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Week of August 2 - August 6, 2004Welcome to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through e-News, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Current and archived issues of e-News are available online at www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde/news/enews.htm. To subscribe, visit www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde/join/ Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday at www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news. |
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Everything You Wanted to Know About Small Business But Were Afraid to Ask Every four years or so, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Foundation produces a report on the state of small business,
Small Business Problems and Priorities. The sixth edition is now out, and, as usual, it’s an excellent source for any and all information on what’s happening with small business in the U.S. The study is based on NFIB’s regular surveys of business owners, and, as the title suggests, it is focused on key problems facing these firms. Circa 2004, the top concerns of small business owners are rising health insurance costs, workers compensation, and rising fuel costs. The surveys also ask about problems of least concern. The following are issues that
don’t keep business owners up at night: exporting, competition from government or non-profits, and competition from internet-based businesses. |
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New Urban League Initiative on Entrepreneurship Last week, George W. Bush and John Kerry addressed the annual meeting of the National Urban League (NUL). The speeches received a lot of press coverage that was largely focused on how the sessions might affect the Presidential campaign. Lost in the major media coverage was President Bush’s announcement of a new initiative to help spur minority entrepreneurship. During his remarks, Bush described a new national network—composed of NUL, the Small Business Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency, the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, and the Business Roundtable. Under the initiative, these organizations will establish one-stop centers for business training, counseling, and other services. The first centers will be located at 15 of NUL’s local affiliate offices, with plans to eventually place such centers at all 105 of NUL’s local offices. |
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Entrepreneurs in Rural North Carolina Lots of interesting things are happening for entrepreneurs in rural North Carolina. Last week, Governor Mike Easley announced ten winners of the Homegrown Jobs Initiative, a statewide demonstration grant competition for communities undertaking innovative entrepreneurial development efforts. The winners include a project to promote marine and aquaculture-related businesses (Carteret County), an initiative to support “green infrastructure” in Northeast North Carolina, and a project to help rural North Carolina firms work more closely with technology companies headquartered in the Research Triangle region. |
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Research shows that having a supportive mentor is a critical ingredient in career success in all jobs, but it’s especially important for the budding entrepreneur. But, finding an effective mentor is easier said than done. It’s a little easier in Kansas City thanks to the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (HEMP). Thanks to the support of Barnett Helzberg, Jr., founder of Helzberg Diamonds, HEMP links new business owners with some of Kansas City’s best-known business leaders. The program has been a huge success not only in spawning new world class businesses, but also by providing a venue where successful business owners can “give back” and help support the next generation of the region’s leadership. If you’re looking for a model of an effective mentoring program, the Helzberg program is an excellent starting point. |
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Contact
the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship:
Mark Marich, Editor - mark@pfidc.org |
