Latest Business News

The index measures the opinions of local professional venture capitalists and reports their estimation of the high-growth small business environment in the area. The latest Silicon Valley venture capitalist index surveyed 33 San Francisco area professionals in January of 2010, and the results are promising.

This quarter’s confidence registered a 3.48 on a 5-point scale (with 5 indicating the highest possible confidence). The index climbed up from 3.37 last quarter, which officials thinks suggests an upward trend for 2010.

Venture capitalists in the San Francisco area are reportedly gaining optimism as the macroeconomy stabilizes.

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Lawrence ? The founder of TOMS Shoes told Kansas University students Tuesday that embracing a spirit of sustainability and giving would help them to succeed in both business and in life.

Blake Mycoskie is the founder of the company that operates on a “buy one, give one” model, where it gives away a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold.

Special to KTKA.com

Blake Mycoskie is the founder and chief shoe giver at TOMS Shoes.

The entrepreneur had been involved in other businesses before starting this company after meeting volunteers on a trip to Argentina.

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Kenyans will pay a high price for post-election violence early in 2008, with the country’s tourism industry expected not to have fully recovered by 2012 as projected.

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The effects of the violence, and the global financial crisis will cost the industry — the country’s third foreign exchange earner after tea and horticulture — its mid-term targets under Vision 2030.

“We may be close but we will not reach the targets,” said Stanbic Investments (EA) Ltd chief investment officer, Anthony Mwithiga, at a press briefing at Nairobi.

Under the Vision 2030 Mid-Term Plan (2007-2012), the industry is expected to increase international visitors from 1.8 million in 2007, which was its best year ever, to 3 million in 2012.

Over the same period, it is expected to increase average spend from Sh40,000 to Sh70,000, triple tourism earning from Sh65.4 billion to Sh200 billion in 2012.

The announcement comes at a time when industry players are optimistic about its performance this year, following improvements in 2009.

“This year is going to be challenging but not like 2009.

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Whether it is by choice or by default, many more people are opening home-based businesses. 2010 looks to be a booming year for home-based entrepreneurs, also known as the “homepreneur.” Here is a look at why homepreneurs will likely become the largest form of small business in America.

The Trend of Homeprenuership

Going into business for yourself is an uncertain prospect. Although the rewards of working for yourself can be great, the fear of failure and the uncertainty of your next paycheck prevents many prospects from jumping into the fray.

However, due to the economy since 2007, there has been no better time to start a home-based business.

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Being British sometimes feels synonymous with a resigned acceptance of disappointment. A feeling football, cricket and tennis fans know all too well. Having brought these great sports to the world, we can now quietly murmur into our pints that we’re ‘not bad’ at most of them.

Even as we emerge from recession today, our recovery is way behind most other developed countries (Germany and France returned to growth last summer) and comes at a very marginal increase of 0.1 per cent. It’s almost as if we were the chubby kid at a sports day event gasping to reach the finishing line while everyone else leisurely sips orange squash.

Strange then that in a poll from SmallBusiness.co.uk 31 per cent of the 538 respondents said this Sceptered Isle was the top country for business.

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