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Microlending in the USA
Before Mandela Foods Cooperative opened for business in West Oakland, California, community residents had few choices other than liquor stores and a few fast food joints when it came to shopping for groceries. A low-income, disinvested neighborhood that lacks a well-stocked grocery store that sells reasonably priced fruit, vegetable, meat, and dairy products is commonly [...] Continue reading
The Reality Behind the Storage Wars: Hard Work That Sometimes Pays Off
It’s hard to imagine a more boring reality TV show premise than the premise that structures Storage Wars. For those not in the know, it goes something like this: Abandoned storage units go up for auction. A regular cast of storage auction buyers bid on a given unit. The top bidder wins the entire contents [...] Continue reading
Craft Brewers Dedicated to Passion for Beer
If Prohibition helped create organized crime in America, then its repeal unwittingly created a legal racket of mega beer brewers that still dominates our pubs and palates to this day. Walk into any bar, attend any backyard barbeque, and the likelihood of you consuming a beer produced by two multinational brewing giants occupying 80% of [...] Continue reading
Africa’s Entrepreneurs Driving Continent Forward
In a continent where “every street corner boasts an entrepreneur,” entrepreneurship is not only encouraging profound economic growth, but bettering lives of its people. While it’s true far too many Africans lack access to decent healthcare, education, food, and water, and that governmental corruption and instability continues to stagnate the economic growth of some countries, [...] Continue reading
When in Rome: Gidsy Giving Explorers a Global Social Map
There is nothing worse than vacationing to an unknown destination with only an atlas, and the wife and kids to guide you. Unless you can’t afford to go on vacation in the first place – that’s worse. But the stress of potentially being bored during vacation can be, well, stressful. Not knowing the locals shouldn’t [...] Continue reading
Buy or Sell: Gumroad Creates Marketplace for Creators
Ever done something worthwhile? If so, Gumroad is the place to find out how much that something is worth. This new, online startup company offers creators the ability to sell their creations for any price ranging from $0.99 to $1,000. Musicians can sell their music directly to their fans without the hassle of creating their [...] Continue reading
AARP, Small Business Administration Offer Resources for Entrepreneurs Over 50
Blame the economy or applaud the American spirit of entrepreneurship, but the fact remains that more Americans are working well past the typical retirement age. For those considering a second or third act in their careers, AARP and the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced new initiatives to assist entrepreneurs over the age of 50. The [...] Continue reading
Artisan or Indie: Is Entrepreneurship a Gen Y Trait or Necessity?
When Academy-Award winning movie The Social Network was first released in 2010, reviewers were quick to call the flick a film that defined a generation. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg arguably represents the aspirations and attitudes of Generation Y—opportunistic, determined, entitled, bent on not simply achieving recognition but grasping for world domination. And it all starts [...] Continue reading
Bringing Up Business: Incubators Through the Eyes of the Entrepreneur
Consider it business parenting. That’s the easiest way to define the business incubation model, which seems to be the best way for a start-up company to become a success – or at least get off the ground. Take a new company – rather, take an idea and mold it into something material like a company [...] Continue reading
Looking into the Crystal Ball: Top Ten Fastest-Growing Industries
From students to entrepreneurs, everyone wishes they could look into a crystal ball to see what career paths and industries will thrive in the future. Marketing research firm IbisWorld released the results of an April 2012 survey that sheds some light on the top 10 fastest-growing industries. IbisWorld identified the list of promising industries based [...] Continue reading