Editor’s note: This story is the first to run in a new Finance & Commerce feature focused on entrepreneurs and resources for small businesses. Stories will run the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

Years of working with industrial degreasers left Dave Snyder’s hands so cracked and painful that dermatologists said they’d never be the same. Over-the-counter hand creams also lost effectiveness. So in 2005, Snyder, a manufacturing engineer, did what came naturally: He made his own hand cream.Snyder’s Skin Salvy cream performed better than the commercial brand. His wife, Lisa, an industrial engineer and former massage therapist, suggested Snyder use the same ingredients to create a lip balm.

The Ham Lake resident began giving the products away to friends and family, then selling them to individuals locally and finally marketing them through eBay and his own website, skinsalvy.com. For the full article visit:  http://finance-commerce.com/2011/01/smallbizu-program-educates-2%80%98forced-entrepreneurs/