Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

From Anne Mulcahy of Xerox: "I am still learning. That is an important mark of a good leader … to know you don’t know it all and never will."

Job creation is a three legged stool: move them in, grow what’s here or create new ones. The creation of new jobs, through entrepreneurship, is probably one of the most exciting and potentially valuable elements in building economic prosperity in Montana and the entire US.

By providing large grants over an extended period to selected colleges and universities that have the best plans for bringing entrepreneurship out of their business schools and making it a campuswide experience, many more students will be exposed to an entrepreneurship curriculum.

"It’s very, very unusual for students in entrepreneurship programs to work with scientists," Semenik said. "And here, that’s what they do every day. They work on ideas or products that come from scientists or engineers.

Do we have similar programs in Montana and other states in the Inland Northwest? If so, please add their contact info in the comments section below. Hopefully this will help more take advantage of these programs. Russ

"I am inspired by individuals who see the world in a different way," she says, "who see problems as opportunities."

"If it’s not going to improve peoples’ lives significantly, we are going down the wrong path,"

"One of the lessons here is that you no longer have to be in Silicon Valley to start your own tech business," says Weiler. "It’s now possible to live in a high-amenity area and provide services from a distance." The Kalispell Chamber will use the ranking publicity to promote the city as a good place to do business. A link will be put on the Chamber’s Web site that gets about 35,000 user-sessions a month, and the ranking also will be included in the chamber’s annual report and community profile.

"It makes Kalispell more attractive for those wanting to start or relocate a business here," Unterreiner said.

"It’s not just the city limits of Bozeman, it’s the economy of the Gallatin Valley," Smith said. "It’s without a doubt the lure of the university, the recreation, the highly-educated work force and the rest of those intangible quality-of-life issues."

William D Bygrave, Frederic C Hamilton Professor for Free Enterprise, Babson College and lead researcher of the GEM Financing Report said, "Entrepreneurs seeking capital to start a business must first use their own savings, then turn to family members, next friends, work colleagues, and neighbours and finally strangers for informal investment. They should forget about formal venture capital."

Pierson oversees the small-business division, which is charged with helping Phoenix small companies expand and create jobs.