Archive for Great Ideas – Page 19

Are you Kidding?

Young entrepreneurs, such as seven year old Sebastian Martinez, keep proving that age is just a number. Martinez started his company at the age of five and two years later claims the title of CEO and philanthropist. His company, Are you Kidding, started with his innocent but extreme passion for collecting bright and wacky designed socks. His mom then suggested that he design his own. According to NBC, in 2014 Martinez made $15,000 in revenue from selling his specialty socks.

In 2015, the companies revenue has significantly increased and Are You Kidding is partnering with the American Cancer Foundation and donating money towards cancer research. In addition, the company donated 25% of their revenue last year to Discovery Arts, a charitable organization that brings art programs to children with serious illnesses.

Companies like Are You Kidding remind all entrepreneurs to be humble and always give back. Not only is Sebastian Martinez making a difference in his life, but is making an even bigger difference in the lives of those in need the most. A little donation goes a long way, and Martinez understands this, making him even more successful.

Sebastian Martinez, CEO, Are You Kidding?

The Beauty of Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter provide tons of help for small businesses in raising capital and getting their name into people heads. However, one idea by a young entrepreneur took this business for a spin when Indiegogo was created in 2008 by Slava Rubin. Being a graduate from Wharton University, Rubin is the Co-founder and CEO of Indiegogo- one of the first and now largest crowdfunding websites on the internet.

The site runs on a rewards-based system, meaning donors, investors, or customers who are willing to help fund a project or product can donate and receive a gift, rather than an equity stake in the company. However, Rubin has stated that the company is interested in moving towards equity funding in the future once laws around it become clearer in the U.S.

In 2014, Indiegogo launched Indiegogo Life, a service that people can use to raise money for emergencies, medical expenses, celebrations, or other life events. Since Indiegogo Life does not charge a platform fee, fundraisers keep more of the money they raise. Indiegogo Life is a great example of forward-thinking from CEO Slava Rubin and really displays the customer-satisfying and personal direction he wants to take his company, which I really admire.

By the end of this year, it is predicted that global crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter will double annual revenues, to $6 billion worldwide. Under Rubin, Indiegogo has become a leader in web-based crowdfunding, having raised $15M in Series A funding from Insight Venture Partners and Kohsla Ventures a year ago. Rubin has played an influential role in working with the White House and helping to finalize the rules and regulations for equity crowdfunding in the United States.

Recapping, Slava Rubin is an extremely inspirational and successful millennial entrepreneur and his company continues to grow larger day after day. I found it very interesting learning more about his story and young business. I also explored Indiegogo and found some crazy product ideas and absolutely loved seeing all of these people who invest and help kickstart other businesses. Check out the link below if you want to do some exploring too!

https://www.indiegogo.com

 

 

Gregory Spencer, The Stove Man

Gregory Spencer is the 29 year old co-founder of The Paradigm Project. They are a non-profit organization that distributes clean, efficient cook stoves to developing countries. If you’re wondering why this is even important, it is because of a few main reasons. First, pneumonia is the biggest killer of children globally, and is often linked to indoor cooking smoke. Four million women and children die from it each year according to Paradigm Project’s website. Developing countries often either have to burn fuels that create a lot of emissions, or use non efficient stoves, or even open fires which create more smoke than a quality stove would. This is not their choice, but what they have to do to survive. Second, the stoves that Paradigm Project distributes make less smoke, so they are better for the environment since they help lower CO2 emissions. Their stoves also use less fuel, which means less trees need cut down. The stoves also save the impoverished families in fuel cost, allowing them to have money for other things.

Spencer is interesting to me since he is not a traditional entrepreneur, but a highly successful social entrepreneur. Social entrepreneurs can’t be ranked by the money they make, but instead by the impact they make on society. The statistics on their webpage of how their efforts are changing the world is very impressive. From the roughly 50,000 stoves provided since 2008, $23 million has been saved by families in reduced fuel bills, about 1.4 million trees have been saved, and an estimated 400,000 tons of CO2 have been offset. From the extra money from donations, they have also invested roughly $7 million into developing countries. His achievements are impressive, and why he was chosen to be in Forbes 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs in 2012. Another impressive thing to me is that as successful as his organization is, he is still highly involved. Management, strategic planning, communications, and being in the field are a few to name. Instead of hiring people to take on some of his responsibilities when his organization made it big, his passion for making the world a better place keeps him working hard, and strongly involved.

Adam Horwitz: 18-Years-Old, $1.5 Million, 3 Days

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I love reading about any young entrepreneurs, but I’m especially captivated by extravagant success stories. 18-year-old Adam Horwitz has one of those. In just 3 days, his online course “Mobile Monopoly” made him $1.5 million.

In an interview with Income Diary, Adam explains that he first got interested in digital entrepreneurship when his father took him to a seminar about online marketing one day.  “That kind of opened the doors to me to see that there is potential out there for making money online,” he says.

Before “Mobile Monopoly”, Adam sold a few other online courses, such as his courses “Tycoon Cash Flow” and “Cell Phone Treasure.”  Each made him around $100,000.  “Mobile Monopoly” was his first million dollar program.

His success sounds unreal and unmatchable, but he lives by business principles that are actually pretty simple.  He says that his biggest tip to anyone in the online world is to take their business one step at a time.  “I think a lot of people’s struggle is they set up like eight different campaign [at once].”  Instead, he urges people to start with one and wait until it is successful before they spread their focus out to other projects. “If you just do a bunch of different products… you’re not going to make a sale for any of them.”

His other big tip is just as simple — make your content easy to consume.  People have short attention spans, especially when going through information-intensive courses like the ones Adam makes.  “The best way to do it is through video,” he says. “[People] don’t want to read a lot, they want to watch you talk.” I think this can be applied to anything.  I feel the same way about websites and social media posts — I’d rather see a video or an infographic than lines and lines of dull words.  If it looks like an essay, I’m probably going to click out.  People are busy and they want to hear what they need to hear quickly and easily.

The last point that stood out to me was how Adam views all of his success.  When asked if he likes being his own boss, he said that he doesn’t even think about it like that.  “I don’t think of this as work. This is fun, this is what I’m doing.”

Adam is in college like all of us in Entrepreneurial Mind. His friends have minimum wage jobs while he has made over a million dollars, simply because he had an idea and the drive to do something about it.  I think Adam showcases the possibility and opportunity of entrepreneurship, specifically digital entrepreneurship.  He’s a reminder to me that being successful is always possible, no matter what your age, other commitments, or circumstances.

Zollipops: Problem Solved

Nine-year-old Alina has heard her parents say more than once, “Sugar is bad for your teeth.” To her, it seemed like a constant problem she and many other kids were facing, especially in this growing health conscious world. Alina’s father understood this as well, but had a different parental perspective on this sugary subject. As the parent he was frustrated with the ingredients in candy that is frequently around children and understood the dilemma parents faced in giving their children sweets. The problem had finally peaked in Alina’s family after she was offered a lollipop from the teller at a bank and her father told her she could not have it. She turned to her father and suggested the idea that Zollipops would be created on; orally health conscious candy.

As an inventor, who has put many new products on the market, Alina’s father coupled with Alina’s idea to make a successful product. Together, they created a lollipop with all natural ingredients that lowers pH in the mouth leading to better oral health. An acidic pH will result in the decomposition of teeth. Zollipops is the perfect solution.

At such a young age Alina could recognize a problem and create a viable solution. Because of this, she is making money and making a difference through her health conscious product. Just last year she had over $70,000 in sales and was featured on the kid’s edition of Shark Tank. Truly this little entrepreneur has achieved something great with Zollipops.

http://zollipops.com/

Entrepreneurship has no Age

As I began to research entrepreneurs, it came to my attention that there are no requirements to having a creative mind. Anyone is capable of being an entrepreneur and long as you are capable of defining a problem and then establishing a valuable solution. This concept became very clear to me when I stumbled upon an article about a young boy named Hart Main.

Hart is only 14 years old but that is plenty old enough to understand that there was a problem. The problem he was determined to address was that there were no manly scented candles. Originally he was simply teasing his sister about selling girly scented candles for a fundraiser, but then he realized she was selling feminine scents because those were the only scents that existed.

All Hart did was put in an initial investment of $100 and his parents chipped in $200 and then the three of them worked together to make the idea a reality. Today, the company is called ManCans and these candles come in many different scents, of which include: campfire, sawdust, bacon, fresh cut grass, and grandpa’s pipe. These candles are being sold in over 60 stores across the country and have sold over 9,000 units so far.

Reading about Hart Main really made me think. There is no reason why someone cannot be an entrepreneur; all you have to do is set your mind to it and be willing to ask for help when needed. If Hart can do it at age 14, I can do it at age 20.

 

 

Reinventing the Wheel – Literally!

Bicycles are great solutions to get you where you need to go, with the benefits of being environmentally friendly and faster than walking.  However, there’s one major drawback – pedaling a bicycle can be hard work, especially for long distances or routes with lots of hills (basically anywhere in western Pennsylvania!).  So that’s where the Copenhagen Wheel comes in.

The Copenhagen Wheel was developed by a team of robotics engineers and designers from MIT specifically for Copenhagen, Denmark – a city known for its bicycle culture.  This innovative team wanted to take some of the work out of bicycling by turning a regular bike into a smart electric hybrid.  Many of the team members have had previous experience with popular startup tech companies.  Add this experience to a visionary marketing team and some venture capital investors, and you get the startup Superpedestrian.

The Copenhagen Wheel

The Copenhagen Wheel works by replacing the back wheel of your bike with the Copenhagen Wheel, which is then connected to an app on your smartphone.  A small servo motor and control system is hidden in the wheel’s sleek red casing.  This system captures your energy as you brake or go down the hill and then lets you use this energy pedal with 3-10 times the normal power of a bike!  This allows you to go up hills easier and go further, faster.  Even cooler is the fact that the Copenhagen Wheel learns how you pedal and can keep track of your fitness, while riding just like a normal bike.  If you don’t believe me, check out this video to learn more about the Copenhagen Wheel.

Clearly the old wheel has met its match!  Superpedestrian is busy getting the Copenhagen Wheel ready for market and it should be widely available within the next year.

United by Blue

Founded in 2010, United by Blue is a Philadelphia based company that produces responsible & durable goods with a mission to keep the beautiful outdoors clean and ready for life’s next adventure.

“We believe that every living creature is united by the blue of our world’s oceans and waterways and we all have the responsibility to protect them.”

UBB uses only sustainable materials to make each product while donating their time to environmental action with each purchase.  “For every product sold, UBB removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways through company organized and hosted cleanups.”

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Located in Old City, Philadelphia, they “use re-purposed materials…creat[ing] a space that mixes [their] complete line of apparel and accessories with a full-fledged coffeehouse serving up some of the city’s finest organic coffee and food.”

Their brand mainly focuses on producing outdoor apparel that will withstand continuous adventure. “We’re inspired by the go-getters, the landscape around the waters we clean, and a really good cup of pour over coffee.”

In the everyday clutter, for-profit businesses must stand above the competition.  United by Blue captured the essence of putting a twist on the common retailer.  I’m inspired by their mission to make the world a better place through sustainable materials.  The millennial generation loves supporting causes and identifying with products, companies, organizations, etc. who contribute more than the banality of the everyday.  These young entrepreneurs desire to not only share their passion for sustainable goods, but also give back to our community and earth.    With countless other one-for-one businesses, UBB promises to support not just monetarily, but by giving their time as well.

To learn more about their company please visit http://unitedbyblue.com/pages/about-us.

#bluemovement

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College Hunks Hauling Junk

“Let Tomorrow’s Leaders Haul Your Junk Today”

The business idea is simple: capitalize on the extra energy and muscle of college students by hiring them to haul away things people don’t want – things that can be recycled, burned as fuel, or donated to charitable organizations. This three-fold aspect College Hunks Hauling Junk is one of the big reasons this business idea was selected by the Leigh Rothschild Business Plan Contest in 2004. Omar Soliman was the winner of $10,000 in this competition, and he used the money to get his business off the ground.

It was started even before Soliman and his partner Nick Friedman graduated from the University of Miami. But after graduation, they decided to take their idea and make it into something massive. Moving to D.C., they turned their small concept into a large-scale operation. But this wasn’t enough. In 2008, they moved again, this time to Tampa, FL to convert their company into a franchised firm. Since then, College Hunks Hauling Junk has made several “fastest growing companies” lists and in 2013 won the Franchise 500 Award.

The especially noteworthy trait of Omar Soliman and Nick Frieman is that these young men dreamed big. The idea they had designed was a good one, one that would have made a fantastic single firm in D.C. However, they realized that this business concept was one that could be even bigger than that. Today, they have 3 main locations and 47 franchises. That is success on a massive scale.

artifact uprising.

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In Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she writes, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story.”

Jenna and Matthew Walker, co-founders of Artifact Uprising, would agree.  Born from their desire to cultivate tangible story-telling, Artifact Uprising (a “design-your-own” photo book and photo goods business) required a great deal of perseverance, creativity, and a dash of serendipity.

In 2004, after pondering her recent desire to learn the art of photography, Jenna happened upon a discarded, yet intact, camera and lenses.  After recovering from her complete astonishment, she took the blessed opportunity and soon fell in love with photography.

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“We worked as professional photographers for 8 years–making permanence of experiences that move minds and hearts. As one click of the shutter turned to another turned to hundreds of thousands of photos, we realized our documented lives were sitting on our phones and computers with no true place to live on. It’s something we kept coming back to–‘What are we leaving behind?’”

The Walkers wanted to create an authentic business design that would allow each customer to share his/her life in a unique and sustainable fashion.

“Somehow – with a kind of serendipity much like finding that first camera – doors opened where there might have otherwise been dead ends. Sometimes the world whispers ‘Stay the course.’ And that we did.”

Like many entrepreneurs preceding them, Jenna and Matthew had to persevere in the face of failure, pivot, create, and redesign.  They added products, features, and employees which has culminated into their own beautiful story.

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From basement to business, Artifact Uprising is a poster child for the entrepreneurial mind.

If you would like to read the full story and or browse their wonderfully crafted products, please visit their website: https://www.artifactuprising.com

Creativity. Community. Authenticity.