FORT LAUDERDALE -- Entrepreneurs Sherene Costanzo, 31, and Simona Bunin, 29, are drawn to adventurous business opportunity like athletes drawn to extreme sports. Since their college days at Florida Atlantic University when the two finance majors met in a marketing class, they've partnered to create business opportunities on the edge. They began with land purchases -- flipping and selling properties for profits.

They created Credit Consultants and after building up a clientele, sold that business.

LATEST VENTURE

Their latest business venture may be their most adventurous -- and successful -- yet: Marketing Gourme Mist, a new line of cooking products now on shelves in Whole Foods and Doris' Italian Markets. The mists are imported oils and vinegars in non-aerosol pump bottles.

Their formula for success isn't just in the ingredients; it's in their business plan: Building a company branded with a successful product launch, then selling it. ``All our energy upfront is for acquisition down the line,'' Costanzo said.

In addition to investing their own money, they tapped the Small Business Administration's express loan program. They built a manufacturing facility to contain costs and control operations. They obtained patents and vendors and developed distribution and retail relationships.

SEEKING PUBLICITY

They're certified as wellness and nutrition consultants. They cross market with wellness and diet firms. Media exposure in healthy-lifestyles publications has helped them gain notoriety.

Their target audience is women ages 25 to 48. They've won packaging awards. They implement social networking sites Twitter and Facebook to market themselves and their products.

Jan Leavitt, shopping at a Whole Foods in Aventura on a recent afternoon, stopped at a Gourme Mist demo. ``There are so many products that come out,'' she said, setting a vinegar pump in her shopping cart. ``It's a good idea to let people sample.''

It's all about the buzz, blowing up the brand, growing very fast, quickly, efficiently, so we can move on,'' Bunin said.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@