The transition from  health care to artisan chocolates was a natural one for Diane Pinder, now using her caring skills to nurture her customers. After enjoying the challenges of critical care nursing, Diane moved into medical marketing and clinical research.  As companies were constantly facing management changes and downsizing, the time came again to change paths.

With a dream to have her own business, Diane examined her options for opening a store. “Chocolate peaked my interests,” shares Diane. “Looking into franchising opportunities I learned that chocolate was going the way of fine wine and cheeses.”  Diane wanted to take on the challenge of chocolates, becoming skilled in artisan chocolates through culinary courses and an internship in Italy.

In May 2005 Master Chocolatier, Diane Pinder founded  Donna & Company, producing Diane's CocoaBee Exceptional Chocolates and Donna Toscana Tuscan Style Chocolates. The Italian inspiration of her training gave way to  Donna Toscana’s Artisan Chocolate Lounge in Cranford, NJ in August 2008.

“The business is excitingly different everyday, and working in my hometown allows me to know my customers,” shares Diane. “It is a very pleasant way to spend your life.”

Naming the business for her sister, Donna, who was tragically killed in an accident as a  young girl, Diane has honored her sister’s memory by partnering her business with a charitable cause. With her son and son-in-law serving in the armed forces, Donna & Company supports Fisher House Foundation, an organization that provides homes away from home for families of military personnel requiring medical treatment. Proceeds from the CocoaBee Fisher House Bar go to this very worthwhile cause, as well as donations made by organizations where Diane gives presentations.    

From truffles and fondue to gelato and sorbets with elegant artisan toppings, a visit to the chocolate lounge is an extraordinary experience, offering perhaps the best chocolate you’ve ever sampled. Recipes straight from Tuscany combine unusual flavors such as pistachio, sea salt and olive oil with some of the richest, most intense chocolate around.  Donna & Company is a member of Slow Food, a non-profit organization that strives for a sustainable food system, regional food traditions, the pleasures of the table, and a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life.

Donna & Company/Donna Toscana Artisan Chocolates & Lounge
  19 Eastman Street, Cranford, NJ  07016
   908-272-4380
  www.shopdonna.com
 

Soreloozer to the Rescue!

Holistic entrepreneur Katie Picinich suffers from cold sores, along with approximately 50% to 80% of the U.S. adult population, according to recent estimates. Annoyed and aggravated, Picinich decided to take action and developed a remedy of her own after two years of research. Soreloozer was the result - a 100% pure, organic and therapeutic essential oil delivering rapid relief from the ugly and painful herpes virus, which causes the sores. “Any pharmaceutical I’ve used didn’t make a difference. I couldn’t find a product that would kill the pain, address the swelling and inflammation, dismantle the virus, and heal the skin. So I invented Soreloozer,” Picinich stated, “and it works.”

  Always fascinated by the human body, Picinich describes her business enterprise as a calling. She is on a mission to educate people on health, healing, and alternative methods of wellness. “The more simple a remedy is, the better it seems to work for the body,” she said. Picinich explained that Soreloozer is made with graded, therapeutic oil which can be ingested. “Graded essential oils are utilized by the body with no side effects, unlike pharmaceuticals,” she stated. “My oil is distilled from plants that are activated organically with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides added to the soil,” she mused.

Picinich is excited about the future, and rightly so. Her product has become quite a hit with adults and teenagers alike. In fact, she plans to develop a salve which will treat chapped skin, eczema, stretch marks, and other skin conditions. Picinich also foresees a line of children’s products which would provide natural wound care for cuts, scrapes, burns, and even hyperactivity. She touts Soreloozer as especially beneficial for women due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the oil. “It’s great for the skin and reduces swelling,” Picinich added.

Picinich affirms the universal value of organic, therapeutic oils. “They don’t pollute the body or the earth and have no negative effects. That is pretty important.”

 Soreloozer
  A Division of Penelope Healing LLC
 33 Hollywood Avenue
  Farmingdale, N.J. 07727
   www.Soreloozer.com   

 Magical Musical Dress-U

For longtime friends Anna Hazard and Andrea Nasstrom, little girls playing dress up is music to their ears. Both worked in sales while brainstorming creative ideas until they hit upon what they refer to as their “Baby Einstein” – the musical skirt.

Acting Out Dress-Up sold its first Musical Dress-Up Skirt with ballerina music in October 2003. Working from their homes, with a small line of credit, they found suppliers online and created their first sale travelling from store to store with their products in the trunk of the car.  Within 2 months, the dress-up skirts were being carried in over 100 retail stores in the tri-state area.

Andrea had worked selling musical instruments in her family’s business until her parents sold the company. “At that point I thought I would wind down and have more family time,” she recalls, admitting she was feeling burnt out from the corporate business world. Anna, pregnant with her third child, working as a hair dresser, developed the musical skirt idea and brought Andrea on board.  Anna’s creative inventiveness coupled with Andrea’s winning business skills blossomed into a successful partnership that has kept them both working full time and having fun with their inventive line of products every step of the way.

Winning the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award for outstanding new products that enhance the play lives of children and  the Family Fun Toy of the Year propelled them to appearances on “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show.”  Listening to customers and gathering experience based on their needs, partners Anna and Andrea are thrilled to be acknowledged among their peers and child development specialists.
 
With appearances on QVC and their product now in over 1000 stores worldwide, Andrea recalls their early days of gluing sequins on 2000 skirts that were received damaged, and credits their success to perseverance.  “We always found a way – no matter what the obstacle.” Their product line continues to grow. Despite working long hours, these two moms look forward to expanding into other areas of the toy business. Musical Dress-Up is a family affair with their spouses’ support and five young children between them who help test drive new products.

                                Acting Out Dress-Up
                            PO Box 2205, Ocean, NJ 07712
                                877-727-0222 Toll Free
                            www.actingoutdressup.com




A Hands Down Winner              
In the late 1990s, Francine Glick was a busy mom preoccupied with the activities that a typical parent of young children is charged with – school, sporting events, and lots of other “stuff.” Somewhere between soccer games and sprained ankles, Glick emerged with a million-dollar idea – a quick, easy, and all natural way to clean hands. “Driving my kids all around was where the idea started. I needed something to clean their hands with,” Glick stated. “My kids hated anything with alcohol and complained every time I tried to clean their hands,” Glick quipped, “and I literally couldn’t find a product.”  Enter Hands2Go, a portable, instant, alcohol-free, and natural hand sanitizer infused with aloe, lavender, and chamomile extracts.
 
Glick began by experimenting in her kitchen sink with different ingredients. The idea took about one year to develop and four years total to patent. “The patent office lost my patent application,” she said, remembering some of the challenges involved with her foray into entrepreneurship. “In the beginning, I just started talking to people. I knew absolutely nothing, zero about selling to retailers and zero about anything, really,” Glick noted.

The now successful, award-winning businesswoman with a close staff of six is quick to counsel others on the advantages of starting fresh, though. “I didn’t follow any patterns and was totally free to be creative. There was no box,” Glick added “I talked to anyone I knew and spent lots of time just going from person to person asking questions.” Glick admitted that her willingness to communicate openly helped her locate a chemist willing to assist her in product development. Extensive laboratory testing with verifiable results was conducted to ensure the effectiveness of Hands2Go in killing germs such as MRSA, Staph Aureus, and E. Coli.

Hands2Go, now available in over 6,000 stores nationally, is used in school districts, government offices, and private businesses. In 2005, Glick was selected for an award by Count Me In-Make Mine A Million, an organization which financially supports and empowers women-owned enterprises. Glick’s passion for what she does - as well as those who helped her achieve it – is burning brighter than ever. “Entrepreneurship is in my blood. When people approach me and tell me they use my product, that is really what motivates me.” Glick credits her strong network of fellow women-business owners, many of whom are members of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners. “These women kept cheering me along the way and really rooted for me,” she said emotionally.

Glick has every reason to be optimistic about her innovative product. “I see a lot of opportunity in the future for Hands2Go as the number one choice for new moms. I see it in every lunchbox and diaper bag,” she said. Hands2Go is the perfect portable antibacterial, alcohol-free hand sanitizer.
 

Water Journey LTD.
  Hands2Go
   www.waterjourney.com.  
   973-994-7144