Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
Nobel prize winner, microloan pioneer Muhammad Yunus: 'We are all entrepreneurs'
Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi economist, microfinance pioneer, founder of the grassroots Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace prize laureate tirelessly travels the world with one message: We are all entrepreneurs. We have talents that we can use to generate income. Recently, Yunus has begun taking his Read More...
How Airbnb is spurring innovation in luxury travel
There is now a cottage industry of short-term-rental start-ups, whether started before or after Airbnb. The category includes dozens of other companies: Roomorama, Love Home Swap, Stay Alfred, and many more. Some were scooped up by Read More...
Main street is alive: The revenge of the independent hardware stores
Amidst the daily news about artificial intelligence and the online (sharing) economy, it would seem that the old-fashioned Main Street store is a thing of the past. Economic trends show a clear downward trend for traditional retail. But there’s one industry that’s challenging this trend. Read More...
Home delivery services are helping young South Africans employ themselves
With on-demand amenities continuing to grow in popularity with urban consumers, delivery services are providing a number of self-employment opportunities for entrepreneurs. In South Africa, which has a particularly high rate of youth unemployment, a development program called BuddiBox is helping Read More...
Germany’s Optionspace wants to be an ‘Airbnb for office space’
Optionspace, a new Berlin-based startup, sees its official launch today with a service that is something akin to an ‘Airbnb for office space’. Specifically, prospective tenants — which, of course, includes startups — are able to rent furnished and unfurnished office space via the online Read More...
The world’s leading companies on human rights
It is difficult to gauge which multinational companies are leaders and laggards when it comes to human rights. But a report issued today makes an attempt. The study, a shared effort by Aviva Investors, the United Kingdom NGO Business and Human Rights Resource Center (BHRRC), and several other Read More...
The buy-one-give-one business model has hit the property market
Every time someone buys a pair of TOMS shoes, the company sends an additional pair to people in developing countries. TOMS is renowned for their buy-one-give-one model, and now a new project will apply that same model to the property market. The project, BuyGiveWork, will give an office space to a Read More...
Timberland and Nike are bringing sustainability to the shoe industry
An MIT study determined that the process of making a typical pair of sneakers results in 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Considering that 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced globally each year, it's safe to say shoes are a major culprit in the fight against climate change. Thankfully, Read More...
Women in East Africa made a business out of leaves mostly chewed by men
“It really changed my life,” Karanja recalls. Since then, she has been able to invest in property and farms, send her children to school and university, and convinced her husband to join the business, too. “Khat was really profitable. I got in, and never looked back,” she Read More...
Platform makes it easier to donate essentials to local homeless people
A new crowdfunding application, StreetChange, provides homeless people in the streets of Philadelphia with a bluetooth beacon which allows app users to donate basic necessities to them. Those with the bluetooth beacons make a wish list of basic necessities, and as soon as a StreetChange client Read More...