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History Of Coke’s Curvy Plastic Bottle

Posted: 06 Apr 2012 03:30 AM PDT

When using glass, Coke bottles had a recognizable shape. So, how to bring that shape to plastic? This is something inventors began working on in the 80′s, reports Packaging Digest.

Coca-Cola Co.’s contour bottle, introduced in 1916, is perhaps the best-known packaging design in American history, but when the soft-drink maker switched to plastic, it was confined to the same straight-sided bottle as everyone else.

That is, until Tom Brady and his team figured out a way to duplicate in plastic what had been possible only in glass. The team started work on the project in the late 1980s.

“Our company was the one that sort of solved that problem for Coca-Cola,” he said. “Even today, the Coca-Cola bottles have a remnant of that trademark shape in them.”

For that and many other innovations and accomplishments, the Holland resident was recognized in Orlando, FL., with induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame.

Photo by Kevin

Niche: Buy Lottery Tickets Online

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 01:51 PM PDT

Lottogopher

The trend towards convenience and online services continues with this unique concierge service that travels to the store to both purchase tickets and redeem the winnings on behalf of users. Winning player accounts are then funded with 100% of their prize money. LottoGopher keeps no portion of the prizes, large or small.

With lotteries across the country facing an aging user base, LottoGopher provides an innovative way to bring in younger players that prefer technology-enabled entertainment. This in turn brings in additional revenues for the educational programs the lottery supports by bringing in players who wouldn’t normally travel to the retail outlet on their own.

For consumers looking to get a winning edge by playing in “pools”, online social networks provide a familiar forum to create and play in groups. Aside from making the traditional office pool easier to manage, players can also create lottery groups from their Facebook, Twitter and other online networks by inviting friends or join public pools with other community members.

LottoGopher also features a monthly subscription option, so consumers can carefully budget with controlled spending instead of impulse buying. This feature also ensures that regular players always have their favorite numbers in every drawing without having to rush out to the store at the last moment.

Consumers remain the legal owner of any lottery tickets ordered, with a sophisticated system that tracks orders, ticket transportation and a secure storage vault. LottoGopher audits all security procedures using the latest encrypted 128 bit SSL technology, and features secure privacy for subscribers and appropriate safeguards to ensure age verification.


The Federally Sponsored Lemonade Stand

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 01:18 PM PDT

Collaborative Consumption big

The following is a guest post by Christopher Wallace.

Whether you’re flat broke or just looking for a simple way to up your income stream, chances are you’ve got more options than you realize. The concept of ‘collaborative consumption’ got a big leg up thanks to the recession. Suddenly, when people needed a new TV or refrigerator, they were turning to Craigslist before the big box store.

That tendency might not bode well for official job numbers and economic outlook estimates, but it’s a testament to the power of localized goods-based economies that continue to thrive even when the big picture looks bleak.

With the goal of helping local small businesses survive in a down national economy, the federal government created the Startup America Partnership. By compiling deeply discounted resources like payroll help and discounted office supplies from corporate providers, the feds have taken an unprecedented role in helping the little guy, including webinars and Q&A sessions.

Most surprisingly, however, is the recognition the government has given to collaborative consumption. Who would have thought that Washington would be encouraging people to rent out their video gaming systems, upping their income $200 per month?

This Startup America infographic is full of gems and new discoveries, even for people already tuned into sites like AirBnb.com and Freecycle.com.

Digging a bit deeper, here are a few of the favorites we turned up here:

  1. ParkAtMyHouse.com Seriously, this is money for nothing. Drop in your address on the front page, and they’ll immediately estimate the value of a parking spot at your house. My sister lives in a shack on the beach in South Carolina. Her view is great, but she’s always begging me for handouts. The site claims a parking spot in her driveway is worth $1,500 a year, smack in the middle of a vacation hub. I’m sending her this link the next time she asks for cash.
  2. Zilok.com “Rent anything,” claims Zilok. Need a mini backhoe ($193/day), a record player ($35/day), or a Fisher Price ride-on fire truck ($2/day)? They’re all here, including 4×4 trucks at far lower rates than you’ll find at a corporate rental car business. Seriously, you could sell that icemaker in your garage and make $150 once, or you could rent it out every weekend and make $50 day after day after day. This is the ‘clean out the attic and watch the money roll in’ site.
  3. NeighborGoods.net Need a chainsaw? Chances are, your neighbor down the street has one, and maybe he’s looking for a pressure washer (you’ve got one). NeighborGoods connects you, leaving you both with the double warm fuzzy of saving the cost of buying a chainsaw you only need for a day and helping out the earth by lowering your consumption. Win-win.
  4. Thredup.com Moms love to shop for baby clothes, despite the fact that kids grow like weeds and might wear a shirt twice before outgrowing it. Handing down kids clothes is a rite of passage in some families, but others simply don’t have the network. Enter Thredup.com — this share-based company will buy back kids’ clothes, giving you credits to buy other like-new outfits on their site. That’s what I call a ‘fair trade.’
  5. SharedEarth.com Everyone loves the idea of a garden, but most of us only get that far. It’s a lot of sweaty, knee-busting dirty work, day after day, to harvest your own veggies. Of course, it’s highly rewarding, but why not let someone else do it for you? Or maybe you are that someone else, but you live in an apartment and don’t have a yard. SharedEarth links you up. Grow a garden in someone else’s yard, give them a share, and make everyone’s happy.

Dig into that This Startup America infographic graphic and you’ll find even more ideas, from hiring yourself out for odd jobs to leasing your spare bedroom. The concepts make sense, and the successful ones integrate social media like Facebook so you can background check people before meeting up (or inviting them into your home). When it comes right down to it, there’s not much difference in renting out your video game collection and setting up a lemonade stand on the corner. It’s entrepreneurship at its very core, and it’s a positive sign that the federal government recognizes and encourages that.

Christopher Wallace, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Amsterdam Printing, has more than 20 years experience in sales and marketing. At Amsterdam Printing, a leading provider of logo
pens and other promotional items such as imprinted apparel and customized calendars, Christopher is focused on providing quality marketing materials to small, mid-size and large businesses. He regularly contributes to Promo & Marketing Wall blog.

3 Highly Specialized Products for Niche Markets

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 12:50 PM PDT

Finding your niche can be life changing. It can transform your failing restaurant into a bustling microbrewery, your boring band into a chart-topping hit machine, and even your debts into profits. Many business owners make the mistake of trying to market their product to absolutely everyone when they should really be tapping into a high-demand niche market instead. Finding that focus could be the exact thing you need to separate your brand from the crowd. Need a little niche-finding inspiration? Check out the highly specialized and successful products below.

Lefties

When the Competition Goes Right, Go Left – Did you know that lefties die, on average, nine years earlier than their right-handed counterparts? Why? The jury’s still out on that one, but it could have something to do with all the right-biased products out there. After all, a lifetime of smeared ink and finger calluses doesn’t do much for blood pressure levels.

Luckily for lefties, more and more marketers are beginning to offer products designed with left-handers in mind. In fact, Lefties in San Francisco sells products specifically designed so that left-handed people won’t feel … left out. Whether you’re looking for sewing sets or pink guitars, you’ll find a left-centric version at Lefties. It’s an enormous niche market.

Wordstation

Three Times the Fashion Fun – If you’re the parent of triplets, you never buy just one of anything. So what do you do about baby clothes? You either luck out and find the same design in three different colors or you dress each baby in identical outfits. Thankfully, the designers at one baby clothing company have come up with a solution.

Naomi Catalina, co-founder of Wordsation, says, “We offer several collections of designer baby onesies, and they all come with three unique variations on a theme. These collections are the perfect way keep your triplets looking their best while highlighting their individuality at the same time.” Wordsation clothing is for individual babies too, but notice how sometimes a few marketing tweaks is all it really takes to draw in a totally different crowd. The stroke of insight is, more often than not, the realization that such a niche exists.

Bardsbear

A Breakthrough Brew – Over two million people in the U.S. suffer from celiac disease. That’s two million people who can’t consume gluten, a common ingredient found in everything from cereal to salad dressing – and yes, even beer. It threatens the very idea of America to think that until recently, millions of citizens were denied the joy of a frat-house power hour or the simple enjoyment of a cold one during the Super Bowl.

For celiac sufferers, those days of social exclusion are now over. Gluten-free brews are popping up all over recently, and Bard’s Beer is one of the best-known. Their sorghum beer allows millions of celiac sufferers to play flip-cup or battle it out at beer pong (or you know, drink slowly like mature adults). But whatever the drinking style, one thing is clear – Bard’s made a name for themselves by satisfying the needs of a true niche market. And because their product is cold, delicious beer, they top this list of the top niche prospectors in America today.

There’s a lesson to be learned from these niche-cornering products. When your brand is struggling to find its footing, unfocused marketing could be to blame. If your product already exists, identify your real niche. If your company is just getting started or if you can branch out a bit, look at your options. Specialize in cosplay costumes for dogs instead of boring sweaters. Create a new line of three-person sleeping bags. Design an entire fashion line that makes it easy for color-blind fashionistas to coordinate their clothes. Do what you need to do to separate yourself from the pack. When you do, you’ll find your place in the market, and you’ll make it easier for your consumers to find you.

Frozen Beer Foam

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 11:42 AM PDT

Frozen Beer Foam

According to the Beer Street Journal, a Japanese brewer will be adding a frozen draft beer to its lineup soon:

The beer itself isn't frozen, the head of it is. Kirin has developed a special tap that will chill/freeze the head of the beer at 23 degrees Fahrenheit. The frozen part acts a lid to keep the beer cold for up to 30 minutes, and can be eaten as a sorbet. Ichiban Shibori frozen beer will be available in close to 1,000 restaurants in Asia by the end of the year.

The foam machine seen in the video below produces the head by a method called "Frozen Agitation." Air is blown into the beer to fluff up the head, and then flash chilled. It's dispensed much like soft serve ice cream.

Video below.

Walmart’s Get On the Shelf Finalists

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 11:27 AM PDT

Get on the Shelf Contest April 5, 2012

Walmart today announced that 10 finalists have been selected after the first round of public voting for it s Get on the Shelf contest. Over 4,000 inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses f rom across the country submitted products into the contest and more than on e million votes were cast in a tight race where the American public voted f or items they would like to see carried by Walmart. Products, ranging from household to fashion and green items, are now one step closer to gett ing on the shelf at Walmart. The three winning products will have the opportunity to be sold on Walmart.com and the Grand Prize winner will get the chance to be carried in select U.S. Walmart stores after the final round of voting is completed at the en d of the month.

Here are the 10 finalists listed in alphabetical order:

Bios Clinical Acne System is an acne system that uses topical probiotics to treat adolescent and adult acne.

Humankind Water gives 100 percent of its net profits to provide clean drinking water for some of the one billion people in this world dying without it.

Mr. Spritz Mysterious Shirts are entertaining t-shirts containing hidden images that appear when the garment gets wet and disappear when dry.

Plate Topper transforms dinner plates into airtight foo d storage containers to save meals, leftovers and snacks. They are dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe and 100 percent BPA-free.

Sol a-Bag Forever Carry Refrigerator is a lunch bag that stays cold forever by generating energy from solar power and indoor lighting.

Soleeze Spring Loaded Insoles are spring-loaded insoles and shock absorbers that fit into any shoe or boot and last for years.

SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit is an easy way to fix your sunglasses or eyeglasses in 30 seconds.

SUSIE Magazine is a bimonthly Christian print magazine and online sisterhood for teen girls promoting healthy relationships, good role models and positive self-image.

Veterans Farm Datil Pepper Salt is a datil-infused kosher salt created at a Veterans Farm, where disabled combat veterans are taught farm skills to help them overcome physical and mental barriers and get jobs.

We the People Bracelet features silver sterling beads with ingrained detailed descriptions of the Amendments to the Bill of Rights.

“The top 10 finalists represent the smart and inspirational products that Walmart customers want to see on the shelf online and in their local stores,” said Chris Bolte, vice president of @WalmartLabs. “We have been inspired by the creativity and passion of the contestants as they promote th eir products through traditional media, social marketing and personal networks. We look forward to the next round of voting where the winners wi ll be decided by the American public.”

Get on the Shelf, the first contest of its kind from a major retailer, will start its final round of voting April 11 through midnight on April 24, after which the top three winners will be announced.

Today in Entrepreneurial History: April 5

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 11:10 AM PDT

Mayflower Harbor

Connecticut Small Biz Program Creating Jobs

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Would something like this work in your state?

The Street:

The Subsidized Training and Employment Program, known as STEP UP, was created during a special legislative session on jobs last October. It provides employers with six-month wage subsidies, up to $20 an hour, and training grants to small manufacturers â€" up to $12,500 over a six-month period. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees are eligible for the program.

Photo by Bart Everson