…Outdoor retailers are bouncing back from the recession. That is particularly true in California, where recreation gear merchants have made plans to open new stores and expand existing outlets to take advantage of the state’s massive sales potential and reputation as an outdoor enthusiasts’ playground.
Sales of such outdoor gear as tents, backpacks, hiking boots and clothes jumped as much as 35% nationwide in 2010, according to an industry analysis. Part of that growth was driven by snow sports equipment sales, which reached a record $3.3 billion this season, according to a trade group for snow sports retailers.
Industry experts say Californians generate almost 10% of all outdoor gear sales nationwide and continue to spend big on recreation, although recent state-by-state numbers are not available.
Before you start filling in your loan application, theLos Angeles Times has some advice you may want to consider.
So, what’s the best way to get a small-business loan in this economic environment?
Business owners who have scored loans said one of the keys was preparation. Expect to explain and justify every aspect of your business. The days of just slapping down a three-year growth projection, real estate appraisal and down payment are long gone.
And don’t be surprised by requests for additional data. Banks and other lenders will often ask for application revisions and additional information.
That was the case with Barbara and Greg Gerovac of Anaheim. Before the couple received a $470,000 SBA loan to open Anaheim Brewery — their wholesale business with a retail tasting room — the couple had to rewrite sections of their business plan.
“They looked at the construction bids and, same thing, came back and said, ‘You know, I think there are some equipment costs you can get some more solid numbers on,’” Barbara Gerovac said.
To figure out the more detailed numbers that the bank required on their income statement, they took advantage of a free consultation offered by the SCORE Assn., a nonprofit that mentors small businesses.
Looking for a fun summer business your child can enjoy? Forget lemonade, balloon animals are taking over.
Amber Liggett is 15 years old, and she is already a savvy business woman. With her business selling balloon animals for $2, she is able to expand on a fun talent while making a little extra money.
Six years ago, she began to shape her fascination for making balloon sculptures into a venture she calls Amber's Amazing Animal Creations.
Fast as her fingers could, she made the five animal shapes she had memorized for those who approached her table at festivals in Bridgewater and Beaver.
Amber now has a selection of more than 60 balloon designs and each year entertains at that many special events, which include birthday and company parties, picnics and fundraisers.
Her original $35 an hour fee is now $85 for the first hour and $35 for each hour thereafter. When sold separately, the balloons are $2 to $4. She's added storytelling, face painting and balloon making workshops to her entertainment lineup and plans more.
She's also made elaborate spring balloon arrangements that a landlord gave to business tenants at a Pittsburgh tower, and placed lady bug and turtle balloon bracelets in corporate gift boxes.
The sole proprietor said she pays income taxes for her business earnings, tithes to her church, has splurged on designer purses and shoes, but has saved almost enough money to buy a car.
She also pays her mom for the gallons of gas the family car uses driving her to events.
Pat Farrelly is currently in the process of patenting a unique water filtration system that he believes will revolutionize water filtering for commercial and humanitarian purposes. His invention, Aqua-Nu, took five years to develop in his own kitchen.
Farrelly said that Aqua-Nu had multiple applications, from filtering water for individual houses and group schemes to rainwater harvesting and small-scale filtration.
''We can turn any container into a water-filtering device,” he said.' 'We are interesting because we have microbiological capability. Our technology can prevent a microbe one-quarter the size of a red blood cell from getting through.”
The finished product is just six weeks old and, following the verification of independent tests, Farrelly embarked on the patenting process. Aqua-Nu have applied for patents in 67 different countries, 42 of which have already been granted.
He said that Aqua-Nu had fielded inquiries from companies in several sectors, including waste water management. It has received a number of letters of intent, and is engaged with production and licensing opportunities as far afield as Malaysia.
The humanitarian prospects for the system were also considerable, said Farrelly.' 'We can start saving lives tomorrow. Our filtering can be as easily used in an Irish kitchen as in a mud hut in Africa.”
Video of the different filter products after the jump.
This was a good article at Mashable on how the new site/service called Member.ly can put you into your own subscription business!
Here’s the idea: maybe you’re earning some good money once in a while selling your hand made goodies on Etsy.com or something. You sell nothing for 3 weeks and then get 15 orders. It’s hard to run, let alone, BUILD a business that way.
A “business” involves having customers who buy on a regular basis to generate regular income and profits for the business owner.
Network marketers call this “residual income”. But any subscription business is essentially the same idea… the more customers committed to buy monthly, the more predictable the income, and the more predictable the profits.
The idea is good and well established. Back before the “ebook” you remember all the “niche” book clubs for everything from history buffs to political junkies? You’d commit to buy a “book of the month”. You’d get a good discount and they’d have predictable new business.
Many businesses COULD do that from a home business making hand made goods for sale to – as you see on the Member.ly site – selling “teas of the month”.
The problem – technically – is setting up the subscription service, collecting the money, shipping the product, etc.
Member.ly allows the entrepreneur with the CONCEPT for a subscription business to automate it.
For that reason, it’s worth checking out. If you can assemble the product and sell it at a profit and get customers through advertising, publicity, etc. this service automates the key ingredients of the fulfillment process.
I stumbled across this interesting chart of the world’s top selling cars by country. Even in the small version above you can see that VW (red) dominates in China, Northern Europe and South America, while Toyota (blue) has Russian, South East Asia and Africa all tied up. GM’s (dark gray) numbers are big, but that must because they’re number one in India and Japan, since their influence isn’t really visible on this chart.
Do you need a liquor license to sell booze-laced cake?
That’s one of the questions local entrepreneur Frankie Murphy is wrestling with as she prepares to launch her new business Tipsy Bakery.
Murphy, 24, said she got the idea, ironically, from her mother.
“On my 21st birthday my mom made me a Jello-shot cake,” Murphy said. “That’s Jello with alcohol in it poured onto the cake. It was fantastic.”
Murphy began exploring the idea of selling high-octane cakes and cupcakes and concluded Springfield would be an ideal market for the 21-and-over treats.
She envisions her product will appeal to college students and adults who enjoy good and interesting food.
She thinks Tipsy cakes would be particularly popular at bachelorette parties.
Alcoholic cupcakes for bachelorette parties? I think we have a winning business idea.
Financial Padding consists of crumpled paper $100 dollar bill look-alikes that are a fun replacement for standard packing peanuts.
Your recipient will be surprised, excited, disappointed and amazed, all in the same moment upon opening their package. Their dejection upon realizing that you didn’t real pad their $19.99 item with hundreds of $100 bills will quickly turn to wonder and why they didn’t think of this idea first.
Two hundred $100 bills are available for $15.00 from thinkofthe.com.
Most Silicon Valley startups are aimed at the tech-savvy, iPhone carrying crowd that lives in Silicon Valley. Not this one.
Enloop.com is a free tool that was launched to help small businesses and entrepreneurs in ‘real America’ with real businesses such as restaurants, daycare facilities, plumbing services, delis, jewelry lines and corner stores.
How does it help?
Just enter your data through a step-by-step process and Enloop builds a bank-ready printable business plan for you
Enloop ‘scores’ your business and tells you how you ‘stack up’ against other similar businesses (using industry data from over 700 industries)
Enloop helps you understand how your financial planning affects your score and helps you to make better planing decisions
Enloop’s performance review helps you understand the risk associated with your planned business venture
The Jet Hitter from MRC is a batting machine that allows people to hit a ball that floats in mid-air. An industrial ring blower emits a fixed current of blown air, and a nozzle shaped and angled for optimized fluid mechanics floats a regulation hardball.
“People have used a soft toss batting tee or a batting tee to practice baseball, but since the ball comes at a 45 degree angle when soft toss batting, batters get into the habit of pulling the ball when they bat. Yet they do not get the feeling of really hitting when they use a batting tee. We worked with Meiji University and came up with this idea after we experimented a lot based on the concept, “What if the ball is floating?” This allows a person to practice by themselves, hit at a wide angle, and another major feature is that the ball wobbles a little, so it trains the batter to concentrate, so overall the system has been highly appreciated.”
Using robotics, laser rangefinders, GPS and smart feedback tools, Dennis Hong is building a car for drivers who are blind. It’s not a “self-driving” car, he’s careful to note, but a car in which a non-sighted driver can determine speed, proximity and route — and drive independently.
In 1990, former English teacher, Max Hardberger, started his own marine consultancy business in Louisiana. He was periodically retained by shipowners to extract their vessels from lawless ports without a clearance from local authorities. In 1998, following his admission to the California Bar, Hardberger began to practice maritime law alongside his marine consultancy and vessel extraction business. In 2002, Hardberger formed the ship repossession company Vessel Extractions, LLC to extract vessels that have been illegitimately detained or seized in foreign countries. The Telegraph has more:
Max Hardberger is a 62-year-old adventurer from Louisiana who specializes in stealing back ships that have been fraudulently seized in corrupt ports, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He describes himself as a ‘vessel repossession specialist', a kind of maritime repo man who ghosts into tropical hellhole ports, outwits the guards and authorities, and ghosts out again with a 5,000- or 10,000-ton cargo ship, usually under cover of darkness and preferably during a heavy rainstorm.
A Hollywood film about his escapades is planned, with The Good Pirate as a working title, and there's undoubtedly an element of piracy to what he does.
The Army has autonomous robots scampering around on land. The Air Force has killer drones dropping bombs from the air. Now the Navy — understandably just a little jealous, and clearly not satisfied with its robotic helicopters — prepares to add two new seafaring 'bots to the mix.
"Blackfish" is a remote controlled, sawed-off jet ski meant to patrol ports for terrorist swimmers up to no good. "Harbor Wing" is a 60-foot, 10-ton, environmentally friendly sailboat with a catamaran's hull, packed full of surveillance equipment meant to aim a stealthy, sailor-free eye on far away horizons. Both vessels would surf around without a human on board.
Bike Fixtation is a self-service kiosks bicycle repair kiosk. The vending machines offer tubes, patch kits, use of adjustment tools and even access to a pump to fill up your tires. Each self-service Bike Fixtation kiosk features:
Universal bike mounting system for on-site repairs
Aircraft cable tethered bicycle repair tools
Self-contained tire-inflation system compatible with presta and schrader valves
Snacks and beverages
More info about the machine:
In our recommended configuration it holds 38 unique products on 6 different rows. That’s 398 individual products! It has a refrigeration unit and optional heater to maintain proper temperature so it can dispense drinks along with snacks and bicycle products inside and outside. It can take payment through coins, bills, and even credit cards. Inventory and sales information is accessible online, so you can know when and what to bring before restocking the machine. Its most admirable feature however is its resistance to vandalism. The machine has a triple pane layer of glass protected by a layer of durable polyurethane. It has heavy-gauge steel reinforcement panels throughout and a dual locking mechanism for the front door.
You can contact Bike Fixation for pricing and additional options at (612)-568-3498 or info@bikefixtation.com.
I just read an article about how a Delaware man and his family have opened a restaurant to sell “Tornado Fries” in their resort community.
I’ve never heard of the food, so I did some research. According the article, tornado fries are deep-fried potatoes-on-a-stick that were featured on the Food Network series “Unwrapped.”
I found a couple videos, including the episode of Unwrapped that featured the fries.
This video, in English, from Japan highlights a number of machines that can create the tornado fries.
Finally, I found TornadoFries.com, who explains the food thusly:
A Tornado Fry is our own creation made by hand selecting the freshest Idaho russet potatoes, cutting them in to a one-piece thin spiral on an 18 or 26 inch skewer, cooking them in 100% canola oil until they are crispy outside and tender inside and seasoning them to perfection.
One (1) restaurant grade heavy duty Tornado Fries® cutting machine.
One thousand five hundred (1,500) 18” skewers.
Five hundred (500) 26” skewers.
One (1) Original Schmutz® seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Barbecue seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Old Bay® seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Butter seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Adobo® seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Cheddar Cheese seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Salt & Vinegar seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Nacho Cheese seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Parmesan Garlic seasoning 16oz shaker.
One (1) Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper seasoning 16oz shaker.
One 120”x28” Tornado Fries® promotional banners.
One 120”x12” Tornado Fries® promotional banners.
Ten Tornado Fries® t-shirts.
Partner listing on Tornado Fries® website.
Access to training, marketing products, supplies and equipment via partner web area access.
For the monthly fee you’ll receive:
Rights to use the trademarked name Tornado Fries® for all aspects of your store.
Tornado Fries® cutting machine service contract. Free expedited repair or replacement.
Discounted supplies purchasing.
A page on our website www.tornadofries.com for your local store which can be accessed directly from the internet, (for example www.tornadofries.com/northdallas). There are many advantages to this such as enhanced browser search returns, location finding, and centralized information.
Access to reseller program.
Signage art and specification options for several different exterior signage formats. Use this art to purchase your own sign locally if you desire.
Access to FREE art downloads of dozens of copyrighted sales and marketing collaterals such as newspaper ads, take-ones, direct mailers, window signs, posters, etc. You download this camera-ready art
