Education + Entrepreneurship: Changing Communities

Harold Hogue, founder of Cospero Consulting, talks how social entrepreneurs can transform communities with vision, resilience + relationship

What does it take to change the world? Harold Hogue is the founder of Cospero Consulting, a community based firm focused on helping organizations make change in the community. As a Teach For America alumnus, Harold understands how a great idea can transform the world around us. To make their ideas come to life, social entrepreneurs should be ready to create a strong vision, commit through resilience, and foster relationships by staying connected to those you serve. 

Harold will help aspiring social entrepreneurs understand the core values and personal characteristics required to transform an original idea from just a thought into real action over time using lessons he learned during his time as an educator and applied to his own venture:
         
1. Resilience + Commitment to a Vision: 
Failure is an acceptable part of the job and not something to avoid. As a business owner, leverage that principle with your team and clients. Failure should only serve as learning opportunities to improve your craft and strengthen the commitment to your vision.

2. Progress Over Perfection
A teacher's role, like an entrepreneur, has enormous variance in how success is defined. It can be easy to look around at others ahead of you who may seem stronger or further ahead but looking at others can be both encouragement and a distraction. It's most important to look around for inspiration but quickly return to the work you are tasked with in building your product or service offering. Throw the thought of perfection out the door because everything can always be better. Instead, choose to embrace progress along the journey.  

3. Stay Connected to Those You Serve  
You hear a lot about theory vs. practice in the education sector. There are always research-based best practices to leverage both in the classroom and business. At times though, you have to add your mojo to ""what's supposed"" to happen based on the needs, hopes, and desires of those you serve. To best understand your client, it's critical to create ongoing engagements that make way to be in relationships with your stakeholders because, without them, your impact ceases to exist. 

Discussion Format
-During the hour, Harold will speak directly to entrepreneurs to explain his personal story impact and making change in North Texas and throughout the US while demonstrating how these traits he learned as an educator directly resulted in success. Then Young Lee, Director of Talent and Leadership at TFA, will talk to Harold about his experiences and what type of support he received from Teach For America, an organization that top leaders across the country and then places them in some of the most underserved school communities. Finally the hour will conclude with an open discussion period where participants can submit their questions to Harold live. 

Speakers
-Keynote speaker: Harold Hogue, Founder, Cospero
-Moderator: Young Lee, Director, Talent and Leadership, Teach For America  "