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…
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The Hidden Science Behind Persistence
April 7, 2020
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 8/8 Throughout this eight-part series, I have attempted to describe core concepts distilled from my observations and analysis of “unlikely” entrepreneurs. My intention was to tease out the common and replicable factors that anyone could embrace. Among those observations was what appeared to be an almost Herculean ability to persist through a mind-boggling array of challenges, setbacks, and…
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Creating an Intentional Community
February 11, 2020
Photo by jose aljovin on Unsplash Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 7/8 In my quest to deconstruct the mindset and the methods of underdog entrepreneurs, I was searching for the common patterns of beliefs and behaviors that anyone could embrace. Among those factors was the influence of other entrepreneurs. Over time, it became clear that this was an extremely important factor—one that can drastically improve the odds of…
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Fortune Favors the Reliable
November 8, 2019
Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 6/8 Many famous entrepreneurs appear to have struck gold in their endeavors. Even if we hear the origin story of their success, something is missing from the retelling. In fact, they often took years filled with difficulty and multiple failures to get where they are. At a glance, it looks like luck, a chance encounter with the right person, or stumbling upon a solution…
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Creating Wealth: An Altruistic Paradox
August 8, 2019
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 5/8 We’ve all heard it said that “it takes money to make money.” And yet among the most intriguing attributes of the underdog entrepreneur is their ability to start where they are and use whatever they have in order to succeed. At the same time, access to capital is often cited as the biggest hurdle for aspiring entrepreneurs.…
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Cultivating Curiosity: The New Learning Imperative
May 30, 2019
Photo by Stephen Hickman on Unsplash Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 4/8 Among the most distinguishing characteristics I’ve noticed among entrepreneurs, is an unusual desire to learn. It’s not that they are great students in the traditional sense, (in fact, in many cases, it’s quite the opposite) yet they always seem to be engaged in learning, usually through non-formal and informal means. For example, they learn through observation and inquiry,…
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Risk Versus Reward: The Hidden Strategy of Unlikely Entrepreneurs
March 5, 2019
Photo by Jonathan Francis on Unsplash Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 3/8 I’ve spent the past two decades exploring the mindset and the methods of every day “unlikely” entrepreneurs—the underdogs and the misfits who somehow manage to transform a simple idea into a sustainable success. My initial thought was that if I could somehow deconstruct the mindset and the methods of these unlikely entrepreneurs, it could be useful – not only to aspiring…
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How To Recognize Opportunities That Others Overlook
December 10, 2018
Photo By Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash Learn How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur Part 2/8 I’ve spent the past two decades exploring the mindset and the methods of everyday entrepreneurs – the underdogs and the misfits whose only advantage in life is in the way they think. In this second post of an eight-part series, I’ll explore the underlying logic and the cognitive strategies that enable entrepreneurs to recognize opportunities that others overlook.…
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How to Think (and Act) Like an Entrepreneur
August 1, 2018
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash Part 1/8 What is it that enables entrepreneurs to identify opportunities that others overlook? And how do they mobilize the resources and marshal the resilience, the creativity, and critical thinking that enables them to transform their ideas into thriving new businesses that not only generate wealth, but create new jobs, revitalize their communities, transform their organizations, or reinvent their careers? For as long as I can remember, I’ve been…
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