Lynne Beverly Strang's Blog, page 13
December 10, 2013
Father-Son Entrepreneurial Team Helps People with Autism
John D’Eri is a seasoned entrepreneur. His son Tom just graduated from business school. So the two decided to join forces and form a new business with an especially important mission: helping people with autism find employment.
As reported by this Miami Herald article, the D’Eri family opened the first Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland, Florida last April after researching potential entrepreneurial solutions to help Andrew D’Eri, the younger son of John and his wife, Donna.Andrew, who is autist...
November 23, 2013
Dancing Their Way to a New Business
Geri Messerand Pat Balderas, both 66, love tap dancing. Two years ago, they took a big plunge.
They bought the Toledo, Ohio-based studio where they took lessons and turned it into Off Broadway Dance Company. “We both had a passion for it, and, since we were retired, we had the time to do it,” says Pat in this “Meet the Owners” story on the company’s website.
Their studio has been growing ever since. Off Broadway Dance Company’s clientele is strictly adultswith an agerangeof22 to72. The studio o...
November 12, 2013
Seven Extraordinary Stories of New Purpose Later in Life
In 1999, when TV anchorwoman YsabelDuronlearned she had cancer, she turned the camera on herself as she went through treatment. The resulting three-part documentary won an award. But more importantly, it began a new calling for Duron.
Today, the 66-year-old is the CEO of Latinas Contra Cancer, a San Jose, California-based organization she founded in 2003 to educate, support and provide essential services to low-income Spanish speakers suffering from the disease.
This week, Encore.org named Duro...
November 4, 2013
Successful Entrepreneurs Who Had Humble Beginnings
Some of the world’s best known entrepreneurs had surprising and fascinating first jobs, writes Jason Nazar, co-founder and CEO of Docstoc.com, in this post for Business Insider.
The list of entrepreneurs with modest first occupations includes at least one late bloomer: Henry Ford, who was around 40 when helaunched theFord Motor Company. At age 15, Ford started repairing watches when he received one from his father as agift. After the young Ford took apart and reassembled his new time piece, it...
October 25, 2013
Five Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Need Public Speaking Skills
Most people fear public speaking more than anything else (even death). As Mark Twain once said, “There are two types of speakers in this world: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”
Still, the ability to speak well in front of a group is worthwhile skill to develop – especially if you’re an entrepreneur. Among other things, it can help you:
Communicate effectively. People are more likely to buy your product or serviceif you can tell them about it in a way that gets them excited.
Rais...
October 10, 2013
Bill Gates’ Take on Thomas Edison
Thomas Edisonkeptinventing things for a long, long time.Several of his inventions, includingthe first silent film, occurred when he wasin his 50s.He didn’t obtain his last (1,093rd) patent until age 83.
Among Edison’s admirers is Bill Gates, who says the inventor has been an inspiration to him in his own career.The Microsoftchairmanpenned the forewordfor a new book,Edison and the Rise of Innovation, and recently shared what he wrote on his website,The Gates Notes.
In his post, titled “America’s...
September 27, 2013
Beverage Entrepreneur Tries His Hand at Lettuce Tea
Ten years ago, Eddy Antoine moved to the Tampa, Florida area to retire. Once he got there, his life took a different direction.
As this article in the Tampa Tribune explains, “his effort to find something interesting to do turned into a one-person endeavor to bring the world something new to drink.”
Today, the 64-year-old Antoine is the founder and president of Complex Beverage, whose primary product is Lettuce Tea. This news release describes the drink is an “all-natural, low sugar, low-calori...
September 14, 2013
Entrepreneur Turns Unwanted Gift Cards into a Business
Gift cards can be a great idea.Butwhat do you do when a well-meaning friend or relative gives youa cardfor a store where you never shop? Or for arestaurantyou don’t like?
HosseinKasmai, a Florida-based serial entrepreneur, came up with a solution.He starteda franchise venture — Gift Card Monkey – to help people get rid of unwanted gift cards and put cash in their pockets.
This Entrepreneur.comstoryprovides a good overview ofGift Card Monkey and how it works.Consumers can trade, sellor buy disco...
September 3, 2013
“You Are Never Too Old”
That’s what 64-year-old Diana Nyad proclaimedafter she became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a protectivecage to keep sharks at bay.As reported by CNN,Nyad finishedjust before 2 p.m. ET on September 2, almost 53 hours after she startedin Havana.
It wasNyad’s fifth attempt at the 110-mile swim and her fourth since turning 60. This time, she wore a special maskto protect her tongue against jellyfish stings, a keyreason forlast year’s failed attempt.
Nyad was 29 when she fir...
