| Chase and LivingSocial Launch “Mission: Small Business” Grant Program Posted: 08 May 2012 04:30 AM PDT 
BusinessWire: Beginning today through June 30, Chase and LivingSocial invite small business owners who have been in business for at least two years and have less than 100 employees to visit missionsmallbusiness.com to enter the program. Each business will be required to answer questions about why their business is unique, outline a proposed plan for utilizing the grant to grow their business and describe how the business is involved with its community. "Small businesses are invaluable to the growth of our economy, and the 'Mission: Small Business' grant program is designed to provide small businesses with the solutions they need to grow and thrive," said Richard Quigley, president, Business Card, Chase. "The program aims to find innovative small business owners and provide them with the capital to help execute a business plan for growth." Consumers can get involved by clicking the "Support" button at missionsmallbusiness.com and voting for their favorite registered small businesses. For each pledge of support, Chase will add five dollars to the grant pool, up to $3 million, and businesses must receive at least 250 votes to be considered for a grant. The voting period is open from May 7, 2012 through June 30, 2012.
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| QVC Picks Up Inventors Creation For Staying Cool Posted: 08 May 2012 04:00 AM PDT 
The News Star: Wiley Ezell loved umpiring high school baseball in northeastern Louisiana, but after he passed out from the heat on a particularly stifling day, the former Jackson Parish insurance agent was determined to find some relief. Ezell couldn’t find an existing product that suited his needs, so he invented one, the Cool Neck, a flexible cooling neck wrap that reduces the core body temperature. The original Cool Neck led to two more products in Ezell’s Delta Gear company, a heating and cooling vest called The Contender and a heating and cooling neck wrap called The Element. He said the Cool Wrap and other products “have a million different uses. You can wrap it on an injury on the field immediately to prevent swelling. It can bring relief for a headache. There are endless uses.”
Photo by Michael Nottebrock 
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| Google’s Self-Driving Car License Approved In Nevada Posted: 08 May 2012 03:30 AM PDT Nevada has taken some giant steps in creating the car of the future recently. They have approved a way to license the car within the state. The license plate that will be used to officially designate the autonomous vehicle will have a red background, with an infinity symbol on the left-hand side. “I felt using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the ‘car of the future,’” the Department of Motor Vehicles’ director Bruce Breslow said in a statement. “The unique red plate will be easily recognized by the public and law enforcement and will be used only for licensed autonomous test vehicles. When there comes a time that vehicle manufactures market autonomous vehicles to the public, that infinity symbol will appear on a green license plate.”
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| Today in Entrepreneurial History: May 8 Posted: 07 May 2012 08:47 PM PDT 
On this date in 1886, pharmacist John Styth Pemberton first sold a carbonated beverage named Coca-Cola as a patent medicine. If you’ve been paying attention, Pemberton first brewed up a batch of Coca-Cola in his backyard on March 29, 1886. That’s 39 days. To read more about the history of Coca Cola, I recommend For God, Country, and Coca-Cola by Mark Pendergrast. For God, Country and Coca-Cola is the unauthorized history of the great American soft drink and the company that makes it. From its origins as a patent medicine in Reconstruction Atlanta through its rise as the dominant consumer beverage of the American century, the story of Coke is as unique, tasty, and effervescent as the drink itself. With vivid portraits of the entrepreneurs who founded the company-and of the colorful cast of hustlers, swindlers, ad men, and con men who have made Coca-Cola the most recognized trademark in the world-this is business history at its best: in fact, “The Real Thing.” 
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| Other Business Blogs? Posted: 07 May 2012 12:13 PM PDT A reader wrote: Dane, can you recommend any other good blogs to read? Thanks for that suggestion. Instead of just posting a list in response to your questions, I’m going to start a short interview series with as many small biz bloggers as I can locate. If you’re one, contact me and I’ll profile you. My first profile is posted here. 
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| Biz Blogger: Matthew Toren Posted: 07 May 2012 12:12 PM PDT |
| Entrepreneur Brings Kati Roll to US Posted: 07 May 2012 11:18 AM PDT 
A kati roll is an indian street-food. The Kati Roll Company first opened in a small store located in NYC's eclectic Greenwich Village. With cash raised through her own savings and borrowed from family, Payal Saha made and served a simple 11-roll menu. Taking a risk with a new version of Indian cuisine and not knowing how it would be received, Saha simply thought, "When I first moved to the US, I missed the street foods of my hometown Kolkata (Calcutta). I thought that if I missed it so much, other people must, too." With that firm belief in her product coupled with a creative approach to its presentation, Saha opened her business in 2002. Without any formal training in business or in running a restaurant, Saha learned "on the job," knowing full well that failure was just not an option for a newly arrived immigrant. Word spread about the fresh and authentic fare and soon her location had long lines of customers waiting to eat her food. Saha was the first restaurateur to officially bring kati rolls to the US with the flagship Greenwich Village location, facing the dual challenge of introducing customers to this Indian food category and growing a dynamic, high quality business in the highly competitive New York City market. Soon, kati rolls were showing up on the menus of Indian restaurants throughout the country. A second and larger midtown location of The Kati Roll Company followed in 2005, a London location opened in 2007 and a fourth location just launched in March 2012 on Manhattan's east side. Today, all locations still serve the same basic menu, and the lines of loyal patrons have become an accepted part of the TKRC experience. 
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| A Worldwide Travel Scavenger Hunt Posted: 07 May 2012 10:41 AM PDT 
Rambler is a worldwide scavenger hunt for travelers, by travelers. Find the coolest things to do in countries across the globe, earn points by completing quests and create unforgettable experiences. A reader suggested the site this morning and added his own unique idea: If I were already planning a trip to one of the destinations, playing the game would be a fun distraction but I’m not sure if points alone would be enough to encourage me to travel to a destination and partake in some of the posted activities. But there may be an expandable idea here to encourage travel to different destinations via game play like this. Create a “travelers game” of some sort with similar types of activities and get local businesses from the different destinations involved to offer discounts and perks to travelers to their location. There’s an excellent kernel of an idea here. Who’s going to run with it? 
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| Purses from Old Boots Posted: 07 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT 
Seems that today, you almost resell anything if you turn something old into something chic: Three retired sisters have found a way to give old boots new life by turning them into stylish purses of all shapes and sizes. Gayle Maloney, Debra Fink and Vicki Mabery say they’ve been avid readers of a national magazine called Mary Janes Farm for years. When they saw an idea in the magazine to make old boots into a new purse they decided to give it a try. “My husband had an old pair of boots 20 years ago and he was throwing them out and I thought what a shame because the tops are so beautiful,” Gayle said. “If only we could find something to do with them. When I saw the article in there I called up Deb and asked if she had seen the article and she said ‘I think we could do that.’ So we got together and started making a few and sold them to friends and made a few more and sold them to friends.” 
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| Pet Shop Profits from Window Shoppers Posted: 07 May 2012 10:11 AM PDT 
When I was a kid, we’d often stop in at the local pet store just to see the new puppies and kittens that they had in stock. We never had any intention of purchasing anything, and I’m sure we’re weren’t alone. Now, a pet store owner in Beaufort, South Carolina has figured out how to profit from all of the families that bring their small children into her pet store just to look at the animals. Cindy Gahan has opened Cindy’s Pet Paradise, a combination pet store, petting zoo and education center, at 522 Parris Island Gateway. She sells all-day passes for $1 each, a price set to allow large families and people on budgets to visit, Gahan said. Visitors can spend an entire day learning about and caring for animals. She has used her savings to support the shop and zoo and relies on volunteers to help care for the animals and maintain the facilities. Her “zoo” doesn’t just include dogs and cats though: Her zoo includes fish, hedgehogs, chinchillas, donkeys, chickens, parrots, reptiles, goats and rabbits. Children can collect eggs from the free-range chickens and catch fish with nets and release them. 
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| Making Sauerkraut the Old Fashioned Way Posted: 07 May 2012 09:58 AM PDT 
Tom Forrest, a former policeman, and owner of Wills Valley & Forrest Acre Farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania makes sauerkraut, the old fashioned way: “There’s not a whole lot of equipment that we use,” he explains of Wills Valley, his minimalist organic vegetable fermentation production. “We’re taking [the product] right out of the crock, putting it in a jar and putting a lid on it.” Raw food fermentation, the art of processing using microorganisms, preserves fresh vegetables, dairy, and dried meats by enabling healthful bacterial strands and yeasts to break down food in the absence of oxygen. This process alters flavor and texture while increasing the available nutrient content. The aging process can take weeks – in some cases months – giving craft foods like cheeses, beer and chocolate distinct and subtle flavors. Acquiring an old-fashioned fermentation practice proved to be a solid business move, but also spoke to Forrest on a gut level. The traditional fermenting method is, in all likelihood, older than fire and is practiced by most native cultures. In recent years, fermentation has been popularized by food activists, including Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions) and Sandor Katz (Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved). 
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| An Alarm to Wake You Up If Your Blood Sugar Drops Overnight Posted: 07 May 2012 09:42 AM PDT 
A reader wrote: I read your blog everyday and for some reason never thought of sending in one of our products. His product is the Nighttime Cold Sweat Alarm. It turns out that one of the symptoms of low blood sugar while sleeping includes perspiration or a drop in skin temp. The Nighttime Cold Sweat Alarm wakes you at the first sign of perspiration or drop in skin temp. Worn on the wrist or ankle, this device both sounds an audible alarm and vibrates to wake those people who experience interrupted sleep due to drenching night sweats. It triggers an alert upon detecting either a drop in skin temperature or the presence of perspiration which is how the body regulates its temperature. Night sweats may be caused from a variety of factors. Your physician should always be consulted in cases of persistent night sweats. Other than the purchase price, there are no on-going costs to run the monitor other than changing the batteries every six to twelve months. Not being hypoglycemic, I had no idea anything like this existed. Good to know. If your company makes something interesting, or provides a unique service, let me know — I’m always on the lookout for good ideas. 
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| Drive A Tank Posted: 07 May 2012 09:31 AM PDT 
Were you in the military and miss the hum and dust of the armored divisions as they rolled past on the battlefield? Do you like to destroy things? Dive A Tank offers you the opportunity to experience both. Rides in the tank start at $399 and go all the way up to $749 for the opportunity to crush two cars! 
Their biggest purchaser? Women. Many of our inquiries come from women. Wives, mothers & girl friends who want to give the man in their life a gift he will always remember. Many people would like to celebrate a milestone birthday or wedding anniversary. We have also had veterans bring family members because they wanted to share. Don’t worry about accidentally firing off the big gun. All of their tanks have been “de-milled.” All of the parts responsible for firing have been removed from the tanks. Not all of their rides just involve driving through mud and over cars. Sometimes participants can get creative: A company in Kasota, Minn., took home demolition to the next level when they used a tank to raze an abandoned house. The 150-year-old home had been slated for demolition on Monday, but the owners decided to spice things up and called in a British FV432 armored personnel carrier owned by Drive-A-Tank. The local company typically caters to individuals interested in military tank driving and car crush adventures. 
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| BedBug Chasers Now Franchising Posted: 07 May 2012 09:05 AM PDT 
BedBug Chasers provides a 100% green and chemical free system for eliminating bedbugs using heat. According to a press release they just sent over, they’re franchising. Franchise info is here. BedBug Chasers, a World Class provider of heat remediation services and manufacturer of US made bed bug heat remediation equipment is franchising its service business. The business features a low entry cost, is a 100% chemical free and Green enterprise, and will be offered through the BedBug Chaser Franchise Corporation. The cornerstones of this booming franchise program features exclusive access to the patented BedBug Chaser heaters, the BedBug Chasers nationwide rental fleet and training on the BedBug Chasers propriety process. The BedBug Chaser heaters have proven to show a higher ROI than other brands on the market by substantially decreasing treatment times and the ability to heat a larger square foot area per heater. More of the release after the jump.
Outbreaks of bed bug infestations have been sweeping across the United States for the past 5 years in epidemic proportions. Bed bugs have gotten so out of control that the 111th Congress introduced bill H.R.2248 — Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was tasked to investigate the public health implications of bed bugs on lodging and housing. That study centered around the impacts on mental health from bed bugs, their potential for spreading infectious disease, and their contributing to other diseases such as asthma. All studies thus far have agreed that "heat" is one of, if not the safest and most effective way to kill all stages of bed bugs including nymphs and eggs. This further reinforces the time is now for a business like BedBug Chasers to franchise. In recent times, the media has reported on stories about "super chemical resistant" bed bugs and the dangers that many chemicals pose to people who are exposed to them. BedBug Chasers has researched and developed an eco-friendly and cost effective way to put an end to these chemical resistant bed bug infestations and is making that solution available through its franchise program. We caught up with VP of Operations Larry Smith to discuss the franchise offering, "BedBug Chasers is the only complete franchised business system to kill bed bugs on premises with 100% chemical free Green electric heat remediation. No other company has all the pieces that we have; manufacturing, proprietary equipment, continued product development and scalability through our rental network. This puts us on Top and in a position to soon be the largest bed bug killing business in the US. Our ROI and Cost per kW is such that BedBug Chasers franchisees can compete dollar for dollar with a properly done chemical treatment, which we all know does not always work. BUT our heat does, every time. BedBug Chasers will become a top rated franchise in a very short time frame because you don't have to be an exterminator to do this. In many states there is no special license required so this is the perfect opportunity for returning Veterans, middle management caught up in downsizing or tradesman looking to become entrepreneurs!" Photo by Medill DC. 
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| Love Meal Time on Airplanes? There’s a Restaurant for That Posted: 07 May 2012 08:56 AM PDT 
Taipei Times: It's noon in Taipei, 5am in Paris and midnight in New York as I take my seat in economy class. The seatbelt and no smoking lights have been switched on and the monitor on the wall shows a plane taking off. A "stewardess" comes over to take my order. A380 In-Flight Kitchen is named after the largest passenger airliner in the world. The restaurant looks and functions much like the Airbus it's named after — though it only has one floor. Video below. 
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| Mouth Spray that Instantly Intoxicates Posted: 07 May 2012 08:42 AM PDT 
Medical Daily: Scientists have created a mouth spray that can instantaneously intoxicate a person for a few seconds without the harmful effects of alcohol. One spray from the “WAHH Quantum Sensations” device is a small lip-stick sized aerosol can is enough for “a few seconds of intoxication,” according to its makers, French designer Philippe Starck and American scientist David Edwards. One spray amounts to 0.075ml of alcohol, the minimum quantity of micro-particles, delivered via aerosol, needed to trick the brain into feeling drunk. According to the company, the boozy feeling only lasts a few seconds. As a novelty gift, especially for risque events like adult product parties or bachelorette parties this could be a big seller. Photo by stryjek/ShutterStock. 
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| He Registered 14 Thousand Domains in 24 Hours! Posted: 07 May 2012 08:18 AM PDT 
CNet: The next time you find yourself pounding your keyboard in frustration because the domain name you want is already taken, direct your ire toward Mike Mann. Mann is one of the longest members of the clubby world of domain speculators, and he’s buying up names in force these days. And not all on the aftermarket, as some others do. But new names. Dot-com names that aren’t registered — even though. 100 million-plus already are — that he then turns around and sells for a few hundred bucks, sometimes far more. And this week, in a span that lasted less than 24 hours across Tuesday and Wednesday, Mann snapped up 14,962 domains — 1,822 starting Tuesday evening and the rest on Wednesday. 14k domains * $15 = $210,000! Wow! 
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| Read How I Accidentally Became a Professional Blogger Posted: 07 May 2012 08:08 AM PDT About a year ago, I wrote a brief look at how I accidentally became a professional blogger. If you haven’t read it, take a look. This is the story of how I accidentally became a professional blogger and started Dane Carlson's Business Opportunities Weblog. This tale has been a long time coming, because it's not really something I ever wanted to share. I was always afraid that if I told my startup story I'd just create more competition for myself and everyone would find out how I fell into my business without any planning or foresight. But, I've been at this for a nearly a decade and have pointed to and written about thousands of other entrepreneurs and their startup stories. If it was all right for me to share their startup experiences, it's now my turn to share mine. I just hope that my experiences and foibles will be helpful to others. 
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| Today in Entrepreneurial History: May 7 Posted: 07 May 2012 06:28 AM PDT 
On this day in 1909, American inventor Edwin Land was born. He’s best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. 
The inventions of Edwin Land made Polaroid a great company — and later accelerated its decline. Insisting on the Impossible, written by former New York Times reporter Victor K. McElheny, tells the story of one of the early giants in photographic technology. McElheny follows Land’s career from before the founding of Polaroid in 1937 through the release of the landmark SX-70 camera in the early ’70s. Land invented instant photography and turned his company into a tremendous success and a Wall Street darling in the ’60s and ’70s. Land was a bulldog about patents—he trails only Thomas Edison in number of patents he received (535). But while the protection of the U.S. patent system helped Polaroid fend off attacks by its chief nemesis, Kodak, they couldn’t shield Land from his own shortcomings. Land tended to lose track of business costs and he sometimes took criticism too personally. And he disdained market research. McElheny writes that Land’s business philosophy boiled down to “making things that people didn’t know they wanted until they were available.” One of Land’s final inventions—instant movies—loaded Polaroid with debt and sped his departure from the company he founded. Unlike instant photography, nobody wanted “Polavision.” It lacked sound and the film was too short. It was soon overwhelmed by the more popular and practical videocassette tape. Land’s instant photography also fell out of favor. It couldn’t compete with Kodak Instamatics, improved 35mm cameras, and fully automatic digital cameras. Land, who died in 1991, was bitter by the time he left Polaroid. He sold all his stock and refused to show up at the company’s 50th-anniversary celebration in 1987. His inventions seemed like ancient history. Maybe that’s a lesson for today’s technology hotshots. 
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