Author Archive for ejdouglass

GV Art + Design

Posted by ejdouglass 
· Sunday, December 4th, 2022 
· 3 Comments

If you are a Clevelander, you probably have heard of the local business GV Art and Design. If you have not heard of it, it is a tshirt and apparel company with designs that are known to include retro Cleveland logos, sketches of Cavs, Browns or Guardians players, and the outline of the Cleveland skyline. GV stands for the initials of the two brothers who started the company, Greg and George Vlosich. They started their business in the garage of their house and since 2013 they have established four different store fronts all around the Cleveland area. GV Art and Design has gained so much popularity, athletes Jose Ramirez and Myles Garret have been spotted wearing shirts with detail drawings about themselves for the Cleveland sports fans. “We knew people had, you know, a strong affiliation with Cleveland and wanted to represent it. They just didn’t have a great way to do it yet. And it just took off,” said Greg. The brothers have also said, “We’re diehard Cleveland diehard sports fans, and the fact that they’re choosing our stuff, it’s just so cool. It means a lot.” The Vlosich brothers saw the passion that Clevelanders have for their sports teams and city. They turned the passion into something they could sell, and it quickly spread in popularity!

Image result for gv art and design cleveland

 

3 Comments
Categories : Uncategorized

Earth Energy Sustainable Treats

Posted by ejdouglass 
· Tuesday, November 15th, 2022 
· 3 Comments

Emily Yoder, a twenty-one-year-old from Ohio, stood out as a young entrepreneur by finding a new niche within the food industry. She asked herself, “Why do freshly baked goods have all kinds of ingredients that are made with chemicals, additives, and extra processing?” Yoder did her research and found that artificial and overly processed ingredients can have a negative effect on humans. Her business, Earth Energy Sustainable Treats goes against the norm of the food production. The treats are 100% vegan, gluten free, and made without five of the eight major food allergens. They also are made with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and refined sugar. Yoder makes sure to use only local, organic, and non-GMO sourced ingredients. For example, the energy bites are made with natural peanuts, agave sugar, chia seeds, flaxseed, and oats. Yoder travels around Ohio and sells her treats at farmers markets and other small businesses. Earth Energy Sustainable Treats is concerned about being environmentally friendly and also increases the proper business practice of reducing, reusing, and recycling through their packaging. It has become more popular for Americans to be extra cautious about what ingredients are put in the food they eat. Earth Energy Sustainable Treats saw their customers’ needs and solved them by creating treat people will not feel guilty about eating.

3 Comments
Categories : Baking, Entrepreneurship, Healthy Lifestyle

Isaac French Found His Niche in Rental Cabins

Posted by ejdouglass 
· Monday, October 31st, 2022 
· 3 Comments

Isaac French, at the age of 25, has developed a strong presence in rental properties with his company Live Oak Lake. Having a dad with a background in construction, he was wanting to create within the hot real estate market in Texas. With an entrepreneurial spirit, French bought 5 acres of empty land with a plan to build seven cabins. The Scandinavian-styled cabins are between 550-650 square feet. He built welcoming spaces for renters by including hot tubs, firepits, and floor to ceiling windows in each cabin. He drew a lot of inspiration from nature and added a lot of high-end finishes in order to feel “completely lost in nature.” The cabins are surrounded by trees and are scattered around a lake, all a couple hundred yards apart.

White Rock cabin, Live Oak Lake

French began his business with his own money and credit from his father’s construction company. The total cost was $2.5 million and took about nine months complete. French contributes a lot of his success to the advice he got from his peers about automated property management systems and videos from Robuilt, a YouTube channel created by another short-term-rental entrepreneur. French prices his cabins higher on the weekends and his cabins have an occupancy rate of about 90%, with much of the booking traffic coming from the Live Oak’s Instagram account. Since their opening in March 2021, they have produced over $550,000 in bookings.

3 Comments
Categories : Interior Design, Real Estate

Great Coffee Should Fuel A Greater Purpose

Posted by ejdouglass 
· Sunday, October 2nd, 2022 
· 7 Comments

Image result for Grounds & Hounds CoffeeJordan Karcher is the founder of the company “Grounds and Hounds.” He founded a business that makes good coffee with an even greater purpose. Their mission is to “…eradicate unnecessary animal euthanasia and improve animal welfare, our passion as a company is to provide and amazing coffee experience for our supporters every time they brew a cup of our coffee.”  This coffee company donates 20% of their profit towards dog shelter and rescue organizations. They use organic, eco-friendly coffee beans that are sourced from the best regions throughout the world. Not only does Grounds and Hounds have multiple coffee roast flavors, but they also sell apparel, mugs, accessories for your dog, stickers and more! Karcher took two of his passions together and formed a business that has increased revenue by 300%. They have been able to grow while maintaining their mission: great coffee should fuel a greater purpose.

Karcher gives some great advice. He says, “While it is important to always follow your passion, remember that your product and the customer experience must meet or exceed that of industry competitors.” He found a way to be unique among all of the coffee brands by creating a company that gives towards good purposes and that also connects with him personally. 

 

7 Comments
Categories : Coffee, Dogs, Pets, Social Impact

Hilton Carter: Plant Enthusiast

Posted by ejdouglass 
· Monday, September 26th, 2022 
· 4 Comments

Image result for hilton carterIt all began with the purchase of a Fiddle Leaf Fig plant named Frank. Then, Hilton Carter slowly incorporated more and more plants into the design of his house until a total of 200 plants were living all around his house. Carter used his passion for plants and interior design in homes to establish himself as an entrepreneur. During quarantine, Carter gained a following through Instagram from his design and plant care tips. As he grew with popularity, he was able to do a collaboration with Target for plants and home décor and has also published three books, with the titles “Wild at Home: How to Style and Care for Beautiful Plants,” “Wild Interiors: Beautiful Plants in Beautiful Spaces,” and “Wild Creations.”

Carter demonstrates how to turn a passion into a successful business opportunity. The houseplant niche exploded during quarantine, and Carter joined in on the trend at the right time and became a well known “Plant Enthusiast.” With an experienced background in design and houseplants, Carter used his innovation skills to write books and help others excel in styling their own homes. I am inspired by how Carter took what he was passionate about and turned it into a way to reach others and make money.

 

4 Comments
Categories : Design, Interior Design

Veronica Tessler: Owner of “Yotopia”

Posted by ejdouglass 
· Monday, September 26th, 2022 
· 2 Comments

Frozen yogurt over that past decade has become a popular dessert for Americans. Veronica Tessler hopped on the trend and created a company located in Iowa City. She noticed what was on the horizon of trending desserts and created a successful business. Through giving back to the community and working with locals, she created a strong name to her company and brings in many devoted customers.

Tessler understands what her customers want, and she gives it to them by constantly bringing in new toppings and frozen yogurt flavors. When the problem of not getting customers in the winter arose, she added hot cocoa bombs to the menu so customers could enjoy something warm during the cold weather. She innovated a way to keep revenue up during the winter and found a way to increase sales. Tessler demonstrated adaptation during covid by transforming her shop into a walk-up window and delivery service so she could continue selling to the public. When the money began flowing in, she hired more employees, bought more frozen yogurt machines, and established more locations. After reading an article on Vanessa Tessler, I learned how someone began with an idea, and with determination and focus, turned that idea into company that tops all the other companies within its market.

 

2 Comments
Categories : Food, Ice Cream