The one-hour program looks at how the launch of the Apple iPhone in June of 2007 gave birth to a revolution in mobile technology—an apps explosion. As the popularity of apps continues to soar and users view them as an essential tool for everyday life, Apple has opened the door for outside developers to create new apps and a new breed of entrepreneurs allowing anyone from an engineer to a Hollywood star to an everyday person to become an app developer.
CNBC also profiles two new app entrepreneurs from Chicago, Darren Marshall and Phil Tadros, who want to get in on the phenomenon with a budget management tool called Texthog. The app would allow users to immediately record their expenses by texting them to their Text Hog account. The documentary follows Marshall and Tadros as they develop, design and program the app and ultimately submit it to Apple for approval, a process, which can be both stressful and time consuming.
More Info...
The skin-care line is one of countless diamonds-in-the-rough that Tadros has recognized throughout his career, an eclectic run driven by his unmistakable desire for challenge, activity and, ultimately, others’ good.
“I ended up going through so much in my first startup, and now I’ve surrounded myself with an amazing and growing team,” Tadros said.
More Info...
Phil Tadros admits he was “a horrible student in grade school, high school.” But things changed when he enrolled at Columbia in 1997. “I showed up, for one thing,” he says of Columbia’s classes. “I got As and Bs. I had more respect for the teachers. They have real-life examples. Other people who don’t have experience, I just don’t respect or listen to them.”
More Info...
Quick Pitch: Texthog is a super simple service to track your budgets and expenses online. We believe that the easiest way to keep track of what you spend, is to record it in real-time.
Genius Idea: Texthog is a smart finance-tracking system – you send it your financial transactions (via email or text) and it parses that information, tracks it, and categorizes it. The premise is that, by tracking expenses as they happen, you will better be able to understand what you’re spending your money on, where your money has has gone, and how to adjust your budget. This also eliminates the pain of tracking receipts.
More Info...
Based in Chi, Hog’s a free, stupid-simple site that lets you submit and categorize personal expenditures via text/email right after a purchase, before you forget that $8.54 was spent on an enchilada plate w/ large horchata. Sign up, and you’ll receive a unique email address, to which you can text or email dollar-amount, general category (gas, food/dining, bills/utilities, etc) and, optionally, any further identifying notes — because what good’s “bar tab” if you can’t isolate how much it cost before the Love Tester proclaimed you a man?
More Info...
The local startup community is organizing a holiday party to celebrate the season, and you’re invited! The party is being held at Noble Tree Coffee & Tea on Saturday, December 13th starting at 10:00 PM. The party is free – just bring yourself, your friends and a cheerful disposition.
We’ll also be accepting donations of coats, scarves, hats, etc. as well as raising money for local charities – see below for more info.
More Info...
Local First Chicago invited some web experts to chat about maximizing online tools in helping small businesses with conducting business online. I was happy to join a panel that included:
April Jervis – Local First Chicago
Brent Payne – Tribune Company
Felicia Yonter – Chitown Daily News
Tammy Green – Chicago Bites
Phil Tadros – Noble Tree Cafe and Metroproper
More Info...
Like a needle in a… You never know when a couple of strangers will change your life. Take 29-year-old Phil Tadros, for instance. A few years back, he was working in a mobile-phone storefront, helping Geri and Rosalie, a set of 70ish-year-old twins, pick out new cell phones. It took them three days to choose, so Tadros developed a friendship with them, during which he learned about their massive collection of vintage clothes and antiques. When the twins decided it was time to part with their goods, they turned to Tadros. Voila, Haystack was born. In addition to old-school clothes, the Lakeview shop also features new graphic T-shirts by Isotope (two for $30) and a growing collection of Schwinn bikes with banana seats. “It’s like Anthropologie meets the Brown Elephant,” Tadros says. 2934 N Broadway at Oakdale Ave (773-549-1225).
— Kevin Aeh
More Info...
Today we’re going to leave the crowded airspace of our EWR/JFK/LGA home and take a trip to the Second City. Chicago resident and community builder Philip Tadros was at the NYT Small Business Summit in October. We exchanged thoughts on startups not long ago. Entrepreneurs wondering how the internet can fit into their business should pay special attention to the second Q&A.
More Info...
Metroproper, a Chicago-based startup founded by Phil Tadros, will soon be launching into the public beta, after a period of private beta testing. Phil is a guy who I knew in a previous life, and who has become a successful entrepreneur in the time since I last saw him.
More Info...