Ideas for Fostering Entrepreneurship

With Entrepreneurship Week, you and your colleagues may be more inspired to take steps to encourage entrepreneurship. But where to begin? What approaches should you consider? Or perhaps you are having problems developing an entrepreneurial culture?

Wouldn’t it be great if there was one guide that you could turn to that captures the wisdom and experience of more than 50 experienced practitioners? One publication that would describe more than 14 ways that are being used across the country to encourage entrepreneurship? One publication that offers these suggestions from one seasoned practitioner:

"First, start identifying who the entrepreneurial leaders are who can influence a paradigm shift or culture change within a region. They need to be added to boards of economic development organizations, angel groups, commercialization corporations, and so forth so the word can be spread. …
"… Identify leaders who will be involved at the state level because education within the state legislature, with a governor, and with governors’ administrations is extremely important. It’s not that the efforts need to be government led, but the government can act as a catalyst and can be a major funding source. …
"When it comes to changing the entrepreneurial culture, it can be influenced, but no one can dictate that it happens ­ much of the strategy is simply leading by example. For this reason, it is important to find a champion, a stakeholder within the region that people can get behind. Evaluate the needs, find the right people to address them, and if the right people are not there, import them into the region."

In fact, there is just one guide, and it’s available either as a free, downloadable PDF or as a hard copy for purchase. A Resource Guide for Technology-based Economic Development, produced with support from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, can be obtained at http://www.ssti.org/Publications/Onlinepubs/resource_guide.pdf or as an inexpensive 90-page bound book (a format still more likely to be perused by most legislators or gubernatorial staff than a pile of printouts). Single print copies are $15 plus shipping. SSTI members receive a 10 percent discount on each order. Orders of 15 or more receive a discounted price of $10. Hard copies can be ordered by calling SSTI at 614.901.1690.

Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2007. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged. Please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected.