Weekend Entrepreneur:

For Denee Forbes, an unforeseen challenge paved the way for a new mommy-friendly venture that she launched without borrowing a cent. “Women are great multitaskers, and there are so many things in business that can be done from home these days,” said Forbes.

Realizing that as her bump grew, her favorite stainless steel navel ring might be risky, she began exploring her options. Forbes was already aware of the potential harm associated with a navel piercing in pregnant women. She said, “It pretty much starts cutting through your skin. Some people do make it through the ninth month if they don’t get big, but they’re usually bleeding and in a ton of pain.”

Forbes couldn’t find any safe solutions when she checked out websites, maternity boutiques and piercing shops. But before long, she stumbled across an answer that came in the shape of a nontoxic flexible tubing that was already enjoying multiple uses. It is uncanny that the same tubing doctors relied on for open-heart surgery was popular with body artists wanting to create raised circles just beneath the surface of their skin.

Ingenuity and creativity were soaring the day Forbes used a piece of the bendable tubing and two end balls to cap the openings of her first custom made navel ring. She knew that she was on to something unique when her invention lasted throughout her pregnancy. This was the first step for her business, Pregnancy Piercings. Today she sells 14-gauge, 2-inch barbells that can be cut to size. They come in nine colors, including pink and blue for those who know what sex their baby will be.

Having jump-started her biz on eBay, Forbes said, “EBay is a great way to start a business; even a ‘crazy’ idea like Pregnancy Piercings got noticed there. I started out selling one a week just to see if anyone else might want to keep their navel ring through pregnancy, like me!”

Forbes, wants to inspire other women to follow in her carefully chosen footsteps: “My plan for the future is to help other moms who quit their day jobs to stay at home with their little ones.” She is the proud mommy of 2 children, her 5 year old daughter was the inspiration for launching Pregnancy Piercings and her son is 10 months old.

I would be remiss if I didn’t send a BIG thank you to my new friend Heather Ledeboer of Mom4Life.com. She introduced me to Denee Forbes and several other people who have inspiring stories. Stay tuned because I promise to share their stories right here in the near future.

Let us know about your entrepreneurial dreams. Your feedback is important to us.

Michelle Anton

Have you been praying for a miracle or wanted to crawl under a rock at the thought of your holiday credit card bills piling up? I just found a website that wants to change that. This is your chance to purge your shopping demons by confessing your holiday excesses to the world. Make it funny, make it sad, make it pathetic–you can even make it bad. Tell the world. Mint will pay the winning contestants’ credit card bills as of December 31.

While checking out mint.com today, I found a pre-announcement for its blog readers. So I wanted to share it with you ASAP. Mint wants you to submit your own story, in video or text, about your 2007 holiday shopping experiences. The best video and text submissions will each win up to $5,000 (and some free credit counseling). You can thank Aaron Patzer, founder and CEO of Mint, for this brilliant contest, which begins Thursday, January 31, at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. March 15th is the deadline for submitting your story.

Even if you aren’t interested in the contest, I urge you to check out the Mint website. It won’t cost you a cent, and it likely will save you money. It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate dealing with money matters. This site is for anyone wanting or needing to manage funds more effectively.

How Mint.com Works

• Mint.com is designed to make managing personal finances effortless.

• It’s free.

• It takes less than five minutes to get started/

• Users register anonymously using only a valid e-mail address, and then securely connect to their online bank, credit union and credit card accounts.

• Mint.com does the rest; users never need to import or sync any data. Mint.com securely downloads transaction data from more than 3,500 financial institutions on a daily basis.

• It applies patent-pending technology and proprietary algorithms to compile and categorize transactions, providing users with a unified view of all account activity with high degree of accuracy and detail in a single, easy-to-understand interface

• An advanced alerting system proactively lets users know about unusual or potentially suspicious activity, low balances, bank fees and charges, and upcoming bills.

• Beyond showing where your money goes, Mint.com also provides specific, individualized suggestions that can save you money.

Safety and Security
Mint provides the same level of online data security as top U.S. banks through a partnership with Yodlee, which has provided online banking services to major financial institutions for nearly 10 years. Mint’s privacy and security policies and systems have been certified by Hackersafe, RSA, TRUSTe and VeriSign. Mint never asks for a personal identity, requiring only a valid e-mail address.

Your comments and replies, as well as compliments and criticisms, are always appreciated. Let us know what you think of weekend.entrepreneur.com. Our goal is to help you.

Concerned parents Mike Pelonzi, 43, and Joe Curran, 42, have gone beyond the typical call of duty to protect their kids. They are the inventors and manufacturers of My Child’s Pack, a backpack that provides on-the-spot protection against guns and knives.

“It was after seeing what happened in Columbine that we started thinking about this. We wanted a way of keeping kids safe at school, and this is what we came up with,� said Pelonzi, co-owner of MJ Safety Solutions.

Since 1999, more than 328 incidents have occurred, leaving 229 dead and 422 injured in school violence alone. That is an average of about 1 per week since the Columbine tragedy. In almost 97 percent of these documented incidents, MJ Safety Solutions believes its backpack could have provided ballistic protection that could have saved lives.

The backpacks have a super-lightweight bulletproof plate sewn into the back, which weighs no more than a bottle of water. According to Pelonzi, the plate material meets National Institute of Justice safety standards and, during a three-year testing phase, stood up to bullets as well as machete, hatchet and ka-bar knife attacks. Proof that father does know best.

I almost forgot to mention, these backpacks are functional, too. There are two high-tech styles and several colors that are perfect for school, work or travel. Both styles have two large main compartments plus a padded computer pocket, as well as aN MP3 player pocket with an earphone outlet. The difference between the two styles? One has a cellphone pocket and an insulated water bottle pocket, the other doesn’t.

This backpack has been featured on America’s Most Wanted. For more information visit the website www.mychildspack.com.

Throwing a party isn’t what it used to be and, in the process, it’s even been spiced up, thanks to Nikki Gilbert. She throws sushi-making parties and provides catering for corporate and private functions.

Although Nikki Gilbert’s ethnic background is Greek-German-Polish-Jewish, she has loved Asian food since the age of 6 and waited tables at a Japanese restaurant while in high school. During college Nikki worked at a sushi bar, where she used to ask the sushi chefs for lessons. “I’d go home and bring in what I made, and they would laugh at me,” she says. With her dream of becoming an entrepreneur and the idea that anyone can enjoy making sushi for themselves, Sushi Girl was born in 1998.

What gives your business an edge?
GILBERT: I like to think of myself as the perfect bridge between the two cultures. Because I am an American/westerner I feel that I have a better understanding of what westerners want to experience in a sushi class and/or party. And because I lived in Japan for many years (and for many years before that worked in authentic Japanese restaurants), I bring authenticity to my clients’ sushi experiences. Furthermore, I really love Japan, its food, its culture and its aesthetic style. With every event, I am sharing the things that I love and the experiences from my life in Japan. Because of that, there is real legitimacy to what I do, and I believe that comes through to my clients.

Describe your transition from employee to business owner?
GILBERT: I stayed with my last full-time job and ran my business as long as humanly possible before I called it quits. Not only did the job give me secure income, it also gave me structure. When I was first on my own not only was I no longer answering to a time clock, I was also without a regular routine. My routine had been to start working on my business anytime I wasn’t at my job or sleeping. Now, with nothing structured, I needed a plan for organizing my new workday. I made the decision that every morning I would get to the gym by 5:30 a.m. to start my day. I would then be in my office by 8 a.m. and ready to work. That really helped me find the structure I needed before it just became a regular and natural routine. I can’t say that I am still getting to the gym every morning, but I am getting to the office.

Who are your role models?
GILBERT: Jackie Robinson, Marcia Israel-Curley and John Wooden.

What is your personal mantra?
GILBERT: Be grateful for what you do have.

What is your business mantra?
GILBERT: Pay attention to the voice in your head and the feeling in your gut.

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream, but don’t feel they have the confidence to move forward?
GILBERT: First, make sure you really understand what your dream is. Some people think their dream is to have their own business when actually they dream of not having to be tied down by a job. I am living my dream but, make no mistake, I am still tied down.

Second, take baby steps. Make sure you are comfortable with generating income out of thin air before you give up that paycheck.

Third (and probably the most important), envision the worst-case scenario and determine that if that were to occur, would you still be glad you took your shot?

Have you always felt that you could do anything you put your mind to?
GILBERT: My mind doesn’t really work that way. It isn’t a matter of knowing I can do something but rather knowing that there is something that I want to do, and so I try. I don’t ever really know what the first step is, but I take one anyway. I then take another step and another and so on. Eventually you take enough steps that you can’t help but make progress and figure something out.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
GILBERT: It was profitable almost immediately because I started out so slowly. Of course the profits were small, but they were profits.

Were there any challenges that you experienced along the way that you had to overcome?
GILBERT: The hardest thing was getting to a point where I actually felt like I had a legitimate business. As a child while some girls played house or had pretend weddings, I played “business owner.â€? When I first started it took a while (a long while) before I could say–without laughing to myself–that I “owned my own businessâ€? to those who asked what I did for a living. You don’t get a diploma or title that is sanctioned by some governing body that tells you that you are a legitimate business owner, so you feel like you are faking it or playing grownup for a while. At least, I felt that way and for a long time.

Another thing that was challenging was not getting a paycheck from someone else. I started working when I was 13, and I come from very financially stable parents who have always taken great comfort in knowing that they got a paycheck every month and plenty of benefits. The day I resigned from my last regular job and knew the only money I would make would have to be created from nothing, I knew I would have some sleepless nights.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
GILBERT: The internet and the 24-hour Kinkos near my home. I can say with utter certainty that I would not have a business if it were not for the internet. Most of what I do comes from hours and hours of research that I do on the internet. As for Kinkos, when I first started out I was constantly there at all hours of the day. When I got hired for my first really important job, I was there at 2 a.m. getting a poster printed. I didn’t have a good printer, but I could design my own poster and take my laptop to Kinkos, where I could hook it up to their top-of-the-line printer. Kinkos allowed me to present my business as professionally as possible without having to go bankrupt. I don’t think people realize how important the internet and print houses likes Kinkos are. They let you compete with the big guys in a way that was not possible 10 years ago.

What’s next?
GILBERT: My DVD. I put everything I know about sushi and Japan together with all the experience I have had teaching thousands of people how to make it for themselves into this DVD. If you want to make sushi for yourself, this is hands-down the best way to learn how to do so. I can say with all certainty that there isn’t a better way to learn how to make sushi.

For more info visit Nikki Gilbert’s website www.thesushigirl.com.

Kika Keith is very familiar with adversity and tough times. She prevailed in the face of being homeless with her two children in tow and a burning desire to create a sustainable future. Somehow, she never lost sight of her dream to market Gorilla Life, which is what she named her green drink made from 100 percent organic alfalfa chlorophyll.

We found out about Keith at a phenomenal kitchen incubator program in Los Angeles called Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe. Keith took a little time out of her hectic schedule to share eight insights she discoverd along the way. My hope is that her story will make your journey a kinder and gentler one.

Gorilla Life has made great strides. It is sold in several trendy Los Angeles health food stores and, recently, a supermarket chain expressed interest in selling Keith’s drink. Kika’s s mom created and named the drink over a decade ago.

What kind of business do you have?
Keith: Gorilla Life is a functional food and beverage company. My inspiration to become an entrepreneur came from several sources. As a 5th grader, I was infused with the principles of business and exchange in school; my parents trudged the road of self-employment; and my grandfather set the example of owning and operating a hotel/club. It’s in my blood!

What is unique about your business that gives it an edge over your competitors?
Keith: In a day and age where children are plagued with obesity and people are dying at earlier years, health/wellness is a major issue. Gorilla Life offers a unique, on-the-go option for the whole family to provide their bodies the necessary nutrients to restore and renew themselves. Gorilla Life’s flagship product is a first-to-market green drink made from 100 percent organic alfalfa chlorophyll. Our competitors offer green drinks that are thick and unappetizing, like wheatgrass. Gorilla Life’s Green Drink is a delicious and refreshing clear green beverage that builds the blood naturally, removes toxins and acts as a nutritional aid for the immune system. It is a food, cleanser, energizer and healer all in one.

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Keith: I had to change my mindset before the door to success could be opened. The number-one thing I had to do was focus. In the past, I would move from one project to the next or think that I was good at multi-tasking because I was good at everything, but I completed nothing! Once I removed all of the good intentions out of my mind and life, the doors opened.

Can other individuals reproduce your business model?
Keith: Absolutely! We met an owner of a beverage company, and he told us it was imperative that we read Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It and From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Gourmet Food Specialty. We left the meeting and went right to the bookstore. We adopted Gerber’s philosophies and began to structure Gorilla Life (www.gorillalife.com) into a Franchise Prototype model. This was such a simple concept. The business needs to be run in such a way as it would be a model for five thousand other businesses just like it.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
Keith: I joined a wonderful program at SBA Women’s Business Center/PACE Business Development Center that has utilized the fact that I am a woman in business to provide invaluable technical assistance as well as grants.

We have read books, taken classes, been involved in business seminars but the most helpful resource has been the people. We have consulted with other entrepreneurs along the way and have tapped into their experiences in business. It is all the same path; the only difference is the product that we each offer.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product to get sales?
Keith: Direct contact with the customer has proven to be our most effective means to marketing the drink. From farmer’s markets where we directly interface with hundreds of people and give out 500 samples in a day to in-store demonstrations–once people taste the drink, we get the sale.

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but don’t have the confidence or feel they don’t have what it takes to succeed?
Keith: Feel good! Once you feel good about yourself, you can believe that you have the ability to do anything–that nothing is impossible. Whatever your dream is, believe. All you have to do is be confident enough to know that you have everything to gain and nothing to fear! Just do it. Trust in God and have faith.

Please share your story, questions and comments. We are here to support and celebrate your dream. Check back to hear other exciting stories. We will tell you more about the kitchen incubator program at Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe soon. In the meantime, you can read about Sandi Romero, the owner of Mama’s Hot Tamales, in the November 2007 issue of People en Espanol.

QUOTE: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty,” by Winston Churchill.

Like most blushing brides Kristin Bowen didn’t have a crystal ball to predict the future. Eventually, her get rich slow wedding creations appeared on HGTV, the Food Network and Oprah Magazine selected it for the “O List” in the August 2006 issue.

The self-made entrepreneur says, “I consider myself an inventor and entrepreneur of a very smart idea: erasable ceramic PlaceTiles.�

Armed with a fortune cookie (more about that in a second), a strong desire to succeed, and a can-do attitude are a few of the ingredients that help Kristin out shine her peers. Add to that list– a unique product that sells like hotcakes and you have a winning business that pulled in a cool $400,000 in 2006. Her road to success is etched out just for you in this Weekend Entrepreneur interview.

Before we reveal all the goodies. Here are the steps Kristin took to launch her business:
~ January of 1999 - created, designed and manufactured the first PlaceTile for her wedding reception tables
~ May of 1999 - began her market research
~ September of 1999 - started designing the first prototypes to market
~ October of 1999 - designs went into sample production

When did you start your business?
Kristin: April 2000 was the official date that my business became a legal entity. It was just after I used my idea for an erasable ceramic place card at my wedding. Doubling as both place card and party favor at my reception, the PlaceTiles were a big hit with my guests. Seven years later, I have a thriving business creating all sorts of fun and imaginable erasable ceramic gifts, housewares and tabletop items. I have always had a penchant for design, but many of my ideas are not mainstream.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Kristin: The overwhelming response of the PlaceTiles at my wedding from friends, family and wedding professionals inspired me to look into this idea as a business. I did not even stop to think about me being an entrepreneur, I just full on went into doing market research. I was so excited to have a product to potentially bring to market that people were excited about.

What is unique or special about your business that gives it an edge over your competitors?
Kristin: I have created a very successful niche in this arena and am now the leader in the erasable ceramic industry. I laugh when I write this because I don’t know if there really is an erasable ceramic industry, but if there is one I am the leader. There are a few other companies dabbling in this type of product since seeing my success with the idea, but no one company has taken it to the level in which I have. I am a seeing-the-big-picture person and what many companies don’t see or don’t want to do is think beyond their industry. I have however and now reached the gift, tabletop, housewares, stationery, bridal, gourmet, catering, restaurant, gaming, event planning, wine & spirits, corporate gift, charitable, and travel/leisure industries.

Largely I am involved in the Gift, Tabletop and Housewares Industries, but the other areas are growing for me at a considerable pace.

Now with the Green Movement, erasable ceramic is much more acceptable than one time use paper. People scratch, scribble and write notes, menus, names, etc. on paper everyday at home, so why not use something more sustainable like erasable ceramic. Being realistic we won’t see the use of paper go away, but if we can save a few more trees by getting people to use our erasable ceramic message boards to write notes to the family rather than scribble it on a piece of paper then we are ahead of the game. The same goes with our PlaceTile place cards, GiftTile gift tags, etc. All of our products are reusable.

How did you decide what kind of business to start and what if any personal challenges inspired you to earn extra income in your spare time?
Kristin: This kind of business was easy for me since the PlaceTiles became my widget to market. It was a struggle not making any money at first. I fortunately had a husband who had income coming in to support us at home. It was a huge learning experience to actually have to stick to a budget. I thrived off the power though of believing in my idea and myself. I tried to find something positive every day that happened in the business to keep me motivated. Even if the phone rang only once or I hit walls here and there when selling, I found something positive in the day.

I have had many significant milestones throughout the seven years and below I list five of them.
1. Early on in starting my business, I received a fortune cookie message that said “You will be unusually successful in business”. This soon became my mantra. I am an unusual person and this is an unusual idea, so the saying fit. I still look at the six year old message almost every day.

2. After 3.5 years in business, I noticed an adoption of the concept
and the name PlaceTiles by the press, buyers and consumers alike. It sort of happened by storm that I started noticing not only my customers, but my customers’ customers asking specifically for PlaceTiles. It used to be that people could not pronounce the word right or they would say somthing like…”I’d like to order some more of those erasable ceramic thingies”.

But my goal was always to make PlaceTiles a household name like Kleenex. It is great now when customers tell me that people are calling into their stores and asking for PlaceTiles.

3. When Oprah featured the product in O Magazine.

4. When Home & Garden TV (HGTV) wanted to not only feature my product on their show, The Best of Gift Shows 2005, but a year later said it was unprecedented but they wanted to feature our erasable bottle stoppers on their Best of Gift Shows 2006.

5. Watching Sandra Lee on her lifestyle show, “Semi-Homemade” on the Food Network spend five solid minutes talking about PlaceTiles and showing how they are used. She said, “PlaceTiles are a very smart idea”.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
Kristin: Exactly five years. The rumor is true.

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Kristin: Yes. I think you need to be tenacious, open (to criticism and compliments alike), focused, and smart. I went into this business not knowing anything about this industry. I became a student of the industry, of my business, of my product, and of the market. I forced myself to humbly say little and become a sponge for the first year. I just wanted to learn from others in the industry who had established businesses. But I stayed focused on the goal to successfully launch my products, and it seemed to work.

Have you always had a positive attitude?
Kristin: I believe in positive thinking. Although it is challenging to maintain a positive outlook all the time, it is important to always think positive, keep your eye on the prize and focus. I did not grow up thinking I would become an entrepreneur, but somehow I never worried about success. I just always assumed I would do something I loved and be successful at it. That is just the kind of person I was then and am now. I believe in the wise statement, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

Is it more difficult for women to get financing for businesses?
Kristin: I suppose it has been, but more and more I hear of women getting SBA loans fairly quickly. I have been fortunate to have financing from my family members who believed I could make this company work. I have been without family financing for about two years now.

Has the media picked up on your story?
Kristin: Publicity has been essential to my business. I have always considered public relations in my business plan from the start. I was always writing press releases, sending samples and making media contacts before I could afford to hire a PR firm. I have a lot of sweat equity in my business and PR is a big part of it. One of my biggest coup’s was being picked by Oprah magazine for the “O List,” last year.

Many people remark at the amount of press my products have received. To date, my company has received over 60 media placements in magazines, newspapers, internet, TV and radio. I have great support in my industry’s trade journals.

Did you have a mentor?
Kristin: My family has been my mentor. My husband had a very successful business of his own and he offers great advice. My father and mother have equally been supportive. My sister has had many businesses of her own and my brother is a doctor and owns his own practice. I am surrounded by a lot of strong and resourceful entrepreneurs.

Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable?
Kristin: $25,000 seed capital was what I needed to get started. Before I actually became profitable, I invested $80,000. For a small business and someone just starting out, I realize this is a lot of money, but I was starting a whole new concept and not something tried and true. I spent a good portion of this capital on marketing and traveling to tradeshows.

I think it could have been started for less if I had to do it all over again or advise someone else who had just a little money.

How long has it been since you left your job?
Kristin: I have not worked outside of this business for 7.5 years. You have to be willing to work hard, but you don’t have to kill yourself doing it. Depending on the season (3rd and 4th quarter are my busiest seasons), I usually work an 8-12 hour day. During high season, I usually spend time (2-3 hours) on both Saturday and Sunday getting things done. April through June is generally slow, so I get to spend more time planning and organizing rather than doing day-to-day tasks. This past April though I was able to spend the entire month in Italy doing research and design planning.

I LOVE having my own business to create my own schedule and make what I do a reflection of myself. I see results based upon my efforts– the results are very tangible.

Can other individuals reproduce your business model?
Kristin: I believe so. It just takes a lot of hard work, but yes I think it can be done. Not many people believe I do all that I do with no full-time employees. I have a lot of consultants and have an amazing staff I work with in both my factories and my distribution channel. I could not do what I do without them.

What is your average income for this business monthly/yearly or both?
Kristin: Average income is not always easy to define, since the ecomony effects so much of how my customers buy. In 2006, the business earned $400,000 and the goal this year is $500,000. For the business model I have, this is a pretty nice chunk of change.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
Kristin: Most of my marketing has been done through industry tradeshows across the country. My focus on public relations has proven to be very successful along with website marketing. I think it is key to walk the walk and talk the talk. Image is everything, therefore it is important that your image marketing is clear from the moment you meet someone, answer the phone, display your product, and your website, logo or catalog are seen.

What would you tell someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t know what they want to do?
Kristin: Work for someone else part-time in an industry you think you want to be in. Get some experience and learn from someone who has been in the business and is successful at it. Become a sponge and absorb information. Information is power. Talk to people, network and take a “how-to” course on starting a business just to build a foundation. A strong foundation is key in building a successful business.

How do you manage juggling the responsibilities of being a mom/wife/entrepreneur?
Kristin: It is tough to manage it all. Women today have so much on their plates. My business keeps me traveling and working nights and weekends. I do not have my own children, but I have a step-daugher who I helped my husband to raise. She was 7 when I met her and is now 21. I have a very demanding life, my husband and step-daughter, two households, two dogs, one neighborhood board and a significant amount of charity work.

My family as a whole requires a lot of attention. I am grateful for my full life, but at times you just need a break. And this is why I must take vacations every now and then.

Got an idea or a comment? Let us know. We want to hear all about it.

Annette M. Sanchez is the exception to the rule. She enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame earlier this year on Oprah’s Next Big Idea show after competeing with 6,000 people for the Oprah and QVC product search.

On hand as celebrity judges for this auspicious occasion were the Food Network’s, Queen of Southern Cuisine, Paula Deen, and, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, star, Carson Kressley.

Annette is like many other entrepreneurs who find themselves dividing their time between a new venture and a long-time profession.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Annette: As far back as I can remember I have always had an Entrepreneur mindset. I’ve always looked at situations, processes, products, gadgets, etc., with the idea of trying to figure out “a better way�.

What is unique or special about your product/company that gives it an edge over your competitors?
Annette: I am an inventor and have approximately 15 new and innovative products for which I hold the IP rights and will be bringing to the marketplace over the next 5 years. My premier product is called “The Veggie-Peel� which was introduced to the public on The Oprah Winfrey Show in May of 2007, through a product search conducted by QVC. The Veggie-Peel is a product like no other on the market as it takes vegetable peelers out of the dark ages and into a whole new level of “cutting edge� technology.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?

Annette: My Corporation is currently in the start-up phases of the business; however, based upon the overwhelming response we’ve had to the product demonstration of The Veggie-Peel on The Oprah Winfrey Show, we anticipate consumers will fully embrace The Veggie-Peel and want one of their own!

Were there any challenges that you experienced along the way that you had to overcome?
Annette: Yes, indeed. One of the biggest challenges was realizing that there will always be obstacles along the way when trying to manufacture a new product. Expecting to stay within specific timelines is unrealistic. One must also realize that your number one priority must always be to ensure your products meet the highest level of excellence. If that means a delay in getting your product into the marketplace, then so be it, as you must never sacrifice the quality of your product for quick sales.

Also, as an inventor, it is quite difficult to introduce a new product to the marketplace. There are very few outlets and/or companies that are willing to invest in new products from individuals so by establishing my own company, I am now able to launch my own products under my own name.

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Annette: You must have a “need to succeed� mindset if you are going to be successful in any business.

Have you always been positive and felt you could do anything you wanted.
Annette: Absolutely. I approach every task with the confidence that I will bring it to a positive conclusion. I am a perfectionist in all that I do which is truly a key component to being a successful businessperson. It can be viewed by some as an affliction; however, I see it is a very essential and positive trait one must possess to ensure you are producing quality work. If my name is on it, I stand behind it 100%.

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur versus a day job?
Annette: I’ve been a Realtor by profession for a very long time which requires strong work ethics, financial management, self-discipline, dedication and long hours that is great grooming for running your own business.

Has it been difficult to get financing for your company?
Annette: It can be very difficult to obtain financial backing if one does not have an excellent Business Plan and a substantial amount of start-up cash on hand. I have been able to obtain a business line of credit but have also been fortunate enough to possess the resources necessary to contribute 100% of the company cash injection to date.

Has the media picked up on your story?
Annette: I have been on The Oprah Winfrey Show but have not been contacted by the media to date nor have I made attempts to seek out media attention. Up until recently, it has been much too premature to do so. The Veggie-Peel is nearing the completion of the manufacturing process and is expected to reach the marketplace in time for Christmas!!

Did you have a mentor to help you get started?
Annette: Actually no; however, I was able to discuss my business venture with a few very successful people in the industry that has been quite helpful to me.

Are you still working at your full-time job?
Annette: In March of 2007, I stepped down from a six-figure real estate management position to focus my attention on my own business venture. I still do have a few real estate listings but am not actively seeking out clients at this time. Currently, I spend approximately 8 to 10 hours a day working on my business, and yes, that does include weekends!!

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
Annette: I’ve spent a great deal of time researching the industry on the Internet and have been maintaining close contacts with some very talented people at the Small Business Administration (SBA).

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but, don’t feel they have the confidence to succeed? Annette: Identify and focus on what it is you want to accomplish. Surround yourself with successful people and learn from their successes and failures. Eliminate the negativity from your life including those people who do not support you and your dreams. They will make you fail. Stay positive and most important of all, have a strong and undying faith in God and know that he will guide and lead you in the right direction so you can accomplish your goals and dreams!

What would you tell someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t know what they want to do, or where to begin to get their idea up and making money?
Annette: Without knowing what you want to do, you have no direction. You must have a plan. Then take action.

Ron Wiener’s Earth Class Mail is changing the way we get mail. And in the process, he is making a positive impact on the environment. On the flip side if you are an entrepreneur or a millionaire in training this is THE most informative interview I have written about.

In 2004 Ron Wiener started Earth Class Mail. It is a global digital post office, delivering postal mail to customers around the world via the internet.

What I love about Ron is that he doesn’t blink an eye when he says he’s out to build the next FedEx or Google. This may sound like hype but Ron bares his soul in this Weekend Entrepreneur interview. From the inside scoop on investors to the challenges he has had to overcome, the low down on the entrepreneur’s mindset, how he feels about having a day job as compared to a business and so much more.

Vocation?
RON: CEO of rapid-growth companies.

Recent breakthrough?
Ron: We figured out how to scale our automation, so that a national post office can offer the Earth Class Mail service to all the citizens of their country.

Role model?
RON: Benjamin Franklin

Career mantra?
RON: Make sure your activities each and every day contribute in a meaningful way to shareholder value. If you can steadily improve upon what you are able to contribute you will be justly rewarded, and your own wealth creation will take care of itself.

What inspired you to start this business?
RON: What inspired me to start Earth Class Mail was the classic “necessity being the mother of invention� story. I was tired of spending an hour of every day driving to collect mail from various offices and PO Boxes for all the different ventures I’m involved with, and wanted a way to retrieve my mail, shred and recycle the junk, deposit checks, etc., from anywhere, anytime, just like I handle my voicemails and emails. This is the sixth business I have founded, being a battle-hardened serial entrepreneur.

What is unique or special about your service that gives it an edge over your competitors?
RON: No other players have the automation, security and confidentiality assurance systems we’ve developed at Earth Class Mail. We’ve pulled together a seasoned team and deep-pocketed venture capital backers, as well as strategic partners. We’re out to build the next FedEx or Google – and have attracted the talent and resources to make it happen. During the past few years we’ve developed a formidable quantity of proprietary technologies around scalability, such that our system can eventually become a platform for the digital transformation of national post offices. We recently initiated a strategic partnership with Microsoft to scale our systems to support millions of simultaneous users.

What if any personal challenges inspired you to launch your business?
RON: I launched Earth Class Mail because of its potential to massively impact the economy – and the environment. When you think about it, more than 90% of the mail we receive is recycled or shredded. People want the information on the paper, not the paper itself. They want the cash deposit, not the paper check itself. When you think of the ramifications of this, that if everyone had the option of receiving their postal mail electronically, then only a tiny percentage of the mail we expend so much fuel and resources to deliver today would actually have to be physically delivered.

There are few things I’ve encountered in the for-profit world that can have such a massive impact on the environment today, right now. There are two parts to sustainability. Creating new alternative energy sources is crucial, but that’s only one part. Reducing our energy consumption and pollution is the other part.

According to the US Government, the post office is the third largest consumer of energy after the DOE and DOD. In the United States, paper companies are the third largest manufacturing polluters. What drives me more than any economic goal is having a meaningful effect on what kind of planet we leave behind for our children.

Were there any challenges that you experienced along the way that you had to overcome?
RON: The first challenge was that of convincing investors that a) the world needed this service, b) we had the technology to make it scale cost-effectively, and c) we had the right management team to pull this off.

Once we demonstrated real customer demand from more than 100 countries, and recruited an amazing team including the guy who managed 800,000 operations employees as the Assistant Postmaster General of Logistics for USPS, we started to see serious engagement with top-tier venture capital funds who like “swing-for-the-fences deals.� It may surprise a lot of people that most venture capitalists don’t see realizable billion-dollar business plans every day. In fact, with all the me-too business models out there, it has become a rarity. The flip side of that is that it makes it harder for investors to believe in a billion-dollar business plan until they see plenty of proof. The challenge was surviving the lean years to get to the point where they could call enough paying customers to hear the proof with their own ears.

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
RON: Of course you need to be incredibly persistent to overcome the challenges of getting a new business off the ground. 80% of entrepreneurs either do not have the intestinal fortitude to survive the first year or two, or just didn’t bake their ideas enough before launch. The other 20% have the ability to tough it out until they figure out their formula for success.

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur versus a day job?
RON: In a startup, there is a much tighter connection between your everyday decisions and shareholder value. In every “real� job I’ve held in even modestly large companies there was a disturbing disconnect between what I observed other executives doing and what truly drives shareholder value at the end of the day. People get caught up in bonus-driving goals that are linked to irrelevant metrics. In a startup, you will know your metrics for staying alive and getting to the next plateau – whether it is turning cash positive or hitting key milestones for investors. In a startup, the entire management team tends to be much more in tune with what truly matters.

Has it been difficult to get financing for your company?
RON: At first, yes. We made the mistake of imagining that venture funds would be eager to throw lots of capital in early to capture such a huge market opportunity. However, they wanted to see traction before writing big checks, so we had to go back to traditional angel financing to get the business to a stage where we could show VCs lots of paying customers and verifiable interest from large enterprise customers.

By the time we raised our first significant funding round, the management team had worked more than two years without salaries. We were headquartered in Portland, Oregon – a place long-known for its great quality of life, but also for its inhospitable climate for rapid-growth startups, and especially for risk capital formation. We moved corporate headquarters to Seattle, where investors are much more accustomed to swing-for-the-fences business plans. Once we were able to get in front of the right investors and recruit new senior executives known in their own community, funding became dramatically easier, almost instantaneous. In the Keiretsu Angel Forum alone we broke new records for participation and amounts raised, and we eventually attracted the largest and most respected venture fund in the Pacific Northwest, Ignition Partners, to lead our Series A fundraising round. My only regret was that we didn’t move north sooner.

Has the media picked up on your story? If so what have you done to attract the media?
RON: We have received coverage in online blogs and news sites such as TechCrunch, as well as local press including television news stories in the Pacific Northwest. Mail industry publications were quick to cover our disruptive technology, and we are being invited to speak at major industry conferences from Washington, D.C. to London and Berlin. We published a white paper that got picked up around the world by the postal industry, post office CEOs, regulators, academics and technology vendors. The paper describes the recipe for a national post to transform itself to the Internet age by employing our platform. It was so well received we changed the name of the company from Document Command to Earth Class Mail a week after its publication.

Perhaps the most exciting media exposure opportunity is a new cable TV series called “Startup Junkies� set to air in January 2008 on the MOJO Network in high-definition. Earth Class Mail was selected from a wide range of startups as the sole focus of the first season of this breakthrough documentary series. They are currently filming eight half-hour episodes exclusively about our company and what it’s like to work inside a startup. The network was looking for a company that did something that would be universally understood (everyone gets mail, at home and at work), and that had a reasonable shot of becoming “the next Google or FedEx�.

Did you have mentors to help you get started?
RON: I’ve been very fortunate to have several excellent mentors throughout my career. I dropped out of Carnegie Mellon University after one year, chasing the shiny object that was calling to me from Silicon Valley. The personal computer industry was booming. From ages 19 to 24, I only held jobs in which I reported to the CEOs of rapidly growing technology companies – all of whom were fantastic mentors to me. By age 25, I had raised my first venture capital round for my first startup but did not yet know how to build a good board of directors, so my VCs were my only formal mentors. By that time I had already met plenty of senior CEOs in the business community who I sought counsel from when I had tough decisions to make. Perhaps that is why I often advise young CEOs on their business challenges. Sometimes I invest in these companies, but usually the best thing I can do for them is pass along the mentoring that has been given to me over the years. Capital is far less important than making the right decisions in how to deploy it. I will always be grateful to my first two bosses, in particular, who put me in roles that were akin to “assistant to the president,� where I was able to participate in many of the day-to-day meetings and decisions that went on in the executive suite. The head start this gave me in business was immeasurable.

Approximately how much money did you invest before your business became profitable?
RON: Let’s put it this way. The first thing I did was to sell our beloved B36TC Beechcraft Bonanza airplane and re-finance both a first and second mortgage for the seed capital we needed. Plus, our entire management team went without salary for more than two years. In hindsight, I can look back and say we “skipped an A round� by living off of small convertible debt investments and refraining from drawing salaries until much later. But at the time, none of us believed we’d go more than six months without salaries. Investors wanted to see a lot more proof of traction than our early team members needed to see before taking the leap of faith - and that, quite frankly, is what is often required to get a bold new business idea to a fundable stage – real skin in the game.

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
RON: We’ll be expending tens of millions of dollars of investment before any expectation of profitability. This is a global operation much like a FedEx or UPS, requiring physical plant investments as well as a substantial amount of software and IT investment before we expect to generate a profit. Because our customers either sign-up for pre-paid subscriptions or license our platform as a software-as-a-service, our cash flows are extremely strong.

Are you still working at your full-time job, and approximately how many hours per week do you currently spend on your business?
RON: I worked other projects for the first six months of the business, mostly to feed its cash flow. For the last three years I’ve been involved full-time with Earth Class Mail. That means 6am to 11pm on weekdays and 8-10 hours on weekend days. Vacations are rare and usually interrupted with phone calls, emails and writing projects. Not everyone is physically or psychologically able to endure such a commitment of personal capital but I knew going into this venture that it would be a 24×7 global business with tremendous demands on my time. I’m also fortunate to have an exceedingly supportive wife who has had to tolerate my being gone the majority of the time.

We now work even harder because our own momentum keeps us charged up and jumping out of bed each morning eager to conquer the next challenge. The taste of success stirs up even greater passion in the team.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
RON: Most cities have non-profit entrepreneurial support groups, such as the Oregon Enterprise Network in Portland. These are so helpful that I tried to join their boards whenever I could, as it only increased my exposure to mentors as well as passionate entrepreneurs. I held the president post of the Oregon Young Entrepreneurs Association from 1991 to 1994, devoting insane amounts of volunteer time, but creating relationships which have lasted for many years and that I still leverage today, both in business and personal friendships.

Guy Kawasaki’s “Art of the Start� is a must-read that I’ll sometimes give a new entrepreneur as a gift, among Guy’s other good books. I like reading autobiographies and biographies of great leaders and entrepreneurs.

Some of the best lessons, frankly, can be gleaned from analyst reports written about contemporary companies each and every day. Few entrepreneurs do enough real-time weekly research on their own industry, and even companies in other industries from which parallels may be drawn. I make it a priority to study the vast amounts of free information available through the Internet. Since most entrepreneurs come out of engineering or sales, few have been steeped in financial analysis or market research to know how to do this well, or even to understand why it’s important to understand the macro-economics of your large competitors, the industry as a whole, and the global market.

I have had the good fortune of senior Wall Street financial executives and analysts join our board, like our current chair, Chris Kwak, who has drilled into my consciousness the importance of understanding the Darwinian capital markets. What you may think is extremely important today may have no bearing in the big picture, in what will eventually have the most impact on investor ROI and the exit path for the company. They don’t teach enough of this in business school.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
RON: Internet marketing is such a godsend when I compare to what we used to have to do “in the old days� before Google advertising to get a startup off the ground. These days it is incredibly simple to find customers around the globe while spending very little money. The problem is that search engine marketing doesn’t scale, so eventually you need to bring in direct mail and other traditional advertising methods, and a sales force to keep the company growing rapidly. Even when you have a million-dollar-a-month marketing budget, you still want to test new products and new marketing concepts online before you invest in other media. The ability to get a quick reaction to your messaging or offer is amazingly useful no matter what marketing channel you end up concentrating dollars in, whether television ads, radio or billboards.

What tips can you give others who want to embrace their dream but, don’t have the confidence or feel they don’t have what it takes to succeed?
RON: If they don’t feel it in their bones they probably should pack up and go home – they simply won’t have the resolve to survive the inevitable rejections and disappointments that kill most start-ups. That said, if their concept is good but they lack the experience to pull it off themselves, they should build a good board of directors and leverage that board to help recruit the right executive management team. The best way to avoid getting ousted out from your own company is to let someone else more experienced take the CEO position. That way, when the CEO needs to be replaced, they can still stay in the company and continue to contribute and share more of the reward in the end.

What would you tell someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t know where to begin to get their idea up and making money?
RON: Build a “sniff test� council of the ten smartest business people you know. Sit down with them one at a time to go through your different ideas and see what kind of reactions you get. For the cost of lunch, this kind of early feedback is invaluable in preventing wasted cycles later. When ALL ten people say they think you’re onto something with one of your ideas, then put that idea “in the running.� Keep working the list of ideas until the strongest one bubbles to the top and then move on it.

Last but not least, describe your business including monthly costs?
RON: Earth Class Mail delivers postal mail via the Internet. Customers see their postal mail online and choose which items to open and scan to a PDF. They can also shred, recycle, archive or forward the mail piece. Our customers span 120 countries, and include traveling business people to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. The service starts at $12.95/month. For more information, visit www.earthclassmail.com.

What’s next for Ron Wiener?
RON: Homes and buildings designed to accommodate personal robots that unobtrusively perform the menial tasks of our lives.

If you have questions, comments or a great story to tell— let us know. Many of our best ideas come from readers like you!

Keep smiling,

Michelle Anton & Michelle Price

Recently 6,000 people had their 15 minutes of fame when they pitched their novel product to QVC for Oprah’s Next Big Idea Show. If you missed that event read on because this could be the opportunity you’ve been hoping for. You can be seen, heard and get valuable feedback from the QVC Quick Product Review at an upcoming Women’s Leadership Exchange Conference. Imagine, representatives from QVC evaluating your consumer products to see if it has the potential to be sold on the shopping channel!

Women’s Leadership Exchange is the place to be if you’re a successful businesswoman looking to become spectacularly successful or want to access the wisdom of high-powered outside experts.

When I first wrote this, there were five upcoming dates in various major cities, weel Los Angeles was incredible and now there are 4 cities left:

Southern California - August 14, 2007

Dallas, TX - August 21, 2007

Northern California - September 27, 2007

New York, NY - October 30, 2007

Atlanta, GA - November 14, 2007

The Women’s Leadership Exchange is an organization with lots to offer and the conference is extraordinary. I attended last year and it totally exceeded my expectations. Yet this year the lineup looks even better and more exciting.

If you are wondering what to expect, here’s a snapshot. You’ll get two days of knowledge and connections in just one 12-hour day. The seminar offers fast business insights, educational seminars, networking and the opportunity to hear and meet top women leaders like tennis legend and social activist Billie Jean King, Sharon Allen, Chair of Deloitte and Touche; and Cathy Hughes, founder of billion dollar media company Radio One.

Speed Coaching is available to conference attendees several times throughout the day. If you decide you want to be coached you’ll be seated directly across the table from a Women’s Leadership Exchange business expert, called a “Growth Guru.� These experts are from marketing, sales, public relations, leadership, finance, communications, franchising and more. The coach listens to your question, and then provides you with five-minute nuggets of advice on your business issue.

Who Should Attend:
• Women who want to grow their businesses
• Women who have been in business for three or more years
• Women who are leading established businesses of $500,000 - $25 million in revenues
• Women who are starting a second or third company

Why You Should Attend:
• WLE is the premier conference for you to connect with the right people through guided facilitation throughout the day
• Our seminar program addresses the critical issues you need to master in order to run a successful enterprise
• You’ll learn how other business owners faced challenges and thrived
• WLE will give you a renewed sense of energy to tackle your business with a new perspective; WLE will get you “unstuck�
• Every minute of WLE is orchestrated by women business owners for women business owners

One thing to keep in mind, attending this event may provide the new skills and connections to take your business up a notch.

Oh, and don’t forget to take extra business cards, I didn’t take enough last year. LOL.

I’d love to get your feedback about this awesome event. Or, feel free to just share whatever is on your mind.

No, this isn’t a parody on Saturday Night Live. It’s more like The Apprentice meets YouTube. Next Internet Millionaire is the new kid on the competitive reality show block. But, there’s a twist. It won’t be on television. And executive producer, Joel Comm is the “Donald Trump� of the show. His claim to fame is that he was one of the first internet millionaires.

Oh, wait a minute—there’s an even bigger twist…
I was surprised to see the line-up of 6 women and 6 men competing for the gold. I haven’t done the research but the internet seems be dominated by men. My curiosity has risen a notch because I am wondering if these are token women, some of which may have been thrown in as eye candy or if any of these chicks have enough in their back pocket to win. Will this be one small step for man and a quantum leap for women? Time will tell.

Clearly, there isn’t a shortage of TV shows where people compete for a large sum of cash (sigh). So my first question for Joel Comm, even before wanting to know what this internet show is about is … why do you think people will watch the show for the next twelve weeks starting Friday, August 17?

JOEL: I can think of several reasons!

First of all, this really is a historic event. No one has attempted a competitive reality show of this magnitude for an Internet audience. When the public embraces this program, it will take more power away from the big networks and advertisers will shift more of their advertising budget to future new media-based projects. Since I am strong believer in free markets, I have to believe that this can only be good for business and consumers.

Next, unlike other reality programming, viewers actually stand to LEARN something from watching The Next Internet Millionaire! Yes, the show will be entertaining and a certain degree of drama will ensue. However, those who watch will pick up on valuable information from the teachers who appear on the program, bringing educational value as well.

Finally, the show is really about our cast members and their drive to win. Reality TV is big because it provides us with real characters that we can identify with. I believe viewers are going to enjoy watching the contestants learn and compete for the ultimate prize. After all, there is a $25,000 cash prize and a dream joint venture on the line. So who will it be? I hope you will tune in and find out!

What’s the story behind The NIM (Next Internet Millionaire)?
JOEL: Earlier this year, I surveyed the Internet marketing landscape and realized that many marketers were selling their products and services to the same people, again and again. Recognizing that the potential market is far greater, I sought to find a way to bring the online business opportunity to the masses. With the popularity of reality television and the rise of online video, I decided that an Internet reality show would provide a timely convergence of the two.

I contacted one of my previous joint venture partners, Eric Holmlund, and we set out to create the world’s first competitive Internet reality show. The goal was to raise the bar for online video by giving viewers a compelling reason to tune in to long-form weekly entertainment on the web. We know that viewers are leaving traditional television in record numbers, so the show would seek to provide an alternative for those who were turning to the Internet for their entertainment. We decided the show would have to maintain network-quality production values and a compelling storyline where viewers would not only be captivated by our cast and the competition, but also by the educational element that would introduce them to the opportunities afforded them to make money on the Internet.

How did you become an Internet Millionaire?
JOEL: I started my first website, worldvillage.com, in 1995, before the Internet was a household staple. I intended to design sites that provided a family-friendly alternative to much of the “garbage� that was available online.

In 1996, I partnered with a graduate student who had developed the foundations for a multi-player Internet game site. Allowing people from all over the world to play board and table games such as hearts, spades, chess, checkers and backgammon against each other in real time, it quickly developed a loyal following and was subsequently purchased by Yahoo! In 1997. The site is now known as Yahoo! Games, one of the world’s most popular multi-player game sites. That was my first million-dollar deal!

My company has since developed a number of popular websites, including one of the web’s first bargain-hunter shopping sites, DealofDay.com.

In 2004, I released my first ebook to immediate success and acclaim. I had discovered strategies and techniques for maximizing revenue streams with Google AdSense, Google’s contextual advertising solution for site owners. After learning how to generate $500-$1000 each day in passive income with the AdSense program, I discovered there were thousands of people who were eager to learn how to do likewise.

In 2006, my traditionally published book, “The AdSense Code,� hit the New York Times Best Seller list and has become the definitive guide on the topic.

I continue to develop new products and services designed to help small businesspeople harness the power of the Internet to build their businesses. As a result, I am often asked to speak at seminars and conferences on the subject of making money online. It is truly a blessing to be able to see the lights go on over people’s heads when they see the potential for what can be done online.

What are the chances of the average person becoming an Internet Millionaire?
JOEL: Well, I consider myself an average person! Honestly, I think it is much easier now than when I got started because people don’t have to make the same mistakes that I made. With all the resources and training materials that are now available, I think the opportunities are stronger than ever before. It really just takes someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative spark and a willingness to do what needs to be done in order to achieve their goals. Most people fail because they give up to soon. Let’s face it. Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. You have to be willing to take risks and believe in your dreams.

How many people competed to be one of the final 12?
JOEL: We received nearly 300 audition videos for the first round of our competition. What’s interesting about this is that some larger, well-established sites had attempted online audition submissions and several of them struggled to gather at least one hundreds auditions. So we’re pretty pleased with the number of people who were willing to make a video and throw their hat in the ring.

Is this anything like “The Apprentice�?

JOEL: I was a big fan of Trump’s show, but he really lost me last season when he had the losing team sleep outside in a tent. I really believe it was inappropriate to be treating young professionals as though they had signed up for Survivor. One look at the declining ratings would indicate that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

The Next Internet Millionaire certainly focuses on business, but it is about the NEW way of doing business. While Trump was looking to hire someone for a job, we are looking for the right joint venture partner. The winner will be someone whom I will work alongside, seeking to build a success story for them, not just for me. The world is changing, and when you compare the traditional ways of corporate America with the entrepreneurial spirit of the Internet, you discover that it’s an entirely different mindset. And it is the way of the future.

Will we be able to watch previous episodes if we miss one?
JOEL: Absolutely! There are several wonderful benefits to having a program developed purely for the Internet. First of all, we don’t have the constraints of television. That is, we don’t have to “fill� a timeslot with storyline that doesn’t advance. Each episode of The Next Internet Millionaire will be as long as it needs to be in order to tell the story.

Next, when we put an episode online each week, viewers will be able to enjoy the episode at their leisure. Just as Tivo has demonstrated that people are eager to watch what they want when they want it, the Internet allows us to cater to the “on-demand� mentality and let people decide when they want to watch the show.

Finally, we expect that new people will be tuning in with each new episode. They will be able to visit our site and start with episode one right away. It’s kind of like the way I watched season one of Lost. I waited for the DVD set and consumed the entire season in a matter of days!

Who are the contestants?

Jaime Luchuck - Toronto, Ontario
Born in Saskatchewan, Jaime grew up heavily involved in dancing, even winning the Western Canadian Championships in her age group. After high school, Jaime’s weight mysteriously plummeted to 92 pounds and doctors were unable to diagnose her. Unwilling to accept defeat, she took matters into her own hands and ended up getting well with the advice of alternative health professionals. Since that time, Jaime has pursued her dream of acting and honing her graphic design skills.

Alisande Chan - Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
From the pain and endurance of being disciplined in a martial art to waltzing in a ballroom, this semi-pro-poker player achieves her goals. Alisande has a carefree attitude that is balanced by an analytical side. Her strength lies in her ability to see the positive in all people and situations. Alisande has been in the corporate environment as well as a homemaker, and she enjoys donating her time to coordinate charitable efforts.

Christine Schaap - Rockford, Michigan
Christine is a successful author, speaker, and life transition coach. Married for over twenty years and a homeschooler for twelve years, Christine is a mother of five who has volunteered with organizations such as MOPS, Habitat for Humanity, World Relief, Special Olympics, and her local crisis pregnancy center. Her company’s goal is to inspire women to lead productive lives with passion and purpose – no matter what
their age.

Carly Taylor - Cambridge, UK
Experienced in offline and online marketing, Carly has worked for a large radio station, handled media buy and built relationships with national magazines and newspapers in a male-dominated industry. A self-described tough negotiator, Carly thrives on the buzz of a fast paced marketing environment. A practioner of yoga, martial arts and dance, Carly has a love for creative writing, poetry and philosophy.

Debbie Ducic - Pueblo, Colorado
Not one to shy away from challenges or new experiences, Debbie is an advocate for women who want to step up and take on their challenges. She is a team builder, leader, mentor, mother, risk taker, networker, teacher and a wife. With years of experience in a range of different industries, Debbie is an adventure-seeker with a compassionate heart for others.

Laura Martin - Austin, Texas
A country girl with a love for the big city, Laura is an accomplished athlete with an independant streak. Having worked with some top Internet marketers, she comes to the competition with a strong desire to learn and apply. Laura enjoys traveling, photography and outdoor activities. She is determined to make the most of this opportunity.

Jason Henderson - Lewisville, TX
Nationally certified personal trainer, actor and model, Jason is a former professional basketball player and fitness expert. An online entreprenuer of several years, Jason’s company is focused on helping people achieve better health and improved lifestyle through better posture.

Charles Trippy - Tampa, FL
As the son of a professional musician, Charles grew up surrounded by people in the rock and roll industry. A musician in his own right, Charles is a college student who has developed a love for computers, and in particular, online video. He currently maintains a popular YouTube channel with over 30,000 subscribers.

Nico Pisani - Costa Rica
A self-defined Renaissance Man, Nico is an American living in Costa Rica who has become an expert in Costa Rica travel and wildlife conservation. His diverse life experiences include interests in real estate, exports, tourism, expatriot relocation, business consulting and conservation. A former PGA of America Golf Professional and Certified Personal trainer, Nico is also an accomplished musician and video producer.

Steve Schuitt - Diamond Bar, CA
The youngest cast member, Steve reigns from Massachusetts, has lived in both Alaska and Hawaii, and now resides in California. After four years of college, Steve has recognized that there is more to life than just getting an education to get a job. His desire is to go beyond the traditional work environment and seize opportunities that can be leveraged to have a significant impact on his life and the lives of others.

Thor Schrock - Lincoln, NE
Thor is an entreprenuer with a successful computer repair company in Nebraska. His creativity has led him to create and host a weekly radio program that enjoys the highest ratings in its time slot. A dedicated husband and father, Thor is driven to succeed by helping other people succeed.

Jason Marshall - Ocean City, NJ
Committed to pouring his life into others, Jason considers his strong faith to be his most important attribute. An aspiring illusionist and amateur video producer, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife and is a one-on-one aid to Petey, a young man who suffers from muscular dystrophy.

What skills did they have to learn?
JOEL: Over the course of the 12 episodes we have filmed, the contestants had the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s most respected Internet marketing teachers. People like Mark Joyner, Armand Morin and Marlon Sanders spent several hours each day equipping the contestants with skills they could apply to their online business. They learned about branding, copywriting, ecommerce, online video, guerilla marketing, viral marketing, social networking sites and many more techniques and strategies that are used by those who are already making millions of dollars online.

How will you determine the winner?
JOEL: In true reality show fashion, contestants are eliminated each week based on their performance in a challenge or task. We started with twelve contestants, but with each episode, the pack is narrowed. I think viewers will enjoy seeing who can take on the challenges and come out on top.

I’ll be watching and writing more about NIM (Next Internet Millionaire) over the next few weeks. Let me know who you want to win. I’m expecting your comments.

PR maven Nancy S. Juetten says, “My husband Steve and I both run our businesses from a home office. We are able to flex our schedules around the needs of our 10-year-old son Kyle and what our clients require. When asked what he wants to do for a living when he grows up, Kyle says that he’d like to go to work in one of the family businesses. We are showing him through our example that you can do work you love for great clients, earn a good living, and live a great life. That’s powerful.

Nancy enjoys the convenience of her ten-foot commute to her office. However, she adds, “Maintaining boundaries between home and work can be challenging.�

If you are trying to make a name for yourself read on because Nancy shares her insider marketing tips that you can start using today.

What kind of business do you have?
NANCY: Nancy S. Juetten Marketing, Inc. is a boutique public relations agency based in Bellevue, Washington.

February of 2001 marked the launch of my PR business. July 2006 Media-Savvy-to-Go information products division was born.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
NANCY: I was inspired to become an entrepreneur in February of 2001 out of a desire to earn money to buy better groceries. I had grown tired of buying two boxes of generic brand wheat crackers for $.99 when I really wanted to buy one box of Nabisco Brand Wheat Thins for $2.99 a box. When my son Kyle was born in 1997, I left a lucrative marketing position to take on chief domestic officer duties at home and buy everything we needed on half the income. Now, business is booming, and I am too busy to cook.

Today, the quest for better crackers is just where my business got its start. I’ve redefined my success by the impact my guidance has on supporting the business success of others. That’s what gets me out of bed every day – to make a contribution that will be felt in a very personal way by business owners who are working very hard to earn the media attention that can catapult their businesses from obscurity to the media spotlight. They make many personal sacrifices to create, grow, and sustain winning businesses over time, and the media recognition they earn for their winning ways is highly meaningful and personal for them. I understand because I’ve traveled a similar road myself. I appreciate what it is to be seen, heard, and celebrated in my own backyard and beyond.

What is unique or special about your business that gives it an edge over your competitors?
NANCY: I am a work-in-the-trenches publicist who works with the media every day to bring great stories from obscurity into the spotlight.

How did you decide what kind of business to start and what if any personal challenges inspired you to earn extra income in your spare time?
NANCY: I’ve been fascinated by good storytelling and passionate about writing for results for as long as I can remember. At the editor for my high school’s weekly newspaper, I had a nose for news and a good gut instinct about what students wanted to read about. As I rose up the corporate ladder in a variety of marketing positions for some of the nation’s leading fast food restaurants and a leading broadcast company in Seattle, I learned a thing or two about helping customers get what they wanted quickly and affordably.

When my son Kyle was born in 1997, he gave me a good reason to reinvent my career (and with credit to Pam Slim, escape from cubicle nation). My intention was to influence others and their success through the power of words, while working from a home office. Six and a half years later – mission accomplished!

The Media-Savvy-to-Go Publicity Toolkit speaks to my very practical nature and to the results orientation of business owners everywhere. With this information people can quickly learn and apply what they need to know to earn “ink and air.�

How long did it take before your business became profitable?
NANCY: My business was profitable from the start. I did some pro bono work for a business event that was debuting in Seattle. By the end of that pro bono assignment, I had earned two new clients – including Fran Bigelow of Fran’s Chocolates Ltd. and the Seattle Office of the Tom Peters Company.

Have you noticed certain advantages to being an entrepreneur because you are a woman?
NANCY: Connecting with others is a strength that woman share. Having come to entrepreneurship at 39 years of age, I have never been afraid to admit what I don’t know. And, I never shy away from asking the stupid questions.

Has the media picked up on your story? If so what have you done to attract the media?
NANCY: Absolutely, and it is a beautiful thing!

I landed a monthly newspaper column in the Snohomish County Business Journal that debuted in September of 2006.

The column has been well received, so much so that it has been picked up by the Puget Sound Business Journal. The column debuts, September of 2007 to 60,000 decision makers every month. And there is the potential that other business journals within the American City Business Journal family will elect to run the columns, too, bringing the information to many other markets and business owners well beyond my own Puget Sound backyard.

What resources were most helpful to you when you were starting your business?
NANCY: “The Success Principles� written by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer is a particular favorite of mine. They say to practice the rule of five. That means that every day, do five specific things that will move your goal toward completion. And that even the biggest tree in the forest will come down at some point if you just swing an axe at it five times each day. That plain speaking, powerful wisdom speaks to me. Tenacity and consistency count for a lot in the work I do.

What ways have you found to be most effective in marketing your product or service to get sales?
NANCY: The five most powerful lead generation methods for my business are as follows:

1) Do exceptional work for clients
2) Participate in local networking groups such as the Women Business Owners, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, the eWomenNetwork, and the Womens Business Exchange. That means listening carefully for the needs others share and being of service to help them ease their pain, whether or not the solution involves PR services.
3) Write for the media and the Internet article directories to support the success of others with proven, useful, and time-tested guidance and advice that reinforces my expertise and demonstrates my commitment to be of service. This drives traffic and qualified leads to my Website and fuels winning new business conversations and transactions.
4) Write and issue a high value and FREE ezine that engages customers and prospects in my expertise and generously offers news and resources to support their success. This also drives traffic to the Website and invites new opportunities to offer products and services to people who need them.
5) Speak to professional groups regularly to offer tips, resources, information, and ideas to support their success.

What would you tell someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn’t know what they want to do, or where to begin to get their idea up and making money?
NANCY: Get clear about your passion to be of contribution, how you can serve, and why the marketplace will be better off with you bringing your goods or services to the table. You had better love what you are doing because you’ll be spending far more time doing this than any job you’ve ever had.

QUOTE:

“Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except the best.�
~Henry Van Dyke

WHAT I’M READING: “Playing the Quantum Field - How Changing Your Choices Can Change Your Life” by Brenda Anderson (New World Library)

This book is a cool companion for overcoming those annoying trials and tribulations. Jam packed with great coping skills for the dreaded, “My internet is down, past-due bills or a ticket for an expired parking meter.”

Although the threat of competition on shows like American Idol and the Apprentice have been known to derail a person’s chances of winning. There are exceptions to the rule. Kristen Marie Schuerlein of Affirmagy marches to a different beat and the concept of competition doesn’t phase her one bit. She says, “I come from a place of abundance and believe there is enough business out there for everyone.�

According to Kristen, “The real question is, ‘Does our product touch your heart or the heart of someone you love?’ The answer to this simple question is the fuel that propels Affirmagy forward, and our possibilities for growth and contribution are unlimited.�

What kind of business do you have?
KRISTEN: I am a fourth generation entrepreneur, so on some level, it’s just in the genes. We started Affirmagy on Valentine’s Day 2005 simply because we loved the idea of wrapping people in the very qualities we wanted in our lives. Love, Joy, Courage, and Abundance seemed like an idea that needed to get off the napkin and shared with the world.

Our family of fleece blankets, silk screened with positive affirmations, are sweet reminders that life is good. Affirmagy creates and brings to market inspirational products that delight both the giver and the receiver.

How did you decide what kind of business to start?
KRISTEN: Affirmagy started as an evening and weekend hobby of sorts. We thought we had a good idea, but you never know.

The holidays rolled around in 2005 and the word of mouth began spreading. I could see people buying for themselves, and also sending them to the people they love the most. When we started getting letters from our customers letting us know how much they loved GIVING our blankets as gifts, we knew we were touching people’s hearts.

Did you need to have a certain mindset to achieve success?
Yes, success requires a certain mindset, and success IS a mindset. I am blessed as a young woman to live in a time when I CAN

run my own enterprise, and literally create what it looks like. I have a passion for inspiring women to not only start their own business, but to aspire to breakthrough the seven figure mark. My vision is a world where we all prosper sharing our gifts and talents with one another. I do believe I can achieve anything I put my mind to.

Is it more difficult for women to get financing for businesses?
KRISTEN: The first 5-7 years when I started my graphic design and marketing firm, Design Duo Inc., (now it its 11th year) being a woman owned business was a novelty. Home-based businesses were growing, and banks were slow to get on board.

American Express was the first financial institution to extend my company credit, and I have never forgotten. It is my first card of choice, every time. I am a proud cardholder and have been since 1996. They are a great company that sees the value in entrepreneurship. What a difference that’s made in my success.

Nowadays, banks have entire divisions that serve women owned businesses. Thank goodness! My banker is a Godsend. She gets it and gets us.

I am thrilled to see ‘corporate’ America recognize the power of women owned businesses. And that’s more reason for us to stand up and build significant enterprises that serve our communities and the world.

Has publicity contributed to the success of your business?
KRISTEN: Yes! And more good press is coming. The buzz created by the media lends powerful momentum to our growth. We started in our backyard and are working with passion and commitment to earn the interest of the national media. The hits keep coming, and it’s exciting.

We engaged a publicist long before we had taken the leap to run Affirmagy full time. It’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. For example, when we had big news to share about our cause related marketing initiatives, we alerted the media in a targeted, personal way and captured the ink. This has invited more opportunities for us to do good in the world.

Did you have a mentor to help you get started?
KRISTEN: I have many mentors. They are the valued people who shine a light into my blind spots. I remember one instance where a friend who has a ton of overseas manufacturing experience offered a piece of advice th