Lynne Beverly Strang's Blog, page 7

Car Buffs Start a Business Offering 3D-Printed Auto Parts

As restorers and builders, Bill Hahn and Paul Vorbach often faced challenges when trying to locate rare and expensive components for cars.  They found help in an unlikely place:  3D printing

The discovery led Hahn and Vorbach to co-found HV3Dworks LLC., a Harmony, Pennsylvania-based company that works with several 3D printers to produce rare or custom components for automotive restoration projects.

HV3Dworks is an offshoot of Hahn and Vorbach’s core business, Hahn-Vorbach & Associates Collect...

Entrepreneur from Korea Finds Niche Selling Appliances

By Lynne Strang, Late-Blooming Entrepreneurs

[image error]

Edward Kim

Edward Kim is good at multitasking. That’s evident by the way he runs his appliance showroom.

On a cold January day, Kim is busy filling in for a store manager who’s on vacation. He doesn’t miss a beat as he waits on customers and answers the phone during an interview about Buying Together, the business he founded at age 40.

Buying Together, located in Annandale, Virginia, sells refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers, ovens, tel...

Seven Memorable Quotes from 2016

[image error]A new year brings new hopes, dreams and opportunities. Here are seven quotes from age 40-and-older entrepreneurs who have been featured or mentioned on this blog in 2016. May their words of wisdom provide inspiration and ideas as you set goals for 2017.

*********************

“I finally feel like I’ve found the thing to do so I can leave a legacy for myself as well as my family.” – Laurie Sayles Artis, Civility Management Solutions

“By the time you get to be 55 to 60, you’ve had challenges in...

50-Something Entrepreneur Finds Her Niche in Energy-Efficient Lighting

Juanita Tackett owns LED Source Charlotte, a North Carolina-based energy-efficient lighting franchise that she acquired at age 51. Her Twitter description says she’s the franchise’s “Chief Figurer Outer,” a role that comes easier when you’ve spent decades figuring things out before starting your first business.

Tackett’s decision to buy the franchise is the latest move in a career that’s included stints in fashion accessories, real estate and washer/dryer rentals. When she opened LED Source C...

8 End-of-the-Year Tips for Entrepreneurs

The holiday season means different things for different companies. For some, it’s the busiest time of the year. For others, business wanes as customers focus their attention elsewhere.

Regardless of which end of the scale your business falls, consider these tips to get the most out of the last month of the year:

Reflect on what worked – and what didn’t. Congratulate yourself on the things that went right in 2016. You devote enormous amounts of time and energy to your business. It’s important...

7 Military Veterans Who Became Entrepreneurs Later in Life

On November 11, Americans observe Veterans Day to honor the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces. The occasion has this blogger thinking about veterans who apply their military traits and skills – such as leadership, teamwork, discipline and focus – to start a business.

Apparently it happens regularly. One study from Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families found that veterans are at least 45% more likely to be self-employed than those with no a...

This Late-Blooming Entrepreneur Set a Record for the World’s Largest Cream Tea Party

Sometimes a chance meeting can spark a business idea. Just ask Jane Malyon.

Malyon, who’s British, was enjoying tea one afternoon when she struck up a conversation with a stranger.

“I met an old lady who could no longer travel and whose favourite pastime was afternoon tea,” Malyon says in this Business Quarter (BQ) article. “She said to me ‘I’ve had my last afternoon tea ever’ and I thought ‘No! That can’t be!’”

That encounter five years ago led Malyon to start The English Cream Tea Company a...

60-Year-Old Entrepreneur’s Gaming App Makes History More Fun

History class could become a lot more interesting thanks to a new gaming app.

Avery Chenoweth, 60, and a 65-year-old partner started Here’s My Storyto make history and geography come alive by combining technology with storytelling.

Here’s My Story recently joined forces with Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia to deliver a mobile, location-based game that engages students and visitors in virtual role-playing.

“Historic figures, depicted in augmented reality, appear and spe...

Why Odd Couples in Business Can Be a Good Thing

This fall, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg will co-host “Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party,” a new weekly TV show. She’s a home decorating guru. He’s a rapper. She’s 75 years old. He’s 44.

As unlikely as this duo may seem, it’s a reminder that opposites attract. Odd couples with the right chemistry can generate results that are different, creative and edgy.

If you’re exploring prospective partners for a startup, new program or another endeavor, why not widen your net and consider a few “oddballs”?...

What Business Owners Can Take Away From Pokémon GO

Okay, so what’s the big deal about Pokémon GO?

You may be wondering because you’ve seen news stories. Or had groups of people milling around your business who look like they’re using their smartphones to hunt for something.

First, a quick crash course: Pokémon GO is a free mobile game app. As explained here, “it uses your phone’s GPS and clock to detect where you are and make Pokémon appear around you (or on your phone screen) so you can go and catch them. As you move around, different and mo...