodnaryk it is okay. She has put together a recipe for chocolate cake balls that makes her business, Sphere-Licious, a success, reports The StarPhoenix. The following recipe was a success for the winning Saskatoon Mompreneur. As she found, a small treat can have a [...]
If you’re the type of person who has picture frames filling up every inch of space on your walls and tables, Paul Sadowski has the perfect solution for you. It is called Picture Pages. Just in case you don’t remember the business from when we featured it early last year, Picture Pages combines the functionality [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: March 29
1806 – Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway. 1941 – The North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time. 1957 – The New York, Ontario and Western Railway makes its final run, the first major U.S. [...]
Tax season is never enjoyable. It usually involves a lot of time, something many small business owners do not have. Whether or not you have already completed your taxes, Entrepreneur has three mistakes you should pay close attention to. 1. Poor record keeping. Don’t rely on your memory alone. Sloppy record keeping is the most [...]
Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Part Time Entrepreneurship
I’ve said it before and will undoubtedly say it again: Don’t quit your day job when you start a business! Jerry Osteryoung, Professor of Entrepreneurship at the the College of Business at Florida State University, agrees: One of the best ways to find out if you have what it takes is to test your entrepreneurial [...]
Made Millions Selling Bubble Wrap on eBay
BubbleFast is “the Internet’s home for shipping and moving supplies.” In eleven years selling bubble wrap on eBay, Mark and Robin Le Vine estimate that they’ve sold nearly 3,000 square feet miles of the stuff. According to Aol., the couple has generated more than $1 million in revenue from the business. Their business, Bubblefast, also [...]
South African Women In Business
In the United States, we hear a lot about the emergence of women in business. Although we sometimes argue that there is a glass ceiling to overcome, many of us are still finding success. South African women entrepreneurs feel differently. According to Business Report, many women feel that they are simply not receiving any benefits [...]
Entrepreneur: Here’s a business startup story that’s a great example of seeing a need and filling it. Entrepreneur magazine is located in Irvine, California, a planned community. Many years ago, there weren’t many fast-food restaurants in the business area. Most were across town, where the neighborhoods were. Two young men in Irvine found this lunch [...]
Mom’s Combine Talents For Business Success
In La De Daa’s, you’re almost guaranteed to find anything. There are not many places that will sell dog collars and kid’s tutus near each other. However, this is a unique store. Made up of mostly moms, they are a group of entrepreneurial women. According to Fox Charlotte, co-owner Stacie Jorishie has seen quite a [...]
StarTribune: Pond scum, or blue-green algae, is a common sight in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. For Blue Water Ponds, a start-up company operated by two recent college graduates, pond scum is a business opportunity. The company, which won the student division of the 2010 Minnesota Cup challenge, aims to prevent summer algae blooms with [...]
Smart Way To Seek Venture Capital
Tomer Tzach spent four years as a venture capitalist, but now he is the CEO of an ecommerce startup business. During his time on both sides of the fence, he has learned a lot. He has instructed VCs on how to work with entrepreneurs. In Venture Beat, he is now instructing entrepreneurs on how to [...]
Slow Day in Entrepreneurial History: March 28
193 – Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus. 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
Don’t mind me if I post a bunch about solar power over the next few days. A week without electricity will do that to you. Business Week has an interesting story about solar middlemen: Branden Barber got his first taste of solar energy a decade ago while living in rural Australia, off the power grid. [...]
NY Times: It almost sounds too good to be true: Getting the savings of shopping at Costco, without the hassle of getting to the store. Yet Michael Eberstadt says he’s for real, and that’s just what he offers to Manhattanites on his Web site, MonsterSavings.com. Two weeks ago in his Your Money column, Ron Lieber [...]
Hitman Failure: Hitmanforhire.net
The Las Vegas Sun has the story of a would-be-hitman who did what ever self-respecting entrepreneur does first after starting a business: he setup a website. His website Hitmanforhire.net. We all nurse private ambitions. Essam Ahmed Eid, a 53-year-old Egyptian man living in Vegas and dealing poker at the Bellagio, dreamed of becoming a hit [...]
I’m back from a week long power outage. I have a generator and was able to access the internet from time to time, but for the most part I was completely cut off from the rest of the world. And do you know what? I liked it. But I am glad to be back. And [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: March 27
1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates. 1851 – First reported sighting of the Yosemite Valley by Europeans. 1915 – Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, is put in quarantine, where she would remain for the rest [...]
World’s Smallest, Self-Balancing Unicycle
Shane Chen believes his invention could replace bikes or cars for short trips. Whether that is true, we will have to wait and see. However, we can say that his step on and go style unicycle is very unique! According to Kamas Katu, Chen is a long time inventor, with many inventions already under his [...]
Kicking Your Mower Into Four Wheel Drive
Michael Hecht was mowing lawn on his hilly property just a few years ago when he nearly had an accident. A wheel had slipped, and he couldn’t stop it from rolling backwards. It ended up going over a brick wall and he landed in the driveway. Sure that there had to be a way to [...]
Most people are familiar with the traditional Port-a-Potty, like the ones above. Once you’ve walked in, there are only two things to see: the toilet and toilet paper. Although basic, that is all a portable toilet needs, right? Think again. Christine Sweeney believes that they should have a little more class. As the founder of [...]
Connecting Through Photographs
It is often said that pictures can say a thousand words. For a social network that is replacing words with pictures, it has never been more true. Color has been called the Twitter for photos and video. However, it couldn’t be more different reports Forbes. Color is unlike any [other photo app]. It’s simple yet [...]
Lesser Known Inventors: Ernie Fraze
The next time you get ready to open a soda or beer can, you can thank Ernie Fraze. Ernie was attending a picnic one day when he realized that he had forgotten to bring his can opener. It resulted in him having to open his drinks using the bumper on his car. A few months [...]
Overcoming The Mompreneur Stigma
Personally, I have never felt any anger over the term “mompreneur.” It is a fitting term for a world filled with entrepreneurial women that balance family and business. However, it can also create an obstacle for some. Forbes takes a look at the term and what it means to those moms that are just entrepreneurs. [...]
Shining A Light On The Eco-Revolution
The spotlight has been on green technology for a few years now. As time passes, that light is only getting brighter. Many Americans are willing to make changes in their life, one step at a time. Eco-Revolution is helping many people take that step by offering a variety of LED and energy efficient lighting products. [...]
The Multiple Choice Franchisee
If running one franchise brand wasn’t enough, how about two or three? Although difficult, this has become a growing trend among franchisees. Greg Hamer Sr. has seen much success running both a KFC and Taco Bell, reports Entrepreneur. For a decade and a half, B&G expanded across Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. But in 1998, when [...]
You might have seen him on American Idol. Although he did not get far on the show, his outfit garnered plenty of attention. Of course I am talking about Drew Beaumier. By breaking down a battery operated kids car, he has managed to create the ultimate Transformer suit, reports Daily Mail. It took eight weeks [...]
You may have noticed that I haven’t been posting much as normal. We had a snow storm Sunday night and we’ve been without electricity since then. I live just outside of Yosemite National Park in California. Although we regularly get snow during the winter, and occasionally lose power for a few hours at a time, [...]
Jonathan Rochelle knows what Google can do to help small businesses. As a project manager for Google Docs, he has played some part in the development of some of their software. After all, it was Google that acquired his Web spreadsheet business in 2005. Reuters spoke with Jonathan about some of those cloud computing tools [...]
Inspiring Women: The Paper Bag
When was the last time you looked at the paper bag that held your groceries? Although it is not as popular as it once was, the paper bag still holds a special place in our history. For the bag, we can thank Margaret Knight, reports Faribault Daily News. It was while working in a paper [...]
The Startup Check List To Receiving Government Contracts
Want to go after government contracts? Entrepreneur Outfitters has create a new iPhone app that will allow you to check off each startup business step. Their checklist, which was previously only available in paper format for $150, has been fitted into an $8 app that will guide you through the preparation process. Once it’s complete, [...]
A reader asked: Dane — For some reason, your day in entrepreneurial history always gets to me a day late. Is it being sent out a day late or if there a glitch with the email? No, it’s not a glitch. The email newsletter goes out the day after the post goes up. So today’s [...]
