Follow Heather Twitter Facebook
Email Heather Email
Education
Aug 5, 2019

Growing the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Sponsored Content provided by Heather McWhorter - Director, UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Spirit of Entrepreneurship has found a welcoming and supportive home in Wilmington. If you put your ear to the ground, you’ll hear interesting conversations about entrepreneurship all over town. The conversations and energy have turned to the importance of the entrepreneurial mindset.  It reminds me of the kinds of questions we were asking ten years ago – Are entrepreneurs made or born?  Can you ‘teach’ entrepreneurship? Can you ignite a spirit of entrepreneurship?

Now that we know you CAN teach entrepreneurship, where’s the roadblock? People that never pictured themselves as CEOs or business owners, are starting new ventures every day. What’s the common denominator? An entrepreneurial mindset. They believed in themselves and they believed it was possible. Start with fertile soil (ready minds) and entrepreneurial seeds will take hold. As a community, we need to be actively cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset in every corner of the city, county, and region – and leave no one out. And we’re on our way…

Let’s start with our middle school and high school students. The Brian Hamilton Foundation with “Entrepreneurship for All” is reaching out to 8th graders with their message. Nick Cannon came to town last fall with his student entrepreneurship competition and vows to be back again next year. UNCW has been hosting a week-long entrepreneurship camp for the past six summers – encouraging high school students to explore entrepreneurship opportunities in the food economy, construction, and the creative fields. The UNCW Chancellor’s High School Innovation and Business Plan Competition will celebrate its fifth annual competition this year. UNCW also hosts monthly meetups for high school students and is collaborating with other entrepreneurial support organizations to bring the NC IDEA Foundation-supported Ice House Entrepreneurship Program to students in our region.

Our youth entrepreneurship programs will give Wilmington a leg up as the next generation emerges as business leaders. Equally important, are the efforts to open the door to entrepreneurship for those that are economically, educationally, and socially disadvantaged in our community. It’s hard work to change a mindset and belief system that was formed through 20, 30 or 40 years of hard knocks. The Brian Hamilton Foundation is reaching out to help those with criminal records by offering Inmates to Entrepreneurs several times a year. Coastal Women’s Ventures is seeking to help women and minority entrepreneurs. With the Battle of the Bosses, the TRU Colors Brewery team puts a focus on the most pressing needs for entrepreneurial activity and solutions in troubled neighborhoods. Cedric Harrison of Support the Port is working to develop an impactful program to nurture and fund minority businesses.

All these programs share the same purpose – to grow the entrepreneurial mindset. It’s not about ‘how to start a business’ with sessions on setting up your accounting system and social media marketing – it’s about feeling the excitement when ideas are brought to life, creating value for others, being validated, and knowing you have ‘the right stuff’.

As our collective Spirit of Entrepreneurship grows, we’ll see an exciting, creative, inclusive, and engaged community emerge with opportunity for all.  

Diane Durance, MPA, is director of UNC Wilmington's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). The CIE is a resource for the start-up and early-stage business community to help diversify the local economy with innovative solutions. For more information, visit www.uncw.edu/cie.  

Other Posts from Heather McWhorter

Uncw cie 22
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Dave sweyer 300 x 300

Insights into the 2023 Leasing Market in Wilmington, NC: What You Need to Know

Dave Sweyer - Sweyer Property Management
Untitleddesign4

Paving the Way to Better City Streets

Tony Caudle - City of Wilmington
Chris 16239425

‘Creative,’ An Adjective To Describe Your Accountant?!

Chris Capone - Capone & Associates

Trending News

New Hotel Proposed Along Market Street In Ogden

Emma Dill - Mar 15, 2024

Businesses Reopen A Week After Grace Street Facade Collapse

Emma Dill - Mar 15, 2024

Tech Upskilling Cohort To Host First Wilmington Class

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 15, 2024

In The Current Issue

Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...


INFO JUNKIE: Jack Fleming

Jack Fleming, owner of Socialry Marketing & Scourz and emcee for 1 Million Cups Wilmington, shares his media and tech picks....


Park Progress

The planning for Pender Commerce Park began in the early 2000s when the county wanted to create an economic driver on its largely rural west...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments