Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

An entrepreneur is not a person, but a personality, the personality living inside of each and every person on the face of the earth, the personality who dreams.

Given the entrepreneurial energy we have in the United States, active policies are of relatively limited importance. The focus has been and should continue to be on ensuring that we have the proper passive policies in place to allow our entrepreneurial spirit to thrive. Entrepreneurship cannot be planned or managed centrally. Rather, we should have in place basic institutions to facilitate business transactions, along with minimal interference in the actual operation of businesses. In writing our regulations, we should carefully weigh the costs and benefits while keeping in mind that excessive interference can squash or misdirect our greatest advantage.

For all those students who want to open a business but never had the necessary business classes, finally, there is a solution.

The three-day workshop is designed to enhance the skills of teachers of social studies, business, math, consumer and family science and other teaching disciplines.

"Montana is built on a foundation of small businesses," said Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns. "Training our students to create and grow successful businesses can have a real impact on our state and demonstrates how the university system can support economic growth and provide opportunities for citizens to prosper."

Each spouse runs an independent company in the infomercial business, even though they work together all the time.

For the next few weeks, the BPA Chapter is looking for continued support as it holds fundraisers to send its qualifiers to the national competition. (Please do what you can to help support this organization and these Montana entrepreneurs of the future.)

"It’s a combination of hard work, luck and courage," Kawasaki said. "It’s not easy being an entrepreneur. That’s why there are so few."

"People want to build community. They want to have a place to meet neighbors," Moody said. "This model creates a certain amount of ownership … they own and run the store," which makes them more likely to get and stay involved.

The best single piece of advice from Peter Drucker: Stop thinking about what you can achieve; think about what you can contribute (to your company, your customers, your marriage, your community). This is how you will achieve.