I hadn’t heard of SEED so I checked them out and learned about the founders and I was struck by both their entreprenuerial spirit, and their similar story.  The founders are a husband and wife team who were nearing their 40s when they started their family and began the intensive process of detoxifying their lives.  My husband and I also followed a similar path as we struggled with infertility issues and credit having five healthy children now in great part to developing better habits and living a healthier lifestyle. 

As they were researching ways to simplify and detoxify they found themselves faced with a business opportunity that would help them to help others fulfill this same need.  Born from research showing that drinking red wine has beneficial health effects, their all natural line of skin care products is made from grape seeds, a natural byproduct of the winemaking process.  Their inspiring story demonstrates how those with the willingness to work hard and the desire to achieve can create their own entrepreneurial opportunities that allow them to design a career doing something they really love.

Tina Schatzberg had left her career as an advertising sales executive to be a stay-at-home mom, however she still had a passion for marketing and wanted a more flexible means of pursuing that passion.  When Schatzberg’s mother lost her job as a sewer for an automotive supplier in Detroit, the two decided to go into business together.

Schatzberg had been frustrated at not being able to find “unique, high quality accessories” for her daughter Kayla, so the two created Ragamuffins Direct.  Their online shop offers handmade accessories for women and children such as nursing covers, baby blankets, baby booties, bibs, burp cloths, hobo bags, head scarves and an adorable line of beanie hats like the one Kayla is modeling here ($20 retail).

Read more of Schatzberg’s story in the Detroit News where you can even get instructions to make your own beanie!

She asked her nine year old what she called the characters and she replied “Mom, they’re my representatives … they come to children who are sad and lonely or who were meant to have a better life.”

Since Denise didn’t feel too good about herself or her job prospects at the time, the statement really touched her and it eventually led to the creation of a new business.  Now she has turned her basement into a workshop and has completed prototypes of four dolls, as well as story lines to go along with each character.

Denise has invested in materials, in registering her limited liability corporation, A Place of Good LLC, and she’s taken steps to protect her ideas by filing for patents, trademarks and copyrights.

She’s taking it month by month as she can afford to pay for things, but still Denise has advice for others who would like to go into business, “the thing I would advise is to listen and find out what you really like, what really moves you.”

Read more of Denise’s story in CNN Living.

Wicked Local Staff Photo by David Gordon

Megan Woods, a stay at home mom with three children from Brookline, Massachusetts, was looking for something to do after her children started school.  Then last year her mom sent her a pair of handcrafted mittens for Christmas and Woods convinced her mom to start up a business together.

Now Woods spends her time sifting through second-hand sweaters at thrift stores, where she selects the best knits and patterns then sends them to her mom to cut into pieces that she sews back together into mittens which sell for $65 a pair.

What started out as a casual project for the pair quickly turned into a full-time gig when the women were contacted by Oprah Winrey’s publishing company for possible inclusion in their winter catalog.   All of a sudden the mother/daughter team, who had been selling lots of mittens at craft shows, were faced with the delightful problem of preparing for a rush of orders from across the country if their mittens were selected to be included in Winfrey’s winter catalog.

Although disappointed that Oprah eventually passed on the mittens, the ladies are happy to be ready for the holiday shopping season and they now have plenty of inventory after buying up and preparing hundreds of sweaters.

Check out their delightful brand of recycled luxury at http://www.olivegreenapparel.com/, or read more of their story at Wicked Local Brookline.

This post is slightly off topic today as we won’t discuss sewing, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving (for those of us in the U.S), I wanted to bring Mel’s newest project and the plight of the bees to your attention.

Did you know that most of the food we eat wouldn’t exist without honey bees?  And were you aware that one-third of our honey bees are disappearing each year?  Here’s a partial list of foods we’re preparing for Thanksgiving that wouldn’t be on the table if it weren’t for bees:

• Almonds
• Apples
• Asparagus
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Celery
• Coffee
• Cranberries
• Cucumbers
• Lemons
• Lima Beans
• Mandarins
• Okra
• Onions
• Oranges
• Radishes
• Squash
• Tea

You can read all about this and more at Mel’s site ABeeLoversGarden.com, and even help to support the national grassroots effort to educate people about the importance of honey bees by purchasing the beautifully illustrated “A Bee Lover’s Garden” 2010 calendar.  The calendar features twelve framable illustrations of bee-friendly plants by award winning artist Jay Pfeil.  Show your support and bee a part of the solution.  This year, when giving thanks, remember to include the bees!

To become a seller on eBay, first you need to be above 18 years old. A PC with Internet connection, a digital camera, a scanner and minimal PC knowledge also are requirements.   Next, register for eBay and PayPal accounts – for free.  To create an eBay Seller account, you have to place a credit or debit card on file, or link to a PayPal account for payment of fees.  Now you are ready list your items for sale on eBay.  Fung advises novice sellers to start by selling unwanted products at home, for example, unwanted gifts, collectibles or LP records.

Read more about how Fung got her start on eBay and how you can too at RedOrbit.