Global Entrepreneurship Week was created in 2008 by the Kauffman Foundation
Global Entrepreneurship Week is upon us.
In 123 countries, millions of current and aspiring entrepreneurs are celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) with over 25,000 partner organizations and 40,000 events. Check out the video posted by the GEW team on genglobal.org:
The five minute video includes views on entrepreneurship and innovation spoken by world leaders from Chile to China. One of the most inspiring quotes came from U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton:
“It has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things, who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.” – Hillary Clinton
The Kauffman Foundation is one of the founding partners and major drivers of Global Entrepreneurship Week. President and CEO Carl Schramm discussed the broad impact of GEW. “Half a billion people, in one week, will think about a different career for themselves. They will see in Global Entrepreneurship Week a moment, a second, a day, a lecture, a TV show, a program, in which they reconceive what they were going to do with their lives.”
While thinking about Global Entrepreneurship Week I began to think about what entrepreneurship really means. A bit of Googling turned up a few interesting definitions for “Entrepreneur:”
- A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. [Google Dictionary]
- One who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods. [Wikipedia]
- The initiating and organizing of the production of new goods, or the introduction of new techniques, and the risk taking associated with it. [Pearson]
These are all great definitions ranging from the very traditional (business-starter) to broad and innovation-centered concepts of entrepreneurship.
According to the GEW website, “GEW is more than just an awareness campaign supported by world leaders and celebrity entrepreneurs. It is about unleashing ideas and doing what it takes to bring them to life—spotting opportunities, taking risks, solving problems, being creative, building connections and learning from both failure and success. It is about thinking big and making your mark on the world—doing good while doing well at the same time.”
Working with Silicon Bayou News, I’m frequently overwhelmed by the sheer volume of entrepreneurial activity here in Louisiana. The creative, hard-working, and brilliant people working to improve the world around us are inspirational. If you are reading this, YOU are an inspiration to me.
I’d like to take this opportunity to both thank you and challenge you:
How can we all be more creative in taking risks, solving problems, and learning from our surroundings? How can we apply the same concepts we use to grow our businesses to fixing other societal ills or long-standing problems?
What does entrepreneurship mean to you?
——————————–
To support Global Entrepreneurship Week locally, check out the jam-packed week full of events for Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week and let everyone know that Governor Bobby Jindal declared this week to be Louisiana Entrepreneurship Week.