The Venture Edge

My father was a career Air Force officer who fought in World War II and the Korean War, and then ran top secret spy plane programs for one of those 3-letter government agencies. I was always proud to be an Air Force brat, and I have a deep-abiding respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country. I was therefore very pleased to find out that the Entrepreneurship Program for Veterans with Disabilities exists, and that it is making a big difference in the lives of many disabled veterans -- and their families and loved ones.

Given the frequency with which entrepreneurs are discussed in the media,, it's not surprising that stereotypes have developed around them. Not all of these stereotypes are flattering, however,  and mostare simply false. I want to dispel three myths surrounding entrepreneurs so that you can begin your entrepreneurial journey based on facts.

 I just finished reading a recent edition of Leader to Leader put out by the Leader to Leader Institute and publisher Jossey-Bass (my blog-mate Peter is an Associate Editor for the journal). This time they included a special edition celebrating the life of management sage Peter Drucker on what would have been his 100th birthday (he passed away in 2005).  Often referred to as the greatest management thinker of the last century, he understood as far back as the 1950s that there is no business without a customer. 

This morning's LA Times (paper edition)  led with an article, "Economic Fears Rise as Stimulus Ebbs."  Here we go again.  Articles like these underscore the fact that no one seems to understand the economics of growth and job creation. One business owner is quoted in the article as saying that his biggest job this year was a stimulus project repairing a pipe at the Veterans Administration building.  "My company's on the verge of closing," he said. About $18 billion of California's stimulus funds has been spent on Medicaid, unemployment insurance, food stamps, schools, and job centers.  I'm sorry, where is the job creation?  Can you imagine what a bunch of entrepreneurs could have done with that $18 billion?

As you may recall from a previous post or two, my serial entrepreneur friend and colleague Kevin Daum is on a quest to turn his next book -- Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle -- into a New York Times bestseller. To help keep him motivated, he has gone so far as to tattoo "New York Times Best Seller" on his chest -- backwards, of course, so he can read it in the mirror when he shaves each morning. Kevin is clearly enthusiastic about achieving his goal -- just as he is whenever he dives into some new entrepreneurial venture -- and he's pulling out all the stops to publicize his quest (which he has dubbed the Quest for the Jewish Superbowl Ring). However, based on his most recent blog post, its seems he has come down with a common entrepreneurial affliction: the in-between flu.

Despite my concern that I might end up feeling like a big sardine jammed into a little can, I decided to brave the Sunday crowds at Comic-Con. Arriving with my kids in tow at 9:30am -- right as the doors opened to the public -- I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Sunday crowds were much less intense than what I have experienced onother days during previous shows. I suspect the reason was some combination of typical last-day trade show blues, and burnout on the part of the 4-day passholders who decided to sleep in on Sunday and arrive fashionably late.

If you want a push to get that business started and you need a little seed capital, you will find both in an innovative program in South Dakota.  Yes, I did say South Dakota.  I realize that many people don't know that part of the country even exists- those of you who fly from one coast to the other without ever stopping in the middle - but some very entrepreneurial things are going on in the northern plains states.  One of those things is the N2TEC Technology Accelerator program, which is providing $15,000 grants to entrepreneurs to spend 8 weeks in South Dakota and get their businesses ready for launch.

While I generally don't post information that will be stale in a few months -- much preferring timeless pearls of wisdom that will stand the test of time (*cough*) -- in this case I'm going to make an exception. I just found out about a competition that -- if you qualify -- you're going to be very interested in. It's called Pitch 2009: Women 2.0 Startup Competition, andthe prizes are nothing short of awesome.