UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN 3rd DISTRICT, NEBRASKA TOM OSBORNE

Washington Round-up | Week of March 3, 2003

Cultivating the Next Generation of Opportunities

This past year’s drought and severely dry conditions have dealt Nebraska a tough blow to take. Yet, folks in the Third District keep proving that even with the cards stacked against them, they are determined to survive and find new ways to succeed. Although agriculture is the number one industry in the Third District, in times like these, we often are reminded that we need to diversify our economy and create additional business opportunities. A positive attribute commonly found in the Third District is not only the will power and determination to make things work, but also the hard work ethic to make things happen. Nebraskans have found ways to harness their vision of what could be into making their business idea and opportunity a reality. Examples include the pioneers who homesteaded the first acres in what would become the Third District, to today’s companies, like Alliance’s Burningtons, Inc. that supplies spare parts for the railroad industry in more than 30 countries. Nebraskans like these have shown that they can tap the resources, ideas and work ethic to create a growing enterprise. This is entrepreneurship. Today, we seriously need more entrepreneurs to keep Nebraska moving on a positive path.

Entrepreneurship is a value deeply rooted in American culture. The American spirit helped build this country and our ideals, as well as helped create today’s businesses. According to Jay Kane at the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs can be defined as “individuals who blend innovation with sound business practices to commercialize new products and services that result in high-growth firms.” Research supported by the Kauffman Foundation suggests that entrepreneurial behavior often is the catalyst for stronger civic leadership, better students, more productive workers and enterprise creators.

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the development of our rural communities. Over the years, our rural economy has been suffering from the loss of people – young and old. Whether it’s youth leaving for bigger cities and higher paying jobs in other states, or families leaving agriculture, Nebraska’s need for new ideas and innovators is strong. According to the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Clearinghouse on Entrepreneurship Education (CELCEE), two recent reports were conducted in the United States that measured the regulatory environment small businesses face in each state and the entrepreneurial activity present. Nebraska was among the bottom 10 states in the nation for entrepreneurial activity. Undoubtedly, we need to encourage and grow more entrepreneurs. Generating entrepreneurs is vital to build a more prosperous, dynamic and sustainable economy in rural America, especially in Nebraska.

But how do we develop or grow entrepreneurs? Most business owners have some entrepreneurial talent. However, not all business owners are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs set themselves apart by their motivation and passion to create. According to the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, both are traits that can be developed in order to expand the number of entrepreneurs in a community. One way to cultivate tomorrow’s community and business leaders is to start with our youth. According to a Gallup study, seven out of 10 high school students say they want to start their own business. However, 86 percent of the students surveyed said their knowledge of entrepreneurship and business was very poor to fair. Clearly, the challenge is teaching them the skills and tools to succeed. One way is through a hands-on approach to learning how to run a business. For example, at Arthur High School, students opened a grocery store in the small Sandhills community to meet that area’s needs. Through their first-hand experiences, they learned the challenges entrepreneurs face when starting up and running a business. This is true entrepreneurial education, it is not just adding another textbook or new course to the school curriculum. This teaching exercise taught Arthur High School students some vital steps to ensuring prosperity in our communities. Young people are the future of the Third District. We must be responsive and work to put the tools in their hands to create the next success story in our communities.

Fostering more entrepreneurial development within our communities is vital given the challenges of job and population loss that we face. Although the solution seems quite simple, the actual process of growing and attracting entrepreneurs to our Third District communities is a great task. Starting with our youth, and thinking outside the box are good places to begin this task. Across the state, important vocational education programs and student organizations offer our young people the opportunity to explore entrepreneurial activities. These programs play an essential role, but we need to do more. I am working to develop a guidebook that stresses the need for entrepreneurship and how to cultivate young entrepreneurs in the Third District.

Rural America is changing and will continue to face challenges in the agricultural marketplace. The best way to keep the economy and our communities on a positive path is to change with the times or get ahead of the game: a true example of entrepreneurship.