Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Initiative. It’s a mouthful.
And according to Dr. Curressia M. Brown, Mississippi Valley State University assistant professor and acting chair of the Department of Business, it’s a mindset.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Valley will host one of six Entrepreneurship “SpinUps” to be staged at historically black colleges and universities across the Mid-South this year.
“What we hope to accomplish is to be a source of support and inspiration for those who want to be entrepreneurs,” Brown said. “We want potential entrepreneurs to let us show you how to take a dream and make it a reality.”
Other schools selected though a competitive application process were Grambling State University, Philander Smith College, Rust College, Southern University and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The purpose of these gatherings and training sessions is to help college and high school students and community members develop their dreams and visions into plans with solid business potential, Brown said.
“I’ve told our students on campus, even if your major is biology, you might find yourself conducting research on a product, publishing a book or doing something that requires an entrepreneurial mindset to succeed,” she said. “There’s a business side to everything we do.”
Participants in the initiative will enjoy two days of technical assistance labs, covering a range of topics including Developing Business Plans, Licensing and Intellectual Property, Customer Service, Marketing and Selling Strategies, Access to Capital and Micro-Lending, among others.
Presenters at those labs will be representatives from the Entrepreneur Center at the Mississippi Development Authority, the Institute for Local Innovations, the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute, the Mississippi Small Business Administration, law firms and the university.
The event will culminate on Wednesday evening with a Business Pitch Competition with participants and winners in three categories: high school, community and collegiate. Competitors will pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges.
Winners of the Pitch “SpinUp” will be rewarded with opportunities to fine tune their pitches at a weekend retreat at the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute in Georgia, and at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week 2017, the “Mardi Gras of entrepreneurship,” according to Brown.
Two special workshops will help those feeling especially entrepreneurial develop their pitches, one on Tuesday from 3 to 4:15 p.m. and a second on Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The whole idea, said Brown, is to develop a mindset that melds passion and creativity with pragmatism and basic business skills.
“Small business is what drives the economy,” Brown said. “To be an entrepreneur, you have to have something inside of you that says, ‘This is what I want to do, and I’m going to put my whole heart and spirit and intellect into it.’”
The event is free and open to all budding entrepreneurs.
To learn more or to register, call Valley’s Department of Business at (662) 254-8374 or visit www.spinuphbcu.com, click on the link for events and select the tab corresponding to MVSU’s event.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn @gwcommonwealth.com.
