Author Archive for Emma Lizewski

Carolyn Rafaelian: Selling More than Just a Bracelet

Posted by Emma Lizewski 
· Wednesday, November 6th, 2019 
· 2 Comments

Carolyn Rafaelian is the creator of the successful jewelry company, Alex and Ani. For Carolyn, her idea came around the age of thirty when she returned to Rhode Island with her husband and two eldest daughters. Carolyn grew up on Rhode Island with her family, and her father was in the jewelry industry making brooches and earrings. Carolyn has memories of working as punishment in the factory her father owned, so she credits her childhood with sparking her passion.

Carolyn decided to start Alex and Ani because she was unimpressed with the costume jewelry industry and her father’s company was struggling to keep up with cheap jewelry coming from China. The brand started off with simple wire bracelets and hoop earrings, but Carolyn wanted more. That was when she came up with an idea that would allow design to be applied to the bracelets. In 2004, Carolyn patented the “Alex and Ani 14-gauge expandable wire bangle”. This new design allowed for the bangle to hold more beads and charms for better designs. Carolyn saw great success with this design when it was first launched because “it tattoos your body without the tattoos:” people could express themselves with these bangles.

But Carolyn went further by adding another unique feature to her bracelets. She wanted her bracelets to encourage positive thinking and reduce negative energy. Now her bracelets have charms, cards, and the blessings of a priest and shaman that are specific to creating positive energy while you wear them. Brent Cleaveland says, ‘”They don’t really sell jewelry. They sell positive energy. The bracelet is just the vehicle.”‘

Alex and Ani is turning over 10 million dollars a year, and Carolyn has seen major growth in her company. Her unique modification to an established market shows her entrepreneurial creativity. Carolyn found a niche, and she was able to create more than a piece of jewelry. Carolyn created a story and an experience in her jewelry, which makes her customers feel connected to her products. She didn’t create jewelry, but she added to the market by changing the purpose of bracelets. It was inspiring to learn her process of creating more than just a bangle.

2 Comments
Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Art, Experience

Brian Keller and Zachary Quinn: Love Your Melon

Posted by Emma Lizewski 
· Monday, November 4th, 2019 
· 2 Comments

As the weather grows colder, I thought it was fitting to explore the great minds behind the growing brand, Love Your Melon. Zachary Quinn, 26, and Brian Keller, 25, met when they were both attending the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. On the second day of their entrepreneurship class, Brian and Zachary decided to join forces to create a project that would see a profit at the end of the semester. They decided to create a company that would sell beanies, and their reason was that it’s always cold in Minnesota. After raising $3500 in small loans from family and friends, Zachary and Brian sent their beanie design to a knitting mill in Portland, Oregon, and the embroidered logo was designed and created by a local business.

Once Brian and Zachary had their product, they decided to add a nonprofit element because Zachary was influenced by his mom’s contributions to homeless shelters. Brian and Zachary decided to donate one beanie for every beanie purchased to patients suffering from cancer. During their first round of sales, Love Your Melon sold 200 beanies in front of Zachary’s parents’ restaurant, so Brian and Zachary donated 200 beanies to oncology patients at a local children’s hospital.

Zachary was impacted greatly by one patient they donated a beanie to, and that inspired him to take a gap year so he could focus on growing the business. Pretty soon they were traveling and spreading the positive brand on a bus tour. During their adventures in 2014, they decided to create their college ambassador program because a lot of students were interested in delivering the beanies to cancer patients. Today, Love Your Melon has 13,000 students at 850 schools delivering beanies to kids with cancer, and they have expanded their product line to scarfs, blankets, and gloves.

This is an inspiring story and another example of how a great idea has started within a classroom. I think this proves that minds coming together can create a stronger company because Zachary was familiar with nonprofits but needed Brian to help create a product that can serve his mission. What really impressed me about this story was the passion that Zachary and Brian had. They didn’t stop at getting an A in the class, they were impacted by the patients they were serving, and that drove them to continue growing Love Your Melon. Finally, Love Your Melon is a great example of a company that started with a simple product/niche but eventually expanded into a larger market.

2 Comments
Categories : Business, Charity, Clothing

Amber Venz Box: Turning “Likes” into Dollars

Posted by Emma Lizewski 
· Monday, October 14th, 2019 
· 3 Comments

Amber Venz Box has taken the fashion-tech industry by storm while being a mother, wife, and successful business woman all at the age of thirty.  The Dallas native has turned photos on social media into a way for style inspirations to make money. Mulling over the idea with her husband, at the time boyfriend, the two created an online website called RewardStyle with an affiliated app called LIKEtoKNOW.it. This company connects retailers with social media users so that people can easily find and purchase an outfit they saw in someone’s post. This new way of selling and shopping has seen one billion dollars worth of success and is growing. Box’s idea began before Instagram dominated social media platforms, which proved to make this company difficult to start.

RewardStyle was born from Amber’s own pain when was struggling for money as a twenty-two year old living in Dallas. Amber had her own consulting business where people would sign up and pay for a fashion consultation. She also ran a personal blog that kept up with her daily attire and style. Amber realized that she was losing money because people were just buying what she was blogging about instead of scheduling a consultation, and at the time money was her focus. It was then when she began crafting her idea to create a platform that would make her money, make retailers money, and make customers’ shopping experience easier.

It wasn’t a simple process, however, because Amber Venz Box ran into trouble trying to get large retailers to notice her and take the time to listen. There were many times when retailers would tell her there is no budget to work with bloggers because they mostly focus on celebrities and magazines. Amber also saw problems arising in her marriage because their opinions about running the business were different. With great persistence and patience, Amber was able to close a deal with a smaller retailer who saw an increase in revenue after working with her company. This brought the couple closer together, and they are now a strong business duo. Today, Amber is working with over 4,500 retailers who pay commission to users promoting their merchandise, which leads to sales for the company right from the picture.

Hearing the persistence Amber required to get her company running echoed what we have been talking about in class and with the quest speakers. Start-up companies can’t be successful unless you want it and adapt your strategy for the market you are trying to pitch to. Sometimes failure is regardless, but we should never give up after a few failed attempts. Amber was able to solve her own pain, but she also solved the pain felt by different markets. In other words, Box took her passion for style to create a new piece of technology that has changed the fashion industry.

3 Comments
Categories : App, Clothing, Fashion, Social Media, Technology

Sarah Tulin: A Solution for Air Pollution

Posted by Emma Lizewski 
· Tuesday, October 1st, 2019 
· 3 Comments

As Sarah was walking the city streets on her way to work, a giant puff of bus exhaust filled her longs, burned her eyes, and covered her clothes. Between gasping for air, Sarah Tulin mulled over a solution for the increasing amount of air pollution affecting everyone walking out and about. Oxie was born to help protect people from the abundance of harmful  chemicals flying around in the air. Oxie is the first smart, wearable, air purifier that “purifies your air without masking your smile”. Tulin designed Oxie so that the purifier could easily fit underneath your shirt collar and remain discrete. Tulin had dust masks in mind when pondering how to reduce the amount of pollution we breathe in, but she was displeased by how unattractive and poorly functioning they were.

Not only does Oxie protect people from harsh chemicals, but it also filters out viruses, bacteria, pollen, and other particles that can make humans feel under the weather. This subtle collar filters everything so that humans can live a healthier lifestyle.

Another interesting feature of this device is that it has the ability to monitor everything. Oxie can track how much pollution is being filtered from your air in real time, which can then be tracked and recorded. This research can be used to monitor how serious the problem of air quality changing, and researchers can determine what pollutants are the most common.

I am curious to see how this product takes off. There is still debate whether people will wear this or not, but I can see the benefit of using Oxie. Not only are you protecting yourself, but you are also contributing to the research going towards air quality. Tulin recognized a serious problem and created a solution that is more effective than the other solutions in this market. Also, she adapted her plan to include how to research and monitor air quality, which is important for the world. Air quality purification is not a crowded market, so I am curious to see how successful this product will be, or if a better designed product will take its place.

https://youtu.be/EjIdEVmpYjI

 

3 Comments
Categories : Air Quality, Apparel/Accessories, Enviornmental

Mikaila Ulmer: Saving the bees one bottle at a time

Posted by Emma Lizewski 
· Sunday, September 29th, 2019 
· 1 Comment

Mikaila Ulmer brainstormed an idea for the Acton Children’s Business Fair and Austin’s Lemonade Day at the age of four. Her family encouraged her to enter the competition, but it wasn’t until a couple strange events occurred before an idea sprung into her mind. While brainstorming an idea, Mikaila was stung by a bee twice, and then her grandma sent a 1940’s cookbook with a special flax-seed lemonade recipe hidden amongst the abundant amount of recipes. It was at this moment that Mikaila decided to sell her grandmother’s lemonade recipe and donate a portion of the proceeds towards saving the honeybees. Mikaila sweetens her lemonade with local honey, which helps promote her efforts to protect honeybees. Mikaila has worked hard to understand the importance of honeybees, and now she works hard to make others aware of how the environment depends on the honeybees’ pollination process. When Mikaila isn’t selling her lemonade, she is leading workshops on how to save the honeybees. She is only fourteen, but she is determined to protect something she loves.

I am impressed by how Mikaila created something important to her at such a young age. Mikaila stumbled across the idea, but research and further thought helped shape the two occurrences that presented themselves into a successful innovative product. On her website, it shares the Mikaila is still developing and adapting her product, which is an example of the material learned in class. Even though one has a good idea, it may need adjusted in order to maintain success. Also, Mikaila used the support around her throughout this process. We learned that bouncing ideas off of other people can generate great success, and that is exactly what Mikaila did with her family. It was the help of those around her that helped create a successful business idea. Mikaila is a great example of a young entrepreneur, and it was cool to see how she created a product from two random events. All it takes is some creative thinking to combine everyday occurrences.

1 Comment
Categories : Enviornmental, Food, Youngest Entrepreneurs

Varun Agarwal: Don’t Think

Posted by Emma Lizewski 
· Saturday, September 14th, 2019 
· 2 Comments

In our free market society, people are jumping at the opportunity to put their thoughts into actions. Varun Agarwal is no exception as he shatters the status quo in India. Despite the pressures at home, Agarwal refused to pursue a meaningless career and searched for a path he was passionate about. As a first-generation Indian, Agarwal was pushed to become a doctor or engineer, but his pasImage result for varun agarwalsion was film. His mother and Anu Aunty were adamant that he should think about how making meaningless videos would risk everything. With fear of shaming his mother and failing in the film industry, Agarwal decided to pursue engineering. Unfortunately, he failed in this industry because the material left him uninterested and wanting more. After graduating with an engineering degree, Agarwal decided to take a different approach, not thinking instead of thinking, because he already failed. As a result, he co-founded a company that sells school and college merchandise in India at the age of twenty-two with his friend Rohn Malhotra. Alma Mater began at zero, but grew to be an impressive million dollar company working with over 400 schools and colleges across India. The idea began when they had a desire to donate to their high school. Charitable donations quickly developed into selling merchandise as a way for schools to receive more funding.

Not only has Agarwal created his own company, but he continues to dabble with film, writing, and public speaking. His parents started to get on board with the less traditional route when YouTube agreed to partner with Agarwal and when his company took off. Anu Aunty, however, was still critical about Agarwal’s career choice.

In response to her negative commentary, Agarwal wrote a book that shows how he navigated through the challenges and pressures he faced during his early twenties called How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company. Publishing the novel brought Anu Aunty fame, and she finally dropped her critiques.

When Agarwal speaks, he encourages his audience to think less about failing and the future and act more spur of the moment. We should not be held back by our fear of failure, it is something we should embrace because everyone will fail at some point in their lives. Following your dreams and passion is how you will be successful. What impressed me about Agarwal’s mentality, was that he did not measure success by salary, but rather by the joy he and others got out of his products. Having this mentality encouraged him to try the impossible and risk it all. For Agarwal, he believes his greatest failure was thinking too much, so now he takes the approach of thinking less, and he seems to be doing alright.

2 Comments
Categories : Education, Film