The big business blend – Entrepreneurs combine multiple niches into one
Tough times call on entrepreneurs to get inventive and do something a little different to win customers’ dollars. And two tri-county businesses are doing just that. In Santa Barbara, Live Culture plans to serve up a combination of wine, frozen yogurt and live music. SLO County Sitters in San Luis Obispo has connected parents with Read More →
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Online news start-ups in the Tri-Counties are looking for donations from loyal readers as well as community support to keep them operating through the next year. With signs pointing to a weak start to 2009, it could be an important survival strategy for small online publications that are trying to build brand loyalty on shoestring Read More →
Is your IT disaster-proof?
When hundreds of homes burned in Montecito, the flames neared a cluster of financial advisers and other businesses that depend on data for their livelihood. Though none of those firms burned, the fire spurred companies to re-evaluate their IT disaster preparation plans. John Hunt, head of Santa Barbara-based IT firm CompuVision, said he’s spoken Read More →
Data backup on fast track: Thousand Oaks firm signs deal with Baja Fresh
Thousand Oaks-based Casdex didn’t take long to jump off the blocks. The company launched its first product in February. It provides an online document archiving service that gives small and mid-sized firms the same kind of backups that large enterprises use to protect against lawsuits and audits. And after just a few months, Casdex inked Read More →
Getting into position
Jon Ziskind knows how big the world is, and he doesn’t want people to get lost. A former professional sailor, Ziskind traveled widely to compete in the America’s Cup, sailing’s most prestigious regatta. The sport relies heavily on Global Positioning System, or GPS, technology, so when Ziskind settled down, it made sense for him to Read More →
Starting in troubled times
When David and Jeanette Hendrickson decided to relocate Retroville, their vintage-themed boutique, from the state of Washington to Santa Barbara, they had no idea that their first week in business here would be nationally notable. “We opened on the worst week in Wall Street’s history,” Jeanette Hendrickson said. Retroville, whose owners employ two workers, opened Read More →
Joy of cooking – Business teaches urban-style skills in San Luis
Within a bland industrial park on the edges of San Luis Obispo lies a converted warehouse, which is home to The Garden’s Kitchen, the complex’s most unlikely tenant. A couple of times a week, owner Ashleigh Hutchison teaches themed cooking classes in what she calls “an urban dwelling where friends and food come together.” But Read More →
