StartupNation Blogs

I recently spoke with Shashi Srikantan, founder of Quench Bath and Body, on StartupNation Radio. Her company offers bath and body products from around the world. What a star she is!
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Though she’s just recently become an entrepreneur, thanks in part to her use of our StartMeUp! program, Shashi has always been interested in beauty products.  [...]

Sounds a little unbelievable, but yeah- I did.   I won’t name names, but I can tell you that this big box retailer has everything for ‘US  Moms.  It all started exactly a year ago at a tradeshow in Vegas.  Their buyer walked by my booth, smiled, and took off in a flash.  I was writing [...]

My children’s clothing line, Glamajama, has been in business for almost five years now.  Throughout those years I’ve seen quite a few designers come and go.  One thing that I have learned is that it takes more than just having a great product to make a company successful.  There are tons of great products out [...]

I know these aren’t sustainable businesses, but they are the perfect niche businesses. Seems to be part of a new trend targeting every part of the family. Except poor, poor Dad.
What niches do you target?

Grandparents.com
Grandparents.com is a life-stage destination for a new generation of active grandparents who want fresh ways to interact, stay connected, and [...]

When talking to Jody DeVere about her company Ask Patty, it’s hard to know where DeVere ends and Patty begins. Both are smart, accomplished and energetic women, but only one has built several businesses, had children, and adapted through several industries. The other is a cartoon.

Like best friends though, they do most everything together: like [...]

Overwhelmingly, online consumers prefer green products over similar products that aren’t green. (Sounds like a toothpaste commercial, but it’s true!)
A brand new study shows that 83% of consumers will choose the greener of two products that are similar. Pretty compelling.
The study can be found be visiting this link at Doubleclick Performics.
Further, surprisingly in this tough [...]

We look for cool companies all the time and want you to help us find them. So keep them coming our way!
Email ideas to info@startupnation.com.
Today’s Cool Company is Old House Gardens, one of the leading heirloom seed catalog companies in the world.
What makes the company cool–more than the fact that they run their business out [...]

Calling on all marketing experts! Or at least any entrepreneur (in-training, even) who has an opinion …
One of our new StartupNation Community Advisory Board members, Aron North, has a marketing dilemma. Aron has asked me to go to the StartupNation community to get some small business marketing strategies advice. Here’s the challenge:
Aron’s company, Perfect Beverage [...]

Just ask Patrick Byrne of Overstock.com : Women spend money!
A recent nationwide study by Frank About Women concluded that females between 40 and 60 are wealthier than any other group of women in America. While advertisers traditionally covet the 20-39 segment, there are 71% more women between 40 and 60. [...]

Who are you rooting for? The National Football League Super Bowl is here (literally here in Detroit) and it’s time to choose sides. Steelers or Seahawks? Vintage franchise from the 1930’s with four Super Bowl titles already in hand or "upstart" pacific northwest team on their virgin Super Bowl run?
Well, I don’t care about who [...]