Nadine Heintz

Entrepreneurs in the News

The latest news on James Sun, Michael Dell, and Mitchell Binder

Dennis Stock

 

James Sun, a finalist in the 2007 season of The Apprentice, is starring in his own reality show, Sun Tzu: War on Business, which debuts in Asian markets this year. Sun, founder of GeoPage, an online city guide based in Seattle, has spent the past eight months doling out tough love to businesses around the world, including an Indian taxicab company. "When I saw that an entrepreneur needed a kick in the butt, I gave it to him in the war room," says Sun, who is in talks to do a U.S. version of the show....Shawna Lidsky and Katherine Hayward, co-founders of the Vermont Brownie Company, appeared on a recent episode of Throwdown With Bobby Flay, on which they beat the celebrity chef's brownies in a blind taste test. "We had a ton of orders when we woke up the next day, but we're looking for more than 15 minutes of fame," says Lidsky....Tech entrepreneur Jason Calacanis is expanding the Open Angel Forum he formed in January in response to investors who charge for pitches. The group now has chapters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Boulder, Colorado....Michael Dell's private investment firm, MSD Capital, has bought the Magnum Archive Collection, which contains nearly 200,000 original prints by acclaimed photographers like Dennis Stock. The collection, purchased for an undisclosed amount, will reside in a library at the University of Texas at Austin....Mitchell Binder, founder of King Baby Studio, a Santa Monica, California, jewelry company popular with celebrities such as Taylor Swift, celebrated the opening of a flagship store at the Wynn Las Vegas. "The traffic flow in Las Vegas is like nothing else in the world," says Binder.

The Goods is focused exclusively on products and services for business owners. We won't ignore the latest netbook or the hottest smartphone, but we'll also examine the services, software, and Web-based tools that can help make your business succeed. Nadine Heintz, a senior editor at Inc., edits The Goods, as well as Quick Hits. Send suggestions, comments, and deals to nheintz@inc.com.