Meet Our Make Your Idea Happen Contest Finalists
Every business starts with an idea, whether it’s a cool product, a way to help people in need or something else entirely. The finalists in the Staples Make Your Idea Happen contest certainly fit that bill, and have learned much as they’ve turned their ideas into realities.
Meet our Make Your Idea Happen Contest finalists:
Coast In Bikes
Riding around Milwaukee working as a bicycle rickshaw driver was all the inspiration Carolyn Weber needed to come up with her own business idea. In April 2013, nearly three years after her rickshaw experience, she and her partner opened the bike shop Coast In Bikes, which is now growing into a combination bike shop/café and hostel with bicycle rentals for the hostel guests... Read more
H&L Maker Kamp
Finding a problem and then building solutions is the basis of many small businesses. And it’s also what inspired Sean Hennington, Aric Loomis and Michael Slack to start H&L Maker Kamp, a New Mexico–based enterprise focused on helping high school students learn electrical and mechanical engineering skills... Read more
Lansing Roller Derby Vixens
Some people look at their city and think it needs more affordable housing or better public transportation. Ryan Knott decided his city, Lansing, MI, needed a roller derby team. After finding players and fans on Facebook, he has remained involved, fostering and growing the Lansing Derby Vixens as head coach and director of communications.... Read more
Little Hat Workshop
Andrea Leiser started Little Hat Workshop because making hats is fun and she liked the creative outlet. However, she quickly learned that her product served a greater purpose when she met a cancer patient at a holiday crafts fair. Now, in addition to being stylish headgear, the hats provide comfort, support, encouragement and, yes, a healthy dose of good fashion for women who need it... Read more
Love Delivered...from Home
Molly Ziske found business inspiration when her children began looking at colleges. Knowing they’d be away from home and might be homesick, she wanted a way to send some love that would also be fun and helpful. So she launched the appropriately named Love Delivered...from Home, a St. Clair Shores, MI–based business that sends care packages filled with candy, toiletries, school supplies, cleaning/laundry products and other essentials that a college student might want or need… Read more
McClary Bros.
Jess McClary was looking for a business idea that would let her put the spotlight on local ingredients. She happened upon the concept of drinking vinegars, a colonial-era beverage that goes well in cocktails or with sparkling water. Today, her business, McClary Bros., remains loyal to the farmers in the Detroit metro area who inspired the business, and sells fancy and drinking vinegars wholesale and out of a weekly popup shop... Read more
Rainbow Rescues
Maria O’Brien and her brother, Shawn, were the type of children who were always bringing home birds, kittens and other animals in distress. Five years ago, the siblings used that passion for helping animals to start Rainbow Rescues, a non-profit foster-based rescue organization in Granville, MA... Read more
Traveling Tutor
Like so many small businesses, Traveling Tutor was created to satisfy a need: Penny Banner didn’t want any more children to be left behind just because they had to miss school because of illness or hospitalization. While the business is still in its infancy, Penny says she has already learned plenty about what it will take to make her venture a success... Read more
When Pigs Fly
For a non-profit organization, a constant stream of income is essential. That is what Lisa Hiler, director of the Piggyback Foundation in Norwalk, OH, says was the inspiration for When Pigs Fly, an upscale resale and retail shop operated by the foundation. Each month, the Piggyback Foundation supports more than 30 families that are facing life-threatening illnesses; it was able to give out over $100,000 in 2013 (almost half of the funds came from the When Pigs Fly store)... Read more
Yoga-to-Go
With so much on all of our to-do lists, who has the time to relax and de-stress? That’s where Barbara Davison and her Yoga-to-Go business come in. Barbara will go wherever her clients are, whenever they need her, and will make sure they’re making time to work out and take care of themselves... Read more
Disclaimer: All Make Your Idea Happen contest finalists were provided the same interview questions and opportunity to contribute a response. The resulting articles are not intended to show any favoritism or weight towards determining the winners. In addition, any quotes used or people or businesses mentioned were provided by the finalist and should not be considered an endorsement by Staples.