Author Archive for howehk17

Life is not ruff anymore: Bark’n’Borrow

In 2014, Liam Berkeley started a company called Bark’n’Borrow. The trouble started long before this company, with his desire for a dog.  Liam wanted a dog to play with, but not actually taking care of  full-time.  Thus emerged an ingenious company that allows for a temporary borrowing of your neighbor’s dog.  You can use Bark’n’Borrow to take the cute nearby dog on a walk or simply hang out for a couple hours. Some dog lovers may have concerns for the safety of their dogs with strangers.  Luckily, the self-proclaimed aim of Bark ‘N’ Borrow is to provide the safest experience possible to all our members and their dogs. Every person who joins the pack has had a trustworthy team review and verification of their profile.  They pride themselves in being thorough and dedicated to only offering the best of the best. For extra protection, and in case of emergencies, Bark ‘n’ Borrow also provides 24/7 customer support. Borrow a dog for the day, today!

 

 

Link:  https://thebark.com/content/barknborrow

Chicken or an Egg: It Doesn’t Matter

A san Francisco startup has developed a revolutionary approach to eggs.  You read that correctly, this company has changed the egg forever.  Hampton Creek has developed a plant-based egg alternative that is both cheaper and more humane.  Josh Tetrick, cofounder and CEO, explains that trillions of eggs are produced each year.  Often the farms where the animals are housed actually cruelly treat their animals and leave their farms in poor conditions, negatively affecting the environment.  Hampton Creek has discovered a product better for us, nicer to our animal friends and the environment.

Factory-farming is an incredibly detrimental industry, for both the animals and the planet.  Factories are much more concerned with maximizing profit and product, rather than protecting the welfare of the land.  Even freeing the caged animals was ineffective, claimed the CEO.  Their business focuses on taking animals out of the equation.

After extensive plant research, Tetrick discovered yellow peas mimic the properties of an egg.  In 2013, Hampton Creek’s first product was released-  a yellowish egg like powder. This powder allows manufactures to eliminate eggs in baked goods.   Tetrick explains this product is 48% cheaper, making it more affordable than regular eggs. Most importantly, Tetrick says, his product has wholly taken animals out of the equation.

Late last year, Just Mayo was released into the market place.  This product can be found on the shelves of Costco, Whole foods, and Safeway amongst other places.  Sales since last year have tripled since November 2016.  Up next for Hampton Creek is an egg- free cookie dough and a cholesterol-free liquid scrambled egg product.

There was seemingly no place for a new egg product, yet Josh Tetrick saw a problem that needed solving.  Animals were hurting and the environment was suffering.  Tetrick saw that this was an unnecessary problem and he created a product that solves it.

LINK: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233878

Hampton Creek's Just Mayo

MudLove: Hope for the future through braclets

Countless women, men, and children across the world sport some kind of bracelet.  A common piece of jewelry, not usually labeled as luxury, unless there are diamonds or gold hanging from it.  In America, water is also considered common, not typically considered a luxury or a good that is unattainable.  Yet, across the country, water is a luxury. A company called Mudlove has combined a simple bracelet with the worldwide problem of accessibility to clean water.  Their campaign “Get hope. Give hope”, works directly with the humanity and hope job creation initiative in Honduras.  The purchase of each Hope band creates one day of work for a man or woman in the villages of Corosa and Remolino. For every 300 bands sold, one full-time job and economic security is provided to one family.  This is all from a purchase of one small band.  Yet, this small bracelet provides hope to many people suffering across the world.  Furthermore, 50% of the proceeds from every Hope band go directly to the Humanity and Hope job creation campaign.  Finally, every MudLove’s bands provide one week of clean water in Central African Republic through the company’s partner Water for the Good.  Right now, 663 million Americans have a lack of access to clean water.  One simple purchase of a simple bracelet can start to affect this statistic.

 Mudlove bracelets are designed from specialty clay, crafter by passionate artisans committed to beautiful and environmental creations.  All bracelets cost $10 and can be designed with individual flair-either with different bands or with unique words.   Buy hope to give hope!

Black Link: https://www.mudlove.com/collections/classic-bands/products/hope-band?variant=2344366276

Cardborigami: Housing for the Homeless

Roughly 1,750,000 people are homeless in the United States.  Without a place to live or a comfortable place to sleep, people are constantly suffering all over the nation. Especially the homeless people affected during natural disasters.   Tina Hovsepian, a young entrepreneur, has drastically changed the lives of homeless people everywhere with Cardborigami.  Cardborigami provides instant housing to protect  from the elements through innovation and design. The design is lightweight, durable, structural, and treated cardboard.  No assembly is required and the cardboard is insulated. Below is an example of a Cardborigami shelter, costing $250.00.  With its spacious design, the tent can fit two adults comfortably. These shelters can house homeless men and women, but also can be used for a fun camping trip on the beach or in a park.  38.jpgThis shelter, along with most of the tents, was built locally in Los Angeles by veterans and homeless youth.  All proceeds from a purchase of a shelter go directly into Cardborigami’s homeless aid and disaster relief programs.

While the shelters may be more expensive to purchase, the company also sells small and large Nepali bags.  These handcrafted bags were brought back from Nepal by our CEO and Founder, Tina Hovsepian. They are hand sewn by Nepali wosmall+plain+bag.pngmen in the villages of Gorkha. The proceeds from Nepali bags sold will go towards rebuilding more earthquake safe structures in Nepal.

This company has been recognized all around the United States, and has been featured in prominent newspapers and journals across the states.  A simple idea using some simple materials, has revolutionized shelters for the homeless and those in crisis.   

Tina Hovsepian, the founder and inventor, was featured in Forbes 30 under 30 this year.  Her innovative solutions to the homelessness problem continues to bless countless people and I encourage you to donate to the cause!

ARE YOU KIDDING: 7 Year old Raises Money for Cancer

Many seven year olds stay parked in front of the television for hours watching cartoons.  However, this is not the case for Sebastian Martinez.  Sebastian is the CEO of his own company called Are you kidding, which raises money for organizations such as the American Cancer Society.  It all started with his passion for unique and funky socks.  This idea sparked a business that continues to grow, surpassing $15,000 in January of 2015.  Since then, Socks by Sebastian has continued to grow and sell from their website.  Sebastian and his brother use their creative socks to raise funds for local and national charities. Now at the young age of eight and ten, these two brothers use their creativity and hard earned money for others. They run their company and make significant incomes, money that any young kid would happily spend on themselves.  Yet, they both forgo splurging on material goods and donate to kids with autism and cancer.

No matter the age, a simple idea can make a huge and lasting impact on the community.  Anyone who is interested in these two young entrepreneurs can either purchase socks, get their school involved in the company, donate, or volunteer to one of Are You Kidding’s partner organizations.

Below is an example of some of the wild and unique shop options from the Are You Kidding sight. This pair can be purchased for only ten dollars, and it goes directly to their autism charity.