Celebrate Entrepreneurship - Our Future Will Depend on Us and Not Corporate America!

by Kenneth Brown
 
As a business coach, I take small business very seriously. Small business and entrepreneurs can have a major impact on individuals, families and communities. So, in my mind small business is big business to me! My passion is to help entrepreneurs build profitable and successful businesses! My goal is to generate more revenue and profit for my clients!
 
Why am I so passionate? It reminds me of early childhood. From birth to fourteen years old, I lived in the projects in Detroit, Michigan with my mother who was single and divorced. I first learned that we were not financially secure when my mother asked me one Thanksgiving, if I wanted to have breakfast instead the traditional Thanksgiving dinner! It was that moment when I realized that we did not have a lot of money! I was eight years old. That experience changed my life forever. I became more aware about the importance of money. What if my mother had become a business owner or entrepreneur instead of an employee? Perhaps, my family would have achieved more financial stability and struggled less.
 
My vision and mission is about changing lives! For me, coaching is personal. If I can show a business owner how to become more successful, that will produce more dollars for her children, family, community group and church! It also means college education, retirement and financial security. Small business is serious business. It comprises men and women, who take risks, work long hours and create a business from scratch. We should celebrate everybody who embraces the entrepreneurial spirit!
 
There are 24.7 million businesses in the United States! 17.6 million businesses have no employees. Only 5.7 million businesses have employees. Did you know that small business makes up to 99.9% of all the businesses in the country? A small business is a company with less than 500 employees. There are only 17,000 large businesses. (Microsoft, General Electric, General Motors Proctor & Gamble etc.)
 
Small business produces the majority of the new products and services in America! Most millionaires do not come from corporate America. They are a result of building a profitable enterprise and not working for someone else! So, why are we so infatuated with Fortune 500 companies? Twenty years ago, the strategy was to graduate from college and build a successful career with a Fortune 500 company.
 
Now, these large corporations are losing business, revenue and market share to global competition and lying off employees. Times have changed! Why do these companies still get all the attention?
 
That is because it is easier writing about a large company. They have all the name recognition, the public relations staff, advertising dollars, more information, more employees and more people know more about them.
 
We have got to celebrate and promote a more entrepreneurial culture in the United States! Our future existence and the welfare of our children might depend on it.
 
I strongly believe that we should focus more attention on small business. It is where America’s future lies. We should embrace entrepreneurship and free enterprise! There are so many tremendous advantages and benefits!
 
It is important to build strong businesses in urban and rural communities. Having more entrepreneurs are vital to building a strong community. It is a source of jobs, products, and services. Small business can play a vital role in increasing the number of internships and apprenticeships for young people. Much of the financial support for our non-profit and community organizations comes from small business. Many of our best volunteers come from the small business community. As important, some of our best leaders and role models come from the small business sector.
 
Instead of reinforcing a celebrity culture, we should promote a society that celebrates entrepreneurship and free enterprise! I truly believe that what we celebrate, we become. So, if America celebrates sports and entertainment, many of our children will only aspire to become professional athletes, dancers, actors, entertainers and rappers.
 
This must change!
 
As a youngster growing up in Detroit, Michigan, I had the benefit of having many small businesses in my neighbor. As a paperboy, I learned the value of hard work, initiative and commerce. For my efforts, I was able to support my mother by buying groceries for the house! For me, it gave me great confidence and improved my self-image. It improved my math skills too! I also learned good sales skills, how to communicate and get along with others.
 
Unfortunately, things are different today. I do not see a lot of small businesses in communities any more. If there are only a small number of businesses in our neighborhoods, where can our young people learn these vital skills?
 
You cannot learn it all in school!
 
Perhaps, if we promote and celebrate entrepreneurship, free enterprise and business ownership, we will produce more successful companies, improve educational and job opportunities for our young people.
 
Did you know that in Georgia, twenty-five percent of our high school children never graduate from high school? We lose some of our kids because they fail to see the value of education. They do not see the connection between education and success.
 
By having more small businesses in our communities and encouraging their active participation, we can save our youth! Young people will value education more and aspire to become entrepreneurs, because there will be more business owners. Our youth will see and experience a stronger connection with what is taught and how it can be applied to their daily life and the “real world”. Our children will better understand why you must master English, math, and science. They will grasp the importance of listening, communicating, working together and becoming a leader. These are all essential qualities that everyone must have to be successful in life! More business education programs like Junior Achievement could expand to local elementary, middle and high schools. This could bring more internship and apprenticeship opportunities to our high schools, colleges and universities.
 
That is why I am passionate about entrepreneurship and dedicated to building a stronger entrepreneurial society! Google, IBM, Starbucks and Microsoft cannot save us! Our federal, state and local government can not hire everyone! Unfortunately, there is not always work at the U.S. Post Office! We need to build our own businesses and in our communities! We should support them with our dollars! The choice is yours! Perhaps, if we are talking about improving opportunities for our young people, the choice is quite clear! As the wise Yoda, once said in one of the Star Wars movies, "There is no can but, do!"
 
About the author:
Kenneth D. Brown is President and CEO of E3 Capital Resources, LLC (E3C), a business development company that specializes in business success systems, leadership, sales, communication and technology. Ken is a passionate entrepreneur and coach. He embraces the servant leadership philosophy and serves as a catalyst for free enterprise, small business and economic development. Ken works with growth–oriented companies in technology, healthcare, manufacturing, financial and business services industries. E3C stands for Entrepreneurship, Empowerment, Evolution, Connect, Collaborate and Create.... as in greater opportunities for all entrepreneurs worldwide!
 
Check out the company website: http://www.E3CLink.com and Ken's Blog: http://www.E3C.typepad.com