Lili Balfour: 3 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Fail Smarter
Amanda Schneider: Meaning Is the Antidote to Corporate Zombies
My First Million: A.J. Khubani, TeleBrands
How a part-time pizza-delivery guy took $7,000 and turned it into a $1 billion "As Seen on TV" infomercial empire. Continue Reading
inventions
Pump Wear
Pump Wear's Julie DeFruscio: Helping Kids Battle Diabetes in Style
Like the millions of people with Type 1 diabetes, Julie DeFruscio's three kids are forced to wear insulin pumps 24 hours a day. So she set out to design a line of clothing and accessories that make the task a little more fashionable. Continue Reading
Bee's Knees
Bee's Knees' Tammany Atkinson: Protecting Babies on Their Very First Journey
When Tammany Atkinson's first son started to crawl, she noticed all that stumbling around was taking a toll on his little knees. That spawned the idea for Bee's Knees, infant pants with built-in knee pads, now sold around the world. Continue Reading
AOL
27 Million and Counting: Robert Marandos, BowlSole
Meet Robert Marandos, the president and CEO of BowlSole, a Selden, N.Y.-based maker of adhesive shoe pads that turn regular shoes into bowling shoes. Continue Reading
Boogie Wipes
Boogie Wipes: For These Moms, Necessity Really Is the Mother of Invention
With six kids between them, Julie Pickens and Mindee Doney know a thing or two about runny noses. Together, they developed Boogie Wipes -- expected to bring in $10 million this year. Continue Reading
DNA11
Made in the USA: The End of 'One Size Fits All'
Thanks to the Web and manufacturing technology, consumers can now customize virtually anything -- from dress shirts to cereal. A look at the innovative startups that are quite literally giving the people what they want. Continue Reading
Harpo Productions
My First Million: Sara Blakely, Spanx
Sara Blakely took a homemade solution to an everyday problem -- cutting the feet off her pantyhose, to help women look shapelier -- and created Spanx, a multimillion-dollar international apparel phenomenon. Continue Reading
Steve Strauss
5 Steps to Creating a Million-Dollar Product
Some of the greatest inventions in history happened literally by accident. How to turn a big idea into a bestseller. Continue Reading
Getty Images
Conducting Market Research: 5 Things You Need to Know
A great new product is only great if customers are willing to buy it. How to conduct market research -- and test demand for your next business idea. Continue Reading
AOL
Ask Rod, Episode 25: How Can We Improve Our Marketing?
Executive Editor Rod Kurtz helps a cardboard furniture company take its marketing to the next level and a 79-year-old board game inventor get her product in front of customers. Continue Reading
Elizabeth Walters
The Next Big Idea? The Silly Stand for Silly Bandz
Dave Gerolemon and Chad Walters are hoping to cash in on the Silly Bandz craze with a stand that helps kids organize their rubber bracelet collections. Continue Reading
AOL
Ask Rod, Episode 18: Times Square Takeover!
Executive Editor Rod Kurtz heads to the "Crossroads of the World" to field questions about retail, customer service and inventions. The pigeons don't seem too thrilled. Continue Reading
AOL
27 Million and Counting: Karen Norris, StackMates
Meet Karen Norris, the inventor behind StackMates, a Lehigh Valley, Penn.-based maker of kitchen storage containers. Continue Reading
Leatherman
Tim Leatherman: An Inventor on the Cutting Edge
For Tim Leatherman, a broken-down car and constant search for pliers to fix it sparked the idea for an invention. Today, his Leatherman Multi-Tool has become a favorite of Mr. Fix-Its around the world. Continue Reading
The Next Big Idea? The PowerSquid
Chris Hawker has been an inventor his entire life. But when he came up with the idea for funny-looking power strip, he knew he was "onto something big." Continue Reading
