Here’s  a product that not only brings cheer to sick kids but has a medical purpose too.

When Kelsey was 11, she was diagnosed with leukemia.  She spent almost a year at Denver’s Children’s Hospital.  After Kelsey received a bone-marrow transplant, doctors measured her lung capacity with a spirometer, which has patients blow into a tube to push a ball up a column.  In 2002, she thought of making a marshmallow launcher that strengthens kids’ lungs as well as lifts their spirits.

From their home, Kelsey and her mom created a launcher made from a 12-inch acrylic tube.   Tommie, the hospital’s child life specialist, says the marshmallow toys serve a medical purpose but also help emotionally and socially.

Jessica, 13, broke up her dull stay in the hospital by starting “marshmallow wars” with the nurses.  Not only was it fun, but it strengthened her lungs too.  After doing it, she’d try the spirometer and was able to get the ball to the top.  Kelsey, who is now 18 and cancer free, hopes the launchers send a message:  “When I was in the hospital, it felt so good when someone brought me anything they had made.  I wanted to do that for other kids.”

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Bra straps have never been known to be glamorous.  But thanks to an entrepreneur named Dao, now they are.

Dao started making the items at home and sold them at school fairs.  When interest grew, she invested money to approach a wholesaler in China.

“Until now bra straps have been a fashion nightmare, but not any more,” she says.

The company is now taking enquires from agents in the United States and Canada and has more than 150 hand-made straps in its collection.

Dao, who is enthusiastic about community and charities, is happy the straps have been a success with breast cancer victims and hopes to use the product for other good causes.

Even though the bra straps are a simple product, she says they make women feel sexy and glamorous.

This story  is yet another example of someone who has found success with a niche product!

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http://businessfastlane.com

When you hear the word oatmeal, “tasty” may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Chrystie wanted to give her young children a healthy cereal for breakfast that they would like. She says when she would make her kids oatmeal, they would complain that it was “mushy and boring.” But the cereals she found in the stores were mostly sugary and over-processed. And Chrystie wanted something better for her family.

“As every busy mother knows, mornings are crucial for a great start to the day,” she says. “I wanted something convenient as well as healthy”

Her kids loved the cereal, and she decided to give it as Christmas gifts to family and friends. Not only did the recipients ask for more, but they also encouraged her to market the oatmeal.

That was a little over two years ago. Now her product is sold all over thePacific Northwest. She does direct sales and receives mail orders via the Web site and is beginning to tap into the East Coast market.

There isn’t a much more ordinary product than oatmeal Chrystie’s product has been able to make quite a name for itself.

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

http://businessfastlane.com

When 15-year-old Stefan began molding Reynolds tinfoil into objects, his mother Ruth wasn’t too pleased. She says that it was an expensive item to keep on hand.

One day, he presented one of his creations for his mom that changed her mind about his hobby. His design was a ring made from the shiny pliable material. The “diamond” in the center was an Altoid candy. Ruth thought the ring was good enough to show the jewelry industry.

In most cases the story would end with the presentation of the ring to his mother, but not for Stephan. He now has a thriving and unique jewelry business.

The overall design of Stefan’s ring is very elegant, looking like an engagement ring. What makes his design unusual is that the center stone is interchangeable. The band is platinum-plated not made from tin foil. The stones are crystal and come in nearly a dozen colors such as: White Diamond, Cotton Candy Pink, and Black Ice. Stefan looks for what colors are popular in the fashion world and then chooses his crystal colors.

The ring retails for around $30.00 and comes with three different stones. You can buy more stones at $8.00 each.

The now 18-year-old high school student sells his rings through many boutiques, the Internet, a couple of local stores in Scarsdale and New York City.

Stefan enjoys the thrill of seeing his product in stores or the Internet.

For more details on this story and other business ideas go to:
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E-bay has given so many new entrepreneurs an easy way to test out their ideas. Here is yet another success story.

Linda, a stay-at-home mom with no business experience stumbled into a hot product. Linda was tired of diapers not fitting her daughter so she took matters into her own hands by making them.  Then one day a whim she posted a picture of an extra cloth diaper she had made for her daughter on eBay. She had no idea that some of these diapers would sell for more than $200 each.

Four years later Linda’s business  “Happy Heinys” is one of the largest manufactures of modern cloth diapers. Linda sells diapers to both online and retail stores all over. She currently employs 4 on-site workers and has 5 sewing contractors. In 2006, “Happy Heinys” grossed 650K.

Linda’s start-up costs were very low because she started out on eBay and at that time her website was free. It didn’t take much capital to get started.

For more details on this story and how others have used the internet to launch a business  go to:
http://businessfastlane.com