Smart Ideas 10/05 Healthy treats for your pet, smoke detectors that talk and more

What: Made-to-order office parties
Who: Leanne Mumm Pardo and Christopher Hughes of Day Perks
Where: Seattle
When: Started in 2001

When Christopher Hughes heard his clients singing "LaBamba" in anticipation of their Cinco de Mayo party, he knewhe was onto something. Hughes, 34, had recently co-founded DayPerks with business partner and friend Leanne Mumm Pardo, 40.

As co-workers at a branding and design firm, Hughes and MummPardo saw a need for a service to take care of office events andparties. Armed with just $500 and plenty of corporate contacts frompast jobs, the two left the firm, incorporated the company and setabout creating a pilot program to test the party-planning waters.They lined up five clients, including Alaska Airlines, CoinStar andWashington Mutual, and for about six months worked with clientfeedback, incorporating reviews and suggestions into their businessplan. "We kept hearing, 'We want it to be quick, we wantit to be really creative, and we want it to beaffordable,'" says Hughes.

Today, Day Perks offers one-hour parties (think parties-in-a-boxthat include snacks, beverages, plates, napkins and so on) andbasic food services (taco bars, pizza, breakfasts and desserts) foreverything from simple ice cream socials to office holiday parties.Clients can mix and match as they see fit, or they can consult withHughes and Mumm Pardo to create their own theme parties. Pricesrange from $2.95 to $3.95 per person.

"The things we're good at are listening and branding.We completely rely on our customers to guide us and, to this point,have relied on them to guide the business's direction,"Mumm Pardo says.

Now with more than 100 corporate customers in the local Seattlemarket, Day Perks expects $250,000 in 2005 sales. Their success hasprompted Hughes and Mumm Pardo to take a serious look atfranchising the business.

--James Park

Bred in the Bone
What: Healthy treats for cats and dogs
Who: Patrick Meiering of Zuke's
Where: Durango, Colorado
When: Started in 1996

The saying goes, what's good for the goose is good for thegander. In Patrick Meiering's case, what's good for theowner is good for the pet. In 1995, Meiering was out on a four-hourhike with his chocolate lab, Zuke, when he noticed his caninecompanion was looking a bit worn out. He shared some of his ClifBar with Zuke and, after seeing Zuke's positive reaction,decided to create an energy bar just for dogs. "That wasreally the 'aha, whoa, cool' idea," says Meiering,38.

When Meiering returned to his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, afew days later, he quit his job at a consulting firm and spent$15,000 of his own money and money borrowed from friends and familyto create the first batch of Power Bones energy/endurancesupplements in his garage.

Meiering perfected Power Bones by testing them on Zuke. When hewas satisfied with the results, he began selling his product tolocal pet and natural-food stores. Zuke further inspired his ownerwhen Meiering noticed his pet wasn't as mobile as before. In2000, Meiering came up with Hip Action, nutritious treats loadedwith glucosamine and chondroitin to help dogs and cats with jointpain. In 2001, he moved the business to Durango.

Today, Zuke's, named after Meiering's belovedinspiration, has eight employees and seven product lines, thenewest of which is Z Ridge, an edible dental chew bone for dogs.Meiering projects 2005 sales to exceed $2 million.

--James Park

Trial by Fire
What: Consumer products company that develops home-safetydevices, such as the Vocal Smoke Detector
Who: Bruce Black and Matt Ferris of KidSmartCorp.
Where: Roswell, Georgia
When: Started in 2003

When Bruce Black, 30, and Matt Ferris, 28, registered for thebusiness plan competition course that was part of their MBA programat the University of Georgia in Athens, they had no idea it wouldresult in real-life profits. Presented with the challenge ofcreating a business plan for a new product, they researched ideasto pursue and came across a brilliantly simple one: a smokedetector that plays a personally recorded voice message in anemergency. The idea had been patented by Brent Routman, a formeradministrator at the University of Georgia's law school and acurrent shareholder in the business.

With Routman's approval, Black and Ferris ran with the idea.And when new research revealed that children repeatedly sleepthrough traditional smoke alarms, it only added fuel to their fire.However, it wasn't until May 2003, when they won the Universityof Texas at Austin's prestigious Moot Corp. business plancompetition, along with a $100,000 convertible loan, that thebusiness really got underway. After six months of intense work, thepair made contact with a manufacturer in China and a designer. SaysBlack, "To actually take something from someone's mind andmake it come off a manufacturing line half a world away is probablyone of the hardest things anyone could ever try to do."

Today, the KidSmart Vocal Smoke Detector is available in RadioShack stores nationwide, as well as in catalogs and specialtychildren's stores. Meanwhile, with 2005 sales projected toexceed $10 million and 10 more fire-safety products and extensionsin the works, it seems Black and Ferris' class project hasbecome a project for life.

--Sara Wilson

Finish Line
What: Decorative-finish and design studio/teachingfacility
Who: Trudi McCullough of Wall MysteriesInc.
Where: Walnut Grove, California
When: Started in 2003
How much: $2,000

Trudi McCullough happened to learn about decorative painting andwall finishes while searching the net for fun activities for herchildren. Inspired, McCullough--once an art major and a former artgallery owner--did more research, took an art class at a localcollege and began to practice painting and finishing around her ownhome. "Our house transformed a lot," laughs McCullough,40.

Before long, McCullough was starting to do work for friends. Asrequests grew, she used the money she made to buy supplies and takemore classes. Her hobby turned into a business when she began toset up booths at local trade shows, but it wasn't until shestarted giving demonstrations at the biannual California State Homeand Garden show in Sacramento that business really took off. Aftercutting a deal with the show owners--she agreed to give freedemonstrations in exchange for a mention in their TVads--McCullough was able to market her business for next tonothing. She also saved money by using professional contacts fromclass to score deals on liability insurance and website design.

To complement her studio and teaching center in Walnut Grove,McCullough opened another location in Temecula, California, thispast February and projects 2005 sales to reach $500,000.

--James Park