Entrepreneurship

Several years ago I approached a number of local EDC
and Chamber of Commerce people to recommend a
high school course on entrepreneurship. I was told
by one and all that the topic is covered in the high
school's business classes.

I dropped the topic, but WHOA. Whatever coverage
that is done is inadequate. In fact, the two areas of
inadequacy Iron County Doings criticizes in both the
local school districts are entrepreneurship and
civics, from the standpoint of citizen responsibility
and understanding interaction between the citizen
and government at all levels.

But to focus, today, on entreprenship, the following
tidbit arrived today in email from the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation:

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U-M student incubator getting national

attention

TechArb, the student-run business incubator at the
University of Michigan, has just announced that a
record 19 new businesses launched by UM
entrepreneurs will all share space inside the
incubator for the next six months.

Since the incubator began in 2008, more than
80 entrepreneurs and fledgling companies have
gotten their start with the help of TechArb’s
resources.

“Today we have more student entrepreneurs
than ever in TechArb pursuing their dreams
to impact our world,” Moses Lee, assistant
director of student ventures at the College
of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship,
said in an interview with the Michigan Daily.

Lee went on to say that the incubator plans
on bringing in more partners, including venture
capitalists, alumni, local and national business
leaders, to further help start-ups grow.

A new study from the U.S. Department of
Commerce Economic Development
Administration shows that business incubators
are a better source of regional business growth
than any type of government-sponsored public
works initiative, according to an article in
medcitynews.com.

The EDA report shows that incubators generate
20 times more jobs than community infrastructure
projects, and at a bargain in the process.

“Business incubators are critical components
of the nation’s entrepreneurial support
infrastructure and the only public works projects
that were designed entirely as job generators,”
Dinah Adkins, president and CEO of the National
Business Incubation Association, told MedCity News.

Join the conversation about business, talent
and growth opportunities at
http://www.facebook.com/MIAdvantage or help make your
own case for the opportunities of Pure Michigan
by sharing our "Why Michigan'' video:
http://www.michiganadvantage.org/Why-Michigan/

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Shouldn't our schools and the Iron County Economic
Development Corporation be doing stuff like this?

Nothing breeds huge success like little startup success.
It doesn't require tremendous financial resources and
backing to start a successful business. All it takes is
a good idea and dedication to get a successful business
going. Ideas don't cost anything!

Bill Vajk