While doing the dishes, many of us use a smelly sponge or washcloth. Many of us don’t realize that the old sponges with dirt and food stuck to them create smudges and scratches on our dishes and anything else we clean with them. After once scratching a car while working at a car wash, a man named Aaron Krause decided to create a line of sponges and polishing clothes that would not scratch and keep him from getting in trouble.

 A large company bought his polishing cloths but had no use for the sponges because they made their own. He knew that his sponges could be useful and make a profit, so he introduced his sponges called Scrub Daddy. Scrub Daddy is not your average sponge and Krause had so much confidence in his product that he took it to the sharks of Shark Tank.

After the release of Scrub Daddy its sales were very low. In the first 18 months, Scrub Daddy had only made $100,000. That may sound like a lot of money to us college students, but after you factor in expenses the profit is extremely low. Krause needed more funding so he pitched his idea on the hit T.V. show Shark Tank. Lori Greiner loved the little sponges and helped Krause. After Shark Tank, Scrub Daddy was able to make $18 million dollars in the 18month time span.

Scrub Daddy is not your average sponge. It is round and looks like a face, allowing better grip for women with manicures and you can clean spoons in his mouth.  The little sponge also changes with the water temperature, in warm water it is soft and cold water makes the sponge firm.

                Aaron Krause did not change the world, but he did change the way many of us do dishes. Many times it is the simple ideas that become major successes. By taking a simple household object, the sponge, Krause turned it into a million dollar idea. It goes to show that our inventions do not have to change the world or make everyone’s lives easier, it can be something as simple as changing a sponge into the shape of a smiley face.

As children, we all hated taking medicine. The sticky pink cough syrup on the spoon or the Grape and Cherry flavored chewables tasted almost as bad as vegetables. Our parents wished there was an easier and more enjoyable way to give us medicine. One woman thought the same thing and took action, she created a medicine dispenser that looked like an elephant.

Tiffany Krumins worked as a nanny with a young boy with Down’s syndrome. When it was time for him to take his medicine he would cause a fuss and it was extremely difficult for her to administer his medicine. It upset her that he should go through so much pain for a task that she believed could go smoother. After her day at work, she ran home and made a medicine dispenser that looked like an elephant. AVA the elephant was born. She was not pretty, being made out of a sponge, fabric, a medicine dropper, and a chip from a musical card, but she worked. AVA had made taking medicine easy and fun.

TIffany knew that AVA was a product that could help a lot of families. There was one problem, she had no idea how to go about seeking funds. One day she saw an ad to apply for the T.V. show Shark Tank. Tiffany appeared on the very first episode. The investors loved her and she was able to partner with Barbara Corcoran. She made her T.V. appearance in 2005, and now AVA the elephant is in stores near you. AVA is available in over 10,000 stores in the U.S.A, some include CVS Pharmacy, Safeway, BabiesRUs, and Amazon.

While she was pursuing her dream of making children’s lives happier, Tiffany was also dealing with personal issues. At the age of 28 she was diagnosed with cancer. This did not discourage her from helping children. She fought through it and is now cancer free! It takes extreme dedication to start a business while dealing with such a terrible illness. Tiffany is an inspiration and continues to design different animal medicine dispensers to help children everywhere.

Bullying is an increasing problem in facing teens, and one girl is trying to turn things around. Emily – Anne Rigal (19) is the founder of WeStopHate, a nonprofit that is building self-esteem in teens. Or as they like to call it teen-esteem.

As a young girl Emily was bullied in elementary school. The situation had gotten so bad that she was forced to switch schools. All she wanted was to find friends that accepted her for who she was. She did and decided that someone should take a stand. She wanted others who were being bullied to know that they were beautiful and more then what others labeled them as.

When she received a MacBook as a gift, she recorded her first WeStopHate video. In her video she shared her story and told teens that the words they hear do not define who they are, hoping that others would be inspired. After posting her video to YouTube, she had and overwhelming amount of subscribers and replies.

Teens from all over the U.S. had seen Emily’s video and were inspired. They started to put up their own stories and how they overcame the obstacles of bullying. At the end of every video, the teens would say something positive about themselves. Emily knew that WeStopHate was working. Not only were teens participating in WSH, but celebrities like Lady Gaga and Nick Cannon we also participating. Some schools even has a WSH club where students send compliment grams to others.

Emily knew that there was a problem with bullying and she decided to take action. All she wanted was to help other people and spread positive vibes. Emily had no idea that WSH would become so successful but she was able to handle the extra responsibility of her nonprofit. Emily says it best, “stop hating on yourself, stop hating on others, stop letting others hate on you.”

Many first year law students are concentrated on their studies and passing exams, not starting their own business. They are barely able to keep up with their social lives because of the immense work load. However, a young woman decided to do both. Kyle Smitley entered her first year of law school unaware of what the year would bring her.

While completing an internship in Washington D.C., Smitley realized that many companies that offered clothing made from organic and environmentally friendly materials were not all they cracked up to be. Many companies were shipping in fabrics and many used harmful chemicals while printing. So Smitley made up her mind to start her own company, one that was “accountable to the environment and to its customers.” Smitley did not want to be another “organic” clothing company, she simply wanted a company that did what they promised.

That was the beginning of Barley and Birch, a children’s clothing company that used 100% organic material and water based inks. This process is environmentally friendly and the company is stationed in Ohio, to reduce travel costs and toxic emission. Not only is Barley and Birch friendly to the environment, it also gives back. Almost half of the proceeds go to organizations that are close to Smitley’s heart. One organization that Smitley gives back to is CoCoDa, a non-profit that helps community development in Central America.

Before the launch of Barley and Birch in 2008, Smitley wanted her name out there, as many smart entrepreneurs do. She started seeking mom bloggers to review and promote her products. The mothers loved the products and Smitley received extremely positive feedback. After their launch Green Genes, an eco-friendly clothing store in Chicago, wanted Barley and Birch on their shelves. It was a major success and orders continued to come in. Barley and Birch is now on store shelves and 35 online retailers.

                Somehow Smitley was able to balance law school while operating a start-up business. As many of you know, law school is not easy and takes large amounts of time and energy. Many may ask, why not drop out of law school and focus on Barley and Birch full time? This just proves the amount of dedication she has to her work, by finishing what she had started. She is an inspiration to many entrepreneurs showing them that no matter how stressed and overworked they think they are, they can keep going. Finding the correct balance between law school and owning a business requires dedication

and time management, something all young entrepreneurs need to be able to do.

For young girls, fifth grade can be an exciting time, especially when it comes to decorating your locker. However, a fifth grader named Maddie Bradshaw wasn’t able to find anything to make her locker unique and colorful. So she decided to take action and create her own decorations. After her uncle had given her 50 bottle caps from and old Coke machine, she decorated them with sparkles and different designs. Her locker was now personalized and decorated just the way she wanted. Her friends started asking is she could make them some for their own lockers. Now Maddie knew that other girls were interested in her product and were willing to pay for them, she saw an opportunity.

At the age of thirteen, Maddie was well on her way to creating a successful business. Alongside her mother and younger sister Margot, Maddie named her company M3 Girl Designs. M3 Girl Designs main product was a decorated bottle cap that could be attached to a necklace by a magnet, or Snap Caps as they are called. Snap Caps are designed to be exchangeable, allowing young girls to interact and get to know each other via jewelry.

With the small amount of $300, Maddie was able to get her feet wet in the jewelry industry. However, as orders piled up Maddie and her mother knew they needed help, so they took a chance and appeared on a show called Shark Tank. Shark Tank, for those who don’t know, is a T.V. series where entrepreneurs can pitch their idea to big investors. Maddie was able to hook Mark Cuban, Robert Herjevic and Lori Greine to invest in M3 Girl Designs. Maddie gained expertise in the marketing world and money to help her continue on her dream of design.

After her Shark Tank appearance in 2012, Maddie sales took off. M3 Girl Designs is now a national brand and she is able to sell roughly 50,000 necklaces in a two month period. Now Maddie is 16 and continuing to develop and expand her company.

Maddie Bradshaw is an inspiration for entrepreneurs. At the young age of ten, Maddie knew that she wanted to help other young girls show their personality through fun jewelry items. Age and experience mean very little in the entrepreneurship world, and Maddie is a prime example of this. She was ten years old and was simply decorating bottle caps. She had no college education or experience in the marketing world, but she was able to create a nationwide brand. As Maddie puts it, “Follow your passion. If you come up with an idea and you love it, chances are other people will, too.”