Entrepreneurship Roundup: Testing the Waters

Entrepreneurship Roundup: Testing the Watersback

By Geri Stengelon Jul 7, 2009 - 5:06am

The recession has driven many to consider what they may not have before: starting a business of their own. For these people, Ventureneer.com developed a series of three FREE webinars to help aspiring entrepreneurs sort through whether the risks and hard work are worth the rewards of being their own boss and in control of their financial destiny:

Now is the age of entrepreneurialism – and there’s more than one demographic leading the charge. The number of “necessity” entrepreneurs, people who can’t find jobs and look for other ways to ensure a livelihood, increase during economic downturns, according to UC Santa Cruz economist Robert W. Fairlie, author of the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. Baby boomers will also redefine retirement by starting their own businesses; which is cited as a significant trend by the Kauffman Foundation.

Starting up has never been easier due to technology. Ease-of-use, lower technology costs, and cheaper and more effective online marketing tools, are providing the impetus for people to build enterprises.

As a result, the Kauffman Foundation expects the number of small businesses to increase in 2009. It also predicts increases in failure rates, although not enough to offset the overall gain in number of entrepreneurs. While not nearly as evidence-based as the Kauffman research, we here at Ventureneer see the same rising trends. Check out the most popular blog posts on Vistas–can’t miss the trend here:

Here’s one more interesting piece of insight: Education, according to the Kauffman Foundation, Small Business Administration, and World Economic Forum increases small business and nonprofit survival rates and prosperity. From my own experience: I saw a surge in the number of people taking my entrepreneurship class at The New School in the fall of 2008, which led the university to add an additional class over the summer. In other words, if you’re thinking of venture creation right now, you are in good–and plentiful–company.

And, if you’re like many people, you might not be ready to take the plunge without knowing what you’re getting yourself into. So take one of our free webinars – or enjoy them all – and see if you’ve got what it takes.

Then, let me know…which one was most helpful to you? And did you decide to move forward and starting growing a business, or choose a different path?