It’s one thing to come up with an idea for a business and open it in Mid City or Uptown. It’s quite another undertaking to launch and run a business in the 9th Ward. Or the Lower 9th ward. That’s what Peter Ricchiuti’s guests on today’s Out to Lunch are doing. Mark Sanders is the owner and…

In 1967, Edward de Bono invented “Lateral Thinking.” It’s a type of reasoning that solves problems by steps that might not be obvious.  For example, how do you get more college grads to enter the workforce wanting to go into technology? Regular logic would suggest employers pay more to people in these positions. Or offer college…

For a number of years now we’ve talked about New Orleans as a great place to start a business. But we’ve learned it’s not such an easy place to take a startup to the next level. When the business you’re starting up is not technology, but you’re actually manufacturing a real-world product, it becomes even more…

Remember that time you had a great idea? You were probably doing something you’ve done a thousand times before and you thought, “There’s got to be an easier way. Why doesn’t somebody invent…” fill in the blank. People who work in universities have these kinds of ideas too. When you think about it, the reason…

Sometimes the stars just line up. Whether it’s fate, destiny, luck, or your own ingenuity, once in a while you find yourself in the right place at the right time and you have one of those “Aha” moments. Turning that aha moment into a successful business is a whole other matter. That’s what Peter’s two lunch guests…