Archive for December 2011
Fast Company reports on a new company called uFlavor, that promises to bring custom sodas to the masses — both in the mail and via internet connected vending machines. Picture this: You are sitting in, say, a Bermuda hotel on vacation. Suddenly you are struck by a crazy idea for a new soft drink taste. [...]
According to The Washington Post, social marketing recently saw a change in the way businesses should market themselves, especially with the addition of Google+ Brand pages. These pages are incredibly important for a number of reasons. First, it has become increasingly evident that such pages will impact a site’s search engine optimization efforts. That is [...]
Do You Have The Next Great Invention?
EON: Backyard Inventors, a new TV series produced in association with W Network, is looking for everyday inventors who are ready to showcase their inventions to the world. On Backyard Inventors, one of the world’s leading inventors, Doug Hall, will show the innovators of Canada, with inventions he sees potential in, how to turn their [...]
Moms Wear Your Tees Helping Mompreneurs Succeed
The online mom network is huge. With women like Scarlet Paolicchi, it comes as no surprise just how much power this close-knit community has. Scarlet is the founder of Moms Wear Your Tees Social Media Marketing. She helps entrepreneurs find the exposure their businesses need through various social networking websites. I recently asked her a [...]
Medical technology is always changing, and we can thank people like Dr. Kim Manwaring. He has invented the Ferromagnetic Wand. It a type of scalpel that cauterizes while cutting, minimizing the amount of blood loss that occurs during surgery. Unlike current electrosurgical tools, the wand uses a paper clip-like tip coated with a special alloy [...]
Thinking About Becoming An Inventor?
Female First: If you’ve thought of something great, then well done, but it’s only the easiest part that’s over. Knowing how to turn your idea from a thought into a reality requires some knowledge of what you’re doing and of how to protect your property. Dragon’s Den and other television prgrammes have inspired hundreds of [...]
Inventions Born From Innovation
Humans Invent has pulled together their list of truly innovative inventions. Here are a few from that list. What are your favorites? Superglue Inventor Sir Harry Coover worked for the Eastman Kodak Company in 1942, and was actually trying to find the best material to make a transparent plastic gun sight. Unfortunately (fortunately, as it [...]
Holiday Niche: Cardigans Photo Card Displays
Need an interesting way to display all those photo cards you receive during the holidays? Cardigans has your solution. Their festive displays open up to easily hold photo cards of varying size, so you can show them off on your tables or fireplace mantle around your home. It all started when this proud mom wanted [...]
Biz Before Health For Many Entrepreneurs
People once said it was better to work smarter, not harder. During difficult times, many entrepreneurs have decided to put their health on the back burner instead, according to NBC Los Angeles. A new study by Manta, an online community for small businesses, says nearly half of small business owners surveyed admit to putting work [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: December 14
1782 – The Montgolfier brothers’ first balloon lifts off on its first test flight. 1902 – The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii. 1903 – The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Wanted: English Butlers in China
Bloomberg is reporting today that English butlers are in high demand in China. The Guild of Professional English Butlers has trained 20 percent more butlers this year than last, placing them with clients as soon as they are ready, according to Robert Watson, head of the firm in southern England, last week. The number of [...]
Opportunities in Wine Packaging: Cans of Wine
Wine wasn’t always stored in glass bottles. Wine was originally stored in terracotta containers called amphorae. During the Roman Empire, glass bottles were invented in Syria and wine quickly moved into these lighter and more translucent containers. Corks came later); “as late as the mid-17th century, French vintners did not use cork stoppers, using oil-soaked [...]
Jill Salzman has always been a bit of a Founding Mom, but she can now add author to that list. She recently wrote a new book called Found It: A Field Guide For Entrepreneurial Moms. Though the subject may be tackled in your book, personally speaking, what do you believe is the most important aspect [...]
Don’t get too comfortable with the keys you click while typing on your computer. Soon that keyboard you’re using may be made of touch-sensitive glass. The same can be said about your computer mouse, too. Giddings is president and CEO of Giddings Product Development. His team is in the process of developing the first batch [...]
Determining The Worth Of Your Biz
The Sydney Morning Herald: There is no hard and fast rule for working out the value of a business. Some industries base the value on the turnover, such as professional practices like accountants, while others have established valuation methods that are peculiar to their industry, such as newsagents. Using accounting principles the goodwill value of [...]
Toy Drive: The Story Of Christmas Toys
Ever wonder what really happens to the Christmas toys that do not sell? Bargain hunters may use that time as an excuse to discount shop after the holidays, but one author, Kay Conageski, wrote a book instead. Kay’s story tells a fun tale about Christmas toys. It also teaches kids about giving to those in [...]
Globe and Mail: On a crisp November morning along Victoria’s Inner Harbour, Harold Aune ambles down the dock, cautiously avoiding a slick coating of frost on the wooden planks beneath his feet. Stopping next to a half-dozen gleaming white rowing skiffs, he dials up his company’s website on an iPhone and makes a one-hour reservation. [...]
No Easy Road For SnapIt Inventor
If you wear glasses, you already know how difficult it is trying to mess with the tiny screws that hold all of the parts together. It was while watching her mother rig a pair of glasses using an earring that inspired Nancy Tedeschi to create SnapIt. SnapIt, which cost Tedeschi $250,000 to get this far, [...]
Well-Known Inventions By Young Inventors: Makin’ Bacon
Abbey Fleck had just reached the ripe old age of 8 years old when she invented her first consumer product, Makin’ Bacon. This invention is a simple dish that cooks bacon in the microwave while allowing the fat to drip down into a reservoir. After inventing the cooking device, Abbey worked with her father to [...]
KHOU.com: The FDA has registered a new pill called Blowfish that the inventor claims almost instantly cures hangovers and all of their nasty symptoms. The pill actually consists of two tablets that dissolve in a glass of water, much like Alka Seltzer. They reportedly eliminate hangover symptoms in 15 to 30 minutes. The pills are [...]
Movie Inventions We Wish Were Real
What movie inventions do you wish were real? Here are two recently shared by Flavorwire. Time-traveling DeLorean Everyone’s favorite inventor, Doc Brown, didn’t hurt his reputation by inventing a solution to everyone’s most maddening frustration: time. Back to the Future’s plutonium-powered DeLorean travels through the space-time continuum in style — and even more so after [...]
How to Make Money With Ointments
The Patriot Ledger: Jennie Head has been making her own balms and oils since her now 6-year-old daughter, Josie, developed diaper rash as an infant. Rather than simply buying a salve at the store, Head chose to research and create her own. ‘‘I like to know exactly what’s inside of it, and it’s not always [...]
You Can Purchase a Cremation on Amazon
PR writers are funny. I never would have started a press release about cremation by starting with “Just in time for the holidays,” but maybe a pre-need cremation plan is the right present for that hard to buy for relative. You can purchase the cremations here. Just in time for the holidays, Smart Cremation has [...]
Women want socks that not only look nice, but they must also stay in place. According to SFGate, that is what drove the idea behind Soxxy. “Your boots are made for walking, and Soxxy fashion socks are made for staying in place all day long. After years of frustration with flimsy footwear, inventor and soxpert [...]
Well-Known Inventions By Young Inventors: The Popsicle
Maybe it’s something about ice that spurs kids to inventive thinking. Frank Epperson left his soda water outside overnight and it turned to ice. The next morning, behold, the first Popsicle had been invented. Epperson was only 11 years old at the time, though he didn’t patent his invention until almost 20 years later, in [...]
Gifts For Garage Inventors: An Injection Molding Machine
What are you buying your inventor this year? I bet he or she would love to find a hand-operated injection molding machine under the Christmas tree. The model 20A PIM-Shooter from LNS Technologies fits nicely on the kitchen counter with its compact size, and operates from standard 110V AC and consume less than 200W of [...]
According to IBJ.com, uFlavor has one basic goal: to become the YouTube of the soda industry. Customers will be able to choose the ingredients for custom-made concoctions and design their own labels, then uFlavor will make and sell the drink—to its creators and the general public, who’ll be asked to rate the finished product. Some [...]
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Megabus: You Can Privatize Public Transportation
When libertarians and bright-eyed liberals talk privatization, one of the things that the liberals always ask is “how can we possibly privative public transportation?” One word: Megabus. Megabus is a city-to-city, express bus service. Their regular price for a round trip ticket between Washington DC and New York City is $8 per person. Compare that [...]
Measuring Roofs Without A Ladder or a Tape Measure
It doesn’t take much to completely revamp an entire industry if you have a new idea and a great execution. In 2006, roofing salesman David Carlson [no relation to Dane Carlson] vented to his brother-in-law about his frustrations from climbing onto rooftops and manually measuring to give estimates on repair work. Measuring by hand is [...]
Shoes That Capture Electricity
Popular Science: Humans are not very efficient. When we walk, we waste close to 20 watts of energy per second. Instead of turning all calories into lift or forward motion, we turn most of them into heat that’s quickly dissipated. So my colleagues and I came up with a way to harvest the wasted energy [...]
Enloop Takes Pain Out of Writing Business Plans
Techcrunch: Writing a business plan is no easy task — it can be painstaking. If you’ve ever written one, you’re probably familiar with the many websites that offer those static business plan and projections templates and galleries. They can be a great point of reference, but oftentimes they’re just that. Cynthia McCahon founded Enloop because [...]
Today in Entrepreneurial History: December 9
On this date in 1793, New York City’s first daily newspaper was established by Noah Webster. The paper was published, under a number of different names, until 1923. Originally called “American Minerva”, it was renamed the Commercial Advertiser in 1797. In 1904, it became the The New York Globe and was published until 1923, when [...]
Veganz: A Grocery Store for Vegans
‘ WorldCrunch: Don’t bother going to Jan Bredack’s new Berlin (Germany) supermarket if you’re looking for any of the following items: meat, fish, milk, eggs, honey, leather or wool. Veganz, as the shop’s name would suggest, is a strictly, 360-degree animal-free zone. It is also the first of its kind, at least in Europe, according [...]
Think swimming with the dolphins is exciting? How about swimming like a dolphin?! Invented by French jet ski champion Franky Zapata, the Flyboard allows daredevils to leap in and out of the water like an aquatic mammal. It can even do backward-somersaults. Although it’s similar to the Jetlev released earlier this year, the Jetlev doesn’t [...]
Well-Known Inventions By Young Inventors: Earmuffs
A teenager into ice skating isn’t very unusual, and it doesn’t necessarily mark that teen out for future financial success. In Chester Greenwood’s case, his love of the winter sport was hindered only by the bitterly cold weather that hurt his ears. After experimenting with a few quick solutions, Greenwood enlisted his grandmother’s help. He [...]
Whether it is a business meeting, workshop, or a small event, people need a space they can use. @ The Space gives them the room they need… for a price. This is just the next step in a long entrepreneurial journey for Jodi Fedor. The two-floor venue is art gallery-sleek, but warm and beautifully fluid [...]
The Entrepreneur Behind Free Shipping Day
Entrepreneur: [Luke Knowles] created Free Shipping Day in less than two weeks in 2008. Sales totaled $942 million last year, surpassing Black Friday, according to the online data tracking firm comScore. Free Shipping Day didn’t quite catch up to Cyber Monday, which pulled in more than $1 billion in sales last year, or Green Monday, [...]
Amazon To Pay Customers $5 to Leave Your Store!
Retail stores are under attack! This Saturday, Amazon will offer consumers up to $5 off their purchases if they compare prices using the Amazon’s mobile phone application in a retail store. Amazon hopes to increase the use of it’s bar-code-scanning application, while also collecting information on the prices of products in it’s competition’s stores! While [...]
Professional Comment Moderators
Chuck Dueck is a professional comment moderator. He spends every hour of his work day, reading forums, messages board and blog comments. One by one deletes comments from spammers, the vitriolic, and the disgusting. Restoring civility is all in a day’s work. Business Week: Dueck works for ICUC Moderation, the brainchild of Winnipeg businessman Keith [...]
Ever wonder why you can’t seem to keep new customers coming back? Chron.com has a few ideas that will help you out. Never let your clients forget who you are. Use every method possible to keep yourself in the front of their minds. To get your customers back in the door, try giving them more [...]
It may not be as large as the beer market in the US, but there is still some money to be made. Just ask Jake Schiffer, the founder of Leprechaun Cider Company, reports San Antonio Express-News Leprechaun Golden Cider hit the Houston market in March, but only on draft. In mid-September, 22-ounce bottles of the [...]
Small Biz Employees Wanna Retire, Too
Often entrepreneurs forget to set aside for their own retirement funds. However, our employees may want a retirement fund, and it is important for us to listen to their needs. A recent survey showed that only 10% of small businesses offer some type of retirement plan. The Harris Poll of 501 small business owners indicates [...]
Economy Holding Some Young Entrepreneurs Back
Orlando Sentinel: The survey, funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, found that more than half of the Millennial generation — those ages 18 to 34 — want to start a business or have already started one. But 38 percent of young adults say they have delayed starting a business because of the economy, the [...]
Things To Do For Your Biz In December
This time of year can be very hectic for some entrepreneurs, but its an important time if you want to save any money during tax time too. USA Today has some “must do” items you should consider before the new year. Reduce your taxes. The basic rule is accelerate expenses, delay income. In other words, [...]
Pint Sized Entrepreneur Sells Marbles
EurWeb: Eight-year-old Harli Jordean, who has been obsessed with marbles since he was six, turned his love for the shiny orbs into a bonafied business at 500 bucks a pop. It was Harli’s obsession with marbles that led him to the web, but he was disappointed to find that there was only a limited selection [...]
Niche Biz: The Shower Powered Radio
The Telegraph: The H20 water-powered radio clips onto the water pipe that runs up to a shower head. Using micro turbine technology, the radio is powered by the water pressure running up a pipe. “The radio runs on energy generated solely through the flow of water, starting as the shower is turned on. It harnesses [...]
Gift Ideas For Women In Business
December is finally here, and it is time to buy gifts for everyone on your list. Do you know what to get the female entrepreneur in your life? Forbes has a few ideas to help you out. A fashionable bag, tote or briefcase I remember hearing a stylist telling a group of women in business [...]
Chiropractor Turns Inventor With Back Device
It didn’t matter that Roland S. Berthiaume has spent the past 15 years as a chiropractor, he still couldn’t manage to get his own back straightened out when he needed it most. So, he invented a device that would do it for him. He’s formed a company called NGC Industries with Springfield businessman and landlord [...]
Smart Business Book For Smart Women
SmartGirls are tackling the topic of women in business with their new book, The SmartGirls Way. The book looks at the impact women have made on the world of business, and offers advice to help them succeed. Set against the backdrop of the economic and social impact that women-led businesses will have on the next [...]
