STEVE KIMBALL Metro Business talked to Steve Kimball, managing director of Tuscan Advisors, a Henrico County-based business consulting firm. He also is a member of the Richmond Venture Forum, a group that brings together venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. He was asked about the status of entrepreneurs: “Entrepreneurs are America’s competitive advantage. In the last 20 years, they created 80 percent of the jobs. They are the real job creators.

Of the billions of dollars in federal stimulus money out there, Chris Yoo is banking on the hope that a fraction will boost his dry-cleaning business. Amid the recession and credit crunch, Yoo, who owns three Joy Cleaners dry-cleaning stores in Chesterfield and Henrico counties, recently took out two loans to buy equipment that he believes will help him retain and attract customers. Both loans were through SunTrust Banks Inc. and guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Hundreds of elementary pupils invent, manufacture and sell clever products to learn how capitalism works.

With the recession making for a tough job market, the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce is offering help for people looking for opportunities to start their own business. The chamber, working with nonprofit business counseling group SCORE, has scheduled a workshop tomorrow on starting and growing a business in a difficult economy. Business counselors will be at the workshop, which is free and open to anyone considering starting a business, a chamber official said. It will cover topics such as how to secure financing and manage money, legal and tax issues, writing business plans, and import and export trade.