Archive for Business – Page 17

John Cooper

Many people know John Cooper as the lead singer and bassist for the hard rock/metal band Skillet, but many do not realize that John Cooper holds many other roles as well.  As the only founding member still a part of Skillet, Cooper has released ten albums since 1996.  Cooper’s wife Kory is also a member of Skillet, and their relationship is strengthened by touring and performing together while spreading God’s love to others in often godless environments.  Part of John and Kory Coopers’ mission, along with the rest of the members of Skillet, is to openly be Christians, but to perform music that appeals to people who are not often reached by Christianity.  Skillet’s songs all have Christian themes and messages, though some are more subtle than others, and John Cooper discusses his faith at every concert.

As if performing, recording, and traveling with Skillet was not enough, Cooper started a side project in 2018 called Fight the Fury.  Along with the guitarist from Skillet, Seth Morrison, Cooper co-wrote and released a five song EP and toured with both Skillet and Fight the Fury throughout the spring and early summer of 2019.  Though some might say Fight the Fury is similar to Skillet in terms of their music, Fight the Fury is much darker and heavier music and deals with many dark and tough subjects that are not as well suited to Skillet.  Cooper has made it clear that while Skillet is a Christian band that plays hard rock and metal, Fight the Fury is definitely a metal band first, whose members happen to be Christians.

In addition to Skillet and Fight the Fury, John Cooper also released his own line of beard care products in the late fall of 2018.  Through a partnership with Hawk+Hatchet, these products are now being sold through major distributors such as Macy’s and Amazon, as well as through Hawk+Hatchet’s own website.

Throughout these many projects, John Cooper has remained a faithful Christian, husband, and father.  He has enjoyed great success being able to tour with many mainstream rock and metal bands such as Korn, Breaking Benjamin, Slayer, Five Finger Death Punch, Nickelback, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and numerous others, as well as performed on Fox & Friends several times.  John Cooper takes every opportunity to share his faith with the world and uses the platform he has worked to create to help spread God’s word.  John Cooper is an inspiring entrepreneur, as he has successfully managed to create and be successful in two different bands, launched a beard care line, and been a loving husband and father.

Scott’s Cheap Flights

The service Scott’s Cheap Flights was created by Scott Keyes in 2013. The humble beginnings of this service started as Scott had found an incredibly cheap international flight online. He did not plan to buy the ticket but he didn’t want the incredible deal he found to go unused either, so he shared the details with collogues and friends, and pretty soon he built up an email list with amazing flight deals, marking the beginning of Scott’s Cheap Flights. From here, Scott built a business out of a seemingly random occurrence once he saw the potential market for a business of this caliber. Scott’s team has members all across the globe, with employees in various countries trying to find the best deals for their premium members. The real magic of the service is that they have generated millions in profit since the inception of the company and have only 500$ in marketing!

 

Scott was able to take something completely random and look for ways to turn a profit on it. He capitalized on a specific area of a market in a way that set his company apart from the crowd. What makes his service special is the sheer simplicity of it; all you need to do is select the airports you depart from, put in your email and it’s as simple as that. For a fee, you can upgrade to receive knowledge even more exclusive deals with better fares. Scott Keyes is a prime example of what an entrepreneur should be: one who takes an idea a sees how it can be used to solve a problem.

 

Source: scottscheapflights.com

 

Connor Blakley: Revolutionizing Gen Z

Like most young entrepreneurs, Connor Blakley wears many hats. In addition to founding Youthlogic, a marketing agency that specializes in helping companies reach the Generation Z market, he is also a strategic speaker and soon-to-be author. Connor Blakley, at only 20 years old, is changing the way Fortune 500 companies view and market to the next generation and is beginning to reverse the negative stigma surrounding Gen Z.

Over the past few years, Blakley has harnessed and evolved his niche business perspective. Instead of staying planted at Youthlogic as a brick-and-mortar marketing consultant, he has grown and developed into an engaging speaker. He addresses everything from brand strategy to social media influencing to data analytics, and how these aspects of marketing can be used to attract Gen Z customers.

During his short time as a young entrepreneur, Blakely has connected and collaborated with many movers and shakers in the business industry, such as Jay Abraham, Joe Polish, Daymond John, and Brian Solis. He has also outsourced his talents to many high-profile businesses including the NFL, NHL, Johnson & Johnson, Sprint and Vineyard Vines brands.

Connor Blakley is an inspiration to young entrepreneurs around the world, demonstrating top-notch problem framing and creative solutions. His adaptability and willingness to change make him not only one of the most sought-after Gen-Z marketers, but also one of the most admired professionals in the business.

Lauren Bush: FEEDing Millions

Lauren Bush, granddaughter of former President George W. Bush, was born in Denver, Colorado but was raised in Houston, Texas. She grew up in the spotlight, earning an internship with the NBC sitcom, Friends, and modeling. After graduating from Princeton University with a B.A. in anthropology and a certificate in photography, she signed with Elite Model Management. Although she loves modeling and fashion, her heart was pulling her in a different direction.

At the age of 26, Lauren Bush launched FEED Projects, which is a social enterprise. Emerging after Lauren traveled the world with World Food Programme, FEED believes what people choose to buy has the power to change the world. FEED offers everything from accessories to home goods, while working directly with artisans to provide sustainable lives for the partnership and families.

As of October of 2017, FEED Projects has donated over 100 million meals through their sales and fundraisers. Through her work with FEED, Lauren Bush was the first National Lady Godiva Honoree and in 2013, she accepted the Advocacy Award from the World of Children Awards. She was also named Fortune‘s 2009 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, the 2010 Accessories Council Humanitarian Award, 2011 Stevie Award for Best Non-Profit Executive, and named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs.

Lauren Bush has impacted lives worldwide; she understood not only how to directly help feed hungry children worldwide, but how to create jobs for artisan individuals to provide an income for them and their families. She took two causes that she felt passionate about and figured out how to provide for both of them within one business.

Many young women looking to make a difference in this world can look to Lauren Bush. While incorporating her passion for fashion and feeding the hungry, she has helped to change the lives of many while being an inspiration for young, loving entrepreneurs everywhere.

4Ocean – Andrew Cooper & Alex Schulze

(L to R) Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper owners of 4Ocean, a company that actively removes trash from the ocean.  Photo by Tim Stepien.

I’m sure we’ve all seen ads from time to time about 4Ocean – the company that sells bracelets and puts money towards cleaning up our oceans.  In the last few months, I’ve seen an increase in these ads before Youtube videos and I’ve wondered who it is that’s behind this endeavor.

As it turns out, there are two people: Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze.  Recently, these two made it to the 2019 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30 for their efforts.  So how did it all start?

In 2015, Cooper and Schulze went on a surfing trip to Bali and were appalled by the amount of plastic they found in the ocean.  As we are learning in class, they found trouble and sought to fix it.  By 2017, they were selling the bracelets we all know of today as a way to fund the cleanup effort.  According to the organization, the bracelets are made of recycled materials and each represents a pound of trash that will be removed.  4Ocean has since created more products to help fund the effort, but the bracelets remain the most widely known.  According to an article in PR Newswire, “By creating jobs, utilizing the latest technology and raising awareness about the impact of trash in the ocean, the company is building the first economy for ocean plastic and creating a cleaner, more sustainable future for the ocean.”

Cooper and Schulze are excellent examples of entrepreneurs who used their passion to change how the world sees a problem.  They are both surfers, fishermen, and divers.  They spend much of their time around the water and were perfectly suited to see and frame the problem of plastic in the ocean in a way that many people around the world have not known.  They did not just say that there was a problem, but they showed pictures and gave people a simple way that they could help – all with the easy purchase of a recycled bracelet.  Every time a customer would look at the bracelet, they would be reminded of the ongoing problem and the fight to clean the world’s oceans.  By presenting the problem in a way that gave people something easy to do and inspiring them with the need, they made the daunting task of cleaning up the oceans seem very possible and even exciting.

Sources:

https://4ocean.com/about/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4ocean-co-founders-andrew-cooper-and-alex-schulze-named-forbes-30-under-30-social-entrepreneurs-300750165.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/07/4oceans-cleaned-up-1-million-pounds-of-ocean-garbage.html

Dr. Dre

The music industry is a great place for young entrepreneurs to start. Andre Romelle Young, professionally known as Dr. Dre, has set a precedent for becoming successful in this competitive industry. Dr. Dre is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur who grew up in Compton, California. Dr. Dre started out as a rapper and quickly grew to fame. His music was unique, flavorful, and creative. Some time passed, and he had taken a few artists under his wing, including superstar and rap/hip-hop legend Eminem. The duo of Dr. Dre and Eminem were able to shake up the whole music industry and draw fans in like never seen before. Eminem was essentially an asset to Dre, and he helped him gain even more fame and profit. Over the years, Dr. Dre has really shown his entrepreneurial skills as well. His most popular product is the Beats by Dre headphones. When these headphones were first released, people went crazy over them. What they did not know was that they were basically getting ripped off. Dr. Dre charged over $100 for the cheapest pair of headphones, but they only costed around $14 to make. Dre continued to promote the headphones to be high-quality, bass-oriented, and overall a great investment. The Beats Pro headphone model sells for around $400, which is absolutely insane. You could buy a set of professional, studio-grade mixing and mastering headphones for around $180. However, Dr. Dre has continued to sell himself through his record label, Aftermath Entertainment, where he is the founder and CEO. Through that label, he has collaborated with and helped artists become stars. Some of those artists are Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, The Game, and 50 Cent. They have helped contribute to Dre’s wealth and continue to expand throughout the industry. Dr. Dre is a creative individual, and he will continue to sell, innovate, and transform many things to come in this inspiring industry.

Kevin Plank

Kevin Plank used to play football back in the day. Noticing his football teammates’ sweat-soaked shirts, Plank came up with a lightweight, sweat-wicking shirt using fabric from women’s undergarments. In the mid 1990s he sold his first shirts from his grandmother’s basement, exaggerating to early customers to make the company sound bigger. Plank was pretty much broke when he started selling signature clothing under the Under Armour brand. He took all the cash he had saved, about $20,000, and racked up an additional $40,000 of credit card debt to fund the company. Soon after, he made a landmark sale of $17,000 to Georgia Tech University, and in a wave of momentum, made sales to two dozen NFL teams. From there, he went on, in just a few years, to cultivate millions in sales and hire hundreds of employees. Today, Under Armour does nearly $2 billion in retail sales, and has around 6,000 employees. It is so crazy to see people come up with these ideas in such a small setting and turn it into millions and sometimes billions of dollars. Today, Kevin Plank’s net worth is just over $2 billion. From “messing around” with women’s undergarments to having one of the most recognizable brands on the planet, it is safe to say that Kevin Plank really knows how to invest his money efficiently and run a business. You can spot the logo anywhere and immediately recognize what it is and what it stands for. You know that Under Armour makes athletic wear, and most of the time it is over priced. But with all that being said, people still continue to buy the products because they like the quality and style of the brand. As of 2017, Under Armour had 166 stores in the United States alone. If every store sold at least $100 worth of product every day, that is about $16,000/day… not a bad living huh? Under Armour will continue to grow and satisfy their customers for many years to come.

Gladiator Lacrosse and Rachel Zietz

Rachel Zietz was only 13 years old when she created her company, Gladiator Lacrosse. While she had been playing she has found that her equipment was extremely expensive and not that durable. So she set out to do something about it. While attending the Young Entrepreneurs Academy in Boca Raton, Florida she pitched her idea of inexpensive and durable lacrosse gear to investors. She received $2,700 for the development of her idea! After her first year of being in business she achieved over $200,000 dollars in sales. And after two years, she had reached over $1 million in sales. This is an awesome idea in which I can very well relate too. I have been playing lacrosse for many years and one of the main barriers that stop new players from joining is the expensive price of lacrosse equipment. I hope that Gladiator Lacrosse can continue to help with taking down that barrier and inviting many new players into the sport.

Image result for gladiator lacrosse

Piper: The new way to code!

I remember when I was about 13 or 14 years old, I found an interest in coding. That is writing code on a computer for software development. However, I ran into a major issue. There weren’t many options for me to learn how to do anything spectacular. I constantly became upset because the YouTube videos I was watching did nothing for me. That is why Mark Pavlyukovskyy age 27 created Piper. “Piper is a kit that helps kids learn about coding and electronics by coding their own computer.” Forbes

This kit is able to be bought on Amazon for a fair price. It helps students to learn how to code with a hands on activity kit. This way the students stay engaged with what they are learning and they are able to put what they learn to use. The company has generated over $3 million on Amazon alone, and growing fast!

Built by kids from the inside-out

Uncharted Power & Jessica O. Matthews’ Vision for Clean Energy

Jessica O. Matthews is the creator of Soccket — the soccer ball that develops power through kinetic energy. Jessica had a vision while traveling to visit family in Nigeria that she used to create what she calls her Image result for soccket ball“Anti-Silicon Valley” startup named Uncharted Power. Using her intellectual property rights to kinetic energy products Matthews used her initial capital to expand her toy product line. But she realized something bigger could come of her inventions. After unveiling her new power-generating products, Matthews told Forbes that she has been in communication with Disney to develop full-scale energy production in “light poverty” areas.

Matthews also talks about her experience as a female CEO and her “Anti-Silicon Valley” Energy Company. She talks about strategic location. Matthews says that she originally had Uncharted Power’s headquarters located in downtown Manhattan, but considering relations with lower incoming areas she moved her headquarters uptown to Harlem. 

Matthews, interestingly, noted that not only people matter but you matter. She gives her experience, or lack thereof, in the energy sector following her re-brand to Uncharted Power. Matthews says that she tried and failed to bring in experts in the field, that even though experts say they are “experts,” for her they did not get what she wanted done. After an overhaul of management and taking the reign herself, she says that less is more. Currently employing 17 people and 17 serving as advisers, Uncharted Power is working to accomplish great things for those who do not have clean energy.

Read more about Jessica Matthews and Uncharted Power in the link:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaklich/2018/11/12/uncharted-power-founder-jessica-o-matthews-on-building-the-anti-silicon-valley-energy-startup/?ss=entrepreneurs#d13735e44ffa