Archive for food

Ryan Lecchi: The Medical Engineer

Posted by creelyle22 
· Friday, October 4th, 2024 
· 3 Comments

This week I wanted to look for someone who has innovated the medical community so when I found Type Strong, I knew I needed to write about it. It’s founder Ryan Lecchi was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes his senior year of college in 2019. Ryan was very active in college and kept running into the issue of his CGM sensors getting knocked off while playing. The monitors are very expensive, and Ryan started using some other adhesive patches with some flaws and he thought he could design better ones. This is where he put his Mechanical Engineering knowledge to work. Eventually he was able to come up with a system to make the patches and soon after he released them to the public. Type Strong makes adhesive patches that go over most diabetes devices including the Freestyle Libre, Medtronic Guardian, Dexcom, Omnipod and Insulin Pump Sites. Ryan mentioned he had no idea what to do when it came to the business side of things. What helped him out was that he was very passionate about product design and functionality and on the outside, he seemed to know everything when it came to the business side. He was able to obtain the Covid-19 stimulus payment to start things off as well as support from his universities I2N an Entrepreneurship101 online program.

Early and Current Success:

At first it was slow going in terms of sales, selling only a couple of packs of patches per week. Now Type Strong has a huge online market in Australia and as of recently Type Strong can ship to most other countries. Type Strong is also stocked in other online retailers such as Diabetes NSW & ACT and many pharmacies across Australia. Type Strong was named as a top 4 Finalist in the Small Business category of the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards NSW ACT in 2022. Type Strong as grown a lot since then and recently have gone into the business of selling pouches to hold insulin pens and needles.

Concluding Thoughts:

Type Strong is a perfect example of seeing a pain/need and innovating off of that which is very inspirational. I hope that this article can show that nothing is always easy, but nothing is impossible.

3 Comments
Categories : Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology
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Brittany Canty: Co-founder of Comfort Eats

Posted by campagnama21 
· Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 
· 1 Comment

Brittany Canty is the co-founder of a brand called Comfort Eats. This business idea came about when she was visiting her best friend and co-founder, Reina in New Zealand. When Brittany visited, she came with her suitcase full of snacks from back home that her friend had missed so much. The joy that it brought her friend made them think- how can we ship comfort food to people that can’t find these foods where they live?

Brittany Canty

This is exactly what Comfort Eats does. Brittany and Reina have an online shop where people can have their favorite American snacks shipped to them while in a different country. They said they have seen people from other cultures become interested in their business too, not just Americans who are traveling. Brittany says her past experience as a product manager has given her lots of experience with their business. She tries to set one goal to accomplish a day, giving her freedom while also getting something important accomplished for the business.

Brittany says that she would give her younger self the advice of “trust your gut!”. She explains the world has a way of putting insecurities on young people and making them triple check everything. Her and her friend started this business as young entrepreneurs and they succeeded by being passionate in this one area.

Brittany says that listening to their customers is most important in running Comfort Eats. Their voice is most important in getting the right food delivered that will bring joy in so many ways. Brittany and Reina will continue to grow their business, reaching many people who miss the taste of their hometowns.

Brittany Canty – Co-Founder of Comfort Eats (ideamensch.com)

1 Comment
Categories : Entrepreneurship, Experience, Food, Health, Healthy Lifestyle, Online Companies, Uncategorized
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Mikaila Ulmer: Founder of “Me & the Bees” Lemonade

Posted by campagnama21 
· Thursday, October 21st, 2021 
· 2 Comments

Mikaila Ulmer is a 17-year-old girl who started her own lemonade business at a very young age. The business idea started after young Mikaila got stung by a bee and wanted to learn more about bees to overcome her fear of them.  At age 4, she started a business by creating a very small lemonade stand. Very quickly, this turned into the business “Me & the Bees” as a result.

Mikaila is widely successful, at just age 9, she struck an $11 million distribution deal with US supermarket giants Whole Foods Market. Mikaila has also been invited to the White House twice, featured on Good Morning America, NBC News, Forbes Magazine, and Time Magazine for her entrepreneurial success. Mikaila is very busy; she juggles school, her business, and public speaking. The unique thing about her business is that 10% of her brand’s proceeds are donated to bee conservation charities. It is amazing how she used a challenge of hers (getting stung by a bee) to learn more about it and start up a profitable and charitable business.

Mikaila’s lemonade recipe is unique because it comes from her great Grandmother Helen’s flaxseed lemonade. It is fresh-squeezed, and each bottle is made with care. Her family has a huge part in helping her business thrive. As an extension to her business, Mikaila has created a “Bee-to-Z guide” for young entrepreneurs. Here, young entrepreneurs can find inspiration, business tips, and more to make their big ideas come to life. A very inspirational quote from Mikaila reads, “My generation—we’re the future,” Mikaila says. “When we grow up, we’re going to be the people who are the presidents and the leaders of the world. […]  If we start at a young age making a difference, donating back, giving back, when we grow up we can do that on a larger scale.” Mikaila’s business proves that, just like the bees, you are never too small to make a difference.

The 9 Most Successful Teen Entrepreneurs in the World (careeraddict.com)

Mikaila Ulmer of Me & the Bees Lemonade | Microsoft In Culture

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Categories : Bees, Beverages, Blog, Business, Charity, Creating, Entrepreneurship, Female Empowerment, grocery store, Handmade, Helping Hands, Investing, Lemonade, Positivity, Power, Shopping, Social Media, Startups, Strong, woman, Women Entrepreneurs, Young Entrepreneur
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Me & the Bees – A Sweet Story

Posted by baileyaa1 
· Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 
· 2 Comments

Two random events in Mikaila Ulmer’s life at just 4 years old have sparked an entire business. First, she got stung by two bees. Second, her Great Granny Helen sent her family her 1940’s cookbook, including a recipe for flaxseed lemonade. As Mikaila’s interest in bees grew, she began to think of ways she could contribute to help honeybees, knowing all that they contribute to our ecosystem. She ended up using her Granny’s recipe and adding honey, creating Me & the Bees Lemonade.

Her sweet lemonade soon grew into more than just a lemonade stand. What started as an idea for a children’s business competition grew into a business that sells out at youth entrepreneurial events, and donates a percentage of its profit to organizations that fight to save honeybees. Mikaila’s idea hit rapid growth after she was featured on Shark Tank at just 10 years old. Her passion and success lead her to receive a $60,000 investment! Me & the Bees Lemonade is now sold at a variety of restaurants and food delivery companies, as well as in Whole Foods Market.

One of the contributing factors to Mikaila’s success is her content. She doesn’t only sell lemonade, she provides her customers with information and an experience. She recently created a Facebook page that shares interesting facts about bees and honey. She also shares recipes and other fun information on her website, and she has a Beelieve blog. These all ensure that customers aren’t just buying lemonade, they’re learning about the mission of Me & the Bees, and are building a good brand image in their minds. The simplicity of Me & the Bees Lemonade, drives by Mikaila’s creativity, can be an example to all aspiring entrepreneurs.

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Categories : Uncategorized
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Convenient Store At Your Door

Posted by Hannah Hastings 
· Thursday, December 15th, 2016 
· 3 Comments

Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev launched goPuff when they were only sophomores at Drexel University in 2013. GoPuff is your convenient store on wheels, bringing over 3,000 items ranging from snacks and drinks to necessities and electronics – straight to your front door in 30 minutes or less. The idea came to them as car-less freshmen roommates constantly asking for rides to get basic necessities or cigarettes. There were apps for full-blown grocery shopping or gourmet food, but what about just a plain old convenient store run? – and goPuff was born.

Image result for gopuff

Before they had even fully launched, they were already getting orders from fellow college students and residents of Philadelphia. At first, the roommates worked 17-18 hour shifts with their (new) cars to deliver the snacks and goodies, but with time came employees and they now have dozens of drivers in twelve different cities across the US.Image result for gopuff

Gola and Ilishayev don’t see other food delivery services as their competitors – they see the brick and mortar convenient stores as their primary competition. Competition is a loose term however – in 2014, they already had 25,000 customers in Philadelphia alone just a year after launch.

While it’s unfortunate that their services don’t extend to Grove City, they are constantly expanding and setting up camp in more major cities across America. So the next time you’re in a big city with a hankering for Ben & Jerry’s, goPuff’s got your back.

3 Comments
Categories : App, Cars, College, eCommerce, Food, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Services, Smartphone
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