Lynne Beverly Strang's Blog, page 9
October 23, 2015
Late-Blooming Mompreneur Thinks Outside the Lunchbox
By Lynne Strang, Late Blooming Entrepreneurs
Samantha Judd
One morning, Samantha Judd was packing school lunches for her two children when a thought popped in her mind. What if she could make a different kind of lunch box for kids who like variety? That idea led to meetings with an industrial designer – and eventually, the creation of the Flip Lid Lunchbox, a six-compartment design that separates different foods and keeps them from getting squashed.
In this interview, 45-year-old Samantha – a...
September 29, 2015
Seven Aha Moments That Started Late-Blooming Businesses
The patemm pad
Entrepreneurs need research to determine if a business idea has the potential to succeed. But the idea itself often comes from an “aha moment,” defined by Merriam-Webster as “a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension.”
Here’s a look at the aha moments that led to seven businesses founded by 40-and-older entrepreneurs:
1) Filling a need in the souvenirs market — While living in Doha,Meredith and Lee Hedrick considered starting abusiness...
September 8, 2015
Networking 101: Five Easy Ways to Follow Up
Networkingcan beone of the most effective ways for entrepreneurs to find customers, business partners, investors and mentors.Whether it’san in-person event or an online forum, here’s what often happens: people make useful contacts and don’t follow up, missing out on a chance to formnew relationships that may become valuable.
Sometimes the lack offollow up relates to a life-long habit of procrastination – a serious concern if your goal is to start a business. But in many cases, a few time mana...
August 10, 2015
An Actor Turns to Entrepreneurship — And Finds Success
LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton’s long career in the entertainment industry spans a variety of roles: Geordi LaForge on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Kunta Kinte from the famed television miniseries “Roots” and longtime host of PBS’ “Reading Rainbow” TV show.
Now the actor-turned-entrepreneur has a business that’s encouraging the next generation of children to read. But he’s using the Web this time instead of TV.
Burton, 58, and business partner Mark Wolfe are the co-founders of RRKidz, which h...
July 20, 2015
What You Can Learn from this 42-Year-Old Intern
Andrew Brill wanted a careerin sports reporting.Hepounded the pavement to find his first opportunity.In 2008,he joined the sports desk at WABC-TV New York when the news director decidedto give him a shot.
But here’s the thing: Brill wasn’t your typical, wet-behind-the-earsintern.He was 42 years old.
Several days a week, he’d go to the station after working all day at another job.The long hours didn’t bother him a bit. “I was watching sports at work,” he said.
After the internship, he moved on...
June 30, 2015
Where to Look for Your Second Act
Last week, Idid an audiointerview withAngela Raspass, an Australia-based entrepreneur and the host for the 2015 Second Act Success Summit. I am one of 16 speakers for this year’s summit, an online event for women seeking to start a new life journey.
Speakers for the 2015 Second Act Success Summit
Among Angela’s questions was this one: What does the second act concept mean to you?
To me, a second act is something you do later in life after years spent on something else. Unlike some first caree...
June 8, 2015
How a Fashion Icon Found his Life Purpose at Age 40
Finding your genius – that special something you do very, very well – can take time.
Look at Giorgio Armani, who started the Italian fashion brand named after him in 1975 — when he was 40 years old. Back then, he “was just another middle-aged man” wondering if the best days of his life were behind him, writes Michael Hainey in this gq.com piece.
Armani started as a window dresser at a department store in Milan. He became the store’s menswear buyer, then moved on to work as adesigner for Nino...
May 19, 2015
Seven Leadership Tips from a Public Speaking Champion
Craig Valentine
What doesit take to get remarkable results in leadership and life?Craig Valentine has a pretty good handle on this question.
Craig won the world championship of public speaking for Toastmasters International in 1999. Before becoming a full-time professional speaker and executive speech coach, he had a successful sales career with Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. He’s also an author whose books include The Nuts & Bolts of Public Speaking.
He’s come a long way. At age ten, Craig had a prono...
April 27, 2015
How a Late Bloomer Created the World’s Largest Burger Chain
One of the best-knownlate-blooming entrepreneurs isRay Kroc,creator of the McDonald’s fast-food chain. This month marks the 60th anniversary of whenKroc opened his first McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois back in April 1955.He was 52 years old.
Time magazinerecently retoldthe Ray Kroc story. Before McDonald’s, Kroc was a salesman for 34 years.For half of that time, he sold paper cups to Dairy Queen, Howard Johnson’s and other fast food retailers. The other half was spent selling a...
April 3, 2015
Five Inspiring TED Talks for Entrepreneurs 40 and Older
Longevity, opportunityand living life to its fullest.Those are some of the themes you’ll find in the following five TED Talks.Enjoy.
“How to live passionately — no matter your age” — Author Isabel Allende, 71, gives a candid talk about her fears as she gets older and how she plans to keep on living passionately.
“Life’s third act” —Jane Fonda, who has hadmultiple careers as an actor, activist and fitness guru,talks about the extra 30 years that have been added to the average life expectancy,...
