Lisa sold motorcycle helmets and accessories for her family-owned powersports business. In 2011, she decided to branch out and open her own store, called Xtreme Helmets. Xtreme Helmets specializes in providing quality and affordable motorcycle helmets and accessories. They boast…
A big part of what makes a great entrepreneur is vision—being able to see what others can’t, especially when it comes to your product or service. Vision was the difference between the McDonald brothers and Ray Kroc. By 1954, Richard…
This week’s spotlight is on a small business called “The Mortgage Institute”, also known as “L’Institut Hypothécaire” in French. President and CEO, Anthony Melatti, started his company in 2011, after identifying an unmet need in training and preparing mortgage brokers…
Every day we meet customers who use the Logomaker tool to create outstanding logos to help them market their businesses. Here’s a customer we met just this week. In 1995, Brian bought into a franchise selling onsite furniture repair and…
We ran across a short article a week or so ago called “7 Signs You’re Not Entrepreneur Material.” If you’re thinking of starting a business, stop what you’re doing and read it. A lot of people have a glamorous idea…
As the founder of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher did something no other person in the airline industry could do—grew an airline from nothing to more than 3500 flights a day, and turning a profit every single year since 1972. He’s…
Anita Roddick wasn’t just a visionary entrepreneur, she was a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, an activist, and a story-teller. Every one of her products had a story about its natural ingredients, recycled materials, and high-quality…
It’s tough to pick the hardest part of starting a business. Is it fund-raising? Is it attracting customers? Is it coming up with a great business idea? None of the above. The biggest challenge for small business owners is getting…
Sara Blakely started her first business just out of high school—a kid’s club at the local Hilton charging $8 to babysit a child while parents sat in the sun tanning. She wanted to go to law school, but when she…
Jason Fried is the co-founder and President of the software company, 37Signals, which makes web-based applications like Basecamp and Highrise. He is also the coauthor of several books, including Getting Real: The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Successful…
