Hawaii bottles for bucks?

There was a time, while I lived on the Big Island, when bottles completely mesmerized me. Milk bottles. Soda bottles. All those bottles from the 1950s and '60s. The notion that each little plantation town made its own bottles, bottled its own beverages, I couldn't help but fall in love with it.

Now, though, I have no bottles. They've been left to history and I regret it. But there are some folks around the islands that do sell their bottles and made a nice amount of profit, I'm sure.

Ukulele.com has a nice listing of Hawaii bottles, along with pictures and listed prices. I don't plan to buy these, but the sight of them in photos brings back some nice memories for me.

War correspondent turned Brooklyn Brewery king

Steve Hindy went from war correspondent in the Middle East to desk guy back in New York to beer master. All in the blink of an eye. Or rather, 10 years.

Sounds like a path I would take, though as a journalist, I've never covered a war or any event outside of Hawaii. No complaints, just saying ...

Brooklyn Brewery was born out of a love, dedication and passion for great beer. Hindy's story on The Big Idea was so compelling, it made me want to explore his brewery and even more breweries than I had in mind. What started as Hindy's homemade beer in a New York apartment had its roots in Saudi Arabia. It was there that he learned the mechanics of home brewing from other Westerners, all living in a dry nation.

Underneath the business success — $15 million in revenue last year — is Hindy's passion and perseverance. His company was one of the first microbreweries to sprout on the East Coast during a time when the West Coast was the bastion of the movement. Hindy left a good-paying job with Associated Press to pursue his dream, but I wonder if he ever imagined in the early years that it would blossom like this.

Just one more reason to visit New Yawk City!

Tea please

OK, so she made $1.5 million last year in tea and tea-related sales. But it started when she was a child tagging along with her parents, who liked touring Europe in search of antiques.

It's always nice to have parents support your hobby, as was the case with Tracy Stern. Her hobby turned into a business, and at 24, she's loving life. I'm no tea fanatic, but loving what you do and making millions sounds pretty dang cool to me.

Tracy Stern's SALONTEA

I wonder what she's done with her humongous teapot collection.

Piece of cake: Joke turns into a million bucks

Johnny Cupcakes. What started out as a joke has turned into a $1.2 million T-shirt business for a dude in Boston.

That's right, people at the record store he used to work at would call him Johnny Appleseed, Johnny This, Johnny That, but it was Johnny Cupcakes that stuck. So the guy decided on a lark to make it a T-shirt. Easy enough since he makes T-shirts for his band. Next thing he knew, he was selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his beat-up '89 Camry.

Next thing, he's raking in $1.2 million in 2006. Opens a store in his town. Sure, it was more than luck. The shirts are cool and amusing. He struck a nerve with all kinds of people in Boston, and it all started with a joke.

The Big Idea's host, Donny Deustch, is excellent, energetic and smart. But he actually said, this goes to show that you don't have to be corporate or have thought something out deeply... Uh, Donny, give Johnny Cupcakes a little more due than that.

His visit to The Big Idea got me thinking of all these little ideas I've had for T-shirts. Maybe I should look into investing in a computer program and T-shirt making machine or whatever they're called. Hmmmm...

Visit the site: JohnnyCupcakes.com. Sheesh, even the site is cool.

Sex toy retailer launches unique job search

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The self-made millionaire: Farrah Gray

OK, there's more to life than painting rocks and selling them hard to your neighbors. Especially when the rocks came from their yards. But Farrah Gray found a way to make that work while he was still a kid.

Whatever it took, he used all of his charm, wit and persistence to turn his painted-rock business into a life up the ladder to riches. Read about the kid who overcame life in the Chicago projects to become a teenaged millionaire.

Fluff vs. Execution

I'm all for great products that came from great ideas from regular folks. That's why I enjoy watching The Big Idea hosted by Donny Deutsch.

I don't really care for the generic, loud mantra that spouts out of some of his guest hosts, but that's what the remote control volume button is for. In all, I like the show a lot, especially when the business owners are humble and confident, not obnovious and repetitive. I don't watch the show to hear someone's lecture. I just like to hear about the execution of the process and the fun people had along the way.

Then there are sites that show up that proclaim how important it is to develop your idea, yet won't go any futher. PowerHomeBiz.com is one. It's not a bad site. There are certainly pointers along the way about marketing and using the internet. But everything they try to say could be done in a few paragraphs instead of millions of words.

Just my take. As I learn more about people and how they went from Point A to Point Z for success, I'll post the info here.

Online scammer: 14 years old

It was gonna happen sooner or later. This is my first post about someone who made his millions through a scam.

This time, I refer you to a Fortune story about a 14-year-old kid in Lagos, Nigeria, who figured out how to bilk Westerners out of their cash. Akin spent up to 10 hours a day in an internet cafe doing his scam, and there punishment is nil.

This is Lagos, the city that gave America an NBA Hall of Famer, Hakeem Olajuwon. Somewhere in the midst of these scams, there has to be a way that would put the minds of these enterprising young kids to positive use.

From poverty to high cuisine

This post is very basic. It's not about a fancy or sophisticated tech-savvy method to riches.

It's about a poor girl from an impoverished place who has hit her stride as a successful chef. A few years back, the Palo Alto Weekly wrote about Annie Nunan, owner of Chez Annie in California. The story is terrific, but I hungered for a photo or two of this popular restaurant.

Sure, chefs aren't uncommon, but for people who are passionate about food and the art of preparing it, that's a helluva way to make a living.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Few writers have polarized watchers as Robert Kiyosaki has. Count me in the camp that is compelled. Though I own none of his books, I've seen him talk on CNBC a few times, and he makes great sense, no pun intended. Generally, I can't stand infomercials, but this one is excellent once they get to the part where Kiyosaki actually talks. He got his start back in the 1970s, buying an undervalued property on Maui after taking a seminar on real estate. I don't think listening to Kiyosaki will guarantee anything, but it's worth a listen.

Touching your ads

In my book, the Japanese come up with the world's zaniest ideas for TV shows. I'm talking about shows that the family can watch. America has dibs on cool, R-rated TV (cable).

But leave it to the Brits to come up with a concept that I have yet to see in America. It's advertising on handrails. What?

Yeah. We've seen ad signs in parking garages, but this takes it much closer. A company called MediaRails is covering hand rails on escalators in malls. They call it "Hands On Advertising." Get it. Haha.

I wonder if anyone does it in the U.S., and what the profit margins would be. Hmm...

Flipping off big time

This is an ultimate tale in the power of a simple concept: Necessity is the mother of invention.

In this case, an actual mom, Debbee Barker, couldn't get her kids to fold their clothes. So she came up with a flipping tool (no pun intended) that made it so easy for them to use. Her cardboard model turned into a patent, which led to improved models and eventually ... a $16 million business. Her site, FlipFold.com, generates a significant share of those revenues.

Not bad for a stay-at-home mom. I might need to get one of these, too.

Hot 4 Hillary

Why show another parody song about a presidential candidate? Hmm ... why not? Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both had a tolerance for these videos. Free pub is free pub.

Triple the determination

Watching Donny Deutsch's The Big Idea has become a habit for me. Well, it's a well-fed habit. CNBC has this pattern of rerunning TBI in the evening, and it rates better than most of its competitors on the tube.

Yesterday's episode was pretty cool, focused on millionaires who started their companies with less than $500. Of course, there's more to it than that, but Deutsch does a good job of always bringing in entrepeneurs who have legit stories to their success. One of them was Vicky Stringer, who started Triple Crown Publishing from the very bottom.

After leaving prison, Stringer wrote a book about her life, her mistakes and hopes. One of her hopes was to educate young women about the perils of bad choices and the ensuing consequences. Her book was rejected by 26 publishers.

Stringer, like all successful entrepeneurs, didn't give up. She learned how to self-publish, marketed her book everywhere and anywhere, and eventually rolled up a huge amount of momentum. Her company is now worth $1.8 million and is still growing.

She struck me as a poised, articulate and highly determined individual during her segment on TBI. It's no different anywhere I go, with people who have innate drive and desire. It's a matter of having opportunities and channeling those talents and skills, whether they involve writing, plain old hustle, or both. That is the case for Stringer, and she is a great inspiration.

Dick DeVos never cleaned up Amway

Amway? Quixstar? Melaluca? Just leave me the F alone

Not by choice, I'm one of those guys who has been force-fed Amway-Quixtar-Melaluca crap for almost a decade now. Whether it's friends and acquaintances, or worse yet, family, I was nice about my non-interest at first. The products are good quality (at a high price). That's not the problem.

But these assholes don't know, usually, when the hell to shut up and stop. In some cases, they were cool and backed the hell up after I said, "Enough. No thank you already."

In other cases, they kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Hate that crap. And I've learned over the years that I am not alone. In fact, some of my friends who were formerly in Amway lost up to $30,000 in expenses and "conferences" where the Amway higher-ups pump their tapes and books. It's a giant pimp machine to me. If you're the pimp, you live large. The rest of them are basically being prostituted.

They get by, but mostly they put in major hours and years, really, to eke out a decent, but undignified dollar in the name of Amway cum Melaluca.

It's sad how I have to basically become an asshole to get the extremists to stop peddling their crap to me, but that's the reality. Nice guys get suckered in or run over by the Amway machine. We're just "prospects" in the multi-level/pyramind scheme.

Some folks say it's the "American Way." I don't think so. If you have a great product or service and treat your customers right and well, things usually work out. It's greed that drives pyramid schemes, and the residue and byproduct is clear: people like me who have no interest get pushed into hating the whole scheme because it infiltrates our families and friends like crap on your shoes. And it doesn't go away.

Video spoof = free air time for Obama

Only in America.

The smarmy, goofy and somewhat funny Barack Obama video leaves me wondering about a few things. Again.

The video was created by Ben Relles and Leah Kauffman, who say that the production — which cost just $2,000 — was done mainly for fun. After all, 2.2 million hits on YouTube don't net Relles and Kauffman a cent. In fact, Relles says in a Chicago Tribune article that he's a big Obama fan.

Obama had nothing to do with the video, but as a homage, this is turning out to be immense, free publicity. Videos of other candidates have been brutal parodies and satires, like the "Bomb Iran" anti-John McCain production to the tune of the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann". Or the slightly weird, but watchable Hillary video (another crush).

The sexy lip-synching star of the Obama video, Amber Lee Ettinger, probably got paid a few deniros for her lip synching. But the real winner is Obama. You can't pay for broad exposure, no pun intended, like this. Time and broadband width equal money, and Obama scored without even doing a thing.

Don't piss it away

That's right. The pic below is a cup of urine. Piss. Or as we call it in Hawaii, shishi.

Don't get pissy, though. News is out from Australia that the world's phosphorus supply may be completely out in 50 years. Urine, it turns out, is a chock full of this stuff. Why is phosphorus an issue? It is a main ingredient in the world's fertilizer supply.

So, while this installment of Holy Crap! isn't a success story, I can't help but wonder who will capitalize on this industry-in-the-making. Hey, maybe if I get started in a minute, the next behemoth in a phosphorus market will emerge. After all, I wouldn't want to piss away a magnificent opportunity.

I'll call my company Liquid Gold. IPO due out in 2010. Ticker: PEEE.

I'll need a little time to figure out how to extract phosphorus from the icky stuff. According to the story, I'll produce 132 gallons of pee every year. That won't be enough. Jeez, I'm gonna need some help. How is this going to work?

Will it be like selling plasma? Will I have to pay people for their pee? Does this mean people will load up on Coca Cola and Mountain Dew (and Bud Light) before walking into my Phosphorus Extraction Facility to wizz it all into my Big Gulp-sized cups? Looks like some research is in store.

Huy Fong on a remarkable voyage

I have loved Huy Fong's Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce for years.

You've seen it before. A rich red, tinge of orange, in a transparent plastic bottle. Kelly green top. Slightly sweet, a tiny bit garlicky, but red-hot tanginess rules. It's the product of one man's vision and passion for his homeland.

Based in Rosemead, Calif., the Co was founded in 1980 by Vietnamese refugee David Tran. Huy Fong is the name of the boat Mr. Tran rode across the Pacific Ocean from Vietnam to the U.S. and the rest is history.

Huy Fong Foods generates $3.2 million in annual sales now. Barbeque lovers and Asian foodies across the country flock to their local stores to hoard bottles of Huy Fong sauces.

I've actually written an e-mail to Huy Fong. Back about two or three years ago, I asked if they would consider making a T-shirt for sale. I'd wear it proudly.

Never got a response. Guess they were too busy making more of their magnificent sauces.

Mopping up the competition

At one time, Jim Cavanaugh was a University of Oklahoma student with an eye on a desk job. His job as an auditor, however, taught Cavanaugh that the need for janitorial services would always be around.

A year later, in 1969, he set up Jani-King. He connected with clients by day, then went to work with the mop and pail by night. Today, Jani-King is the world's No. 1 commercial cleaning company with franchises around the globe.

Janitorial work has come a long way since the '60s. Marketers are quick to sell the sector as a "proven lucrative business." Despite its humble roots, Jani-King hasn't escaped the ups and downs of the franchising business.

The field is quite different from the white-collar world, and especially the cyberworld where other pioneers have gained their fortunes. Either way, success is success. Just tread these waters with caution.

Ham is good

Some people admire him.

Some people hate him.

Whatever people think, one thing is certain: Kevin Ham is a man ahead of his time. He's not so far ahead, though, that he's in the wrong era. In fact, the king of domains has taken his craft to the nth degree.

The Man Who Owns the Internet was featured in Business 2.0. It's a story worth reading.

Bottom line: Fulfill your passion and you will be rewarded. Well, as long as it's legal.

OK, this sounds a little simple but ...

I'm just an average guy. I like the internet, but I'm no expert. HTML? I can barely speak it or understand it. Frick, I haven't even started a blog until now.

But I wonder ... how in the hell do people make money, especially on the internet. I mean there's that geek genius from Vancouver, B.C. who gave up becoming a doctor to become a domain dominator. That was years ago. Now he's worth hundreds of millions. MEEEEEELLLIONS.

Then there are people who just do their thing on sites and blogs and use Google's Adsense to make a few bucks.

I want to learn how. How people make money off Adsense. Off domains. Off selling cute little pink vests for the their kitty kats. So how do you do it, world?

I want to know.