Kevin Ward launched Global Crafts with his wife after returning from a Peace Corps stint in Kenya.
By Gary Stern, contributing writerMay 25, 2010: 6:10 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — After a year with the Peace Corps in Kenya, husband and wife team Kevin Ward and Renice Jones returned to the U.S. with a business idea: import Kenyan crafts and provide artisans with an affluent new market for their wares.

The idea that launched Global Crafts was simple. Building a profitable business around it wasn’t. Less than 50% of new ventures make it to year five, and fewer still grow big enough to…