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Rachel Rifat had global dreams. "I was going to be the divaof international trade between China and the United States,"the 29-year-old recalls. But after getting her degree ininternational relations from the University of Southern Californiain 1997, a round of job interviews with corporate America leftRifat feeling, well, uninspired. "I wasn't very thrilledwith the offers," she says.
In search of an alternative of the entrepreneurial variety,Rifat took cues from her dog, Miles. "I was in the kitchen oneday eating a fortune cookie, and Miles looked up at me like`Please, share the wealth,' " Rifat recalls.Considering her retired racing greyhound's sensitive stomach,she opted to read Miles the fortune instead of feeding him thetreat--and her business concept was born.
The beneficiaries of Rifat's quirky idea? The satisfiedhounds nationwide who feast on her Foo Man Chews, the fortunecookies for dogs. Among the fortunes composed by Rifat: "Youwill soon receive a scratch behind the ear," "When thecat's away, rejoice" and "Good things come to thosewho sit."
Honing her manufacturing capabilities was a trying process."I created a recipe, but it was just a disaster," saysRifat. "The [cookies] would bubble or break, or theywouldn't fold." Next, Rifat commissioned a machinist tobuild a cookie-making machine for her--a waste of $1,200 when themachine didn't work properly.
Nothing if not innovative, the Los Angeles entrepreneur called aSanta Barbara, California, convent to solicit use of theiraltar-bread machine on a part-time basis. "I said, `Sister, doyou mind if I use it on Sundays when it's your downtime?'and she said, `No, but we'll definitely say our prayers foryou.' "
The result? Rifat considers it a productive blend of heavenlyintervention and her own dogged determination: Today, she workswith a cookie manufacturer in San Francisco to make her Foo ManChews, which are now sold in pet stores, Nordstrom departmentstores and gift shops. Her Hollywood Dog Co., which projects salesof $100,000 this year, recently released a second canine treat torave bowwows--Bogey's Baguette Chews, miniature nine-grainFrench baguettes flavored with basil and garlic.
Hip Trips
Who says you can't reinvent the wheel? Determined to do justthat, Dan Levine left his job at Simon & Schuster in 1997.There, he'd written travel guidebooks for more than a decadeand authored some of the publisher's biggest sellers, fromFrommer's Europe to Frommer's California. Buteventually, says Levine, "I felt I'd taken that job as faras it could go. I could go on the rest of my life writingguidebooks for somebody else--or I could do my own thing."
Leaving the conventional style of his former employer behind, heset his sights on an entirely new target: "I wanted to write aguidebook series for my generation," Levine, 34, explains.Designed for Gen X travelers who want the "insider"scoop--and those who want to look like anything but JoeTourist while traveling the world--Levine's Avant-Guidebooks sport a gritty, take-no-prisoners feel and a style thatrelies heavily on "fully wired," computer-enhancedgraphics. "[Avant-Guides'] youth sheen is part ofthe marketing," he explains. "[The guides are] theultimate travel fashion accessory." Bucking industry traditioneven further, Levine refuses to accept discounts or payments inexchange for coverage.
The New York City writer-turned-entrepreneur called oncolleagues in the publishing industry to invest in his start-up,Empire Press, and snagged independent book distribution powerhousePublisher's Group West to ensure his products a place on theshelves of make-or-break retailers like Barnes & Noble. Hisfirst release, Avant-Guide Prague, hit bookstores in spring1998, followed quickly by Avant-Guide New York City,Avant-Guide London and Avant-Guide San Francisco.
Levine's Web site (http://www.avantguide.com) is animportant addition to the mix, providing up-to-date event schedulesand currency exchange rates for the cities featured in his books.However, the information he's compiled actually serves a moreambitious purpose. Says Levine, "I have a fantasy that 50years from now, in history classes, people will be able to look atan Avant-Guide book and get a sense of what a place waslike."
Contact Source
Hollywood Dog Co., (877) MR-CHEWS.
