Cell phone STD’s need to be stopped.  It’s a dirty little secret.  Cell phones are horny little bastards, but they don’t have the hands to slide on a condom.

That’s right, after you go to bed and the lights are out, cell phones vibrate toward each other, hook up their ports, and go at it.  We’re on the verge of a STD epidemic.

Luckily there’s hope.  Inventor Rogier van Camp, a swimming pool painter, used a condom to protect his phone.

Unfortunately the lubricating jelly inside the condom ended up damaging the phone so van Camp decided to design his own special mobile phone condoms.

Known as mobile skins, these phone covers are designed to protect mobile phones from damage caused by paint, dirt or water.

Water damage is the most common cause of mobile phone failure and most handset insurance policies don’t cover it.

It’s estimated that last year around 68 million mobile phones were damaged due to water or dirt worldwide.  That equates to one out of every 25 mobile phones.

What the mobile skins provide is a transparent and protective cover which is same thickness as most condoms.  And, these cell condoms are sold in three and six packs.

Now, if the phones could just sprout some arms and slide these on themselves here’s how to put them on.

Here’s another great idea from somebody who’s now working naked.

As reported on businessweek.com, Rick Field turned his passion for creating pickles in his Brooklyn kitchen into a bona fide business, Rick’s Picks, in 2004. During his first year in business, Field says, his sales increased 200%, and by 2005 he was selling 10 different varieties, online and in specialty stores in nine states.

Now, Field says, Rick’s Picks is a national business, and his Phat Beets and Windy City Wasabi are sold in more than 300 stores in 35 states. Sales have grown sharply, with a 120% jump in 2006 from 2005.

While sales and retail distribution are strong, Field says he is trying to “recognize the power of the Internet for our small business. We are in the middle of [turning] a new Web site into more of a selling machine and enhancing the consumer experience.”

One of the important lessons that Field says he has learned is the importance of understanding what made his brand unique in the first place, and being able to communicate that message as the company continues to grow.

“I think that being able to work with distributors was a key step in spreading the message to the widest possible audience,” he says. However, as far as missteps go, “ours is a brand that needs to be managed. When you go into a new region, you are starting a new relationship, and you need to be attentive to that new partner.

As a small business, we are challenged in terms of human resources. I spend a lot of time on the road. I found we are less successful in places where we have not shown up physically and put the pickles in the mouths of customers.”

From pickles in his kitchen to a national business, what a great story.

Did your parents ever keep a close eye on you?  Well, you can do the same, even from across the country.

As reported on normantranscript.com, Ken Nixon developed AttentiveCare to help his mother remain independent on her farm for more than two years despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Now his solution for distance caregivers is attracting national attention.

The April 8 airing of NBC’s “Weekend Today Show” featured two of Nixon’s clients, highlighting the improved relationship between Kai Rippy Habalow of Los Angeles, Calif., and her 96-year-old father Raymond Rippy of Fort Smith, Ark.

“The comfort of seeing my father in real time is priceless,” Habalow said. “No amount of third party information regarding his well-being can come close to looking into his eyes and seeing his movements.”

AttentiveCare is an Internet-based caregiver support system that enables family and friends to provide informal care for their loved ones from anywhere in the world. With features such as videoconferencing, activity reminders, slideshows and journaling, AttentiveCare helps care networks on both ends of the spectrum — allowing caregivers to better coordinate their efforts, and enabling care receivers to function more independently while keeping closer ties with friends and relatives. The software is designed to work even if the care recipient is unable to operate a computer.

“Caregivers face some daunting challenges, especially distance caregivers,” Nixon said. “I know. I’ve been there. And I’ve seen how our technology can help people meet those challenges in such a way that it enriches the lives of everyone involved. We want our users to feel good about how they are helping their loved ones … it’s important to us they realize they can still play a significant role in the caregiving process.”

According to an updated analysis by the National Family Caregivers Association and Family Caregiver Alliance in 2006, the number of adult long-distance caregivers is estimated to be seven million.

Great business idea!  You may have one too.  Get started working naked. 

Seattle Sutton doesn’t give her customers any choices.

Instead of hurting her, that philosophy has helped the plain-spoken grandmother transform her Illinois-based healthy meal delivery service into a rapidly growing, $20 million national business.

When customers tell her they don’t like a particular item on her company’s menu, this is what the 75-year-old registered nurse tells them:  “I don’t care. I’m going to serve you what you should eat.”

As reported on syracuse.com, Sutton started her business in 1985 with $1,000 and three employees. By that point she had raised five children and worked 22 years as a nurse in her husband’s family medical practice in Marseilles, Ill.

She regularly counseled her husband’s diabetic patients about diet and nutrition and noticed many of them didn’t heed her advice. One day a patient told her he’d follow her advice and eat healthy if she cooked for him.  “It was like a light bulb went off,” Sutton said. “I knew I really could help a lot of people.”

Sutton knew she was taking a risk, but believed she had a good idea. She started the company as a way to help not only diabetics, but people with high blood pressure, heart disease and other health problems who needed to lose weight. Instead of diet gimmicks, She wanted to offer people healthy, fresh, nutritionally balanced meals to help them lose weight.

Starting out small in rented catering space, she enlisted the help of a registered dietitian.  In the beginning, she ran radio commercials late at night to get the cheapest ad rates. Because the ads included her home phone number, she would be awakened in the middle of the night by calls from prospective customers.

In one ad, Sutton told listeners if they didn’t lose weight eating her meals, “you are either cheating or lying there in a coma.”

Today her company seattlesutton.com has more than 200 distributors in nine states. It provides customers with a weekly program of 21 freshly prepared breakfasts, lunches and dinners that add up to either 1,200 calories or 2,000 calories per day. Meals are delivered twice a week. The meals are delivered via FedEx in parts of the country where there are no distributors.

There truly is opportunity everywhere.  From starting with a $1,000 to a growing $20 million operation, wow!

When the wind blows who makes money?  People who own windmills do, that’s who. 

As you’re probably aware, landowners who install wind turbines can sell their power to electric companies.

So where would you find relatively inexpensive windmills?  How about an entrepreneur who purchases used commercial windmills and has them refurbished.

As reported in Agrinews.com, Dennis Tuel’s company Wind Song Energy acquired 65 kilowatt wind turbines from California, where they are being replaced by larger half-megawatt units. Once the wind turbines are refurbished they’re then re-rated to under 40 kilowatts.

He got the idea about five years ago when he and wife, Marsha, wanted to install a wind turbine on their Fergus Falls farm.

“It became cost-prohibitive,” he said. “It would’ve taken 20 years for it to pay for itself. These units, though, will pay for themselves in six years.”  The refurbished wind turbines are essentially new units, he said. Once they are re-rated to 40 kilowatts and checked over, they have a 20-year life.

The wind turbines will produce between $7,000 to $10,000 worth of electricity annually or enough power for seven to 10 houses, he said.

Tuel said he and his electrical contractor are receiving two to three calls a week about the refurbished turbines.

Working naked and helping save the environment, too.  Are there other opportunities like this one?

Going out of town without your pets?  Check Fido into the Bellagio.

As reported in In Business Las Vegas, Christopher Easley , owner of the American Dog and Cat Hotel , just opened his second location. The high-end pet hotels cater to pet owners who treat their pets like children and are willing to pay anywhere from $25 to $250 a night to ensure the pets are comfortable while they are away.

As a side note, for Mr. Easley’s sake let’s hope Blue (in the picture) is well trained and doesn’t take a dump on the $10,000 persian rug.

The company’s pet suites come complete with rugs, televisions and in some cases, day beds to simulate the home experience. A team of “human play pals,” most with a veterinary background, are kept on-hand to amuse the pets, administer medication and clean the rooms. At least twice a day the dogs are brought out to play pens to interact with each other and tire themselves out.

An ever-increasing number of people are replacing children with pets, and that means big money for pet pamperers.

The pet industry - everything from grooming to Greenies - is booming. Last year Americans spent more on their animal companions - about $38.5 billion. That number is expected to rise to more than $40 billion this year. Ten years ago it was $20 billion.

Customers use pet sitters and pet hotels because the animals are generally less-stressed than in other settings, and the exposure to fleas and illness such as kennel cough is considered less, according to industry surveys. 

“In 2001, when so much corporate downsizing was taking a place, a lot of people who were passionate about pets turned to professional pet sitting to do something that aligned with their interests,” said John Long, spokesman for Pet Sitters International. “It became an opportunity for them to do something radically different with their lives.”

Nationwide, most pet-sitting clients are married couples with no children who live in the suburbs . Time-stressed residents hire outsiders to do everything from walking and playing with pets to cleaning up excrement in the yard. Even Pfaffinger, who owns pet-sitting company Crazy Critters Pet Care , uses doggy day care services when she has an extra-long day at work.
 

Do you remember the Segway electric scooter?

It’s creator, Dean Kamen, believes in the power of innovation to change the world.

As reported in CIO magazine he offers his thoughts on “5 Things I’ve Learned”.

Taking risks is essential.
In my case, taking risks is easier because it’s my limb; I own the tree. I quit school at a time when no one quit school and started a company in a basement with no money. I discovered that I’m a risk taker. I get up in the morning knowing that I’m either going to have a spectacular win or loss that is going to be exciting. I prefer the former but either is more appealing than the warm death of mediocrity.

The future is the world of ideas.
Innovation and creativity will be the only serious metrics to sustain us as a world-class country. I believe CIOs are in a huge position to drive this change. They are technically savvy and have a more open perspective on change than others in senior management. I think it’s because they’ve seen firsthand what happens when you fall behind the state of the technology. That’s one reason I created First, which holds competitions to foster science, technology and leadership skills in high school students. Companies need the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Hype is the enemy of innovation.
There was a ridiculous amount of press coverage related to the Segway. I knew the hype around what the invention could do would be problematic. I knew it wouldn’t be able to do what people expected it to do right away. I don’t think anyone could make a product that could fulfill everything claimed for the Segway.

Outsourcing is practical and necessary.
This country has always outsourced things. Each generation has a golden goose and then they outsource those golden eggs. Outsourcing is a measure of the fact that we’re always raising the bar. As an entrepreneur I’ve learned that we stand on the shoulders of the generation before us and grab the next rail, provided that we’re the best educated, ambitious and courageous.

Innovation comes in many shapes.
We have two classes of projects at DEKA. Most people here would affectionately call one of those groups “Dean’s Crazy Ideas.” Those projects tend to be high risk—nobody knows whether they’re doable. I’ve learned from these projects that sometimes we must stumble around in the garden of new ideas to find a better way to solve a problem. But we also work on well-defined problems where we’ve got a good solution and need an innovative way to make it work. In my experience, you have to strike a balance between the two. If you think you’re in development mode but you’re really in that other place where failure is the most common outcome, then bad things can happen.
 

Who said size doesn’t matter?

Want a new way to market your business.  Go small.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the owner of a bed-and-breakfast in Lancaster, S.C,  Johannes Tromp says his regular web site generates good business. But last fall, he found a way to reach even more potential customers: He made a version of the site for cell phones.

Tromp signed up for a mobile Web address with the newly available suffix “.mobi” and used a self-starter kit from a company called Roundpoint Ltd. to build “www.kilburnie.mobi,” the mobile site for his Kilburnie, the Inn at Craig Farm.

He says he’s gotten a surprisingly good response, with 30 to 40 new calls per month from interested travelers who heard of his inn by accessing the cell phone site.
“For people to find me, I have to make myself available any way I can,” says Tromp.

As technology allows consumers to access the Internet with their cell phones, many big companies have launched mobile versions of their Web sites, including big media brands like MTV and ESPN and news sites like USA Today and The Weather Channel. But such projects can be costly and complex and until recently have been out of reach for small businesses.

Now, new low-cost tools and services are making it easier to jump onto the mobile Web. Internet registrars such as GoDaddy.com Inc. and Network Solutions, who have helped millions of small businesses set up traditional dot-com sites, are also beginning to roll out all-inclusive packages that help companies register and build mobile Web sites.

Nearly three out of four U.S. consumers today have devices with Web access, according to a recent survey by the Online Publishers Association. Even if consumers don’t seek out the mobile Web page of a flower shop or pharmacy, they might come across it using new cell phone search services that let users look up local businesses quickly.

Many small companies plan to build mobile Web sites. Thousands are using .mobi domain names, which are administered by mTLD Ltd., whose backers include cell phone companies such as Nokia Corp. and Vodafone Group PLC as well as Internet companies like Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The company, which gets a cut of registration fees, hopes that .mobi will become the de facto domain for mobile sites, much like .com is for the regular Internet.

But .mobi isn’t the only alternative. Sites that end in .com or .net can be also designed so they show mobile-specific content when consumers access them through a mobile device. In fact, that is how most major media brands and other companies have built cell phone sites to date.

Some people really pamper their ipods.  And, others….

You obviously wouldn’t mistreat your ipod.  But, more than you might imagine get slammed in car doors, melted by light bulbs, chewed by dogs, and washed along with clothes.

As reported on msnbc.com, entrepreneur Aaron Vronko, co-founder of iPodmods.com, chuckles when recalling some of the grisly injuries he’s seen.   His company is part of a niche industry that serves music lovers whose high end music players have fallen ill, usually from mistreatment.

In one such case, Vronko notes, the familiar whirr of the spinning hard drive took on more ominous sound: “You could hear it swishing around in there. There wasn’t much we could do.”

Apple Inc., maker of the popular music players, doesn’t, for example, accept exchanges on iPods under warranty if their screens have been cracked or if it’s clear they’ve been dropped.

The entrepreneurs have stepped in for those hoping to repair their iPods rather than buy new.  Vronko and a friend started iPodMods in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and set up their web site in 2004.  They’ve served customers in more than 65 countries. 

With 90 million iPods sold, Vronko sees a growing pool of potential customers.
“We’ve gone from five a week to 500,” he said. “Within a week of the model debuting, we get a phone call saying someone dropped it and broke the screen.”

Here’s another example of how pain relief can be your ticket to working naked.

Learn it, know it, live it!

Have you ever needed an excuse to end a phone conversation?  Well, has Mike Donine got a product for you.

He invented the Xcuse Box.  It’s a $10 key chain accessory that plays high-quality background noises, including sirens and a carpenter’s saw, that make it believable when you tell a chatty friend you have to get off the phone or let your boss know you have to miss a meeting.

As reported in The Press-Enterprise, Donine, who has used the box’s auto repair shop noises when running late, said “You could be sitting in your car and say ‘I’d love to talk but I’m getting on an airplane’ and hit the button.”

Target liked the novelty item so much it commissioned three more sound-related products from Donine, including a sequel to The Xcuse Box with barking dogs and kids bickering in the backseat.

Unlike many inventors, Donine did not have a lifelong ambition to create. It was his wife, Laurie, who convinced him to pursue the talent.

From baby products to portable billboards, inventor Mike Donine makes his living thinking up solutions to everyday problems.  Now Donine is peddling his latest creation, the steel Billboard System that slides into a vehicle’s trailer hitch for easy removal. It’s ideal, he said, for real estate agents, contractors, restaurants and casinos.  Check out the XcuseBox and his other inventions.

Donine said he is enjoying the satisfaction of being an inventor.

“Life is more fun because you don’t know what’s coming around the corner,” he said. “You’re looking for the project that will catapult you to wealth, but in the meantime, it’s an adventure.”

Soy burgers and incredible success in the same sentence, are you kidding me?

Chris & Tals Better Foods have concocted food items using soy and other healthy ingredients.  Their stuff is so good that Costco, the large membership retailer, has agreed to carry their products.

Chris Bower and Tal Rosenbloom are the founders of the company that offers half-soy burgers, meatballs, sausages and ground meat that have half the fat, calories and cholesterol of similar mainstream products.

OK, OK, the healthy soy laced food may not be for all of us.  But, right now they’re making a killing on it.

As reported in the thestar.com, in Canada, they launched a Costco “roadshow,” setting up a Chris & Tal’s Better Foods booth at a Costco warehouse.

People buy in bulk at Costco, and they were thrilled when they saw customers hauling away large boxes of burgers, sausages and ground meat in shopping carts.  Costco management keeps an eye on sales and sales were phenomenal. 

Two weeks ago, Rosenbloom spoke at a conference at York University, where he got his undergrad degree.  He was introduced to the students as the CEO of Chris & Tal’s Better Foods, and he responded, “I’m also the janitor, and don’t forget that. When you start your own business and you’re trying to get things going, there’s no job you won’t do.”

“Lack of humility will kill you real fast,” he said. “People and organizations can too easily forget where they come from. Arrogance is deadly. You’ve got to check yourself: Is my head too big to fit through the door?”

So far, so good for Chris and Tal.  They expect a launch into other markets, including the U.S., for even bigger money.

One invention after another.  That’s how Gail Frankel has kept the money rolling in.

Have you heard of products like the Stroll’r Hold’r, Tubbly Bubbly, Snug Tub, or Quik Cabana?  Well, they’re some of her successful inventions.

As reported on firstcoatsnews.com, this mom in Texas has a business in inventing and selling useful items for children and parents.  She has a booming business.

Gail’s company, Kel-Gar Incorporated, sells her products to the largest baby stores in the country.

She says, “I feel I am one of the luckiest women alive because I will never look back and say, ‘I wonder what would have happened if…’”

She believes other people can have the same kind of success, but you can’t just sit there.

“If you have something and you really think you have a good idea and it’s not out there, don’t wait. Go ahead and move forward. Make a plan.”

The reward may end up being more than you ever imagined.

Do you know seniors who want to remain living independently but need help with day-to-day tasks? 

Well, there’s millions of them.

In 1985, roughly 5.5 million people over age 65 were receiving assistance with day-to-day living in their homes.  By 2020, that number will rise to 10.1 million people, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

As reported on news.equirer.com, Jim Kummer owner of A Caring Choice in the Cincinnati area saw the business opportunity.

“Providing non-skilled care is on the rise across the country as the senior population increases and as more family members are living apart from one another in different regions of the country” Kummer said.

His four year old company sends employees to the homes of seniors to help manage day-to-day tasks.  They help their clients cook, clean, shop, bathe or do laundry. 

He said his family history there has helped his business grow by giving him a competitive edge over large franchises that do not have a local connection. “The main thing with this business is trust,” Kummer said. “My family has a good reputation. I think people feel they know me.”

Although the initial few months in business started off slowly, with only one client, things picked up rapidly.  Revenues were $65,000 in 2004 (the year he opened), $125,000 in 2005 and $450,000 last year. He expects revenues to double reaching $900,000 in 2007.

All of Kummer’s clients are on a private-pay basis, although Medicare and Medicaid will cover a certain amount of non-medical care.  Fees range from $16 per hour for four or more hours of care per week, to $18 per hour for less than four hours per week.

To spread the word about his business, he visits hospitals, churches and senior centers to hand out brochures and talk to social workers who often counsel seniors about in-home assistance.  His success in this type of business is largely dependent on matching the right client with the right caregiver.

He pays his caregivers more, $10 to $11 an hour, than the industry average of about $7.50 an hour to retain quality employees.  And even with that, his biggest challenge is finding good caregivers.

In an expanding market this can be a great business.

Who likes pantylines? Sara Blakely didn’t. So, she invented Spanx-slimming undergarments made out of pantyhose materials.

When Oprah called and featured her product on the show, she hit the big time. Soon after, sales of Spanx skyrocketed and were sold by Saks, Nordstrom, and other retailers.  Today, her company sells 60 products, and has 40 employees.

The road to success, as Sara will tell you, was not easy. Sara didn’t have a business background. She couldn’t find any lawyer to help her write the patent. And it was hard to find a manufacturer. Once all that was done, it took her a year to perfect the prototype.

After the prototype was ready, she called the buyer at Neiman Marcus and explained that she had invented a product her customers would not want to live without and if she could just have ten minutes of the buyer’s time then she would fly to Dallas. The buyer agreed and Spanx were stocked at Neiman Marcus.

Sara writes that her, “energy and inspiration comes from inventing and enhancing products that all women want and need.”

Although a huge success now, she admits there were many challenges getting her business launched. But Sara persevered and reaped many rewards.

And you can too.

A story from onmilwaukee.com tells the tale of a crackhead entrepreneur.

A college student who graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering, John Osmanski, invented some hot selling sweets in his spare time.

His sweet venture is called ”Crackheads,” white and dark chocolate covered espresso beans in an eye-catching retro little box that can be purchased around Milwaukee.

“Milwaukee is generally a pretty conservative marketplace,” Osmanski says, “so I thought if Crackheads will do OK here, I’m pretty sure the East Coast, West Coast will pick it up pretty easily. And Chicago, as well.”

Although he began by making Crackheads in his kitchen and bribing friends with beer and pizza to help fill boxes, the candy is now made by a Midwestern confectioner. Osmanski, who is currently talking to a Milwaukee candy maker about moving the production here, still packages the candy himself.

“The whole idea is to keep this a Milwaukee thing, a Wisconsin thing,” Osmanski says.

“We’ve started to go through distributors and now there’s a little bit more press and some larger online retailers are starting to carry them. A lot of businesses have approached me from there. I’ve been selling a little bit to the West Coast, in California, on the East Coast, and it’s been starting to open up in the Midwest a little bit more.”

The success of the tasty, jolt-providing — and natural (”they’re not organic but they’re minimally processed,” Osmanski notes).  In addition to a honey taffy and a caffeinated taffy (”caffy!”) there are two variations on Crackheads aimed at specific markets.

“One is for motorcycle enthusiasts and it’s called Hog Chow and the tagline is ‘cross country caffeine.’ It’s a lifestyle product for Harley riders,” Osmanski says. “And there’s another candy that’s marketed toward wine drinkers and called Wall Street Options.

There’s business ideas everywhere.  Find’em and launch’em.