Business Idea: Zuca

http://www.zuca.com/video/index.php

Kim Babjak: from McDonald’s to a millionaire

more on kim babjak’s success: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_8_33/ai_n15681426/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

Business idea: Hot picks guitar picks

Rags to Riches: Alan Corey

website: http://www.alancorey.com/

Business Idea: Michelle’s Syrup

 michelle’s website: http://www.michelefoods.com/store.html

Business Idea: MadPackers

CHICAGO – Somewhere along the way, college life has gotten a whole lot more posh.

On a number of campuses, students are able to hire personal maids to clean and do their laundry. They pay moving crews to pack and transport their stuff — plasma TVs and other high-end electronics included. And they’re living large in housing that looks like anything but a dorm.

“You know it’s good when your parents walk in the room and say ’Can I live here?”’ says Niki Pochopien, a 21-year-old senior who just moved into swanky new living quarters for students at DePaul University in Chicago.

Known as Loft-Right, the mod-looking structure has all the amenities: expansive city views, granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, modern designer furniture and satellite TV hookups. The lobby lounge — like something out of a hip hotel — has a pool table and fireplace, and soon will have a Starbucks and tanning and hair salons next door.

Living at a place like this isn’t cheap.

Students at Loft-Right each pay more than $1,000 a month for a private bedroom in a two- or four-bedroom unit, with bathrooms shared by no more than two people.

Grown-up vision
“It dovetails with their vision of what it is to be a grown-up,” says Robert Bronstein, a student housing consultant and president of the Scion Group, which manages the building and university-affiliated residences in other states.

Upscale housing and other perks also fit with some parents’ expectations, especially those whose children attend the priciest private schools.

“It makes the $40,000 tuition worth it,” says Brian Altomare, the 25-year-old president and founder of Madpackers, a Manhattan-based moving company for students.

This fall, his company added one-off limousine rides so student customers can arrive at school “like a rock star.” The company also plans to offer grocery delivery and cleaning and laundry services — something other companies, such as Valet Today and DormAid, already do.

At East Coast schools, DormAid charges $60 for a two-hour room clean and about $40 to wash and fold three bags of laundry. Madpackers’ rates start at $289 for an in-state move, with extra charges for packing services and supplies and the limo trips.

A different world
Students who take advantage of the perks tend to shrug off comments from college alumni who scoff at the pampering they never had.

“Going to school today and living as a young adult in this world is completely different than when they grew up. What could be looked at as spoiled for them, is not necessarily spoiled for us,” says Josh Hoffman, a 19-year-old sophomore in New York University’s jazz performance program. He took a Madpackers limousine to school this semester.

“I just feel like we have so much, with technology and computers. We have everything at our hands,” he says. “It’s just a matter of choosing.”

Many students say housing amenities, in particular, play a big role when deciding which school to attend.

That worries some education watchdogs, who believe the focus on living the good life is driving up the already burdensome cost of college — and causing some students to ask for more grants and rack up more debt than they normally would.

What’s wrong with communal life?
“Students and school employees are living in increasing luxury while taxpayers are getting soaked,” says Neal McCluskey, a policy analyst for the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

Still others think there’s something to be said for basic communal living, especially for underclassmen.

“The traditional college dormitory with two students to a room and a bathroom and common room down the hall is a pretty good way of getting students out of their rooms and away from their computers,” says Tom Kepple, president of Juniata College, a liberal arts school in Huntingdon, Pa. “In this environment, it’s pretty hard to avoid getting to know your fellow students and how to live in a community.”

Some students agree. “It’s a crash course in conflict resolution,” says Renita Young, a 20-year-old senior at DePaul who started off in a cramped dorm and only recently moved to Loft-Right. She feels she’s earned the perk.

source material: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14836425/page/2/

Million Dollars Business Idea

Rags to riches: Ryan Blair

Ryan Blair grew up in an environment all too familiar within today’s American society. As a child, Blair was the product of an appalling upbringing. Abandoned, neglected, and abused, his story of triumph over tragedy, to become a highly successful entrepreneur and industry visionary, inspires his audience to overcome life’s struggles, living the American dream of financial and emotional independence. In his upcoming memoirs “Uniting Minds” (Spring 2005), Blair describes his early suburban childhood as content and worriless. But at the age of 11 his environment changed and his whole world was flipped upside due to his drug and alcohol addicted parents. Blair’s story shares the emotional lows of a young boy who had it all, and then had it all taken away being forced to live in poverty and on his own. “Uniting Minds” details his first fifty memories as the most terrible experiences a young boy could endure ranging from his mother’s attempted suicide to later rescuing his mother from his fathers attempt to murder her. However, Blair did not let this adversity hold him down for long. Blair takes the reader on a mind numbing journey through the dark area of his past into the brightness of the present. By 22, Blair overcame great obstacles to live a life that far exceed his wildest dreams.

As a result of Blair’s early childhood he adapted some poor behaviors and beliefs about life. By the time he was a young adult his path was headed in the wrong direction, he had been kicked out of high school, couldn’t read beyond a remedial level and considered by many to be a rebellious troublemaker. By his own admission he was a single decision away from prison or death. For a period of time, Blair’s future did not seem promising. However, a mentor intervened and rescued him from his disempowering beliefs and poverty stricken environment. Blair’s mentor saw in him something that no one else previously had; he saw potential. His mentor began working with him, helping him set and achieve his goals, creating empowering beliefs and developing the self confidence necessary to pursue a career as an entrepreneur. Leveraging his new found attitude, at 21 years old Blair founded 24×7 Tech, his first startup, applying his street smarts and natural ability to lead people he grew the company to over $1MM in sales within just 12 months. By the end of his second year as an entrepreneur he successfully sold his interest in the company and achieved his first independence event. Yet, he wanted more, so he risked everything and in July of 2001, he founded his second venture, SkyPipeline. This time Blair wanted to test his capabilities and take his game to the “next level.” He wanted to prove that he could build an industry pioneering wireless communications company. To do so he would need to raise millions of dollars and that’s exactly what he did. In his book he describes the process that he used to convince the greatest venture capitalist in the world to back him. With just a few months of fundraising in the most difficult money raising economy ever, (just after September 11th 2001), Blair raised millions in venture capital and began his mentorship under one of the venture industries’ greatest capitalists of all time. Under Blair’s visionary leadership, SkyPipeline became the fastest growing most profitable Wireless Broadband Communications Company in the USA and was named the 29th fastest growing company in Southern California. In March, 2004 less than three years after founding the company, SkyPipeline was acquired by Nextweb in a $25,000,000 transaction.

Blair was recently named to the Business Times “Forty under Forty” and “Who’s Who in Tech & Telecom Enterprises”. He has been published and featured in many prestigious publications and news services such as the LA Times, Daily News, MSNBC, and CNBC.

Blair has conducted hundreds of lectures and seminars to leading corporations, universities, colleges, high schools, youth organizations and conferences. In addition to writing and speaking, he is an executive producer for his upcoming documentary about the start of his 3rd company PathConnect.

Blair’s upcoming media engagements include an interview on the October 4th award wining television show “Voices of Tomorrow” he will also be a guest host on the 4th season kickoff show of KidsTalk TV and has several upcoming interviews in national newspapers and magazines.

Ryan is on the board of directors of the Los Angles based KidsTalk Foundation and is an executive producer for the foundation’s award wining television show KidsTalk. KidsTalk is an educational TV talk show designed to provide an intelligent alternative for youth to voice their opinions in family TV programming. The show has garnered ten Telly Awards, bringing the total number of accolades the show has received to 45 awards across the USA.

Blair is an expert speaker in several key areas that include: Inspiration, Influence, Leadership, Overcoming Obstacles, Becoming Successful, Becoming an Entrepreneur, Raising Venture Capital, Goal Setting, Sales & Marketing, and Technology and Communications. Having experience in a variety of subjects, one of his key abilities is to customize a speech or a workshop to fit his audience’s specific needs.

A partial client list includes: MIT Entrepreneurial Forum, World Broadband Wireless Forum 2002 & 2003 Keynotes, Wireless Communications Association Keynote, Pepperdine University, California State Northridge University/School of Education, Westlake Village High School, Thousand Oaks High School, Newbury Park High School, Conejo Valley High School, Remax, Century 21, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, Xircom, Intel, Ambertel, Del Rey Laser, CalNet Technologies, Tri-Core Securities and many more.

Blair’s most popular speech is the true story of a boy born into a violently abusive, drug addicted family. This sad tale does not end in tragedy however. It rises above the situations to show how a challenge can turn into the foundation for major success. Blair inspires people (both young and old) to leverage the challenges and obstacles of life to become successful. He sets an example of how he overcame his personal obstacles himself. Having reached a high-level of success at such a young age, Blair’s story is an example of how a person can go from rags to riches in just a few years with the right tools and attitude.

His personality is passionate and inspiring. His speaking style is humorous and easy to identify with, creating a feeling of comfort and connection with his audience. He awakens people to the simple formula he discovered to be successful. Set goals, create empowering beliefs, focus and get the right mentors behind you. You will be amazed at the emotional journey that Blair will take you on, in merely an hour this empowering story of triumph encourages all to think of themselves and their mistakes not as a negative but rather as an advantage in life.

Source material: http://www.happytalk.org/ryanblair.html