StartupNation Blogs

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 [...]

“Knockoffs” and “Copycats” are too often part of the hard knocks high fashion deals out to young designers.  Years spent perfecting the fit of a signature cocktail dress can be stolen overnight by a larger, more established company with lower price points.  Your signature cocktail dress is now mass market and you won’t see a [...]

I remember very clearly my first trip to the principal’s office.   I was in the second grade and in trouble for “stealing other kid’s lunch money”.   As much as it sounds like the calling card of a bully, I can assure you it was nothing like that.   It was the early 80’s and jelly bracelets [...]

Six months into launching Glamajama I was driving home from a playgroup with my nine month old son.  I caught Dr. Laura on talk radio telling some frazzled work-at-home Mom that there was no way she could be both a full-time Mom and a successful Entrepreneur.  Her argument was simple, one would suffer and all [...]

So you’ve got some ideas, a decent prototype, and a couple customers to boot…now what?  Sadly, many would-be entrepreneurs fail at running a business before they even start.  The complexity of a business plan, lack of funding, and an army of competitors all create a standstill that causes those flames of business freedom to flicker.  [...]

Do-it-yourself publicity isn’t for the faint of heart, but it isn’t impossible either.  Over the past couple of years I’ve been able to secure several high profile publicity “hits” on my own and I’ve learned quite a bit in the process.  One of the things that I have learned is that you don’t have to [...]

I’ve received some great feedback and questions from readers after my initial post.  Several of them gave specific information about their business successes and dilemmas.  In the true sense of community, I wanted to share those responses and my suggestions for getting over those hurdles.  I am creating a “Beyond the Launch” series that will be generated solely [...]

My name is Heather Nolte, and I have enjoyed being a small business owner for the past four years.   My company, Glamajama.com , is a lifestyle clothing company that creates glam-studded clothes for women, toddlers, and babies.  Glamajama has been featured on The Today Show, The Early Show, Oprah, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Extreme Makeover: Home [...]