Because We Were Frustrated

We founded Talkwheel because of our frustration with trying to have social conversations with multiple people. The linear discussion platforms like Facebook Walls, forums, and comment sections are tough to follow, boring, and static. We designed Talkwheel in a visual round-table (think an online dinner table) with a connected UI so groups of people will be able to enjoy talking again and not get overwhelmed by unnecessary chatter. So far we have seen great success embedding our platform in Facebook, websites, and blogs connecting users across websites into one interactive conversation. We even built a Twitter app, Twitwheel to showcase the power of visual conversation, and are proud to have 1.5 million unique visitors from 200+ countries in 2012 alone.

Thanks to Patrick Randolph, VP of Business Twitwheel!

Because I Had To

In 2008 for Christmas I ran out of savings due to an accident and not being able to work, I lost my apartment in Florida. Rather than stay in my apartment and fight my landlord which happened to be a very nice lady, I moved into my car at the time, all of my things were put in cheap storage for six months. I showered at the beach and kept up my appearance pretty well. Eventually I found a job offshore cooking for a commercial dive vessel in the Gulf of Mexico which gave me income and a place to live on the ship. 2010 the oil spill happened in the Gulf, I lost my job of 3 months and landed back on the street living in my car. During all of my time being homeless over the course of a couple of years in a rotten economy, I did a lot of research in regards to starting my own business. The summer of 2011 I started Exfoliating Minerals LLC a natural skin care company that has grown very rapidly due to my SEO skills and the popularity of natural personal care products.

Thanks to Gerald Crosby, CEO Exfoliating Minerals!

Because It’s in My Blood

My business story is a little different to most…School Captain at a prestigious High School in 2006, subsequently received a full scholarship to study Marketing at QUT in Brisbane. Decided to drop out of the scholarship commitments in order to start my own Transport Business in 2008, while still completing my University Degree. Successfully leveraged my new company to successfully complete my studies. From there things got interesting, having acquired an interstate company established in 2000, rebranding and now selling. The launch of a new marketing agency and decision to automate all other business operations and roles to focus on helping students go Volunteering Abroad For Free, I’ve just turned 23 and things are just getting started.

Thanks to Michael York, Founder of SMBSEO!

Because It Beats Working for Someone Else

I set out to create an opportunity for the young people of Canton and Fells Point to gather throughout the summer in Patterson Park, before the work day begins, to explore new age fitness exercises in a motivating, high energy, fun bootcamp style environment. I am simply a young individual who has completely changed their body type and want to help others do the same. Rather than bore you with indoor gym talk and sluggish machines, we’ll create a high energy, high positivity outdoor environment where together we can break through comfort zones in regards to your body and create the ideal place for you to start your day with a smile on your face.
Get ready to push yourself!

Thanks to John Bonacci Jr., Owner BONACCI Bootcamp!

Because It’s Important to Become Your Own CEO

I write for a boxing website, Boxing in Las Vegas. I mostly cover boxing, but when I don’t, I cover DC Sports through my blog.  My objective is to provide breaking news and live coverage as simple as possible. No fluff. I think it’s important for an individual to believe in oneself and become their own CEO at some point in life. It’s great whenever you see the results of all your hard work knowing in the back of your mind that it was all because of you. Best of luck! Aim for the Sky and Dream Big until your Dreams become REAL.

Thanks to Gerardo Lopez, CEO LPZSports & Writer Boxing In Las Vegas!

Because of Growth in the Hispanic Population

Courtesy Listen Up Espanol

We co-founded the leading Spanish language call center for the U.S. Hispanic market, Listen Up Español. We strongly believed since 2007: the Hispanic population within the U.S is growing exponentially and so is their purchasing power. As a call center that caters to the U.S. Hispanic population, Listen Up Español understood that although the economy was on a downfall, the Hispanic population was not and neither was their need to purchase reputable products. Not only did we understand the significance of the growing population we also saw agent retention as a must for call center success. In an effort to maintain low turnover rates, Listen Up Español created a culture that thrived off of the idea of striving to deliver awesomeness every day.

Thanks to Craig Handley and Tony Ricciardi, CEO and President of Listen Up Espanol!

Courtesy HERO|Farm

Because I Couldn’t Find A Job, So I Made One

In short, our industry felt the recession far sooner than anyone else and my business partner and I, along with many other people, were let go. Essentially, we did what this article on us is titled: If you can’t find a job, make one. There’s nothing quite like having your industry collapse around you to make you evaluate the future. The advertising world is usually a good prognosticator to the health of the economy. And having worked in this industry for several years with HERO|farm’s soon to be co-founder, Reid Stone, it had dawned on us more than once that a great shift was on the horizon. To work in a typical advertising agency during a recession, it’s like you’re sitting in a waiting room waiting for a doctor to stroll in and give you the news that you have a terminal illness. You’ve known it before you ever even walked into his office. You felt it coming. Things weren’t going right. It’s not personal. Hell, you’ve been healthy and productive. But circumstances outside of your control have made you the walking dead. And there’s several other people just like yourself in that same room. Your choice at that point is to accept the inevitable news and begin the scratching and clawing that is interviewing at the few, still profitable agencies, or you can create opportunity. When the market tripped and the ax fell in 2008 due to scared clients and shrinking budgets, our “what ifs” turned into “what nows?” Thankfully, we had pondered the idea of a new breed of advertising agency and, at this point, just had to find a way to make it a reality. I’d be a great politician if I could say with a straight face that we were 100% sure that our idea would pan out, but alas, the presidency is not in my future. We first began working out of my business partner’s house and used our connections to strengthen our new, fledgling business. We have never taken out a loan and used maybe a couple hundred dollars for simple things to get going. Otherwise, we’ve just built up from scratch and became the 2011 Business of the Year, selected by the International Association of Business Communicators – New Orleans.

Thanks to Shaun Walker, Creative Director of HERO|farm!

I Did It for My Local Market

Courtesy Social Boost

For 12 years I have been, and continue to, develop my social media skills, and after working for other companies for 5 of those 12 years to build their online presence, I realized that my local market, and most other markets across the country, were struggling with social media because they just didn’t get it or they didn’t know who to turn to. There are a lot of marketing agency’s out there, but out of all of them, who’s willing to give personal advice on a day-to-day basis? I saw a hole in the market and that’s what I offer to everyone I meet; I want to truly help and assist in understanding social media so they can take their business to new heights. I’m passionate about social media and hope to instill that same passion into everyone I meet.

Thanks to Morgan Barnhart, CEO of Sociable Boost!

Because Employedpreneurs Needed It

I am the co-founder and Editor in Chief of LaunchWhileWorking.com, the official online resource for Employedpreneurs – ambitious professionals who launch a part-time business while keeping their current full-time job. I started LaunchWhileWorking.com because I, myself, am a Employedpreneur who works for a Fortune 500 company by day and runs a social media and online publishing business by night. I realized that there are many people out there like myself, who refuse to give up on their entrepreneurial dreams simply because they need the income and benefits of a full-time job. Frustrated by the lack of resources for this ambitious and growing population of employedpreneurs, I created LaunchWhileWorking, an online community and resource center that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to build their business acumen, network, and profit.

Thanks to Tai Goodwin, Co-founder of Launch While Working!

Because I Couldn’t Find Sufficient Support for Pregnancy

Courtesy Bed Rest Concierge

Bed Rest Concierge is a company that offers personalized maternity and baby planning services to expectant mother’s experiencing bed rest during their pregnancy. Our company services an untapped, market that is in desperate need of support. 1 in 5 women are placed on bed rest at some point during their pregnancy, that is roughly 800,000 women annually who need support. I founded my company after spending 26 weeks on bed rest and not being able to find sufficient mobile services that would come to the hospital or my home. I take care of everything pregnancy related in preparation of the baby while the mother is off her feet. We also handle house management to keep their family lives organized and thriving my Mommy is trying to stay pregnant. My service is proving to be a valuable resource as well, for products, and services for both pre and post delivery needs. When I started this company it was just an idea. I had no idea that one year later, I would be a successful Mompreneur running a viable, thriving, business. I’ve been welcomed into the pregnancy community 100 fold and it has been truly amazing. My grandmother told me that when you help others more than you help yourself you will be fulfilled beyond belief, and I truly believe that was an understatement!

Thanks to Stephanie Johnson, Owner of Bed Rest Concierge!

Courtesy Matt Brady and MRB Productions

Emmy Award winning producer Matthew Brady understands success and his company MRB Productions which was founded in 2001 has found success in specializing in independent feature, promos, commercials and television content. MRB produces content across all media channels. The company has evolved from a business known for “its award-winning sports promos to becoming a company that produces innovative content in all media forms.”

Initially, Brady founded his company after he had been producing celebrity intros for Monday Night Football. The production staff he worked for prior to founding MRB was so frustrated by the amount of invoices, so Brady decided to make everyone’s life easier by starting a production company. This allowed the production staff to send just one invoice for all of the work and Brady would be able to pay the vendors.

After achieving success in the form of Emmy Awards, Brady decided to expand outside of the “promo world into commercial work.” With commercial budgets being slashed, MRB became the “go to” company for high quality, low-budged commercial filmmaking.

Hearpreneur asked Matthew Brady a few questions:

Any major accomplishments?

As for my accomplishments, I have been honored to have been recognized with two Emmy Awards as a producer on projects.   The greatest thing about working in the entertainment business is the number of accolades that come with the field. It’s so much fun submitting your various projects to film festivals and awards ceremonies and getting the public’s feedback on them. Also, since a lot of our work is done for television, you rarely get to see the audience reactions to the product.   I have had the opportunity to see my work play everywhere from the Superbowl to the NBA Finals the X Games in sold-out houses. There is such an amazing feeling in seeing your work and when people laugh or react to where you may not have expected them.  Also, being able to buy a ticket at a movie theater for “your” movie and see it with an audience is an amazing feeling as well. I think so many people have the dream of coming to Hollywood to make it. While I don’t think I’ll ever feel that I’ve totally made it, I feel very proud of my accomplishments. Even though the awards and festivals are amazing, the most rewarding part of starting a company with any level of success is being able to provide a livelihood for a number of people. When an employee at my company buys a house, or a car, or a new shirt, it makes me feel very proud that I helped them to get it!

What is your favorite quote?

“After all, tomorrow is another day.”

If you could be any entrepreneur, who would you be and why?

It would be Richard Branson, because he’s always thinking ahead.

What does entrepreneurship mean to you?

To me, entrepreneurship means being a good leader with a good idea.

What inspires you?

The two things that inspire me are innovation and motivation.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs?

• Never stop networking.
• Keep contacts.
• A ‘Thank You’ goes a long way.
• Don’t dwell on mistakes, but learn from them and do better next time.

What tips would you give to help entrepreneurs manage their ventures?

• Write everything down. You won’t remember it all.
• Don’t take on more than you personally know you can handle. You won’t be able to handle it.

How did it feel to win an Emmy Award?

Excited, but perplexing. I put the same effort into everything I do, so it’s funny to see what your peers acknowledge as excellent.

Can you describe what it takes to own and run a production company?

You need to be organized, responsible, and you need drive and courage.

How do you maintain creativity?

I never turn down ideas from my team. I also maintain creativity by constantly taking in all that is going on, on each project I work on and going from there, and branching off of that. Also, by doing something I am afraid of everyday.

What exciting things can we look forward to from MRB Productions?

We are currently in production on “Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes,” an indie feature film by Francesca Gregorini, in addition to a video game called Just Dance Kids Disney, and two award shows, The 2012 ESPY Awards and the 2nd Annual Hero Dog Awards. After much success in this niche market, we hope to continue to work on a mix of low and high budget commercials & films.

Because They Told Me To ‘Put It Away’

I created a Boob Beanie as a direct result of being told to ‘put it away’ while feeding my son in public. The Boob Beanie is designed to look like the real thing and comes in natural colour with either a chocolate or pink tip. The beanie gives every breast feeding mum the opportunity to get a little of their own back in a society which is more accepting of breasts as sexual objects than their actual intended purpose.

Thanks to Heidi Reid, Founder of The Boob Beanie!

For My Mothers

My company, Wilson-Taylor Associates, is named after my mom, Lois Wilson, and my husband’s mother, Phyllis Taylor Cleaver. We have evolved to be a strategic communication firm that equips clients with messages that build authority (through media training and through research projects), but our original, and still a primary, line of business, is measuring how well women do in the workplace. Both of our moms found themselves divorced in midlife and having to re-orient their economic futures. They had marketable skills ( my mom’s a retired nurse, my husband’s mom worked in food service) but they worked long and hard to get their youngest children established and then to save for their own retirements. Women typically have smaller lifetime earnings, which must stretch over a longer lifespan. Helping women achieve lifelong economic independence, at workplaces that remove barriers to their advancement, remains a mission for Wilson-Taylor

Thanks to Joanne Cleaver, Founder of Wilson-Taylor Associates, Inc!

For My Mothers

I was inspired my children to start my blog “Nourished Life” which is about living toxin free in the city. I wanted to raise healthy energetic children & I wanted to be a healthy energetic mum. After years of fatigue,we quit toxic food, cleaning, beauty and lifestyle products. After my dad died a few years ago my mum was left on her own so I turned my blog into a great business that I could earn money off so I could move closer to me in the city.

Thanks to Irene Falcone, Founder of Nourished Life!

To Practice What Was Preached

“I always encouraged my four, young, children to make healthy decisions when it came to selecting what they consumed. When I realized that there weren’t enough options when it came to the beverage department, I took matters into my own hands. I began adding fresh fruit to ice water and soon it wasn’t just my children enjoying the homemade beverage but my entire neighborhood. Not long after, I left my job at AOL to fully dedicate myself to HINT Water, an all natural essence water that contains zero calories, zero sugar and zero artificial flavors and preservatives.”

Thanks to Kara Goldin, CEO of HINT Water!

Because I Had to

According to the usual script, I should be living on the streets, in jail, on drugs or dead. I tick all the boxes when it comes to risk factors, having experienced no mum throughout her life, bought up in housing commission, child sexual abuse, 13 and living in a shed, 15 and pregnant, 19 with 2 babies and homeless, 21 with 3 kids and living in a domestic violent relationship. But I was able to defy the odds in a spectacular way, through following my passion. My dream started when I was twenty one years old and living in a violent relationship. I was lost, had no real friends, was angry, lonely and my children were suffering. My self esteem was gone and I had really hit the bottom of the black hole, I also had three children aged five, two, and four months old to care for. I was told [by the authorities] that I had to get myself and my children out of the situation I was in. My first choice was that I could stay in the relationship and have my three children placed into foster care. If I took the second choice, I could keep my children but the condition was I must change my life. The conditions were that, beginning immediately, I would be court ordered to not have anything to do with my violent partner for twelve weeks. In those twelve weeks, I would have to attend a domestic violence counsellor. I wanted desperately to keep my children but couldn’t see how I could possibly change my life. That night I was forced to make the best choice of my whole life.

Thanks to Stacey Currie, Founder of Stacy Currie!

I started Tumbling Tigers Soft Play Party Hire because a child’s first birthday is such a huge milestone for both parents and their littles ones. Tumbling Tigers is very unique because there is nothing else which caters for this young age. We are a mobile soft play service. Since starting the business, it has certainly been a rollercoaster ride, with many ups and downs. Through this journey I have learned so much about myself, grown as a person and has helped me to understand who I want to be as a mother. I want to be able to pass on what I have learned to my 3 beautiful children. I have identical twin girls (17months) and a 3.5 year old. They have been my inspiration to push through my low points as they have such a fun an innocent view of the world and that is how I want my business to be fun and to capture the excitement and playfullness of being a toddler.

Thanks to Bec McCallum, Founder of Tumbling Tigers!

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

To Connect with Loved Ones

Courtesy Memory Catcher

“Memory Catcher was incorporated in November, 2010, after having began as a sideline venture. It began when I convinced my Grandmother to sit down with me, with a video camera running, and answer my questions about her life – where she grew up, the story of her parents, and her adventures as a young woman. Unfortunately, she passed away before we were able to cover all the territory I had hoped to, but it is such a treasure for my family and I to even have the bit of footage we have of her speaking. It was when I showed the video biography of her at her Celebration of Life, in combination with her eulogy, that the seeds of Memory Catcher were planted. After noting my family’s response to seeing the video tribute of her, I decided to incorporate, allowing me to help others record their stories for the future and preserve lasting bonds with their loved ones.”

Thanks to Nicole Beart, Memory Catcher!

A Lot of Reasons

“I started my business for several reasons:

1. I knew I could never earn what I believed I was worth working for others.
2. I am extremely efficient and didn’t enjoy pretending to be busy when I was done with my work and it was only noon.
3. I am hypoglycemic and need to be able to eat when I needed to eat.
4. I wanted to work part-time hours and earn more than full-time pay.
5. I wanted to own a business that allowed me to replace myself so I never had to work at all if I didn’t want to – in short, the business worked for me, I did not work for it.
6. I needed a business that produced residual income. So I could make a sale once and receive income on that one sale for years to come.
7. I designed all my businesses to fit this criteria – and if they didn’t fit, I didn’t start that business.”

Thanks to Aimee Elizabeth!

To Fulfill A Desire

Courtesy Jamie Raskulinecz

“I started my firm in 2004 out of my own desire to make real estate investments within my IRA and being unable to find a professional to help me make those transactions. I opened my office first as part of a national network of third-party administrators of self-directed IRAs. After five years of growth, I decided to break away from the network and become truly independent; in 2011 the company emerged as Next GenerationTrust Services, LLC.”

Thanks to Jamie Raskulinecz, founder and CEO of Next Generation Trust Services, LLC!

There Was A Need

“DAMN Digital Studio, an interactive and branding agency based in New York City, consults and contracts with enterprise-level firms, brand managers and CMO’s providing digital assistance in the areas of marketing, advertising and branding. We launched our company because we realized there was a growing need by these companies to reach their customers, as well as potential clients, through digital outlets.”

Thanks to Danii Oliver and Kevin Braithwaite, Co-founders of DAMN Digital Studio, LLC!

Found A Gap

“I started The Content Factory because I saw a gap in the market – business owners start new websites every day, and they need people who can write the content for them and help promote their companies. Almost all of the existing options were either on the really high end (think NYC agencies) or on the really low end (content farms like Demand Studios). There aren’t many mid-level PR companies, and so we went after that market. Almost two years later, almost half of our work comes from larger agencies that outsource their web work to us on a “white label” basis. I think this is a testament to our talent (and the overblown rates larger agencies charge – I have to imagine their clients would be pissed to know that they could go directly through us, cut out the middle man they don’t realize exists, and save more than half of their monthly budget).”

Thanks to Kari DePhillips, Owner, The Content Factory!

Saw A Need

Courtesy Dr. Tom Potisk

“I’m known as The Down to Earth Doctor, an easy-going holistic family doctor for 30 years. I saw a need for a doctor to talk plain language and give practical and inexpensive home remedies that people could use to minimize their sky-rocketing health expenses. So I stated a blog and wrote a book: Whole Health Healing- The Budget Friendly Natural Wellness bible for All Ages.”

Thanks to Dr. Tom Potisk, Author!

Put your thinking cap on and name this entrepreneur:

1. I have worked as a bartender, disc dancing instructor and party promoter.
2. On Friday nights, I spend my time on the popular show “Shark Tank” .
3. I’m probably the most fined owner of a sports team.
4. I will teach you How to Win at The Sport of Business.
5. I own Landmark Theater and Magnolia Pictures.

Tired of the 9 to 5 Grind

“I started my own business because I felt that all my years of working a 9 to 5 I was building someone else’s dream and vision and not mine. Over the years I have used my knowledge and expertise to benefit someone else and grow their business and I felt it was time for me to direct that energy towards building my future and the future of my family. The reason I opened a bridal boutique is working in the bridal industry for 15 plus years, I saw the necessity for a bridal boutique like shop for brides who wanted the price point of the larger solons but the boutique like atmosphere.”

Thanks to Marie Crawford! Owner and CEO of Marie Crawford’s Bridal

Advice from My Mother-in-Law

Image courtesy Nerds on Call

Ryan Eldridge, a self-professed computer “nerd”, was one day helping his mother-in-law rid her computer of a virus when she said to him, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a service that would come out to your house and fix these computer issues?” Just a few months later, Ryan and his wife Andrea cleaned out a spare bedroom that would become the start up office for Nerds On Call. Within four months, the business had hired two techs, two schedulers and moved into its first office. Established in March 2004, Nerds On Call offers on-site computer and electronic repair services to consumers and businesses. Since 2004, Nerds On Call has opened offices throughout California, Oregon, Arizona, South Dakota and Washington, serving more than 40,000 satisfied customers. Nerds On Call fixes nearly anything that can be plugged in: PCs and Macs, home and office networks, printers, iPods® and MP3 players, handheld devices and cell phones, home theaters and game systems, and virtually every other form of digital entertainment.

Thanks to Ryan Eldridge! Owner of Nerds on Call

To Establish A New Culture

“I started my PR firm after years at other agencies, in the corporate world and working as a broadcast journalist when I was getting my start. I wanted to establish an agency where my employees are proactive in making recommendations to clients and executing the best marketing strategy they can. I believe what we’re doing now is just that.”

Thanks to Rodger Roeser! Owner and founder of The Eisen Agency

Because of A Childhood Experience

Courtesy Dot Girl Products

“Our motivation to create The Dot Girl’s First Period Kit® grew from our own awkward teenage experiences. Despite the fact that our mother was a wonderful nurturer to four daughters, she was never comfortable talking to us about our bodies and neither of us were prepared for our first period. Co-founder Kathy Pickus vowed this would not happen to her daughter. Kathy created a first period kit for her daughter and from that idea was born The Dot Girl First Period Kit”

Thank you to Kathy Pickus! Owner of Dot Girl First Period Kit.

To Provide A Connection

Courtesy Hispanic Professionals Networking Group

“In 2002 Latino networking events in New York presented themselves with well-intended corporate-style mission statements and overused marketing rhetoric of “connecting, empowering and networking with other Latino professionals,” and thus we ended up socializing a lot, but not well-connected. I complained a lot to my friends about the low quality of Latino networking events. I would often cite many examples of non-Latino networking events that were run efficiently and attracted serious-minded business people. Latino networking events, on the other hand, were not much more than liquor-branded parties. I knew we could do better. After a few months of hearing me complain a lot, and almost as a dare, my friends encouraged me start my own networking events. They figured, I have a marketing background and a clear idea of what I’d like to see at a “good” Latino networking event, so why not? They sympathetically offered to invite all their friends so my first run would be a success. Our first event indeed was a success because it had one important element, a host. We had succeeded in bringing a professional tone to at least one Latino networking event. However, it was still missing something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I hosted about four more HPNG events before it dawned on me, our community didn’t want to just read about our Latino leaders, they wanted to see them up close and personal; to engage them, to connect with them. On May 2003, we officially started the Hispanic Professionals Networking Group and set out to produce events for the Latino professional community that informed, connected and inspired. We achieved this by starting our Latino Leaders speaker series, which premiered with our first speaker, Ms. Jenny Alonzo. At the time Ms. Alonzo was the Senior Vice President of Operations at Lifetime Television in New York. The response was amazing. It turns out that middle-management corporate professionals were looking for such an event. Something that delivered engaging, content driven, cross-industry gatherings with a personal touch. The style of the event has changed over the years and it is now a talk show format with a live audience. The events are video taped and the segments are posted free on the HPNG website.”

Thanks to Ali Curi! President of the Hispanic Professionals Networking Group!

Family Time

Dr. Yang’s greatest inspiration is her family. Despite her great success and how busy she is, every day she cooks dinner with and plays with her youngest daughter. All of these cherished moments that she spends with her family, and particularly her daughter, is where her ideas for VINCI came from. She found at a young age that her daughter was bored and uninspired with the typical children’s toys. One day she found her daughter playing with her smart phone. While she was very encouraged by her fascination, she was also troubled by her new found interest. What worried Dr. Yang the most was she was concerned for her daughter’s safety, mobility and how much she was really learning from a smart phone. So instead of doing nothing, Dr. Yang created the VINCI.

Dr. Yang set out to have the best learning for her child, and all children, she also wanted to empower and educate them, all in a fun and inspiring way. Not only does she want to teach children, she wants children themselves to know how they are to learn and be able to teach themselves. As with everything else, Dr. Yang has an ambitious goal over the next five years to revolutionize early education for toddlers and pre-schoolers. She also feels strongly that any child’s best learning tool is their parents and hopes with her inventions she gives parents more time with their kids.

An  Entrepreneur’s DNA

While experts and scholars are still debating whether entrepreneurs are born and made, Dr. Yang is continuing a history of entrepreneurship in her family. Dr. Yang finds her duty as an entrepreneur is to find ways to change things and to make the world a better place. She comes from a long family history of entrepreneurs; her parents as well as her grandparents were entrepreneurs. From a very young age, she was taught to think differently and to always find ways to improve. She claims that mediocrity is not in her personality and that she always strives to make the best out of everything. Dr. Yang leads by example. She always tries to encourage everyone to follow their hearts and to empower others to make things happen.

About Her Company

Rullingnet was “founded in order to develop child friendly and technologically advanced projects which would inspire the genius in a safe and encouraging environment.” The first product, VINCI was named after Leonardo da Vinci whose creativity and innovation, Dr. Yang hopes to inspire in children.

This post was contributed to Hearpreneur. 

Courtesy Incwell.com

Born in July 30, 1863 in Detroit, Michigan, Henry Ford was a prominent American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Ford was able to develop a productively and efficiently system that ended up forming the foundation for the consumer economy. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world.

[pullquote_left]A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.
via Brainy Quote[/pullquote_left]

7 Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Henry Ford

1. At a young age, he started tinkering with watches and other machinery.
2. In his spare time while he worded servicing steam engines for Westinghouse and Edison Electric Illuminating Company, he used to experiment with gasoline engines which led him to produce a self-propelled vehicle in 1896, and set up his own business in 1899.
3. Ford strove for complete vertical integration (control of all aspects of the business from the supply of raw materials to the retail outlets).
4. Ford paid staff $5 a day which helped to decrease employee turnover.
5. Ford experimentations led him to create a self-propelled vehicle called the Quadricycle in 1896. It had four wire wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels, was steered with a tiller like a boat, and had only two forward speeds with no reverse.
6. Unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate in 1918.
7. His industrial methods so impressed Adolf Hitler that a picture of him was in Hitler’s office.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sources: BrainyQuote, HFMGV.org, 100 CEOS, Biography

What is the favorite quotation for an entrepreneur that generated $2 Million in sales and hired 25 full-time employees in just 18 months? It’s simple: “Make Bold Moves”.

William S. Parrish the founder of NobleStrategy, LLC, a Metropolitan New York and New Jersey based company focused on delivering professional construction management services consisting of owner’s representative coverage, project inspection, estimating, safety analysis, scheduling and project/program/technology management to public and private entities in the K-12 education, civic and corporate sectors.

How to Be Bold

For Parrish bold is “being ready to swing for the fences every time you get up to bat. Not just settling on trying to get a hit but trying to hit a home run every time you go out.” The founder of NobleStrategy, LLC said that “if when you tell people about your dreams and they don’t say, ‘You’re crazy…that will never happen,’ then you aren’t dreaming big enough and you are not bold enough!”

[quote]You must develop an unconventional, unfearful, undying spirit that causes you to challenge authority, tradition, and established players on a daily basis, in your quest to reach your goals.[/quote]

In order for entrepreneurs to be bold, Parrish explained that they simply need to read more. With 70% of Americans that read only one to four books each year, entrepreneurs and business owners should practice reading three to four books a month.  

Read More: 6 Bold Tips for Entrepreneurs & Business Owners via Teach A CEO 

Starting An Empire

[pullquote_right]“Make Bold Moves—you won’t go very far without being ready to make unorthodox and sometimes unpopular decisions that will separate you from the pack and move you closer to the success you desire.” [/pullquote_right]

The Hampton University graduate who started a t-shirt company called Billy Brown NYC while he was in school came up with the idea of NobleStrategy, LLC after he was “exposed to early African-American mentors and role models who were successful before he was.” This gave Parrish the fuel to start his own business. In 2002, he started the firm part-time and by 2005 he was able to leave his full-time position and dedicate more of his time and energy to his firm.

Because according to the U.S. Small Business Administration out of about twenty-seven million U.S. small businesses, only 8% gross over $1 million annually. This gave Parrish proof that he was making a difference and had a story to tell.

Read More: Be Bold via Teach A CEO

With accolades including the 2010 Harlem Business Alliance Business Person of the Year, Parrish is still working hard to grow his business. Parrish explained that he projects his firm to grow to $100 million over the next 3-5 years and part of that strategy is competing in new sectors including transportation, healthcare facilities and the sustainability and energy efficiency industry. Parrish also hopes to influence entrepreneurs and business professionals with the lessons from his book Making Bold Moves: Creating Multimillion-Dollar Success in 500 Days or Less!

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