Archive for Great Ideas – Page 6

Nannies by Noa

https://www.noamintz.com/

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This young entrepreneur named Noa Mintz started a business called Nannies by Noa when she was just 12 years old in 2012. She has made numerous appearances on various television stations and channels to talk about her service and has a wide following behind her business. As of 2015 her business had a net worth of about $375,000. Her business aims to find the best nannies and babysitters for families around New York City, the Hamptons and the Tri-state area. Noa is extremely driven by her passion for helping children and their families. Friends and family close to her would say that she has a niche for matchmaking people together which has aided her in finding nannies and babysitters that are compatible with certain types of families. Her idea is great and very interesting because it gives families a platform in which they can find reliable, fun, passionate, and trustworthy nannies that parents can feel safe leaving their children with and to help care for their children when they are unable to. They do a detailed background screening and even provide some educational services for nannies and babysitters to improve their skills. She ended up hiring a trained CEO to run the business for her because working 40 hours a week was interfering with her schoolwork. That being said, she clearly cares about her education in addition to her business. When she is not engaged in work for her business or school, she is also part of an organization called The Friendship Circle which pairs teenagers with special needs children and offers mentorship for them. She demonstrates innovation by providing this service to families all over New York City and the Tri-state area, which is a very large geographic area, that has a lot of people in need of this type of service. Her story and motivation is very inspiring to me and shows me that any business is possible to create and establish no matter what age you are.

The Building Blocks of A Better Future: The Tegu Story

Chris Haughey and Will Haughey were born on the other side of the world in the island country of New Zealand. When they were both still very young, their family moved to the Saint Louis, Missouri. Growing up in the United States, the Haughey parents put great emphasis on international mission trips to impoverished nations. Many of these trips included every member of the family together. It is likely at this time that the brothers began to develop a heart for the impoverished peoples of the third world. Upon receiving a degree from Stanford University, Chris Haughey joined the Boston Consulting Group which allowed him to travel extensively through Central and South America. On a business trip to Honduras, Chris was able to reconnect with missionaries he knew from previous trips. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America with one of the highest murder rates in the region. According to World Fact Book, over half of the population lives in poverty, creating a serious problem. Through his interactions with them and his immersion in the Honduran culture and people, Chris decided that he needed to be a part of solution in Honduras.

After a year of extensive market research, Chris left his position at the Boston Consulting Group to found Tegu, a magnetic block company made of Honduran wood, in 2007. Tegu gets its name from the capitol of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, which is also the city in which the toys are made. The company employs two hundred Hondurans, and provides for over three hundred more that rely on their income. Chris’ brother, Will, after a brief but successful career in investment banking, came on full time with Tegu. Together, the two brothers now run the company and every day strive to have a tangible impact in one of the poorest corners of the world.

Are there cheaper ways to make toys? Yes there are. Could these brothers be making more money elsewhere? Absolutely. But is Tegu making a tangible difference? Yes it is. And that’s enough for the Haugheys. To see them utilize their God-given business capability and know how, not to line their own pockets, but to instead develop the economy of one of the poorest nations in the world is an inspiring story indeed. Their story is a testament to the fact that there’s more to business than money. To the Haugheys? Ultimately its about people.

Catherine Cook – myYearbook

In 2005, Catherine Cook and her brother, Dave, were flipping through their high school yearbook to see if they recognized anyone. While looking through it, Catherine thought of putting the whole yearbook online. This idea sparked a multi-million-dollar company in the years to come – and Catherine was only fourteen!

After coming up with the initial idea, Catherine contacted her oldest brother, Geoff, who was a sophomore at Harvard University. Geoff Cook was already on the road to making hundreds of thousands of dollars off his two websites EssayEdge.com & ResumeEdge.com, when his younger sister first told him of the idea. He immediately invested $250,000 into her idea and they began working with developers in India to bring the website to life.

Within one week of launching the site, Catherine & Geoff had 400 people with accounts – and it was confined to their hometown of New Hope, PA. Catherine would wear creative shirts that said things like, “Are you the prettiest girl in school? How about the dumbest? Find out!” By 2006, the website had over 1 million users. It continued to grow throughout the following years until, in 2010, it entered the top 25 most-visited websites.

In 2011, myYearbook merged with the Quepasa Corporation for over $100 million. One year later, they renamed the company to MeetMe. MeetMe still keeps some of the same features that made myYearbook so popular, but it now offers online chatting and connections with other people.

Katherine’s simple idea turned into a multi-million-dollar venture, something she says she definitely did not ever expect. myYearbook is a great example of the possibilities that can arise from a unique idea.

Drew Estate: The Rebirth of Cigars

Drew Estate is one of the most famous cigar brands ever, and dominates a large percentage of tobacco sales today, even though the company was started only twenty years ago. Drew Estate was started in 1998 by Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel, who lived in New York City at the time, and had a small boutique that sold cigars in downtown New York City.

Experiencing declining sales and interest in cigars in the American market, Jonathan Drew moved to  Esteli, Nicaragua, with the hope of starting the “rebirth of cigars.” While in Nicaragua, one of the cigar hubs of the world, Drew obsessed over making new, exciting cigar blends that could bring flavors and experiences never before seen in the American market. After a year or so of meticulously perfecting his cigar blends, Drew returned to the United States and launched what would become the company’s signature cigar line, ACID Cigars.

The company grew and grew because of the wildly popular ACID line, which was a completely unique set of flavor profiles for the cigar market. By 2004, the company had expanded so much that they moved their headquarters from New York City to Miami, Florida to help continue grow the expanding company. In 2007, the company opened one of the largest cigar manufacturing plants in the entire world, which was 96,000 square feet.

This state of the art factory helped to maximize the company’s production, and helped Drew Estate to become a wildly popular brand in the cigar market. Through innovation and perseverance, Jonathan Drew and Marvin Samel were able to start one of the most innovative and popular cigar brands in the entire world.

RCP Drum Company

RCP Drum Company was started in 2018, by the father-son duo Brian and Robert Pettry.  The idea originated when Brian and his wife ordered a drum pad for their son Robert from a different company, and were unsatisfied by the pad, the shipping time, and the customer service the company provided.

By using Brian’s business knowledge that he acquired from running another family business, and Robert’s skills as a drummer, the father-son team created what they believe is the best practice pad on the market.  Many practice pads that are currently available do not provide a similar feel to a real drum, nor do they always have a rim or sound anything like a real drum.  Using Robert’s knowledge as a drummer, as well as feedback from others, they designed the pads to be flexible enough to meet many different types of drummers’ needs.  By placing different types of rubber under the head, each pad can have a different feel.  Their mindset was not to make the most profit, but to create the best practice pad they could.  Brian and Robert also made the pads so that if a part breaks or wears out, or the drummer just wants to change up the look, each piece is easily replaceable and interchangeable.  The head of the pad is made out of an epoxy coated anodized aluminum fabric, which can only be sourced from two companies in the U.S., but it sounds the best.  Every pad is custom built for each order and is guaranteed to be shipped within two business days of placing an order.

Brian and Robert wanted all of the parts to be sourced locally so that they could have personal relationships with the manufacturers, while also allowing them to have easier access for faster shipping times.  All the parts for the pads are made in the USA, many of which are made in Illinois and Wisconsin.  The pads are then assembled by Robert and his dad.  They also realize the opportunity they have been given to start this company and try to give credit to God as often as they can.  While setting oneself apart as a Christian company can have a negative impact, Robert and his dad have said that more often than not, they have received wonderful support and have had some great groups purchase from them because of it.

RCP Drum Company really strives to create a local and personal connection both with their customers and their manufacturers.  They believe that a personalized connection is important for a company, and something that is not often found today.  Sometimes this means answering phone calls late at night, replying to countless emails, answering questions on social media, helping someone with a broken product or who isn’t satisfied with the product, and numerous other ways of making the customer feel like they aren’t just another dollar.  Robert and Brian also use a local college student to film their product videos and a local high school student who takes a lot of the stock photos and designed their logo.  This gives a young person in the community the opportunity to be a part of something bigger.

Looking for a custom practice pad, made in the USA, from a company that gives wonderful customer service?  You will find all of that at RCP Drum Company.

 

https://rcpdrum.com/

Bravo Company Manufacturing

Bravo Company Manufacturing is a firearms manufacturer that was started in 2003. After serving in Iraq and being part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, former United States Marine Paul Buffoni began Bravo Company Manufacturing in his garage in Hartland, Wisconsin.

After 9/11, there was a massive increase in the demand of riffles and other firearms from people in the United States that were looking for tools to defend themselves and their families. At the time, there was only one large manufacturer that was making AR15 and M4 riffles for the commercial market, which was the legendary gun manufacturer, Colt.

Buffoni quickly recognized that there was a need in the commercial market for riffles that were professional quality and that people could rely rely on in literal life or death situations. This is exactly what bravo Company USA provides: they rigorously test each riffle, barrel, and upper-receiver that they produce in their factory, and if any one of their products does not meet 100% of their specifications, they immediately scrap the product and will not sell it to any customer.

Bravo Company has been based in Hartland, Wisconsin since 2003, and they are one of the largest employers in that area. Interestingly enough, Buffoni focuses on hiring people that thing more like mechanics or engineers, since they are able to help the company develop better, more innovated products to bring to the market. Bravo Company spends years developing new parts for their weapon systems, with the focus on making these products lighter and stronger than previous versions.

Paul Buffoni was able to recognize a real need in the firearms industry and used his expertise in this field to create high quality, affordable products that the market desperately wanted. Buffoni also helps out other veterans through some charitable efforts of his company, and he loves to spend time giving back to the great community of veterans that we have here in the United States. Bravo Company is an excellent company, with a great founder, that accomplishes it’s mission of being a premier gun systems manufacturer in a simple, and customer friendly way.

Drop Out to Success

Matt Mullenweg started his adult life as a political science major at the university of Huston. He soon realized that this was not the place for him and he dropped out of college. He then worked at a network company for two years before leaving and creating his own company. He and a friend started Auttomattic, an internet company that has brands such as word press and tumblr. It is great to see a success story where someone found out that school wasn’t their calling and decided to leave and pursue a different path. Mullenweg had extreme courage to leave the normal path and plunder into the path of the unkown. We sometimes think that to become successful we must follow the lead of many other successful people and go to college, the fact is that if the college path isn’t for you, you may still gain wisdom in other ways and become successful in your own way. Mullenweg is now the CEO of Automattic which currently owns Word Press and its over 70 million websites.

Palmetto State Armory

Palmetto State Armory was founded in 2010 by former military veteran Jamin McCallum. After returning home from service, Jamin noticed that there were many problems in the modern firearms industry in America.

As an avid business man and gun-enthusiast, Jamin decided to do something about this problem. The main problem that he recognized was that there was not a firearms company with good customer service for your average, everyday gun owner. In 2010, Jamin opened his first retail store and committed his business to revolutionizing the firearms market in America by providing a firearms company that was centered around excellent and even better customer service.

This business model provided a real shake up to the sleepy firearms market, which was in need of new ideas and new processes in order to make it more accessible and successful. People immediately gravitated towards Jamin’s company and he was able to grow his business over the next few years with the help of friends and other military veterans.

His company started out as an ammunition and magazine company and he quickly grew the company to manufacture his own line of firearms. Some of Jamin’s best products are his AR15 and AK47 product lines, which are affordable, quality products that are backed by the company’s excellent customer service and commitment to quality and excellence.

Jamin is an impressive entrepreneur because he was able to recognize a real need in the market, and was able to use the skills that he had learned in the military and in business to start a successful company. Palmetto State Armory is a great company and proves that companies can become successful if they focus on their customers and commit to making their products as good as they can be.

HoloMe- The new social media

In 2019, there is a new technology that could revolutionize the way communications are done over the internet. Founded by Janosch Amstutz, this new technology is, “a high-definition augmented reality platform that brings a perceived three-dimensional experience of human beings into your living room. This new platform is in its beta stages in the entertainment, fashion and education realms where one can virtually be present in a fashion show, a classroom or a sports game. HoloMe is not a video or a recording, but a live face to face interface, where one can see the person they are talking to and their surrounding. It is captured by any camera and is processed immediately so that it can be seen on the other end at the same time. As put by Amstutz, “Augmented reality humans are really more immersive and emotive than any other technology that’s been out there with regards to delivering a message, having a human in your own space, communicating with you directly is much more powerful as a medium.” HoloMe will be fully operational by the end of 2019, and will be raising money and involved in different partnerships in order for it to take off. One further benefit this could have is to be a resource for doctors to help patients in regions where it is unsafe to physically go and in places where there are a shortage of doctors. This new innovation could improve many different areas of communication where calling and skyping lack.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/nine-innovators-watch-2019-180971194/?page=4

A Buzzing Business- Mikalia Ulmer & Me and the Bees Lemonade

Bees, they’re pesky, buzzing, and can cause a pretty painful sting. Lemonade, it’s a tasty, cool, refreshing drink on a summer’s day. The two don’t have much in common but, Mikaila Ulmer decided to bring these ideas together with her business Me and the Bees Lemonade. Mikalia Ulmer was born in Austin, Texas to parents who inspired her to be innovative.

When she was four years old, they encouraged her to sign up for a children’s business competition, where she had to come up with an idea for a business and pitch it to judges. Before the competition, a big idea came to her after two surprises happened.

The first surprise came in the mail when her great grandmother sent her an old family cookbook from the 1940s. This cookbook contained a particularly delicious recipe for Flaxseed Lemonade. 

The second came from a less exciting surprise, a pretty painful one to experience as a kid playing outside in the summer, a bee sting. There were two bee stings, to be exact. Mikalia was scared at first, scared of bees and their hurtful sting. Yet, something about bees captivated her, she wanted to learn all about them. She learned how crucial bees were to our ecosystem, why even though they bring a painful sting, they also bring beautiful things, like flowers. She knew that wanted to help them. 

That’s where she brought her ideas together, bees and lemonade, and started with a lemonade stand. This lemonade stand led to her business Me and the Bees Lemonade. Here, she sells Flaxseed Lemonade sweetened with honey and donates 10% of the money that she makes to organizations that help the honeybees. She started her own non-profit, the Healthy Hive Foundation, which works to raise awareness and to create more safe environments for honeybees.

Since, then, her business has grown from a lemonade stand and a recipe in her great grandmother’s cookbook. Makaila went on Shark Tank when she was 9 and got a deal with Daymond John for $60,000. The business has grown over the years, Me & The Bees Lemonade has expanded from the website and small grocery stores to grocery chains like Whole Foods and Wegman’s. In 2017, she was named as one of TIME’s most influential teens. She’s used her experience to help out others who are interested in entrepreneurship. She travels with the Dell Women Entrepreneurship Network and helps out with their youth program, where she taught with a Finance 101 class in Cape Town, South Africa. 

She’s currently writing a book on story and how she came to be the CEO of her own company. Mikalia says to young entrepreneurs, “You’re never too young to start a business. ” She wants to inspire kids, and adults, to create something based on their passions. On her own future, she says, “I definitely have a lot of goals, but as my dad always said, it’s important to work step by step and take each little goal at a time.” Mikalia really is an example of a young entrepreneur taking steps to grow a business, one goal at a time.