My first encounter with Global Entrepreneurship Week was over a decade ago when I was a bootstrapping entrepreneur. I was new and learning, attending occasional networking events and workshops being offered around town. The entrepreneurial ecosystem was nascent in Tulsa at the time offering only a handful of activities scattered around town.
Over time the ecosystem developed, a nexus of activity emerged downtown and there was more connectivity, and an increase in the number of events. I became more engaged as I pivoted from entrepreneur to ecosystem builder, helping to facilitate and host a few of these. As an entrepreneur, I was needy, stepping into the unknown and trying to navigate a path from ideation to revenue where there was no roadmap. It was challenging to find the resources and educate myself on ways to execute the plans in my head. Not finding the answers I was looking for or discovering a nugget of information which could help others, I started sharing and collaborating to make those assets more accessible. Perhaps your path has been like mine, engaging as a consumer and audience member to organizer and coordinator.
Along the way, I had the honor and privilege to be invited into conversations on entrepreneurial ecosystem building with a national community. These were people recognized in the emerging field as early adopters. Realizing the things I did for free had a name and there were others doing this in custom and bespoke ways around the country. I also learned that GEW was not simply a couple of events happening in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It’s difficult to visualize what’s happening on a national and global level. The magic behind the curtain starts long before the actual events that take place during a week in November in respective towns. Early in the year various people who have raised their hands or been voluntold connect on calls to discuss what has happened in previous GEWs. Celebrating the triumphs and examining the almost perfect things that missed the mark. They learn from each other and share aspirations of things they would like to do next. As the months progress, the conversations become brainstorming sessions and learning noteworthy practices from each other. Tactical discussions on how to court partners and sponsors, secure collaborators and supporters. Curating and catalyzing, outreach and connecting to make magic happen. Filling the needs and fulfilling expectations. Trying new things and ensuring familiar and favorite programs have their place during the course of the week.
The culmination of months of planning built on years of relationships, networking and outreach equate to over 40,000 events involving over 10 million people.
In 2020 when I was a consultant for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation which has been a longtime supporter of Global Entrepreneurship Week, I was asked to create a public service announcement about GEW. While we’re no longer in the throes of a worldwide pandemic, but entrepreneurship numbers are still stagnant, the path is fraught with many barriers and hurdles. We need to celebrate those in the trenches, invite innovation and creativity, inspire change and engagement. We continue to strive towards inclusive prosperity. Whether you are a student, educator, policymaker, active entrepreneur, employee with an idea or anything else, we welcome all to get involved. Entrepreneurship is for EVERYONE.
Happy Global Entrepreneurship Week!