WorkWise: Become an entrepreneur, pursue demand, create jobs

In the past, government policies fostered job creation. The current political environment creates a big question mark. WorkWise has avoided references to politics until now, but it’s time to change. The nation is in crisis over jobs. You might believe the government should help – or not – but it can’t at the moment.

Serial entrepreneur Joe Grace, partner and CEO of Seaboard Solar LLC in Danbury, Conn., states that the gridlock in the government thrusts the responsibility on individuals.

Jim Clifton, in “The Coming Jobs War,” maintains that responsibility lies in start-ups, both small to medium-sized (fewer than 500 employees), as the greatest source of job growth in this country (Gallup, forthcoming, October, 2011). He doesn’t mention, however, that current businesspeople can do something parallel – launch start-up divisions to create jobs.

“Individuals are the global economy,” Clifton writes. “Every individual is a source of jobs energy in some way. Every individual is an economic engine. ... (but) there are no new sustainable jobs until there are new customers.” Where do you find the customers in a nation reputed to be filled with people not buying or spending?

DEMAND

You hunt for demand, according to Frank Mulgrew, president of the Online Education Institute at Post University in Waterbury, Conn. “In the past two years,” he says, “the University has created over 200 positions.” In August, Post announced 60 openings in admissions, academic advising, financial aid, support, central administration and the faculty ranks. The University projects that 30 will be filled by October 1 and the rest by December 1. Online Education had approximately 12 employees in 2004. It’s grown to about 220.

After identifying a market, Mulgrew recommends “developing the resources to help individual buyers in the market. Look at the myriad ways businesses can leverage creative ideas and turn them into innovative products and services. To us, being innovative means finding intersections between different types of industries and ways we can create something new and interesting that can appeal to our market.” Marketing, branding and selling produce revenue.

CHANGE

Clifton’s book mentions that “the precious connector between innovator and customer is the almighty entrepreneur ... who envisions a value and a customer and then creates a business model and strategy that create sales and profit.”

Grace, whose entrepreneurial experience crosses industries, maintains that “entrepreneurs look for problems that need to be solved, trends, new technology and changing consumer demands. They’re often attracted to industries going through change and flux, where opportunities are created. They find something new and jump.” Most recently, he selected solar renewable energy and developed an innovative package for building owners that doesn’t require them to be knowledgeable about solar or the intricacies of government subsidies. Between 2009 and 2011, his company created about 65 manufacturing, construction and office jobs.

Another example of capitalizing on change comes from Jim Stephens, owner of FleetCare International in San Francisco, an onsite commercial fleet maintenance company. A seminar on teaming inspired him to persuade a previous employer to team with him on a government contract. A changing business climate valuing entrepreneurs helped make this possible.

“Everyone was looking at me, asking where I dropped from – or at least they were thinking of that,” he quips. “I took that idea and affiliated with two companies. One is a multinational transportation company. The other is in engineering construction.

“I’d like to see a lot more large corporations exploit smaller businesses in a mentor/teaming situation,” he continues. “We create employment and there’s a lot of unused potential sitting there, like I was.” His company created six positions between November, 2009, and August, 2010 – during a period when the industry was receding.

“I’m feeling good,” Stephens adds.

Dr. Mildred L. Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. © 2011 Passage Media.