After the events of 2001, Pat, a computer consultant, wanted to send out an especially cheerful holiday card, but couldn’t find one that fit the bill. So she took a photo of her parrot, Scarlet, with a Christmas elf and sent the electronic card to 350 people.

 

The feedback was immediate.  Many people (including those not on her original mailing list) wanted to know where she found such a beautiful card.

 

After the positive response, Pat read an article estimating that almost 7 million households in the U.S. own parrots.  Also, with more research she found the statistic that the typical person buys 30 greeting cards per year.  Aware that there wasn’t a greeting-card company especially for parrot owners, she wrote up a business plan and started a card company in 2002.

 

Despite several people telling Pat that her business is too specialized to succeed,  her business became profitable in 2005.  “Nowadays I think the ‘nichier’ you are, the more success you’ll have,” she says.

 

This story is a good example of marketing to a small, niche market. Although there is nothing special about greeting cards, parrot greeting cards are another story.  Pat’s business shows that niche businesses can be profitable and fun.

 

For more details on the story and other business ideas go to:

http://businessfastlane.com

Nancy Baum, a former plus sized model, was shocked and embarrassed by the lack of stylish clothing she could find. More than once she showed up to a social event wearing the same outfit that another plus sized peer was wearing. Enough was enough!

Baum created a website that sells trendy and upscale designer women’s clothing for plus sized women. The website carries such big name designers as Gayla Bentley, Anna Scholz, and Jessica Svoboda.  Her business is meant to bring out the natural beauty of a woman’s body, regardless of her size.

Her business model works, and to show her appreciation, she gives 10% of her profits to different charities whose aim is to help women and their children. One of these charities buys blankets for women living on the street.

Baum enjoys seeing her business flourish. While she enjoyed her glamorous days in front of the camera, she enjoys being a successful entrepreneur even better. Customers send her emails thanking her for having an online store that gives them so many options of trend-forward designs that actually flatter them.

 For more details on the story and other business ideas go to:

http://businessfastlane.com

Most 11-year-old kids are asking their parents if they can play before they do their homework. Not Leanna. She’s asking if she can work on her mail-order and on-line hair care business. Her parents Gregory and Maritza have established a rule that says homework has to done before business.

At 8 years old, Leanna began asking her parents if she could sell the hair dressing that her mother had been putting on Leanna’s hair for years. The dressing was Mariza’s grandmother’s concoction that included nourishing ingredients such as almond and avocado oils. Leanna thought her long hair had benefited from the recipe and thought others might like to use it also.

For two years Gregory and Mariza ignored their daughter’s request. They figured it was just a passing fancy. Finally her persistence finally paid off. She was still talking about it after being told “no” for two years so they decided to give it a try.

They began selling their products to Leanna’s classmates, and then her mother started selling it to co-workers.

They are currently selling an average of 20 orders a day. But that number is sure to go up with all the publicity that Leanna has been getting lately.

This is a great example of testing a product with a small number of people and growing as demand grows. Of course it is hard to say “no” to a cute 11-year-old kid!

For more details on the story and other business ideas go to:

http://businessfastlane.com

Like many career women, Soli had serious choices to make when she became
a mother. A trained architect and artist, Soli worked in New York
Galleries and taught photography at New York University. When her son
was three years old, however, she wanted to be able to stay home with him–but how to support him?

“When I started, I was literally putting 10 things together to pay my bills, watching other people’s kids, walking other people’s dogs, teaching little kids art programs, whatever I had to do,” Soli says.

“This is going to sound hokey, but I was at my wit’s end, and I really just went to sleep one night and said, please help me find something that will allow me to use my talent and stay home with my son,” Soli recalls. “I’m not a churchy person, but I’m spiritual, and the next morning, I woke up and said, ‘I’m going to try bowls.’”

That’s how her bowl business began. The company now attracts the attention of stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner. And while the Clintons were in the White House, they received a bowl from an interior decorator as a gift.

At present, Sherwood Forest Design produces around 2,500 bowls per year. They have also added other products as well. These include 2,500 serving pieces, 400 trays and candlesticks.

This is a great example of desperation being the launching pad for creativity and success! Soli knew she wanted to stay home with her son and she knew she had talent to use. It just takes guts to go for it!

For more details on the story and other business ideas go to:

http://businessfastlane.com

 

This entrepreneur has made it her business to provide classy clothes for kids.

Cristina, 36, can still see her and her big sisters when they were children dressed in crisp, A-line shift dresses.  She says that her mom dressed her and her sisters in timeless outfits.  Cristina and her sister Victoria figured that a lot of parents today would also want to dress their kids the same way.  So the two put together $20,000 in savings to create a well-tailored and fashionable children’s clothing line.

Cristina threw a launch party for the company in her own home.  As hoped, friends and family bought all the pieces.  She says the reaction was incredible.  So she held another party, and word of mouth began.

Last year, sales at her company hit the $1 million mark.

Cristina’s personal payoff is that she helps moms enjoy that small window in time when their kids will still dress adorably.  “If you’re lucky, you have until they’re six years old,” she says.  “Then they want to wear jeans and a T-shirt like the rest of us.

For more details on the story and other business ideas go to:
http://businessfastlane.com