Category: Examiner

entrepreneurship, Examiner

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Are You Ready For the Start-up Life?

Christa Avampato

The Wall Street Journal ran a special entrepreneurship section that serves as a guide to help us determine if the start-up lifestyle is the right one for us. I enjoyed reading the article that asks us a set of questions to help us get our arms around what it means to be an entrepreneur. The article is a little bit negative so I wanted to highlight the questions below and add some commentary on them that shines a more positive light on the opportunity to be an entrepreneur.

To view the full article, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m3d1-The-WSJ-puts-you-to-the-test-are-you-cut-out-to-be-an-entrepreneur

entrepreneurship, Examiner

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Entrepreneurs Find the Silver Lining

Christa Avampato

There is very little to cheer about these day in the world of business. At least until yesterday. An article ran in Crain’s that shows that entrepreneurs who were initially shell-shocked by the rapidly declining economic environment may be picking their heads up and finding the gold nuggets hidden in the rubble.

To read the full article, please visit http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m2d27-According-to-Crains-entrepreneurs-are-finding-the-silver-lining-in-this-economy

books, entrepreneurship, Examiner, New York City, restaurants

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: an interview with the owners of Baked, a bakery in Red Hook and Charleston

Christa Avampato

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito are cooking up something special at Baked. a bakery with locations in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Charleston, South Carolina. The duo have an extensive baking repertoire, serving up sweets that run the gammet: classics like chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake, new takes on old favorites like their apple pie with a splash of bourbon and vanilla bean, and wholly original offerings like homemade marshmallows and granola. Oprah named their brownies one of her Favorite Things.

To read the full article, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m2d25-The-duo-behind-Baked-an-interview-with-Matt-Lewis-and-Renato-Poliafito

entrepreneurship, Examiner, New York Times, Thomas Friedman

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: Tom Friedman advocates for entrepreneurs

Christa Avampato

This morning, Tom Friedman’s column in the New York Times laid down the gauntlet in favor of entrepreneurs. With the stimulus package signed by President Obama, many questions remain on how to spend that money, and more importantly, whom to support with it. Friedman eloquently supports using the money for start-ups rather than bailing out the frail, inflexible global enterprises like GM and Chrysler.

To read the full post, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m2d22-Tom-Friedman-advocates-for-investment-in-entrepreneurs

Examiner, music, New York City, restaurants, wine

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: an interview with Michael Dorf

Christa Avampato

I’ve been amazed this week at how willing entrepreneurs are to talk to me, despite their busy schedules, so that I can showcase them in this column. This week I stopped by City Winery to meet Michael Dorf, founder of the Knitting Factory and KnitMedia. He left those ventures in 2002 and embarked on a new adventure that came to life as City Winery in December 2008. I would have considered myself incredibly lucky to get to interview one of his managers for five minutes. Instead, I spent about 15 minutes with Dorf as he gave me a tour of the restaurant and winery, and talked to me about his passions for wine, the music of singer / writers, and creating a community, as well as his journey as an entrepreneur. He was exceedingly gracious and humble.

To read the full article, please visit:
http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m2d15-New-Yorks-winery-an-interview-with-Michael-Dorf-of-City-Winery

business, entrepreneurship, Examiner, finance, social entrepreneurship, The Economist

Operation HOPE and Child Savings International on Examiner.com

Christa Avampato

John Bryant spent many years in Los Angeles shouting from the hills in an effort to educate people outside the finance industry about finance. After the LA riots in 1992, he founded Operation HOPE to provide finance education to young people and those who didn’t have any other means to learn about finance.



Illustration above by James Fryer.
business, entrepreneurship, Examiner, gaming, marketing, technology, video games

The Game Agency on Examiner.com

Christa Avampato

This week I interviewed Steve Baer, Co-founder of The Game Agency. The Game Agency (TGA) creates games to integrate into corporate marketing programs to enhance brand value, increase customer loyalty, and drive innovation.


To read the full article on TGA, click here.
Examiner, gaming, technology

BreakAway Ltd. on Examiner.com

Christa Avampato

There are a lot of video games out there that put the player right into the middle of energetic battles, guns a-blazin’, jets flying high and fast. It is a natural fit that video games could be used as simulations to train our military. Founded in 1998, Maryland-based BreakAway, Ltd. develops games to train our military though that’s only the beginning. They have also games to help train people in the areas of Homeland Security, Healthcare, Social Change, and Corporate Training. 


To read the article in full, please click here.
charity, Examiner, gaming, health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropy, technology, video games

Hopelab on Examiner.com

Christa Avampato

I just kicked off my week-long series on Examiner.com of the use of video games in non-traditional gaming markets. First up: Hopelab, a nonprofit that uses video games to help young help fight chronic illnesses and live healthier lives. Check it out at: http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m2d1-Hopelab-video-game-takes-on-cancer