For a long time I've felt that the future of entrepreneurship in the United States is very bright. And contrary to many that feel this nation is headed toward an economy based on mega-corporations and giant conglomerates, I've always believed that the key to a strong national economy is a growing and prosperous small business sector.
Of course, an important element of small business is the solo entrepreneur, the one-person company that thrives in a very narrow and focused niche with a business built on the delivery of fresh and detailed information.
There are signs all around that bear out the importance of young people, college students and otherwise, getting opportunities to learn about and prepare for careers in small business that they create and operate.
Inc.com ran an article on June 2, 2006 that should be of interest to many of you. Here is the full article for you to read at your leisure.
It was titled: "Entrepreneurship Programs Continue to Expand" (by Jasmine D. Adkins) and the message was that many colleges (1,600 nationwide) are now offering course work in entrepreneurship according to a study released from the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Indiana University.
There has been a 500%+ growth in the number of colleges offering entrepreneurship courses and training over the past 20 years of so. It would seem logical (although I don't know this for sure) that courses have been added to the college curriculum in response to demand for such subjects by the students themselves.
Apparently, students are eager to learn from university faculty that have, themselves, started businesses . . . but also have accademic teaching credentials that enable them to pass along the "do's and don'ts of successful business startup!"
These colleges are not business incubators designed to spin off successful small companies; rather, most have a strong academic slant with natural and strong ties to other internal university academic programs.
In many of these colleges betting on small business, successful entrepreneurs are serving on boards to assist in the classroom with real-life experiences and some are being encouraged to make contributions to endowments which help fund the program and provide scholarships for young entrepreneurs.
Giving back to the business community by mentoring and teaching the skills learned over a lifetime of operating a small business is a great way for any business person to pass on a legacy of professionalism and knowledge that will be of great worth to all students.
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