Doing more with less has never been a more popular adage than today. For entrepreneurs this has always been the way of life, but for institutions, communities and large organizations "entrepreneurial thinking" has never been more relevant and essential. This is especially true of our region and our community. The EC is dedicated to making entrepreneurship the lifeblood of Southeast NC. It is our mission to connect this community, support and educate our leaders on the importance of entrepreneurship to our future, and make this wonderful place we call home a destination for innovation. Each month our newsletter captures some of the stories, projects and events in which we are involved. It is our hope that you will view our results and sense our progress towards accomplishing the EC's entrepreneurial mission. It is also our hope that seeing our accomplishments will lead to more members,
whose $75 (or higher) annual contribution provides the only way that we can ultimately translate our goals into reality. If you believe in this region's entrepreneurial future we need your support. Become a member today and feel proud of what you are helping to make happen.
Sincerely, Jonathan Rowe |
2010 NC Entrepreneurship Summit
|  Wilmington will play host to the 2010 North Carolina Entrepreneurship Summit on Sept 19th/20th at the Hilton Riverside. This year's summit, "Keys to NC's Economic
Future," will be the fourth statewide gathering to celebrate and connect small businesses and high-growth entrepreneurs from across the state. The EC is partnering with Summit organizers to host the kick-off speaker and reception on Sunday, Sept 19th at 5pm. This evening will provide EC members with a special opportunity to meet over 100 entrepreneurs and government leaders from across the state. EC members can attend the kick-off celebration and speaker at no cost and are encouraged to purchase Summit passes for the remainder of the conference on Sept 20th. Registration is required for both and space is limited.
Welcome Reception and Speaker Registration
2010 NC Entrepreneurship Summit Registration
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Envision TV Show to Launch on Sept 16th
|  To further capture, promote and highlight the great entrepreneurial community of Southeast NC, the EC in partnership with UNCW-TV is launching Envision. The 30-minute bi-weekly interview show with host Jonathan Rowe, will welcome a different entrepreneur each time to discover what makes them tick, the lessons learned in starting and growing companies as well as ideas for improving the Cape Fear Region. The show will air on Monday and Thursday evenings at 7pm on Time Warner Cable Channel 5 and Charter Cable Channel 12. The series will launch on September 16th with guest Dave Spetrino of Plantation Building Corporation.
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Matt Wood Publishes Article on Entrepreneurial Opportunity
|  Authors, Matthew Wood and William McKinley recently published an article in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, volume 4: pages 66-84. (one of
the premier academic journals in entrepreneurship). The article develops
a theoretical model that depicts the process of opportunity production. The model assumes that opportunity production
proceeds through several stages, including perception of a possible opportunity
by an entrepreneur, objectification of that opportunity, and enactment of the
opportunity. However, not all perceived
opportunities survive this process and some opportunities are abandoned due to
inadequate objectification or due to insufficient resource support. The authors identify variables that determine whether
perceived opportunities are objectified and other variables that determine
whether objectified opportunities are enacted.
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| Entrepreneurial Statistic: According to the U.S. Office of Federal Procurement small entrepreneurial businesses won a record $96.8 billion in federal prime contracts
in 2009, an increase of
more than $3 billion from 2008. This dollar amount represents 21.89 percent of all
federal spending. |
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Member Profile
Fran Scarlett,
Regional Director of the SBTDC
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As the leader of the region's Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) Fran has a broad array of business experience. She received her MBA from Harvard University and ran her own management consulting firm, Scarlett Ink Media prior to her current role. The SBTDC serves as a key partner to the EC by providing counseling services to entrepreneurs and business owners in all areas related to starting and growing businesses. |
Speed Dating The Entrepreneurship Way
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Over fifty area entrepreneurs descended upon UNCW on August 26th for the
opportunity to obtain advice and information on their businesses from
thirteen leading experts in the region. Entrepreneurs signed up for 5
and 10 minute "dates" with experts to discuss legal, accounting,
investment, tax, insurance and marketing issues.
As Chris Goulet, founder and CEO of RockLock stated after one of his "dates" with attorney Charles Baldwin, "Charles' advice about adding additional
investors and changing the ownership structure of our LLC will save the
company money on our taxes and help protect me as founder." Helping to
make the event run smoothly were fourteen UNCW students who themselves
had a chance to network with local entrepreneurs.
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