Build-A-Bear with Wheels

Ridemakerz is off to a fast start, offering kids the chance to build customized model cars, and giving parents a much-needed pit stop  In 2005, Larry Andreini approached two entertainment producers about a possible television show, but their meeting didn't lead to a TV hit. Instead, the pair gave Andreini, an entrepreneur with a track record that includes founding a customer loyalty program and a telecommunications exchange, the concept that would become his next business: Ridemakerz, a do-it-yourself custom model car...

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A New Push to Make Farming Profitable

At the forefront of a revolution in the way small farms operate is celebrity farmer Joel Salatin. His new business model and innovative techniques are catching on with farmers across the countryWe have seen new business models emerge over the last decade for dozens of industries including travel, advertising, and publishing—all relying heavily on technology-based improvements in productivity and changes in distribution associated with the Internet. Now we may be seeing the emergence of a new business model for small farms, which have lagged the transformation of other industries and continued to rely heavily on commodity...

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Grom Gelato: Creating a Stir in New York

Partners Guido Martinetti and Frederico Grom have managed to preserve Old World flavors and traditions in their Manhattan gelato shop Would Americans spend $4.75 for a single scoop of premium, handmade Italian gelato? That was the question that Guido Martinetti and his partner, Frederico Grom, asked themselves a year ago when they decided to bring their popular Italian gelato chain, Grom, to New York City. As it turned out, the answer was a resounding yes. When the first shop opened on Manhattan's Upper West Side in May, the pair tested the waters by giving out free coupons to lure customers in to try their product....

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Rebirth of a New Orleans Coffee Tradition

Two years after Katrina damaged the franchise's 25 local stores, the brand leader of PJ's Coffee talks about the strength of the people and the brand Like nearly every business on the Gulf Coast, PJ's Coffee, a famed New Orleans institution, suffered serious losses following Hurricane Katrina. Founded nearly 30 years ago in the heart of the Big Easy, pre-Katrina PJ's was a chain of 42 coffeehouses located across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. As a result of the disaster, all 25 of PJ's New Orleans stores suffered damage. Two years ago, BusinessWeek's Stacy Perman spoke to Chris Morocco, president...

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New Orleans: A Startup Laboratory

Entrepreneurs are finding fertile ground for new ventures they think will help bring the devastated city back to life In a fifth-floor penthouse office in the central business district, developers craft an online trading system to let companies sell their accounts receivable at a discount for cash. A few blocks away, a programmer builds a tool to send patients' medical data to doctors' smart phones in real time. On the other side of town, workers assemble a sleek modular home from aluminum framing and interlocking panels—no nails or screws required. At the end of the day, they might all head for a hip new nightclub...

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From Home Kitchen to Whole Foods

BusinessWeek chats with two young entrepreneurs who aim to 'Feed' the masses quality organic granola Models turned business partners Jason Wright (on left) and Jason Osborn turned the granola that they made as a snack in their New York City apartment into a three-flavor organic line they named Feed 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 that idea into a real business? Well, that's exactly what former models turned business partners...

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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" Louis Posen's dream of becoming a movie director was coming to an end. The 19-year-old was studying film at California State University at Northridge in 1991 when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that leads to blindness. Looking for another creative endeavor, he bought a book called How to Run an Independent Record Label and launched Hopeless Records from his garage. Today, Hopeless is profitable, employs nine people, and...

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