In this photo provided by Chelyabinsk.ru, a meteorite contrail is seen over Chelyabinsk on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. A meteor streaked across the sky of Russias Ural Mountains, causing sharp explosions and reportedly injuring around 100 people, including many hurt by broken glass.Yekaterina Pustynnikova/The Associated Press
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City looks to capitalize on meteor to boost tourism
A "Meteor Disneyland? The Russian city that was slammed by a 10,000-ton meteor that blazed through the sky and exploded into fragments last month is now looking at how to capitalize on the event to boost local tourism, according to reports, such as this one, this one, and this one.
Officials of the industrial city of Chelyabinsk, 1,500 kilometres from Moscow, are trying to come up with ways to cash in on on the worldwide attention and fascination that was generated by the meteor's strike.
"Space sent us a gift and we need to make use of it," Natalia Gritsay, a regional tourism official, was quoted by Bloomberg. "We need our own Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty."
Among the ideas that have been suggested, according to the reports, are a "Meteor Disneyland," an annual "cosmic music and fireworks" festival and a "cosmic water park," including a diving centre in the lake where tourists could plunge for a piece of meteorite.
Already, one local tour company has organized a couple of trips this summer for Japanese tourists, and a local museum has turned a "meteor day" exhibit into a main attraction, according to the reports. We've also reported on a "meteorite rush" of people trying to find fragments that they hope will bring big bucks.
Could savvy entrepreneurs moving on any of these ideas, or coming up with more of their own, be very far behind?
Boomers more risk-taking, entrepreneurial than younger workers: study
The image of typical entrepreneurs may be that they are young and brash, but a new study finds that more grey hair brings more appetite for risk and the entrepreneurial spirit.
The survey, by Monster.com and Millennial Branding, found that 45 per cent of boomers (aged 50 to 69) considered themselves to be more entrepreneurial, compared to just 32 per cent of Gen Yers (aged 18 to 29).
And 43 per cent of boomers identified with being high risk takers, versus just 28 per cent of Gen Y, found the survey of more than 2,800 respondents.
Other studies have also found how well-suited to entrepreneurship boomers are, points out this coverage of the study by Fast Co. One of those studies, by the Marion Ewing Kauffman Foundation, found that the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity over the past decade was among those aged 55 to 64, and those aged 20 to 34 had the lowest.
Fast Co.'s explanation: Older people have more wealth and education and less debt, and more chances to try and fail – "experience that is always good to draw on if you want to start a successful new venture." As well, with job security gone, so, too, is the work lifer. And in later life chapters, people are looking for ways to combine "passion, purpose and a paycheque" – three qualities that fit well with taking a stab at starting their own business.
Envy them: billionaires before they're 40
Here's some inspiration: Some were born into it, but some took the entrepreneurial route to make it themselves. Forbes offers up a slide show of 23 billionaires under the age of 40.
KEY EVENTS AND DATES
From local to global
The Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development will host a workshop on how to move from being a local business to a global one. To help participants learn how to develop an export strategy, topics will include analyzing the export readiness of products and services; reducing barriers; cost-effective approaches; and identifying opportunities. The workshop takes place March 5 in Halifax. For more information, click here.
Aboriginal business day workshop and awards
The Toronto Aboriginal Business Association will host an aboriginal business day workshop and its 11th annual awards, including recognizing the aboriginal businessman, businesswoman and young entrepreneur of the year, on March 13 in Toronto. For more information, click here.
Digital Media Summit
Billing itself as "Canada's social media and interactive marketing conference," the Digital Media Summit takes place in Toronto on March 19 and March 20. With keynote speeches, panels and interactive workshops, the summit will look at a host of areas related to the topic, and bring together a range of interested players. For more information, click here.
EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS
No plastic? At these businesses, cash is the only king
Some small businesses that refuse to accept debit– or credit-card payments are still flourishing with loyal clients and valued products and services.
FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES
How to make sure you're paid what you're owed
For smaller operators, prompt payments and managing cash flow go hand in hand. Online invoicing often results in earlier payments for small businesses, recounted this story, published in May, 2012.
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