The CouchSurfing Project is a free, Internet-based, international hospitality service, and it is currently the largest hospitality exchange network. The project was commenced in 2003 and formally launched on January 1, 2004. The idea is people in the network crash on the couch of others around the world (free room).As of March 2009, it had more than 1 million members in 232 countries and territiries. According to their own published statistics, 35% of their members are currently offering their couches to host travelers (with another 18% saying "maybe", and others who are travelling at the moment).[1] According to Alexa it is currently the most visited hospitality service on the Internet, averaging more than 30 million daily page views in July 2008.
Members use the website to coordinate contacts and home accommodation (or "surf" others' "couches") with other network members around the world. The website allows the creation of extensive profiles, and uses an optional credit card verification system, a personal vouching system, and personal references to increase security and trust between members. The site offers other features such as discussion groups, events and meetings, and live chat.
sample of an e-commerce site built using the free weebly service
http://www.weebly.com
The vending machine business is an important industry for increasingly active people who need this convenient option for foods and drinks. This is a wonderful opportunity for generating "passive income" for continual cash flow.
Annually, more than 5 billion drinks and 8 billion snacks are sold through American vending machines. A Department of Commerce study showed that fewer than 5% of new vending businesses fail - compared to a 65% average for other small businesses.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/starting-vending-machine-business.html
Are you a new farmer or farm cooperative who is confident that you’ll be successful, but have a minimal track record and limited financial resources? Have you written a business plan and done your homework on your proposed venture? Can you demonstrate responsibility, good work ethic and follow-through?
JP Morgan entered the microfinance arena, launching a Social Sector Finance unit inThe long-term outlook for equity investment in microfinance is positive, despite the financial crisis, says J.P. Morgan and CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), a microfinance group based at the World Bank.
The analysis comes in a joint report, issued in February 2009,that challenges conventional approaches to equity valuation in microfinance and establishes the first benchmarks for microfinance equity valuations. After a downturn in 2009, the report predicts that valuations will bounce back in 2010.
"Leading microfinance institutions, especially those with solid domestic funding from local deposits, should emerge stronger from the financial crisis," said Elizabeth Littlefield, CGAP CEO and a co-author of the report. "Microfinance managers will need to slow heady growth rates and be extra vigilant about arrears in loan portfolios, but the fundamentals of the sector, and the underlying credit worthiness of its low-income clients, are very solid."
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE...
An example of such a service...
Several American universities are creating outposts in foreign countries as a way to expand their brand influence, generate new funds for endowments hit by the recession and create new partnerships with eduction talent around the world.
People are increasingly looking for well designed and organized venues to buy and sell their used goods. We still want to consume, and in an era of cost savings, flea markets are booming.
CleanTechies.com is a leading career services forum providing insight, orientation, and opportunities for the CleanTech community. Focused on clean technology, renewable energy and resource efficiency, CleanTechies covers industry trends and facilitates career opportunities for job seekers.
Headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley, the Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the first employee and first president of eBay. The Foundation supports social entrepreneurship. Skoll chairs the Foundation, which today makes grants in excess of $40M per year. Its mission is to drive large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and other innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems. The Skoll Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs through its annual Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and grants to support the ecosystem around social entrepreneurs, including the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford. It connects social entrepreneurs through its online community, Social Edge, at www.socialedge.org, as well as via the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford.
