Playing Through
What: Company that provides access to a variety of private
golf clubs without having to be a member
Who: Jonathan Halpern, Dean Starker, David Kaufman, Gary
Rosenberg and Ken Dichter of Tour GCX
Where: New York City
When: Started in April 2004
Beautiful scenery, well-manicured fairways and amenities
galore--country clubs have a lot to offer. For golfers who enjoy
the game but haven't had the chance to experience private play,
Tour GCX has an answer. By offering a taste of this exclusive
lifestyle, Tour GCX is making the formerly inaccessible
accessible.
Ken Dichter, Jonathan Halpern, David Kaufman and Dean Starker,
all 38, and Gary Rosenberg, 41, saw their own situations as an
inspiration for the business idea.
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"While we could afford to be country club members, it
wasn't on the radar because we were living in the city or had
[young] kids," Kaufman says. "But we wanted to play
country club courses."
With startup costs in the seven figures, Tour GCX signed more
than 20 private courses in the New York tri-state area. Members of
Tour GCX purchase tee units, each good for one round of golf for
the member and three guests. Tee times are booked through the
company, so members and their guests can easily sample the various
offerings of each club.
Kaufman says tee units are generally purchased in lots of 10 for
$6,250. Corporate packages are also available, for a minimum of 20
tee units at $12,500.
Although the business is meant to appeal to avid golfers,
Kaufman says that the founders marketed their business to private
clubs as a new way for the clubs to draw in potential members.
"We consider ourselves a brand builder for country
clubs," Kaufman says. "Clubs today have to [use] more
aggressive, unique [marketing tactics], and we are one of
those." Projecting 2006 sales of $5 million, Tour GCX has
plans to expand nationwide by the end of 2007.
--James Park
In for a Treat
What: Short-term child-care provider and children's
party facility
Who: Wendy Reed and Pam Weaver, co-owners of Sugar Buzz Playcare
and Parties
Where: Broad Ripple, Indiana
When: Started in June 2005
Wendy Reed and Pam Weaver found the perfect way to spend quality
time with their kids while running a full-time business. And their
idea is creating quite a buzz. In 2005, the two moms launched Sugar
Buzz Playcare and Parties, a unique brand of child care that gives
parents the convenience of short-term child supervision without
contracts or commitments.
Reed, 46, originally opened Sugar Buzz as a soda fountain and
candy shop in 2001. After parents asked her to host themed birthday
parties at the shop, Reed and her good friend Weaver, 44, realized
the shop could not only be used to hold parties--it could serve as
a day-care center, too. Thus, Sugar Buzz Playcare and Parties was
born.
At Sugar Buzz, parents can drop their children off for as little
as 30 min-utes or as long as 10 hours. Kids are encouraged to leave
electronics at the door so they can participate in classic
activities, such as face painting and dress-up, in a decidedly
low-tech playroom reminiscent of the sort their parents
enjoyed.
Children 18 months to 12 years old are welcome, and the cost
ranges anywhere from $3.50 to $9 an hour. On the initial visit,
parents fill out all the necessary forms and, for security
purposes, digital photos are taken of both parents and children and
stored for future reference.
Sugar Buzz even opens its doors to kids on Friday and Saturday
evenings, allowing moms and dads enough time to catch dinner and a
movie. And the kids aren't complaining, either. "We
created an atmosphere here that is what kids want, as opposed to
what adults think kids want," says Weaver.
And they're taking that atmosphere on the road. In addition
to running Sugar Buzz Playcare and hosting parties, they also
provide on-site day care at business conferences and weddings.
Sugar Buzz grossed about $100,000 in 2005. Reed and Weaver
project a 30 percent increase in revenue in 2006, and they have
plans to open a new location in Carmel, Indiana. Also in the works
are possible franchise opportunities and Sugar Buzz retail items,
including prepackaged arts and crafts
--Bethan-Rose Rodriguez
Making a Move
What: Moving crew that relocates clients and decorates their
homes upon arrival
Who: Debra Mitchell of Smooth Moves by Designers
Where: Dallas
When: Started in 2002
From carefully wrapping Grandma's china to fluffing the last
pillow, moving can be an exhausting process. For Debra Mitchell,
it's where she excels. "I'm the only person in the
world who likes to move," she says, adding that she moves up
to four times a month. Mitchell isn't moving herself,
however--packing, moving and decorating are services offered by her
company, Smooth Moves by Designers.
With her five-person staff and a contracted van line, Mitchell
organizes the entire stressful event, from the initial planning to
the final hanging of art and accessories. Without even needing to
see the new home beforehand, Mitchell arranges a moving crew and
trucks and decorates the home on arrival. Smooth Moves takes care
of every detail, including color-coding closets and stocking the
fridge.
"It's like having a moving company that's
orchestrated by a designer," says Mitchell, who has 10 years
of experience as an interior designer and started Smooth Moves as
an offshoot of her interior design company, Debra Mitchell
Interiors. "I make people's things look the best they can
in the new surroundings."
Mitchell, who projects 2006 sales of nearly $300,000, is trying
to boost her clientele in the corporate employee market.
"Companies are losing so much money on employees who can't
feel settled [at their jobs] until their lives are settled,"
she says. "I don't think companies are aware of
this."
Mitchell, 54, admits some people are hesitant to hand over
complete control. "But if they just let go and let me do it
all," she says, "they don't miss a beat."
--Lindsay Holloway
Just Like Mom Used to Make
What: Gourmet hot chocolate mix
Who: Hilly Blondheim of Chef Hilly's Kitchen
Where: Atlanta
When: 2001
How much: $300
Using the recipe for a hot chocolate mix he created in culinary
school while trying to imitate his mom's recipe, chef Hilly
Blondheim filled glass jars with his tasty concoction and went door
to door, selling it to local businesses. "I was walking around
Atlanta with these jars," says Blondheim, 33. "I'd go
into shops and ask if they could put [the mix] on
consignment."
Blondheim donated a portion of the profits to his mother's
breast cancer foundation, thereby attracting local media attention
and a call from a Neiman Marcus buyer, who had received a sample of
the hot chocolate. The buyer offered Blondheim's product a spot
in the Atlanta store. And after reading an Entrepreneur
article on kiosks, Blondheim decided to start selling his mix at
the local mall.
Blondheim got more assistance along the way: A sympathetic
manufacturer showed him what he needed to do to expand his
business. By taking out a second mortgage on his home, he found the
means to start financing his growing operation. And a marketing
company that worked with his mother's foundation helped him
build his brand name.
All the effort paid off when, in January, Chef Hilly's
Kitchen was featured on Food Network's Unwrapped.
With a lineup of various products including a chocolate chip cookie
mix, the company's 2006 sales are projected to break
$500,000--a portion of which will continue to go to the breast
cancer foundation.
--James Park