Jessica Alba latest to jump on celebrity entrepreneur bandwagon

terry brodie

Globe and Mail Update

Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:01PM EST

The latest news and information for entrepreneurs from across the web universe, brought to you by the Report on Small Business team. Follow us on Twitter @GlobeSmallBiz

Long list of stars have gone the entrepreneurial route

Actress Jessica Alba is the latest addition to the list of celebrity entrepreneurs, CNN Money reports.

She plans to start a subscription service to sell eco-friendly products, including items for babies, household cleaning supplies and body care, the report says.

She is launching the company along with e-commerce company ShoeDazzle founder Brian Lee, PriceGrabber.com executive Sean Kane, and environmentalist Christopher Gavigan, according to the report.

The e-commerce business will be called The Honest Co. Here's her YouTube launch.

Best known for her roles in Dark Angel and The Fantastic Four movies, Ms. Alba came up with her idea after having difficulty finding products for her own children, the report says.

She joins a long list of celebrities who have gone the entrepreneurial route, from P. Diddy to Justin Timberlake to the Kardashians.

Last year, Forbes ran this piece offering mar! keting t ips from some of the new generation of stars who have been the startup route. Have a look, too, at this list of celebrity entrepreneurs and CNN Money's gallery of celebrities with secret businesses.

And if you want to get your product into the hands of a star, Entrepreneur has some advice.

Small business tax cheats

Small businesses in the United States are "evading taxes en masse," says this report in The Fiscal Times -- to the tune of $122-billion.

The way it arrives at that figure: The country's tax gap (the difference between what the Internal Revenue Service is owed and what it collects) grew to $385-billion in 2006, and the largest portion of that -- the $122-billion -- was from businesses that log income on individual returns, which are largely small businesses, as well as farms, the report says.

Have a read of the piece for a closer look at the "politics and logistics" that go into making collection from small businesses tricky.

Sales of U.S. small businesses rise

The number of small businesses that were sold rose last year, according to this piece in The Wall Street Journal.

Sales of businesses with about $360,00 in annual revenue were up 3.3 per cent last year, according to the piece, which cited figures from BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace for buying and selling small businesses. BizBuy credited the increase to improved business performance along with a! slight decrease in valuations and slow improvement in access to capital.

BizBuy also reported an equivalent 3.3-per-cent increase in the median selling price, suggesting, says the Journal, that it's still largely a buyer's market.

EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Help at the starting line

Looking to start a business? The Centre for Entreneurship Education and Development is holding a three-day workshop, called "Blast Off," that will guide participants through the business-development process, offering insight into business plans supportive research tools and other resources, choosing a business structure and necessary sjills. It's aimed at aspiring entrepreneurs. It's being held on Jan. 23 through Jan. 25 in Halifax. For more details, clck here.

Montreal franchise show

The Franchise Show will take place this weekend, Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, in Montreal. Produced by the Canadian Franchise Association in partnership with the Conseil quebecois de la franchise, the franchise show features seminars, exhibitions and opportunities to speak with experts. For more information, click here.

EDITOR'S PICKS FROM REPORT ON SMALL BUSINESS

In Pictures: Golden Scissors winner cuts red tape

Meet the individuals identified by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for having motivated or demonstrated leadership, achieving positive savings for small businesses.

FROM THE ROSB ARCHIVES

Beginnings of The Amazing Space

For an early look at The Amazing Space, check out DDB Canada's workspace and discover why "instigators" are so integral to this creative agency's design philosophy.

Got a tip on news, events or other timely information related to the small-business community? E-mail us at yourbusiness@globeandmail.com

Join The Globes Small Business LinkedIn group to network with other entrepreneurs and to discuss topical issues: http://linkd.in/jWWdzT

Our free weekly newsletter is now available. Every Friday a team of editors selects the top picks from our blog posts, features, multimedia and columnists, and delivers them to your inbox. If you have registered for The Globe's website, you can sign up here. Click on the Small Business Briefing checkbox and hit 'save changes.' If you need to register for the site, click here.