Entrepreneur Success Stories

Candace Nelson: Sweet Success with Sprinkles Cupcakes

2009-04-14T20:34:00.004-05:00

Sometimes success can be found only after changing career directions.

Candace Nelson was a former investment banker who realized, after losing her job in the dot-com bust, that her life's passion is baking. Candace then traded her suits to a baker's uniform and found culinary success with her cupcakes.

Candace came from a long line of cooks. Her great grandmother was renowned in the 1930s for the distinctive desserts she created in her San Francisco restaurant. So she went to a pastry school to further her hone her skills.

After graduation, Candace decided to start a business creating show-stopping custom cakes from her kitchen. However, she realized that three tier cakes are more of event cakes and she wanted her creations to be enjoyed as often as possible. She pared down her creations, and inspired by the cupcake bakeries in New York, decided to create tasty cupcakes.

In 2005, Candace first opened her cupcake bakery that she called Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, California. Her cupcakes, based on her own recipes, were an immediate hit. During their first few days of operation, her bakery sold out its inventory hours before the scheduled closing time. Soon Sprinkles was selling 1,000 cupcakes a day, with lines going around the block.

Her cupcakes have since been featured in shows like Oprah, Good Morning America, Today Show, even in Entourage. She has since opened 7 other Sprinkles bakeries in CA, TX and AZ areas, Plans are afoot to expand and open more stores in areas such as Washington DC, Miami, New York, and even Tokyo.

Check out Candace's fabulous cupcakes in her website Sprinkles.com http://www.sprinkles.com/

Lisa Rudes-Sandel: Success in Niche Jeans Market

2009-03-13T20:45:00.003-05:00

Jeans are often associated with youth, vitality, energy -- often women with toned and perfect bodies who can look good in any jean trends from the low waist to skinny jeans.

Unfortunately, many women of certain age -- especially those who have given birth -- have less than perfect bodies that make finding the right jeans a nightmare. Muffin shapes, pouchy tummies and other imperfections make jeans-shopping and wearing such an uncomfortable experience.

Lisa Rudes Sandel knew the experience first hand. Despite trying different types of diets and exercise, she could not flatten her stomach. Hence, she was often pushed to buying jeans three sizes bigger to find one that fit her body.

Instead of complaining, this daughter of the founder of a popular women’s denim and sportswear label (St. Germain) saw a busines opportunity. In 2003 with her sister Leslie, she started a company called Not Your Daughter’s Jeans creating jeans for women over 40 with womanly bodies. A name thought out by her father, Rudes-Sandel jeans line is for the often-ignored baby boomer women, not for the waif-thin young girls and perfect-bodied glamazons.

With more than $50 million in sales, Rudes-Sandel's family operated business (her husband heads the international division), her claim to fame is the patented Tummy Tuck Jeans, designed to flatten the belly, flatter the hips and offer women a comfortable fit. Her jeans are designed not to constrict the stomach, but give it comfort and mobility by adding 4% Lycra to the fabric. Her jeans are sold in top department stores such as Nordstrom and Macy’s, filling a gap in the fashion market.

Tips from Markus Frind: How to Succeed on the Web

2009-03-02T21:13:00.003-05:00

Markus Frind is the founder of the highly popular free dating website PlentyofFish.com http://www.plentyoffish.com , which Alexa ranks as #406 in terms of site popularity with more than a billion pageviews a month.

Frind started his dating website about 5 years ago with no money, no plan and with scant knowledge of how to run a Web business. Today, his creation is the largest dating site in the world earning about $10 million a year. Not bad for a two person business --Frind and his girlfriend (though he hired 3 customer service reps last year) -- where Frind works one hour a day.

He shared some lessons on how to succeed on the Web from his posts in the WebmasterWorld.com forum as well as interview with Inc Magazine :

Pick a market in which the competition charges money for its service, build a lean operation with a "dead simple" free website, and pay for it using Google Adsense
You have to create sites that will bring in repeat traffic. If you think you will get rich off SEO think again. If you create a Free jobs site you could net 30 million + a year if you got big.
Have your users create content and lots of it. User reviews of night clubs, Resorts, golf courses etc. Build your site around your users and make them part of your site, don't build your site for consumption.
Do not enter markets with a lot of competition monitized via adsense. Try and undercut paid content markets by offering a free service, or better yet create your own market.
Keep your site dead simple, it has to load fast and have no more then 2 ads and 1 or 2 pictures other then your logo. Do not confuse your user, give them what they want and give it to them fast.
Troll around various forums and if people are not talking about your market, there is a good chance you will make money.
I focus most of my time on trying to increase my dailly visitor count. If i don't increase my users/pageviews by 10% a month there is something wrong. If you focus all your time on trying to make money, your site tends to not grow.
Everyone's advice is to have a ton of people and spend a ton of money. But that advice usually gets you nowhere.

Earvin "Magic" Johnson: 32 Ways to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

2009-02-14T13:59:00.008-05:00

Magic Johnson was a famous NBA basketball player who has made a highly successful transition from sports to business. Since leaving NBA, he has started several businesses focusing mostly on densely populated yet underserved urban communities. And oh, yes, he's got HIV, yet this disease has not deterred him from pursuing his entrepreneurial dreams.

Today Magic Johnson Enterprises is a multimillion dollar company.

In his book "32 Ways to be a Champion in Business," he shares the lessons he has learned as he stumbled and succeeded in his business journey. Though personally, his most important lesson is:

You will face your own challenges as you chase your entrepreneurial dreams. Know that as long as you build your business around your passion and make solid
business decisions, you can find a way to make it happen. If you believe in what you are doing, others will pick up on it and support you.

Here are some of the lessons he shared in the book:

The Mission: Whatever you do -- whether it is running a fast food franchise, a dress shop, or an online enterprise -- should be more than a job for you. It should be a passion and a mission. In the long run, that is what makes it all worthwhile.
Guiding Vision: Create a guiding vision of where you want to go and what you want to do with your life.
Entrepreneurial Passion: To reap the rewards of business, you have to jump into the game and pursue it passionately.
Conquering Fears: Get past fears and insecurities by understanding that the feeling is usually worse that the reality.
Focus on Strengths: Build on your strengths and you will overcome your weaknesses.
Seizing Opportunities: Always be prepared to jump on business opportunities.
Risks and Rewards: Smart entrepreneurs don't avoid risks, they manage them.
Creating a Strong Business Plan: A good business plan is money in the bank
Mentors and Role Models: Know what you don't know and listen to those with the knowledge you seek
Building a Brand: Your brand is your greatest business asset
Brand Maintenance: Zealously protect and build your brand
Bank Financing: Make your bankers believe.
Private Investors: The big money lies with the big players in private funds
Partnerships: A good partner can help you build your business faster and further.
Finding the Right Employees: The quality of the people you hire determines how successful you become.
Handling Lawyers and Accountants: Top of the line role players will put your business on top (hire the best you can afford).

Richard Branson: Keys to Success

2009-01-03T21:32:00.004-05:00

Richard Branson, CEO of the Virgin Group of Companies, shared the keys to his entrepreneurial success in a recent magazine interview (Playboy, January 2009, pp. 39-46):

Hiring great people and keeping them happy. If your staff is inspired and enjoying their work, they'll do what it takes to make the company succeed. In a nutshell, that's it.

Branson candidly admits that he knew nothing about the businesses Virgin is now involved in -- he knew nothing about the airline industry (Virgin Atlantic), financial services company (Virgin Money), soft drink industry (Virgin Drinks), etc. -- until he actually started.

I never took a course in management. I've been fortunate to learn by experience, by making mistakes, by trying. I've learned every day by doing things different and new. Having so many different businesses has kept it fascinating. Every one of thm helps me with the previous one, from the record business to the airline business and banking --- learning, learning, learning, learning.

Catherine Patton: Business Ideas Come from Everyday Needs

2008-11-08T23:09:00.005-05:00

Catherine Patton, founder of Patton Medical Devices, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2001. As a result, she is now faced with the daily struggle of effectively managing her disease.

Using injection therapy, Ms. Patton quickly grew tired of giving herself an injection each time she needed insulin. The multiple daily injections often left her skin bruised. She then switched to insulin pump therapy where she only had to inject herself every three days. But she found the pump therapy to be inconvenient, uncomfortable and hindered with her active lifestyle.

She then went on to research and experiment on a device that could meet her medical needs, yet have a minimal impact on her life. This led to her invention of i-port®, a medical device for diabetes patients who struggle with daily injections.

Realizing an unmet need existed and that there are others like her faced with the challenges of managing diabetes, Ms. Patton founded Patton Medical Devices in 2004 to manufacture and distribute her invention.

Maxine Clark: How Personal Satisfaction and Passion Leads to Success (Build-a-Bear Workshop)

2008-11-05T22:11:00.004-05:00

One of the most admirable women entrepreneur in recent years is Maxine Clark, founder of the highly successful Build-a-Bear Workshop. Her Build-a-Bear Workshop, first launched in St. Louis in 1997, has grown to a $474 million business 10 years later.

Ms. Clark has an extensive experience in retailing, with 19 years experience in various divisions of The May Department Stores. She was the President of Payless ShoeSource, Inc. from November 1992 until January 1996.

In an interview with BusinessWeek, she gave the reason for leaving her job to start her own business:

I left Corporate America on a mission to bring the fun back to retailing and to give back to the industry that had been so good to me. I was 47 years old when I left Payless ShoeSource in 1996. At that time, my financial rewards in retailing were very high, but my psychic income account was nearly empty.
Despite the lucrative position as top honcho of Payless, Ms. Clark realized that money does not necessarily equal personal satisfaction. She was looking to build a unique shopping experience in retailing and reconnect with customers.

I was looking to re-create the excitement and magic I felt as a child when I visited certain stores. Going shopping was an event. You became part of the store, and it was special. The truth is, what it takes to engage and retain retail customers today is really not much different than it was in the past. Build-A-Bear Workshop is about what I call "good old-fashioned, it's-about-the-customer retailing."

The lightbulb went off for her when she went out shopping for Beanie Babies with a 10-year old friend. Unfortunately, the store was out of inventory when they visited. The remark of her young friend, "These are so easy -- we could make them," led to the idea for Build-a-Bear Workshop.

Ten years later, Ms. Clark has sold over 50 million teddy bears in her workshops. The Chief Executive Bear learned that following her passion really pays off.

Sarah Beatty: At the Forefront of Green Living

2008-10-18T19:52:00.002-05:00

Green living marketplace is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic sectors today. The eco-friendly or green lifestyle is being embraced by more and more consumers, from personal care products to automobiles to home building and decor and other aspects of living.

Sarah Beatty is one of the women at the forefront of the green living movement. She founded Green Depot (http://www.greendepot.com/) in November 2005, the largest supplier of environmental-friendly building materials on the east coast.

How did she start her business? In an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, she related:

A week before I was due to deliver my first child, my husband and I discovered mold contamination in our newly remodeled home and were told our home may not be a safe living environment. I was shocked -- and hormonal! At the time there were not many resources for information or non-toxic products out there. My husband owns a traditional building supply company and I had just left my job in TV production, so I suggested we start a satellite business, which ultimately became Green Depot.

Since its founding, Sarah's company Green Depot now has stores in Boston, Brooklyn, Newark, Philadelphia with the Manhattan store soon to be completed.

Her success is an example that great business ideas can come from ordinary problems in our everyday life.

Kathy Doering: The Importance of Providing Excellent Customer Service

2008-10-05T21:37:00.003-05:00

Why is customer service important, especially for a small business?

Kathy Doering, President of market research agency Ann Michaels & Associates, Ltd. http://www.ishopforyou.com/ , shares her views on the importance of customer service to a company. Kathy is well entrenched in the business of customer service as her company offers various market research services such as mystery shopping, phone and web based surveys, social media monitoring, call center capabilities, among others.

How important is customer service to the success of a business?

Kathy: Customer service is the lifeline of any business. Business owners spend large amounts of time and money to win new customers but yet they don’t do much to insure that the customer is well taken care of once they arrive. Making sure your new customers turn into loyal customer is critical to a company’s success. Loyal customers create “word of mouth” advertising which is the best form of marketing a company can do.

How can a small business leverage customer service to compete effectively?

Kathy: Small Business owners should consider offering their loyal customers something to thank them for their patronage. Little touches go a long way and they don’t have to be expensive. Sending a personal email alerting a loyal customer of a sale before the general public learns of it is a great way to personalize service. Give customers the Disney experience whenever you can. Gather ideas from your employees. Since they deal with your customers on a day to day basis, they may have some create ideas to share as well.

Why is it important to get feedback at how a business is doing in terms of customer service?

Kathy: It is one of the best things a company can do for growth. Gathering feedback from your middle customers is critical. The middle customer is where most customers fall, neither extremely happy nor unhappy. Many times companies feel that if they place comment cards on a counter or have a standard feedback form on their website, this will be enough to gather the opinions and feelings of their customers. However, most of the time this will only give you feedback from one extreme or another; either your raving fans or very unhappy customers. Most people fall in between somewhere. That is where the real feedback is and where you can learn the most about your customers.

Read the full interview "Excellent Customer Service: A Must for Small Businesses"

Design Toscano: Successful Niche Business with its Unique Product Line

2008-09-27T15:24:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite online store is Design Toscano , a multichannel retailer of mostly European-inspired gifts, home furnishings and decor. I stumbled upon the store when I was looking for unique wall decors, and I have been extremely pleased with the quality and price of their products so much so that most of the decors in our walls come from Design Toscano.

In an interview with Catalog Success magazine, Design Toscano c0-owner Mike Stopka (he runs the business with his wife Marilyn) said that the business was inspired by his travels and love for European culture. Design Toscano markets European exotic products to the American public, including Venetian masks, historical and antique replicas, statues, among others.

His biggest initial challenge was money, starting the business with only $6,000.

I started and ran the business for years with no cash. I literally used the credit from the vendors for advertising. I had to use the printer's credit to grow the business. The bank won't give you a $2 million credit line until you make money and have some assets.

But the husband and wife team persevered, and they worked to show to the bank that they can manage and grow the business.

With financing secured, Stopka was able to market their unique product line and grow their niche business to $30 million in sales. The key to their success is understanding their niche audience, and staying true to its core audience and brand.

Julie Dix and Danielle Ayotte: Turning a Child's Blanket into a Successful Business

2008-09-24T20:46:00.007-05:00

Julie Dix and Danielle Ayotte were stay at home moms who stumbled upon a simple idea -- put looped tags on babies blankets -- and now run a multi-million dollar business.

It all started with the worn security blanket of Julie's toddler. Noticing that her baby was interested in the satin tags on toys and clothin, Julie decided to repair the blanket and sew looped, satin tags around the edges. Her baby loved it!

She then partnered with another playgroup mom, Danielle, and they decided to take the idea further. They created blankets with tags, and sold them in a local flea market. Their blankets were sold out in two hours. That's when they knew they had something special. Taggies http://www.taggies.com/ , was born.

Now, Taggies sell not just blankets with tags, but toys, apparel, beddings, books, stuff toys and others.

Heather Murphy Monteith: Success with Baby Disco

2008-08-14T13:58:00.003-05:00

Heather Murphy Monteith -- a mom, choreographer, modern dancer and caterer -- has been looking for alternatives to commercialized activities for her toddler son, Max. She was especially concerned with the lack of healthy foods available, as well as the obvious commercialism with the strategic placements of gift shops at the usual children destinations such as zoos or children's museums. She just wanted pure unadulterated fun for parents and kids.

She then had the idea of starting a dance party for kids with healthy food, good music and definitely no junk food. She raised the idea to the owner of the restaurant where she was working, and was allowed the use of the upstairs club for her baby dance party. This was November 2004.

On the day of her baby dance party, she bought maracas, pillows, bubble machine, balloons, and diaper changing stations. She even set up a "chill out area" filled with books and simple toys. For her kid buffett, she filled it with low sugar and healthy snacks. Her friend bought the music to the party. Expecting only about 35 attendees to her first baby dance party, over 100 turned up.

Heather's highly successful Baby Loves Disco was born.

Today, Heather's Baby Loves Disco is available in 27 cities in the US as well as in Israel, Japan, UK, Hongkong, Poland and Sweden where children from 6 months to 7 years (and their parents!) have great fun dancing. Visit Baby Loves Disco at http://www.babylovesdisco.com/

Lesley Mattos: Success from Photo Guest Books

2008-08-11T22:25:00.003-05:00

Lesley Mattos, a single mother of four kids, spent several decades working in high profile technology companies including Cisco. But a burning desire to try something new led her to quit her lucrative job.

On a trip to Italy to take stock of her life and attend a wedding, she stumbled upon an original idea -- creating original instant photo guest book that combines retro, funky and fun Polaroid instant photos with hand written sentiments from guests. Her company Adesso Albums, Inc. http://www.adessoalbums.com/ was born

Here are her 10 tips for Success in Business:

1. Embrace change. It's an inevitable part of running a business. Rather than fighting it, wasting valuable time and eventually losing, you're better off anticipating, planning for, and embracing change. As a small business owner you should be nimble and react quickly in a variety of ways. If you look at change as an opportunity to grow, you will!

2. Use technology. Do more with less by automating routine processes with web-based applications. These applications increase productivity and free you, your staff and your resources to focus on more important tasks. And, these applications can be accessed from anywhere

3. Keep your eye on the ball. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutia of running a business. Constantly ask yourself if your daily activities get you closer to your overall goals for the company. It will keep you on track and stop you from spending time on the wrong things.

4. Know your differentiators. Compare your products and services to the real, as well as the perceived competition. A competing concept can be even more threatening than an actual product. Unless you have thought about what differentiates your product or service from everything that's out there, your marketing efforts will fall short.

5. Lead by example. Peers and subordinates alike will learn from your example. They “listen” with their eyes more than with their ears. Your actions mean more than what you say to them. Make sure your processes and actions both inside and outside the office are things you want emulated.

6. Give the illusion of participation. Everyone likes to feel like they are part of the decision process, so let them! Then do what you think you ought to do anyway. It's not necessary, and often actually a hindrance in a small business environment to employ the decision by a committee process.

7. Control timing. We often miss opportunities because we think we have to respond immediately to stimuli such as phone calls or emails. Just because the phone is ringing or an email comes in, it doesn't mean you have to react. Your day shouldn't be a series of interruptions. The more you control your distractions, the more effective you'll be.

8. Know what you don't know. It's inconceivable that you could have an in depth knowledge of every aspect of your business. Acknowledge your weak areas and surround yourself with competent resources and trusted partners and learn from them.

9. Stay organized. It is critical to update, edit, add and delete from your list of to-do's on a daily basis. Nothing feels better than crossing things off. And, with a well-maintained list for you and your team, everyone will stay on track and your chances for success are enhanced.

10. Plan for success. Formalize your processes as you go. Plan for and build infrastructure ahead of your growth. So when your growth spurt comes, you're ready for it. And don't forget to celebrate your successes along the way. Stop and pat yourself and your team on the back as milestones are achieved.

Following these ten tips not only helped me grow Adesso Albums to over a million dollars in annual revenue last year, it also helped me reach tens of thousands of people and help them live in the moment. Everyday we get cards, letters, emails, pictures and even videos from our customers telling us how Adesso Albums have touched their lives – and in so many ways – both personally and from a business perspective.

From the couple who just got married and looked at their original instant photo guest book every day of their honeymoon to the military family who used an album to chronicle what happened while the dad was on tour for a year, to our international distributors who each used the albums at their weddings and have since quit their day jobs to sell Adesso Albums in their part of the world – its' all very humbling. With a good idea, a little luck and my ten tips, you are well on your way to success too!

Debra Cohen: Success with Homeowner Referral Network

2008-07-30T21:48:00.003-05:00

If you’re a homeowner, one of the most perplexing challenges is where to find reputable home repair or building contractors, from painters to plumbers to architects. New contractors, on the other hand, also find it difficult to find customers for their services.

Debra Cohen launched a profitable home-based niche business with her Home Remedies of NY, Inc. http://www.hrnbiz.com/ , which is a homeowner referral network that matches homeowners with reliable, prescreened home-repair workers. The referral services are offered free to homeowners; while contractors pay a commission to Home Remedies for any work secured.

With the success of her referral services, Debra now offers a business opportunity where other entrepreneurs can replicate her service in different areas. To date, there are more than 400 Homeowner Referral Network (HRN) businesses operating in various parts of the United States.

Nicole Simons: A Nutty Success Story with Fortunuts

2008-07-28T19:33:00.006-05:00

Some successful business ideas come from childhood.

As a child, Nicole Simon's mom would make her special walnut recipe for friends and co-workers during the holidays. Friends asked for their delectable walnut treats that making it and giving it as holiday gifts became the tradition in their household. They decided to add a fun element by adding a fortune into each bag as a reminder of how fortunate they felt each year as their giving list grew.

In December 2002, Nicole was urged to find a way to make their nuts more accessible to everyone. She sold her special walnuts -- which she describes as, "a little bit of sugar, a dab of salt and a whole lota love" -- to the public at The Santa Monica Farmers Market, in Los Angeles. The nuts came in Chinese take-out boxes, with fortune messages, and they were a huge success.

Since their humble beginning, Fortunuts has become a successful gourmet food item, with assorted sizes, new unique packaging and made-to-order fortunes. Nicole's Fortunuts now come in three varieties: Sweet & Salted Walnuts, Mesquite Walnuts, and Sweet & Salted Pecans Today, Fortunuts is available in upscale stores, online at Fortunuts.com http://www.fortunuts.com/ and in gourmet gift baskets.

Call for Stories of Women Entrepreneurs

2008-07-28T08:25:00.004-05:00

For women entrepreneurs who may be interested and want their stories published in a book ...

Real Solutions Press LLC is accepting story submissions for The Smartest Thing I Ever Did…®as a Woman in Business, one of over a dozen titles in this new book series. The contributors of each published story will receive a byline as well as a 100-word bio to tell the world about who they are, what they do, and how to contact them. It translates into very valuable exposure for any businesswoman. Featured Contributor and Co-Author opportunities also are available.

Worthy, national charities are being sought to associate with each title in the series. These charities will be helping to market the books to their large national membership base and will be receiving a donation based on sales.

Stories and charity suggestions may be submitted in two ways: privately on our company website, www.RealSolutionsPress.com, or on our newly-launched blog site, www.TheSmartestThingIEverDid.com. Posting on the blog allows for a link back to the contributor’s site, which can prove valuable for search engine rankings.

Mandy Haberman: Success with a No-Spill Drinking Cup

2008-07-24T22:11:00.003-05:00

For any parent or guardian of infants and toddlers, keeping your little ones dry while drinking is a challenge, as most sippy cups in the market leak.

Mandy Haberman , an award winning English inventor, decided to invent the technology to create a totally non-drip trainer cupy when she saw a toddler spilling blackcurrant juice all over her friend's carpet.

Having successfully invented the Haberman Feeder in the 1980s, she decided to create a toddler's drinking cup with a unique valve that is moulded into the mouthpiece to ensure that the spout seals between sips, so absolutely no spills. The risk of tooth decay is also minimized because drink only flows when the child drinks.

Hence, the Anywayup Cup was created in 1990.

In 2000, Mandy received the title British Female Inventor of the Year; and in 2003 was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as a ‘Pioneer to the Life of the Nation’.

Sheri Schmelzer: Earning Millions from Crocs Decorations

2008-07-22T20:25:00.007-05:00

Crocs are the very popular resin clogs dotted with holes and comes in every color, from pinks to blues to yellows to blacks. They are ugly shoes, but both adults and children love them. In fact, the company grew from $1 million in revenue in 2003 to a projected $322 million in 2007.

Given the tremendous popularity of croc shoes, Sheri Schmelzer decided to ride the wave and offer products that would allow users to customize their croc shoes.

A stay at home mom, Sheri and her three daughters had an idea in 2005 to personalize and decorate the holes of their crocs (they owned 12 pairs at the time) with unique charms made from rhinestones and clay that would fit in the holes of the shoes. Hence, Jibbitz was born.

Jibbitz croc charms come in a wide variety of designs, ranging from superheroes like Spiderman to sports to Scoop the Digger to beer mugs. Sheri is the chief designer, while her husband runs the business as CEO.

Her business sold about 300 designs of charms for crocs and she was able to sign up more than 4,000 retail outlets. In December 2006, Crocs the company bought Jibbitz for $20 million with Sheri and her husband remaining on board.

Sheri proves that inspiration for successful businesses are everywhere -- you just have to look closely. While others merely see the holes in Croc shoes as plain holes, Sheri saw the business potential of those holes -- and earned her millions.

Renee Wood; Success in the Bereavement and Sympathy Business

2008-07-18T20:17:00.003-05:00

When a love one dies, be it a friend, colleague or family member, cards and flower arrangements are typically given to the family. However, there are many who are looking for alternatives to traditional bereavement cards and flowers, and who are looking for a more personal way to express their feelings.

When the father of her sister-in-law died, Renee Wood was looking for a meaningful sympathy gift to express her feelings but was unable to find one. Instead, she created a teardrop shaped pendant with a forget-me-not flower embedded in the design along with a verse that she had manufactured. When friends asked for her special necklaces, she knew she had a business on her hands. That was the start of her business, The Comfort Company http://www.thecomfortcompany.net/ .

Today, her company sells jewelry, ornaments, pet loss gifts, garden benches, and other items that function as sympathy gifts and memorials. Renee’s business is doing well with more than 200 orders a week – and growing.

Successful Entrepreneurs WITHOUT Going to Universities

2008-07-18T11:59:00.002-05:00

The UK publication Mail Online wrote a very interesting piece listing some of UK's richest and most successful entrepreneurs -- but WITHOUT a college degree.

Here's some of them:

Robert Braithwaite is the founder of boat-builder Sunseeker International http://www.sunseeker.com/. He left school at 14 and worked at his father's engine-servicing company. He borrowed £5,000 and built his first boat a 17-footer. In 1968, he started his boating company Sunseeker. One of his claim to fame is that his company built the power boat in the opening frames of James Bond movie (Pierce Brosnan) The World Is Not Enough. He is now worth an estimated £130 million.

Laurence Graff is the founder of Graff Diamonds International http://www.graffdiamonds.com/. Reportedly worth around £2.5 billion, this self made man is #462 in Forbes Magazine's richest billionaires list. Yet he left school at the age of 13 and instead took on a Hatton Garden apprenticeship in diamonds.

Education is important in life, but success can come even without it as long as you work smart, have a lot of determination and personality to succeed.

Kim & Scott Holstein: Success with Gourmet Pretzels

2008-06-30T21:49:00.003-05:00

The most successful businesses are those that are able to spot opportunities -- even in the seemingly ordinary things in our every day life.

Kim and Scott Holstein were in a supermarket in Wilmette, Chicago looking for unique flavored pretzels. However, all that was offered in the frozen food ailes section was plain salted pretzel.

Then a lightbulb lit up: why not offer uniquely flavored soft pretzels as the gourmet alternative to the plain salted pretzel? They would experiment with various flavors, adding fruits, cheeses, spices, cheddar jalapeno, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, and others to see which flavors work best.

Believing that a huge market exists for their distinctive pretzels, the Holsteins decided to launch their business in May 1995 out of their cramped studio apartment. With $25,000 borrowed from family members and credit cards, the couple launched Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels (http://www.kimandscotts.com/).

The challenge, however, was that they both did not know anything about the pretzel business. Though Scott's family owned a Ben and Jerry's franchise, the Holstein's had no culinary experience and education. They had never sold baked goods before either! To help them develop their pretzels, they hired a chef to bring forth their ideas for a unique line of pretzel.

Now their pretzels are sold in restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores nationwide, including Barnes and Noble coffee shop, Sams Clubs, Whole Foods, Albertsons, among others. However, their biggest sales outlet is the home shopping network QVC where they have appeared more than 22 times selling about 625,000 pretzels!

Check out (Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels ).

Sara Blakely: Success from an Ingenious Invention

2008-06-25T20:58:00.003-05:00

Sara Blakely, creator of the footless hosiery company Spanx, is proof positive that successful business ideas can be found everywhere, even in personal vanities.

Sara stumbled upon the idea for her insanely successful footless panty hose when she was frustrated with visible panty lines that shows under light colored pants and stockings that precluded her from wearing open-toed sandal. She wanted body shaping pantyhose that she could wear with pants and sandals. As she says in her website:

I never dreamed visible panty lines and uncomfortable thongs would inspire me to become an inventor.

Frustrated that no such product exist in the market, she cut her control-top pantyhose to remove the feet. The result was a primitive version of Spanx, but she saw that her idea provided a slimming effect on her hips and thighs, and allowed her to wear open-toe shoes.

Sara realized she had stumbled across a product that women like her are waiting for. She was then selling fax machines and office copier for office-supply company Danka Business Systems in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though she had no experience in the hosiery industry, she decided to go into business plowing $5,000 of her own money into getting a prototype made.

Today, the company she built, Spanx , has grown into a $150 million hosiery business offering about 100 different styles. Read about Sara's story in her Spanx website.

Suzi Drnec: How Extensive Product Knowledge can Propel Business Success

2008-06-24T22:02:00.002-05:00

Suzi Drnec is the owner/manager of the world's largest supplier of Ready-To-Win western show apparel company Hobby Horse clothing. Her company sells blazers and jackets, tunic tops, hats, even body wear smoothers and slinkers for women horse riders.

A lifelong fan of horses, she dreamed of starting a horse-related business when she was just 8 years old. With her focus and determination, she realized her dream by establishing her company when she was in junior high school. She mailed her first catalog in 1991.

Hobby Horse now posts $2-3 million in sales a year. Suzi attributes the success of the business to her extensive customer knowlege as well as lack of competition (lucky gal!). In an interview with Catalog Success magazine, she was quoted as saying:

I really know the market because I'm my own customer."

Read more of Suzi and learn from her success

Maria de Lourdes Sobrino: Success with Gelatin Desserts

2008-06-22T20:53:00.003-05:00

Maria de Lourdes Sobrino stumbled upon the idea of selling ready-made gelatin products in cups after failing to find the products in the United States. A favorite dessert in her native Mexico, Maria felt that there's a huge market, though untapped, in the United States for delicious gelatin, flan and rice pudding desserts.

In 1982, she opened LuLu's Dessert to sell gelatin desserts in a cup she made from her mom's recipe in Torrance, California.

Given that the American market is not yet familiar with the product, she initially focused on first generation Mexican immigrants who know the concept of "gelatina." Even supermarkets only agreed to sell her products if it is on a consignment basis. Her biggest break came in 1999 when Wal-Mart agreed to sell some of her product lines.

Today, the company she started, Lulu's Dessert, has grown to become a $10 million business. Her delicious products are now sold in grocery stores (in the refrigerated section) as well as in her online store http://www.lulusdessert.com/. She even exports her dessert to her native Mexico! Maria has also published her book "Thriving Latina Entrepreneurs in America."

That's sweet success in a cup!

Karen Belasco Staitman: Success with Custom Fortune Cookies

2008-06-20T20:29:00.001-05:00

Some of the best ideas are created unexpectedly.

Karen Belasco Straitman, a party planner, created giant fortune cookies for party invitations. While walking in a department store in 1995, she saw apples that have been decorated and thought about her giant fortune cookies. She had the idea of dipping the giant fortune cookies in chocolate, decorating them for every occasion and putting personalized fortune messages inside.

The giant fortune cookies were a hit.

While she had no idea initially of starting a business around her sweet treats, the demand for the cookies were astounding. Hence, Good Fortunes http://www.goodfortunes.com/ was created.

She borrowed from her family and friends to steer her business to success. She grew the business through phone sales, word of mouth and PR, getting featured in media such as Food Network and magazines such as Elle and InStyle.

Karen transformed the ordinary fortune cookies into something special, and found success by offering a unique product that she never expected.