The Time Is Now: The Entrepreneurial Mindset Imperative
April 13, 2021
Im-per-a-tive (Noun): An essential or urgent thing; of vital importance Download the White Paper Here Life today is filled with imperatives. Everything seems urgent and critically important in vying for our attention daily. As such, when we sat down to write our new white paper, we did not decide to call it the Entrepreneurial Mindset Imperative lightly. Between the pandemic, political strife, social strain, and massive changes in education and the workplace, the world is making…
Read more
How the Ice House Model Underlies a Mission to Engage, Educate, and Empower Entrepreneurs
May 16, 2022
Long before Dr. Cassandra Little ever heard of Uncle Cleve Mormon and the Ice House approach to entrepreneurship, she already knew its power. That’s because her grandfather was an entrepreneur who had only a third-grade education but built a career working on cars and houses. Watching him, she absorbed the same lessons the Ice House model now instills in course participants via the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce. Little herself is a lifelong…
Read more
Kindling a ‘Go Before You Know’ Mentality Across Northeast Iowa
April 28, 2022
When Northeast Iowa Community College offered its first Ice House courses in 2020, it ignited what one faculty member described as a “virtuous brush fire.” People would hear about the Ice House program and want to get involved, explained Seth Gilbert, NICC Director of Organizational Development. That’s especially impressive considering that the college has 12 campuses and centers across eight counties covering 5,000 square miles of rural northeastern Iowa. The college implemented the Ice…
Read more
Revisiting Resilience With Sirena Moore-Thomas
April 21, 2022
Resilience is not about being fearless. It’s about overcoming the fear. Joining us for another episode is entrepreneur, speaker, and author Sirena Moore-Thomas. After our first conversation, we decided there was too much to unpack and have her back for another fantastic conversation. In this episode, she goes more into her recent endeavors as an entrepreneur, including how she became the COO of a 100-million-dollar company. Sirena also shares her 4-step The W.A.L.K. Method™…
Read more
Gaining a Sense of Usefulness and Ending the Cycle of Poverty Thanks to a Cincinnati Nonprofit
April 7, 2022
When the nonprofit Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative noticed that the individuals it serves needed an extra push beyond the typical business courses to get their ideas off the ground, it introduced the Ice House model to develop their entrepreneurial mindsets. That addition started a series of shifts within the organization. A community development financial institution or CDFI could help would-be small-business founders access capital and gain skills. Ultimately, it changed how Executive Director Willie…
Read moreELI’s Top of Mind – March 2022
March 31, 2022
Top of Mind is ELI’s favorite entrepreneurial mindset studies, articles, papers, books, and talks. Now, check out this month’s selection! Read Here
Read more
At Daytona State, Curiosity Turns to Conviction About the Benefits of an Entrepreneurial Mindset
March 15, 2022
In early 2021, Daytona State College received a grant for nearly $100,000 to introduce students in its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs to an entrepreneurial mindset. Looking back, the college seems prescient. Its Entrepreneurial Mindset Opportunity (EMO) initiative is intentional about helping students recognize the ways to harness their own life lessons in the pursuit of opportunities to create value for others. In addition, the EMO initiative also gives students the confidence and…
Read more
Changing Mindsets in a County of Contrasts
February 25, 2022
If you look at a map of distressed communities within the U.S., the southern and eastern states are overrepresented. If you zoom in on Appalachia and then North Carolina, you’ll find Robeson County, the state’s most-distressed county in 2021. But, if you were to look at Robeson County in another way—as an area full of rich culture and interesting individuals—it would place near the top of the list. For example, U.S. News ranks it as…
Read moreELI’s Top of Mind – February 2022
February 23, 2022
Top of Mind is ELI’s favorite entrepreneurial mindset studies, articles, papers, books, and talks. Now, check out this month’s selection! Read Here
Read more
Breaking The Mold In Sustainable Farming With Brian Bruno
February 18, 2022
Is there any way we can go back to our roots and champion the natural, organic way of consuming things? The world is so used to pressed, processed, and packaged goods that we often forget sustainable farming is still practiced. In this episode, Brian Bruno of Apple Ridge Farm joins us to talk about small, sustainable ag-entrepreneurship. He shares how the farm lives by its vision of producing the best food in the most sustainable way…
Read more