Michigan is famous not just for its lakes,forests, and winters, but for its remarkable entrepreneurs - people like the Fords, Durants, Kelloggs, and Dows who transformed our state from a rusticwilderness into the industrial heart of North America. Governor John Engler, forward to Empire Builders by Folsom W. Burton Jr., Medal of Freedom Winner John Gardner, in his insightful work titled Building Community notes that, Where community exists it confers upon its members identify, a sense of belonging, a measure of security. Related to this finding, Raymond W. Smilor, noted author and honored entrepreneur, also notes in his work Entrepreneurship and Community Development that, Entrepreneurship can help confer identify, belonging and security not only on those who elect to start and grow enterprises, but also on those who join them in that effort and on the wider environment in which they operate.
Entrepreneurs are often undervalued and misunderstood in our society.
Often considered risky by lenders and investors, entrepreneurs actually embodiement of good risk management. David Gladstone, in his work entitled Venture Capital Investing, offers the following description of a typical entrepreneur, entrepreneurs are not risk takers. Those researchers who have classified entrepreneurs as high risk takers fail to understand that entrepreneurs are analytical by nature and thus are usually able to perceive risk better than most people. Funded primarily by a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., this program operates as a partnership between MEDC, SBAM and the Small Business Foundation of Michigan. Energy Star Program SBAM is an officially EPA Energy Star Small Business Partner.