One thing which I would like to feature on this blog are foreigners and locals running successful businesses in Bali. I think many people visit Bali for a holiday, fall in love with the place and then dream about starting a business there.
BusinessWeek featured CraftNetwork in their “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs”. Unfortunately, when I checked their website, it says it is down for maintenance.
Here is what BusinessWeek had to say about CraftNetwork:
Christopher Benz founded CraftNetwork in 2007 to connect artisan producers in the developing world with wholesale and retail customers in wealthy nations. By employing local artisans in marginalized communities under a unified brand, CraftNetwork helps them meet quality standards and respond to market demands, boosting their employment and sales. To date, the 26-employee company has exported goods from 1,355 artisans in 124 villages in three countries, and Benz hopes to continue to expand CraftNetwork’s reach. The 26-employee firm brought in $419,000 in revenue in 2008, and Benz projects it will hit $672,000 this year.
