Archive for Great Ideas – Page 3

Nannies by Noa: The Unique Nanny Service

      Noa Mintz is a fascinating and truly inspiring millennial entrepreneur, who is currently a senior at Brown University. She grew up in the Upper West Side in Manhattan; at the age of 12 she created her own business, “Nannies by Noa”, which is currently a member of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies. Her business serves affluent NYC families seeking well-educated and well-trained nannies on a regular basis. There are many different positions for the nannies ranging from part-time after school babysitting, to full-time 40 hours per week, Monday through Fridays.  

    According to a CNN Business article, Mintz’s idea came to her after her mother told her to “find a better babysitter.” Since Mintz didn’t like her own babysitter, she started looking for another one and later helped her friends find nannies too. She designed a thorough application process and started interviewing people for nanny positions. 

    Nannies by Noa’s application process is extensive. Understandably the application process requires multiple background checks, drug testing, but also includes three years in-home childcare experience requirement, two childcare employment references, a resume, an interview, and the requirement to be able to commit for at least one year. For example, there are a couple of active positions where some families have requested the nannies to speak French fluently. In many instances healthcare is also paid for by the families, which is unlike other major nanny services in the New York City area. Also, some families make arrangements for the nanny to have four weeks off for a vacation as well as the major federal holidays. Mintz has created a variety of different positions and services to best accommodate nannies as well as the families. 

   Nannies by Noa continues to thrive; even as Mintz is finishing up her last year studying Cognitive Neuroscience at Brown University, she continues to manage her childhood business. 

To learn more please check out…

https://www.nanniesbynoa.com/about/

https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/06/smallbusiness/nannies-by-noa/index.html

Project “I am” -Jahkil Jackson

Project “I am “was started by a nine year old Jahkil Jackson in Chicago. Jackson helped his aunt distribute cans of food to the homeless in Chicago which sparked his own idea. The I Am project is a non-profit and shares a goal to help to the homeless in the world that are in need to his coined terms as ‘Blessing Bags.’ These consisted of deodorant, wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bottled water, granola bars and more. Jackson’s small business quickly grew, and he has impacted more than 50,o00 lives of the homeless around the world. Atlanta, Virginia, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Idaho and many more states in the U.S. have been greatly impacted by his generosity and care. There has also been a worldly impact where the blessing bags have been sent to many countries in Africa, and South America for special relief packages after natural disasters.

Jackson is really emphasizing the need for donations that go towards project I Am, so they can continue to make an impact around the world. He encourages everyone to be able to see the importance of helping out can make in your community. I AM thankful for my many blessings 🙏🏽 including @walmart for believing in my mission. This donation will help make over 500 blessong bags for those in need. #walmart #endhomelessness #BeTheChange #YouthDoItBetter #JahkilJackson #DontWaitToBeGreat

While Jackson had a lot of help from his family in the idea of helping others, he took that idea and pivoted to make a bigger idea. This is very inspiring, because Jackson saw that there was a need for the homeless that was unfulfilled. Instead of just handing out money, Jackson knew he wanted to make a real life impact by giving them the opportunity for staying healthy and clean as they go through difficult times. Jackson was acknowledged by former president, Barack Obama as well for his efforts in 2017 and featured on Cartoon-Network and many other platforms. This helped a lot with networking and getting his message out there for the public to understand the mission.

Young Entrepreneurs: Sanil Chawla

Sanil Chawla, 19

Sanil Chawla is the founder of Hack+, a nonprofit to help young entrepreneurs easily move through the barriers presented by all the legal hurdles when starting a business. Sanil, a young entrepreneur himself realized through personal experience that there are so many legal obstacles to maneuver that it makes it intimidating and frustrating to get started.

To solve this problem, Sanil developed software that would create an automated process for all the legal paperwork needed to begin a nonprofit venture. When Hack+ was launched, the primary purpose was to provide a fiscal sponsor to charitable organizations that are being developed by students. Large companies like Amazon and Google have come alongside Sanil to help provide resources for the company that is directed to students which include business to business assistance. Sanil has garnered over $1 million with his team of 12 and has helped almost 1,000 students with his company.

Sanil has created an amazing tool for young entrepreneurs, there are so many young entrepreneurs with wonderful ideas. However, not many students have the resources or knowledge to get through all the legal paperwork and processes needed to get started on sharing their mission with others. This is a wonderful example of innovation, Sanil saw a gap that needed to be filled. He developed a company that provided a service for students that wasn’t offered anywhere else and made it accessible.

An entrepreneurial trait seen in Sanil is that his motivation was not found in profit. He started a nonprofit venture to help students launch their own nonprofit ventures. We see that Sanil’s motivation is found in service to others and seeking to push others toward success. Sanil presents a model for entrepreneurs starting any venture, what is your motivation? Sanil created a service that truly served its purpose, opening the door for entrepreneurship in young students.

Young Entrepreneurs: Hart Main

Hart Main is a great example of how inspiration for a product idea can come from a variety of sources – sometimes even jesting. Hart’s sister was selling what he called “girly” scented candles for a school fundraiser, and he gleefully took advantage of the opportunity, teasing her. However, when 13-year-old Hart’s heart got set on a $1,500 bicycle, he decided to turn this jest into a business opportunity.

ManCan Candles was born. The idea was candles that carry fragrances like “Grandpa’s Pipe” and “Sawdust.” With a little bit of investment from his parents, Hart was off and running. He decided to use soup cans for a holder and began working with his parents to develop scents for his candles. They are now available in every state.

This idea goes to show that inspiration for a business can be found almost anywhere – including in a joke. In fact, I’d wager that a lot of jesting about products like this could become viable businesses. After all, why did Hart make fun of his sister? Because all of the candles she was selling were “girly” scented. Hart unknowingly identified a problem with what was available candle-wise. Thankfully he didn’t just write it down as a bad joke but followed through with a solution to the issue that he identified – and he was successful with it: ManCan Candles makes over six-figures annually!

Good for the body and good for the taste buds!

The notable entrepreneur for today is Alina Morse.

Alina Morse, Founder and CEO of Zollipops

She is the founder and owner of Zolli Candy which is a twist on normal candy. She sells candy that is orally healthy and still just as tasty. The first candies that she ever sold were called Zollipops. According to Inside Edition (Meet Alina Morse, the 14-Year-Old CEO of a Multimillion-Dollar Candy Empire | Inside Edition),

Zolli Candy is sold in about 25,000 major retailers across the country, including Walmart and Walgreens, and the company’s first product, the Zollipop, is the No. 3 best-selling lollipop on Amazon. They taste like normal sweets but are sugar-free since they’re made with low-calorie substitutes like xylitol and erythritol.

Alina’s story started when she was only 7 years old. She was on a trip and someone at a shop was offering lollipops and like any other kid Alina wanted one, but her dad refused the candy telling her that the sugar was bad for her teeth. That caused her to think. She wanted to made candy that was safe for the consumers. This started her journey of finding healthy ingredients for her product. She spent $3,750 plus a certain amount from her family to launch her business. At age 9 Alina had the opportunity to sell her product to a regional Whole Foods. That meeting went well because afterwards they began selling her product in their store.  Because she is so passionate about oral health, 10% of her proceeds are gifted to oral health in schools. Additionally, she has stated an organization to teach school kids about the importance of oral hygiene, and when the schools teach the children, she donates her Zollipops to the schools. Her organization is called Million Smiles Initiative. Click this link to learn more: https://millionsmilesinitiative.org/

 

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zollimillionsmiles/

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zollicandy/

It is inspiring to see young kids find a joy and vision and run with it, and not just to make a profit but to truly make a difference. How amazing and beautiful is that? Follow Alina Morse’s story through social media, and you can learn more about her vision and journey at https://www.insideedition.com/meet-14-year-old-ceo-multimillion-dollar-candy-empire-55275

Mikaila Ulmer – CEO of Saving Bees One Lemonade at a Time

Curiosity is the birthplace of all creation and innovation. Lack of curiosity limits us in what we can achieve. Mikaila Ulmer, a 15-year-old entrepreneur, not only had the curiosity but had the drive and courage to turn her idea into an award-winning, multi-million-dollar company.

The idea of Mikaila’s company, “Me & the Bees Lemonade”, began when she was just 4 years old and got stung by bees twice in one week. Stemming from her anger around getting stung, she was curious as to why bees even existed. She was intrigued to discover truly how much of an impact bees have on the environment. In preparation for some children’s business competitions, she wanted to combine finding a way to help bees not go extinct with her grandma’s lemonade recipe in her business idea. This is how “Me & the Bees Lemonade” was born. She decided to make her own variation to her grandma’s lemonade recipe with honey and donate a percent of profits to “local and international organizations fighting hard to save the honeybees”. Since she started the business, it has shown unbelievable growth and she now is selling her lemonade in multiple major markets and stores.

Although some may think that a lemonade business is mundane and not worth investment, Mikaila clearly proved this wrong. Mikaila’s lemonade business stands out among the rest. How? She has a drive and meaning behind it. She has a clear purpose and vision for her mission as a CEO. She wants to help the environment at the same time as spreading joy by saving the bees and sharing her grandma’s lemonade recipe with the world. Her passion for the cause and her personal tie to the business is what makes Mikaila unique and what makes her idea great. In the social entrepreneurship arena, we can learn from Mikaila. Whether involving the environment, people, technology, etc., entrepreneurs like Mikaila should inspire us to replicate her passion and courage to change the world for the better.

Mikaila also has a desire to share her story of being a social entrepreneur with others, which she does through speaking at events, leading workshops, and participating in social entrepreneurship panels. She clearly values inspiring others in a way that shows them that they can also make a difference if they are willing to take the chance and apply their passion to a cause. Personally, I am inspired by Mikaila’s story because she is the epitome of young entrepreneurs that achieve success by filling a need that makes a difference and that people care about with no fear. Her story reiterates to me the importance of running with a vision. Mikaila says herself, “My generation-we’re the future. When we grow up, we’re going to be the people who are the presidents and the leaders of the world…If we start at a young age making a difference, donating back, giving back, when we grow up, we can do that on a larger scale.” This quote encourages me that even at a young age, we have the opportunity and potential to make the world a better place. If we capture our dreams and transform them into reality, then there is nothing we cannot do.

Read More →

From Washing Minivans to Maseratis

Alex Chapman is an entrepreneur from Essex, England who started his car washing business at the age of 13. Progressively, Chapman worked his way up to a luxury car detailing business charging upwards of $5000.

Many teens who are too young to get a job will find other ways to work for money. Some will choose odd-jobs in their locality such as mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, pulling weeds, washing windows, walking dogs, housesitting, and selling lemonade. Alex Chapman chose to make money charging £6 to wash cars in his neighborhood. He started with a sponge

and bucket, but now uses advanced polishing tools, wax, ceramic coating, and high-tech paint protection film. His current workspace includes three detailing bays, a shop, glass boardroom and outside washing area.

Alex Chapman is a very successful entrepreneur. He took a common odd-job for children and created a multimillion dollar business out of it. Chapman innovated by taking a menial and low-grade job and taking it to a whole new level. He worked h is way up the car detailing ladder from a simple wash to applying a $4000 paint- protecting film. Chapman took advantage of the reality that people will pay extraordinary amounts of money to avoid monotonous tasks. His business now takes a place in the luxury car care market. Luxury car owners will spend enormous amounts of money to know their car is well taken care of and in peak operating condition.

This is a very inspiring story to me, especially. This is the story of a kid starting with basically nothing and building it up far beyond his original goals. Alex Chapman exemplifies ambition in one of its most pure forms. I understand the market in which Chapman occupies, and know it is very competitive. Chapman’s business is exclusive to auto detailing in a market where it is common for a company to provide many different services with detailing as an extra resource. This means Chapman needs to be the best of the best to keep his enterprise afloat.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-teen-entrepreneur-has-own-business-polishing-luxury-cars-for-4000-20190320

https://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-teen-entrepreneur-has-own-business-polishing-luxury-cars-for-4000-20190320

About AWC Car Detailing

Marlo Vernon’s CarePenguin

CU Boulder Graduate finds an Innovative Way to Care for the Elderly

Marlo Vernon, CEO & Founder

Marlo Vernon, a Colorado University Boulder alumnus, discovered a common thread of concern for senior citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic. She recognized a need for a peace of mind from families who could not necessarily see their elderly family members as often as they would have liked to. Marlo relates an all too real scenario where loved ones would make daily phone calls to the elderly simply to see if they were still alive; this was a terrifying situation that she found a simple solution to, because “that’s not a conversation anyone wants to have.” Driven by her own concern for her grandparents while she was away at college and during the pandemic, Marlo, together with her father Todd Vernon, created CarePenguin (Home – CarePenguin).

CarePenguin is a noninvasive hot water sensor. No one wants a camera on in their house watching their every move; this hot water sensor shows activity in a house without that feeling of invasion of privacy. This mechanism detects every day procedures such as washing hands, brushing teeth, doing the dishes, watering the garden, etc.. By knowing that their loved ones are up and moving, families can go throughout their day with peace of mind. Marlo demonstrates an eye for a need in the community along with a solution to the problem. The CarePenguin app is simple and easy to use. By looking at an app on their phone, family members can see the last time a faucet was turned on. The app also senses lack of movement that alerts the user that it may be time to check in on their elderly.

Marlo’s mission to provide security within the home is inspiring to up and rising entrepreneurs like myself. She exemplifies the idea that you can help others and make money at the same time.  At first thought, CarePenguin, didn’t make sense to me; but after further research, I saw how helpful the device really is. This shows me ideas that may seem “silly” or unhelpful at first, may have a different angle. Marlo and her father inspire me to reconsider ideas that I have downplayed in the past, and take a look at them from a different perspective.

Young Colorado entrepreneur dives into senior care with water sensor (thedenverchannel.com)About Us – CarePenguinHome – CarePenguin Read More →

Jeff Cripe, Founder of Cargo

Entrepreneur Jeff Cripe, who is 29 years old, is an impressive example of a young innovative thinker.  Cripe began as an employee at Birchbox where he was first introduced to the world of startups.  Not long after, Cripe had an idea, and decided to take a shot at his own startup.  Cripe’s idea was to piggyback off of already existing rideshare services and add a vending component.  By adding a box full of snacks, along with a scannable QR code that allows riders to make a payment, Cripes company, known as Cargo, added an entire new way to generate profit within the ridesharing market.  Already, Cargo has partnered with Uber, Grab, and Go-Jek, all leaders in the rideshare industry.  Part of what makes Cripe’s idea so effective is its simplicity.  Cargo didn’t require the invention of anything new.  Ridesharing has existed for almost a decade, and vending machines much longer.  It was simply the combination of these two concepts that was so revolutionary, and allowed for Cargo’s success.  Cripe’s story offers inspiration for how simply seeing the potential for a combination of two products in a way that no one else has seen before can lead to the creation of a successful company.

Ryan’s World

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/RyanToys...

Ryan’s World

Christmas and birthdays can be a very stressful time of year for parents. Trying to get something that their kids will like can be a challenge. Ryan Kaji and his parents saw this problem and created Ryan’s World to help those parents. Ryan’s World is a YouTube channel, started back in 2015, devoted to testing out toys to see if children will like them. The tester is Ryan Kaji, a nine-year-old now millionaire. While Kaji is the main star of the YouTube channel, alongside him are his mother, father, and twin sisters. Ryan’s World consists of over 27 million subscribers and his videos have generated over 43 billion views. Ryan’s world is in the top 100 most subscribed YouTube channels in the United States. Furthermore, Kaji was named the highest-paid YouTube star in 2018 and 2019.

The Kaji family is one that holds great entrepreneurs. They saw a problem: parents not knowing what toys to get for their kids, and they created a great solution. The solution they created, making a YouTube channel where Ryan tries out different toys, was innovative and profitable. Moreover, the creative skills that young Kaji has and is still developing will benefit him greatly in life. His story is only going to get more interesting and is definitely one to stay up to date on in the future.