Archive for Business

Letterboxd: Revolutionizing Film

It is very rare that I interact with an app that changes my life. Instagram and Snapchat were amazing in their prime, back in middle and high school. However, now that I have grown up, games and social apps just do not do the same thing they used to do. In 2021, some friends recommended an app called Letterboxd, which is a movie cataloging service that also involves a social aspect. Because of my love for movies, I was able to jump right in and start reviewing my first films, and it made me feel like a serious movie critic.

Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow invented Letterboxd in 2011, which completely shook the world of movie critics. Before, critics would hide behind sites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and create reviews that were far different from audience reviews. With Letterboxd, there are millions of different reviews for each film, and there are so many different ways to write reviews.

In conclusion, Buchanan and von Randow changed how movie reviews are written and read today, and as an avid movie lover, I am so grateful for these entrepreneurs changing a market that I never thought would change.

How Owala Water Bottles are Revolutionizing: Getting Down to the Bottom of Its Entrepreneurial Drive for Innovation


In 
this growingly competitive hydration products marketplace, Owala Water Bottles have managed to stick their heads above water, not so much by the beauty of the containers but because of innovation and fresh approaches in functionality and formIt’s a perfect example of entrepreneurial thinking that has led to a product that meets the needs of consumers but does so in a fresh, smart, and thoughtful way. Owalas rise in popularity is a testament to how creatively a company can think through solutions to everyday problems while simultaneously creating a new standard for water bottles.

Thinking Like Entrepreneurs: Identifying a Gap
Owalas story begins with an identification of common frustrations from users of water bottles, like the overall inconvenience in drinking from the traditional bottles. Unscrewing caps, fumbling around with straws, spills-the water bottle was not exactly user-friendly as it should have beenBut rather than sit and let that be what it would always be, Owalas founders thought more entrepreneurially-they saw a chance to make an improvement in a day-to-day item that was used by millions of people each day.

Owala saw this gap in the market, where people wanted functional water bottle that was not only easy to use but leak-proof, and with that, the desire to present something nice to look atThat entrepreneurial spirit took them to really reimagine what a water bottle should be: one that doesn’t focus solely on hydration but creates an experience when using the product.

Innovative Design: The Owala Difference
Owalas success is rooted in their ability to innovate within an overly saturated market. Their bottles have this push-to-open button that just pops the lid, making it so easy to drink with one hand—no unscrewing, no straw flipping, just pure convenience. Such small, powerful design improvement turned what had been fundamental use of the product into a game-changing user experience-instantlyit felt like the bottle was made for active lifestyles.

Another impressive innovation is the inclusion of a built-in straw that can be concealed, offering a mess-free drinking experience. Owala’s design eliminates the common issue of the bottle cap getting dirty when drinking, ensuring that every sip is hygienic and refreshing. These thoughtful details set Owala apart from traditional water bottles and show the brand’s commitment to solving real problems through innovation.

Stylish and Functional: A Product with Purpose
Owala didn’t stop at functionality; they also knew that consumers wanted a product that would reflect their personal style. Their bottles come in a range of colors and designs, allowing users to choose one that fits their personality or needs. The sleek, modern look of the Owala bottle makes it just as much a fashion accessory as it is a hydration tool. In the world of consumer products, this dual-purpose appeal is a great way to differentiate from competition and win over loyal consumers.

This attention to both fashion and function is another example of how Owala thought like an entrepreneurby marrying form with practicality, they ended up with a product that works for a wide audience. Whether you’re heading to the gym, commuting to work, or just running errands, Owalas bottles were designed to fit seamlessly into every part of your day.

Innovation Builds a Strong Brand
Entrepreneurship is all about more than creating a productit is creating a brand that can speak to people. Owala successfully positioned itself as a brand that understands the needs of the modern consumerOwala’s water bottles aren’t just about hydrationthey are about simplifying life and making everyday routines enjoyable. Its innovative design, leak-proof functionality, and sleek aesthetics work in concert to build a brand that feels contemporary, reliable, and forward-thinking.

Other than offering very innovative products, Owala has also used strategic marketing to grow its brand presence: using social media, partnering with influencers, and leveraging customer testimonials. It listens to customers for feedback and works to make the products better. Thusthe company is growing with each passing day while still keeping very good relation with its users.

Owalas success is a good example of entrepreneurial thinking apart from the simple introduction of the product to the market. They identified a gap, thought outside the box, and created a product that solves problems in a fresh and innovative way. The combination of thoughtful design, convenience, and style that Owala water bottles boast makes them stand out in a crowded market. The entrepreneurial mindset has turned the simplest product into a must-have of modern consumers. Anyone looking for a water bottle thats functional, stylish, and ahead of the curve can find it in Owala.

https://owalalife.com/

Owala 24oz FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle, 1 of 6

Reagan Thomas

Simone Hufana

Simone Hufana is a great example to college students of how it is totally possible for students to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors and be incredibly successful at it.

Simone started out with a passion for bringing women of color to the spotlight. She developed a clear goal and started taking systematic steps towards it. She was purposeful about engaging in the community and understanding how people felt and what they experienced. Thinking through the ways that she could make the most impact was crucial for her. She networked, attended workshops, used social media, and soon developed a brand with a specific audience.

Her initial idea was to create a coloring book that represented women of color who were influential. ColorHerStory was trying to change the lack of representation of successful and accomplishing women specifically in education. Market research consisted of understanding the needs of her target audience. she sent out surveys engaged with educators and parents

Books and Big Dreams: Inside the Mind of a 19-Year-Old Entrepreneur ...

In 2017 she hit a milestone when she won Shopify’s beast mode a business competition. This showed that the business world recognized her work and the talents and passion that went on behind her business.

Simone’s still developing story is inspiring to young people who have passion’s and visions that are just waiting to come to life. She exemplifies creativity and bravery additionally; she was not afraid to go into coloring books which one would think are a boring market but that actually have a lot of value interest and impact especially in education. In a way she discovered a secret that nobody else was solving in the way she chose to and she has been relentless in pursing success for her mission.

 

Olivia Abrams – Tick Mitt

Two people smiling and posing in a forest during autumn.

Have you ever wanted an easier way to remove ticks that’s also non-toxic and reusable? Well Tick Mitt is the perfect solution for you! Tick Mitt was founded by Olivia Abrams in March 2023 after she realized that she wanted to continue entrepreneurship after graduating from Lehigh University in 2021. Olivia had to create a business plan for her final entrepreneurship class at Lehigh, and she chose to do it on Tick Mitt.

Four colorful bath mitts, pink and yellow, and turquoise and green, with white cuffs.

Her father Steve also just recently sold Magnolia Bakery in 2021, but it wasn’t till late 2022 that the both of them started thinking about continuing Tick Mitt and launching the idea. Both Olivia and her dad Steve have been bitten by ticks in the past, which made her want to continue with Tick Mitt. They both wanted to focus on reducing tick bites and tick-borne diseases. Olivia’s venture was funded with some money from the Magnolia sale and some of their media connections.

A yellow and a grey oven mitt on wooden background.

But what really is a Tick Mitt product? The Tick Mitt product is a mitt that can remove any loose ticks, while also being washable and reusable. The mitt is eco-friendly, non-toxic, reusable, and can be used for pets and humans. Steve and Olivia partnered up with a tick expert and product engineer to create the mitts to cling onto ticks. Olivia first focused more on pets in the beginning and then branched off to target camping, hiking, gardening, and other outdoor activities. Since they’ve expanded their target market, they’ve helped lots of people gain their freedom to the outdoors again without fearing ticks as often. Tick Mitt has been featured on Good Morning America and The View, which caused her products to be sold out immediately in the beginning. So far, the company has made around $450,000 in sales and has been sold in the U.S., Canada, South Korea, Sweden, and Norway. Tick Mitt has also won Product of the Year award at Outdoor Retailer, and more than 25,000 people have used it. The mitts come in many different colors and are easy to use and re-use!

You can check out her website here!

Sources:

TiCK MiTT – Tick Remover for People and Pets

Product of the Year Winner Tick Mitt Tackles the Tick Problem Hands-On – Outdoor Retailer’s The Daily

Female alumnae find entrepreneurial success – The Brown and White

Olivia Abrams

Daniela Koch: Shoko Clothing

Since its inception in 2009, Shoko has remained committed to being a sustainable and ethical clothing brand for women. Founded in Greece by Daniela Koch, the brand’s core mission revolves around responsible production and environmental consciousness. With a made-to-order business model, Shoko minimizes waste while ensuring that each item is crafted with intention. Their innovative approach extends to packaging, using compostable materials and environmentally friendly tags embedded with seeds of basil and tomatoes—encouraging customers to plant and nurture their own green space.

What truly sets Shoko apart is its dedication to supporting local communities. Operating in Athens, the brand minimizes its carbon footprint by sourcing materials and production locally—avoiding the environmental toll of international shipping. This proximity also fosters close-knit relationships with local artisans, ensuring fair wages and ethical working conditions. From the skilled hands of cutters and sewers to the creative minds behind the photography and design, every member of the Shoko team plays a vital role in creating high-quality, ethically made clothing that’s as kind to the planet as it is to its people.

Henry Burner – Buttonsmith, Inc.

14-year-old entrepreneur Henry Burner is the creator of Buttonsmith, Inc., a business that started from a fourth-grade class project on trading in 2013. Henry made pinback buttons to sell to his classmates and that summer moved to selling them at local farmers markets. In 2014, Burner moved online to sell his products via his website and Amazon. The product catalog grew to include buttons, magnets, lanyards, fixed-top badge reels, and his newest product: Tinker Reels, badge reels with swappable tops, which he currently has a patent pending on the design.

Henry suffered from dyslexia which caused him to have trouble in school, but he didn’t let that stop him from pursuing his button idea. It started in the spring of his fourth-grade year when he had a trading post for frontier life. His mom asked if he wanted to bake cupcakes or cookies to sell, but he thought that market was too overpopulated and wanted to sell something unique. That’s when he pulled out his mom’s old button maker and started making buttons. That was the first time that Henry really felt successful at school, and he wanted to continue selling.

The company now sells products on their website, Amazon, and they are in over 1,600 Walmart stores. Online sales are by-far the company’s largest platform for making money. They currently offer lanyards, dog collars, leashes, business cards, banners, etc. and are working to expand the existing offerings.

Henry overcame challenges to become one of the youngest ‘Forbes 30 Under 30’ title winners and has established a multi-million-dollar empire. His goal is to expand into Europe and make Buttonsmith a known name across the globe.

Kaitlyn Kuscevic

Young Stylish Moziah Bridges

Moziah Bridges, a young stylish talented individual. Moziah at the age of nine loved style, and at this age he struggled to find a suitable bowtie. He decided to start his own business called Mo’s Bows, pretty clever for his age. Although, for him it wasn’t just giving the name and saying this is my business, he had to learn how to sew and then he innovated in making colorful bowties by using his grandmothers left over sewing projects. As time went on Bridges hired tailors, and he just took care of the business and creative side of things. This business was on shark tank as Bridges give his run down on the business. He has been pretty successful as a bowtie businessman, selling more than $700,000 in handmade men’s ties and accessories. A couple cool things that Moziah has done with his business is he made a custom “Obama Blue” tie for President Barack Obama, and his company has produced bowties and neckties to all thirty National Basketball Association teams crossed the country! That is very impressive for where he had to start and to where he is now. These are so very cool and interesting facts that his company will forever remember. Now, Moziah’s company has other companies that carry his ties, like Cole Haan, Bloomingdale’s, and Neiman Marcus. These are some very big businesses. Also, he is a Memphis native and in 2012 he started a Go Mo Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. This is a charity, and its goal is to send Memphis kids to summer camp. To the most recent date, this charity has sent more than fifty kids to summer camp. Overall, this is a great story and an even more successful business.

Link to Article: 10 Successful Young Entrepreneurs

Mo's Bows

Glossier- Emily Weiss

Most likely if you were to ask just about anyone under the age of 21 if they’ve heard of Glossier, they would say yes. From popular makeup products to clothing and a variety of other products, this beauty company is much more than just lip-gloss and mascara. Glossier, which is most well-known for its classic lip balms has made its way into millions of makeup bags around the world. Created in 2014, the company started out as a beauty website that was founded to share genuine information with people from all over. Glossier has built its foundation on the slogan, “Skin first, beauty second.” They have devoted their company to being beyond makeup, because they believe that healthy skin promotes natural beauty rather than makeup that is used to try and cover that natural beauty.

Since its launch in 2014, Glossier has amassed over 1.8 billion dollars. Its co-founder Emily Weiss spoke in ELLE magazine about all of the iterations of Glossier and how its adapted and changed through the years. Starting in 2014, Emily raised 2 million dollars in funds to kick start her business, and in its beginning years it prided itself in being direct-to-consumer. But in 2022, customers and fans of the company were begging in just about every way for the company to be sold in another popular retailer, Sephora. And within one year of this merge, Glossier had grown 100 million dollars in sales in Sephora locations alone.

Continuing in the interview, Weiss expands on how important the company’s image beyond makeup has brought devout customers to the brand, she references how, “We want to create a brand whose sweatshirt you want to wear,’ and here we are, lots of sweatshirts sold.” Emily’s Quote truly represents Glossier in its whole, how a company so revolutionary for its time is truly unlike any other beauty brand on the market, and how Glossier’s innovative and unique ways have created the wonderful community that surrounds the company.

 

a brunette woman with her arms crossedGlossier Review - Must Read This Before Buying

Glossier

From Baseball to SamCart

Scott Moran - SamCart | LinkedIn

Scott Moran was just a student at Grove City College when he started experimenting with his future career options. Scott studied marketing and management while in college. Scott’s career all started when one brother said to the other brother, “Hey, I want to sell stuff on the internet.” And just like that, they began to bring to life their ideas. In 2009, Scott and his brother Brian started an online company called Train Baseball. Train Baseball taught the two of them many valuable skills. Each of them learned how to use Facebook ads, control an online company, and overall, learn how to sell. At its best, Train Baseball made around $10k a month. Despite this success, the two brothers still wanted to grow. They began to develop ideas and recruit others to their business. They recognized that they needed employees who were skilled with software developing, so they hired two to help them build SamCart. SamCart was launched in September of 2016. SamCart is an e-commerce company that helps you grow. SamCart is successful because they capitalize on webinar registration. They spend around 25,000 dollars a day on advertising their company. The email lists are constantly growing and providing customers with the opportunity to expand their knowledge with SamCart. The second way SamCart rose to success is their webinar training. SamCart offers educationally packed, and wisdom filled advice for the consumer. At the end of the training, SamCart will be mentioned. This gives the company more advertisement and awareness of their brand. Lastly, SamCart rose because of its digital products. They offer a bundle to enhance customer purchase decisions. SamCart powers entrepreneurs to start their own company, and to do it correctly. Now, SamCart is used by over 75,000 customers who altogether sell more than 2.8 billion dollars in products. From Train Baseball to SamCart the two brothers have certainly put in the work to succeed in their business.

Check out the official website here!

Da Bomb Bath – Caroline and Isabel Bercaw

Two young girls, Caroline and Isabel, grew up loving bath bombs. They were a fun mix of colors and made a regular bath a little more exciting. But, when the bath bomb dissolved, they were left with just some discolored water. Just like that, the bath bomb was gone. The Bercaw sisters wanted to make a bath bomb with lasting fun, even after it was long dissolved. Guided by the belief that everyone loves surprises, they created a line of bath bombs, experimenting with fizz, fragrance, and fun with a gift in the center of the ball like a toy, charm, message, piece of jewelry, and more.

These girls started making their product in their basement at the ages of 11 and 12 in 2012. Their business first started when they sold a few balls at their local fair in Minneapolis. By 2015, their product was in 30 shops in their area, and in 2016, after a business trip to Atlanta for an international trade show, they had stores across the country sell their product. At this point they were still producing in their basement – over 20,000 bath bombs a month!

Soon enough, Target wanted to sell their product in 1,800 stores all over the U.S. This prompted them to move their production to a warehouse near them. Their school allowed them time in school to work on their business, supporting them in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Today, this family business generates over $20 million in revenue per year and remains self-funded!

Da Bomb also seeks to give back to people around the globe, focusing their donations on The Water Project which provides rural communities in Africa clean drinking water. With every purchase of an “Earth Bomb”, contributions are made to this cause. So far, the business has helped to provide “clean drinking water and rainwater containment systems that serve over 10,000 people in 20 communities” (Da Bomb, 2024).

The Bercaw sisters have an inspiring entrepreneurial story. They saw a problem, they innovated, found a solution, and provided value to consumers across the country. And, because of their hard work and generous hearts, thousands of people now have access to clean water where they did not before.

 

Da Bomb Bath Fizzers: Handmade Bath Bombs With A Surprise Inside! (dabombfizzers.com)