Entrepreneurship Archives - Page 4 of 4

Will the market bear more education?

Over the last few months I have been thinking about how the educational system here is South Carolina is changing and being forced to change. For the past few years, state funding for higher education has continued to drop substantially, each year forcing institutions of higher learning (that depend on state funds to operate) redefine how they support the demand. Well, there are two scenarios to this business proposition, raise the cost of a public education and/or seek more and more private funding. But before going down that thought process, I want to back up a few minutes.

Currently, my wife and I have been put in a position to support (both financially and parentally) my wife’s younger sister Susanna. She is a rising junior at the College of Charleston studying history. For the past two years, after Sarah and Susanna’s mother died of breast cancer, we have been helping Susanna navigate this convoluted financial-aid maze. From applying for expensive and inexpensive student loans to finally being eligible for grant monies, there is a serious conversation concerning “return on investment,” picking a educational path that is going to yield a direction post graduation that provides either a job paying a good wage or moving on to a graduate level education. But what is the ROI on a history degree? That conversation is soon to come.

We are just one of many families having this conversation right now, educational dollars spent should be taken just as seriously as a house purchase. When it is all said and done, one family can spend or borrow close to $7K – $10K per semester. These dollars add up and can come close to a $50K-$80K investment for a four year education. There is a serious business model behind providing loans for those to get a “quality” education. Think about it for a second…it is a like a revolving door behind the rising costs of education and the educational tracks being offered, but…are those tracks market driven?

As a side note, this blog post comes after a Saturday morning conversation with John Warner, he made me think more about market driven education.

More and more degrees are being offered, more and more dollars are being borrowed, more and more institutions are getting fatter, and now we have educational institutions moving away from market driven education. Each day I walk into another Panera Bread where the cashier working is a recent college graduate with a marketing degree and no job. Take a look at my wife’s MA in Professional Communications, she has yet to find a job using that degree. She worked in Manufacturing for close to five years becoming a strategic buyer and then became burned out and now teaching pre-schoolers. She was sold this degree track right out of undergrad at Lander on the fact she would find a high paying job, yet no one helped her in finding that job. It was not market driven…at the time. Side note, she and I graduated with our MA’s right after 911, the market was rock bottom.

So what are we seeing, educational institutions are starting to get back to basics. They will begin doing a couple of things. Identifying market driven degree programs that make sense and begin cutting programs that basically have no funding. As funds continue to decrease from the state, institutions like Clemson, USC, and other state supported schools will begin moving closer and closer to privatization. Now they will not become “Private” but they will be supported by private sources that have a vested interest in the types of programs that will be offered, supported with a pipeline of talent educated to fit that market need.

Clemson University was founded to provided the “Common Man” of South Carolina a technology and mechanical education to solve the agricultural problem in the state.

From Thomas Green Clemson’s Will
“My purpose is to establish an agricultural college which will afford useful information to the farmers and mechanics, therefore it should afford thorough instruction in agriculture and the natural sciences connected therewith — it should combine, if practicable, physical and intellectual education, and should be a high seminary of learning in which the graduate of the common schools can commence, pursue and finish the course of studies terminating in thorough theoretic and practical instruction in those sciences and arts which bear directly upon agriculture, but I desire to state plainly that I wish the trustees of said institution to have full authority and power to regulate all matters pertaining to said institution — to fix the course of studies, to make rules for the government of the same, and to change them, as in their judgment, experience may prove necessary, but to always bear in mind that the benefits herein sought to be bestowed are intended to benefit agricultural and mechanical industries.”

What type of education is necessary for the “Common Man” of South Carolina today? One of the “new technologies” is automotive innovation as seen with the creation ICAR. What other innovative, market driven, educational tracks will be created and be supported through private funds? This will be decided because in 2011, the federal stimulus money provided to subsidize the short fall for the 2010 academic year will be gone, and the fat will have to be trimmed and the deficit will have to be managed. You can read about the impact on Clemson in President Barker’s Blog.

Over the past 50 years, especially during the rising and falling economies, their has been an upward trend in expansion of higher education degree tracks. More and more diverse educational opportunities were created either by the market or a vision. More and more dollars were spent by families in a competitive battle between educational institutions. Now, we will be getting back to basics. Degree programs that have a path. General education requirements will be re-evaluated and the new professors will be ones of innovation, entrepreneurship, and educational economics (bring true business value to the classroom).

There was at one time in this great nation the opportunity to get a law degree or a medical degree without a four year bachelorate education…why not today. Is it time to reconsider the four year track for a BA or BS and combine with graduate level education? How can we put value back in the education we pay dearly for and work hard to obtain. Right now, some of it is not worth the piece of paper that it is printed upon, but rather the interest it is accruing for those student loan payments we pay each month. We are paying ours each month as Sarah walks into the daycare classroom each day.

What about my sister-in-law working on a BA in History? It is our hope she will keep on studying to become a librarian after getting a Masters from University of South Carolina. That separate degree was not created for the job market but for the institution’s margin. They are in that cyclic process of creating new degrees just to make money.

The higher education system in South Carolina is fat and needs some trimming, not only from a degree offering stand point, but also from a market position. There is a need to critically examine the type of high dollar education that is being taught and figure out what is really necessary to provide a market bearing education.

So on this line of conversation, there are groups that are wanting to capitalize educationally with this current market. Take Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. Here is a group that makes money off of transactions. They are a company of IT professionals and they build their systems on COBOL. They are in a position to aggressively seek the next wave innovators to fill positions that are being vacated through attrition. The problem, it is not cool to go into “IT” anymore and the educational systems are not teaching COBOL. So Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina has teamed up with educational institutions like University of South Carolina, Clemson, and others along with IBM to re-shape the perception and educational tracks for the world of “IT”. There is a market need and there is value in teaming up with high education to shape curriculum so that the Blue Cross Blue Shields of the world can capitalize on the new emerging talent. This entity is know as the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management and is based in Columbia, SC. This group is a marketing engine working with groups to change the face of “IT” and educate and recruit the new talent but educate and reshape our educational system from K-12 to higher education.

So ask yourself, if you had to do it all over again…what would you study? Would you study your passion or what the market would bear. Maybe it is a combination of both, but it is time to shift that conversation back to where there is a need in the market for job opportunity and growth. Or…is a higher education truly standardized just for jobs or theoretical education? The pendulum is swinging back and it is time to figure out what is up next for our new leadership. That leadership are those students, our children, our future, our legacy. Remember, it is up to us to help shape our future…the decisions we make now will shape how we, our children, and our children’s children will live one day.

All it takes is a cup of coffee…

When you are walking to your office, or walking to grab lunch, through a crowd of people…do you realize that you are surrounded by some smart people? Everyday we probably come in close contact with more than 250-300 people, as we walk from one place to the next. If you live in New York City, Chicago, LA, or other large metropolitan areas…we probably walk pass thousands of people a day. Imagine if you took the time everyday to find one person, one that you have not met and introduced yourself..then bought them a cup of coffee?

Imagine being a student again on college campus, getting up every morning to go to class. It is 8:45am and you are on your way to you 9am class. If you attended a large university with over 15,000 students, you probably pass close to 1000 to 2000 students on your way everyday. Imagine if you left a bit early and picked one person a day and bought them a cup of coffee. You might start a conversation with the next President of the United States, the next GM of Ford Motor Corp, the next religious leader of our time, the next Defense Secretary, etc. What if that person turns out to be a business partner, your lawyer, your minister, your accountant, someone you might do business with one day. College campuses have the greatest potential for human capital and also the greatest potential for building long term relationships.

Now if you take that same principal and place it into your everyday work routine. Imagine taking just a few minutes everyday and meeting someone new. The cup of coffee is just a pathway to a conversation…it is a connection point. So is thaa game of golf or other relationship building tool…just a connection mechanism. But do we really foster those relationships?

Some people are coining this economic situation as one of the worst in decades. Many people are looking for work, struggling to find jobs, resorting to paying people to write resumes or lots of money on technologies like LinkedIn. But do we really get jobs or forge business deals solely on a piece of paper that holds our credentials? People that excel in tough economic times are those who have forged relationships and can pick up the phone to call for help or a favor. They have been building their human network for years and years. All it takes is a cup of coffee.

So each semester, I take one day and make my students follow me to the coffee shop on Clemson’s campus. Today was that day. It was a day to forget about proposals, projects, and grades…it was a day to talk about what it means to leverage those relationships and the greatest potential that walks by them each day during class change.

Are we building our tribe? Are we building our network? What are we passionate about? Everybody has a story to tell…even over a cup of coffee.

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
~Seth Godin

It is time; for a place to call home…innovators

It is time…yes, it is time to connect all the dots and find a place that brings all of the entrepreneurs together here in Anderson. We need a vision, a place, a roof, a vision, a mission that will provide synergy to our cause. Some believe the answer is just build a place and they will come, a building where entrepreneurs can be educated…but entrepreneurs and small business owners want more than education, we want a mission, passion, vision, and a path…to success.

There are many major companies/organizations in Anderson, SC that are the foundation of this community. Without AnMed, Michelin, Bosch, Anderson School District, Anderson University, Tri-County Technical College, and other major employers…the stability of the community would be a transient community. These pillars of the community give us the foundation necessary to build support around the entrepreneurial spirit. Why not build this place, this building, this entrepreneurial community around the priorities of these pillars. They have problems that need to be solved, projects that could be business plans, ideas that cannot only lead to a high-impact business but a replicable business idea that could attract Angel Investors to the community spirit.

What problems are out there for these large organizations to be solved…is it an IT problem, a sustainability problem, a fiscal problem, a technology problem? Why not build a place around a set of priorities identified by these pillars, and use them as the vision to build this place where entrepreneurs can call home. A priority can provide vision and ultimately a commonplace for conversation and connection. This could foster conversations between entrepreneurs to find internal solutions and find a unified approach to solving problems.

Imagine if this place was built, and a priority was put in place, and these entrepreneurs built business plans out of ideas that are solving problems, and these ideas could lead to bigger ideas. Then the attorneys and business people of Anderson could help these companies become successful; and all of this could generate human equity creating a community that leads to long term community growth. The type of growth that closes the gap financially, where the average household income is increasing and those could actually afford healthcare, go to school, and be a contributor to this better Anderson.

What are the priorities of this facility that connect the entrepreneurs to the pillars of the community? Where each pillar is connected on the same playing field for one big vision…to build a bigger, brighter, healthier Anderson…one of innovation.

They say print is dying…NOT!

There is nothing like getting a package in the mail…something that is fun and exciting. But when I walked in the front door, I was pumped to find my new business cards! It is the little things that get me excited. Who says print is dead, there is something fun and exciting about pulling out a business card to give to someone that you feel best represents who you are and what you are trying to achieve!

My good friend Dave Lee, who is part owner of a group called Pixelmeld, took the time to tell my story in one little card. I think people still like to exchange these little things called business cards. You know that physical piece of marketing that gives the recipient something to remember you by? Print is not dead…just targeted!

Brand New Day

I’ve stayed in one place for too long
Gotta get on the run again
I saw the one thing that I want
Hell bent, get outta bed
I’m throwing rocks at your window
You’re tying the bed sheets together
They say that we’re dreaming too big
I say this town’s too small

Dream
Send me a sign
Turn back the clock
Give me some time
I need to break out
And make a new name
Let’s open our eyes
To the brand new day
It’s a brand new day
~ Ryan Star “Brand New Day”

What is right for Anderson?

“There’s a lot of people who talk about doing good, and a lot of people who argue about what’s good and what’s not good, (but there were also some other folks who) just put their lives on the line for what is right.”
– mother of Ruby Bridges (first black child to integrate New Orleans schools) in Robert Coles, The Moral Life of Children

What are you passionate about? Where does your passion lie in this ever changing world of business and culture? I am passionate about telling stories…stories are the foundation for how I do business. I tell stories for my clients, the students I teach, the causes I represent…but does this help the greater good beyond just creating revenue?

I want the community I live in…here is Anderson, SC to be successful. A community that supports entrepreneurship and innovative business…they type of growing innovation that provides local support to big businesses like the AnMed’s, Bosch’s, Michelin’s, and Walgreen’s of Anderson County. It is their best interest that innovation and entrepreneurship live right here in Anderson County, and eco-system of the knowledge wealth that promotes innovation and a prosperous educational, knowledge economy.

Isn’t it in the best interest of the Anderson County School Districts to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, a conversation that resonates at the dinner table every night between families. How about Tri-County Technical College and Anderson University, creating entrepreneurial education for the working class along with the innovative education for the high-school graduate who might want to be a nurse or a teacher, who might have an idea one day that turns into a high-impact business. One that stays local and grows as big as the organizations it supports.

Where are the stories of individuals who have been raised, educated, and become successful right here in Anderson County. The ones that have transformed the way that we view Anderson merely by being leaders right in their own classroom, their emergency room, their business…and have gained that knowledge to become successful right here in Anderson.

It is time to start finding those stories..right here, right now.

The next wave of entrepreneurs

Take a look…here are the next wave of entrepreneurs, just look below. This is our future…here they are. Have you taken time out of your day to seek them out? Have you taken a few moments to identify them…taken them to grab some coffee. They are all around you.

These people are young, insightful, and most importantly hungry. They are embarking on the dream of tomorrow and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are successful. They will be the ones that will become our policy makers, our leaders, our nurses, our lawyers, and our providers. Somewhere in that bunch of active minds you will find our next president, the next CEO of Ford Motor Company, the next FDA Spokesperson, our family practitioner, our next Rhoades Scholar, etc…

They will decide to make a home right here in South Carolina, the upstate, and maybe even in Anderson…what are we doing to make sure we give them what they need to be successful. How will they help us raise the average per capita income from $29,084 here in Anderson County to exceed the national average of $38,615? How will we insure that the density of the Anderson County population (179,964) that contains these successful entrepreneurs/innovators increases the strength of this innovative conversation.

I want the people in this picture, students at Clemson University in my Business Writing Class, to become successful, help me become successful and take us into tomorrow’s knowledge economy.

Imagine this Anderson, SC

Imagine…imagine a place in Anderson, SC where people of like minds could go and congregate, to share common goals and a common vision…a place where new ideas are born, dreams are created, vision is put to paper, and the economic synergy creates an economic surplus for innovation.

Imagine an Anderson, a place where people make it a destination, one that is home for families, home for businesses, and a place that the new wave of innovators want to thrive to create the next creative class in this human economy that leads to economic vision.

Imagine an Anderson where big box organizations, educational institutions, small businesses, and the creative class of entrepreneurs paint the fresco of a thriving community that does not compete but sets the standards for tomorrow’s economic community.

Imagine leadership creating synergistic dialogue that brings all diverse populations under one community roof where all classes of peoples can thrive, setting the national standard above the average per capita income.

What will it take to create that creative class of individuals, leaders, entrepreneurs, visionaries to take that status-quo and turn into reality base vision…one that promotes quality education and community driven innovation that insures that all can not only afford a comfortable living but quality healthcare.

Where are those visionaries…where are those entrepreneurs…those innovators…those buildings…that house that innovative thought is under one roof…to push and push to make Anderson a bigger and brighter place to live.

It is here…yes here…in Anderson! Where are you hiding? You want more that just the regular membership to the next networking club…the next meet and greet…you want more. You want to innovate…create…thrive…empower…and join together so that Anderson keeps those innovators right here…in Anderson.

Are you willing to drive to other cities everyday to find other innovators…other entrepreneurs…or would you like to bring those innovators right here to Anderson. Build that community of innovation, of economic vision here…so we can be the thought leaders.

It all boils down to this…it takes a few to create a movement…a synergy….a vision.

Imagine if there was one building where today’s class of innovators (here in Anderson) could all work under one roof. A place where we could be successful doing business and feeding off other entrepreneur’s energy. Imagine a place, where we could share ideas, congregate, hold seminars, and paint the picture of tomorrow’s Innovative Anderson…today.

I would want to have my business there…because I could thrive off of the innovation that naturally is created under that roof with other visionary businesses. We could help solve each other’s problems and solve the problems of others around…and allow innovation to take it’s natural course…create a more Innovative Anderson. A place where Economic Impact is directly attributed to the Anderson Innovation.

Imagine that Anderson…a thought leader in a global economy.

The Big Leap – Entrepreneurship

So you have taken the big leap to entrepreneurship. Whether you have had enough of the corporate world, found a good product or service to create or provide, been laid off and want to take control of your life, or just all of the above; you have taken the big step. Here are some thoughts about that big step…a few thoughts for success. These are not concrete, but have helped me in my journey!

1) Surrounded yourself with individuals that have the same passion and willingness to succeed!
2) Find a business mentor, that one person that has been successful and you can look to for guidance. (Success is not measured by how many companies they have created and made tons of money, but by the way they grew their business).
3) READ A LOT! Take time to find books that challenge you everyday; to inspire and motivate your ass to get up in the morning!
4) Set goals – create a set of goals for both short term and long term. This will give you something to work towards.
5) Engage with the community. Find groups that you can network with and share business. Not just networking groups, but places you can serve the greater good. I take time to engage with the Anderson Area Chamber and Clemson Business School Student Organizations. I donate my time and find this as a useful tool to keep myself in-touch with the community I am trying to serve.

Business in 2010

Well the new year has kicked off with a big ole bang and I am ready to hit it full force. Lots of changes in my world, leaving a partnership and venturing out on my own. So it is going to be the purpose of this bog to follow this path of business for the next year. It is going to be a path of doing business entrepreneurial style, defining for the community at-large (and myself) what BobbyRettew,llc is all about. But the conversation is going to center around my life doing business for myself and my family, building a solid customer base, building a community around vision, life as a college instructor at Clemson, and how Anderson, SC can build a bigger and brighter entrepreneurial community.

In December of 2009, I formed BobbyRettew,llc as a company to do a few things:

Tell lots of stories for my clients
Produce lots of videos that wrap around those stories
Help companies evaluate and build new media strategies
Dissect social media and the relevant business application
Build a community of conversation around new media and entrepreneurship in Anderson, SC
Provide for my family a comfortable living with a flexible schedule

Is that too much to ask for? 2009 was wrapped around public perception and spin that there was and still is an economic downturn in this ever changing economy. It is my goal to make 2010 (I am saying it Twenty-Ten) to put the word “Innovation” back in the spin. Anderson, Greenville, and Clemson are lively, vibrant areas with lots of Innovation and Thought Leadership and there is a true buzz of entrepreneurship in this community. I want to be a part of that conversation. It is time to take to “Potential” and turn into “Kinetic”.

As I sit looking out my window, the largest employer in Anderson County is a stone throw away: AnMed. Don’t you think they have a vested interest to ensure that the small business community is successful and the human growth potential in entrepreneurship brings value to the tables of every household in this county. I would think so, they wrote off $77 Million Dollars last year. It is in their best interest for entrepreneurship to be alive and the small business community is successful; that turns into paid health care. So if the largest employer in Anderson County finds value in the small business community…that tells me there is a tremendous opportunity for success. So how many other AnMed’s are out there that have a vested self interest to ensure that small business community is successful?

After walking away from the a Business Advancement Committee meeting this morning at the Anderson Area Chamber, I thought to myself…it is time to surround myself around entrepreneurs and small business owners that want the same things. I want to make the next 360 days of this year to be centered around tapping that potential, building good business, find entrepreneurs who have that same drive, and building strong relationships that lead to long term business.

Here’s to Twenty-Ten!