When you’re young, you are vaguely aware of the strong influences binding your family together. When you get older, you understand the vital role each family member plays. As the definitions of family change and evolve in modern society, the ties that bind families together remain strong. What family wouldn’t want to boast about its bonds? Companies like Hip Together are filling a need to promote the love and strength that exists in the bonds of family relationships.

Imagine for a moment a village in Nepal with lullabies lilting in the background, crooned by mothers to their children. Clothing is loose and constructed of exotic prints that evoke a far away culture. Inspiration for children’s clothing can come in many forms. In the case of Ketiketa, a traditional Nepalese fabric was the jumping off point. Starting with “dumbar kumara”, the designers of Ketiketa turned their love of this block printed fabric into a collection of clothes and decorative accessories for boys and girls under 10. Even the label’s name has Nepalese roots with the combined “keti” (girl) and “keta” (boy) making up its presentation.

They may be seduced by television and video games, but every kid loves a good craft project. With products by Easy Student Publishing, any budding bard can publish simply by uploading their original writing and illustrations. Parents can arm their iPads with a protective case that interacts with the ArtSee Studio app to transform kids’ masterpieces into animated games and activities. Turn the results into museum-quality showpieces with My Art Gallery — funky yet functional frames. With Press-N-Paint, kids can mix paints without spilling a drop. Make summer fun and stock your shelves with these creative solutions.

Every Friday night at 9 p.m. you will find me sitting comfortably on my sofa eagerly awaiting the next episode of one of my favorite TV shows – “Shark Tank”. What intrigues me most with this show is the Sharks’ ability to, within minutes, tell entrepreneurs exactly what is wrong or right with their business. Sadly, for many they hear what is wrong. Almost every time, the very first question out of a Shark is “What are your sales?” If the numbers they share tell the story of a company on the rise, growing at a reasonable, if not accelerated pace, then the Sharks will start to circle the entrepreneur with interest.