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Symbols of Entrepreneurial Spirit
February 26th, 2010 by Mike Knutson
I believe in the power of symbols. The wind turbines we put up in Miner County back in 2001 served as a symbol of inspiration as we “reimagined” the future of our rural community. They became a powerful visible reminder of the work we were trying to accomplish.
I was reminded of the power of symbols yesterday during two presentations at the Launch10, an entrepreneurship conference by Dakota Wesleyan University. The first reminder came from keynote speaker Sheena Lindahl, and the second came from three young South Dakota entrepreneurs, Matt Douglas, Matt Smart, and Lezlie Kaitfors. Both presentation offered symbols of entrepreneurship and success for the largely college-aged crowd in attendance — but in very different ways.
Sheena’s presentation revolved around taking limited resources and turning them into something big. To make her point, she drew on her personal story of growing up in poverty in rural New Hampshire (or Vermont, I forget which).
Sheena described herself as an average high school student who always wanted to go to New York City, despite being afraid of it. Facing her fears (a common theme throughout the day), Sheena enrolled at New York University and hopped on the bus for NYC – even though she didn’t have the money to pay for the semester. Through determination and hard work, she consistently overcame every obstacle put in her path. Today she’s a Gen Y entrepreneur rock star. She’s definitely someone every young person in the audience can aspire to become.
While a symbol herself, what struck me most about her presentation was how NYC served as the symbol that inspired her. She was going to “make it” in New York City, and that thought drove her.
Although unintentional, I’m afraid that young people in the audience may also interpreted NYC as a symbol for success. In other words, they have to go off to the big city to achieve their dreams of entrepreneurial success. Maybe that’s just my interpretation, and I know Sheena didn’t intend it. But as a rural community fanatic, I worry about the constant messaging that preaches this idea.
Personally, I was more inspired by the round table involving the young South Dakota entrepreneurs. After briefly highlighting their personal stories, the session turned into a question and answer period. In contrast to other speakers during the day, these three entrepreneurs were not polished presenters who made their living telling others how to become entrepreneurs. They shared an authentic and inspirational message about what it’s like to be young South Dakotan entrepreneurs.
I was particularly struck by how well they answered a question about what South Dakota high schools should be doing to help develop future entrepreneurs. I want to share their responses with you:
- Lezlie Kaitfors explained that she thought everyone should take businesses classes because they relate to all aspects of a person’s life. After all, couldn’t every family do a better job of developing and following a budget?
- Matt Douglas wished more educators would help young people realize that owning their own business was a real possibility. Too much emphasis is placed on getting a job, which causes people never consider the entrepreneurial lifestyle.
- Matt Smart recommended that students receive constant exposure and practice in entrepreneurial thinking. For instance, being able to recognize opportunities takes practice, and the process should start at a young age.
Through these and other answers, the three reminded the audience that young people don’t have to go out of state to be successful entrepreneurs. That’s a message that excited me!
But what’s more powerful? Images of NYC or stories of young people? I’m afraid that NYC’s visibility is naturally more powerful. I guess that’s where Sheena’s message of overcoming adversity comes back into play. Those of us with a passion for South Dakota have a responsibility to share stories of successful South Dakota entrepreneurs.
In the future, we’ll try to do a better job of that here at ReImagine Rural.
Tags: entrepreneurship, Gen Y, Launch'10
Posted in Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (
1 )
February 27th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I would very much like to read more stories about small-town or even rural-state entrepreneurs. Thanks. I had a friend who was VP of commercial lending for a small bank, and she thought entrepreneurs all shared a similar personality. Only, she didn’t break it down into Meyers-Briggs terms, like community development researchers do. She saw them all as having gambling personalities with complete blinders to the possibility of failure. It’s interesting to me, because I think it takes an enormous amount of courage to be an entrepreneur, even in the best circumstances. I’d like to know more about those who take the leap.