The words entrepreneur and entrepreneurship come from French — though unlike fashion, cuisine, or art, they’ve never been easy for English speakers to embrace. When I became the facilitator of the Successful Entrepreneur Program at Independence Community College years ago, it took me a long time to learn how to pronounce entrepreneur, let alone spell it. Even today, after typing it thousands of times, spell-check still warns me I’ve misplaced an “r.”

Beyond the spelling challenge, the meaning of entrepreneur — and related ideas like entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial mindset, and entrepreneurial thinking — has evolved. Many people today have widely different ideas about what entrepreneurship means.

Entrepreneurship Is Not Just About Owning a Business

Traditionally, entrepreneurship was seen as launching and owning a business. Society often portrays entrepreneurs as mavericks who risk everything on a bold idea. But the idea that all entrepreneurs are reckless risk-takers is a myth.

In fact, research has shown that 98% of new businesses that later appeared on the Fortune 500 list were started with less than $10,000. What set these founders apart wasn’t how much money they risked — it was how they thought. Entrepreneurial thinking is useful not only for business owners but also for employees, government workers, educators, nonprofit leaders — anyone trying to solve problems and make the most of limited resources.

How Entrepreneurs Really Think

Studies on entrepreneurial mindset reveal how successful entrepreneurs approach problems and solutions.

They start by making assumptions about a perceived problem and a possible solution — but they don’t rush into long business plans or detailed five-year projections. They don’t borrow huge sums of money and hope their guesses are right.

Instead, they run a series of small, low-cost experiments to test their assumptions. If the assumptions prove wrong, they haven’t exhausted their resources; they can adjust their solution or even pivot to a new idea. Only after validating key assumptions do they invest more time, energy, and money.

Validation Means More Than Focus Groups

These entrepreneurs don’t rely only on market studies, surveys, or focus groups asking what people say they want.

Instead, they build a minimum viable product (MVP) — the simplest possible version of their solution — and see if even a small group of real customers will actually pay to try it. This creates a feedback loop: they learn, tweak, and improve based on how customers respond after using the product or service, not just based on opinions.

This mindset — testing assumptions early, starting small, learning as you go — saves time, money, and effort. And it’s a valuable approach for anyone, in any line of work, where solving problems for others is central.

Why We Should All Think Entrepreneurially

Imagine a community or society where everyone — not just business owners — approached their work with entrepreneurial thinking.

In businesses, government agencies, schools, nonprofits, and even in our personal lives, this approach helps us do more with limited time, money, and energy. That’s why so many of us working in entrepreneurship today believe this way of thinking benefits everyone.

Entrepreneurial thinking isn’t just about starting companies; it’s about how we solve problems, how we test ideas, and how we create value in whatever work we do. It’s a mindset worth practicing — no matter where you work or what you do.

Update/Context: May 2025
Since this piece was first published in 2021, the pace of change has only accelerated. More communities are trying to build innovation hubs, maker spaces, and Fab Labs—but many still approach it through outdated strategic planning models. As we continue to develop the Life Skills Academy and explore new opportunities downtown, the lessons below are more relevant than ever.

A few years ago, while I was serving as director of Fab Lab ICC, I received a call from a representative of a community college in Oregon. He said they were excited to add a maker space to their new strategic plan, in partnership with their city. They had heard about the success of our Lab and wanted advice—particularly about community needs assessments and planning resources.

I had to tell him the truth: we never conducted a formal needs assessment, and Fab Lab ICC wasn’t part of any strategic plan. And yet, it worked.

That conversation highlighted two of the biggest challenges with strategic planning—especially when it comes to innovation.

Challenge #1: We Plan for Five Years We Can't Predict

Strategic plans often operate on a five-year timeline. But in today’s world, we can barely predict five months out. By the time you complete a lengthy planning process, the conditions may have changed. In innovation and education, the environment is simply moving too fast for rigid, step-by-step plans to keep up.

Challenge #2: People Can’t Want What They Don’t Know

The second problem lies in asking people what they want—especially through community needs assessments. Back in 2012, when a few of us first discussed starting a Fab Lab, a survey would have told us almost nothing. Most people would have drawn a blank if asked whether we needed a maker space.

It’s not because the community didn’t need it—but because they didn’t know what it was. As the saying goes, if Henry Ford had asked people how to improve transportation, they would’ve said “faster horses.” Vision often precedes awareness.

A Case Study in Missed Opportunity

A year after that initial call, I met the Oregon college president at a conference. She said their campus now had a maker space and that the city was exploring a downtown innovation hub. That sounded great—until she added that the city planned to hire a consultant to do a community needs assessment.

That’s when my jaw nearly hit the floor.

Most consultants lack any real experience with maker spaces or Fab Labs. They may be great at gathering input, but how do you measure the value of something the community hasn’t yet experienced?

In many cases, the city would be better off skipping the consultant fee and using that money to buy a small set of equipment and set it up in a public place—like a library. Firsthand experience is the most powerful assessment tool there is.

From Strategic Planning to Strategic Vision

Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, faced this same dilemma when trying to grow his company. He realized he couldn’t predict all the steps to get there. So instead of a rigid plan, he created a clear vision of what he wanted the business to become—and made decisions aligned with that vision.

That approach applies to communities and colleges too.

The Bottom Line

Strategic planning still has its place. But if we want to foster innovation, support entrepreneurs, and grow stronger communities, we need to rethink how we use it. Don’t just plan based on what people know today—create a bold vision of what’s possible tomorrow, and give people the chance to experience it firsthand.

That’s the kind of mindset that turns ideas into impact.

Update/Context:
When I first wrote this piece back in 2017 — and again when I updated it in 2021 — the world was just beginning to understand the implications of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence. At the time, we were talking about AI. I had no idea that by April of 2025, I’d be having full conversations with AI — something (or someone) called ChatGPT. Around the house and with colleagues, I refer to it as “Geppetto,” which feels fitting since it's shaping how ideas, stories, and even decisions come to life in this new era.

Back in 2017, the automation conversation centered on minimum wage debates and the risk of robots replacing low-wage workers. By 2021, it was clear that higher-skilled positions weren’t safe either. Now, in 2025, AI tools like Geppetto are making intellectual, creative, and even emotional labor more efficient — and in some cases, replacing the need for human input altogether.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s not even speculation. It’s daily life.

And yet, the core message of this article still stands: we are not adequately preparing people for the scale of disruption that is already unfolding. The need to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, paired with real-world problem-solving skills, is more urgent than ever — not just to survive the wave of change, but to shape what comes next.

It’s Time to Talk About Robots Again
When I wrote this piece back in 2017, the primary concern was robots and automation taking over jobs at the lower end of the wage scale — especially amid political discussions about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. But even then, I pointed out how entire wind farms required only a handful of highly paid technicians to stay operational.

Today, robots are not only doing those kinds of jobs — they’ve moved into higher-wage roles like machine operators and industrial loaders. At the end of this article, I discuss the idea of displaced workers becoming entrepreneurs and contractors. That still holds true. But now, as workforce disruptions continue from everything from automation to mandates, layoffs, and corporate restructuring, we’re seeing an even broader wave of displacement.

Robots Are Getting Smarter by the Day
For the sake of this article, we’ll use “robots” as shorthand for robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI). Robots hold enormous potential to improve safety and quality of life. They can help us distribute products and services more efficiently and affordably, making the essentials of life more accessible to a broader population.

But there’s one area where we are behind: workforce planning. The future of work in an increasingly automated global economy is rarely discussed in earnest. For many community colleges and institutions of higher learning, this is the invisible elephant in the room — a coming employment collapse that nobody wants to face directly.

Some New Technologies Don’t Need Training for Masses of Workers
Most colleges suffer from “institutional sluggishness.” Some haven’t yet grasped how radically the nature of work is changing. Not long ago, several Kansas community colleges scrambled to launch wind energy programs. Wind energy is a promising technology, no doubt — but they assumed it would require a workforce similar to past industries.

That’s not the case. When a group from ICC visited a major wind turbine installation near Beaumont, they learned that only 8 to 10 technicians are required to manage the entire site — despite its massive footprint and enormous investment. If a field that size only requires ten techs, it doesn’t make sense to have multiple colleges churning out dozens of wind energy graduates each year.

In the future, most new technologies will come with automation and robotics already built in. This will reduce the cost of operations and make products and services cheaper — but it also means fewer workers will be needed to maintain those systems.

We Won’t Need Masses of Robot Technicians Either
The smart colleges caught this trend in time and backed off their wind energy investments. But what about other existing technical fields? Right now, we’re still turning out thousands of new technicians across industrial sectors each year. Yet companies in every industry are actively developing systems to automate even these jobs using robotics and AI.

The common counterpoint I hear is: “Well, someone has to repair and maintain the robots.” True — but not thousands of people. If a company with 500 employees automates down to 250, it won’t need 250 robot techs to maintain the system. It may need 10 or 15. The rest are out of a job.

Entrepreneurial Mindset Is Part of the Answer
No matter how advanced our automation becomes, the world will still have problems that need solving. We will always need people who can think creatively, spot opportunities, and build solutions — even if they no longer work a traditional job.

That’s why we need to shift from training people just to get jobs to preparing them to create value. This means teaching entrepreneurial thinking alongside technical skills. As more workers are displaced by automation, those who have the tools and confidence to work independently — as freelancers, contractors, business owners, or collaborators — will be best positioned to thrive in the new economy.

 

Update/Context: Since the original publication of this article in 2021, the City of Independence has successfully implemented one of Roger Brooks’ key recommendations—installing large, professional, and easy-to-read wayfinding signs throughout the community. For several years now, these consistent and strategically placed signs have served their purpose well, guiding both residents and visitors to local attractions, businesses, and amenities. The improved signage has contributed to a more welcoming and navigable experience across town.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign; so go the lyrics to the 1971 song called “Sign” by a group called “5 Man Electric Band.” Indeed, there are signs all around us. Some like the road and street signs that convey information to help us get from point A to point B without crashing into each other are generic and consistent, a good thing given their purpose. Early in the days of automobile travel, roadbuilders saw a value in this consistency. The purpose of other signs is to convey information about businesses, products and services. Today, elaborate digital signs are available so messages can be changed every few seconds. 

Missing Signs Are Part of the Story Too 

Sometimes signs that are missing are an important part of the story. In 2014, Independence brought a community branding expert named Roger Brooks to town to give people an outsider’s view of the community. One of the main points made by Mr. Brooks was that there are a lot of great attractions and businesses in the community but directional signage either doesn’t exist or is not prominent in helping visitors and newcomers find things. He suggested destination signage, branded and consistent, be added along all highway entrances into town. He also suggested what are called “blade” signs under the awnings of downtown businesses. Blade signs are perpendicular to the traffic path and easier to read than the parallel signs on the store fronts. Someone in the audience commented that the blade signs were against city ordinance. I’m paraphrasing, but his response was something like “Well, you can regulate your way out of existence.” There has been a movement just in the last few months to design and create the destination signage for community entrances. As far as I know, the ordinances against blade signs are still in place although a few rogue business owners have hung them anyway. 

Some Signs Say Too Much 

Many of our signs try to say too much, especially billboards. Most people will only spend 3 – 5 seconds reading a sign, while driving; it’s more like three seconds. Words and images and even the fonts should be chosen very carefully to be very brief and concise. You can’t read many billboards until very close and then you zoom by without time to finish. I knew a billboard designer once whose sign text, I thought, was too big and bold to be attractive. I changed my mind when I noticed that, in a two-sign structure, his sign was always readable from much further away than the one with too many words. 

Signs Should Say Welcome, Some Do Not 

Most signs in businesses and organizations should be used to welcome customers or patrons to use their products and services. The messages conveyed by our signs go far beyond the words and images. Many times, the subtle—or not so subtle—message beyond the message is contrary to the intent of the sign. Look around. Many signs you see are worn out, dirty or faded. Often, there are too many “No’s.” No Public Restrooms, No Substitutions, No Shoplifting-You Will Be Prosecuted and We Are Watching You, No [insert your text here] Allowed. People want to buy from or otherwise patronize businesses and organizations that are clean, welcoming and up to date. Signs that are worn out, dirty or faded make the opposite impression. 

Signs Should Not Punish the Many for the Faults of a Few 

The “No” signs usually are a result of a small percentage; let’s say 10%, of customers doing something that makes us mad. We want to make sure the offending practice doesn’t happen again, so we put up a “No” sign.  The problem is that 90% of our customers would never do the offending practices and are a little (sometimes a lot) put off by all the negativities. Sometimes, we’re put off enough that we don’t come back. Many “No” signs can be reworded to eliminate the word “No.” Instead of “No Public Restroom” how about “Restrooms Are For Our Customers?”  

It’s a good idea periodically for us all to take a look at our signage and try to do so with the objectivity of a stranger. There are now several small businesses available to help with the physical upgrading of many types of signs. They are very good at wording and layout to help make sure you are conveying the messages you intend. 

Update/Context: The first few paragraphs of today’s column are from 2017, but the concepts still apply today. In 2006, we rarely heard the word “entrepreneurship” used without it referencing a new business start-up. The idea of using entrepreneurial thinking (or mindset) in other kinds of organizations and situations was almost never expressed. Today the value of entrepreneurial mindset in all aspects of society, with its emphasis on problem solving, is becoming clear to many more people. Yet, it’s difficult to “teach” in a traditional education setting and it is not picked up naturally in traditional academic classes. We have a very different Entrepreneurial Mindset class for that and there’s more information about that at the end of this article. Here is what I first wrote in 2017. 

 I think I've underestimated the potential of entrepreneurship (now, I call it entrepreneurial mindset) since 2006 when I learned how to spell the word after accepting the position of facilitator/business coach of the Successful Entrepreneur Program at Independence Community College. 

 For many people, the term "entrepreneurship" implies business ownership or business "start-up." Certainly, that is true sometimes, but entrepreneurship can be interpreted as a way of thinking of new ways to solve problems for others, many times with limited resources. Successful entrepreneurship includes continuous innovation with successful entrepreneurs knowing they always have to be looking for the next greatest way to serve their customers or coworkers.  Innovation sometimes means new inventions and/or new technology but many times it means a new twist on an existing idea. 

Today I'm starting to realize that a goal of developing the "Mindset" among everyone in a region has a great potential—indeed, the only hope--to provide economic prosperity and overall satisfaction with life. 

 The overarching objective of the Entrepreneurial Mindset class, featuring the Ice House Entrepreneurship curriculum is to learn how successful entrepreneurs recognize problems as opportunities and figure out creative ways to solve them. Pretty much, no matter what any of us do with our lives, we are involved in solving problems for others, or at least we should be. This can be as a self-employed businessperson, or as an employee in someone else's company or organization. Entrepreneurial Mindset should go far beyond that; our social, civic and government programs should seek to solve problems for others with Entrepreneurial Mindset. 

 The eight life's lessons in the Ice House curriculum provide the central themes of the "Mindset." They are timeless and really have more to do with a way of looking at life and interacting with others than they do with specifically starting or running a business.   

So, while we do talk about business start-ups in this class, what we really emphasize is how to learn to become better problem solvers. Entrepreneurs can be at work both within other companies and organizations as well as within their own businesses.  Employees that understand the "Mindset" will do a much better job at taking care of customers whether they are external to the company or internal customers within the same organization. 

As more and more companies strive to be more innovative in our current entrepreneurial economy, look for more and more employees to come to the "Entrepreneurial Mindset" class and sitting down beside those with a goal to open their own businesses. All are looking for a new mindset to better view problems as opportunities and find innovative solutions. 

The next Entrepreneurial Mindset class will be offered in the fall of 2025 as our new Life Skills Academy, powered by Innovative Business Resource Center establishes its location in or near Independence. Feel free to email me if you’d like to be notified when we open registration.

 

Update/Context: This article was first written in 2017, when a big part of the Fab Lab ICC mission was to help entrepreneurs launch businesses.  Since my retirement in September 2022, we have been working to establish Life Skills Academy (LSA) as a new community maker space, providing entrepreneurs and inventors with the tools, resources, and guidance needed to bring their ideas to life. At LSA, powered by the Innovative Business Resource Center (IBRC), we continue to champion the mindset that “People will pay money for the things you can make here.” Our mission is to equip makers with not only the physical tools—such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and prototyping equipment—but also the business coaching and entrepreneurial guidance necessary to turn ideas into viable products. Whether you’re developing a prototype or exploring ways to solve real-world problems, LSA is here to support your journey from concept to marketplace. We expect to open LSA by fall, 2025.

While I was the director at Fab Lab ICC, we encouraged members, students and visitors to think about using the Fab Lab to “make things and make money.” Another way is to say “People will pay money for the things you can make here.” People in business and in their personal lives have wants and needs, i.e. problems to solve, and they are willing to spend money to fix those problems. That’s the whole premise behind this new way of thinking about entrepreneurship, finding better ways to solve problems. 

For entrepreneurs and inventors with new product ideas, a community maker space is a great place to develop prototypes in a quick and inexpensive way. At any given time, there are from one to five people working in various stages to bring new products to the marketplace. 

But wait. There’s more to introducing a new product than just making a working prototype. We must have a pretty good idea that there are people that want the new product and that they are willing to pay for it.  

Here are five questions that need to be answered before talking to (i.e. spending money, time and/or effort to talk to) bankers, lawyers, patent attorneys or accountants about that new business idea you have. The answers can be informally written out and shared with a business coach, a service we now provide through Life Skills Academy, powered by Innovative Business Resource Center.

1. Describe the product or business idea, i.e. your solution. 
2. Describe the want, need or problem that your solution will solve. 
3. What are the current solutions? 
4. How is your solution different, i.e. better? 
5. How many people have the problem? 

The best way to answer these questions is to “go out into the world” and find those people that have the problem you are trying to solve and see if they think your solution would be preferable to whatever method they are currently using to deal with the problem. We believe this self-derived, informal method of determining whether potential customers are interested in your solution is far superior to formal market research. 

Framing your business idea in the context of how it will solve a problem is an essential first step in understanding whether anyone will actually buy your solution when it becomes available. It is also important to examine current solutions. Most problems are not new so one way or another people are dealing with them in some way. It is important to know as much as possible about current solutions so you can ask people if they think your solution will be better. How many people have the problem is not really a quantitative question for which you need a definite number. Another way to phrase the question might be “How widespread is the problem?” In a random gathering of 100 people from all walks of life, how many might have the problem you are trying to solve? 

Answering these five questions, especially after discussions with potential customers in the “real world” will most always point out that the solution you envision, in its current form, is not quite what people want. Use these five questions in an iterative process, answering them again and again after each tweak to the business or product idea. This is the best way to bring a new solution to the market without exhausting all your financial resources on a solution that most people will not buy. 

 

Update/Context: Successful businesses understand that every customer interaction is an opportunity, no matter the circumstances. This article highlights how some Independence retailers have turned what some see as a nuisance—parade crowds and festival-goers—into a valuable chance to welcome new customers. By embracing events like Neewollah and making their stores inviting, these businesses build lasting relationships and increase sales. The lesson is clear: whether it’s parade day or an ordinary afternoon, a warm welcome and a customer-friendly approach can turn casual visitors into loyal patrons.

"I Love A Parade" is a song recorded by Victor Arden and Phil Ohman and their orchestra 1931.  Although I wasn’t around in 1931, I remember this march.  People still love a parade, especially a Grand Parade such as we’ll experience this Saturday in Independence.  Retailers I’ve known along a parade route, however, have not always been thrilled to host a parade.  A group of Independence business owners have figured out the secret to making “parade time”; i.e. “Neeowollah week” valuable as a way to boost sales and/or build customer loyalty for the future. 

In a previous life, early 1980’s, I was president of a group named “Downtown Garden City”.  This was before the creation of the Kansas Main Street (KMS) program in the mid-1980’s.  (Although the state of Kansas unwisely scuttled KMS as a state-sponsored program a few years ago, the Independence Main Street program continues as a strong and vital organization working for the prosperity of downtown Independence.)  The widely held belief among the merchant members of Downtown Garden City was that “nothing kills business like a parade.” 

A few years ago, Brian Hight and Ryan McDiarmid of Magnolia Scents by Design (formerly Magnolia Health and Home) decided to buck the trend of looking at Neewollah as a nuisance and instead decided to use the event as a way to meet new customers.  Instead of restricting hours and posting a large “No Public Restroom” sign during the week, the two extended their hours and actually put up a sign that welcomed festival goers to come inside and use their restroom facility.  Imagine, on the way back to the restroom, strangers noticed the great store with great, friendly people.  They began to buy and they bought—and still buy--big.  A couple of years ago, Brian told me that Neewollah week was second only to the busiest week of the Christmas holiday season in sales volume. 

When Tom Schwarz, One-Stop Pack-N-Ship and Terry Trout, Ane Mae’s and Ane Mae’s Gifts and Goodies took ownership of the ground floor of the iMall building at 325 N Penn, they made it a point to continue the tradition of making the restrooms available to the public.  Their doors say “Public Restrooms” and their exterior banner (printed at Fab Lab ICC) leads off with “Clean Restrooms”. 

Lance and Judy Stanislaus, former owners of Uncle Jack’s at Penn and Main, used to actually invite people to bring their “Neewollah vendor” food into the restaurant and enjoy it with an Uncle Jack’s beverage. 

I once saw a glowing Facebook post on the Magnolia page espousing the great store, great products and friendly service.  The one thing the poster remembered and appreciated above all else was the way in which Magnolia welcomed them to come in and use their restroom facilities during Neewollah. 

The secret to retail commercial success is the same during Neewollah week in October as it is at any other time.  Welcome people into the business and make them comfortable while they are there. 

Update/Context: Before my retirement as Fab Lab ICC Director in September 2022, I envisioned making this article a Christmas tradition, much like the classics "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story." The 2024 holiday season is the perfect time to embrace gifts that are battery-free, screen-free, and entirely non-digital.

When I was growing up, let's just say it was several years ago, battery operated toys were just coming into existence. In those days, batteries (technically, energy cells) were expensive enough that most electric toys were sold without them. Hence, the phrase we still sometimes hear today "Batteries not included.” It was kind of a sign that you were up to date with technology if you got something for Christmas that required batteries. Parents wanted to give their kids the latest so why give those boring, non-electric gifts like Legos, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs or erector sets when the kids wanted the electric toys that had lights, bells and the ability to move around on their own through simple electric motors? 

One of my favorites from my era was a "robot" similar to those appearing in movies and shows like "Lost in Space.” Also, at that time, the "Jetson's" animated cartoon show sported "Rosie" the robot maid. Although hokey by today's standards, we didn't know of anything else so the robot that would merely light up and move around the floor was as exciting to us as the more sophisticated cool robots of today. That early robot didn't teach me much, except how to insert the batteries in the right direction but it was a cool toy. Fortunately for me, I kept on playing with the Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and my erector set. 

The trend to electric and now electronic toys has continued over the last 50 years--admittedly, with some really cool technology always emerging. This keeps parents wanting to make sure their kids have the latest electronic gadgets. Unfortunately, this trend has contributed to two or three generations of folks who, by and large, don't know how to make things with their hands. Actually, many don’t try to make anything with their hands or fix anything around the house as they lack the imagination inspired by playing with hands-on toys that required tinkering and making. 

We saw this all the time at Fab Lab ICC with people of all ages that were not very adept at using their hands. In the first year we were open, 2014, one of our ICC students was a wizard at creating complex 3d drawings, using a computer program, but he couldn't make anything with his hands. He didn’t know a Philips from a flat-head screwdriver. He moved on before we could give him much experience at using hand tools and making things and will be at a disadvantage in his professional and personal life. 

Over the last few years, as we brought kids to Fab Lab ICC for maker boot camps, STEM camps and other activities, we made sure there was plenty of working with hand tools mixed in with the digital work of creating files that run the cool fabrication machines. Here's the thing. The kids love making things with their hands as much as making digital files on the computer. 

The most successful people in the future at work, at home and in business—and the future is now--are those who will make things using drills, screwdrivers and hammers combined with the latest digital technology. Even those in a non-maker profession will be better at solving work-related problems because of their ability to create and make. 

I'm not really advocating a totally battery-free Christmas, however, the toys we give, and the activities we provide for our kids (of all ages) need to be a combination of the cool technology along with some handwork with manual hand tools. The learning and increase in self-confidence that happens with this combination is phenomenal and very satisfying for the gift giver to observe. 

Update/Context: As we approach the end of 2024 and start of 2025, the principles outlined in this October 2021 article remain as relevant as ever. Reflecting on the challenges of recent years, it’s clear that fostering an entrepreneurial mindset is key to resilience and innovation. This mindset continues to empower individuals, businesses, and communities to adapt and thrive amidst uncertainty. Whether you're revisiting these ideas or discovering them for the first time, the article's insights serve as a valuable guide for navigating a rapidly changing world.

What if we had to study sports for twelve years before we could actually play? Would people even study a sport for one year before actually playing? Of course not; I’ve never even heard of anyone who read a book about golf, let alone studied the game before attempting to play. Nothing would collapse the American institution of sports like a requirement that potential players spend time studying the game before playing.

Although the sports analogy sounds ridiculous, we expect our young people, for the most part, to study math and science for several years before they actually get to make use of the knowledge in making real-world solutions, i.e., projects.

In today’s world, we hear a lot about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and finding ways to get young people interested in STEM, especially young girls. The answer is simple. If you want to get a young girl interested in STEM, help her start making things of her own design in solution of her own or other people’s problems. The answer is the same for young boys. Making things provides the answer to interest youth in STEM. Making is an equal opportunity concept. Making does not discriminate based on gender, age, social status or any of the other protected classes.

Making something that is a personal solution to a real problem is a more valuable learning tool than just following an exercise in a book or downloading some 3-dimensional drawing from the Internet to 3D print. Designing and prototyping a dog umbrella or retrofitting an electric drill with a crank so it can be used to charge a cell phone are examples of making something to solve a problem.

When people make something to solve a problem, they are willing to learn whatever they need to learn from any of the STEM disciplines in order to make the solution work. This includes increased interest in reading skills so they can better understand the written information available to help with the project. Students improve their writing and communication skills as they seek to share information about their projects with others. The lessons learned from each project build an ever-increasing personal knowledge base available for solving more problems with increasingly complex solutions.

The concept of “making” as a learning tool has been around for a long time, but very, very slow to catch on. On August 25, 1912, a minister named Frank Gunsaulus preached a sermon in Chicago about what he’d do with a million dollars (that was a lot of money back then). He thought education should be more experiential, where students would learn by doing instead of just reading information in a book or listening to a professor’s lecture. He said, in the sermon, that if he had a million dollars, he’d build such a school. American meatpacker-industrialist Philip Armour was in the congregation. After the service, he asked Gunsaulus if he really believed what he had just preached. Armour gave the million dollars for the creation/enhancement of the Armour Technology Institute.

Way back in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, there were people working at Stanford and MIT that recognized the value of the personal computer as a learning tool. Not as a way to merely digitize the boring content of textbooks, but as a tool to spur making. One of the early pioneers in the maker movement, Seymour Papert, envisioned personal computers with many input and output ports so that children could connect all kinds of sensors for input and all kinds of relays and motors as outputs so young people could build all kinds of machines. Today, we have a micro-controller called the Arduino (cost is about $10) that does just what he envisioned with the expensive personal computers of the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Making should be a part of all education, starting in kindergarten and remaining through college. Once we get young people to a basic level of reading, writing and math, we should throw out the standardized testing and the obsession with outcomes assessment and make problem/project-based learning a substantial part of everyone’s education. Combine all of that with an entrepreneurial mindset and we'll start cranking out graduates that can change the world and we won’t be sitting around talking about how to interest young people in STEM.

Update/Context: One of the first things many small business owners say they need is more marketing or help with marketing. For most, better marketing promises to be the key for more sales, hence better profits, and a more successful business. Yet for many businesses, whether new and small or older and bigger, more marketing may not really be what they need; right now.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant’s grand opening only to be greatly disappointed with the overall experience? Many times, a well-meaning manager or owner, of a restaurant or other type of business, will go to great lengths to market a grand opening that corresponds closely to the opening day of the business. The marketing efforts include press releases, advertising, email blasts by the local Chamber and, of course, a big effort to spread the word on social media. The big event comes, and employees are overwhelmed by the crowds that result from the marketing efforts. The crowd of customers is disappointed as the business fails to meet, let alone exceed their expectations. A great marketing effort at this time, may result in three to five times as many people being disappointed as compared to a “soft” grand opening without all the buzz and fanfare. Future marketing efforts must be three to five times bigger and more expensive, to attract all those customers disappointed by the initial grand opening effort.

The same thing may happen when a restaurant or other business heavily promotes a special event or tries to leverage a large event happening around them. This happened to me recently while dining in an establishment during a busy festival. The service was slow, but I am somewhat tolerant of that given how busy they were. The quality of the food was not good. Busy or not, I’m less tolerant on the food quality side. I’m not sure I’ll go back. I believe most other people, given a bad food experience, will likely not return.

What the businesses above needed was not more marketing, but a chance to figure out how to create the positive customer experience, excellence in quality and service. A “soft” opening, maybe inviting a very few friends and family members, would give restaurant owners and staff a chance to work out logistical kinks in service without disappointing a large population of new customers.

For existing businesses, when particularly busy events are coming, perhaps extra planning to minimize bottlenecks and maintain the quality of product and service would help keep the customer experience on the positive side, ranging from good to excellent.

I’m not just picking on restaurants. Many businesses, of all types and sizes, go to great lengths to bring in new customers while they don’t have their processes in place to ensure the exceptional customer experience. Larger companies and institutions have marketing and sales departments whose goals are to bring customers in the door, whether or not the production side of the house is ready to serve them. A perfect example is the cellular and communications companies. They are all great at marketing, but many are not so great at delivering the customer promise.

While running Fab Lab ICC from 2014 through 2022, people coming in for the first time would say something like “So many people don’t know about the Fab Lab. You need more marketing to get the word out.” I always thanked them but then said we were happy with the organic growth in membership resulting by word-of-mouth. We want to work to develop and tweak our processes to improve the member experience before doing extensive marketing to bring in more members.

So, most businesses need more marketing at some point, but we all should be working to improve the customer experience so that when our increased marketing efforts bring in new customers, they won’t be disappointed.