Author Archive for fiscuseg21

Sarah and Cody & “Blackbird & Violet”

Posted by fiscuseg21 
· Monday, November 13th, 2023 
· 1 Comment

Sarah and Cody, two young women from Australia, started their company “Blackbird & Violet” in 2019 (full names and exact ages not available). Fueled by a passion for sculpting things out of polymer clay, Sarah and Cody wanted to start a business that would provide the necessary tools and materials for this hobby. According to their website, they love “creating colourful & cheerful things” out of polymer clay and want to “help others create those things too.” At first, the focus of the company was on clay shape cutters. One big issue that Sarah and Cody recognized was that clay shape cutters were primarily sold in large sets of sizes. They thought it would be much more convenient if the cutters were sold individually.

So, Sarah and Cody set out to start a business called “Blackbird & Voilet,” where they could sell clay cutters individually in a variety of shapes and colors. All of their cutters are designed and made in-house. Since then, Sarah and Cody have been expanding their company further and further. A year after its founding in 2019, B&V expanded to sell all sorts of supplies related to polymer clay sculpting. Today, Blackbird & Violet sells shape cutters, silicone molds, texture tools, extruders, cutting tools, texture tools, clay packs, earring backs, earring displays, and more–all aimed toward the polymer clay hobby. The company even offers holiday themed products and takes custom orders for shape cutters.

Because Blackbird & Violet is an online business, Sarah and Cody have spent a lot of time optimizing the website. It is colorful, robust, and easy to navigate–even for new users. The product pictures are fun, colorful, and pleasing, which encourages customers to explore the website even further. The B&V website utilizes design in its entrepreneurial efforts to appeal to its audience (people passionate about polymer clay as a hobby) and increase traffic.

Sarah and Cody’s business not only displays how design can be used in entrepreneurship, but also how an idea for a company can be found within our own passions. They noticed something missing in the polymer clay market and figured out how to meet the need effectively.

1 Comment
Categories : Art, Clay, Crafts, Tools/supplies

Tim Moxey & “Nuun”

Posted by fiscuseg21 
· Monday, November 6th, 2023 
· 1 Comment

At 26 years old, Tim Moxey came up with the basic idea for his now multi-million dollar business: Nuun hydration. While taking an entrepreneurship class at the Tuck School of Business, he was tasked with developing a product idea and a fictitious business plan. As an avid cyclist and triathlete, he had recently become frustrated with the lack of electrolyte drinks that could adequately replenish the electrolytes lost during extended periods of intense exercise. At the time, most stores only carried Gatorade, which Moxey found too sweet with its huge amounts of added sugar. For the project, he decided to explore a product that could solve a problem he was facing regularly.

As a solution, Moxey developed the concept for Nuun: a self-dissolving, portable, sugar-free tablet packed with electrolytes. At the time, Moxey had no intentions of ever building Nuun into a real business. After graduation from Tuck, Moxey held several corporate positions, but Nuun always resided in the back of his mind. Eventually, in 2004, he decided to officially launch the company.

Nuun has been extremely successful among endurance athletes all over the world; it turns out, many other athletes were in search of a better electrolyte drink, just like Moxey. After many prototypes and trials, Nuun grew into the product it is today: a hydration tablet containing essential electrolytes that you simply drop into a glass of water. The tablet dissolves into the water on its own, leaving you with a delicious, refreshing electrolyte drink. Since Nuun avoids excess amounts of added sugar, it is also a healthier hydration alternative to popular hydration drinks like Gatorade.

Today, Nuun comes in over a dozen different flavors, from Strawberry Lemonade to Orange to Fruit Punch. Nuun also offers a variety of hydration types, including ‘Sport,’ ‘Daily,’ ‘Immunity,’ ‘Energy,’ ‘Vitamins,’ and ‘Rest.’ With its wide array of products, Nuun offers a hydration option for everyone.

Tim Moxey is an excellent example of a young entrepreneur who used a problem in his own life to inspire a business idea that could solve the problem. He is also an ‘accidental entrepreneur’ who never planned on owning a business. Instead, his passion for the problem led him to success. Young entrepreneurs can look to Moxey as an example of someone who harnessed his own passion to solve a problem through a new product.

 

1 Comment
Categories : Athletics, Beverages, Fitness, Health, Hydration, supplements, Water

Cassidy Crowley & “The Baby Toon”

Posted by fiscuseg21 
· Sunday, October 29th, 2023 
· 1 Comment

Cassidy Crowley was only 7 years old when she identified a problem that sparked the beginnings of her company, “The Baby Toon.” She had entered a Science and Engineering Fair at her school and needed to find a problem in order to enter the fair. At home, she noticed that her baby sister had a tendency of chewing on the hard back end of her spoon. This would always concern her mother; she didn’t want the baby to choke or hurt herself.

To solve this problem, Cassidy came up with “The Baby Toon,” a 2-in-1 baby spoon and teething toy made of soft FDA silicone and designed to eliminate the long, hard spoon back. Instead, The Baby Toon comes in a variety of animal shapes with rounded corners and edges, making it safe for babies to chew on as well as a helpful teething device. This newly-patented shape also allows parents and/or younger siblings to easily hold the spoon and feed the baby without the spoon accidentally going too far into the baby’s mouth.  

Cassidy notes that The Baby Toon is also educational for babies, as it comes in a variety of colors (blue, pink, and green), shapes (rectangle, square, and circle), and animals (elephant, alligator, and koala). The Baby Toon is a new, fun, safe baby spoon and teething toy with various benefits.

At age 10, Cassidy appeared on season 11 of Shark Tank (2019) to pitch her business idea. She received a deal with Lori Greiner for $50,000 and 50% equity. Today, “The Baby Toon” has grown into a successful company with around $1 million in revenue each year. The Baby Toon is now sold through several major retailers, including Munchkin, Target, Walmart, and Amazon.

Cassidy Crowley’s entrepreneurship story is truly astounding, especially given that she started her business and appeared on Shark Tank at such a young age. Cassidy should be a reminder to all young entrepreneurs that the key to a successful business is finding a problem or need in an extremely niche area, and then solving the problem in a way no one else has before while providing several benefits.

1 Comment
Categories : Babies, Kids, parent, Shark Tank, Toys

Jungmin Kang & “Snoopslimes”

Posted by fiscuseg21 
· Saturday, October 7th, 2023 
· 2 Comments

Jungmin Kang was just 13 years old when she started her slime business in 2017. She became familiar with ‘slime’ through social media, as she enjoyed watching ASMR slime videos. Soon, she started her own e-commerce slime business using her allowance money. She launched her own social media and website for ‘Snoopslimes,’ selling various different types of slimes.

Kang’s business started small, but it has now grown larger than she could have ever imagined. Her social media following has now reached over 6 million, and she has sold over 1 million slimes total. To grow her business, she consistently posted high-quality videos of her slime products on Instagram and TikTok. Many of these videos went viral, which helped to spread the word about her company. In just over a year of posting on her social media, Kang had gained over 1 million followers.

Kang explains on her website that her product is a “therapeutic sensory toy” that provides a “creative outlet” for customers. Snoopslimes serves a wide array of customers, from young children who use slime as a fun toy to adults who use slime for “stress relief.”

Kang has found interesting ways to innovate in the slime market. She uses a “drop-based” business model, meaning that she launches a new supply of slimes every week at the same time. Some of the slimes stay the same every week, and others are brand-new or seasonal. Many of her slimes are carefully curated to coincide with current trends, events, or media. This business model creates more interest and demand; she can be more creative in the slimes she launches each week and many of the slimes sell out quickly after the drop time.

Kang also offers ‘slime subscription box’ plans for dedicated customers. The Snoopslime website also has a ‘Slime 101’ page for slime information and care, as well as a ‘Slime Lookbook’ page where visitors can see slimes from previous drops.

Kang is an inspiring example of a young entrepreneur who found an extremely niche interest and used her creativity to satisfy a need in the market.

2 Comments
Categories : Art, entertainment, Experience, Slime

Debbie Sterling & “GoldieBlox”

Posted by fiscuseg21 
· Saturday, September 30th, 2023 
· 2 Comments

Debbie Sterling (now 40) started her business “GoldieBlox,” at age 29 in 2012. GoldieBlox creates toys that introduce children (especially girls) to STEM at a young age. Their website includes categories of toys targeted at various ages ranging from 0-10 years.

As an engineering student at Stanford, Sterling couldn’t help but notice that she was one of the only girls in the department. Even worse, when it came to the hands-on part of her engineering classes, she struggled a lot more than the men did. Sterling realized the problem: boys grow up playing with hands-on, STEM-like toys (such as construction toys), but girls don’t. So, Sterling wanted to find a way to introduce young girls to STEM.

To solve this problem, Sterling created the first-ever girl engineering character: GoldieBlox. The “GoldieBlox” toy included a girl-targeted construction kit paired with a book that told a story about Goldie while guiding in the use of the toy.

Early on, Sterling faced rejection of her “GoldieBlox” toy at the International Toy Fair in NYC. Many people told her that girls “only want to play with princesses;” a STEM-related toy wouldn’t sell. However, Sterling truly believed in her idea, so she posted it on Kickstarter–and it was met with huge support. GoldieBlox received large amounts of funding and media coverage.

As GoldieBlox gained more sales and popularity, it received astounding recognition. GoldieBlox had a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, won a free Super Bowl commercial, and was honored by the President.

Debbie Sterling is an incredible example of a young entrepreneur. She encountered a true problem and realized that it doesn’t just affect her, but also all little girls everywhere. Then, she applied a unique solution that no one else had discovered. Even after facing initial rejection, Sterling didn’t give up; she stayed true to herself and persevered, as all young entrepreneurs often have to.

2 Comments
Categories : Education, Engineering, Female Empowerment, Kids, STEM, Toys

Adriana Carrig & “Little Words Project”

Posted by fiscuseg21 
· Tuesday, September 26th, 2023 
· 2 Comments

Adriana Carrig (now 32 years old) started her own business at the age of 22. She creates fun, colorful bracelets with inspirational words and phrases on them, such as “you got this, “keep going, “and “believe.”  Carrig was inspired to start her business because she witnessed a lot of bullying and negative talk between women in college.

Carrig wanted to find a way for women to empower one another instead of putting each other down. So, she started making motivational bracelets for herself and her sorority sisters. Carrig shares on the “Little Words Project” website that the bracelets helped them “get through tough times together.”

Carrig’s new way of “spreading kindness” was very popular amongst her sorority sisters, and she decided that she wanted to spread this loving “sisterhood” feeling to all girls. Thus, the “Little Words Project” was born.

Carrig’s vision behind the “Little Words Project” is for females to buy a bracelet with a word or phrase that is important to them, wear the bracelet for as long as they “need it,” and then pass the bracelet on to another girl who needs it someday. Each bracelet has a unique ID tag on it, so girls can actually “connect” their bracelet to the company’s website and share how the message on the bracelet is meaningful to them. Then, after they have passed the bracelet on, they can “track” it on the website to see who else has been inspired by their bracelet.

Carrig’s advice to young entrepreneurs is to be yourself, be perseverant, and focus on constantly learning new things about entrepreneurship. Carrig is an excellent example of a young entrepreneur who 1) found a problem she was passionate about, and 2) came up with a unique solution that people are willing to invest in. Aspiring entrepreneurs can certainly learn a lot from Carrig’s story.

2 Comments
Categories : Bullying, Experience, Jewelry, Positivity