Dr. Jeff Standridge, Chief Catalyst at Conductor
For a few years, I’ve been talking and writing about “The Long Game” of entrepreneurship in which I equate the process of entrepreneurial talent development with playing the long-game in golf. Most of the entrepreneurial support focus in our state today is on that which we can readily see – an existing entrepreneur or an adult who aspires to be an entrepreneur. That’s not a misplaced focus. In fact, we must do everything we can to help those “down-funnel” entrepreneurs achieve success. Where we don’t put as much focus, however, is “up-funnel,” where the majority of our young, aspiring entrepreneurs interact with the ecosystem.
Let me explain:
Our focus on launching new startups, establishing and running accelerators, and deploying capital to invest in these startups is analogous to the “short game” I mentioned above. We must play that short game, and we must play it well to stimulate and support more startup activity across our state. We must also play the “long game,” which is much less evident and certainly not as sexy. That long game is focused on developing the entrepreneurial talent of our state, beginning in elementary school and continuing throughout all stages of the formal education process. It is imperative that teachers, parents and students of all ages understand that entrepreneurship is a viable career path in and of itself. However, the skills and disciplines of innovation and entrepreneurship are transferable across virtually every industry. Even established companies, irrespective of industry, seek to create a steady flow of smart, innovative and entrepreneurial talent upon which to build their companies.
The Conductor is a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie Consulting. Much of our focus at the Conductor (ARConductor) and Startup Junkie (StartupJunkie.org) is placed on this critical mission of talent development. In addition to running numerous entrepreneurial and talent development programs, the Conductor also manages the UCA Makerspace, where a large portion of our “clients” include elementary, secondary and college students. The focus in the Makerspace is to “create.” If we can get hundreds of people each month to explore their creative capabilities, and then support those “creators” with entrepreneurial programming, a handful of those will go on to create commercial products, launch companies or otherwise leverage their innovative talents and skills to some worthwhile endeavor.
The Governor’s initiative on computer science is another quality talent development initiative for our state that has catapulted us onto the national stage. This initiative seeks to proliferate the development of coding skills among young people, beginning in elementary school. Some of those will go on to pursue computer programming and software development as a career. Others will never develop into coders and programmers; but, some will leverage what they learned to pursue roles in other ancillary support functions in Arkansas technology companies. Other examples of organizations dedicated to this talent develop mission in Arkansas include, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce’s “Be Pro, Be Proud” initiative (BeProBeProud.org), Junior Achievement of Arkansas (JuniorAchievement.org), the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub (ARHub.org), Economics Arkansas (EconomicsArkansas.org), and the Arkansas STEM Coalition (ArkansasSTEMCoalition.com), among others. These organizations, and their leaders, play a vital role in shaping the talent landscape of our state in the short, middle and long terms.
Some might ask whether Innovation and entrepreneurship can be taught. The immediate answer is “yes.” It is true that some people are more comfortable with the risks and discomfort associated with entrepreneurship. However, the skills and disciplines of innovation and entrepreneurship can absolutely be taught, demonstrated, mentored and otherwise fostered, and should be, beginning at a very young age.
Innovators and entrepreneurs are critical to the long-term health of our country and its economy. We know that supporting adult entrepreneurs throughout their venture lifecycle is critical to the long-term success of our state. We also know that developing the innovative, entrepreneurial talent of our youth, over time, will pay significant dividends across virtually every industry and job market. When state and local governments, chambers of commerce and established companies engage with and provide expertise and funding to entrepreneurial support organizations, such as the Conductor, Startup Junkie, and others, they are contributing directly to the development of innovative and entrepreneurial talent that may one day transform their companies.
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Dr. Jeff Standridge is Chief Catalyst at Conductor (ARConductor.org) — a public-private partnership of the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie. The Conductor is focused on driving innovation, entrepreneurship, talent development and economic empowerment across Arkansas and beyond.