Week of March 14 - March 18

Welcome 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 NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news. 

Best in Class: State Programs for Entrepreneurship

Last Monday, the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy convened a well-attended conference funded by the Kauffman Foundation that examined linkages between entrepreneurship and regional economic growth. Many of the nation’s leading thinkers in the field presented at the conference, and many new and innovative programs were discussed. The Office of Advocacy offered four awards for programs that were truly “best practices” in their specific disciplines. The selected awardees were: 

• Idaho’s “TechConnect” program for Best Practice in educational efforts to promote entrepreneurship.

• The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute at the University of Maryland’s “Maryland Industrial Partnership Program” for Best Practice in technology transfer programs.

• The Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s “SmartZone” initiative for Best Practice in regional economic incentives.

• The Wisconsin Department of Commerce’s efforts to reduce state mall business regulatory burden for Best Practice in regulatory flexibility.

Putting It Together: The Role of Entrepreneurship in Economic Development was co-sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation, the Council of State Governments, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association. To learn more about the conference and the award winners, visit www.sba.gov/advo

The Congressional Agenda

The new 109th Congress is off and running, beginning its work on next year’s budget and setting the policy agenda for the next two years. As part of this work, the House Small Business Committee recently asked many of the major trade associations to share their views on key issues facing America’s small businesses. Representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Small Business Association, Women Impacting Public Policy, and others appeared at a hearing on March 8th. Lots of ideas were thrown around, but several items received the most attention. Reducing health care costs ranks at the top of the list, but agreement on solutions seems far off at this point. Most panelists also argued that small business owners need additional support in the area of pensions and other benefits. Few small business owners can effectively offer and manage such benefit programs, and need help in both providing such benefits and complying with existing rules and regulations. Panelists also generally agreed on the need for additional regulatory reform and for simplifying the tax code. 

To view testimony from the March 8, 2005 hearing on Small Business Priorities for the 109th Congress, visit http://wwwc.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/databaseDrivenHearingsSystem/
hearingPage.asp?hearingIdDateFormat=050308

Native American Entrepreneurship

Many Americans perceive that Native Americans are all getting rich on casinos. But while some casinos are indeed booming, a far wiser development path should rely on entrepreneurship. That’s one primary message from a new Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) and Northwest Area Foundation report entitled Native Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Communities. The report is the most comprehensive look to date at the state of entrepreneurship among Native Americans. It is based on extensive research and interviews with sixty native and non-native experts in the field. The challenges facing Native entrepreneurs are significant, but not too different than those facing other rural entrepreneurs: distance to markets, limited access to needed services, and limited local support networks. But, the opportunities are great both for entrepreneurs themselves and for those seeking to support them. 

Native Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Communities by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) and Northwest Area Foundation is available at www.cfed.org/documents/Native_Entrepreneurship.pdf. The December 2004 report was authored by Jennifer Malkin, with Brian Dabson, Kim Pate, and Amy Mathews.

Tech CEOs Promote Innovation Policy Agenda

A group of technology CEOs are talking to policymakers in Washington about the need to intensify the nation’s innovation priorities in order to keep ahead of global competitors. Pointing to increased efforts overseas and a shrinking gap in US leadership, TechNet leaders are promoting an Innovation Policy Agenda to encourage entrepreneurship, job creation and economic growth by strengthening innovation. The agenda was developed based on the findings of a series of regional summits with tech sector leaders and academics held throughout 2004. Among the highlighted recommendations are: strengthening math, science and technology education; preserving broad-based stock options; promoting accelerated broadband deployment; supporting private sector initiatives to improve cyber security; and, increasing federal funding for research and development. 

More information on the TechNet Innovation Initiative and the Innovation Policy Agenda is available at www.technet.org/resources/TechNetInnovationInitiative.pdf

America – Land of the Free, Home of the… Hypomanic?

The next time one of your ideas is met with the question, “Are you crazy?” – you might want to take that as a compliment. At least according to a new book that is drawing a correlation between hypomania and America’s spirit of entrepreneurship. In The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success, author John Gartner contends that the genetically based condition is responsible for a person having high energy, creativity and a propensity for taking risks – all hallmarks of successful entrepreneurs. From Columbus discovering America to Craig Venter decoding the human genome, the Hypomanic Edge takes you through five centuries of the “American entrepreneur.”

For more information, or to buy a copy of The Hypomanic Edge, visit www.hypomanicedge.com. 

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