You Are the Next Great Entrepreneur

I love these Kauffman Sketchbooks! Here is another inspiring one. I have been thinking of ways to leverage my time so that I can help more great entrepreneurs like you. A couple of months ago, I earned a certification to teach Start, Run, and Grow Your Business through Palo Alto Software and am working feverishly to begin facilitating via webinars. I hope to be up and running by next month. 

In addition to that, grab the new download, Divine Design 101: Starting a Passion-Based Business. It coaches you through the biblical process I use in business planning. So if you sense, as I do, that it is time to act, get up and get moving - the market is waiting for your solutions. Believe it. You are the next great entrepreneur. 

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

A couple of years ago, I wrote an essay on my transformation from a traditional capitalist in search of money to a conscious capitalist who eventually creates meaningful work. This process of enlightenment occurred within the context of personal defining moments and external economic challenges.

In the essay, I quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from a 1960 Founder’s Day address at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.  I believe his words ring true today, especially in the current economic climate.

One of the dangers we must always watch in our nation and in the system under which we live is known as capitalism. As you know, capitalism stresses the profit motive. Of course capitalism has done some marvelous things for our nation and the world. Through this economic system we have been able to build up the greatest system of production that the world has ever known, and we have become the richest nation in the world. All of this is marvelous. But the danger point is that we will become so involved in the profit-making and profit-getting aspects of capitalism that we will forget certain ends of life. There is always the danger that we will become more concerned about making a living than making a life that we will not keep that line of division between life and one’s livelihood. And there is also the danger that our system can lead to tragic exploitation. We must come out of the mountain and be concerned about a more humane and just economic order. And I say, this afternoon, that we cannot solve this problem by turning to Communism. Communism is based on an ethical relativism and a metaphysical materialism that no Christian can accept. I do believe that in America we must use our vast resources of wealth to bridge the gulf between abject, deadening poverty and superfluous, inordinate wealth. God has left enough space in this universe for all of his children to have the basic necessities of life.

You can read the entire essay, From Capital I to Capital We, here. Have a wonderful Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! 

Entrepreneurs Are Changing the World

Not only do we believe that entrepreneurs have the ability to change the world, but entrepreneurs are changing the world. Many are successfully making a profit and making a difference. I just scanned a special report from the May 2011 issue of Inc. magazine entitled, "How a Business Can Change the World". It details innovative business models social entrepreneurs are inventing. I plan to read it thoroughly so that I can celebrate their progress and learn from them too. Here is the link in case you are interested. http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110501/how-a-business-can-change-the-world.html

Have You Read the Entrepreneur's Pledge?

Have you read the Kauffman Foundation's Entrepreneur's Pledge? In case you haven't seen it, here it is:

The Entrepreneur's Pledge:

I am an Entrepreneur.

I am following a dream, pursuing an opportunity, taking charge of my own destiny.

I am bringing something of value to society, making a job for myself and for others, and creating wealth that benefits my family, my community, my country, my world.

I am one of a movement of millions of entrepreneurs and innovators who made America great, and who will continue to keep our economy going...and growing.

I am what I am because many people have helped me along on this journey.

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Re-building Walls in the Right Places

After attending the Community Revitalization and Economic Development Boot Camp last week, I can't stop thinking about walls. I envision economic walls around cities and this nation being rebuilt with the work of entrepreneurs and ministry leaders leading the charge. The real question is how? What is the strategy?

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Learn from Social Entrepreneurs Around the World

As mentioned in the previous post, I am enrolled in Mindset: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial IQ for entrepreneurs. The course informs entrepreneurs that to be effective at new endeavors, you must study successful entrepreneurs. In keeping with that valuable advice, I have located a new program hosted by finance guru Alvin Hall called, "Alvin's Guide to Good Business".

The series follows Alvin as he visits a different social entrepreneur each week, probing their business model, examining the potential impact of their work and exploring the challenges to scaling their innovation.

The series is produced by RockhopperTV in partnership with the Skoll Foundation and was commissioned by BBC World News. You can view the trailer below. Full episodes can be viewed here.