What: Portable storage units made from recycled and
restored cargo containers
Who: Rich Whelan of Moveable Cubicle
Where: Raleigh, North Carolina
When: Started in 2000
When Rich Whelan lived in Arizona, he frequently noticed large
containers behind retail stores. Upon moving to North Carolina in
1999, Whelan, 40, noted that these same giant steel containers were
piling up on the shoreline near U.S. shipping ports.
Historic trade imbalances between the United States and other
countries caused the cargo-carrying cubes to stack up at ports,
wasting space. This observation, paired with an eco-friendly
idea--to purchase retired crates from ports and then lease them,
cleaned, painted and restored, to other businesses for their
temporary storage needs--inspired Whelan to start his business.
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"I wanted to build something on concrete, not sand,"
Whelan says. Since the containers last between 20 and 30 years,
Whelan knew they could be used many times over. After persuading
investors that his idea made sense from both a business and an
environmental perspective, Whelan set out to become the global
leader in portable storage.
Today, Moveable Cubicle has more than 40 locations across the
nation. The 20- and 40-foot-long storage units are used by the
retail and construction industries, as well as by individuals and
institutions, such as hospitals and churches.
In 2004, Moveable Cubicle grossed $4.8 million, and the company
expects to grow by 70 percent in 2005. In addition to being
earth-friendly, the company is philanthropic, donating part of its
proceeds to children's charities. Whelan is proud of his
employees and the company's all-around success, saying,
"We are very good for the economy. We are good for the end
customer. We are good for the country."
--Lori Kozlowski
New Brew
What: Single-serving coffee concentrate for making
on-the-go coffee
Who: Candy Palmer-Steele of Javette
Where: Atlanta
When: Started in 1999
When Candy Palmer-Steele's goddaughter went away to music
camp for the summer, she remarked how much she would miss the local
coffee shops she frequented with her friends. That comment inspired
Palmer-Steele to send her a care package--with a twist.
Palmer-Steele bought 100 percent Arabica beans, filtered water
through the grounds and squeezed out the concentrate a little at a
time. Twelve hours and 16 ounces later, Palmer-Steele sent the
concentrate to her goddaughter in a glass bottle, with directions
to mix one table-spoon with hot water. "I mailed it off with
my fingers crossed," Palmer-Steele says of the first
incarnation of Javette.
Her goddaughter liked it--inspiring Palmer-Steele to turn her
idea into a business. Wanting to perfect her product, she hired
several consultants and manufacturers and spent $30,000 on R&D
over four years. The end result: a 0.25-ounce single serving of
coffee concentrate in pressure-resistant packaging that, when mixed
with hot water, provides gourmet coffee on the go.
The product soon gained popularity, thanks to word-of-mouth from
happy customers and Palmer-Steele's sponsorships of local
charity races, such as the American Cancer Society's Relay For
Life. Today, the product can be found on Javette's website,
and in one local gourmet-food store. Sales for 2004 surpassed
$100,000 and should double this year.
A triathlon participant herself, Palmer-Steele, 49, has tackled
Javette with the same drive she applies to all aspects of her life:
"Anything that comes before me, I just set my sights and go
for it." Next up: Palmer-Steele hopes to get Javette on store
shelves nationwide.
--James Park
Meet Market
What: Networking events that facilitate short-and-sweet
contacts with fellow business professionals
Who: Melissa and Sonia English of 5 Minute Networking
Where: Newport Beach, California
When: Started in August 2004
At a speed-dating event last summer, Melissa English walked away
with more business contacts for her sister Sonia's web design
company than she did phone numbers for herself. At the same time,
Sonia attended a business-networking event hosted by the local
chamber of commerce and walked away with nothing. Sensing a perfect
match between speed dating and networking mixers, the two sisters
launched 5 Minute Networking. Their events give individuals
from all industries the chance to meet 20 different professionals,
one-on-one, in five-minute increments.
Their idea was an immediate hit-- the first 50-person event,
held in Newport Beach in September 2004, filled to capacity within
eight days of being announced. The company went national four
months later, holding 25 events in 13 cities across the U.S.
Melissa and Sonia only host local events; outside event directors
are hired for events in other cities. "The response we get
from events is absolutely phenomenal," says Melissa, 27,
adding that they expect sales to jump from $300,000 in 2005 to $2
million in 2006.
"One of the reasons I think people like 5 Minute Networking
is that it works for every personality type," says Sonia, 30,
pointing out that many people don't like to initiate
introductions or waste time on small talk. "You have your
outgoing personality [type], like me, who wouldn't mind walking
up to a group of four people already talking at a networking mixer.
And then you have your other personality type who goes to
[networking] events all gung-ho, but ends up staring at their glass
the whole night, not interacting with anyone."
Now in the process of patenting the software they designed to
optimize their events, the sisters are also exploring franchising
the concept and plan to publish a book with networking tips and
stories about high-level professionals in January 2006.
--Sarah Peirce
Smoke of Genius
What: A website that sells inexpensive cigar
accessories
Who: Dave Sabot of CheapHumidors.com
Where: Miramar, Florida
When: Started in 1997
How much: $45
Dave Sabot, 32, a former internet marketer, knew nothing about
cigars when he purchased his first humidor in 1997 to store some
cigars he received as a gift. "I didn't even know what a
humidor was," Sabot says. A search online and in local cigar
shops left him stunned. "Those things were selling for $200
apiece! I was thinking to myself, How can a little wooden box cost
so much?"
It doesn't have to. Sabot finally bought one for just $45.
After deciding to put it up for sale, Sabot took some pictures and
posted them online. Soon, he had a check in the mail for $99-and
orders for more humidors.
Before long, Sabot built his own website where he now sells
humidors, cigars and cigar accessories. He continued to work up the
supply chain and now buys his products from a wholesale distributor
owned by a partner, allowing him to sell his products for much less
than his competitors.
But Sabot's success isn't all about numbers: "I
quickly learned that the people buying from me weren't the
seasoned veterans of cigar [smoking]-they were new to the
hobby." So he started providing tons of free information on
his website "to really help the new guy out."
By teaching novices the same things he didn't know as a
rookie cigar enthu-siast, Sabot found his niche within a niche.
"Cigar smoking is a niche, and my niche is [marketing to] the
guy that's brand-new to the whole thing," he says . Today,
his $45 purchase has turned into a half-million-dollar business
that expects sales to increase by 30 percent this year.
--Sarah Peirce