A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e Na t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n f o r C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p

Community College
Spring/Summer 2010
entrepreneurship

Defining Entrepreneurship
STARTING A DIALOGUE ON THE MEANING OF THE E IN NACCE
 DCTC Business
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 3

spring/summer 2010
 NACCE
Board of
Directors

Board Chair
Kevin Drumm
President
SUNY/Broome Community College

Vice Chair
Sheila Ortego
President
Santa Fe Community College

Treasurer
Colleagues in entrepreneurship: Ron Thomas
President
Dakota County Technical College
Anyone who has been a regular reader of Community College Entre-
Secretary
preneurship since this journal was launched in 2007 cant help but be
Melody Kamerer
amazed at the scope and innovativeness of the entrepreneurship educa-
Owner
tion and support programs being undertaken by NACCE members all
Hudson Business Service
across America and even abroad. As article after article makes clear,
community colleges are being extremely entrepreneurial as they em-
Gail Carberry
brace the mission of helping the members of their community gain the
President
knowledge and skills needed to start their own business, take an existing
Quinsigamond Community College
business to new levels of success, or be an outstanding intrapreneur.
The breadth of the entrepreneurship programs on member campuses
Cem Erdem
raises a natural question that we tackle in the lead article of this issue:
President & CEO
What is entrepreneurship and, more specifically, what is it in the context
Augusoft Inc.
of the community college environment and mission? This article is the
start of a dialogue that we hope you will continue with us online at the
Tom Goodrow
NACCE Web site.
NACCE Founder
We will also discuss the NACCE definition of entrepreneurship at
the 8th Annual NACCE Conference, scheduled for October 10-13 at the
Monte Paden
Lowes Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando in Orlando, FL.
CIS/Business Instructor
Under the banner of Entrepreneurship: The Community College
West Hills Community College
Role in Economic Vitality, you will meet and network with fellow
Lemoore
college professionals also committed to creating positive organizational
change, receive immediate answers and solutions to issues that impact
Karen Stout
your community college, identify opportunities and entrepreneurship ef-
President
forts from other NACCE members, and discover how to influence your
Montgomery County Community
communitys economic future.
College
The 4th Annual NACCE Symposium for Community College Entre-
preneurship is being held at the same venue on October 10. The Sym-
Noah Brown
posium is a great place for sharing best practices, and past sessions have
President & CEO
won rave reviews from attendees.
Association for Community College
Registration for both events is now open at NACCE.com. I encourage
Trustees
you to join us in Orlando. I promise you it will be a real learning experi-
ence in the best tradition of NACCE!

Kevin E. Drumm, PhD

Chair, NACCE Board of Directors
President, SUNY/Broome Community College
4 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
Contents Picture This:
The League for
Innovation
Conference

6
Defining Entrepreneurship
stories
14 Young Entrepreneur
10 Lessons Learned After Five Years
20 Q&A Corner
12 A Path of Educational Opportunities
24 Marketing on a Shoestring
16 Dizzying Heights Made Safe

18 Mississippis MyBiz Program news note

19 Feeding Rural 9 Bunker Hill CC and Simmons College

Entrepreneurship Needs Collaborate on Entrepreneurship
Expert Assist Program
23 Serving Entrepreneurs on Floridas Editors Note:
Gold Coast 25 Sherry Tshibangu Is 2010 NISOD
Award Winner
NACCE serves two audiences: college
Columns administrators and faculty mem-
member spotlight bers. In recognition of this, with this
issue we are introducing icons for each
8 Guest Columnist audience that will help steer readers
27 Sharon A. Curry towards news articles that should be
11 New Paradigms of special interest to them. Of course,
some articles contain content that is
of interest to both groups, so they will
feature both icons.
Community College Entrepreneurship is published quarterly as a member benefit by
the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Articles from
faculty
members may be submitted via e-mail to editor@nacce.com.
members
Publisher: Heather Van Sickle
Editor: Jeanne Yocum college
Creative Director: Peter Ellis COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
administrators 5
spring/summer 2010
 Defining
Entrepreneurship
STARTING A DIALOGUE ON THE MEANING OF THE E IN NACCE
Who is an entrepreneur?
What is entrepreneurship?
What does it mean to be
entrepreneurial?
Ask a roomful of NACCE members to
agree on a definition of entrepreneurship
and you are bound to have a lively and
lengthy discussion. But will this defini-
tion of entrepreneurship be the same one
youd get if you asked state legislators,
business owners, program funders, or
traditional and nontraditional college
students to hold a similar discussion?
Possibly not.
And therein lies the challenge. If
NACCE members and their key con-
stituencies do not share a common
understanding of what entrepreneurship
is, how can we be sure our message
about the importance and application of
entrepreneurship education at commu-
nity colleges will be understood by these
critical audiences?
NACCE Executive Director Heather
Van Sickle, puts it this way: To provide
clarity to members and to the com-
munities our members serve, we are
beginning a dialogue seeking to define
entrepreneurship and its application in
the community college setting. Thats
the task NACCE has set for itselfde-
veloping a shared definition of entrepre-
neurship that members can communicate
to their key constituencies. If everyone
is using the same game plan, then
helping others understand the value and
scope of entrepreneurship education as it
is being practiced on community college
campuses nationwide will be easier.
In the Beginning
Who Is an Entrepreneur?
So lets start at the beginning. The
word entrepreneur originated with
6 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
the French word entreprendre, which
means to undertake. The Merriam-
Webster Dictionary defines an entrepre-
neur as one who organizes, manages,
and assumes the risks of a business or
enterprise.
Joseph Schumpeter, a noted 20th
century economist expanded on this
when he wrote that an entrepreneur is
an innovator who implements change in
an economy by introducing new goods
or new methods of productionSchum-
peter emphasized the beneficial process
of creative destruction, in which the
introduction of new products results in
the obsolescence or failure of others.2
In the late 20th century, manage-
ment guru Peter Drucker differentiated
between small business owners and
entrepreneurs: Admittedly, all new
small businesses have many factors in
common. But to be entrepreneurial, an
enterprise has to have special charac-
teristics over and above being new and
small. Indeed, entrepreneurs are a minor-
ity among new businesses. They create
something new, something different;
they change or transmute values.3
One of my favorite quotes from
Drucker is that the purpose of a business
is to create a customer, says Les Led-
ger, professor and Sam Walton Fellow of
Free Enterprise at Central Texas College
in Killeen, TX. Drucker, in my opin-
ion, is stating that an entrepreneur has
to provide a good or service for which
the customer has a need. Risk, as well as
innovation, is involved in trying to create
goods and services for the customer. If
the customer sees no value, then there
is no exchange of money between the
entrepreneur and customer. The cus-
tomer has to see that the good or service
is worth the money that the entrepreneur
needs to stay in business.
I think NACCE is on to something
Join the Conversation!
As we evolve the NACCE definition of
entrepreneurship, wed appreciate your
thoughts on these questions:
Do you agree/disagree with
NACCEs definitions of
entrepreneurship?
What are the implications of these
definitions for community college
administrators and for faculty? For
the curriculum?
How are community colleges going
to innovate to provide an educational
experience that serves these defini-
tions of entrepreneurship?
Please visit www.cceship.blogspot.com to
share your ideas.
to want to define entrepreneurship,
says Melissa Crawford, director of the
Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship
& Innovation at Santa Barbara City Col-
lege in Santa Barbara, CA. I find that
people use the word entrepreneur very
looselyand the general public some-
times mistakenly believes that an entre-
preneur is any business owner. I dis-
agree. I believe an entrepreneur invents a
new way of accomplishing an old task to
make it more efficient, or a way to meet
an existing need that hasnt been met yet.
An entrepreneur spends time critically
thinking about or analyzing how to fill
that gap with a new service or product.
An entrepreneur improves the way ser-
vices and products are delivered.
From all of this, NACCEs proposed
definition of an entrepreneur is: an indi-
vidual that develops a new or improved
product, service or way of doing things
that can exist independent of the creator,
and bears the financial responsibility for
risks in bringing their development to
market.
So what of the oft-used terms entre-
preneurship, self-employment, small
business owner, entrepreneurial, and
intrapreneur? There is a place for those
terms in the community college setting
as well. Lets look at where they fit in.

Entrepreneur (E)
Self-Employed (SE)/Small Business Owner (SBO)
Intrapreneur (I)/Entrepreneurial (EL)
An entrepreneur must have all three components, a SE/SBO may have one or two, and I/E has one.
Entrepreneurship
Writing in their report Entrepreneur-
ship in American Higher Education,
the Kauffman Panel on Entrepreneurship
Curriculum in Higher Education defined
entrepreneurship as the transforma-
tion of an innovation into a sustainable
enterprise that generates valueentre-
preneurship merges the visionary and the
pragmatic.4 Therefore, the education of
entrepreneurship is the exposure to and
understanding of the skills, knowledge
and process of innovation and new ven-
ture creation.
The Babson College definition of
entrepreneurship is a way of thinking
and acting that is opportunity obsessed,
holistic in approach, and leadership bal-
anced. Students in their entrepreneur-
ship program develop a broad-based
entrepreneurial skill relevant to any
organizationstart-up, established, and
for and not-for profitin an industry.5
For NACCEs definition, entrepre-
neurship involves consistently thinking
and acting in ways designed to uncover
new opportunities that are then applied
to provide value. The scope of this defi-
nition is precisely why entrepreneurship
education belongs cross-campus and not
only in the business department or as
one non-credit course. Entrepreneurship
provides a lens to view each discipline
products, services, or
Assumes
Financial Risk
through and offers an application beyond
traditional employment. The real world
application of entrepreneurship educa-
tion will result in: entrepreneurs, the
self-employed, small business start-ups,
and intrapreneurs.
What all these individuals have in
common is that they have an interest in
creating something that didnt exist be-
fore in their community or in a broader
market. And for those who are not tra-
ditional entrepreneurs (i.e., not focused
on innovation and market transforma-
tion), they will still benefit from learning
skills, such as opportunity recognition
and capture and how to write a business
plan that will attract funding, that are
inherent to the traditional definition of
entrepreneurship.
These definitions recognize the broad
range of students who turn to community
colleges for knowledge that will enable
them to add to the economic well-being
of their communities either now or in the
future, says Van Sickle.
Self-employed/Small Business Owner
So are self-employed individuals and
small business owners entrepreneurs?
Based on the above NACCE definition
of an entrepreneur, the answer is no.
They are rather replicative entrepre-
neurs, 6 those producing or selling a
New/Innovative
processes Exists
ensuring consistent Independent of
value/growth Creator/Owner
May/MayNot May/MayNot
good or service already available through
other sources or what NACCE will de-
fine as the self-employed or small busi-
ness owners. Notice that they do bear the
financial risk for their enterprise which
sets them apart from an intrapreneur
or someone acting in an entrepreneurial
way inside a corporation. So they too can
benefit greatly from learning the basic
skills of entrepreneurship that are being
taught on NACCE member campuses.
And it may well be that in some cases,
learning these skills will prompt the self-
employed and small business owners
to embrace innovation, either with new
products and services or in the processes
they use to operate their companies.
Intrapreneur/Entrepreneurial
Here at Southeast Community Col-
lege, we have added intrapreneur to
our definitions to include those that are
entrepreneurial in their career, i.e., will-
ing to take a risk in their current position
to help the company succeed all while
receiving a paycheck, says Tim Mittan,
director of the Entrepreneurship Center
at Southeast Community College in
Lincoln, NE.
Intrapreneurs are people working
within corporations who approach their
work in an entrepreneurial fashion,
says Van Sickle. Speaking at one of
continued on page 22
COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 7
spring/summer 2010
 Guest Columnist
ARE YOU HELPING ENTREPRENEURS PLAN FOR
THE REAL WORLD?
By Andr Taylor
Entrepreneur and Author
While we appear to be rebounding from
our recent economic downturn, the con-
sensus is we have miles to travel before
we reach solid ground. Unemployment
remains high, but with rent, mortgages,
car notes, and tuition to pay, many
are thinking seriously about how they
can jumpstart their own economy by
starting a business. Even young people-
notoriously focused more on getting jobs
than creating jobs-are showing interest
in writing their own ticket. This has
made the community college a power-
ful hotbed of entrepreneurial economic
opportunity.
This exciting movement in the
marketplace begs the question: Are we
giving those desperately searching for
economic opportunity the best chance at
success? In other words, are the entre-
preneurship programs springing up all
across the country at community colleges
really making the grade? Are we helping
or hurting the budding entrepreneur?
Those who study small business at
community colleges have always been
eager to put their new knowledge to
work right away. Most have to. But this
environment has placed new demands on
community college small business pro-
grams. Lets be frank. Theory wont cut
it. Your students want to know what they
learn in the classroom will really work in
the real world. And many are doing their
own homework, long before the college
professor gives an assignment.
I have long been concerned about
the quality of entrepreneurship educa-
tion in colleges and universities because
of the realities of teaching something
many believe you cant really teach. The
problem is compounded by the resumes
8 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
of those leading the charge. Most profes-
sors have not run their businesses, and
many do not want to. And if they have,
they are often removed from the day-
to-day nuances and developments in the
marketplace, meaning they may not be
giving the best stuff to entrepreneur-
ship students.
Entrepreneurs can really help in the
classroom, but many entrepreneurs are
unwilling to devote lengthy periods of
time teaching aspiring entrepreneurs
particularly in a classroom setting. Most
are concerned about how best to use their
creative time to make more money and
the semester format doesnt lend itself to
the entrepreneurs ongoing involvement.
With these realities in mind, I thought
I would share my view on how you
might make entrepreneurship education
more real at your institution during this
critical time. Here are three tips: they can become so abstract that the new
entrepreneur never really understands
Begin with a Create A New Life Plan the implications and opportunities of the
Whenever we speak about programs new business and how their life is about
aimed at helping others start their own to change.
businesses the first thing we gravitate
to is the standard refrain, Lets write Continue with a Win The Customer
a business plan. I would like to sug- Plan
gest this is the wrong place to begin. Until you have a customer, you are
I believe educators should do a better not in business. Yet I find many en-
job of helping entrepreneurs think more trepreneurs are more concerned about
about developing their own life plan, logos, Web sites, and the latest technol-
which will shape and be influenced by ogy than serving those living, breathing
the business. What kind of lifestyle do human beings known as customers. I
they want? How do they want to oper- personally think the surge in dismal
ate? How much time are they prepared to customer service can be traced back to
devote to business building? How big do the absence of a good grounding in what
they want to grow? What kind of busi- it means to have and keep a customer. I
ness culture do they want to have? How would challenge educators to spend con-
will the business change their life? While siderable time with new entrepreneurs in
business plans can be very valuable, helping them understand how to market
to and service customers. The new entre-
preneur must have a clear sense of who
their customers are, how they think and
why they would want to take advantage
of their product or service. There is
absolutely no replacement for in-depth
customer knowledge and this is far more
meaningful to the typical entrepreneur
than what winds up in most business
plans.
Develop a Make Money Plan
Once you know what you want, and
what your customer wants, its time to
really nail how youre going to make
money satisfying yourself and your
customer. So often the answer to this
question is buried in a 200-page busi-
ness plan and the new entrepreneur never
really understands how they will make
money. Im suggesting here working
with the entrepreneur to develop a one or Insight, a New York-based leadership
two pager that the entrepreneur can get development firm, serving entrepreneurs
their arms around: If I sell this many of and entrepreneurial companies. Hes a
my product here is what well gross. If I regular contributor to ABC News Money
sell at this price, here is my margin and Matters, and a community college grad-
here is my profit. The entrepreneur must uate. More at www.andretaylor.com.
have a clear understanding of the results
of each transaction. You must also make
sure the new entrepreneur understands
that in most cases a sale is not the same
as cash flow. Not understanding that
can be disastrous for the new business
owner.
If we help aspiring entrepreneurs
understand these key elements, it will go
a long way to helping them understand
what it takes to succeed in the real world.
Andr Taylor is an entrepreneur, con-
sultant, and author of the book You Can
Still Win! Hes chief executive of Taylor

news note

Bunker Hill CC and Simmons College Collaborate

on Entrepreneurship Expert Assist Program
Building collaboration and pathways is a Coleman Foundation priority. One way of achieving these goals
is by creating internship opportunities for graduate students in community colleges. As a recipient of three
Coleman Foundation Elevator Grants, Bunker Hill Community College has collaborated with Simmons
College to develop and implement a very successful model whereby Simmons College places MBA Cer-
tificate in Entrepreneurship students as interns (fellows) at Bunker Hills Community Center for Entrepre-
neurship. The fellows, one per semester, work 100-125 hours, for which they receive funds to cover their
tuition and some incidentals associated with the fellowship.
The Entrepreneurship Expert Assist program provides Simmons students with an opportunity to transfer
their knowledge and skills to Bunker Hill Community College. The fellows provide direct counseling to
entrepreneurs in areas such as opportunity analysis, development of business plan, and use of technology
in business. They also develop and deliver training programs for small business owners on topics such as
opportunity identification and marketing.
The students are supervised by Simmons Entrepreneurship Director Dr. Teresa Nelson in collaboration
with the Dean of Professional Studies at Bunker Hill Community College, Dr. Bogusia Wojciechowska.
Dr. Nelson writes: This is a win-win proposition not just because the Certificate students are compensated
for their work, but because giving back is often the best way of learning; becoming the teacher solidifies
and strengthens the lessons.
Dr. Wojciechowska adds: Collaboration between Simmons and Bunker Hill is mutually beneficial.
Simmons students have the opportunity to mentor our students and work as advisors in the Center. Our
students not only benefit greatly from their experience, but are encouraged to explore higher degrees.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 9

spring/summer 2010
 Lessons Learned After Five Years
IOWAS STATEWIDE
BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

By Jamie T. Zanios
Vice President
North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City

Finalists in the John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition for 2008 meet on stage with
John Pappajohn (far right): (L-R): Suresh Kothari, Ensoft Enabling Software; Dr. Johnny Wong,
EndoMetric; Tim Woods, TMT Manufacturing.

The North Iowa Area Community Col-
leges (NIACC) John Pappajohn Entre-
preneurial Center (JPEC) was instru-
mental in the conception and launching
of the John Pappajohn Iowa Business
Plan Competition. The concept for the
competition was to help meet one part of
our mission, stimulating entrepreneur-
ship. Engaging the directors of the other
JPECs, which are located on the campus
of the three regent universities (Universi-
ty of Iowa, Iowa State University and the
University of Northern Iowa) and Drake
University, it was collectively agreed
that we would approach our primary
benefactor to support this competition.
When he agreed to support the competi-
tion by funding the prizes, we launched
the effort. You can view the rules and
timeline at www.iowabusinessplancom-
petition.com.
The reasons to start a business plan
competition can be several; in our case it
was about engaging with more start-up
businesses to help them with their busi-
ness planning through our centers. We
enlisted the support and collaboration
of the Iowa Department of Economic
Development (IDED), Small Business
Development Centers and the Iowa Busi-
ness Accelerators, all of which play a
role in supporting the planning effort by
businesses and are also represented on
the judging panel.
Benefits to All Participants
What have we learned over the past
five years? First is that over 300 busi-
nesses have participated and many have
gone on to grow and create jobs and
wealth as a result. Many businesses have
sought support for their business plan-
ning that would not have done so without
the motivation of the competition. The
companies that have received funding as
a result of winning one of the top prizes
have been significantly assisted with that
free money in their efforts to launch
and grow their businesses. The public-
ity has been helpful for those that won
or were in the finals in their pursuit of
business and additional funding. The
continued on page 26

10 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

spring/summer 2010
New Paradigms
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ADDRESSES BOTH
UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT
By Felix Haynes, President, Hillsborough Community College, Plant City Campus
and Tom Tankersley, Grants Coordinator, Hillsborough Community College, Plant City Campus
As the U.S. economy begins navigating
itself out of the most significant econom-
ic downturn since the Great Depression,
it appears the course set for recovery
may be one that demands endurance and
requires a significant restructuring of
the countrys labor force. With so much
emphasis over the last few years on the
Labor Departments figures on unem-
ployment, less attention has been paid to
another major factor stifling economic
recoveryunderemployment.
The underemployed are defined as
members of the labor force working part-
time, when they would prefer to work
full-time, as well as those individuals
working below their respective skill level
or outside of their area of expertise. The
computer engineer working at Starbucks,
the laid-off factory worker with two
part-time retail jobs, and the registered
nurse working as a home-help aide all
represent the underemployed class. As a
Felix Haynes
recent Wall Street Journal article pointed
out, the effect of the underemployed
should not be minimized. With consumer
spending making up such a significant
part of the nations economy, the under-
employed, with their lower incomes and
higher expenses towards benefits they
once received in fulltime positions, sim-
ply cannot spend as they once did.
Perhaps as one response of employ-
ers to the recession, this class of workers
continues to grow as recovery remains
stalled. According to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics, since the recession
began over two years ago the number
of people involuntarily working part-
time jobs has more than doubled to
9.3 million. Recently, Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke raised the issue
of underemployment in a speech to the
Economic Club of New York. Bernanke
pointed out that the rate of underemploy-
ment is rising at a rate faster than during
previous recessions, while the average
workweek has dwindled to 33 hours.
How to address the under-utilization
of labor in this country is an important
question, and its answer is directly tied
to the future health of the U.S. economy.
A Solution
Entrepreneurship can provide part of
the solution to the underemployment
problem. Noted author and business
thinker Peter Drucker summed it up
succinctly, Entrepreneurs innovate
and innovation is a central ingredient to
economic growth. But hasnt the cur-
rent economic climate stifled entrepre-
neurship? Some indicators suggest this
premise to be false.
The Kauffman Foundations 2009
Index of Entrepreneurial Activity shows
Tom Tankersley
a rather steady level for business forma-
tion as the recent recession unfolded. In
fact, the rate of entrepreneurial activity
actually rose, albeit by the small percent-
age of 0.30 percent, from the previous
year. During 2008 this rate translated to
530,000 new businesses every month.
Additionally, the Kauffman Foundation
found in a recent study that nearly all net
job creation in the United States between
1980 and 2005 occurred in firms less
than five years old.
Maybe it should come as no sur-
prise that entrepreneurial activity is not
dramatically affected during economic
downturns. Recessions disrupt the busi-
ness worlds status-quo and change
the way businesses operate and prioritize
their practices. Often during these times
businesses not only shed jobs, but also
reduce risk and abandon innovation.
A recent Deloitte Consulting survey
found in its polling of more than 450
companies that even in the best of times
business innovation is lacking, with
continued on page 15
COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 11
spring/summer 2010
 A Path of Educational Opportunities
ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE MODEL NOW ENCOMPASSES
ALL FACETS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
By Shri Goyal, Dean, College of Technology & Management
James Olliver, Provost, Seminole Campus, and
Sharon Setterlind, Dean, Business Technologies
St. Petersburg College. St. Petersburg, FL
Entrepreneurs and small businesses
create the jobs where most Americans
work, and where an increasing number
of young people see their future. St. Pe-
tersburg College is expanding its entre-
preneurship efforts by offering programs
and services to different audiences. We
are very excited about the promise and
the opportunity to support and serve our
communitys economic growth.
St. Petersburg College (SPC), located
in St. Petersburg FL, was the first among
Floridas 28 public community colleges
to transition to a four-year institution.
In August 2002, SPC began offering
fully accredited baccalaureate programs
leading to bachelors degrees. However,
SPCs commitment to its two-year cur-
riculum and program remains as strong
as ever.
The goal of the entrepreneurship
program at SPC is to provide entrepre-
neurial business fundamentals needed
for success in starting a business. The
program will have components that
help students generate and sharpen their
entrepreneurial/intrapreneural mind set,
idea generation, analysis, opportunity
recognition, value creation and manage-
ment of a venture using communication,
marketing, sales and financial skills.
Although SPC has experienced
growing success in its existing entre-
preneurship offerings, recently SPC
has launched an initiative to extend
entrepreneurship education to support
potential entrepreneurs through degree
and certificate programs, as well as by
offering services through an Entrepre-
neurship Center. Building on the work
underway in SPCs Corporate Trainings
Practical Entrepreneurship Academy
and the entrepreneurship sub-plan within
12 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
the bachelors degree program, SPC
will create a new associate-degree-level
entrepreneurship degree option. Thus the
entrepreneurship model will encompass
all facets of entrepreneurship education:
credit/non credit courses to provide on
demand training, certificates, a two-year
A.S. degree, and the four-year B.A.S.
degree with the Entrepreneurship Center
at its core (see fig 1).
The Process: Focus on Pragmatic
Education
At SPC we used a formal process to
develop curriculum for training stu-
dents for entrepreneurship ventures and
intrapreneural thinking while working in
large organizations. We collected data on
students interest and conducted a needs
analysis by surveying the industries in
Tampa Bay. This was followed by a
formal DACUM (Designing a Curricu-
lum) session attended by key poten-
tial employers of graduating students.
The outcome of this session is a list of
traits, attitudes and skills needed for the
degree. These are carefully populated
in both core and elective courses for
the program, thus providing students
with the knowledge needed to succeed
in the field. This process has helped in
designing other programs and keeping a
pragmatic focus.
On Demand Corporate Training
In December 2006, an entrepreneur
approached SPC about the need to offer
a practical, mentor-based program for
new local businesses and potential busi-
nesses to get the assistance they needed
to succeed. With a gift of $25,000 (that
was matched by the State) SPC launched
the Practical Entrepreneurship Acad-
emya 16-week, non-credit program
designed to be offered as credit or non-
credit courses in future programs.
Additionally, Corporate Training at
SPC hosts numerous six-week classes
under Business Solutions: Entrepreneur-
ship/Small Business. These courses are
designed for specific entrepreneurial
venues such as: how to start and operate
your own publishing business, cater-
ing service, consulting practice, interior
design, and arts and crafts. Also offered
by Business Solutions are foundational
courses in creating a business plan,
Internet business writing, marketing, and
business law.
Associate Degree Program and Certifi-
cation Options
In 2009, a study was conducted to
review best practices in entrepreneurship
education among community colleges
to determine where SPC might better
serve the Pinellas County community.
The study found that SPC could play a
pivotal role at the associate degree level
to provide an integrated package of
education coordinating with the program
offered in Corporate Training, and the
existing entrepreneurship sub-plan of-
fered at the four-year level.
In developing the curriculum to
support the entrepreneurship model, it
was decided to focus on a four-course
certificatean industry-driven model of
12 credits that could be offered as a sub-
plan to the A.S. Business Administration
degree, which in turn could articulate
with the Colleges bachelors degree
offerings. This decision was based on
the fact that a college credit certificate
consists of a program of instruction of
college-level courses that is a part of
an A.S. degree program that prepares
students for entry into employment.
This decision was based also on the
fact that the business degree provides
the foundation to give students skills in
management, marketing and finance as
the four courses are expected to focus
on practical skills and engagement with
experts in their respective fields. This
will be accomplished using simulations,
group work and other media-based and
electronic tools to appeal to the entre-
preneurial personality.
The courses in the Entrepreneur-
ship certificate program will include:
Introduction to Entrepreneurship (to
focus the business idea and examine
the various components of starting and
running a business); Entrepreneurial
Sales and Marketing (to address topics
ranging from advertising options to new
social media);Entrepreneurial Manage-
ment (to address topics such as taxes,
bookkeeping, legal issues, etc.); and
Planning the Entrepreneurial Venture
(culminating in a complete business
plan).
In addition to being part of the busi-
ness associate degree, it is anticipated
that the courses, individually or as part
of a certificate, will be valued additions
to the other A.S. degree programs, there-
by providing students in programs such
as photography, digital arts, hospitality,
insurance, financial services, computer
programming and music with the skills
to start their own businesses.
BAS-Entrepreneurship Sub-plan in
Management & Organizational Leader-
ship
The Entrepreneurship specialization
has been offered as a sub-plan in the
Bachelor of Applied Science in Manage-
ment and Organizational Leadership de-
gree for the last two years. This program
has been expanded. It now consists of
four three-credit-hour courses: Principles
of Entrepreneurship; Innovation & Value
Creation; Sales, Negotiation & Relation-
ship Management; and Entrepreneurial
Finance. The sub-plan also includes a
three-credit-hour senior capstone course
that makes use of skills learned in the
courses in planning and early execution
of a business. The program offers hands-
on entrepreneurship incubator experi-
ence and contact with entrepreneurs and
successful businesses by hosting a series
of seminars. It also offers additional
support through working relationships
and articulation agreements with local
universities.
BAS Entrepreneurship Sub-Plan
General Education Courses Core Courses (30 Credits)
15 - 21 Credits Communication,
Finance, Marketing,
Leadership, Strategic
Management, Program
Management
INCLUDES :
Capstone Course (3 cr)
Entrepreneurship Career Center
Providing courses in practical entre-
preneurship alone is vitally important,
and its value increases when paired with
an integrated series of services and ac-
tivities. SPC is adopting the model suc-
cessfully developed at the University of
Miami, where extended entrepreneurship
services are housed in and coupled with
the work of the Career Center. At SPC
the traditional Career Center offers many
services to current students in selecting
career direction, developing a career
plan, and obtaining occupational, indus-
try and labor market data. The traditional
Career Center also provides information
on how to find employment, develop a
resume and prepare for the interview.
The role of the new Entrepreneurship/
Career Center will be to extend those
services and complement and supple-
ment the academic programs by work-
ing with students in the entrepreneur-
ship courses and programs to identify
mentors, make referrals to community
resources, and promote activities, events
and host seminar series.
In the next few months, SPC will
Specialization (32 Credits)
MAN 3802 Principles of
Entrepreneurship
New Venture Fundamentals;
Entrepreneurship Concepts;
Focus on Customer
MAR 4836 Innovation &
Value Creation
Researching the Marketplace
for opportunities; Value
Creation; Differentiation
FIN 3XXX
Entrepreneurial Finance
New Venture Capital, Working
Capital Management,
Budgeting and Forecasting
MAR 4413 Sales,
Negotiation and
Relationship
Management
Sales Strategy; Prospecting;
Sales Forecasting; Relationship
Building and Negotiating
bring local small business entrepreneurs
and representatives from area organi-
zations together in a collaborative lab
environment to help develop the Entre-
preneurship/Career Center. The group
will examine the services of the Center
and help develop the structure, activities
and partnerships to complement the cur-
riculum to maximize success. The group
will also discuss where SPC should look
for support and methods of identifying
the students who would benefit from
participation. This will be a good op-
portunity to begin an advisory committee
for the center.
An advisory committee plays an im-
portant role in maintaining and expand-
ing the programs of SPC by assessing
how the program meets employer needs;
continued on page 15
COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 13
spring/summer 2010
 Young Entrepreneurs
Q & A with Christian Hendricks
Christian Hendricks (21) is the founder of Sagitta
Marketing (http://marketingbysagitta.com), a full-
service marketing firm for small businesses started
in 2009. It provides everything from graphic design
to promotional products.
Recently, Christian won the Rising Star Entrepre-
neur Award by The Entrepreneurs Exchange and
the 1st place prize in the Anne Arundel Commu-
nity College (AACC) Business Plan Competition.
Christian currently attends AACC and will graduate
in May 2010.
Q: This being your first business, what feedback I received for why propos-
inspired you to start a business? als were not being accepted was due to
A: One of my mentors (Justin Jones- perceived youth and inexperience. Since
Fosu) told me, Even if you start small, then I have worked twice as hard as my
competitors, if not more, to be competi-
start now, so I did. I have always envi-
sioned owning my own company. As a tive. I focused on building my image, or-
young kid, I used to sell candy in school. ganic growth with core clients, and using
I used to cut grass and contracted five to their testimonies to gain new business.
ten individuals to help me. I improved my understanding of how to
Being an entrepreneur is better than I deliver value to prospective clients.
thought it would be. I love going to work
every day. Half the time it doesnt even Q: How long can you see yourself be-
feel like work (unlike the Fortune 500 ing an entrepreneur?
company I resigned from). I love that I A: I will be an entrepreneur for the
have the opportunity to help people be rest of my life! Even now, Im thinking
successful and live out their dreams. through my next several ventures in the
future.
Q: What has been your biggest chal-
lenge in starting your business? Q: What programs at your school were
A: My biggest challenge in start- the most helpful in starting and growing
ing my firm was credibility, or the lack your business?
thereof. When I started the firm I was 19 A: I owe my success to the Entrepre-
and in my second year of college. The neurial Studies Institute (ESI) at AACC
About Columnist
Michael Simmons (28), a bestselling author and award-winning
entrepreneur, is the co-founder and CEO of the Extreme Entre-
preneurship Tour (EET) and a past keynote speaker at NACCE.
EET brings the countrys top young entrepreneurs to college
campuses to spread the entrepreneurial mindset during a half-
day conference. Started in 2006, the tour (www.extremetour.org)
has visited over 130 schools nation-wide.
14 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
as a whole. If I had to narrow it down to
one program, it would be the Student-
Business Owner Incubator program. I
was given office space, meeting space,
computers, and everything a start-up
would need to be successful. But the
most important benefit was the access to
experienced advisors. My advisors are
experts in the areas of accounting, busi-
ness law, marketing, human resources
and management. All of my advisors are
successful entrepreneurs.
Q: What do you think the most im-
portant things community colleges can
do to help encourage and support young
entrepreneurs are?
A: For community colleges to ef-
fectively help entrepreneurs, they need
interactive and relevant curriculum.
The classes have to be set up in a way
that its not so much about a grade, but
student specific and focused. Everything
done in class should focus on a student
being able to form an idea, create a
plan and execute. At AACC you work
on your idea and form it into a busi-
ness plan. Then the professors help you
develop strategies that will help you be
successful.
Q: What advice would you give to a
community college student who has no
entrepreneurship experience and wants
to start a business?
A: The advice I would give to some-
one looking to start a business would
be to plan. Writing a business plan is
the most important way to better your
chances of success. When you plan out
what you want to do, it allows you to
prepare for pitfalls that may come. For
example, you think you need $20,000
and later you discover you actually need
$40,000. You would have found this
out through your research and not six
months into operation.
A Path New Paradigms
continued from page 13 continued from page 11

reviewing and making recommendations on the program curric- 31% of surveyed companies responding
ulum; providing input to help prepare students for the workforce that innovation happens by accident
and in building community relations. in their company. Contrast this with the
By expanding the scope of entrepreneurship programs at fact that, according to the Small Business
SPC, we are able to offer a full range of alternative options to Administration, small technology com-
our students in earning BAS, AS, certificate and on-demand panies produce 13 times more patents
training using credit and non-credit courses. The proposed entre- per employee than large firms.
preneurship model will be accomplished by a solid foundation
of applied skills including developing ideas and creating value A Critical Advantage
by assessing problems and opportunities; gathering funding for Simply stated, during both deep
a start-up; managing capital and forecasting sales; managing recessions and economic boom periods,
business operations; and the ability to strategically plan, assess entrepreneurs are in a unique position to
risks, and negotiate and balance customer demands. transform ideas into tangible (and hope-
Our entrepreneurship graduates will serve both new and fully profitable) innovation. Many of
existing businesses, large and small. As entrepreneurs, they will the workers classified as underemployed
start and grow new business; and, as intrapreneurs, transform are in a unique position as well. Now,
businesses into higher quality and more profitable units though perhaps for the first time in their careers
their entrepreneurial thinking. The model will articulate a path they may seriously examine the possibil-
of educational opportunities for current and future entrepreneurs ity of starting their own small business.
from non-credit workshops through a bachelors degree. Also, Using their experience and individual
the program will connect students to the community through skills they may be able to stabilize their
the Entrepreneurship/Career Center and offer an alternate personal financial situations, while play-
training program for non-degree seeking students interested in ing a significant role in promoting eco-
certificates. SPC is excited to forge partnerships with students, nomic growth within their communities.
entrepreneurs and successful businesses via this connection of As recent history shows, businesses
academics, business and community. We are very optimistic! founded during weak economic times
have been instrumental in the develop-
ment of many significant innovations on
the market today. Companies such as
Industry Sun Microsystems, Compaq Computer
Co., and Adobe Systems all had their
Com essio
Pro
ies

beginnings in the recession of the early

-Un urs

mu l O
rsit

f
ion ne

nit rga
ive

1980s and today stand as examples of

lat pre

Non-credit
y, I niz
n a
icu tre

entrepreneurs who searched for oppor-

nd at
Ce
Art En

S, B c

rtifi Certifi

ust ion
, A mi

Ad

tunity, responded to it, and concentrated

AS
AA de

ry & s
v.
cat cat
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their efforts on effective innovation.

ion e
+

It should also be noted that one crucial

Entrepreneurship/
usiness

advantage for potential entrepreneurs

Training

Accele r +

Prim. E RTEC,

Career Center
rated

exists for the unemployed and under-

.,
Corp.

co. Dev
to
Industry/B

employed of this recession that was not

ers
Incuba

A
VCs, ST

Chamb

in place 30 years ago education. Five

Sem hundred colleges and universities cur-
Ope inars to
Com n Fo + p p ort s rently grant entrepreneurship degrees. In
mu rum Su sines
Bu todays economic climate, with reports
Cha nity, B
mb that over 6 million of the currently
ers, usines
Uni s Ow
ver SBA unemployed have been searching for
sitie ners gainful employment for six months or
s longer, these entrepreneurship programs
are poised to produce todays entrepre-
neurs who will be better prepared to
Figure 1. drive tomorrows economic growth.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 15

spring/summer 2010
 Dizzying Heights Made Safe
THE LIFELINE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
EDUCATION
By Ronald E. Thomas, Ph.D.
President, Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount, MN
Conventional thinking paints entrepre-
neurs as individuals equipped with a
high tolerance for risk. That same think-
ing points to the successful entrepreneur
as a business-minded independent who
not only recognizes a previously unseen
opportunity, but also has the know-how
and vision to make that opportunity un-
fold and flourish in the marketplace.
From the standpoint of entrepreneur-
ship education, the difference between
an entrepreneur scaling new summits
with a flag or hitting bottom with a
shovel is a powerful bundle of skills and
knowledge. When delivered with dedica-
tion and a strong grasp of real-world
conditions, that bundle is the entrepre-
neurs lifeline to success.
I recently took part in a grant signing
ceremony that brought home the concept
of entrepreneurial education as a lifeline.
The event kicked off a $300,000 train-
ing grant from the Minnesota Job Skills
Partnership (MJSP) to our college, which
is teaming up with Capital Safetythe
world leader in the design and manufac-
ture of height safety and fall protection
equipmentto deliver critical training
programs to employees at the companys
state-of-the-science production and test-
ing facility in Red Wing, MN.
True Workforce Engagement
During the course of my career as an
educator, I have participated in my share
of grant signing ceremonies. All are
happy occasions, but many are simply
formal announcements populated by the
designated signatories, a smattering of
guests, a photographer or two, and per-
haps a representative from area media.
The event at Capital Safety raised the
bar for workforce engagement. I arrived
16 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
at the signing site with an ample col-
lege contingentone vice president, two
deans, two customized training directors
and one communications coordinator.
We quickly found ourselves outnum-
bered by more than 350 Capital Safety
employees, who had gathered to cel-
ebrate the grant.
Capital Safety-Americas President
David Thomas, MJSP Director Paul
Moe and Red Wing Mayor John Howe
mirrored my duties as a signatory.
They, along with the DCTC contin-
gent, picked up on the positive energy
emanating from the assembled workers,
who listened, attentive and smiling, as
their president reviewed the companys
superb performance over the past year
before describing the DCTC training
programs that would augment the skill
range of every employee present, stream-
lining career pathways in such areas
as wind energy, mechatronics, green
manufacturing, supervisory management
and advanced computer training.
Its no secret that entrepreneurial
thinking goes well beyond the lone
enterpriser making the grueling ascent to
prosperity through the force of a brave,
new idea. The revitalizing boons of in-
trapreneurship can serve as the lifeblood
of the largest and most mature corpo-
rations, institutions and concerns. At
Capital Safety, entrepreneurial attitudes
permeate all aspects of the organization.
Suggestion boxes at the Red Wing facil-
ity generate more than 100 innovative
ideas and observations a week. Champi-
oned by every contributor to the Capital
Safety mission, which centers on saving
lives around the world in the transporta-
tion, oil and gas, construction, utilities,
and wind energy industries, the quest for
improved quality and efficiency never
stops, evidenced by a creative progres-
sion that notches more patents than any
other company in the fall protection
field.
Capitals management team includes
shop-floor workers in the decision-mak-
ing process, fostering a workforce that
cares deeply about manufacturing the
best fall protection equipment possible.
They live and breathe the company mot-
to: Build safe so that they stay safe.
Three Key Lessons
As two-year colleges across the nation
continue to expand entrepreneurship pro-
grams, we as administrators can garner
three key lessons from the business cul-
ture at Capital Safety. First, we should
remember that many major companies,
including Fortune 500 juggernauts like
Apple, Nordstrom, eBay and Electronic
Data Systems, started organically from
humble entrepreneurial blueprints. Capi-
tal itself originated 60 years ago in Sala,
Sweden, when the companys founders
introduced the worlds first self-retract-
ing lifeline for use by workers in local
silver mines.
Second, we have to understand that
teaching entrepreneurship is more than
just delivering a smart and relevant cur-
riculum. In every institutional undertak-
ing, we must think and act as highly
capable entrepreneurs, constantly search-
ing for new opportunities, purposeful
innovations and mutually constructive
partnerships. How can we teach effective
risk management unless we ourselves are
both experienced and accomplished at
taking bold yet intelligent risks?
Third, we need to emulate Capital
Safetys commitment to quality, which is
founded on the straightforward aspira-
tion to save lives. After the signing
ceremony, we took a tour of the facility,
ending at a large wall map dotted with
flags indicating workers whose lives
were saved by Capital Safety products.
Entrepreneurs might not be construc-
tion workers treading the high steel of
100-story skyscrapers, but they often
put their livelihoods on the line pursu-
ing ideas that can take them to dizzying
heights.
When delivering entrepreneurship
education, we need to develop programs
that reduce risk by providing start-to-fin-
Capital Safety workers attend grant signing with
ish support. We need to live and breathe Dakota County Technical College
our mission of educating savvy and agile
entrepreneurs. We need to build safe so
that they stay safe.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 17

spring/summer 2010
 Mississippis MyBiz Program
TRAINING DISLOCATED WORKERS TO BECOME
ENTREPRENEURS
By John J. Woods, PhD.
Vice President of Economic Development and Workforce Training
Hinds Community College, Raymond, MS
Mississippis MyBiz entrepreneurship
training program is preparing to launch
its Phase III effort targeting dislocated
workers to receive entrepreneurship
training through Hinds Community Col-
lege. With continued funding via the
WIRED Grant through The Montgomery
Institute of Meridian, MS, and partner-
ship linkages with the state Small Busi-
ness Development Centers coordinated
by the University of Mississippi-Oxford,
the Mississippi Department of Employ-
ment Security-WIN Job Centers, the
Southern Entrepreneur Program (SEP)
developed by Dr. Brent Hales at the
University of Southern Mississippi-Hat-
tiesburg, and the Mississippi Association
of Community and Junior Colleges (all
15 state community and junior col-
leges) have teamed together to develop
and deliver entrepreneurship training to
dislocated workers.
Program Procedures
The pathway to participation in the
MyBiz Phase III program initiates with
local WIN Job Centers identifying pro-
spective participants for the 33-hour SEP
training course. Identified dislocated
workers will be presented the SBDC
First Steps seminar, which provides
orientation and assessment as to whether
entrepreneurship is a right fit for these
individuals in their current situation.
Dislocated worker participants com-
pleting the First Steps seminar will be
referred to the community college My-
Biz SEP instructor. Those interested will
sign up for the SEP program training
course and pay a $25 registration fee to
cover the costs of course materials. The
recommended practical working class
size is to be 15 clients.
18 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
Client participants in the Southern
Entrepreneurship Program receive a cer-
tificate upon completion of the 33-hour
training course. The targeted completion
rate is 75 percent. The Hinds Community
College SEP trainer then will direct the
completed participants to the local Small
Business Development Center at Hinds
Community College.
The Hinds Community College SBDC
enters clients into their small business
advisement system and provides needed
services requested by the clients. Ideally,
some of the participants in the program
will eventually develop viable small
business plans leading to the opening of
a small business in the Hinds Communi-
ty College districts region as a stimulus
to local economic development efforts.
The SEP Training Curriculum
The Southern Entrepreneurship Pro-
gram curriculum consists of 14 sections
of training in Entrepreneurial Skills and
Business Management to include the fol-
lowing topics:
Orientation/Assessment
Setting Goals
Problem Solving
Decision Making
Self Esteem
Values/attitudes/mindset
Communication skills
Managing change
Why businesses fail
Identifying business opportunities
Networking
The business plan
Record keeping for success
Is your business legally and finan-
cially sound
Again, the recommendation is for
a course totaling 33 hours of contact
training to be held in three-hour sessions,
once a week, or a suitable schedule to be
worked out between the clients and the
community college SEP instructor. Ide-
ally SEP classes would be conducted on
site at the local WIN Job Centers where
other support resource services are avail-
able to the clients.
Global Goals
The end goal of the MyBiz Phase III-
SEP is to encourage dislocated workers
to consider entrepreneurship opportuni-
ties as an alternative to traditional em-
ployment pursuits. This will be accom-
plished as a result of the SEP training
and SBDC advisement. Hinds Com-
munity College will continue to moni-
tor the participants in the MyBiz SEP
program to address any further training
or advisement needs they may have. This
could include providing additional skills
training in business development and
management, computer skills, bookkeep-
ing, business marketing, or other techni-
cal assistance as required.
Statewide, the TMI initiative to be
delivered through the states commu-
nity colleges hopes to train up to 1,000
dislocated workers in the SEP curricu-
lum. Participants outside of the clients
certified by the WIN Job Centers as
dislocated workers will be permitted to
attend the SEP training course; however,
these individuals will be required to pay
a course fee of $200. Their participation
costs will not be covered by the WIRED
grant funding secured by The Montgom-
ery Institute.
The immediate outcomes of the
MyBiz Phase III-SEP program will be
continued on page 23
Feeding Rural
Entrepreneurship Needs
A MENU OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

By Beth Pridday
Director, Business & Entrepreneurial Services
MN State Community and Technical College, Detroit Lakes, MN

Over the past several months the demand and interest in bringing a variety of topic- Speaker Series events has increased and
specific outreach workshops related to entrepreneurship and business ownership to interest in our incubator office spaces has
our community of Detroit Lakes and the surrounding region has been exploding. The peaked.
small business owner and the wanna-be-business owner (aka entrepreneur) want to
gain the information needed to jump start their businesses, learn ways to enhance Place Your Order
their critical skills and relationships needed both inside and outside their businesses, We see ourselves continuing to use
and focus on developing real-life skills needed to execute and achieve results. this not only as a feeder for our exist-
Our BES (Business & Entrepreneurial Services) located on the campus of MN ing services, but as a revenue-generating
State Community and Technical College in the heart of the region in Detroit Lakes, opportunity for the BES to augment the
MN (pop. 8,100) is being seen as the entrepreneurial source for communities such as grant dollars and pave a road for sustain-
Menahga (pop. 1,100), Sebeka (pop. 650), Park Rapids (pop. 3,600), Wadena (pop. ability in the future for us. This commu-
3,900), Frazee (pop. 1,300) and more, all located within a 60-mile radius. nity outreach of workshops and courses
also allows us get a foothold in the
Appetizers region as a viable and credible resource
To fill this role, we have developed a menu of offerings, beginning with one- and and trainer for hungry entrepreneurs
two-hour workshops. Featuring unique and diverse topics such as Polish Your Pitch, and business owners. And, we are more
How to Treat Your Customers, Small Business Legal 101, A Low Tech Look at High than happy to serve it up.
Tech Solutions, Whats Your 80/20? and How to Save Your Business $1,500 in 2
Hours, these programs will become our core of workshops that can be replicated and
repeated as often as needed and requested.

Main Course
Along with the mini-workshop format, we have devel-
oped more immersed workshop opportunities on topics that
demand more class time and a deeper level of commitment
by the participants, including a six-week course, The Basics
of Using QuickBooks, and the 10-week course called Intro
to Entrepreneurship.
These workshops and courses are being taught by profes-
sionals in their trained professions, certified life and busi-
ness coaches, trainers and educators and are reaching the
entry level entrepreneur as well as the more mature business
professional looking for personal development or to have connect to nacce
their skills sharpened.

Dessert
The residuals of these workshops are powerful. As we
continue to have more contact hours with entrepreneurs and
business owners, we have seen an increase in our request for
SCORE mentorship and general assistance requests coming
into the BES and its director. Also, attendance at our special

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 19

spring/summer 2010
 Q&A Corner

Classroom the biopharmaceutical and medical

device markets. steve.herbert@torran-

Confidentiality group.com

Robert Hisrich:

Q: How do instructors deal with business idea confidentiality At one university I handled it this
way: I had every student in the class
when it comes to sharing ideas during classroom discussions?
sign an NDAit could be short onebut I
I have a number of students who dont want to share ideas, didnt sign it. I learned at MIT that when
fearing that other students will steal their concepts. youre in an academic position and you
have a lot of different people who are in-
volved with different things, you should

A: When this question was posed on NACCEs listserv we decid- never sign an NDA.
ed to ask experts outside the NACCE community to respond. Now what I say to my students is
that I have never heard of an instance in
They all agreed that business ideas are rarely stolen. However,
which an idea was shared with another
cases such as the much-publicized lawsuit against Facebooks student who then took that idea to start
founders, who were accused by fellow Harvard students of another company. The reason is that
pilfering their idea, might cause students to be reluctant to ex- you have to have a passion to make an
pose their ideas in class, despite the fact that the relationship idea work and if you dont have that,
its just not going to happen. Ive never
that led to the Facebook lawsuit took place outside of class.
had any problems here at Thunderbird or
Here is the advice four experts provided: my years at Case Western. If you make
that statement up front as the professor
I dont think youre going to have any
problems. I also point out in that same
statement that first of all your ideas
Steve Herbert: The users were scientists who refused arent worth stealing; I do this in a funny
It is as common as it is ill informed to buy the product without knowing way, but Im actually serious.
for entrepreneurs to be reluctant to talk what was inside. After we acquired the One problem you will have that fac-
about their ideas. The truth is it is easy company we published a paper disclos- ulty members need to think about how to
to have ideas and very difficult to make ing exactly how the algorithms worked. handle in advanceone that I just ran into
a viable business of them. Most wannabe The product is now a $20m line. To this again last semesteris when the students
entrepreneurs who dont talk about their day no one has copied it. And I have to form a team to do a project and then one
ideas dont get far with their business. admit its a pretty neat idea, a really ter- or two people want to do the project and
How can you raise money if you rific implementation but the secret sauce one doesnt. This is the more serious
wont talk about your business? Anyone, ended up being how to sell it. issue. The other students really need to
for instance, who will not openlywith- Most ideas that entrepreneurs feel get the student who isnt interested in
out a nondisclosure agreement in place are novel turn out not to be new at all. I the idea to sign a total release or that
discuss their ideas will not be likely to serve on the deal review committee for could come back to haunt them. There
get VC money since most VCs most an angel investment group. I am stunned are plenty of examples like this where
of the time will not sign nondisclosure by how often the same idea turns up people didnt get this sign-off and it
agreements. multiple times often within the same few came back to haunt them later as they
How can you sell if you wont talk months. took an idea forward.
about your product? The most needed Secrecy has its place but has serious Robert Hisrich is Garvin Professor of
skill in startups is sales. Why make life limitations. Anyway, your students do Global Entrepreneurship and director
more difficult by not talking about some not need to disclose their secret sauce to of the Walk Center for Global Entrepre-
supposedly secret aspect of your busi- write a fundable business plan. neurship at Thunderbird School of Glob-
ness. Here is a personal case: I purchased Steve Herbert is a serial entrepreneur al Management in Arizona. He has been
a company in 1993. The valuation was who is currently vice president of Sales involved in founding a dozen companies
$0. They had repeatedly failed to meet & Business Development at Cytel Inc., a and is author of three books on entre-
their sales goals. They did not want to provider of clinical trial design services preneurship, including Entrepreneurship
tell their users how the product worked. and specialized statistical software for Starting, Developing, and Managing a

20 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

spring/summer 2010
New Enterprise, now in its 8th edition.
robert.hisrich@thunderbird.edu
Roger Zimmerman:
Nolo Press has a number of good
patent, copyright and trademark books
for entrepreneurs; these books have very
good real world approaches to situations
like this. Nolos Patents for Beginners is
a book I used to give away to prospec-
tive clients so they would understand
that all this stuff is not quite so mysteri-
ous. That would be a good source of
information for both the professor and
the student. (Visit http://www.nolo.com
to learn more.)
There is a tendency for students not to
want to give details. When I was in the
classroom, I found that students who are
at an early stage quite often werent dis-
tinguishing what would be protectable,
confidential information and what ideas
were such good ideas that if you looked
in the U.S. Patent Office database 10
people had come up with similar things
and had them patented.
If students are interested in patents
and trademarks, the federal government
has Web sites with basic information.
Patents are being issued at a rate of
about 4,000 per week and by the time
this article is published we will hit the
7,700,000th utility patent, so every week
it gets harder to argue that a new innova-
tion is new and non-obvious.
Roger Zimmerman is an intellec-
tual property attorney with Mirick,
OConnell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP.
He has done presentations to the entre-
preneurship programs at Babson Col-
lege and Worcester Polytechnic Institute
and also taught for 15 years at Rush
Medical College & Graduate School in
Chicago. Rzimmerman@mirickoconnell.
com
Barry Horowitz:
If you cant tell your idea to others,
you cant receive feedback that con-
firms (or denies) the attractiveness of
the idea. When the market research
behind a business idea is primarily that
the founder/inventor just knows it will be
great and everyone will want it, that isnt
sufficient for investors- and shouldnt
be. Talking up the core of the idea opens
the student/entrepreneur up to hearing
the strengths and weaknesses of the
idea, and should improve the quality of
the plan-and maybe of the idea in the
process.
We tell our students as a general
guideline that things that are discussed
within the class should be considered
confidential within the class. You would
expect this from your classmates and you
should do this as well. I will not, without
permission of the student, discuss their
idea in another class. If you dont reveal
this idea in this class, you might as
well stop now because you will not get
investors to support it. VCs will not and
cannot sign DNDs until they go into
the due diligence phase; if they need to
sign a DND just to hear your idea, they
will pass. VCs who receive a thousand
business plans a year choose to skim and
evaluate 100 out of the 1,000; they see
a lot of ideas come year after year. It is
almost universal that the student who is
presenting the idea believes they thought
it up themselves and that they are the
first and only and that is very rarely the
case.
Barry Horowitz is president of
Horowitz & Company, LLC, a manage-
ment consulting firm, and an adjunct
professor at Boston Universitys School
of Management, where he teaches a
certificate program for entrepreneurs.
He has also been an entrepreneur and
raised VC money. horowitz.barry@
gmail.com

MassChallenge - Worlds Largest

Global Startup Competition

MassChallenge officially waterfront to maximize networking and

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mid-October, an expert panel will identify a dozen or more teams as winners. Any there are certain discounts available for
startup entrepreneur can enter the MassChallenge competition, with any new busi- early entry. Potential mentors, judges,
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lenge team and up to 100 finalist teams will receive luxury office space on Bostons information.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 21

spring/summer 2010
 Defining Entrepreneurship
continued from page 6
our conferences, Michael Hennessy
of the Coleman Foundation noted that
in todays complex and challenging
environment, businesses need employees
who are entrepreneurial. So while not all
students who study entrepreneurship will
start their own businesses, their careers
as employees, and the businesses they
work in, will thrive if they exhibit an
entrepreneurial mindset.
In the community college setting,
this is where the term entrepreneurial
president or culture of entrepreneur-
ship can be applied. The president,
for instance, is not an entrepreneur as
defined above, but within the structure
of the bureaucratic college, they can act
entrepreneurially, trying things that have
never been done before. While they have
not assumed personal financial risk, they
can create something that didnt exist
previously.
The Implications
So what are the implications of
delineating the definitions involved
with entrepreneurship? For one thing,
entrepreneurship can be embraced by the
entire institution creating an empowering
environment where recognizing and seiz-
ing opportunities can help turn around
fragile local economies.
It will require greater cooperation
among disciplines and departments,
says Sherry Tshibangu, assistant pro-
fessor of Business and Economics at
Monroe Community College (MCC)
in Rochester, NY. The dominant view
on campus may be that an entrepreneur
is a business student; however, innova-
tion comes from various disciplines and
a strong curriculum will need to draw
from multiple resourcesinside and
outsidethe college. We must develop
relationships outside the college that
will benefit students, for example, with
lenders and the local community of en-
trepreneurs, the self-employed and small
business owners.
22 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
Entrepreneurship Across the Cur-
riculum (EAC) must be embraced by
the leadership of the college, adds
Tshibangu. To give students adequate
support, it also requires workshop/semi-
nar development of non-credit courses
to complement current credit-bearing
courses. At MCC, we have Auto Tech
students and students in the Massage
Therapy program who do not view them-
selves as entrepreneurs even though
many expressed an interest in working
for themselves. Embracing EAC will be
a great benefit to these students, the col-
lege and the community.
The NACCE definitions challenge
us as administrators and faculty to step
away from the safety net of the tradi-
tional teaching model and become more
experiential in our teaching and con-
tinued learning, says Melissa Garcia,
area program manager at Mid-Plains
Community College in North Platte, NE.
Entrepreneurs evolve with changes in
their environment, and to successfully
encourage students to do so, we must
practice what we preacha forward-
thinking mindset. For the curriculum,
it allows us an opportunity to ingrain it
across trades and into liberal arts as an
essential 21st century skill.
Curriculum must also be created to
be delivered via continuing education
and into the workforce. The potential
entrepreneurial strength of a commu-
nity lies in the intellectual property that
resides in the community, says Tim
Putnam, Director of the John Pappajohn
Entrepreneurial Center at North Iowa
Area Community College, IA.
Regarding the curriculum implica-
tions Les Ledger says, The effort must
be collaborative across the campus. No
discipline can exist without creating
something of value for the consumer,
and private enterprise is the machine that
delivers the product or service. Every
discipline needs to see its part in creating
value for the consumer in America and
more especially for the consumers of the
world market. Disciplines need to show
the student how that discipline will help
the student gain a job, become an entre-
preneur, and produce new, better goods
or make the price cheaper.
We welcome members to share their
views on these definitions and their
implications, says Van Sickle. Weve
set up a blog on the NACCE Web site to
continue this important discussion.
References
1
Russell S. Sobel, Entrepreneur-
ship, Concise Encyclopedia of Econom-
ics, http://www.econlib.org/library/
Enc/Entrepreneurship.html.
2
Ibid, Sobel.
3
Peter Drucker, Systematic Entre-
preneurship, http://www.smarterhome-
business.com/
entrepreneurship
4
Entrepreneurship in American
Higher Education, Kauffman Founda-
tion, Kansas City, MO, 2008, p. 5.
5
Babson Web site: http://www3.
babson.edu/Offices/ug_ccd/Entrepre-
neurship.cfm.
6
William J. Baumol, Robert E. Litan,
and Carl J. Schramm, Good Capitalism,
Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of
Growth and Prosperity, Yale University
Press, New Haven, CT, 2007 p. 3
Serving Entrepreneurs
on Floridas Gold Coast
BROWARD COLLEGE STARTS AN
ENTREPRENEURSHIP INSTITUTE
By Norm Seavers
Associate Vice President
Broward College, Institute for Economic Development, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
The Kauffman Foundation recently
listed Florida as having four of the
five metropolitan areas nationally with
the highest level of self-employment.
Broward College is an urban community
college with 60,000 students, three major
campuses and eight centers located in the
hotbed of this self-employment, the Fort
Lauderdale-Broward County metro area.
Through the programs and services
of its traditional credit and non-credit
areas, Broward College has a history of
supporting small businesses and entre-
preneurs. Based on the present level of
entrepreneurship and growth in this area,
Broward College President David Arm-
strong encouraged an expanded support
of entrepreneurship and small business
development.
The Business Administration de-
partments at Broward Colleges main
campuses were brought together with
department administrators from techni-
cal education and continuing education
to develop a plan. Two administrators
were sent to the National Association for
Community College Entrepreneurship
MyBiz Program
continued from page 18
to increase the numbers of newly trained
business owners; increase the numbers
of small business owners within the
Hinds Community College District;
increase workforce training; potential
development of new cluster mentors;
intergenerational exchange of business
skills and an increase in leadership skills.
The terminal outcomes would include
conference in San Antonio in Janu-
ary 2008. Information gathered at the
NACCE conference was vital in moving
forward with a plan to develop the Entre-
preneurship Institute at Broward College.
360-Degree Mission
The mission of the Entrepreneurship
Institute at Broward College is grounded
in the overall community college mission
and takes a 360-degree approach to ad-
dressing the needs of present and future
entrepreneurs. We will:
Articulate an entrepreneurship
certificate to degree process for
students moving from the Broward
School System (K-12) to Broward
College.
Offer college certification in entre-
preneurship to address the needs of
Broward College graduates.
Catalog resources in the metro area
targeted to small businesses and
entrepreneurs.
Provide the requisite knowledge to
start and maintain viable small busi-
nesses in our community.
increased economic development, in-
creased entrepreneurialism, a decrease in
brain drain and the establishment of new
networks of small business development
opportunities.
An additional spinoff outcome may be
a reduction in the number of dislocated
workers, having encouraged some of
these individuals to create a small busi-
Offer ongoing small business de-
velopment workshops, courses, and
related services open to the com-
munity.
The Entrepreneurship Institute at Bro-
ward College has a very strong advisory
committee that will assist in driving the
direction of the institute. Representation
on the advisory committee includes en-
trepreneurs/small business owners, area
chambers of commerce, municipal and
county economic development offices,
incubators, small business development
centers and Junior Achievement.
Future plans include the addition of
an annual signature event, an operational
incubator and related services to further
support and foster continued entrepre-
neurship in the Fort Lauderdale metro
area.
ness as a viable alternative to traditional
employability options, which currently
are seriously limited.
The MyBiz Phase III-SEP training
program commenced February 2010
with an anticipated completion date of
December 31, 2010.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 23
spring/summer 2010
 Marketing on a Shoestring
PART ONE:
BRANDING YOUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
By Melissa Crawford
Director of the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, CA
Many entrepreneurship programs are
in the infancy stage. A huge challenge
with any new program is getting the
word out both on-campus and off.
Even if your program has been around a
while, it might be a good time to re-think
your marketing efforts, and be sure you
are touching all the bases and making
enough noise.
Brand Your Program Using On-Campus
Resources
First, take a fresh look at all the
services you offer or intend to offer.
How are you attracting students to your
courses and who are they? How do you
get small businesses interested in and
supportive of what you are doing? How
do students find your courses in the
24 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
spring/summer 2010
catalog and the schedule of classes? How
can you best supplement the college-
wide print materials? How will you get
students and community members to at-
tend your events? How will you get press
coverage? What existing resources does
your college offer in terms of marketing
that you can tap into, for free?
When I joined the Scheinfeld Center
last year, I embarked on a full-blown
marketing campaign, with almost no
money. When I asked to see our exist-
ing logo, I was shown brown and yellow
squares, and a pixilated world map. This
branding wasnt working for us, so I and courses often and without recurring
enlisted our in-house marketing depart-
ment to come up with something a little
more edgy and attractive. I wanted a real
logo, with a real taglinean identity that
could be both edgy and current but that
also lent itself to academic credibility
and the seriousness of business. A tall
order!
One of our first challenges was our
very long name. After giving some con-
sideration to shortening it, we decided to
keep it and make it work. While the mar-
keting department got busy on a logo,
we brainstormed a tagline and settled
on Dream. Plan. Profit. We felt this ac-
curately promoted our mission to serve
the entrepreneurs just starting out with
an idea, to help students and small busi-
nesses accelerate their ideas with careful
planning, and to help students implement
their plans to actually start a business.
Our marketing department came back
with a great logo, which allows some
play with an ampersand. Fun!
Brand with a Self-Managed Website
My next effort was to create a Web
site for the Scheinfeld Center, a place to
advertise our courses, promote events,
feature faculty and student businesses,
house a blog, a video library and point
visitors to resources.
An alumni Web designer contracted
with us for $100 per pagewhat a great
deal! I limited our site to 15 pages
and this has been my most extravagant
expenditure. I made sure that after it was
designed, I could edit it easily. I wanted
to be able to update our event calendar
costs. We purchased Adobe Contribute
($79), a user-friendly Web site editing
software for dummies like me. This was
a great investment. The program allows
me to quickly update the Web site or
change content anytime I need to. You
see the final Web page design on the
next page.
Use Cheap Do-It-Yourself Online Print-
ing Resources
I have an artist friend who was mar-
keting an event with a postcard. I was so
impressed with the quality of the card
and its appeal factor, I asked him for a
referral to the vendor. I now regularly
print 1,000 postcards for about $50 a pop
(full-color gloss on the front, black and
white on the back). They are excellent
quality and weight, and the provider has
an online design center that can turn an
ordinary administrator into an extraordi-
nary graphic designer! These cards get
distributed all over campus and in the
community. People love them.
Be Bold, Take Risk and Use Your Imagi-
nation
Dare I say, Have a little fun on your
job? The marketing aspect of this posi-
tion taps into the right side of my brain
that has sat dormant most of my profes-
sional life. This is exciting and challeng-
ing and pushes me to be creative. One
risky marketing piece was a bookmark
with our logo and text that simply read,
Dude, Wheres My Job? and the
reverse side contained our entrepreneur-
ship course offerings. This has been our
most popular marketing tool and students
and faculty have been asking for us to
make these into bumper stickers. I feel
we are obliged to take risks, be bold and
leading edge in delivering our services,
especially since we teach entrepreneur-
ship and innovation.
Recently, we are applying branding
concepts to our entrepreneurship cur-
riculum revisions and are creating more
vibrant course titles that can be marketed
to both a younger audience and the
experienced business owner. Finding the
balance between being edgy and current
but maintaining academic credibility is
the key to our branding.

news note

Sherry Tshibangu Is 2010 NISOD Award Winner

Sherry Tshibangu, assistant professor of Business Administration /Economics at Monroe Community Col-
lege (MCC), in Rochester, NY, has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the college with a
prestigious Excellence Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Award
(NISOD). This award recognizes educators at institutions of higher education for their teaching and leader-
ship excellence.
Sherry Tshibangu has consistently and passionately gone beyond her job requirements to make the col-
lege a better place in which to learn and to work, said MCC President Anne Kress. Most notably, in the
classroom she has creatively connected students to the community through service learning projects. She
successfully launched the Colleges Emerging Entrepreneurs Scholarship Program in July 2008 and served
as the director until November 2009. In this role, she mentored several aspiring entrepreneurs.
Tshibangus outstanding leadership helped to establish and launch Pathways to Entrepreneurial Suc-
cess, a community resource forum hosted by the college in November 2009 with 400 participants attend-
ing. She will be honored at the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence on May
30-June 2, 2010 in Austin, TX.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 25

spring/summer 2010
 Lessons Learned
continued from page 10

companies that participate, even those that have not won funding, are much better off able to receive a check. No absentee
for having gone through the process and worked through a business plan. recipients. No shows get no money.
Running a business plan competition is hard work. Some suggestions from the Bring back the winners to the con-
lessons we have learned follow: ference to highlight their progress.
Engage a broad group to support the marketing and share the burdens of run- These are a few of the lessons learned
ning a competition. Running a statewide competition is a large undertaking. We and application of those lessons in devel-
have broken down the responsibilities among the JPECs and other supporting oping, launching and running a success-
organizations. One JPEC has taken the marketing responsibilities and creates the ful statewide business plan competition.
brochures, issues the news releases, and develops and executes the marketing You will find that this is hard work and
plan for the competition. One center serves as competition manager. This shifted takes planning from nearly the end of
after three years from the University of Iowa to NIACC last year, and NIACC is one competition to the delivery of the
running the competition again this year. This includes responsibilities for calling next competition. The effort we feel is
the formative meetings, ensuring that materials are updated, rule changes are worth it if it brings more clients through
posted, the Web site is updated (the actual Web site changes are done by one of our doors working on their business
the other collaborators for the competition, IDED), but mostly this role involves plans and if it supports financially the
responsibility for the collection of the business plan executive summaries, development of home-grown businesses
distribution of those to the judges and running the competition, including the in the region and state.
final business plan review and judging. The leader of this effort puts the timeline For more information, contact Jamie
together, calls the meetings and takes notes and disseminates them to the rest of Zanios at zaniojam@niacc.edu
the group. or 641 422-4162.
If possible use an online entry and review pro-
cess. We now use Angelsoft, as the repository for
executive summaries and business plans. This has
allowed us to eliminate the need for creating DVDs
of the plans, and also has sped up the process; the
plans can be reviewed as they come into the sys-
tem and judges are automatically advised of new
entries.
Market often and consistently. Getting businesses
to compete may seem easy when the prize is part
of $50,000, but that has not been the case. We
have had to work our market areas hard, not just
with marketing but actual contacts with potential
contestants to encourage them to participate. We
engage support from the Chambers of Commerce
in our areas as well as the Economic Development
Corporations in promoting and directing companies
and entrepreneurs to our centers for information
and encouragement to compete.
Define Start-up. We have defined start-up com-
panies differently over time. Generally mirroring
statewide definitions for other funding, we started
with companies three years old or younger, moved
to six years and younger and are now back at four
years and younger. We also define the value of the
company as less than $3 million in net worth. And
we do not allow retail or professional services. We
do allow Internet-based retail or services, however.
Require the business to be in your area or state.
Have a statewide forum or conference at which you
can have the winners present and receive recogni-
tion. But require the companies to be present to be

26 COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

spring/summer 2010
COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP 27
spring/summer 2010
NACCE
NACCE
1 Federal Street, Bldg. 101-R Non Profit Org.
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage Paid
Springfield, MA 01105 USSpringfield,
PostageMA Paid
1 Federal Street, Bldg. 101-R Springfield,
Permit # 1215MA
Springfield, MA 01105 Permit #1215

NACCE 8th Annual Conference

2010

Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida

Entrepreneurship: The Community College Role

in Economic Vitality

Visit www.nacce2010.com
for more information and to register