We often taken the websites that we use for granite and never tend to think about who exactly created them. Many people use “Tumblr” and the creator of that is a man by the name of David Karp. Karp created the website in 2007 when he was just 21 years old. He embodies the types of characteristics that all entrepreneurs must have in order to achieve success. He is driven, refuses to accept failure, and he made his vision become a reality by working at it everyday. Tumblr is a micro-blogging website for its users and he recently sold it to Yahoo and now has an estimated net worth of $200 million. What is unique about Karp is the fact that he did not let his age stop him from achieving his dreams. It was difficult for him to garner respect due to the fact that he was so young, but none of that bothered him. Tumblr is still extremely popular even with many others competitors emerging once they caught wind about blogging websites. It remains popular because it is often the first blogging website that comes to people’s minds and Karp made sure of that with savvy advertising and publicity. Karp was able to sell his empire to Yahoo for a reported $1.1 billion and the website is now valued at over $800 million. All of this happened with one man and a crazy idea. I learned that sometimes it does not take a large group of people and all kinds of planning in order to make a great idea. Sometimes all it takes is a self-driven person and a computer. An unstoppable work ethic and vision is the perfect formula to get someone started on their path towards success. He consistently worked towards his goal, and it did not happen overnight. Success takes time and Karp stands by that. If what he did was easy, everyone would be doing it, but they are not.
Archive for Great Ideas – Page 12
It is such a pain to move someone in or out of their house. It usually requires a team of people who are close with the person that is moving, and sometimes not everybody is available. Sometimes moving companies are hired, yes, but they can consist of some old dudes that move really slow and are not motivated to get the job completed. If only there was a way to help people move in and out a lot quicker. Now, we turn to the people classified as collegiate men. They are full of energy and are usually looking for a chance to make a quick buck here or there, whether it be for textbooks, movies or going out to the bar. There is definitely a connection here.
“On a hot summer’s day in 2003, two college buddies borrowed a beat-up cargo van and dubbed themselves College Hunks Hauling Junk.” Withing a short period of time, College Hunks expanded its franchising efforts and took off across the United States and Canada. College Hunks is a moving service that will also haul junk out of your house if that is what plan you pick. This just goes to show that you can literally start a company off of anything and you really do not need any experience to make a living (for certain jobs, of course). Moving houses is definitely a pain in the butt, and it is awesome to see that a company with smiling faces and dedication to what they do is out there.
I think that this is one of the best company ideas out there, and it was created pretty much out of nowhere and without any experience. They had the concept of thinking about what people struggle with and decided to do the dirty work themselves. On top of earning a bunch of awards since the founding of the company, they have a very good reputation and always leave their customers satisfied. That is a critical part in the business realm; without happy customers, you will not get any business… no business, no revenue. The idea of College Hunks is very inspiring and creative. I would definitely consider using their business one day.
Resource: https://collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/about/
Lindsay McCormick created a better product that you wouldn’t think needed changing. McCormick created toothpaste pills that come in glass bottles. She created toothpaste bits because 1 billion toothpaste tubes end up in landfills every year. The glass bottle is meant to be reused for refills and the pills become foamy like toothpaste right away after biting. This young woman took a problem and passion she had and ran with it. She created a product that saves people money on toothpaste, and reduces toothpaste tubes that end up in landfills yearly. Here is a link to a video to hear more on her story and the product, https://www.businessinsider.com/this-toothpaste-pill-comes-in-sustainable-packaging-bite-toothpaste-bits-2018-9?r=UK&IR=T
Lewis Hornby, a London student came up with a genius solution to helping patients with dementia drink water. Hornby noticed that his grandmother wasn’t drinking enough and that people with dementia, “no longer feel thirst, don’t know how to quench thirst, or don’t have the dexterity to drink”. So he created colorful “candies” which are made up of mostly water, with gelling agents and electrolytes making up just 10% of their composition. Which are presented in packaging reminiscent of a box of chocolates. He tested out how well the product would work on his grandmother and, “When first offered, grandma ate seven Jelly Drops in 10 minutes, the equivalent to a cup full of water—something that would usually take hours and require much more assistance”. Hornby created a solution to a problem by thinking outside of the box and presenting a life necessity, water, in fun and easier way for people with dementia to drink water and stay hydrated. Here is a video and the article about the “Jelly Drops”, https://mymodernmet.com/lewis-hornby-jelly-drops/
Moziah Bridges was only 12 years old when he become the CEO of his own bow tie company, Mo’s Bows. Inspired to start his company at the age of nine by his dad, who he would see dress very nice every day, Moziah asked his mom and grandmother for help on learning how to sew. This led Moziah to making his first ever hand-crafted bow tie. Believing that he had a good product, he started to sell his product online and in retail stores throughout Memphis. From there his business started to gain traction and the demand for his bow ties started to go beyond his local town, “I think the reason Mo’s Bows first caught on among consumers is the same reason it’s successful today. Every bow tie is hand crafted and made in America, and they’re all extremely colorful. There’s a lot of personality behind my line,” says Bridges. Throughout Mo’s Bows growth Moziah has stayed extremely involved in the entire process. He picks and approves all of the fabrics and patterns that go into making every bow tie. Of course everything is not solely run by him, his family helps out in every way that they can.
Mo’s Bows and Moziah Bridges become so popular that he started making TV appearances on a variety of different shows. Shows such as, the Steve Harvey Show, Today, and Good Morning America. He wanted to inform as many people as he could about the brand he was building. Things really started to explode after he made an appearance on an episode of Shark Tank in April of 2014. Moziah did not land a deal with one of the sharks but was offered mentorship by Daymond John. Moziah Bridges still is working with Daymond to help grow his business to this day, “Working with Daymond has really helped me take Mo’s Bows to the next level. He guides me through the practical aspects of running and growing a company”. Moziah’s goal is to grow into a full blown fashion line domestically and internationally. This growth has provided Mo’s Bows with amazing opportunities. These opportunities have involved being a fashion correspondent at the NBA draft and receiving an invitation to the White House where he was able to present Obama with his own blue tie.
The reach of Mo’s Bows company was growing, and Moziah wanted to do something good with it. This led him to start Go Mo which were bow ties where 100 percent of the proceeds went to send troubled Memphis children to summer camp in the summer. To date the charity has sent over 50 kids to summer camps in Memphis. Now Mo’s Bows has sold over $300,000 worth of bow ties and Moziah Bridges is still only in high school. Incredible!
Adelle Archer, a twenty-seven year old entrepreneur, changed the way people honor their deceased loved ones. In recent years more people have chosen to have their loved ones cremated over having a burial, which gave Archer the perfect opportunity to bring her idea to life. Archer created Eterneva. Instead of burying or cremating a deceased loved one Eterneva turns your loved one’s ashes into diamonds. They make the diamonds into necklaces that you can wear around to constantly remind you of your special loved one. Archer started Eterneva after losing her beloved mentor and that is what motivates her to grow the business and provide services for others that lose their special loved ones. Archer says, “A diamond lasts more than a singe generation, the way an urn of ashes won’t.” Archer shows the ability to identify gaps in a certain market and then put her specific ideas to action making a new and improved option to the market. Adelle Archer has inspired me to use my skills and passions to make the world be a better place.
Akshay Ruparelia, a 19 year old from the United Kingdom, has rocked the way people sell houses in the UK. Ruparelia’s site, Doorsteps.co.uk, offers a 97% discount on home selling. During a move, Akshay noticed that his family spent a massive amount of money on commission for estate agents. His site undercuts those costs. For example, Doorsteps.co.uk allows home sellers to host viewings, a process that, typically, is expensive for those selling through an estate agent. Doorsteps charges 99 pounds up front with no commission charges and has already become the UK’s 14th largest estate agency. Ruparelia’s innovation in the housing market has been dubbed the “Uber of the property world”. Obviously, the problem Ruparelia encountered included the excessive charges applied to those using estate agents, particularly regarding commissions. He moved to solve that problem after realizing the issue when his own family encountered those costs. Ruparelia’s problem-solving and visionary skills are skills to be admired.
URL to Ruparelia article: https://startups.co.uk/young-entrepreneurs-akshay-ruparelia/
Everyone has different reasons for starting a business venture, whether it is dreams of huge profits, or a noble humanitarian goal. When Hart Main, founder and owner of ManCans, started his business at the age of 13, his goal was to earn just $1,200, enough to buy a bicycle to compete in triathlons. His product is ManCans, a candle with a “manly” scent sold in a soup can. He came up with the idea for manly candels from his sister’s fundraiser when he was just 10 years old. Main noticed that all the candles being sold in the fundraiser were “too girly” in his opinion. A few years later, ManCans was born. Soup was eaten in droves at the Main household, in order to get cans to use for the candles. Even friends and neighbors started giving Main their used soup cans to help his business. After a few months of business, Main had the idea to buy and donate soup cans to local food banks and soup kitchens, then repurpose the used cans for his mandles. Main eventually added another line of candles, “SheCans,” to his business. Within a year, Beaver Creek Candle Company approached Main. He agreed to a deal with them, and they now produce the candles in mass, donating 75 cents of every sale to soup kitchens across the northeast. Thanks to Hart Main’s innovation and philanthropy, he turned a good business idea into an extremely successful business, and continues to give a ton of support to local charities in the process.
Tonami’s Creations is the creation of Tonami Abiona, 7 year-old Nigerian entrepreneur who loves to draw, paint, color, write, and create.
At the humble age of five, Tonami began creating her own books of sorts, collections of art and stories. She gave them to her friends, wanting to spread her love for creation, and encouraged them to do the same thing. Her simple art form soon turned into a business opportunity when she was approached by Kid Entrepreneurs, “an organization that is primarily focused on raising the next generation of entrepreneurs;” they wanted to showcase her product!
A few pivots later, Tonami, with the help of her computer engineer and entrepreneur mum and financial analyst dad, arrived at what is now the My Story Book Kit. This product is “a creative writing resource for young readers, writers and illustrators,” containing a detailed instruction manual that guides kids through the contents and their own story-writing process. The kit encourages kids to be creative, and sharpens problem skills, all the while helping with personal and educational development.
Tonami’s branding is, quite frankly, genius. It’s a brand by kids, for kids, but appealing to parents, teachers, and gift-givers as well. The business increases their presence by showcasing at events and offering their products through different retailers. They also market the My Story Book Kit as a great gift idea and sell t-shirts to increase brand awareness.
Taking an everyday piece of joy and turning it into a business, Tonami’s Creations has re-created the way kids around the world look at creativity. To see their website, click here.
Aaron Krause, the creator of Scrub Daddy turned a simple idea into a million-dollar company. Scrub Daddy was founded in 2008 by Krause. He later partnered with Lori Greiner, a business mogul on the sh
ow “Shark Tank”. The company sells smiley-faced dish washing sponges that change its texture and feel depending on the temperature of the water. The features of this sponge is that it is scratch-free and odor resistant, as well as dishwasher-safe. Krause had always had a passion for invention and even as a child would be constantly inventing. Scrub Daddy originally was not invented to dish washing Krause engineered the sponge originally to be for washing his hands after a long day as a factory worker and his hands would be covered with chemicals and grease. One day, he had a eureka moment and realized that it would be way more useful for washing dishes. Plus, the hole would allow for it to be easy to hold when scrubbing pots and pans. Krause’s story is inspirational because he simply revolutionized an everyday item into a million dollar business. His story shows that just simple changes to an already utilized product can result in a huge success.
