Building Statewide Ecosystems From The Ground Up With Erik Pedersen

Entrepreneurship is not always about building and earning the biggest – sometimes, it is simply about getting started and doing consistent work. Gary Schoeniger sits down with Erik Pedersen, president and COO of Network Kansas, who shares how he builds statewide ecosystems centered on fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. Together, they discuss what it takes to build these grassroots communities from the ground up and help people see themselves as capable of creating change as highly equipped entrepreneurs. Erik also explains why entrepreneurship should be taught to children as early as elementary school, making it less overwhelming and demanding yet more thrilling and fulfilling.

Entrepreneurship And Human Flourishing With Dr. Matt Lee

Dr. Matt Lee started out studying criminal homicide. But after his career took some unexpected yet fascinating turns, he found himself leading research at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program. He joins Gary Schoeniger to reflect on how he made this career shift and is now pushing the boundaries of traditional academia. Dr. Lee unpacks the connection between entrepreneurship and human flourishing, emphasizing why this intersection is more than just business. He also shares insights on teaching young people about the sociology of love and explains why action-oriented love is the driving force behind meaningful innovation.

Why A Little Mental Turbulence Can Be a Good Thing for Early-Stage Startups

After welcoming each new cohort of idea-driven participants to Entrepreneurial Mindset Training, facilitator Joel Barrett issues a warning: Turbulence Ahead. 

Barrett is a business development consultant with the Missouri Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He and his colleagues use the Ice House model to redefine entrepreneurship as the self-directed pursuit of opportunities to create value for others by discovering and solving problems—and he has firsthand experience with the mental disorientation this shift can bring about. 

“The Entrepreneurial Mindset Training is aptly named because it really did challenge how I think about everything,” Barrett said, reflecting on his own introduction to the Ice House model four years ago. “It has changed my approach to problem solving instead of solution building, which is so contrary to how most entrepreneurship is taught.”