Living the Entrepreneurial Dream

One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to work with entrepreneurs who are taking chances and creating new and exciting enterprises which haven’t existed before.  There’s a certain inherent magic that comes from making something out of nothing, with creating new value from thin air - it seems that everyone can appreciate the courage it takes to start a new venture from scratch, especially when you put your savings/income/job security on the line.

Inspiring stuff, huh.  Now imagine you’re married and both you and your spouse decide to start new ventures at the SAME TIME.

That’s been the story for the last year for our good friends Will and Rachel Haughey.  We went to college with Rachel at UNC, and she and Will lived in NYC working in finance jobs for a few years after school.  But both had the entrepreneurial bug deep inside, and it was only a matter of time before they left the stability of corporate life for the chaos of entrepreneurship.

The story of the last few months for the Haugheys has been one of long days and nights working towards their respective launches.  It’d probably take a novel to go into the details of what it takes to launch a new business, but rest assured there was considerable midnight oil burnt in the process.  And wouldn’t you know it, the two ended up launching their respective businesses within a few weeks of each other.

Rachel is now the proud co-owner of a unique coffee shop in Darien, Connecticut called EspressoNeat.  Rachel is a lover of great coffee and her goal is to bring top shelf java to Darien.  Those of you in Durham will be proud to know that EspessoNeat is sourcing its beans from Counter Culture Coffee out of the Bull City.  The shop officially opened for business on Monday and word on the street is that it’s the best coffee experience EVER.

Not to be outdone by his better half, Will has officially launched a company of his own, along with his co-founder and brother Chris.  They raised a round of private angel capital to finance Tegu, a children’s toy company.  Using a proprietary technology, Tegu makes classic wooden blocks out of Honduran hardwood.  But these are no ordinary blocks - they contain strong magnets inside which allow them to make shapes and defy gravity like no wooden blocks before.

One of the coolest parts about Tegu is the company’s commitment to giving back to the community and environment from which the blocks are made.  The manufacturing process takes place in Honduras, where a large % of people live below the poverty line.  Not only will Tegu be employing locals and paying them decent wages, they’ll also be donating back a portion of each sale to help Honduran children further their education.

A set of Tegu blocks is not the cheapest toy you can buy your kids, but it does offer a ton of advantages over your run-of-the-mill plastic toys from your favorite big box store.  Tegu toys are safe (no lead paint on these, just natural hardwood), environmentally sustainable (a tree planted for every tree used), and just might help change a country (through job creation and social reinvestment).

(from Tegu.com)

I’ve held some Tegu blocks in my own hands and they are insanely addictive to play with because of the power of the magnets.  In fact, my first reaction was “this isn’t just for kids…this would be a perfect piece of desk flair for the busy executive.”  If you have a kid or even an adult who you think might be a good fit for a set of 52 blocks, you can order online as of today!  The Tegu team has put a ton of time and effort into the launch, and were even featured in today’s Daily Candy.

It takes a lot to launch a new business.  I couldn’t be more proud of our courageous (and probably very tired!) friends Will and Rachel.  I’d encourage you to check out Tegu.com today.  And the next time you’re in Darien, CT, take some time to check out the best coffee in town.