Author Archive for blendermannkj20

Flash Forest

Posted by blendermannkj20 
· Monday, December 6th, 2021 
· 2 Comments

To say that our ecosystem is important would be an understatement. It is absolutely vital to the world’s health and the care of our human society. Forests are one of the main factors in supporting a strong ecosystem, but deforestation is a major problem that many countries face around the world. Deforestation is when woodlands are purposefully cleared for agricultural expansion, logging, or infrastructure growth. However, one new entrepreneur, Angelique Ahlstrom, hopes to improve the ecosystem with her own business, Flash Forest.

Cofounded by Angelique Ahlstrom, Flash Forest is a “Canadian reforestation company that uses UAV technology, automation, and ecological science to regenerate ecosystems on a global scale.” She started the company this year in 2021 and uses advanced technology of artificial intelligence, Plant Science, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and geographic information systems (GIS) to map, analyze, and automatically plant tree seeds in damaged forest areas. This company’s technology costs less and is safer and faster than other traditional methods. Flash Forest is actively working towards the goal of planting more than one billion trees by 2028 to reduce carbon in the atmosphere and restore worldwide ecosystems. They have tested 18 species of trees in planting trials to achieve biodiversity in forests. Flash Forest works with different organizations and industry partners to help plant trees and fulfill their “carbon offset pledges.” They even work with government industries to help them meet their reforestation targets that are expensive and difficult to complete.

Angelique says, “Our motivation is to have a tangible impact on climate change and all species within our lifetime, to revolutionize the reforestation industry on a truly planetary scale.” This is a very ambitious goal put forth by Flash Forest, but the first step to develop a socially minded business is to have a goal and fall in love with the problem, not the solution! Currently, Canada is one of the world’s leaders in sustainable forest management and Angelique aims to continue this with her company. She found a problem and used her passion for the environment to cause true social impact with her innovative brand and design.

2 Comments
Categories : Business, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Social Entrepreneur, Technology, Women Entrepreneurs

Erin Zaikis and Sundara

Posted by blendermannkj20 
· Monday, November 15th, 2021 
· 2 Comments

We don’t think much about soap. It’s just a simple necessity for us to wash our hands and keep ourselves clean. But would you be surprised that there are people in the world that have never seen a bar of soap before? Probably not, but in many impoverished countries today, over 800 children under the age of 5 die from diseases as a result of compromised hygiene and sanitation. Erin Zaikis hopes to change all that with her company, Sandara.

Erin’s company Sandara recycles used hotel soap to redistribute across Uganda, India, and Myanmar in an effort to increase hygiene and education as well. She knew that children around the world were dying without access to sanitation products, while big corporations like hotels were throwing out old soap after just one use. Erin saw what a big problem this was and founded Sundara in 2013 to combat this current issue. Sundara first started as a non-profit business recycling used hotel soap, but it evolved into a bigger company that now works across different countries and provides education and work opportunities to single mothers, domestic abuse victims, and widows. Their main values include fostering dignity, building sustainability, agility, and female empowerment. This is shown through Sundara’s two different programs, Rise Fellowship and Emergency Aid. Rise Fellowship provides “mentorship, seed funding, and resources to female entrepreneurs living in low to middle class income countries.” In addition, Emergency Aid is a program dedicated to providing urgent, short-term relief to those who need it immediately. Erin’s company has impacted thousands of women and children around the world and over the past 8 years, has recycled over a million bars of soap and reaches 200,000 people with serious hygiene education every year.

Erin has worked with Sundara for the past several years to help fight the rampant issue of sanitation and hygiene for women and children in poor countries around the world. Her company has changed the lives of many, giving dignity and respect back to those who need it. Erin Zaikis is a true entrepreneur with her company and let’s hope she continues to change the world with her innovative ideas.

2 Comments
Categories : Business, Great Ideas, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Social Entrepreneur, Women Entrepreneurs

Creating Temporary Housing from Origami

Posted by blendermannkj20 
· Monday, October 25th, 2021 
· 4 Comments

It’s amazing how the simple practice of folding paper has managed to find itself as the hobbies of many nowadays. Origami came from the ancient Japanese practice of folding paper into different shapes and figures. This seemingly simple idea of folding paper was the exact inspiration for Tina Hovsepian and her company.

Cardborigami is a combination of origami and cardboard. Tina’s idea for the company came to her during a senior design project when she was asked to rethink the idea of ‘temporary shelter.’ That’s when she made her first prototype of a temporary, foldable, and cardboard shelter for the homeless. It was immediately a hit, and she started her company in 2010 and it has been successfully running for the past 11 years. The Cardborigami website says, “Our centerpiece product provides immediate emergency shelter to homeless and/or disaster-impacted populations, allowing us to support the work of established partner organizations that offer transitional pathways into permanent housing and other long-term services.” This statement sums up Cardborigami very well and establishes what their goal is. Cardborigami even offers other programs like social enterprise, disaster preparedness, and pop-up homeless shelter sites in addition to their main product.

Carborigami’s mission supports the homeless, which is a big social issue nowadays, and their main product is very clever. Cardboard is biodegradable, so it’s healthy for the environment after it breaks down, and it’s foldable and easy to transport, so anyone can bring it with them for an easy and temporary roof over their heads. Tina even comments on design by saying, “Design fundamentally impacts the daily life of people. Architects are armed with aggressively creative ideas and innovative solutions to complex problems. With more designers taking leadership and focusing their talent on socially responsible design, the world would be a better place.” It is absolutely true that designers bring a lot to the table when it comes to coming up with new ideas and changing the world for the better. “Socially responsible design” could be this company’s mantra, and they are truly succeeding in their mission. It is a wonderful idea to address this issue in the world and I hope to see more Cardborigami products giving shelter to those in need.

4 Comments
Categories : Business, Great Ideas, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Social Entrepreneur, Youngest Entrepreneurs

The Buzz for Bee Downtown

Posted by blendermannkj20 
· Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 
· 1 Comment

Do you ever think about bees? Small little insects with a huge impact on our world today. With the bee population dwindling every year, beekeepers like Leigh-Kathryn Bonner founded Bee Downtown to save the bees while simultaneously giving companies a new way to think about sustainability.

Companies, like honeybees, are both hives. They both have workers and a queen to serve. With this in mind and the similarities between the two, Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, a fourth-generation beekeeper in her family, wanted to find a way to unite modern day companies with her passion for saving honeybees. Her idea was Bee Downtown, a business that installs beehives on corporate land while at the same time teaching companies about creating high-quality teams for businesses. It was a unique opportunity for Kathryn. Her family had already been beekeepers for a few generations and that same love for the environment and saving honeybees was already instilled into Kathryn.

Their main service is installing and maintaining beehives on corporate campuses. This gives a place for honeybees to live in the spring and summer and drives curiosity and engagement from the employees. With the bees living alongside these companies, Bonner hopes to educate the corporate world about sustainability and caring for the environment. However, Bee Downton also offers year-round programs to satisfy employee curiosity. From Beekeeping Classes, Hive Tours, and even Honey Tastings and an Annual Honey Extraction Festival, they offer a wide variety of education and entertainment for anyone wanting to save the bees. They also partner with some of the biggest companies in America like Burt’s Bees, Delta, and Chick-fil-A. The director of sustainable business at Burt’s Bees even said, “We love what Bee Downtown is doing. We appreciate the partnership and are impressed with the professionalism and customer service of all BDT team members! Every spring, we are so glad to have busy bees again. There’s an entirely different energy in the office when they’re here!”

Overall, Leigh-Kathryn Bonner is one of the true examples of an innovative entrepreneur. She combined a passion for beekeeping and a need for corporate sustainability and combined them to create a company with a wonderful idea at its core. Not only is it educational, but it’s also just plain fun! Maybe we should look into Bee Downtown and get a few beehives on campus as well!

1 Comment
Categories : Bees, Business, Business::Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Women Entrepreneurs, Young Entrepreneur

Fixing Financial Planning

Posted by blendermannkj20 
· Monday, September 27th, 2021 
· 6 Comments

Do you know how to pay off student loans? Buy a home? Pay taxes? Well, that’s exactly what Rebecca Liebman was concerned about when she started LearnLux.

Personal finance isn’t covered in school, so young entrepreneur Rebecca Liebman came up with a solution to teach people about how to manage your money. LearnLux was started back in 2015 and is an online learning tool to explain different aspects of personal finance to anyone wanting to learn. Rebecca and her brother, both co-founders, came up with this solution after graduating college and wanting to relieve the stress that came with developing a financial plan. On the LearnLux website, it talks about their customers and says, “They are navigating the murky waters of the financial system alone, falling prey to predatory practices, and sinking deep into the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.” This demonstrates that many people are worrying about finance in the modern world and shows the lack of education regarding this issue.

Their services include understanding equity compensation, funding emergency savings, building credit, and more. LearnLux also offers 1 on 1 calls with a certified Financial Planner in an unbiased manner. They advertise unbiased guidance, a configurable learning experience, and holistic teaching environment. They even have high quality lessons with digital planning for your financial plans, interactive content, and incentive and reward tools to keep you coming back!

Overall, this is a very clever idea and benefits both a common social problem as well as being a for-profit model that aims to make money. Rebecca saw a very clear need in the world and, along with her brother, developed a simple solution to help. Their primary drive was the lack of education regarding financial planning and how to communicate about these issues. Not only is LearnLux a creative solution to a common problem, but it includes different features to keep customers coming back and engaging with their product.

LearnLux is a great example of innovation and having entrepreneurial impact on the world. Rebecca saw a social problem, addressed it, and came up with an original way to help fix it. Everyone needs to learn how to manage finance, so maybe I’ll start using LearnLux too!

6 Comments
Categories : eCommerce, Education, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Social Entrepreneur

Beans on Broad – A Spot for Community

Posted by blendermannkj20 
· Sunday, September 19th, 2021 
· 2 Comments

Beans on Broad is a local coffee shop in Grove City that many college students enjoy. It’s not a chain, which makes it unique in status as an entrepreneurial venture.

It was originally started several years ago by two sisters, Shelley and Wendy, who grew up in Grove City. They “have a thing for local” and source their pastries, coffee, and milk from local farms and businesses. Even the building is steeped in history, first beginning as a First National Bank, then Grove City Hardware, Broad Street Books, and then finally a beloved coffee shop. It hasn’t changed much since the early days, still retaining its original wood flooring, brick walls, tin ceilings, and decorated ceiling fans. Keeping that sense of originality and “old time” feeling make Beans on Broad a cozy spot to listen to the town and explore what’s going on.

One of this coffee shop’s values is “community first.” This is shown through their local sourcing and their location in the heart of Olde Town Grove City. Beans on Broad also provides an important meeting spot to cultivate fellowship, conversations, the arts, relationships, and even hosting events! In such a small town as Grove City, a sense of community and togetherness is what’s important. Any coffee shop can be a place to sit and drink, but Beans on Broad offers a unique sense of coming together and truly sharing each other’s lives. The owners, Shelley and Wendy are dedicated to inviting people in and showing them what true community means.

Almost anyone can start a business nowadays, but it is critical to find a way to engage your customers in what you are doing. That is the beauty of entrepreneurship, it is possible to go into a place, start a business that you are passionate about, and create a way of living for both yourself and your customers! And that is exactly what Beans on Broad have accomplished. It’s not just a coffee shop, it is a place where encouragement grows, and relationships are built. Community is crucial to Grove City, and we must do all we can to foster a sense of community and spirit in our small town!

2 Comments
Categories : Beverages, Business, Business::Entrepreneurs, Coffee, College, Entrepreneurship