Archive for the 'Featured' Category
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 [...]
[](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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
Building Your Business Muscles
It is often said that some entrepreneurs are born, while others are made. No matter which category you may fall under, it helps to have as much information as possible when getting started. BizGym agrees. Much like a traditional gym where you would be required to exercise, their website forces you to flex your entrepreneurial [...]
SlotGuard: Stop Junk Mail Before It Hits Your Mailbox
If you are like many people in the US, you are probably sick of seeing junk mail stacked up inside your mailbox. For many people, it just means taking an extra trip the the garbage can to throw it all away. However, a unique service has popped up to help you stop the junk before [...]
Interview: Black Dawg Franchise Group
When you’re in the market for a franchise, it is nice to know the company you commit to will grow with you. That is what makes the series of franchises available from the Black Dawg Franchise Group so successful. As a potential franchisee, you can choose to take on just one opportunity, like their Black [...]
Put Yourself To The Entrepreneur Test
PsychTest has created the Entrepreneur Personality Test. It is a unique test that can assess whether you’re entrepreneur material. The test covered seven key business traits, namely Self-sufficiency, Conscientiousness, Drive, Social Skills, Optimism, Risk-taking, and Networking Ability. With over 12,000 test-takers to date, PsychTests data revealed that entrepreneurs who took the test outscored those without [...]
Book Review: Microbusiness Independence
Ready to escape the rat race, but not sure how? That is the main question to ask yourself before picking up Microbusiness Independence by Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton. You may remember that I spoke with this husband and wife team just last year about their automatic chicken waterer called The Avian Aqua Miser. They [...]
One Simple Idea: Invent, License, Collect the Royalty Check
Stephen Key lives the life that many of my readers dream of: he develops ideas for new products, licenses them out, collects royalty checks, and doesn’t look back. In his new book One Simple Idea, he explains how you can do it too. In this book, Key reveals the secrets that helped him and thousands [...]
Niche Biz: North Korean Restaurant
You can’t easily travel to North Korea, but if you’re in or near Washington DC you can sample their recipes at a new North Korean restaurant called Pyongyang Soondae (or Pyongyang Sausage in English): Washington City Paper has the full details: The first thing you notice on the menu is what isn’t there: beef. It’s [...]
Would you believe me if I told you that water is not needed to surf? Yes, traditional surfing still requires a surf board and waves. However, a new game allows you to surf some imaginary waves at home. The game is called Waimea Wipeout. Through the roll of a 10-sided die, you will determine just [...]
When Is the Right Time to Teach Kids Financial Skills?
The following is a guest post by Rudy DeFelice. As a father of three and founder of Kidworth, Rudy DeFelice is familiar with the issue of when parents should start addressing kids’ financial literacy. The answer may surprise some. Here’s a hint: most parents don’t start early enough. Given uncertain economic conditions, the rising cost [...]
Niche: Dirty Shopping Cart Handles
A new study has found that 72% of shopping carts handles have fecal matter on them. As many as 50% of those carts also tested positive for E. coli bacteria. According to the lead researcher from the University of Arizona study, Charles Gerba, “That’s more than you find in a supermarket’s restroom.” Don’t worry though, [...]
Custom Clothing Without The Custom Cost
Finding inexpensive custom clothing is difficult, especially if you’re working on a budget. No one would know this better than Steve Downing. Steve had finally managed to have a closet full of good quality suits and fitted shirts when he was blessed with successful weight loss. With the loss of 50 pounds came a problem; [...]
Wavegarden For Landlocked Surfers
Would you like to surf, but live too far away from the ocean to take it up? According to SF Gate, a company in Spain has teamed up with surfer Kelly Slater to build surfable wave pools. Even the greatest surfer ever Kelly Slater has ambitions of making wave pools a reality with his new [...]
Reseller Opportunity: Self Balancing Unicycle
It’s like a Segway, but without the annoying handle, and less nerdy and awkward. Called the Solowheel, it’s a 20 pound computerized unicycle that uses gyroscope technology to self balance. It’ll be available in March for about $1,500. More from the manufacturer: The Solowheel consists of a wheel and two foldable foot platforms. Internally, the [...]
Amanda Hocking sold 450,000 e-books in January directly to her readers, for under $3 each. The 26-year old writer has never been traditionally published and according to one anonymous publisher it is unlikely that any traditional publisher could offer her a better deal than the Kindle store. Hocking only began self publishing in March 2010 [...]
CompoKeeper Makes Composting Simple
For many people, making the “green” transition is not just a trend. It is also a way of life. From recycling to composting, it is a process that requires time, but the feeling of doing the right thing is its own reward. If you compost or you’re looking for an excuse to start, CompoKeeper has [...]
Squeezing Exercise Into Your Day
What excuse do you have for not exercising? If you’re anything like me, the argument is simply that there is not enough time in the day. Between all of our commitments, when are we supposed to get it done? The founders of SqueezeItIn.com, Brigette Polmar and Jenny Hein, accept no excuses. Jenny and Brigette were [...]
Laura Wayland stumbled into “nannying” after an impressive corporate career with no real plan of making this her next gig. Finding full-time nanny work not conducive to her own personal schedule, she wondered, “What if I served many families on a part-time basis rather than one family on a full-time basis?” Her curiosity led to [...]
Vi-Tel Wireless Innovating The Direct Sales Cellular Business
If you want to succeed in direct sales, you must offer a product that people need. A new company is doing just that. Vi-Tel Wireless is a network marketing company that specializes in cellular, satellite, and security products. Representatives for this company have the opportunity to make money selling the items that people really need. [...]
Weird: Bacon & Pickle Toothpaste
It must be a gag gift! Do you believe that there are people out there that would brush their teeth with bacon or pickle-flavored toothpaste?
Website Helps Entrepreneurial Students Get Their Ideas Off The Ground
A business idea is nothing unless you can get it off the ground. With that thought in mind, there is a new website that helps students do just that. FledgeWing is dedicated to helping entrepreneurial college students receive ideas and feedback that will help them successfully launch their own business. Their service is available to [...]
Windshield Repair Business Opportunity
It doesn’t matter if you drive the newest car available or an old heap, chips and cracks can happen to any windshield. When they happen, it is important to take the necessary measures to fix the problem before it can get any worse. Where you have a need, there is an opportunity not far behind. [...]
Glassware That Combines Fashionable And Fancy
Have you ever wondered why fancy glasses and goblets were so, well, plain? Kristy Peters couldn’t help but ask herself the same question. She decided to tap into her artistic talents and created Lani Designs. It is time to take the plain out of the glasses you use in your home and add a little [...]
Cockroaches for Valentine’s Day
Flowers wilt. Chocolates melt. Roaches are forever. As a Valentine’s Day special, The Bronx Zoo is selling naming rights for their cockroaches. Can’t decide on what to get that special someone for Valentine’s Day? Sometimes the answer is all around us, and right where it’s been for millions of years—like cockroaches! How better to express [...]
Dating Websites For And By Entrepreneurs
If you have no one to celebrate today with, you’re not alone. Valentine’s day has been a thorn in the side of single people for a long time. If you are an entrepreneur and you find yourself single today, Reuters has a list of websites that can help you solve that problem. Unlike Match.com or [...]
Weekend Thread: What Do You Want to Know?
Thanks for everyone’s participate in last weekend’s thread about your websites. This weekend, the topic is what would you like me to write about? Is there some specific kind of business that you’re interested in knowing more about? Some aspect of starting an online business, for instance? Or, how to make money with a pancake [...]
Who is John Galt? Atlas Shrugged Movie Trailer
The Official Atlas Shrugged Movie trailer is out. Atlas Shrugged Part 1 opens in theaters April 15th, 2011. Atlas Shrugged, if you don’t know, is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957. In the book, leading innovators, ranging from industrialists to artists, led by John Galt, refuse to be exploited by society and [...]
Showing People You Care More Than Once A Year
With Valentines approaching, we can expect an increase in flowers, gifts, and even proposals. The season is filled with money spending for the sake of showing others just how much they mean to you. What if you could do that every day of the year, for free? DailyLoveNotes.com is your go-to site for telling the [...]
What do they do with snow parks in the summer? I don’t know, I’ve never been to one. If you had a dozen or so Ice Meister Slicers, you could open a snow park in any weather — even in the blistering heat of summer! On the bottom of the Slicer are two removable ice [...]
If Chinese businessmen are harbingers of fashion and style, get ready to sell a ton of purses! Hip Chinese men are now toting expensive purses that previously were exclusively the domain of women. The 41-year-old investor was dressed in the unofficial uniform of Chinese businessmen: dark blazer, crisp white shirt, designer slacks, silky tan socks, [...]
I don’t know how successful the new web application upstartly will be, but I like their message: Want to be 100% sure about your startup idea? Get at least 5 people to put down cold hard cash for it There’s nothing like someone giving you cold hard cash for your product or service. People will [...]
You’ve Been Sentenced! To A Little Fun
If you want to learn something new, the best way to do it is to make a game out of it. The more fun everyone has while paying the game, the more information they will retain. It is that same basic idea that has made You’ve Been Sentenced! such a big hit. The game, which [...]
If we want to get the most benefit out of our driveway, we need to make sure it receives the proper care it needs. To do that, we need to make sure cracks are plugged, and the pavement is properly sealed. While someone with enough time and the right tools might be able to do [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
What if your business card could do more than simply tell your customer the name of your business and your contact information? The goal of Inspire Card is to help you to do that. Their card is a unique marketing tool. It not only works as a business card, telling your customer about you, but [...]
Real Estate Photography Specialists
Have you ever wondered who took the photos that you see of beautiful homes up for sale? It is said that a photo can speak a thousand words, and it has never been more true than when we look at a home listing. A bad photo will do nothing for the sale. However, a beautiful [...]
AprioriControl Puts The User In Virtual Control
Could you imagine opening an app on your iPhone to check on your home, turn off a light, or even play with your pet? At first it may not seem realistic, but the opportunity to do so is not far off. AprioriControl is a company that specializes in robotics control via the Internet. Their unique [...]
The talk of health care is in the air, and it is not about to go away. Thankfully, there are businesses stepping up to fill a need for affordable, convenient, high quality care. One of these businesses is Doctors Express. A doctors office might follow a strict schedule, but most of our needs do not. [...]
Could you imagine how much money you would make if every salesman that came to your door had to pay $.10 before they could get your attention? Here’s an old take on a unique approach that might even scare off the unwanted visitors of today. Via Dvorak Uncensored
ECHOage Eco-Friendly Birthday Parties
If you’ve ever wanted to throw your child a party that would give back, ECOage is probably the service for you. The first step to an eco-friendly birthday party is to go paperless. This service helps you do that by offering a variety of unique, fun electronic invitations for you to choose from. Once everyone [...]
