Loosen Up! From time to time, moms need to take a well-earned break from the worries of parenthood and work. At this camp, every day is Mother's Day.
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What: A twice-yearly campfor stressed-out women
Who: Cindy Rota of Camp GetawayInc.
Where: Oceanside,California
When: Started in 1996 by MyraPeck; purchased by Rota in 2000
If you're a mom, chances are you don't get much time toput your feet up and relax. "I felt there was a need for womento get away from the stress and strain from either motherhood orwork," says Myra Peck, of her reasons for founding Camp Mom in1996.
That's what Cindy Rota needed--a weekend away--back in 1998,when she first attended Camp Mom. She had so much fun, she boughtthe company when Peck decided to sell in 2000. For Rota, a37-year-old stay-at-home mother of three boys, the decision to buythe camp was easy. "The enjoyment of sitting back and watchingthese women let their hair down and have girl-to-girl time is whatmade me go from being a spectator to the owner," she says.
Camp Mom, which expects year-end sales to reach $200,000, offerstraditional camp activities, such as arts and crafts, scrapbooking,hiking and swimming. Campers can also opt to lounge poolside and bepampered with manicures, facials and massages.
Rota had moved the camp from its original location in Irvine,California, to a larger facility in Lake Arrowhead, California,that can accommodate 360 participants for two weekends per year.Camp Mom should soon be available nationwide, thanks to a licensingagreement that would allow other entrepreneurs to open and operateCamp Moms. The camp's popularity spreads mostly throughword-of-mouth, with many customers returning year after year insearch of a relaxing, hassle-free weekend.
15 Minutes of Fame
What: Trading cardsfeaturing everyday people
Who: Brian Mullen, Brant Hermanand Todd Herman of PeopleCards
Where: San Francisco
When: Started in April 2000
Are you fed up with celebrities taking the limelight all thetime? Brant Herman, founder of PeopleCards, sure was, so he came upwith a line of quirky trading cards inspired by the recent trend inreality entertainment. "We have people around the country who,because they're on a PeopleCard, become more than just anunknown--they become a kind of a persona," says Herman, 26,who started the company with the help of his brother, Todd, 29, andtheir friend Brian Mullen, 31.
Just about anybody can apply online at www.peoplecards.net forthe chance to be featured on a PeopleCard; clubs and musical bandscan also be immortalized with PeopleCards. To date, the popularcards, which retail for $2.99 per pack in hardware, grocery,convenience and comic-book stores, have been well-received, withsales for 2002 projected at $350,000. What's next? The companyis currently planning a human resources line of PeopleCards forcompanies wanting to give outstanding, hard-working employees somerecognition.
The Big Chill
What: Frozen nutritionbars
Who: Collin Madden of ColdFusion Foods Inc.
Where: Culver City,California
When: Started in 1999
If you've ever tasted a standard protein shake, you'llunderstand why the often sandy, tasteless concoction doesn'texactly inspire cravings for the stuff. For Collin Madden, an avidrunner, the process of concocting his own protein shakes with iceto give them a better taste led to an epiphany: Why not take thenutritional value of a power bar or shake and make it frozen anddelicious? Leaving his job as an investment banker, Madden investedhis savings in launching Cold Fusion.
"Our biggest key is getting people to taste it. Some peoplelook at the ingredients, [and] they're like 'Wow, this istoo healthy-it can't taste good,' " says Madden, 30,who created the product with help from nutritionists and foodtechnologists to ensure it actually tasted good. The bars, whichcontain all-natural fruit juices and whey protein, are alsofortified with antioxidant vitamins, which aid in muscle recovery.Launched in 2000--in flavors such as Berry Blast, Key Lime andChocolate--they've become popular at Whole Foods, Wild Oats andTrader Joe's stores, as well as many regional grocery storesthroughout California, Illinois and Texas. Year-end sales areprojected to hit $3 million.
Though Cold Fusion broke new ground as the first frozennutritional product, Madden hopes the bars will become staples forfitness-conscious consumers, dieters and people interested inhealthy snacking.
Contact Sources
- Camp Getaway Inc.
(760) 806-4582, www.campgetaway.com - Cold Fusion Foods Inc.
(800) 447-9998, www.coldfusionfoods.com - PeopleCards
(800) 799-6151, www.peoplecards.net
