Daniel Ho’s Musings

I’ve talked about Kiva before and have had great experiences with it, so I’m starting another round of lending.

Kiva.org is the first website that provides a way to do person-to-person micro-lending and it is a great idea.

Here’s why… It basically takes the Child Sponsorship model that we’ve all seen. This is where you would sponsor a specific child in a developing country and send them some money. In return, the child sends you updates and photos of themselves. While, this is all good and well, the problem is that while the feedback to the sponsor is engaging and maximizes the continuation of sponsorship, the administration costs are EXTREMELY high.

Kiva.org does basically the same thing with entrepreneurs. It lets you look at their profiles and lend to those individuals or groups in which you’re interested. So, while you get “journal” reports and repayment data etc…it all happens online and at very low cost. Smart! The people that need the money get it, and there is very little “friction” along the way.

It is a sustainable way of empowering them to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. I’m also very interested in women’s issues in the developing world, so my lending bias is towards women. But, that’s just my schtick…you can lend to anyone you like!

Come check it out…and join me! It is fun and you know it, your karma can stand a bit of cleansing!

I’ve always wondered how much street performers make. The Kid did a nice show dancing around in SoHo when we were in NYC late last year. After reading this story, it seems like it isn’t such a bad career choice!

I caught this on the Music Nation site earlier but forgot until Guy Kawasaki posted it on Truemors today.

“It’s hard enough standing on stage, pouring your heart out in front of a sea of strange faces. Try doing it while that sea is floating by (ie, on a street-corner). It takes guts, it takes balls, but, apparently, it also pays off. We checked in with a few of the metropolitan-maestros within walking distance of our office to get their stats. Consider the following as inspiration to get up, get out and do something. Sure, a gig at Madison Square Garden can buy you a mansion, but playing Union Square Station pays pretty good too.”

Strange but true. The Naked Cowboy probably makes more money than you!

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