Business Idea of the Day

In sports, recognizing each of the players is important. It not only boosts their self-esteem, but gives everyone a chance to see their efforts have not gone unnoticed. As a coach, and the father of four girls who were usually on the team he coached, he noticed how much they enjoyed the certificates he had made and handed out at the end of the season. Spotting the opportunity he had available to him, Mike O’Halloran decided to bring in a graphic designer, Greg Johnson, and together they made certificates that were easily customizable and good looking. Mike has since taken his certificates and turned them into a business venture known as The Well-Prepared Coach .

Iconoculture: Dense city neighborhoods don’t generally have much space for garden plots, so the Urban Farming Food Chain project constructs vertical gardens for inner-city communities. The green walls don’t just provide a calming connection to nature, they produce edible fruits and vegetables — fresh and free nourishment in food deserts. A brand, organization or retailer that can create innovative solutions to provide nutritious food to the people who need it most benefits the whole community

One of the least discussed side effects of the economic downturn is the spare time available to laid off workers. They must fill their day some way and this is the result. Have a Safe and Spooky Halloween!

news-journalonline.com: Buying a comfortable motorcycle isn’t easy if you’re a 5-foot tall woman. Most motorcycles are manufactured for men. But a petite pastor, Kathleen Steele Tolleson of Daytona Beach, has created Roar Motorcycles for Women — catering strictly to female riders. From diamond-tufted seats and matching saddlebags to custom colors and artwork on lowered and modified bikes, Roar’s showroom is crowded with specialty creations for this growing segment of motorcycle buyers. The Bellevue Avenue shop is where the energetic biker spends most of her time, except when she’s out riding — like during Biketoberfest last week, when she rolled in with her entourage to introduce a designer line of bikes, called “Distinctively Roar,” at the Festival of Speed at the Orlando Ritz-Carlton

San Antonio Express-News: Paige Bishop, inventor of a training device for pitchers, has managed to get his creation in the door of Major League Baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals adopted it into their program this past season. Brent Strom, pitching coordinator with the Cardinals’ minor league program, brought the pads into spring training at the Jupiter, Fla., facility, he said. “It’s used in practice sessions with coaches, and also when coaches are not around,” Strom said

Northside Chronicle: Tapping into the inner child is important for every adult, just ask Florence Forrest. For about four years Ms Forrest has been manufacturing soft designer toys through her home business Flying Star Toys . “I make my products for the inner child in everyone, they are not necessarily for children who want to play with toys,’’ Ms Forrest said

Fortune Small Business: Q: I need a balance in my business. Some months I am swamped.

AmeriPlan USA, a business which specializes in discount healthcare, has been helping members all over the US save on healthcare since 1992. What makes them really unique is how they sell their memberships. Rather than handling them on their own, their discount memberships are sold through representatives. Although she has only been with AmeriPlan for 1 month, Suzzette Drake is already enjoying the benefits that come with the opportunity.

The Boston Globe: Jeannine Conway pulls up the garage door at her shingled home near Weymouth Landing, and a visitor comes face-to-face with the Joker of “The Dark Knight” movie fame. Conway has been meticulous in replicating the character on her lifesize mannequin - right down to the harlequin pattern on his shirt - that it might be taken for the ghost of Heath Ledger, the late actor who portrayed the villain onscreen. Surrounding the mannequin are tables covered with props - including wigs, paint, and rubber weapons - as well as a host of Halloween-themed decorations, intricately carved pumpkins, and party gags.

Fortune Small Business: Despite his wheelchair, and often because of it, Dr. Glen House has always enjoyed doing what he isn’t supposed to.