Wood Flooring Supply Business Going Nationaly

In 2006 friends Jerry Brainerd and Scott Niemiec opened their wood flooring supply business, Distribution Brothers, LLC in Chippewa Falls. Just one year later, Distribution Brothers employs five at two locations, Chippewa Falls and Des Moines, IA, with plans to open a third facility in Madison early next year.
“Multiple locations is the way to go,” [...]

Child Care Center Shines in Southwestern Wisconsin

Brenda Allbee opened her first Bright from the Start child care center in Platteville in December 2005. In just two years, Allbee launched a second center in Cuba City and plans to open a third in Boscobel in June.
Allbee credits her success to her exceptional staff and the strict standards and policies she has [...]

Jeff Valdez - Creator of a new type of network

By Eunice Sigler
Jeff Valdez has come a long way from the days in which he worried about staying warm and fed in the housing projects of Pueblo, Colorado. Now living in Beverly Hills, Valdez is the genius behind SíTV, the nation’s first and only English-language Latino television network—one that appears to be redefining the [...]

The Hottest Fine Dining Spot

By Idy Fernández
It seemed like a no-brainer: Cover ugly tabletops with tablecloths. Yet for chef Henry Salgado and his pastry chef wife Michele, this simple remedy transformed what was supposed to be a “mom-and-pop” restaurant into one of the hottest fine dining spots of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Now in its sixth year, Spanish [...]

Kathy Gendel: Success in the Undergarment Business

Ever watched QVC? One of QVC’s best selling products is Breezies Intimates, a line of undergarments created by Kathy Gendel. Breezies Intimates is a wide range of undergarments sold exclusively by QVC.
What sets the Breezies apart is the patented fabric used in panties and bra linings. More than underwear-as-sexy-objects pitch like Victoria Secret, Breezies positions [...]

Bikewagon.com: From Classifieds To eBay To Its Own Website

“Do something you are passionate about . . . ”
By: Pat Callahan
Dale Majors is passionate about cycling. So much so that in 1999, at age 16, he decided to take a chance with selling bicycle gear online. His original goal was simple: He was looking to upgrade his own cycling equipment and needed the [...]

Bloggers Bring in the Big Bucks

How a personal obsession can turn into a popular favorite and maybe even a full-time job
by John Tozzi
Eric Nakagawa, a software developer in Hawaii, posted a single photo of a fat, smiling cat he found on the Internet, with the caption, “I can has cheezburger?” in January, 2007, at a Web site he created. It [...]

From Home Kitchen to Whole Foods

BusinessWeek chats with two young entrepreneurs who aim to ‘Feed’ the masses quality organic granola
How many times have you come up with an idea that causes your friends to say: “Hey, that could be a business!” How many times have you agreed with them? But how many times have you actually gone out and transformed [...]

The Paul Newman of Punk Rock

After Hopeless Records started bringing in cash, founder Louis Posen began spinning profits into charity and joined a new trend in “social entrepreneurship”
by Christopher Palmeri

Louis Posen figured out a way to spin a sizable chunk of the money his company generates into philanthropy.
Louis Posen’s dream of becoming a movie director was coming to an end. [...]

Menus that Talk

Menus that Talk is a Florida company with an exciting new product that elegantly addresses a host of restaurant ordering issues. Using the cleverly designed device, diners turn a paper menu into an auditory experience including words and music. Buttons are grouped by course and labeled with easy to see identifiers. A boon to the [...]

Combine motherhood with a high tech online business

Having worked for two years for a streaming video provider, Cary had accumulated enough experience in the field to know what services could make a difference to consumers. She realised there was a gap in the market for safe and affordable video streaming for consumers and small businesses and ‘Mydeo’ was born.
The business was financed [...]

Vanessa Phillips Surfs the Web to Unprecedented Success

Vanessa Phillips’s company, OutSec Limited, provides online digital transcription.
Vanessa PhillipsVanessa enjoyed a successful career in banking and eurobond sales before deciding to move into a more exciting position. Selling space for various London publications, she relied heavily on the cooperation and participation of her sales team, who had much lower standards than herself. To avoid [...]

Shakara Ledard Not Only Models Clothes, She Designs Them

Shakara Ledard’s label “ROXS” offers a new brand of luxury street clothing, all sporting her wildly original trademark style. With its rock, punk, funk and urban influences, ROXS (pronounced “rocks”) is aimed at hip younger women, aged 22 to 35, who are more interested in creating their own style than following fashion. The clothes are [...]

Her Love of Horses Turned into a Successful Retail usiness

Chloe Giles runs Gee Gee Images, which specialises in Equestrian Event Photography and Equestrian Themed Jewellery. She operates an online shop which allows customers to purchase additional photos, bespoke personalised photo art products, and her equestrian themed jewellery. Read more about Gee Gee Images and a special offer for everywoman members.
Chloe GilesChloe has always had [...]

Kerrie Keeling Transforms Disaster into Design

Kerrie Keeling’s company, A Woman’s Touch Limited, offers a variety of home improvement services including Interior Design, Project Management, plumbing, tiling, plastering, and flooring.
Kerrie is business-minded leader. Graduating from Leeds University with honours she followed the traditional path entering the field of Investment Banking at JPMorgan.
With her high credentials and expertise, she quickly ascended the [...]

Chicago Condos Online Business

While editing magazines and books for Dr.Norman Vincent Peale, Ric Cox learned a lot about “the power of positive thinking.” That power helped him start ChicagoCondosOnline.com. But it was “the power of positive doing,” which Ric learned about from his counselors at Chicago SCORE, that helped transform his struggling business into a more viable one.
ChicagoCondosOnline.com [...]

From Nursing Needs To Big Business

The Go! Pillow is quickly becoming a well known product amongst many parents. Made by a mom who was just looking to solve her own needs, she soon found that their was a market out there for her nursing pillow and got the help she needed to become the business she is today. Sold under [...]

Clubbing Business

Nightclubbing biz

After being left behind the velvet rope, this entrepreneur created a hip online destination for nightclubbers.
By April Y. Pennington
Online nightlife destination service
Founder: Andrew Fox, 33, New York City
Projected 2005 Sales: $22 million, including Fox’s other businesses
In 1995, this oft-rejected newcomer to New York City’s club scene found a way to get past the doorman [...]

Personal Development Help For Free

Our Intent & Purpose

As the founders, visionaries and caretakers of this website, we declare Tools for Transformation to be free and open to all, held and developed in perpetuity as a service dedicated to the uplifting of humanity.
We do this as an expression of our life’s purpose, caring about the personal development of all men, [...]

Computer Moms Business

Have you ever wondered how and why a business developed into a franchise? Every company is different but we recently chatted with Georgia Jones, Founder of Computer Moms, the highly successful computer mentoring service that helps everyone from the small business to the stay at home mom learn everything from how to turn on a [...]

How business blogs help small businesses

Stories about how business blogs help small businesses reach out to customers, get known, attract buyers and grow their small companies are common. Here is a story about how using a blog helped (saved) a small business owner when she was facing a financial crisis. Thanks to Todd Nelson, contributor to the Star Tribune newspaper [...]

Jay-Z With His Fashion Emporium

Rocawear Apparel LLC sells urban and upscale clothing for men, women, teens, and children including jeans, jerseys, footwear, outerwear, headwear, sportswear, jewelry, accessories, and loungewear. Once part of the entertainment empire known as The Roc, Rocawear underwent a change in ownership in late 2005 when Damon Dash sold his interest to partners including rap superstar [...]

Kate Moss Cloth Business

Moss is another model-turned-designer. The supermodel’s fashion line launched with British retailer Topshop in May, and the collection was a huge hit. A second line of summerwear went on sale in June, and a fall collection is planned for late summer. According to Topshop, Moss is involved in the designs and draws on her years [...]

M by Madonna Design Line at H and M

The Queen of Pop teamed up with low-cost high-fashion retailer H&M in March to launch M by Madonna, available in H&M stores in 26 countries. Madonna serves as model, pitchwoman, and designer for the line, which she described as “casual but naughty, sensible but sexy.” The partnership began last year when the Swedish clothing chain [...]

Christy Turlington and Her Nuala and Sundari Biz

Christy was aged just 13 when she was discovered whilst horseback riding by photographer Dennie Cody who sent her photos to a local model agency. She signed with a small San Francisco agency and did small assignments during school holidays. She later signed with the Ford agency but decided to finish her education (at Monte [...]

Danny DeVito South Beach Business

DeVito South Beach and Danny DeVito’s Premium Limoncello
Danny DeVito is the latest celebrity to try to turn his name into a business. Perhaps it’s fitting that the portly star’s enterprise is an Italian restaurant, DeVito South Beach, which opened June 18 in Miami Beach.That’s not the only venture DeVito’s working on. When he notoriously turned [...]

Jennifer Lopez and Her Sweetface Fashion

From lemon liqueur to clothing lines to real estate development, celebrities are launching their own businesses from scratch, instead of simply licensing their names to the highest bidder. We take a look at what 20 stars started and where they are now.
The singer and actress had long dreamed of starting a fashion line when she [...]

From Hotel to his own Concierge Services Company

11th Hour Concierge is friendly to the slacker in YOU. Today, the company plays the role of lifestyle consultant, tomorrow—personal assistant, and the day after, your dog walker. Nikki Middleton’s company shops, talks, negotiates, schedules appointments, assists with wedding coordinations, and the list goes on and on and on. Believing that your time is priceless, [...]

Bikini Business

Thales Panagides was born in Ames, Iowa, but he’s far from there now. He calls home base his apartment in the beachside city of Fortaleza, Brazil. He’s become the largest independent distributor of authentic Brazilian bikinis in the world. He sells in 41 countries and has sold at least one bikini to customers in nearly [...]

A Bug Business

Planning his son’s 5th birthday party, Seth Presant did a great deal of bug research, caught many bugs (some caught him), and put on a birthday bug show for his wide-eyed boy. It was a hit! A bug business was born. Prezant now conducts educational bug shows for schools and provides information and bug-related products [...]