http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/7-deadly-fears-entrepreneurs-must-overcome-to-be-successful.html

This article outlines common fears among entrepreneurs – many of which we have talked about in class. I found the “fear of letting others down” to be one of the more interesting ones on the list. As the author stated, “others” often means not just your own friends/family, but also employees. There is a lot of pressure that comes with employing someone as the employer is not only responsible for the employee, but often for the employee’s family as well. As much as it’s easy to get past many of the mental hurdles that entrepreneurship brings, it’s often a bit harder to put other’s finances/future on the hook rather than just your own.

This is an interesting article about a law student who is also en entrepreneur. He is pursuing a law degree not so that he can practice law, rather, because he believes it will help him as an entrepreneur. Soon after arriving on campus, he realized that there isn’t a grocery store within walking distance of his campus and convenience store prices are too high. He rented space in a nearby location, stocked up on the most popular items that students often buy, and opened up shop. His school, Marquette University, gave him a check for $10,000 from Marquette’s Enterprise Seed Fund, a pool of seed money administered by Marquette and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Marquette is just one of several institutions included in I-CORPS sites around the country use federal funding to accelerate the commercialization of research ideas developed on campus. The article highlights the fact that schools are beginning to realize how important this sort of entrepreneurial support is, and they are creating programs to help their students succeed in developing real-life businesses outside of the classroom.

https://www.biztimes.com/2017/magazines/biztimes-milwaukee/current-issue/local-universities-are-helping-student-entrepreneurs/

For those who have been following the controversies surrounding Uber (it seems like many from the various blog posts and comments!), here’s an article with the latest news: http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/19/technology/uber-jeff-jones-quits/index.html

Uber president has quit after six months of working for the company.

Interesting article that aims to link DNA and entrepreneurship. Not sure if I’m buying what the author is selling, but it’s an interesting analysis.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/285955

This was a really great article because it had Neil Stevenson from IDEO defining some of the core principles of design thinking.  But it also recognized that design thinking has become an amorphous concept, which means teaching the design thinking approach in schools can be difficult. However, I think encouraging the design thinking approach in young students is especially important because their future jobs will demand more creativity and problem solving skills.

“When executed with a clear understanding of its purpose as a method for fostering empathy, creativity, and innovation, design thinking can be a powerful tool for learning and change. If it is hastily and inexpertly implemented by educators with a weak or incomplete understanding of its principles, however, it is likely to be a waste of energy and precious classroom time.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/01/how-design-thinking-became-a-buzzword-at-school/512150/

Two congressmen, Democratic Representative Beto O’Rouke and Republican Representative Will Hurd, are in the midst of a cross-country road trip together after snowstorms in the northeast led to flight cancellations. They are livestreaming their trip to Facebook and Periscope, and taking and answering questions from calls and online comments.

While an article by The Atlantic deemed their efforts, in part, a “bid to generate feel-good headlines,” I think the their decision to livestream is notable for several reasons. First, perhaps most obviously, it’s an effort to reach across party lines and find common ground. Second, their use of technology is unprecedented; by “livestreaming” and taking and answering questions in real time, there is little room for canned, superficial responses, and more room for genuine response.

Finally, I think their endeavor also demonstrates an entrepreneurial spirit. Although livestreaming is a temporary platform, it’s a non-traditional way to market their ideas (as well as themselves for future campaigns). Indeed, as The Atlantic states: “Apart from the potential for sleep deprivation, the road trip is a relatively low-risk, and low-cost, way for O’Rourke and Hurd to attempt to cast themselves as politicians working to advance civil, and productive, reach-across-the-aisle dialogue.”

Their “cross country town hall meeting” is unprecedented, innovative, and fosters a broader social purpose—much like entrepreneurship.

Here’s an interesting article about Val Ackerman, the current commissioner of the Big East Conference and the first president of the WNBA (and a former attorney). The article relates her role in the Big East to that of an entrepreneur.

The article is particularly interesting because it tracks her work with the Big East when it was new, similar to a company start-up. The article states: “In 2013, the opportunity to lead The Big East materialized and Ackerman grabbed it, tasked with re-building the conference from scratch. It was essentially a startup, and as most of us know, that means a hell of a lot of work.” Just like any start-up, Ackerman experienced “the joy and pain of taking on a huge new project.”

Indeed, the article states that when Ackerman joined the Big East, “it was after a massive reshuffling of schools and [she was] basically tasked with rebuilding the conference from scratch.” On the “start-up” nature of her job, Ackerman states: “There was a lot to be done—everything from hiring a staff, establishing bank accounts and accounting systems to pay all of our expenses. We had no insurance, we needed to set up a website, set up workplace policies, set up everything. We were hiring and creating while running the everyday operations. “

As a former student-athlete at ND in the Big East, it’s amazing to hear about the rise of the Big East from Ackerman’s perspective, and to read details about how much work went into its launch.

 

We’ve talked about the need for lawyers to put themselves in the shoes of entrepreneurs and understand how to best support them. This article gives the flip side of the story: it discusses how entrepreneurs can think like lawyers to help market their companies. For example, the author (an attorney and marketer) gives the following advice: “Attorneys approach issues from different angles. We know what the opposing counsel will say before he or she says it. It’s all about anticipating someone’s response and preparing a rebuttal beforehand. Content marketers can greatly benefit from this skill, too. That’s why you should promote your content in creative ways.”

In sum, the author states: “Approach future marketing campaigns from an attorney’s point of view. Create worthwhile stories. Adhere to a set schedule. And follow a code of ethics. Improve your content marketing strategy. Think like a lawyer.”

This article discusses “how Airbnb empowers women entrepreneurs.” The article states that “since 2008, women have earned $10 billion by hosting. Female hosts in the U.S. earn an average of $6,600 per year.” These figures are staggering.

Simply being an Airbnb host, however, does not make one an entrepreneur (although, arguably, there is some overlap between the two, such as flexibility and ability to control one’s own schedule).

The most fascinating part of these figures, however, is that “fifty thousand women reported that they used this money to fund businesses or invest in entrepreneurial pursuits, to essentially become entrepreneurs.” Through participation in a fairly unconventional company, then, women can, in-turn, fund their own entrepreneurial endeavors. I would be interested in seeing what percentage of men use their revenue earned as Airbnb hosts to further their own companies.

Finally, adding another layer to the article, Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s co-founder and CEO, also offers insight into Travis Kalanick’s ability to lead Uber in light of controversies that have been discussed in multiple blogs.

While we’ve discussed the externalities of giving aid, this article shows that aid can also have a powerfully positive effect.

Narges Bani Asadi created a Facebook page for UNICEF with a goal of raising $5,000 for Syrian refugees. The amount of aid raised exceeded Narges’s expectations. The article states: “Over the following two weeks, Narges’s plea to ‘Help Syrian Children Under Siege’ was shared and shared, its circles of influence growing exponentially. The majority donated $20. Very few donated $100 or more. Yet by the time the fundraiser ended on December 13, it had been shared more than 500 times, and almost 2,500 people had donated to help Syrian child refugees. Collectively they had raised over $103 thousand.”

Notably, Narges notes that she was confident the money raised for UNICEF would be well spent. States Narges: “It is a very credible brand. And interestingly, I grew up in Iran — I migrated to the United States about 12 years ago. In Iran, I was aware of UNICEF helping kids with education. So I knew that UNICEF is a good organization, and that it’s about children. I knew I can trust UNICEF.”

Perhaps the benefits of aid depend largely on the mission of the organization collecting aid. Ultimately, this article shows the power of social networking and the impact of mobilizing a community in a non-traditional manner.