Business Diary: August 31

IT'S a small victory for Euroscpeticism, and it took place in the heart of the Eurozone.

A German stock market website is going to display share prices in both the single currency and the Deutsche mark.

It comes after a survey of more than 1,300 www.brsennews.de users showed that 39 per cent supported the re-introduction of the mark.

Of course, experts always insisted that no country could ever leave the Eurozone once it had joined – but then they also said the banks would never fail.

Best foot forward

IN these penny-pinching times, it's still possible to build a business empire by flip-flopping around.

Diary was heartened to discover that a female entrepreneur has seen a 200 per cent rise in sales of flip flops through her own e-commerce website.

Rachel Williams, who works at the digital agency, Quba, in Sheffield, decided to start importing and selling fashionable Havaianas flip flops in August last year.

She started off selling two pairs a day through www.Flipflopand away.co.uk, but this figure has risen to more than 200 a week.

The site has attracted customers from as far away as Hong Kong and Australia.

But what has caused this flip-flop frenzy? Well, it seems people like to have jolly footwear to lift their spirits during the economic slump.

Ms Williams said: "It was always a dream of mine to start my own business and to be doing it now is hugely exciting.

"At Quba, not only have I learnt the technical skills necessary to manage my own site, but I have worked with clients who have inspired me to do something different. Selling flip-flops in the north of England certainly falls into that category."

Hit and miss

RETIRED Yorkshire cricketer and England captain Michael Vaughan, right, has revealed his worst investment.

Speaking at the weekend, he said his best financial decision was to invest the money he earned while playing.

The 35-year-old earned up to 500,000 a year in basic salary while captaining his country, and that was before any commercial deals.

His worst decision was following a suggestion to buy into a nightclub in Devon.

"I agreed to invest something like 15,000," he told The Sunday Times. "It didn't do very well and I lost my investment."

Mr Vaughan has found a post-cricketing career in sports management and commercial property.

Spelling success

THE Ilkley businessman who turned a crumbling mansion into a busy adult education centre in Burley in Wharfedale, knows how to turn a negative into a positive.

Alan Hayes, of Business Support and Development, had some brochures printed to publicise the range of courses available at Burley Grange.

On arrival, he noticed, with horror, a rather prominent spelling error emblazoned across the front page. It read "Eduction Prospectus".

Adult learners who spot the mistake have their name entered

into a draw with the prize of a free place on an existing course of their choice.

High ambitions

THEY will face nausea, exhaustion and freezing temperatures on the gruelling ascent, but two East Yorkshire businessmen are determined to scale Africa's tallest peak for charity.

Kevin Harrison and David North, of Hull-based corporate travel firm Good Travel Management, are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Temperatures at the summit of the 5,893m (19,334 ft) dormant volcano, the world's tallest free-standing mountain, can drop to –20C.

"It doesn't matter how fit you are, much of it comes down to how you cope with the altitude," said Mr North.

"But I'm confident we will push on and make it to the top – we certainly wouldn't be travelling all that way if we didn't think we could do it."

The pair hope to raise 3,000 for Cash for Kids, which supports disadvantaged children, and Because I am a Girl, which aims to improve opportunities for education for girls in Tanzania.

Visit www.everydayhero.co.uk/kilimanjarochallenge to support their challenge.

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