Business Opportunities Weblog

Amanda Keppert is convinced that she would have lost her hot dog stand in San Jose, Calif., if she had not received a type of loan that is more common in the third world than in the United States.

According to a story in The New York Times, last year, as fewer people ate out and layoffs mounted in Silicon Valley, sales plunged more than 60 percent at the once-thriving Mandy's Korner.

My business was drowning and I was afraid it would go under,'' Keppert said. While she picked up catering work at a local concert site, it wasn't enough to pay her expenses. She had invested all of her savings in the business, and she did not want to see it go under.

But her loan applications were rejected repeatedly at banks in San Jose. Then she found Opportunity Fund, a local microlender that has teamed up with Kiva.org, one of the best-known international microlenders. Kiva, which has lent more than $150 million in 53 countries, had just begun a pilot program lending to business owners in the United States.

Through Kiva, Keppert obtained a $6,500 loan that she has three years to pay back and that carries a 6 percent interest rate. She used the money to buy an ice maker, a generator to save on propane costs and large signs to advertise her business.

Before the economic collapse, microfinance - the granting of very small loans, mostly to poor people - was a concept most closely associated with the developing world. But tight credit and the recession have increased the demand for smaller loans in the United States, giving microlending a higher profile and broadening its appeal.

Photo by The New York Times.

Are we in a cupcake bubble? Why will people wait in ridiculously long lines for cupcakes but not for plain old cake?

How soon until the crash?

What’s next? Brownies?

Whether you’re a citizen journalist, podcaster or simply interested in sharing some sound with friends, your cell phone can become your mobile radio studio.

MobileActive has published an excellent guide to making mobile audio in the field. A few key tips from the guide:

Microphone positioning. “Place the mobile phone so it faces your subject (or yourself if you are recording self-spoken audio). Remember that the microphone is usually at the bottom of the phone.”

Minimize background noise. “Beware of spaces with too much background noise — fans, air conditioning, refrigerators, traffic or computers. If possible, turn off or deactivate these noise sources. Practice with test clips before you produce the audio. Journalist Victoria Foley suggests that you record from inside a car, which provides great audio insulation and a makeshift sound booth.”

Check signal strength. “If you are streaming live audio or uploading content right after recording, make sure to find a space with good signal strength. Poor signal strength can result in poor audio quality.”

Use an external microphone. “External microphones can drastically improve the quality of audio. However, mobile phones’ audio jacks are designed for headset-based microphones. If you are regularly planning on recording audio on a phone, consider buying a microphone designed for mobile phones.”

Photo by CNN.